Dog or panda? Can you tell the difference?

Baby panda or baby dog? Can you tell?

 

Take a look at the picture above, now ask yourself am I looking at a baby panda or a baby dog? Hopefully upon further investigation you will notice that this is a picture of a dyed chow chow puppy however, patrons of the Italian  Orfei Circus in Bescia completely failed to notice this. As they approached the circus entrance they were met with staff members holding two little bundles of fluff which the public were led to believe were panda cubs and asked if they wanted pictures holding them. It was only when the animal rights group Animal Protection Party (APP) intervened and exposed the hoax did this tale of misconception end. 

 

  A Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

 

Other than having runny eyes possibly due to the constant flashing from cameras, the puppies were in good health preventing any cruelty charges from being administered but it was later discovered that they were imported illegally from Hungary on fake passports which means the circus could face charges, not to mention numerous misrepresentation charges from angry paying patrons who had pictures taken with the supposed panda cubs; the circus secretary denied any wrongdoing stating that "it was obvious they were dogs". 

This is by no means a first for the canine world with dying dogs becoming extreamly popular in countries such as China where dogs such as chow chows sport looks such as pandas, lions and tigers; a zoo in China even had a chow chow that looked like a lion in its lion exhibit which did fool some zoo goers! 

 

A dog. Honestly!

All humor aside it is slightly worrying to see that people can be this easily deceived, could this show possibly just how detached we have become from the natural world around us that we can no longer recognize the amazing species that live alongside us from those that are clearly imposters? 

What are your thoughts on the topic? Would you have been fooled? As always please comment in the box below and thanks for reading. 

How bats navigate by using three dimensional aids

Disorientation is something we all experience at one point and is believed to be caused by a temporary malfunctioning of the brain area which controls our internal compass, however new research shows that bats do not suffer from this problem and have a neural navigation system which operates in three dimensions allowing the bat to orient themselves quickly in the dark.
A team of scientists from Weizmann university recorded brain activity of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) by using micro electrodes implanted onto the brain; alongside video monitoring technology to monitor angles of head rotation which was then corresponded to the data received from the micro electrodes.
This led them to discover that certain neurons (Nerve cells that carry information via electrical impulses to and from the brain) always know which way the bats head was directed, tracking it by using three dimensions by responding to vertical and horizontal orientation. They discovered that there are three neuron cells in particular that were used for this purpose; place and grid cells worked similar to a GPS allowing for tracking position whilst, head direction cells respond when the head is pointed in a specific direction acting like a compass.
We are used to a globular navigation system with latitude and longitude lines but bats navigation techniques differ from this by having a doughnut shaped co-ordinate system, allowing them to differentiate if they are upside down or not and stay orientated even when inverted.

 

Another team of scientists studying bat navigation, made a interesting discovery about Old world fruit bats which were believed to lack echolocation however, it was found that they produce a series of clicks via their wing flaps and may provide a insight into how echolocation first evolved.

To view the original paper click here 

As always feel free to leave a comment in the box below and thanks for reading.

The amazing electrical capabilities of the electric eel

The electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) found within the Amazon river, is capable of producing an electrical charge of up to 600 volts nearly four times greater than the voltage of a UK plug socket; this electrical burst is used to paralyze prey before it is eaten by the eel.
A recent study by Kenneth Catania from Vanderbilt university discovered that the eel also uses varying levels of electrical pulses from high levels which prevent the prey's nervous system from operating paralyzing them, to lower level bursts used to locate prey by stimulating the prey's muscles to move giving away their position.
The experiments were performed in various large aquariums which were fitted with electricity sensors. High speed video systems were used so how the eel attacked its prey; they found that the eel used a series of high voltage bursts to stun the prey for up to 15 milliseconds before a strike occurred and that within 3 milliseconds the fish were paralyzed and unable to escape, only regaining mobility after a short period of time had passed if the eel had not eaten them.
The electricity burst immobilizes the whole body by causing whole body muscle contraction, activating motor neurons which contract (move) the fishes muscles.
It was also discovered that the eel uses a lower voltage of electric bursts to locate prey that may be hiding amongst rocks, emitting occasional millisecond bursts of two or three pulses which, cause muscle twitches within the prey giving away its position to the eel; the eel then uses its more powerful electrical burst to stun the prey and eat it.

