Falcons store bird prey alive to keep it fresh

About falcons
They are approximately 37 species of falcon within the genus Falco and are found all across the globe apart from Antarctica.
They can be split into four groups, the first is the kestrels, they are generally small and stocky in build and may show sexual dimorphism (difference between male/female i.e. color, size or behavior), they feed on invertebrates (insects) and small vertebrates such as voles, mice and frogs. The second group are the hobbies, these are slightly larger with large amounts of slate grey coloration and feed mainly on small birds. Next are the falcons these are variably sized feeding on mid sized birds and vertebrates. Lastly are the hierofalcons (hawk-falcon) and is classed as a monophyletic group (has ancestors and all descendants) and are a more recent group to evolve.
Adult falcons have thin tapering wings, allowing them to reach high speeds and change direction rapidly. The peregrine falcon has been clocked diving at speeds of approximately 200mph (320km/h) making them the fastest moving species on earth. They also have excellent eyesight, with visual accuracy measured at 2.6 times that of a human.

Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae)

What they discovered
During a census undertaken by Abdeljebbar Qninba from Mohammed V University of falcons on the Isle of Mogador in 2014, a species known as Eleonora's falcon was seen capturing birds and imprisoning them in rock crevices.
Normally this species feeds on insects but during the breeding season this switches to migratory birds such as tree pipits and therefore synchronize their breeding with the height of the migration period. The switch often begins before the first eggs are laid in preparation for the extra mouths to feed, unfortunately this often causes the food to dry out/rot before the chicks can eat it making it of little nutritional value to the chicks.
As a means of avoiding this the parents capture small birds and store them alive by wedging them into rock crevices to aid in preserving freshness; small birds were also found in holes with flight and tail feathers removed, this prevents the birds from flying and without tail feathers they have no rudder and are unable to navigate, preventing them from escaping if they manage to wiggle out.

A Common whitethroat (Sylvia communis) stored in a rock crevice

My Views
This solution to a problem shows a ability for this species of falcon to learn, this arose as a result of needing to provide a fresh food source to aid with the growth of healthy chicks; by feeding chicks dried out/rotten meat it would of slowed the rate of development and lead to young leaving the nest at a decreased level of fitness and less likely to survive. This is costly for the parents as the offspring ensure that their genes are passed on and therefore would lead to them finding a way of making the food source more sufficient. How this occurred is not explained or currently known, but it may have arisen from building upon an already existing food storing system, simply by one individual choosing to place a live bird in a crevice and for this technique to pay off can lead to it being learned by it's partner, those around it who may witness it and to it's offspring via observation and genetic influence. Another great example of the ability for all creatures to adapt to environmental pressures, enabling them to survive.

As always thanks for taking the time to visit and read my blog and if your have any thoughts, comments leave them in the box below and I will get back to you as soon as possible. A link to the original article can be found here and until next time Keep It Wild!!! 

My study: A difference seen between snake sheds of corn and kingsnake

My Florida kingsnake Flo

About corn snakes
The corn snake (Pantherophis gutattus) is a species of rat snake from North America, within the eastern and central area and get their name from being found close to corn barns where, they fed on rodents. They lack venom and therefore kill their prey via constriction which includes small mammals such as mice. As adults they can reach lengths of between 2 to 6ft and can live up to 23 years. Their docile nature, manageable size and varied coloration make them a popular pet species.

About kingsnakes
Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis sp.) are part of the colubrid family and have approximately 45 subspecies. They are constrictors and eat rodents and other (venomous) snakes such as rattlesnakes, due to their resistance to their venom. They are found in a variety of colors and some species such as the red kingsnake are often mistaken for the venomous coral snake; a rhyme such as red on yellow kills a fellow, red on black venom lack, aids in identification of species. (Note: Even though the rhyme is a helpful aid, please view any wild snake from a distance and leave handling to the professionals.)

