voltagegate | June 2, 2007The traditionalist Chinese, for all their deep philosophies of unity and transcendence, sure love to slaughter rare and beautiful animals for their own vanity.
Apparently, it is still acceptable in China to give hats made from the fur of poached red pandas as traditional gifts for special occasions.
From the BBC:
Red pandas are poached for their fur or sold as pets. Red panda fur is used to make hats and clothing in China. In the past red panda hats were given as wedding presents because they were seen as good luck charms. This tradition continues in some regions.
Red panda populations can…
voltagegate | June 2, 2007
Brian of Laelaps was kind enough to contribute some beautiful pics of his favorite critter (as if you couldn't tell by his banner), photos he took at the Philly and Bronx Zoo.
Thanks Brian!
All images courtesy of Brian Switek. Please ask permission before using these images elsewhere.
voltagegate | June 1, 2007Photo: mindrec
We established that the giant and red panda co-inhabit the same habitat, but exploit very specific parts of that main habitat, different microhabitats. Giants stick to the low lands, feeding in sparse forest, while the reds alight the long branches of rhododenrons, stripping leaves from branches.
They are said to have a sympatric relationship, meaning that both pandas became separate species (speciation) while existing in the same area. Allopatry is the opposite process; it describes speciation by environmental isolation.
When ecologists and evolutionary biologists make…
voltagegate | May 31, 2007Many would like to paint evolution by natural selection as a vicious idea, drawing upon our fears of purposelessness and elitism by highlighting the misleading phrase, "survival of the fittest."
It can be a scary idea when applied to our society; we don't want to think of the disabled and handicapped as unfit in their environment. It seems to be a cold view of the world, devoid of compassion.
I can understand the apprehension. Fortunately, evolution is a biological process, not a cultural/societal process, so when it is superimposed on societal structure, it does not exactly fit the bill.…
voltagegate | May 30, 2007Until very recently, no direct ancestors of the red panda (Ailurus) were known. Most paleontologists link Ailurus with previous, raccoon-like (procyonoid) fossil animals - Cynarctis, Phlaocyon, Aletocyon - mainly by the similarities in their molars.
A closer relative was described in the 1970's, an animal 50% larger than Ailurus found in Europe and North America, appropriately named Parailurus anglicus. Researchers concluded from these fossils that the red panda's ancestry was based solely in North America:
Intermediate forms between Parailurus and Ailurus are not known. The smaller size…
voltagegate | May 30, 2007Meet Futa and Futa Jr. Dad stands up, the baby tries and everyone freaks out.
voltagegate | May 29, 2007Morphologically, the red panda is a strange little furball. They are categorized with carnivores because of their powerful set of reinforced jaws, but the only meat the red panda will ever eat is the occasional bug. Like the giant panda, bamboo makes up most of its diet, one of the least nutritious foods on the planet.
But the red panda and its ancestors have been eating bamboo (and other similar monocots) for so long, that a small wristbone called a radial sesamoid (highlighted in red below) has become modified into an extra "thumb," assisting the panda in grasping and stripping bamboo…
voltagegate | May 28, 2007Photo by: Chief Trent
The Red Panda is definitely in the running for the most Pokémon-like animal in the history of the world. My internal Cute-O-Meter runs high every time I come across one in the zoo.
But the taxonomic category these little cuties occupy is perhaps one of the most disputed in classification. Most scientists place them with procyonids, the raccoon family. But some scientists are not satisfied. Red pandas exhibit many of the characteristics of bears (ursids) as well; reflected in one of their common names, the catbear (not to be confused with the binturong, known as the…
voltagegate | May 26, 2007My undergrad degree will be officially complete this afternoon. I walk with honors and a BS in biology and writing. It's a big day for me and my family, despite my general distaste for pomp and circumstance (literally in this case); I tentatively returned to college after getting fed up with the hospitality industry (and Annapolis, MD), worked full time and took as many credits as I could. It has taken me a bit longer than the traditional student, but I'm in no hurry at 28. If I was, perhaps this blog may never have been started. Perhaps a lot of things wouldn't be as sweet as they are today…
voltagegate | May 24, 2007Walking through a streamside copse of eastern hemlock in the ancient Appalachians is revealing for several reasons. First, the sheer size and age of these virgin stands can be humbling - at 45+ meters high, one tree may have been alive for more than 600 years. Second, a closer look at the forest's composition can tell ecologists two things: By assessing the pollen contained within pond sediment, you learn that these hemlocks started repopulating the eastern US about 12,000 years ago, following in the "footsteps" of the maple genus (Acer spp.) after the retreat of the massive glaciers covering…
voltagegate | May 24, 2007
A bit more ecological data has been uncovered regarding Crenarchaeota, a phylum of archaea known for their mostly acido/thermophilic nature and hallowed place in as the probable forerunners of all life.