Note: Doublet means two bursts of electricity.

Below is some great footage of the electric eel putting its hunting methods to use taken from the study.

Read the original article by clicking here 

Personally I found this article very interesting, it again demonstrates the flexibility of nature to adapt to a variety of techniques for predators to subdue and consume prey, the fact that the electric eel has no means to chase down and retain prey species has allowed nature to develop a amazing method of using electrical pulses to stun and subdue prey, allowing the eel to consume it. Again something that we had to discover and learn to use was already being used within the natural world suggesting, that maybe we should turn to nature more often to provide us with the discoveries we need to continue to survive and thrive.

What do you think about the electric eel? Does it amaze you that this river dwelling creature has managed to harness the power of electricity? Let me know your comments in thought box below and as always thanks for reading :).

Gray seals responsible for killing harbour porpoises

 

Scientists were baffled when harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) started washing up on Dutch coastlines with horrible mutilations on their bodies; original suspects included fishermen, collisions with boats or some new type of apex predator but after several years enough data was collected to finally identify the culprit which shockingly was the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus).

A group of Belgium scientists who were studying the porpoise carcasses noticed that some of the puncture wounds appeared to mirror the teeth marks of grey seals; they therefore decided to study photographs and autopsied carcasses of grey seals from 1081 seals between 2003-2013 which had washed up on Dutch beaches.

They ended up finding numerous signs that grey seals had been responsible for the injuries on the harbor porpoises, some had scratches along their bodies that matched grey seal claws and large chunks of blubber had been bitten away; yet visual evidence was not enough to fully suggest that the seals were the cause of the porpoises demise and so the scientists decided to see if they could find seal DNA in the porpoise carcasses to further back the evidence that the seals were the culprit.

Collecting DNA from the carcasses proved a difficult task as seawater would wash away many traces of culprit DNA but eventually DNA was found which matched that of a grey seal. The lesions from where the DNA was collected also showed hemorrhaging suggesting, the injuries were caused whilst the porpoises were alive and that therefore the seals did attack the porpoises and were not scavenging on them prior to a attack by another predator. 

The results showed that in at least 17% of porpoise deaths grey seals were the cause, this meant that grey seal predation is one of the top causes of harbor porpoise deaths in this region alongside, by-catch (when they become caught in nets used by fisherman and often suffocate as a result) and disease. 

The scientists are still unsure why grey seals have started to prey upon the porpoises but theories include developing a taste for them whilst scavenging fishing nets for by-catch.

What do you think about this finding? Would you have suspected grey seals of this predatory behavior? It is worth noting that at around 2.5m grey seals are the largest predator in the area studied and are therefore capable of taking down large prey items but generally we have always accustomed them to a strict fish diet, until now that is.

To read the original paper click here 

Bird-like lungs found in Iguanas, is this further proof that reptiles and birds are more similar then we think?

A new discovery by Collen Farmer of the University of Utah demonstrates that iguanas have lungs alike to those found in bird species which, were believed to be present only in birds as a way of combating the high energy levels needed for flight but as iguanas do not fly, this can no longer be the case.
Mammals including humans, have lungs that have a branched structure, when we breathe in, the diaphragm ( a dome shaped muscle under your lungs) contracts expanding your chest cavity, intercostal muscles (located between your ribs) also help to further expand the chest cavity allowing for expansion of the lungs; this causes air to enter your body via the nose and mouth, down the trachea (windpipe) and into the lungs, once inside the lungs the windpipe divides into bronchial tubes (one for each lung), which divide into bronchioles and then further into alveoli. The alveoli are covered in capillaries (blood vessels) which connect to the arteries and veins of the bloodstream. When we breathe out the diaphragm and intercostal muscles relax reducing the amount of space in the chest cavity and therefore lungs causing air to exit the body in the opposite way to which it entered.

 

 Note: Cardiac notch is where the heart sits against the lung.

