I saw foxes, deer, and rabbits on a recent trip to Canada. No moose this time, but I have seen them once in a while. However, I found myself mostly watching the crows and gophers. I grew curious about them. I realized I knew very little about either. Both are not on most people’s lists of desired birds/animals. That did not deter me in my quest for knowledge. I first thought crows were smart and gophers not. Research showed me to be wrong.
Beginning with crows, I discovered their intelligence is equated with that of monkeys. I read several stores telling of situations such as a crow having dry food and using a cup to scoop up water and put it onto the dry food. Something they were trying to snatch for lunch had shot down a burrow. Undeterred, the crow yanked a splinter of wood off a log and used it to jab at their prey. They were hoping, of course, to stab it and remove it for their meal. I heard of crows being seen dropping nuts onto busy streets so cars could break them open. That’s smart, you say? Well, they also understand traffic lights. The nuts are dropped when the vehicles are going. The light changes, the traffic stops, and the crow swoops down to capture the now de-shelled nut! In a nutshell( sorry couldn’t resist), so crows know how to make and use tools.
Crows are very family and community-minded. Crows have been observed congregating around a deceased member of the flock. We, humans, believed they were holding an avian funeral. Research suggests it’s a little more cold-blooded than that. They are surveying the situation and environment, so whatever this poor soul fell prey to, they won’t. Of course, they could be mourning. Also, scientists don’t know everything. It had been observed that crows seem to pass information down to younger group members, which continues. John Marzluff cemented that hypothesis. He conducted an experiment that spanned over ten years. He had one human feed the crows in a particular area and treated them well in all ways.
Then a masked man ( wearing a caveman mask) appeared. They threw stones at the crows and otherwise frightened them. Some crows were captured in traps; this masked person was the one they saw doing this. Eventually, the crows were released( unharmed). When the kind human came through the park, the crows were amiable and went about their business. When the masked man strolled through, there was rampant squawking. The masked man was attacked, not just by the crows who had been captured, but all of them. A couple of years later, the same experiment was conducted. The crows reacted the same way--young crows who had not been in on the initial trapping etc., joined the other crows in attacking this masked intruder. So, to sum up, the whole community, including youngsters who were not present, now knew this was an enemy. Ten years after the initial masked man experiment, John Marzluff sent another masked man into the area. By now, the initial crows in the experiment had passed on, likely a lot of their offspring. You would think the masked man would have been forgotten. Not so!! The whole flock attacked him. The memory of his cruelty had been passed down through the entire flock, generation by generation! My imagination pictured a mama crow telling stories to her sleepy babies, “ Once upon a time there was an ugly man’ Crows believe in mob justice—one for all and all for one.
Gophers are different creatures altogether. I must confess I have labeled them “ the suicide squad.” Driving in and out of my Canadian home, I noticed gophers inhabit a dirt strip. The sprightly little guys sit bolt upright at the edge of the road and often race wildly across the road just when you get there. So far, being prepared for this madness, I have yet to hit one. I know farmers and ranchers hate them with a passion. I understand why, but not being either, I can confess to thinking them cute. I also assumed they were cute but dumb.
Gophers are above ground in the day and in their burrows at night. They do extensive tunneling, measured from 200 to 2000 square feet. Strangely, they are not very social with each other. They share tunnels but not burrows. However, they sometimes share a burrow with another type of animal. They have poor eyesight and a sense of smell. Maybe, I’m thinking, this explains the road suicide attempts. However, I’m not sure why they decide to rush across just when a car comes by. Do they feel the vibrations and think they are escaping when they are going into death’s doorway? Gophers are prodigious eaters who consume over 60 % of their body weight daily. When tunneling, they use their whiskers to go forward and tails to feel their way backward. They are versatile and can go in any direction just as quickly as another. I read a man’s story about his goal to eliminate the gophers in his yard. This was when I learned gophers are not dumb and learn by incidents. This poor fellow tried flooding--nothing came out. He tried digging down, but nothing, poison, nothing. His dog was going crazy at the same time and listening to the scurrying underground. So, naturally, the dog dug in a quest for said gophers. He got some traps guaranteed to capture the little dears. He actually caught two, and then the rest knew about traps. He would go looking to find his traps well covered in dirt. After the first two losses on Team Gopher, any trap or poison were covered in piles of dirt. His wife finally called an end to the insanity. By now, their lawn was pretty much ruined through his and his dog’s efforts. He went into his shed a week later to get his lawn mower out. To his chagrin and amazement, the whole thing was covered in dirt. Not loosely, mind you but packed!!! They had tunneled up and wrought revenge. Very appropriate revenge, too, as it was connected to the lawn that began all the assaults.
While looking into these interesting creatures, my mind began seeing similarities to some people. Someone showing crow tendencies only obviously is from Crow genes. People exhibiting only gopher proclivities are from the Gopher gene pool. The bulk of us are Crophers, a combination. Play the game.
Family oriented, one for all person( crow). Poor sight and eats a lot
(gopher). Good at using tools( crow). Prefers friends in their house to family (gopher). Someone who tells stories to their children about past generations and gardens is a cropher. Now feel free to quietly categorize your family and friends for some chuckles. I know I have!
