May 162012
Nov 122011
Before Riley, there were reptiles; and quite a many were hoarded during the frenzy. A lot of mistakes were made. In the past, this would had been an apologetic mention for being a selfish jerk; but if it wasn’t for the dabbling in other animal-related hobbies, scrutiny of dog-breeding would had not procured itself for a great deal of time. There is a not a lot of differences between ethics and fundamentals in animal husbandry in general.
The lizard in question is a female New Guinea Crocodile Skink (Tribolonotus gracilis), or better known as “Orange-Eyed Crocodile Skink”, origin unknown, acquired from a university colleague. She was quite maladaptive in captivity and would regularly fast for a week or two at times for the previous three years of her life. The cause of death remains unknown, however she passed away while fasting under the temporary care of another person after I got into trouble with the complex administrative for keeping snakes without their knowledge and sought out a pet-friendly rental unit.
A necropsy was ordered under the observation of a good friend, and unfortunately they are quite limited in what they have to tell us unless pathologies are performed. Nevertheless, there is always something to be learned.
Here’s a narrative by Ian Kanda, a vet technician and a herpetologist-in-training:
I was babysitting [Dave]‘s croc skink which was anorexic for quite a while. Unfortunately she passed on, and [Dave] had asked for a post-mortem and a post about it, so here we go.
This first opening picture shows the abdomonal fat pads (white, near the pelvis), and the dark, mottled liver. The liver is most definately abnormal. Being the de-tox station of the body, it could be in this state from the excess weight loss (fatty liver syndrome) as fat is mobilized from stores for energy usage. Of course the liver could be destroyed from other toxins in the system, be if from the environment, or collected from metabolic wastes. Interestingly enough, symptoms usually don’t occur until the liver is almost entirely affected. Perhaps anorexia was a symptom of liver failure… or liver failure caused by anorexia… both possibilities. Histopathology might have revealed more detail, but the sample (having been frozen) was unsuitable for microscopic examination.
A better view of the liver’s abnormality. Underneath, (above in the picture) the clear tissue with the red fishnet vessels is the right lung. Normal and healthy.
The healthy looking stomach has reduced in size which is a common event during periods of anorexia. This shows you why it’s not a good idea to feed large meals right after periods of fasting, or a regurgitation.
A short and simple digestive tract. Healthy.
The two ovaries. The small bubbles are follicles of varying readiness.
During necropsies I’m often hoping for something super obvious that I can say is the cause of death. This is rarely the case, and with this lizard, all I can say is that liver failure was involved in the disease process, be it the central cause, or a secondary event.
Oct 102011
Kiss me, I am beautiful.
Why would someone want to own something that will bite? Newsflash: anything with a mouth can and will bite; even a two-years old toddler. Now, a dog without bite inhibition is a legal liability.
However this is not the case with every animal. Many reptiles will bite out of defensive instinct. They can tame down with regular handling; but for some people, their critters are nothing more than living furnitures. They are pretty, they are jaw-dropping; and they are behind glass. Thus never handled.
Of course, if an animal spends its entire life in the trees without a retreat, it would be genetically disposed to being motherfreakin’ paranoid. Can’t blame them for that. Any potential predator must be face-bitten: Pow! Right in the kisser.
A Moreila virdis neonate.
Now, usually the worst offender is something like a Green Tree Python (Moreila virdis) or a Tree Boa (Corallus sp.). These animals are revered for their beauty. The catch: to tame reptiles down require regular handling as infant up until they are a yearling. The problem: Tree Pythons and Tree Boas are extremely fragile while young. Hatchlings and neonates are easy to injure in comparison to other boids. So oftentimes, handling them is not recommended until they are about a year or two old.
Doesn't come with water.
Now if someone is in the market for an arboreal boid, owners and breeders will tell you these specimen will bite. They are not meant to be handled. They are usually right.
After all, most people like aquaria; and there are many people who has an aquarium as a centre-piece for their living room. Everyone knows fish are not meant to be touched. Why cannot someone have a similar stance toward a snake in the middle of their living room? Look, don’t touch; without the 1,000 pounds of liable water damage.
