Moscow’s Stray Dogs
The Financial Times has a report on stray dogs in Moscow. It identifies an interesting link between the changing state of the Russian economy to how the strays developed. The article is also answers questions about stray dogs in general – where do they come from? Are they any different to pet dogs?
Neuronov says there are some 500 strays that live in the metro stations, especially during the colder months, but only about 20 have learned how to ride the trains. This happened gradually, first as a way to broaden their territory. Later, it became a way of life. “Why should they go by foot if they can move around by public transport?” he asks.
“They orient themselves in a number of ways,” Neuronov adds. “They figure out where they are by smell, by recognising the name of the station from the recorded announcer’s voice and by time intervals. If, for example, you come every Monday and feed a dog, that dog will know when it’s Monday and the hour to expect you, based on their sense of time intervals from their biological clocks.”
12:22am 
The most fascinating thing about this, I think, is that these dogs have learned to utilize human transport systems. Are animals actually evolving alongside human technology?
See also, a cat that liked to ride the bus: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1244106/Cat-boarded-bus-day-years-killed-hit-run.html
And then there’s this one about crows:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html
Kind of scary, especially the bit about how they hold grudges and have long memories.