Loki my corn snake

 What I did
For a piece of coursework for my third year, I had to do a series of photographs of increasing magnification on a chosen topic. I decided to focus on snakes and in particular corn and kingsnakes, due to them occupying similar ranges and in the field identification often being very difficult due to them disappearing and due to handling often being stressful on wild specimens. Therefore I decided to focus on snake sheds; snakes shed a process known as ecdysis and is seen in other species such as frogs and spiders. Their outer layer of skin (outer epidermal generation) is replaced by a new inner layer (keritinized (same material as your nails) epidermal generation) and is shed episodically over a period of 6 to 14 days.
I used the most recent sheds from my corn and kingsnake and proceeded to take an initial photo of the entire shed and then focusing on just the head and a section of the body scales with increasing levels of magnification, to see if any difference could be seen.

The snake sheds (The longest (corn snake) was 6ft1)

What I found
It was hard to see great difference between the specimens when a camera and microscope was used but some very interesting differences became apparent when I used the SEM (Scanning electron microscope) this takes images and very high magnification by scanning the samples with a beam of electrons, the electrons interact with the sample producing various signals that project the image.
Firstly I looked at the head samples, focusing particularly on the lens caps (the scale that covers the eye) and noticed that they were both different shapes and the outline of the eye/lens was different between the two. You can see from the pictures below that the corn snake's lens cap is rounder and the kingsnake has a more oval shape; You can also see the eye/lens outline (the darker inner circle line) is larger in the corn snake then in the kingsnake.

Corn snake lens cap. Magnification: x43

Kingsnake lens cap. Magnification: x41

  Next I focused on the body scales and again a interesting difference was seen, in the corn snake the tips of the scales had raised points and less elastic skin then the kingsnake which, had scales that had indents on the tips and more elasticated skin.

Corn snake scale with raised points. Magnification: x88

Corn snake raised point. Magnification: x1000

Kingsnake scale with indented tips. Magnification: x45

Kingsnake scale indented tip. Magnification: x470

Why are these differences present?
As my study did not require a full investigation, I can only speculate to why these differences occur; the kingsnake is a species that eats large meals and therefore the presence of more elastic skin would be advantageous, the kingsnake eats smaller meals and therefore does not need to expand to accommodate large meals. I can not explain why the indentations are present on the kingsnake scale but can possibly suggest a reason for the points on the corn snake which may be a grip aid during movement. Again the difference in lens cap is something that also requires further investigation but may represent different requirements for vision to meet hunting/survival needs. Even though I personally am not sure what these differences are for, they have provided a visual difference in identifying these two species via their sheds and therefore could be of interest to the scientific/herpetology community and warrant further study and something I would be interested in pursuing further.

As always thanks for taking the time to visit and read my blog and leave any thoughts in the comment box below and until next time Keep It Wild!!!

Koko: A friendly gorilla or poor science?

About Gorillas
Gorillas are mainly herbivorous apes that dwell in the forests of central Africa. The genus (The scientific way of showing that species are closely related) gorilla is split into two separate species eastern of western which is further split into 4 to 5 subspecies. Their DNA is 95-99% similar to humans and are the closest living realtives after bonobos (Pan paniscus) and Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
Gorillas can be found over a varying range of elevations; mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) occupy the cloud forests of the Virunga volcanoes whilst, western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) occupy central west African countries and eastern lowland gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) occupying the Democratic republic of Congo near the boarder to Rwanda.
Males can weigh up to 135-180kg (298-397lb) whilst females weigh between 68-133kg (150-249lb). Adult males grow silver hair along the back and are known as silver backs and is a sign that they are now adult to other gorillas within the group.
They live in groups called troops and generally consist of a single male with females and their offspring but multi male groups have been found. The male is usually above 12 years of age and both males and females often leave their family group in search of unrelated partners.
They live up to 40 years in the wild becoming sexually mature at around 10-12 for females and later at around 11-13 for males. Offspring stay close to their mother up to three years of age after which they start to become more independent between 3 to 6 years of age when they are weaned and sleep separately from their mother.