For birds, iguanas and some other reptiles including alligators and monitor lizards, they have a lung system in which air flows through a one way loop, they lack a diaphragm and have air sacs instead which fill a role similar to bellows to pump air through the lungs. When a bird breathes in they need inhale twice to get air to pass through the whole respiratory system  instead of singularly like mammals, on the first inhalation air enters the trachea then into the air sac below the lungs (caudal air sac), the bird then exhales and the air enters the lungs and into the bloodstream; the bird then inhales a second time forcing air from the lungs into the second set of air sacs in front of the lungs (cranial air sacs), the bird then exhales and the air leaves the body via the trachea.

Note: Posterior air sac = Caudal air sac, Anterior air sac = Cranial air sac.

The team of scientists at Utah university discovered this method of breathing in iguanas, by using a surgical scope to observe the lungs of live specimens as they inhaled harmless smoke from a fog machine. They then used 3D x-ray imaging images to make a computer model showing airflow which matched closely the observations seen in the real iguana lungs which showed that shapes and angles within the lungs of iguanas direct air in one direction. This discovery therefore points to the possibility that this method of breathing came from a common ancestor of crocodiles, lizards and dinosaurs (birds), further suggesting that reptiles and birds are more alike then we originally thought.

 3D x ray images of the iguana lungs

What are your thoughts on this new discovery? Do you think that birds and reptiles will be reclassified into a new group together in the future? As always leave your comments in the box below and thanks for reading.

To view the original article click here 

To view a previous post regarding the similarity between reptiles and birds Click here 

Animals live in a colourful world but they all view it differently

We live in an enthralling world full of natural beauty and colour but not every species of animal views colour in the same way; this is because the colour of an object is determined by the sensory capabilities of the viewer and therefore is not set like size or weight. What we perceive as colour is actually the result of light hitting photorecepetors at the back of our eyes; these specialized cells then covert these light signals into brain signals that allow us to see the visual image. These photoreceptors can be catorgorised into two types rods and cones, the rods aid us with scopic (nightime vision) whilst cones are responsible for colour vision.

Inside the human eye there are 3 types of cone cell with each responding to different wavelengths of light i.e. short, medium and long and are named blue, green and red cones respectively, these cones are each triggered differently when light hits the eye and depending on how each cone responds for example the red may be stimulated more than green, the signals are then sent to and interpreted by the brain which builds the final colour image.

 

As humans have three types of cone cells we are said to have trichromatic vision however, most mammals have dichromatic vision and have only two types of cone cell which is blue and green sensitive. Old world monkeys and apes display trichromatic vision like us but new world monkeys appear to have sex linked colour vision, this means that females display trichromatic vision whilst males are dichromatic, some such as tamarins have females that can be both dichromatic and trichromatic. It is theorized trichromatic vision within new world monkey species may aid with foraging as red/green items will be easily seen or for same species communication whilst, dichromatic vision may be useful in areas of low light or when foraging for camouflaged food.
Most animal species such as reptiles, birds, some insects and fish can have tetrachromatic vision having four cone cells with the fourth cone cell being used to receive UV light but it is not uncommon for some to have 5 or more.

Note the dog view represents dichromatic vision whilst human represents trichromatic.

Note the bird vision represents tetrachromatic vision.

Now we can clearly see that tetrachromatic vision generates a colour spectrum wider than our own does this suggest that the more cone cells a animal species has that it should see and be able to discern between a wider colour range? Well a recent scientific study aimed to put this theory to the test using a marine species called the mantis shrimp  (Haptosquilla trispinosa) which has 12 cone rods and should therefore be able to see far more colours than us humans can. To test this theory the scientists studied the shrimps ability to be able to discriminate between two colour types but instead of being able to easily differentiate colour difference the shrimps displayed worse results than what would be seen in humans, this was because the shrimp had developed over time a new way of perceiving colour signals, in which the photoreceptor outputs are sent directly to the brain instead of being pre-processed where, they are compared with a 'pre-set' template of colours to produce the final image; this process is thought to benefit the shrimp by less time being needed to process the image being received leading to a more rapid visual response.

The reality of the situation is however that as we will more than likely never be able to physically see through the eyes of other animal species, we will never really know or fully understand what it is like to view the world through their eyes but regardless of that the world is still a beautiful place when viewed through our own eyes and maybe we should therefore take more time to stop and admire its beauty more often.

As always I'd love to hear from you guys about this article, please feel free to add a comment below and thanks for reading.

Swallowed Alive! Has reality tv reached a new low?