Hi. My name is Cronus.
Now that being said, it’s not impossible to find a tame one. An old friend of mine acquired a Jayapura type of the Green Tree Python clade. His name was Cronus, and still to this day, he was one of my favourite specimens to handle. He was a bit timid and a bit skittish, but never threatened to bite. Unfortunately, the snake was sold when the doctors said if the owner wants a kidney transplant, he has to give up all of his pets due to the nature of immune-suppression drugs.
However Cronus was the exception to the rule. There are enthusiasts specializing in arboreal snakes who have seen him before through changes of hands throughout the years, and never in 25 years they spent in herpetoculture they have seen a Green Tree Python that could be handled. It is entirely irresponsible to purchase a Green Tree Python, expecting it to tame down, just because of this one bizarre case.
"A Green Tree python demonstrating its aglyphous teeth. It has no fangs." via Thomas and Griessel.
So when someone warns a prospect about a biter, it is not to deter them; but rather they don’t want the naive to stumbles onto something they cannot handle, and consequently end up getting a prized species banned from being pets. The big phrase in the exotics trade is: self-responsibility, so responsible breeders and resellers usually screen their buyers.
Images
Mosiac Wallpapers. Last accessed August 16, 2011. http://www.mosaicwallpapers.com/view-wallpaper/emerald-tree-boa_1680x945_1002 [Image: Unknown]
Zoo Borns. “National Zoo Python Baby Wraps It Up”. Last accessed August 16, 2011. http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2009/06/national-zoo-python-baby-.html [Image: Linda Lombardi]
Aussie Pythons and Snakes. “Green Tree Python caging”. Last accessed August 16, 2011. http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/green-tree-python-caging-140572/ [Image: Southside Moreila]
Facebook. [Image: D. Carey]
Séan Thomas & Eugene Griessel. ”Skull differences in various species with a few notes on dentition.” Last accessed August 16, 2011. http://www.seanthomas.net/oldsite/skulls.html [Image: Séan Thomas & Eugene Griessel]
Sep 172011
Normally there won’t be two posts in one day for this blog. However an exception needs to be made. About 9 days ago, an alg [trans. "moose"] got stuck in a tree.[1] Sounds over-the-top? It’s not.
Now, it is not unusual for animals to become intoxicated. Fruit bats are well-known alcoholics; and so are hamsters and the geckos of New Caledonia.[2] However not all animals are capable of dealing with alcohol. So how did this one get drunk? Just like any other critters: fermented fruits.
For this Swedish moose, he was desperate to pick more apples on someone’s lawn and got himself stuck in the process. One doesn’t even need a professional tracking dog to find him. Poor beast.
Footnote
- It is reported it is not uncommon for drunk moose to wander around Sweden in autumn. (“Drunk moose gets stuck in tree”, 2011)[source]
Back to text - A fruit bat can successfully navigates with a BAC of 0.3%. (Orbach DN, Veselka N, Dzal Y, Lazure L, Fenton MB, 2010, e8993)[source]
Back to text
References
9News 2011. ‘Drunk moose gets stuck in tree’ September 8, 2011. Accessed September 17, 2011. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/glanceview/188202/drunk-moose-gets-stuck-in-tree.glance
Back to footnote
[PDF] [HTML] Orbach DN, Veselka N, Dzal Y, Lazure L, Fenton MB. 2010. Drinking and Flying: Does Alcohol Consumption Affect the Flight and Echolocation Performance of Phyllostomid Bats? PLoS ONE, 5(2): e8993. Accessed September 17, 2011. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008993
Back to footnote
Images
9News 2011. ‘Drunk moose gets stuck in tree’ September 8, 2011. Accessed September 17, 2011. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/glanceview/188202/drunk-moose-gets-stuck-in-tree.glance [Photos: Unknown, 2011]
Sep 102011
The most striking landmark from my childhood.
Growing up, books were essentials. Life was filled with puzzles and camping trips and novels. Running around on the Prairies and summering in Montana or the Rockies are probably the among most memorable pre-teen moments; and I remember pretending to be in Owl and the Family and other influential children’s novels. By the time I was 10, the school board was accusing the parents of doing the homework since I was already reading novellas and texts designed for post-secondary. However it wasn’t a child prodigy in the making; simply, there was nothing else to do.