A new study led by University of Georgia researchers and announced on Wednesday at the American Society for Microbiology meeting in Toronto finds that crenarchaeota, one of the most common groups of archaea and a group that includes members that live in hot springs, use ammonia as their energy source...
"The oxidation of ammonia was not thought to be a dominant process for crenarchaeota, but…
voltagegate | May 23, 2007Linnaeus on systematics:
"I can not understand anything that is not systematically ordered."
-from a letter to a friend
"There are as many varieties as there are plants produced by the seed of the same species."
-quoted by Gunnar Eriksson
Clashing with theology and human origins:
"I ask you and the whole world for a generic differentia between man and ape which conforms to the principles of natural history. I certainly know of none... If I were to call man ape or vice versa, I should bring down all the theologians on my head. But perhaps I should still do it according to the rules of science…
voltagegate | May 22, 2007Amazing video. Lionesses snag a water cape buffalo calf and fight over it with crocs until the herd returns to scare them off.
A Brawl In The Safari - Watch more free videos
voltagegate | May 22, 2007I've always been conflicted about vegetarianism. I have known many vegetarians and vegans in my life and it is a lifestyle choice that I can respect for its intent. I genuinely dislike factory farming of any food product, animal or plant. We take it for granted that our supermarket shelves will be stocked with mountains of flesh for consumption, and I hate to think of all the meat that is wasted.
Last night I skimmed a Facebook post fervently discussing vegetarianism. The author posted a huge list of claims, from its health benefits to supposed evolutionary ties, and I wanted to take some…
voltagegate | May 22, 2007About a week or so back I actually checked my MySpace account to find an invite from a new conservation organization called EDGE: Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered, sponsored by the Zoological Society of London. NGOs nowadays are a dime a dozen, valuable but virtually identical. EDGE, however, seems to have, well, an edge.
They published a paper describing the application of their plan in PLoS One, my new favorite publication (a ton of ecology stuff, free and open access). EDGE is based on a relatively simple idea; they seek to prioritize mammalian conservation practice with…
voltagegate | May 21, 2007Between upcoming graduation and finals this week, I've been a bit slow to do my share of the final counts from the Blogger Bioblitz (B3), but I finally found some time this morning.
First, some meta data:
50 bloggers signed up for the event
32 posted about their bioblitz
17 data sheets for analysis
Invertebrate species breakdown:
ARTHROPODS: 87+
Insects: 71+
Lepidopterans: 32+
Dipterans: 9+
Odontans: 9+
Hymenopterans: 7+
Hemipterans: 5+
Coleopterans: 3+
Collembolans: 2
Ephemeropterans: 2
Neuropterans: 1
Dictyopterans: 1
Arachnids: 10+
Aranaeans: 5+
Acari: 4+
Opiliones: 1
Diplopods…
voltagegate | May 21, 2007I'm reading an excellent book right now called In the Company of Crows and Ravens (review pending) and found a couple of uncanny videos illustrative of their capacity for ingenuity. The first involves modified tool use and the second, from Attenborough's Life of Birds, shows how crows can use human landscapes to their advantage.
voltagegate | May 18, 2007Dave asked the scienceblogging community to show off our coffee mugs in order to reveal personality quirks, stir up a story or two, or uncover plans for world domination.
More specifically:
1. Can you show us your coffee cup?
2. Can you comment on it? Do you think it reflects on your personality?
3. Do you have any interesting anecdotes resulting from coffee cup commentary?
3. Can you try to get others to comment on it?
I'll try. The divine is difficult to articulate.
I'm a morning writer when school/work is in, and coffee is absolutely essential to my routine. It's something to look…
voltagegate | May 16, 2007"This is the first age that's ever paid much attention to the future, which is a little ironic since we may not have one."
-Sir Arthur C. Clarke