You might think that the picture above shows a man who loves and appreciates snakes, yet Paul Rosolie is actually face to face with the snake that he expects to eat him.
Paul Rosolie is a documentary film maker from southern Peru who has previously won a award from the United Nations Forum on Forests for a short film called Unseen Forests in 2013. Now though he plans to be eaten alive by an anaconda Eunectes murinus, by wearing a snake proof suit and then forcing the snake to release him. Not much more information is provided regarding the purposed documentary which is due to be aired on the American Discovery Channel on the 7th of December and there is always the chance that this could be a publicity stunt based hoax but if the show is due to go ahead it will create waves of anger within the herpetology (reptile) field and animal lovers worldwide whilst demonstrating a new low in both scaremongering and non educational shows which now dominate channels that are meant to be educational.

This documentary holds no educational value as we already know about the workings of the snake digestive system in much detail and it's this knowledge that demonstrates exactly why this procedure will be harmful to the snake. Anacondas are constrictors and therefore rely on killing their prey by slowly squeezing them reducing the ability for the lungs to expand and by increasing pressure on the heart; obviously this can not happen in this situation which means that the anaconda most likely will have to be force fed the man. Now in some instances in captivity where a snake has not fed and is physically deteriorating as a result force feeding is often undertaken as a last resort, this process is not only stressful for the snake as it is an unnatural position to be placed in but has the potential to harm or even kill the snake if not performed correctly with such an over sized meal; this is because in order to consume prey bigger then itself the snake has a specialized breathing tube which it positions over a meal during feeding allowing it to be able to continue breathing. The body suit as shown in the picture above appears to have many areas that protrude outwards which will make it more difficult for the snake to swallow and could potentially damage the digestive tract of the snake especially if Paul moves whilst inside the snake.

Note: The fleshy tube is the breathing tube or glottis.

Now even if they managed to get the anaconda to swallow Paul whole they then have the next problem of getting him back out; now we can not just let nature take its course as the snake proof suit will prevent the natural breakdown of such a large meal preventing him from being passed out in the traditional way as I think we all can agree that there is no way a fully grown adult man will ever pass through a snakes cloaca. This leaves just two options regurgitation or surgical removal both of which are extremely harmful/stressful to the snake. Regurgitation within snakes is a difficult and stressful process in which undigested food from the esophagus not stomach is brought back up, with anacondas it places even more stress on the snakes body as they loose precious bodily fluids which can not easily be replaced. Surgical removal will require first anesthetizing the snake which carries its own risks and then cutting a hole wide enough in the snake for Paul to be removed which could cause substantial damage to the snakes body or be too large to be stitched back together ultimately resulting in the snakes death.

Is entertainment really worth the suffering of such an amazing animal which has adapted of thousands of years to be a amazingly efficient hunter, I most certainly do not think so, what do you guys think? As always feel free to leave your comments below.

Baby superb fairywrens start learning whilst still in the egg.

 It was generally thought that the immature brains found within the embryo had limited learning capabilities but we have since learned that even within our own species, prenatal learning and recognition occurs with the baby responding to the mothers voice from around 32-34 weeks.
A study on superb fairywren Malurus cyaneus hatchlings in 2012 demonstrated that chicks that had learnt a specific sound from the mother whilst still in the egg received more food as, the parents knew they were feeding their chicks instead of cuckoo chicks which often target this species.
Building upon this knowledge the same scientific team led by S.Kleindorfer at Flinders University, decided to test if the chicks responded to different sound stimuli whilst inside the egg; they achieved this by using a ipod with a speaker and played recordings of three different types to eggs which were around 9-13 days old. The three sound choices were female superb fairywren incubation calls, contact calls of neighboring winter wrens and the control sound which was white noise. For those readers who may not know, the control within a experiment is basically the unaffected/unchanged group i.e. in this experiment they wanted to see if there was a reaction to specific sounds, by having a sound that theoretically produced no sound that was recognizable to the chicks and was ignored by them but they responded to the other sounds, they could suggest that it must be a response to those sounds and not other external factors.

