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.