About Koko
Koko a female western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) was born July 4th 1971 at San Francisco Zoo and was orginally loaned to Dr. Francine Patterson for her doctoral research but has remained with her ever since. Her weight is much higher then what would be expected of a wild female due to a diet consisting of human food products including, processed meat and sweets.
Patterson claims that Kokos use of signs and her actions, indicates her understanding of sign language. Other researchers claim this is no more then operant conditioning or a behavior learned by positive consequences i.e. opening a candy box to receive a tasty treat. Another concern is her ability to show coherent thoughts (logical) via signs and that the interpretation is left to the handler who, may see nonsense as sense. After findings were orginally published in 1978 it was critically argued from video evidence that she was prompted by her handlers unconscious clues (weren't aware she was picking up on gestures they were giving) to show specific signs.
Koko was able to pass the self refection mirror test at 19 which, most other gorillas fail, she also signed for baby the day after her own baby was removed from her, the reason why is not stated. Patterson has also mentioned Kokos ability to create new signs for items she does not have a sign for such as ring, where she will combined the sign for finger and bracelet.
Criticism within the field of science stems from the fact that even though much is published within media outlets, very little of Patterson's findings have been published within the scientific community and substantial data is therefore lacking.

 
Koko is one of the few non humans known to be provided with a pet, this was the result of her favorite book being the three little kittens and after being provided with a kitten toy she was apparently not impressed. So on her birthday in July 1984 she was allowed to chose a kitten from a litter; she chose a grey male manx and called him all ball and Patterson described how she cared for him like a baby gorilla and that this would aid her in how to nurture offspring. In December of that year all ball escaped the enclosure and was hit and killed by a car and upon telling Koko she was reported to sign bad, sad, bad and frown, cry frown, sad and was also reported to emit a sound similar to human weeping.
In 1985 she was allowed to choose two more kittens, lipstick and Smokey, it is not told of what happened to Lipstick but it is said that Smokey lived with her for 20 years before dying of natural causes.
This year (2015) again she was allowed to pick a kitten for her 44th birthday, again she chose a little grey kitten called Ms. grey whilst another tabby kitten took a liking to her called Ms.black, they are said to be settling in well.
It was mentioned in some media outlets that as the kittens grew older and more independent, they would bite and wriggle to get away from Koko's nurturing ways. This would cause her to punch the wall in frustration and sign obnoxious cat.

My Views
As a budding animal behaviorist, the first thing I was taught in university was to never humanize your study animal therefore, to suggest that an animal is feeling sad, angry or happy in terms of science is wrong as we can not prove that this is the case (the basis for all scientific study) we therefore use alternative terms such as playing, social interaction i.e. grooming, tool use or object manipulation and exploring therefore, to me this would be classed as poor science as we can never truly understand what Koko is truly thinking we can only put a human interpretation on to it not a gorilla interpretation.
I also think it is important to mention that by now most of you will assume that Dr. Patterson is pursuing a career in animal behavior or something similar maybe a primatologist (studies primates i.e. apes, monkeys). In fact she is a psychologist and therefore only has knowledge mainly of the human mind not the behavioral processes and behavior of the animal mind which does differ greatly. Therefore I find it difficult to state that in any way this is beneficial to gorillas, it is not conservation, it is not a behavioral study on how gorillas behave like gorillas which could either help those in the wild or in captivity. It is a study on how human we can make a gorilla as, this is more interesting and therefore generates more media money then normal gorilla behavior does. This is not beneficial to Koko she does not need to learn sign language to thrive as a gorilla, but it is beneficial to the scientist who is making money via exploitation of her.
But they are our closest living relatives I hear you say, surely it would be of worth to see how much human like they can be? Here is where media can be misleading, our ancestors split from the primate line a very long time ago but we are descendants of neanderthals such as Homo erectus. DNA is a very complex subject which is often difficult to explain but let me try to put it like this, we share 92% of our DNA with mice and 50% with a banana. Are you going to attempt to teach your mouse how to be human or even a banana?