Whilst the sounds were played the heart rates within the eggs were monitored, this is because a lowered heart rate demonstrates that the embryo was paying attention within the egg. This allowed them to discover that the embryos lowered their heart rates when both the female superb fairywren incubation and winter wren calls were played but not for the white noise, which suggested that they were attempting the learn the differences between the calls of different species compared to that of their own. They also discovered that they also reduced their heart rate in response to a new superb fairywren call that they had not previously heard, suggesting that they can recognize voice characteristics of different individual superb fairywrens. To read the original article click here. To view the published paper click here.

I found this article very intriguing, to think that such advanced recognition capabilities are being discovered in such young embryonic life stages clearly demonstrates that even as we develop within the safety of the womb or egg; nature is still giving us the essential tools we need to survive once we enter the world, as the ability to not only recognize the sounds of those that play a parental role but also those of the same species provides an essential level of protection which the young needs whilst, they develop the tools they need to become a adult and survive on their own maybe, we should revise the saying your never to old to learn to include your never to young either.  

What do you think? Please feel free to leave your comments in the box below.

When does a reptile stop becoming a reptile? Now perhaps.

This may seem like a rather curious question to ask but the new evidence that birds evolved from reptiles might just change that fact. To understand this in greater detail we need to look at what scientists call taxonomy, this describes how we categorize animals into varies groups such as mammals, amphibians, birds and reptiles. Animals were first categorized in the 18th century by Carl Linnaeus and was based on how animals looked leading to six classes: mammalia, birds, amphibians, fishes, insects and worms then, as time passed amphibians was split into two groups: reptiles and serpents meaning, that amphibians and non snake like reptiles were based in the same group which is clearly as we now know incorrect and by the 19th century it had changed again into the four groups we know today: mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, yet even to this day scientists still find themselves re-categorizing various species as new information is found.

The diagram above shows the evolutionary relationships and therefore classifications of the group we ourselves belong to called Tetrapoda meaning four limbed. As you can see they are various branches erupting from the main stem with each junction demonstrating a common ancestor i.e caecillians and frogs and toads share a common ancestor therefore, when you follow the evolutionary path for reptiles you find that birds should be included and not be a separate group. Here is where a problem that is currently plaguing taxonomists arises; birds and reptiles are currently seen as two separate groups, how do we now approach possibly merging these groups together and what do we call it. Now both reptiles and birds do fall under a classification used by science called Sauropsida whilst mammals are classed as Synapsids and are grouped as such due to differences in skull morphology therefore, the name reptile could be replaced by this but for most this would be a bit of a mouthful but regardless of what name is eventually chosen it seems that soon the word reptile will be part of a forgotten ancient history. To read original article please click here

 
Those of you who are regular visitors to my blog will have noticed that quite a bit of time elapsed between this post and the last; I do apologize for this but in-between second year university work and other commitments it can be hard to find time to contribute to this but I do aim to continue on with the blog and will try to post as often as I can; anyways as always please feel free to add your views on this topic in the comments box below, I always look forward to hearing from you all.

How ants win the fight for habitat resources against spiders

In the dry forests of Australia the bulldog ant Myrmecia pyriformis and the social huntsman spider Delena cancerides constantly battle for the same resources, as they forage at the same time.
The bulldog ant Myrmecia pyriformis has the record for the most dangerous ant species, having a venom filled sting, strong piercing jaws and the capability to jump at and chase any would be attackers of their nest.

The social huntsman spider Delena cancerides is as the name suggests a social species in which the females build well maintained nests amongst loose tree bark where they can live amongst several generations of offspring.
A study was undertaken with these two species by a scientist from Cornell university which examined the interference competition relationship between the two species. Interference competition is when species physically interfere with each other to prevent them from getting access to valuable resources when few are available.

The study showed that the ants attacked the nests of the social huntsman spider, with their numbers and ferocious behaviour often causing the spider and her young to retreat. The ants then do not occupy the nest instead, they fill the nest with twigs and leaves; making it unappealing to the spiders which need a empty space in which to grow. To view the original article click here.

What do you think about the home evicting bulldog ants? Feel free to leave your comments below. Personally I think this shows a degree of intelligence within this species; by being able to recognise the nests of social huntsman species and eliminating them from their resource areas, they clearly demonstrate a example of how in nature you have to be able to adapt and out compete rivals in order to survive. 