See, I don’t mention the following detail before because it’s irrelevant, and it still is, but I am Deaf, with the big D, the one which implies ethnic identity, born to hearing parents. American Sign Language is the first of six languages; and I learned how to read and write years before being able to speak. In fact, I didn’t speak until after the critical window of lingual acquisition has closed; which would be around the age of 7 or 8. Or that’s how life goes.
However the mainstream seldom even acknowledges I am deaf because the stereotypical accent isn’t there and it’s not apparent until one starts looking for faults. Technically, the phrase, “you speak really well for a deaf person,” is a backhanded compliment; even if it’s sincere, subconscious mind is not subtle. However, “Hard-of-Hearing” is not really an appropriate label as it implies acquired hearing loss. Even the politically correct “hearing-impaired,” or merely suggesting “disability” or
“welfare,” is a sure-fire way for me to go out of my way to purposely discriminate against the coverts unfiltered. So what does the above reality have to do with anything?
You know the black box with white texts? That. Captioning was first demonstrated in 1971; and while there were a few shows such, as The French Chef with captionings, they did not become an integral part of American lives until about three years after the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 passed; and the Television Decoder Circuitry Act the following year. However even in the early ’90s, not everyone had the means to afford a new TV with a decoder chip.
My family was one of those who could not afford to purchase new technology. If we wanted closed captioning, we would have to rent TeleCaption II, a bulky decoder box produced in the late ’70s; or wait until school starts for an interpreter stand beside the screen. Remember, Canadians tend to be technologically behind Americans by five years. Most of the time, we would head over to a more affluent household, but even then, it was majority democracy; and in monolingual North America, most born-and-raised find captionings to be distracting– sometimes even offensive.
For instance, Jurassic Park is one of the all-time favourite childhood movies since its premiere on the big screen in 1993; however every time it was shown on VHS, the captioning was always disabled. I don’t recall ever knowing the dialogue until the year 2000, two years after purchasing a new TV during the big move to the boonies. It wasn’t until I became socially withdrawn as a teenager, captioning and subtitle became a regular feature of my life. Then it occurred to me: why am I bending over for the mainstream? This epiphany came about the age of 21.
To a large extent, people say they are egalitarian; but many seldom practice it. I still have fights with girlfriends, obviously all are now exes, and roommates, all former, over this issue. Don’t touch the freakin’ TV. If I am chipping in my share, or if I own the lease, don’t even think about changing the settings. Doing so otherwise is being hypocritical about equal access. So shove it.
Before taking pity, or being condescending: save it. It just brings out the fiesty side. Consider this: if I was “hearing”, the end result would be a self-compromising under-educated slack-jawed roughneck judging by the standards of the rest of the family who more or less share the same philosophy and are equally just as “intelligent” if not of higher IQ. They pretend to be stupid so they wouldn’t be rejected by their peers, but are actually quite articulate during the downtimes. That lifestyle is not one bit appealling. Not one bit.
However, despite the lack of access to captionings growing up, TV was still an integral part of my life. The huge thing was nature documentaries; and lots of them. Even though the narrators often mumbled, the shows strengthened the neurons into dense synapses by applying book knowledge upon observations. Everything made sense. Even to this day, it is still a preferred methodology: read, observe, apply, attempt; quite unorthodox for someone whose true strength is rooted in hands-on learning.
So why the long-winded discourse? Read on. It will makes sense.
One of the favourite shows was John Acorn’s Nature Nut which airred throughout the the last decade of the 20th century. After all, he was an Albertan like me, and he likes bugs like I did! The tune was in my head, but the lyrics was never revealed until an Australian friend transcribed it few months ago. Now the words echo loud and clear. Although there is a set floating around the ‘net, it never occurred to me to even bother searching. The show means a lot, and there is no copy of the song or the lyrics anywhere on the ‘net other than a MP3 hosted on the official website and this clip:
The lyrics, courtesy of Chez, is as followed:
Well, I’m a nature nut, I’m not afraid to admit
I’m wild about the wild things and I’m proud of it
I’m just a simple case, open and shut
No doubt about it, I’m a nature nut!Today we will go bird watching
Tomorrow we’ll catch toads
The next day we’ll take photographs of bugs along the road.I never get the feeling that I’m in a rut
that’s why I’m a nature nut.Well, I’m a nature nut, I’m not afraid to admit
I’m wild about the wild things and I’m proud of it
I’m just a simple case, open and shut
No doubt about it, I’m a nature nut!