 It is true that apes possess the capabilities to use tools and maybe depending on how it is perceived to 'learn' but we are also learning that dolphins and even crows can learn and perform tasks and also what is worth noting that similar behaviors are seen in the wild without the need for human encroachment therefore, when a chimpanzee uses a tool in the wild is it being a human or a chimp? or when a dolphin uses a sponge to prevent being stung by a jellyfish, is it a human or a dolphin?
We define tool use and the ability to learn how to solve tasks as purely human but nature is starting to teach us that it is not, these animals have often learned from their group members, who have either learned for themselves via trial and error or from another not, by human interaction.
The last point I would like to mention is that we have been told that Koko has had her own baby which, was removed from her, why I do not know but, if she can have her own offspring why present her with fragile kittens? I have seen myself that primates at times can be slightly what we may consider rough with their offspring, especially with age and independence and it has been noted that Koko has punched the wall when a kitten has been defiant. What happens when it is no longer the wall? A juvenile gorilla could handle a smack from mother if they push their luck but a young cat? After all nothing is mentioned of what became of Lipstick, was it due to a freak accident that the media was not to know?
So if she can have her own offspring then why not? She loves babies, she clearly would love one of her own but is it not more of a media spectacle to see a gorilla holding kittens then a baby gorilla even though, a baby gorilla is more profitable to the conservation of her species? Again I ask what is the true meaning behind Kokos existence?

What do you think? I have deliberately aimed to try to give you as the reader as much information to make an informative choice as I can and please go ahead and take a look for yourself if you wish to gain further knowledge which can be found here and feel free to add your comments in the box below.
As always thanks for visiting and reading my blog and until next time keep it wild!!!

New species of death adder found in Australia

About Death Adders
Death adders belong to the genus Acanthophis and belong to the elapid family (venomous snakes found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world i.e Asia, Australia and South America). Death adders are commonly found in Australia and New Guinea and are among the most deadly snakes in the world. They have a short thick body and a triangular shaped head and possess some of the longest fangs within the elapid family (Average size = 6.2mm). They take 2 to 3 years to reach adult size which is usually no more than a meter in length and are ambush predators going from strike position to envenomation (injecting venom into prey) and back into strike position in just 0.15 seconds. They inject on average 40-100mg of neurotoxic (poisonous/destructive to nerve tissue) venom in a bite, this causes paralysis and respiratory shut down within 6 hours if treatment is not received.

Introducing The Kimberly Death Adder
As it's name suggests, the Kimberly death adder (Acanthophis cryptamydros) was found in the Kimberly region of Australia and like all death adders, is a sit and wait (ambush) predator that feeds on frogs, lizards and small mammals.
The new species was discovered by a team from London's Natural History Museum, led by Simon Maddock. The team were analyzing the mitochondrial DNA (the DNA found within animal cells that convert energy from food into a energy type that cells use called ATP) of Australian death adders of which were believed to contain both the same species in the Kimberly region of Western Australia and Northern Australia.
The snake is 65cm (26 inch) long and can also be identified by a higher number of cream colored scales on it's underbelly then other species and is found from Wotjulum to Kununurra in Western Australia and some offshore islands including, Bigge and Wulalam.

My Views
It is always exciting news for me to learn of a new species being discovered within the natural world, especially, as we tend to adopt a view of most species of mammal, bird, amphibian and reptile having already been discovered however, advancements in the molecular biology field (Studies areas such as genetics i.e. DNA), it seems that it may not be the case. DNA analysis has led to scientists finding not only new species but also that species that we once thought belonged to the same species or family, are not actually related at all! This is not only big news for the scientific community but has caused our knowledge and understanding of the natural world to increase dramatically. DNA is an amazing substance and the molecular biology field is always improving techniques and making new discoveries, making it one of the fastest growing areas currently in science therefore, who knows what we still have to discover in the future but one thing is for sure, I look forward to finding out!

What are your views on this new discovery? Are you excited about what we may discover in the future by using DNA studies? As always feel free to leave your comments in the box below. Finally thanks for taking the time to read and visit my blog and until next time Keep It Wild!!!!    