The amazing gibbon genome

Gibbons (Hominoidea) are well known for their amazing dexterity and agility whilst swinging through trees in the forest canopy; now new research analysis of the gibbon genome has shed some light on how these apes achieve this feat.
A team of scientists from the Oregon health and science university did a study of the gibbon genome and showed that unlike genomes of other species related to them, gibbons have very reshuffled DNA with far more chromosome pairs having between 38 to 52 pairs compared to 23 in humans and 24 with chimps and orangutans. This type of genetic reshuffling would cause cancer in humans but causes the gibbons no harm and appears to have benefited them.

The scientists found that the genre that contained gibbons divulged four million years ago at a time when major ecological changes were taking place within forest environments; opening up new niches for a new species to develop in. They also discovered a DNA sequence which is unique to the gibbon species; this sequence called LAVA inserts itself into genes that helps to separate chromosomes when they divide which may have played a huge part in causing the errors that helped to cause the genetic reshuffling seen in the gibbon species.
Lastly the team found that genes that are involved with bone and cartilage development evolved faster in gibbons which may help to explain why they have such long arms with powerful muscles for swinging through the trees.

This study is interesting not just because it shows again how well nature can evolve and adapt to the changing environment we experience here on earth but also because it may hold a interesting insight into how the human genome operates by further researching how DNA reshuffling does not effect gibbons but causes cancers in humans and may therefore help with further understanding and preventing cancers.
To view the original article click here.
What do you guys think about the article? Do you think that it may help to researchers having a better understanding of cancers? Please feel free to add your comment below.

Rhinoceros beetle species have designed their own weaponry

This information was found out by a study of males of the rhinoceros beetle species, to discover the purpose of their impressive various horn styles, due to lack of evidence to support that it is to attract females and which are generally used to fight other males for mating rights. Three species each with different horn styles were studied which were Trypoxylus dichotomus, Dynastes hercules and Golofa porteri. For more information click here for a link. 
Trypoxylus dichotomus displayed a fighting style in which it used it's horn similar to a pitchfork to twist their opponent off the tree whilst Dynastes hercules used their horn like pliers to lift and squeeze and finally Golofa porteri had more of a technique that we'd use when fencing; which all worked well when faced with the same species type but when faced against a member of one of the different species, it often demonstrated losses with horns often breaking under the stress. This showed that each individual species had evolved it's own unique weaponry system as a response to each individual species needs.
I found this article very interesting to read as it is a perfect example of the evolutionary diversification of nature and how it is capable of coming up with a solution to individual species environmental demands. It never ceases to amaze me that whilst we as humans had to think of, build and develop are own weaponry that nature has designed it's own often, far before we have even thought of it.

 

New deep sea species found from museum archives

The discovery of a entirely new species of invertebrate from specimens taken in the 1980's and preserved in the museum archives is an astonishing find as most people would expect new species to be found out in the field instead of in a jar of formaldehyde. The mushroom shaped creatures formally named Dendrogramma look similar to jellyfish but lack features that would place them it that group and all of what we currently know about them is taken from what was left of them and photos and notes taken back when they were retrieved. Click here to view the original article.
This find brings with it a interesting question, just how many yet to be identified species, could be hidden away stored in museum archives? Considering that it has been suggested that around 86% of earth's species are still yet to be identified Click here for more information. It would be interesting to see just how many of those species could be hidden away in archives right under our noses. 

What are we really feeding our cats?