From my experience, most people don’t listen anyway; they hear, but they don’t usually remember; however such a silly singsong is quite nostalgic. In hindsight, it is so much more fun not knowing and trying to figure things out one’s own through applying what is already read. So, there is no regrets.
It is tadbit like this which are precious. It has been eons since this show was last airred. Sadly, there are not a lot of demands for nature documentaries anymore these days: and many which still exist are “reality shows”-inspired or are Crocodile Hunter spinoffs. Granted, Jeff Corwin and David Attenborough are still popular and are greatly admired, but they are part of a dying genre.
Images
Music from the Soul Marathon : Shawn Pinder’s Interview 2008. ahotu Marathons. http://marathons.ahotu.com/archives/139-music-from-the-soul-marathon-shawn-pinder-s-interview (accessed August 7, 2011). [Image: Richard Peat]
Jul 232011
John Acorn the Nature Nut of Edmonton, Alberta created a wildlife awareness day dedicated to rodents of the wetlands. It’s an international event. No really, they celebrate it in Canada. Actually, knowledge of this day is low even among Canadians. However “Big Wet Rodent Day” was created for educational purposes. On the 26th of July, children all over Canada get to learn about their lakes’ and marshes’ wildlife.
However only 5.6%, or 5.28 million hectares, covering British Columbia is composed of wetlands. Majority of the species of concerns native to the province are dependent on this specific ecoregion. It is estimated about 50 to 90% of the wetlands has already been compromised, most notably on Vancouver Island and in Okanagan. Despite a decline in habitats, the wetlands and estuaries still play a crucial role in stabilizing the marine and freshwater environments.
via for.gov.bc.ca [.PDF] [Image: William H. MacKenzie and Jennifer R. Moran]
There has been an interesting development lately. There is a trend for “eco-friendly” condominiums which harbour artifical marshes as part of the landscape and it is being marketed as “low maintenance.” Visitors and residents can take a stroll in in the condo’s gardens to enjoy the benefits of beautiful wildflowers, watching birds, minnows and other various critters. Whether or not it is too late to revert the urban damage done to land remains to be seen. It is, however, a brilliant concept in introducing green space to the city.
On the west coast, there are three native species of marshland rodents: the beaver, muskrat and mountain beaver; and two mustelids: the mink and river otter. The muskrats and beavers play a large ecological role in that they preserves the wetlands, both for the economic value of the fur, and as environmental engineers. However most British Columbians never heard of the Mountain Beavers.
The mountain lodge-- where Canada's rarest mammal resides.
via flickr.com [Image: Rick Walker]
The Mountain Beaver is actually Canada’s rarest animal, and it is red-listed. Regarding how endangered the Aplodontia is remains to be unknown due to their cryptic nature; so according to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, there is no special status given to them and merely expressed as “of special concern.” As of now, there is more known about Sasquatch than this furry little guy.
Distribution of Aplodontia rufa in British Columbia
via linnet.geog.ubc.ca [Image: David Nagorsen]
Actually, the Mountain Beaver is not a beaver at all, nor does it lives in a mountain as Lewis and Clark thought they were. Behavioural-wise, it is more of a tailless gopher, living underground; and unlike the beaver, it can climb trees. Although the Mountain Beavers are thought to be primitive, they are actually closely related to squirrels. While coprophagic, the bulk of their diet is actually vegetations, mostly ferns. Hardly surprising since their existence relies on the superb quality of the temperate rainforests in which they reside in.
Although logging is the biggest threat to the Mountain Beavers, and forestry is British Columbia’s most important sector, the population seems to be stabilized. But again, there are more Bigfoot sightings than there are reports of this odd creature.
