Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Crocodiles Have Most effective Chew Ever Calculated, Hands-on Testing Show

Crocodiles may be the world's champion chompers, killing with the greatest bite force ever directly measured for living animals, a new study says. In fact, their bite forces may rival that of mighty T. rex.

Paleobiologist Gregory M. Erickson and colleagues put all 23 living crocodilian species through an unprecedented bite test. The "winners"—saltwater crocodiles—slammed their jaws shut with 3,700 pounds per square inch (psi), or 16,460 newtons, of bite force.

By contrast, you might tear into a steak with 150 to 200 psi (890 newtons). Hyenas, lions, and tigers generate around 1,000 psi (4,450 newtons).

And while a 2008 computer model estimated that a 21-foot (6.5-meter) great white shark would produce nearly 4,000 psi (17,790 newtons) of bite force, that figure hasn't been directly measured.

Erickson and colleagues did physically measure the bites of several 17-foot (5.2-meter) saltwater crocs—as well as Nile crocodiles, alligators, caimans, gharials, and other crocs, some for the first time ever.

The team spent countless hours wrestling with the reptiles at Florida's St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park and getting them to bite a force transducer—a "very expensive, very durable, waterproof bathroom scale that's padded with leather."


"The testing is like dragon slaying by committee, often involving ten or more people to test a single animal," said Erickson, of Florida State University.

For every croc species, the transducer registered impressive power, suggesting that a big bite is at the heart of what it means to be a crocodilian, according to Erickson.

"That's why I think they've been so successful," he said. "They seized on a remarkable design for producing bite force and pressure to occupy ecological niches on the water's edge for 85 million years, and no one else evolved that could wrest those niches from them."

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Feral kittens and cats with Rabies


The Westchester Nation Office of Wellness released rabies aware of citizens of New Rochelle, N.Y., who may have come into get in touch with a significant cat. The cat, a red tabby, had been noticed performing strongly towards other creatures and individuals. There are reviews that the red tabby cat may have come into get in touch with a community of feral kittens and cats in New Rochelle. In the same way, Westchester physicians had to problem a rabies caution to Ossining citizens when a significant calico cat, who had been touching other feral kittens and cats, had assaulted an mature cat before being taken. This problem of feral kittens and cats being revealed to rabies is happening in other areas as well. For example on Nov 23, 2011, town authorities in Ft Value, Arizona cautioned citizens that a lady was assaulted by a significant feral cat.




One concern that comes from the problem of significant feral kittens and cats is whether it is honest for cat entrepreneurs to allow their pet kittens and cats out of the home when there is a opportunity that these household pets might get in touch with rabies.  It has been suggested that kittens and cats have an natural need to search, go up, cover when they feeling possibility, and experience in management of their actions. 

When these needs are not fulfilled they can experience pressure.  Is it better for pet kittens and cats to normally act out their instinctual habits outside and possibility the chance of becoming contaminated with rabies, or would it be best if their entrepreneurs kept them inside your home and offered for their personality needs in other ways? Since a significant pet cat would present a possibility to its proprietor, is it honest for entrepreneurs to keep their kittens and cats inside your home to be able to secure themselves? Is it ever honest for a individual to own a non-human animal? I never have the respond to most of these concerns. I would basically dispute that due to the risks to both the cat and its proprietor of allowing a cat outside, if someone chooses to own a cat they should keep it inside your home and do their best to offer for the pet's personality needs.

Visit Should I Allow Pets and animals

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Quit creature eliminating for medicine

Law enforcement and characteristics groups in Swaziland say they are growing a overwhelm on tribe healers using creature areas in conventional drugs.

Authorities said Exclusive that skulls and areas from elephants, leopards, crocodiles, snakes and creatures were discovered in raids this month on conventional drug stores known as "muti" stores. They say several conventional "chemists" caught across the the southeast part of Africa country are free on help on poaching-related expenses.

Ted Reilly, head of a believe in handling the country's characteristics maintains, said the brains of three vulnerable ground hornbills were discovered in the raids. He says less than 10 of the creatures are known to have lasted in Swaziland.

Traditional healers in Swaziland usually gather creatures and plants at the lower end of the creatures cycle for their solutions.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Coconut Crab

The coconut crab, Birgus latro, is a types of terrestrial hermit crab, also known as the intruder crab or hand intruder. It is the biggest land-living arthropod on the planet, and is probably at the higher dimension restrict of terrestrial creatures with exoskeletons in present-day environment at a bodyweight of up to 4.1 kg (9.0 lb). It is discovered on destinations across the Native indian Beach and places of the Hawaiian Beach as far eastern as the Gambier Islands, replicating the submission of the coconut palm; it has been extirpated from most places with a considerable people, such as landmass Sydney and Madagascar.