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Weird Natural History
PHOTO:
A western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma)engaged in gaping, most likely a type of warning display, aided by the white mouth lining.
"In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous."
----Aristotle
Visit here for the latest updates on weird natural history facts. Updated weekly (hopefully on Saturdays). QUESTIONS ON WEIRD NATURAL HISTORY ARE WELCOMED. SEE MY E-MAIL (radiata_5@fuse.net).
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www.webspawner.com/users/winstel/index.html
Don't forget to check the "Gallery" for several pages of past photos and the "Facts Archive" for all the past facts (see "Facts Archive" link at bottom of page) since fall of 2007.
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October 29, 2009: Many snakes use intimidation in self defense, including puffing up the body, gaping, hood spreading, rattling, hissing, and vent popping. In the case of venomous snakes, this can be thought of as warning rather than just intimidation.
"A large part of the forms and colors that we find beautiful, including the blue sky, the green earth, and the plants that adorn it...would be just what they are if no eyes had ever beheld them.....To these we shall give only passing attention, while we concentrate on the beauty that never would have arisen in the absence of animals with vision." Quote from "Origins of Nature's Beauty" by Alexander F. Skutch.
October 21, 2009: Some similar appearing groups of tropical butterflies mimick each other for defense. These include palatable "Batesian mimics" and poisonous "Mullerian mimics."
"A large part of the forms and colors that we find beautiful, including the blue sky, the green earth, and the plants that adorn it...would be just what they are if no eyes had ever beheld them.....To these we shall give only passing attention, while we concentrate on the beauty that never would have arisen in the absence of animals with vision." Quote from "Origins of Nature's Beauty" by Alexander F. Skutch.
Sept. 14, 2009: "The vicinity of Cincinnati, in the Ohio River Valley of southwestern Ohio, including adjacent northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana, is among the most fossil-rich regions in North America, if not the entire world..........Cincinnatian fossils are displayed in museums all over the world."
Quote from "A Sea without Fish" by Meyer and Davis.
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Sept. 1, 2009: Lake Malawi in Africa contains over 600 known species of fish, many isolated by depth and habitats of the 373 by 50 mile lake. These fish occur in a bewildering variety of color forms, even within sex and species, making the Lake a much larger evolutionary "lab" than the Galapagos Islands.
From "Malawi Cichilds in Their Natural Habitat" 2nd edition by Ad Konings.
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July 10, 2009: The dumpy treefrog is the source for ceruletide, This medication under the names Takus, Ceosunin, Cerulex, and Tymtyran is used in diagnosis of gallbladder, intestinal, and pancreatic illness. It may also have some value in treating schizophrenia and some painful digestive malfunctions.
Info from "Medical Herpetology" by Grenard and "The 25 Best Reptile and Amphibian Pets" by Bartlett
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