Jul 162011
Transcript:
Giant tropical centipedes share their territory with tarantulas. This Chinese specimen is no exception.
Despite its impressive length, it is a nimble navigator and spends much of its life patrolling the grounds for food.
Centipedes are among Earth’s oldest terrestrial animals. These primeval creatures have existed for about four hundred million years; and some can be highly venomous. Like the tarantula, this centipede is a predator; and even tarantulas aren’t immune from an ambush.
As quick as lighting, and with all of its strength, the centipede fierecly clutches the spider and drives its fangs deep inside.
Just like the tarantula it’s killing, the centipede has two hollow fangs which injects paralyzing venom. The centipede is a voracious feeder. When it’s finished, only a few spider bits and pieces will remain.
The specimen in the video is a Scolopendra subspinipes, commonly sold in the pet trade as “Vietnamese Centipede” or “Giant Vietnamese,” “Chinese Red-Headed” amongst other numerous common names. Actually, venomous centipedes are quite popular among fishkeepers to give their stocks some colours. One can easily find them for $20-$80 per specimen depending on how large they are.
The Vietnamese Giant is the only species with a death directly attributed to it with a seven-years old Filipino girl in the 1920s. She succumbed to the venom 29 hours after being bitten near the head.[1] All other reported cases of centipede-related deaths are a result of complications from infections. However saying the centipedes killed them is like saying a cat killed a person because they didn’t get treated for inoculation lymphoreticulosis.[2] Of course, compared to the Buthids, even the toxic S. viridicornis are mild.[3]
Actually, I kept two of these specimens: the Vietnamese Giants. One was purchased from an exotics pet show– and I thought I was bad-ass for keeping one. What a sad pathetic joke. The second time, it was when I found an escaped pet in the shower drain while living in a shared complex. No one ever claimed it, probably because the tenant would had been kicked out since no venomous invertebrates were permitted to be in the building. In both cases, they kept me up at night due to paranoia of escapees. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
The paranoia has not gone unheeded, as I have been bitten by one of these Chinese Red-headed suckers while volunteering to clean an exhibit two years ago. I can honestly say it is the most painful moment of my life. Every single muscle just screamed, and it felt like blood was boiling. I wanted to die, at least before the pain passed three days later. Based on my experience, I wonder if the girl rumoured to have died from a bite is not because of the envemonation, but rather from cardiac arrest due to the overwhelming agony in portion to her size. “Shellshocked.” Luckily, anaphylaxis didn’t set in for me, and I still count my blessings. That, my friends, is why I don’t keep hots.
Still, centipedes are a milestone cooler than tarantulas are.
Footnotes
1. While it is commonly cited on the Internet the girl’s death was in the 1950s, it was first recorded in 1923 in the Journal of Philippine Islands Medical Association. The bite occurred on Leyte Island at the base of the girl’s skull, and the specimen was 11 to 18 centimetres in length.
Back to text
2. A Turkish male was bitten by a Scolopendra moritans. The researchers were attempting to find a correlation between centipede bites, as described in literatures, and necrotizing fasciitis. The case died of toxic shock as result of soft issue infection, not of a centipede bite.
Back to text
3. The lower the LD50 is, the more toxic it is for the experimented mice. “im” and “iv” are abbrivations for “intramuscular” and “ intravenous” respectfully. S. viridicornis, the most toxic of centipedes, have IV and IM values of 12.5mg/kg and 1.5mg/kg. To put in perspective, one of the most popular venomous scorpions in the pet trade, the Deathstalker (Leiurus quinquestriatus) has an IV value between 0.16mg/kg and 0.50mg/kg.
