The Decline And Fall

It appears prairie dogs are in the decline of their civilization:

The world's expert on lust, violence and cannibalism among prairie dogs uses a slide in his lectures that sums up a lifetime of research. Several of the squirrel-size creatures are shown perched on their hind legs: cute, cute, cute, cute, cute.

But then, next to each fuzzy head, John Hoogland has written something darker he has seen happen in a prairie dog "town." "Promiscuity, kidnapping, pedophilia, murder, infanticide," it says. Not so cute.

"Studying prairie dogs is like watching little people," he says. "Whatever we do, they do as well, and usually more often."

Hoogland, 58, a professor at the University of Maryland, has spent 34 years unraveling the daily routines of the burrowing rodent. It has always been interesting work: These towns can make Melrose Place look like Sesame Street.

I bet Edward Gibbon could do a bang-up job telling their tale.

"They are herbivores, strictly," Hoogland says. "Except for eating babies."

I didn't know prairie dogs hung out at Berkeley.