Before you read this post, I would just like to mention that the views in this post come from personal experience and the knowledge gained from it and that if you experience any health issues with your own pets to always seek the advice of a veterinary professional.
Over the years the diet that is fed to our cats has changed to mirror the changes that have occurred in society; most pet owners are tired of feeding their cats wet food that both smells and looks distasteful to us, the cat food industry has responded to this by producing food that does not smell as strongly or which looks more aesthetically appealing to the owner. This has resulted in commercial dry food and wet food which contains more human ingredients i.e. rice and vegetables being produced neither of which being in the best interest for the cat which is the sole consumer of the product.
Firstly I shall discuss an issue that occurs with feeding a cat a dry food only based diet and which I have had the experience of going through myself. Now have you ever noticed that when your cat is fed only dry food that it often consumes large amounts of water from the bowl, often appearing to almost be trying to submerge it's whole face in the water or witnessed your cat with a wet through face after drinking? Or does your cat that is on a dry food only diet suffer from kidney problems? This is what happened to my cat who was on a dry only diet and after doing some research into the natural diet of the cat and making one change to my cats diet saw a dramatic improvement to which her kidneys improved to near normal function; this was that in the wild, cats get most of their water intake from their food via products such as blood and rarely seek out water from other sources therefore, feeding a cat a dry only diet prevents this from occurring as it does not get the intake of water that it would naturally receive however, as dry foods contain certain products that are beneficial to your cat such as; anti hair ball, specific breed needs and veterinary diets it is worth considering feeding a diet consisting of both wet and dry so the cat gets the nutrients it needs from both sources. Here is a link to a site with some more information regarding dry food.
By now you may be wondering why I have included the wet food with rice or vegetables added to it in this discussion, when I have been saying how beneficial it is for cats; the reason is because cats are obligate carnivores which means they can only eat and process a meat based diet. Here is a link that explains a bit more about it. This means that all that rice and vegetables in your cat's food does nothing at all to benefit the health of your cat, they are only there to make the food look more appealing to the owner not to the cat and considering that this type of wet food is genuinely more expensive to buy, its better to leave them on the shelves and choose the just meat varieties.

The false widow epidemic in the UK. Helpful advice for anyone who is concerned.

This has been a topic that has haunted most people over the UK especially those with arachnophobia and has probably led to many spiders both totally harmless and this species being killed in large numbers. Having read today that there has been another incident involving a believed false widow bite Click here to view story which has left a woman with severe trauma to her leg in hospital; I decided to look into the story of the false widow to see if it is really that dangerous and in the process stumbled upon this very helpful web page constructed by the National History Museum, regarding the subject Click here for the web page which should help to put some people's minds at rest.
I hope this helps any of you with any questions or worries about the false widow spider and I have included a picture at the bottom for recognition purposes.

Guy bitten by assumed red back spider

Firstly Click here for the link to the original article. If you would like more background information on the subject.
This of course is a rare an unfortunate incident which due to foreign imports is becoming slightly more frequent; I would also like to add that this is not a case of migration, due to climate change as the spiders originate from Australia and as far as I know have not been documented as being found in large concentrations anywhere else.
The man unfortunately lost his life due to lack of knowledge of the spider species and also not responding quick enough to a incident that clearly required urgent medical treatment, as the man was bleeding quite heavily.
Red back spiders as I mentioned previously originate from Australia and are from the family
Latrodectus which contains black widow spiders, to which the red back shows a resemblance with its black body with red dorsal stripe and hourglass mark on its underside. It is genuinely found across Australia and is often found living in human settlements forming funnel like webs. Whether this species could survive in the UK is questionable as our climate varies from which it would find back in Australia where it is known to decline in the winter months with, a temperature roughly around 16 degrees Celsius which when compared to our winters that easily fall into the minuses would suggest that they would not survive here.
 So for now all we need to concern ourselves with is just making sure that whenever we buy a product from aboard, is to check that nothing else has come along with it.

Female anaconda virgin birth

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog page, I am a second year zoology student who is passionate about all things animal based and wanted to share my passion and knowledge with you all. If you want to find out any more about me then please click the about me button on my homepage. This is my first blog post so I am hoping I do not make any beginners mistakes and that it all goes well.
For my first post I would like to discuss a topic that has been circulating the news quite often lately regarding the virgin birth by a female anaconda at West Midlands Safari Park in the UK Click here for a link to the news article regarding it .
I find this to be a amazing demonstration of how nature can continue to amaze us. As mentioned in the article parthenogenesis or virgin birth occurs in other animal species including reptiles, a interesting concept to consider regarding this, is how isolated islands such as the Galapagos became populated by reptile species; all it would take is for a female reptile to wash up on the shore and via parthenogenesis form a entirely new colony of animals therefore, I think it would be of great interest to test DNA samples from reptile species found on isolated islands to see if there are any incidences where this may have occurred and the impact this has had on the reptile population in that area, as a possible downside for this method of starting a population is that all offspring will be related which will reduce genetic viability though, a point of note would be that if other reptiles of the same species made it to the island at other times the gene pool would be stronger and more able to support population growth.