The Cecil saga

About lions
Lions (Panthera leo) belong to the family Felidae and are classed as true carnivores eating a meat only diet. They are found in sub Saharan Africa and Asia and are the second largest cat after the tiger. They are typically found in savannah and grassland but can also be found in bush and forest. They are generally social creatures forming prides of multiple females and one or more males and their offspring. Males typically are ejected from the pride upon maturity and will live solo or form a coalition with another male, until they are able to gain a pride of their own. Females hunt together typically bringing down large ungulates such as gazelles and bison however, once a kill is made the adult male eats first with the females and cubs eating once he has finished.

About Cecil
Cecil was named after Cecil Rhodes a British imperialist (colonist of country) and mining magnate in the 19th century. He is the namesake of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and founder of Rhodes university in South Africa and the Rhodes scholarship at Oxford university.
Cecil was first seen in Hwange national park in 2008, alongside another male presumed to be his brother. In 2009 they encountered a pride; a fight occurred and Cecil's brother was killed and both he and the pride male seriously injured. Cecil retired to a new area of the park eventually establishing a pride of 22 lions however in 2013 he was evicted by two younger males. This led him to form a coalition of his own with a male lion called Jericho and regained control of the pride. By 2015 the pride consisted of the two males, half a dozen females and cubs sired by Cecil or Jericho.
Cecil was well known at the park and was easily identified by his black fringed mane and GPS collar. He had been studied by a team of scientists from the wildlife conservation research unit at Oxford university since 2008. It was suggested that Cecil was so popular due to him becoming accustomed to human presence, allowing tour groups to get as close as 33ft (10m) away from him.

What happened

In June 2015 an American dentist called Walter Palmer supposedly paid $50,000 (Approx £32,000) to a professional hunter called Theo Bronkhorst to kill an adult lion. It was allegedly said that Cecil was lured out of the safety of the park by a jeep towing meat and then shot with a bow and arrow. He was tracked and found roughly 40 hours later, where he was killed with a rifle. He was then skinned and his head was removed; when his body was found by park investigators his GPS collar was missing.

The aftermath

Zimbabwe national parks stated that neither Bronkhorst or the landowner of where Cecil was shot, had the right permit for a lion. Bronkhorst stated however that they had a permit for both the use of a bow and arrow and for a lion from the council. Both Zimbabweans have been arrested for assisting Palmer with the killing but Palmer had since returned to the USA where he stated that he had relied on the guides to ensure a legal hunt.

In Zimbabwe Cecils death went generally unnoticed by the locals who were unaware of the famous lion who lived amongst them however, it had huge implications for Hwange park which the lion used to call home. Visitor numbers dropped significantly, with bookings being canceled after the death of the lion was announced. This is a huge blow for the park as money from tourism helps to support the management and conservation of the park.

When the news broke to the rest of the world it caused outrage amongst the general public, conservationists and politicians. Palmer received hundreds of death threats and his personal details were published online, forcing him to close his dental practice and go into hiding. 

The death of Cecil led to many conservation groups pushing for a proposal banning imports of lion trophies to the US and European Union, as well as discussions on the ethnics of big game hunting and the possibility of getting African countries to ban bow hunting, bait hunting and hunting blinds (cover for hunters). 

A petition called justice for Cecil gathered over 900,000 signatures on social media, the petition calls for Zimbabwe's government to no longer issue permits to hunt endangered animals and talk host Jimmy Kimmel raised $150,000 (Approx £96,000) in donations to Oxfords wildlife conservation research unit.

Safari club international (group comprised of hunters) stated that it had suspended Palmer's and Bronkhorst's memberships, mentioning that anyone who takes wildlife illegally should be prosecuted and punished to the extent of the law.

Bronkhorst appeared in court at Victoria Falls and was charged with poaching offenses for not having the required permit and is due back in court on August 5th. He was reported as saying that Palmer was innocent and thought it was legal but having discovered that Palmer was prosecuted in America for illegally killing a black bear, makes anyone question the truth behind that statement. Ndlovu whose land was where the lion was killed was prosecuted for allowing an illegal hunt on his land, as it is a area that does not have a quota for lion kills.

