Do animals get poison ivy?
– Bridger Dear Bridger: Veterinarians sometimes see a rash on a puppy’s belly that might be caused by poison ivy. But most animals don’t seem to react to this plant. Black bears, deer, and rabbits even eat poison ivy leaves and I have watched greedy flickers (a kind of woodpecker) fighting over the berries. But you humans had better stay clear of it! Click here to see what it looks like. Why do prairie dogs kiss? – Susan Dear Susan: A prairie dog town is divided into family groups. Each prairie dog family has its own “yard.” It’s bad manners for a prairie dog to go into another family’s yard. That causes fights. So when prairie dogs meet, they bare teeth and press their mouths together like a kiss. This is one of the ways they recognize members of their own family. If they are strangers, they may fight until the intruder is chased away. We saw some deers in our street. They were eating cigarettes by the sidewalk. It was gross! Why do they do that? – Marc Dear Marc: People who smoke cig