Back to text
References
Chua Kian Wee. “Relative toxicity of scorpions.” Accessed June 29, 2011. http://web.singnet.com.sg/~chuaeecc/venom/rpotent.htm.[3]
Remington, CL. “The bite and habits of a giant centipede (Scolopendra subspinipes) in the Philippine Islands.” American Journal of Tropical Medicine May 30(3) (1950): 453-455.[1]
[HTML]Serinken M., B. Erdur, S. Sener, B. Kabay and A.A. Cevik. “A Case of Mortal Necrotizing Fasciitis of the Trunk Resulting From a Centipede (Scolopendra moritans) Bite” The Internet Journal of Emergency Medicine 2(2) (2005). Last accessed June 29, 2011.[2]
Apr 232011
Heliotrygon rosai via news.nationalgeographic.com [Image: Nathan Lovejoy, UTSC]
Yet once again, Heliotrygon is one of those critters where they were already well-known to the pet trade long before scientists had enough samples to verify if the population warrants a new species identification. In fact, Nathan Lovejoy and his pal did more than discover two species of stingrays without barbs, H. rosai and gomesi, in Peru; they actually gave these harmless pancake fish its own clade. Luckily, they were able to find out where these stingrays come from before being driven to extinction by collectors.
The same cannot be said for many of the unidentified newt species in China, cave geckos in Southeast Asia, varanoids in Indonesia or for many of the turtles around the globe which often went extinct before scholars could get their hands on wild specimen complete with locality data. Although I wonder if the Dutch aquarists will have a sudden market drive for these “newly discovered species” of stingrays despite they were already known; and hopefully the South American fishermen will be wise to manage and not deplete their stocks due to a possible surge in popularity.
Back when I was interested in aquarium-keeping, as a way to glorify one’s social status, stingrays being one of my favourite subjects, there were rumours of barbless stingrays among the Dutch and Belgians on listservs, but never any photographs verifying their existence were provided. Well, here it is.
Jan 052011
via news.discovery.com (Image: Nicholas Longrich, Yale University)
Recently, Xenicibis xympithecus, a flightless ibis, was credited with using its wings as clubs on the island of Jamaica after discovery of broken bones on the island. Now, usually flightless birds have reduced limbs, but apparently this Caribbean flightless is one of the few who retained theirs.
See, since Jamaica was home to quite a number of predators, it is entirely possible these grounded birds retained their limbs for clobbering their foes. Now using wings as clubs isn’t really new. Many dogs and cats learn not to mess with swans, especially trumpeter swans; the same can be said about Canadian geese– that is if the dog is lucky enough to escape alive. Also, modern ibises are known to grab hold of other birds’ beaks or necks and procedure to beat them down with their wings.
via bbc.co.uk (Image: Nicholas Longrich, Yale University)
Looking at the skeletal wing above, I can see why someone would conclude it’s either a defense mechanism or a way to settle sexual rituals and territorial disputes. It must be fascinating to see these birds in the Late Piestocene. I have to wonder, unlike the other insular flightless birds who went extinct with the arrivals of Polynesians and Europeans, would these clubbing ibises have a better chance up against the rats, pigs and cats? But since humans arrived on the island of Jamaica long before feral critters of the Old World arrived, we shall never know.
One can download the open-access paper from the Royal Society.
Dec 312010
via blogs.nationalgeographic.com (Duncan Caldwell)
Something caught my eyes today on Paleontology in the News: a possible attempt at an optical illusion among early humans. See, many people tend to assume prehistoric people are either not as intelligent or they don’t have the technological means to think like modern humans. However it is a bit preemptive to believe as such.
While images of horses, deer, extinct cattle, and even rhinos often appear in such caves, and often partially or entirely overlap each other, it is only the mammoth-bison pair that Caldwell found regularly appearing superimposed so exactly.
Of course, when two structures are superimposed, one would get an outline like this:
via blogs.nationalgeographic.com (Duncan Caldwell)
For example in the modern drawing [above] of an image from Font-de-Gaume, one main body shape, underbelly, and set of legs
is adorned with signs of both mammoth and bison heads at both ends.
It’s finds like these from the Stone Age really redefines how I think about the world since these paleolithic arts constantly redefine philosophy. And in this case for a dog blog, it’s about how humans found a relationship with their canine counterparts. It seems like despite all the technological changes and ideological changes, our relationship with each others and other animals have not really changed since Adam and Eve. Of course, the notion of an optical illusion among Paleolithic artists is merely a hypothesis, but still to deny such finds would have a profound effect in our research of origins would be foolish.
Follow Us!