On the 31st July Zimbabwe officials stated they initiated proceedings to extradite Palmer to face charges, with a petition to the US government which supported this reaching over 100,000 signatures, forcing the white house to respond by saying they will review the petition. 

The fate of the pride

Normally when a male lion is removed from a pride, the cubs are killed by the new male, this prevents the male from raising cubs that are not his but also causes the females to be ready to breed again so he can pass on his genes. Fortunately due to Cecil's coalition with Jericho, Jericho has taken control of the pride and has even been seen defending the cubs from rival males. This is because the cubs will be a mixture of both Cecil and Jericho parentage therefore, it is in his best interest to defend the cubs and protect his legacy, allowing Cecil's legacy to live on too.

My Views

Hunting is no longer a term associated with one meaning, it generally now is viewed as associated with the words sport or trophy. I have no problem with those who hunt for the true meaning of the word which is for food, as even though most of us have disassociated ourselves with where the meat on our plates comes from, others still have to go out and catch their meals themselves. It is sport/trophy hunters who give these people and this term bad press as there is no need for these to occur, they are not providing food, they are viewed as 'fun', 'exhilarating' and the corpses are used to 'decorate' a home. To me there is no pride, no manhood in killing a animal for sport, from a distance and then adopting a domineering presence over it's body with a cocky grin thinking your the business because you've killed a top predator or large game. The truth is these people are the weakest of the weak, they hide the fact that they are in reality meek and mild people that probably would not say boo to a goose, behind guns and weaponry that provide them with the protection and strength that they lack without. Others believe that we as a species are dominant and therefore we have a right to decide what lives and what dies, this arrogance is unfortunately the small proportion of the human race which lets us down. If they faced any of the animals that they kill with the use of weaponry without them, they would not stand a chance and would be forced to remember just how weak and unpowerful they really are.

I fully believe that if you want the thrill of following and finding an animal, waiting for the perfect shot and then having a trophy of that moment that will last forever then become a wildlife photographer! At least the animal will survive to live another day and provide someone else with that perfect moment as well as future generations, instead of being mounted in some rich guys house for all his narrow minded friends to see and admire until its slowly forgotten as it is replaced by more, left to collect dust, a life that was once majestic and beautiful, taken for a pointless short lived moment of glory.

As always thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to read my posts. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment box below and until next time Keep It Wild!!!!!!

   

  

 

It's all in the diet. Why pandas have such a relaxed attitude.

About The Giant Panda
The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca -  meaning black and white cat foot) originates from south central China where it lives on a diet of 99% bamboo, occasionally eating grasses and carrion.
They are currently around 1800 giant pandas living wild; classifying them as an endangered species by IUCN.
Adult pandas are between 4-6ft long and a male can weigh up to 160kg (350lbs), females are smaller in size being between 10-20% less weighing from 70kg (150lbs) to 125kg (276lbs). In captivity they live up to 30 years whilst in the wild it is around 20.
They live solitary lives communicating to neighbors by scent marking, this is achieved by scratching trees and spraying urine.

Its not easy to study pandas
As mentioned previously, the giant panda is endangered and it is this factor alongside its popularity and political importance that makes the study of wild giant pandas somewhat difficult. When any scientific research is undertaken on a animal species, they are many procedures and regulations that need to be followed of which are even more tightly regulated when it comes to pandas. Therefore our knowledge of pandas has been a under researched area but which is now slowing gaining ground; leading to this discovery.

