Skulls from platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

Why do the cute animals always have the scary skulls… 

Mounting from the Ground - Centaur Biomechanics

If you mount from the ground on a regular basis…watch this video, then never do it again. Mounting from the ground is incredibly hard on your horse’s back. Getting on from the ground puts as much pressure on the right side of the saddle as a horse landing from a 1.40m fence, or about 2.6 times its body weight. The shorter you are in respects to the horse the more pressure you create by mounting from the ground. Not to mention it can lead to a twisted tree on your saddle, and of course unevenly stretched stirrup leathers.

my instructor requires us to use a mounting block even on the 12-13hh ponies. If there isn’t a mounting block, we have to get a leg-up.

same^

Unfortunately the video does not show the whole study, which was to determine the pressures exerted when mounting from the ground, from a small mounting block and from a large mounting block (can’t remember exact heights). The study found that mounting from the ground and small mounting block puts so much pressure on the horses back that the score was higher than the pressure pad could record, the higher mounting block was much, much better! I went to meeting with the guy who did the study before this was published, and they work very closely with Team GB, so him, and his wife (the woman mounting in the video) definitely know what they are doing! The aim of studying everything we do with horses is not to prove that we should do nothing with them, but to improve the way we do these things and to also improve horse welfare. - important YouTube comment

Here’s a link to a PDF containing an article about THIS specific video, and study.

Here is a direct link to Centaur Biomechanic’s main site.

And here’s the PDF to a similar study on the forces exerted during mounting done by Michigan State University.

this would be something I would do..

Kitten And Owlet Become Best Friends And Nap Buddies

An Eco-Friendly Fertilizer

Nature has many methods by which it outperforms human technology, but now there is one less. Scientists at Northwestern University have formulated a catalyst - a compound that makes it easier for chemical reactions to occur - that allows light to turn nitrogen gas into ammonia. In nature, a compound called nitrogenase performs this same function while requiring a great deal of chemical energy. Until now, humans had been unable to mimic nitrogenase’s abilities. The main breakthrough with this new process is that it can occur under normal temperatures and pressures. The widely-used Haber-Bosch process had previously been the only man-made way to turn nitrogen into ammonia at the cost of high temperatures and pressures. Researchers discovered this new way to make ammonia by exposing a cluster of metals found in nitrogenase to light and nitrogen. Since the metals are not used up by the process, this reaction can go on and on as long as both light and nitrogen are provided. Nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere are strongly bonded with other nitrogen atoms and are difficult for plants to utilize. Creating ammonia from nitrogen allows fertilizers to provide plants with readily-available nitrogen - one of the most important nutrients for plants. With refinement of this new process, mass production of fertilizer can become much more ecologically friendly, and feeding the world’s growing population can take less of a toll on the planet. Read more here By Oliver K., Discoverer Edited by: Meridith B.

Removal of Giant Kidney Worms from Dog (by ThunderBayVet)

So fun fact about myself, I love parasites.  So I thought I would share this fun video with you all about a Kidney Worm removal from a dog.

Some little knowledge about the kidney worm, it is from the Order Dioctophymatida, family Dioctophymatidae.  Dioctophyme renale, aka Kidney worm is a giant nematode.  The females can grow as large as 100 cm long!

Their life cycle is pretty simple.  The kidney worms lemon shaped, thick walled eggs take between 2 weeks to 3 months to embryonate in water (temperature dependent). The first stage juveniles hatch when ingested by an aquatice oligochaete annelid Lumbriculus variegatus. 

^ looks like that.

Once inside the annelid, they enter its blood supply where they mature into third stage juveniles.  Once the annelid is ingested, the juvenile kidney worms move to the kidney of their new host.  If, however, the annelid is not consumed by a definitive host and instead eaten by a fish or a frog, the juveniles will encycte in the paratenic host’s muscles until the animal is consumed by a definitive host.  

And this is how dogs, as well as most large mammals get infected with the kidney worm, they ingest fish. Canids, bears, mustelids, as well as humans are especially susceptible to kidney worms because of their diets. However, cows, horses, and pigs can become infected by accidentally ingesting an annelid.

Like all things, infection can be avoided by properly cooking your fish, and only drinking purified water.

Today I visited the Beaty Museum of Biodiversity at the University of British Columbia, primarily to see their articulated Blue Whale. As it turns out the rest of the museum is spectacular as well, but it’s going to take a few posts just to convey the sheer size of this majestic beast. This is a must see if you’re ever in Vancouver BC, nothing can prepare you for seeing a creature this large.

Icelandic sheep

Where are they GOING

As I am writing my dissertation on Clostridium perfringens bacteriophages I found this little gem from Beatrice the Biologist!

Just to inform you all - this doesn’t happen all the time when a bacteria is infected with a phage. Lysogeny can also occur, where the phage is carried in the host cell’s genome under the right stimuli tells the phage that it’s time to replicate. Not all infections are bad for the bacteria either. There are a number of cases where toxin genes are transferred into the bacteria by the phage increasing their fitness, and allowing them to cause disease. There are even cases where phage that infect cyanobacteria actually carry genes to improve the bacteria’s ability to photosynthesise.

Sam

Past climate change resulted in extreme oxygen loss in oceans

When a vet, Dr. Carsten Plischke, discovered that Blade the tortoise was unable to walk due to a growth disorder, he used his son’s LEGO bricks to build a mini “wheelchair” to help the little tortoise roll around while his limbs healed.

Seeing-eye cat for blind dog

The Shakespearean origin of our starling (Sturnus vulgaris) infestation — a little animated story from Skunk Bear’s latest video.

Wtf