Its all about the diet
The giant panda belongs to the order known as Carnivora, this group includes dogs/foxes/wolves (canids), cats (felids), seals/sealions/walruses (pinnipeds), weasels/stoats etc (mustelids) and bears (ursids). It is however important to mention that just because these species are found within the order Carnivora that they are not all strictly meat eaters, in fact this title applies only to the cats (felids) whilst the rest are manly omnivorous (eating a mixture of both meat and plant material). All animals within this order have short digestive tracts due to meat being easily digested by the body, the giant panda has a gut similar to that of a lion yet, eats a diet that many consists of plant material known as bamboo. The panda has numerous adaptations for eating bamboo, such as a 'thumb' this is not actually a thumb at all but a modified wrist bone, despite all these adaptions the panda's short gut means it has to eat roughly 10-20kgs (22-44lbs) of bamboo a day, as it is unable to properly digest it. It is due to this poor digestion and low quality food that scientists thought giant pandas had a low metabolism (the set of life sustaining chemical reactions which occur within body cells) to survive.

Taking it easy
The metabolism rate of giant pandas had not been studied until recently when a team of scientists used a technique called the doubly-labelled water method which measures the rate at which an animal eliminates stable isotopes (an atom which contains the same number of protons or positive charge but a different number of neutrons or negative charge) from their body. This involved 5 captive giant pandas from Beijing zoo and 3 wild giant pandas from Foping nature reserve.
It was shown that giant pandas do have a very slow metabolism, lower then that of most other mammals and more similar to that of a reptile. How the giant pandas achieved such a low rate of energy was studied in a second experiment. It is known that most of the energy used by the body is taken by few organs such as the brain, liver and kidneys. In the giant panda the brain is 82% less then the expected size, kidneys 74.5 and the liver 62.8% for that of an 90kg mammal. Giant pandas also were found to move only at a rate of 26.9 meters per hour as tracked using GPS loggers.
The giant pandas also had unusual thyroid hormones (the hormone responsible for regulating metabolism/energy), this was found to be due to a mutation within the giant panda genome (complete set of DNA) which affects the production of thyroid hormones. It is known that people who suffer with low thyroid levels often feel the cold more then those that do not, so how does the giant panda stay warm? Giant pandas have a thick fur coat; this traps what little heat is produced by the body. This causes the outer surface of the panda's body to be 10 degrees cooler then that of other black and white animals such as zebras.

As always feel free to leave any thoughts/comments in the box below and thanks for taking the time to read this and visit my blog, until next time keep it wild!

Well that's one way to cause a headache! Flatworm mates with its own head!

What are flatworms?
Platyhelminthes or flatworms are unsegmented, bilaterial (have front/back and upside/downside), soft bodied invertebrates (lack a vertebral (spinal) column). They have no body cavity and are referred to as acoelomates, they have a flattened body shape due to lacking specialized circulatory and respiratory organs i.e blood/lungs, the flattened shape allows oxygen to diffuse (a process in which a substance moves from a area of high amount to one which is lower) into their bodies easily.
Free living flatworms are either found in water or humid areas such as leaf litter on land tapeworms (Cestodes) and flukes (Trematodes) have parasitic lifestyles which are often complex and involve multiple hosts in fact, the second most deadly human disease is called by the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium) which is the main cause of epilepsy worldwide when their larvae infect the human nervous system.

Procotyla fluviatilis

What they discovered
Scientists from the University of Basel based in Switzerland and Bielefield University based in Germany, discovered that the flatworm Macrostomum hystrix, an hermaphrodite possessing both male and female reproductive organs, uses self insemination when it is unable to locate a mate. Normally reproduction occurs with these flatworms by exchanging of sperm between two individuals via a stylet (a needle like protrusion) and is described as 'traumatic insemination'. 
The study divided flatworms into two groups one which was isolated and the other which consisted of small groupings of individuals. The amount of sperm possessed by each flatworm was measured and it was found that isolated individuals contained more in their head. Self insemination was never witnessed but the placement suggests a interesting insemination route, with the sperm migrating from the head to the center of the body where fertilization occurred. The flatworms that were kept in groups differed however by having sperm located in their tails.
This therefore could be the first case of flatworms using their needle like penis to eject sperm into their own head, it is suggested this may be due to there being no internal link between their male and female organs.

As always feel free to leave any thoughts or comments in the box below, thanks for taking the time to visit and read my blog and finally until next time keep it wild!!!!