Fishface! Ancient Fish with a Jaw, Cheekbones, and Beady Little Eyes

"The earliest known species with what we would recognize as a face was an armored, beady-eyed prehistoric fish."

"First face? Prehistoric fish was a jawdropper"
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News, via FoxNews.com (September 25, 2013)

"The earliest known species with what we would recognize as a face was an armored, beady-eyed prehistoric fish, according to a new paper in the journal Nature.

"The fish, entelognathus primordialis (meaning 'primordial complete jaw'), is the oldest known animal to have face-forming jaw and cheek bones comparable to those of today's bony fishes and most terrestrial animals, including us....

"...'Entelognathus had a rather unprepossessing face,' co-author Per Erik Ahlberg of Uppsala University told Discovery News. 'The mouth was wide, the forehead low and flat, and the small, close-set and almost immobile eyes pointed forwards like a pair of car headlights.'..."

The Lemming isn't sure that "primitive" is quite the right term for this piscine prodigy. That jaw was a revolutionary development in fish: and still standard equipment in most land animals that keep their skeleton on the inside. Which is dandy place for it, in the Lemming's opinion.

Sharks definitely aren't primitive, as Friedman points out in the article. Matt Friedman: the Lemming gathers that he does lectures about paleobiology at Oxford. The university, not the town: although Oxford U. is in Oxford, and that's another topic.

Sure, the skeletons of sharks are cartilage, not bone, but those fish are specialized and represent a fairly recent development. "Recent" is in the eye of the beholder, of course. Or Lemming, in this case.

Lampreys and hag-fish: now those things are primitive. Not the current ones so much, but their equally-jawless predecessors back in the good old days when agnatha shared the world with critters that give new meaning to the word "weird."


(D.W. Miller, via the Smithsonian Institution, used w/o permission.)

Of course, if opabinia had kept going for another 500,000,000 years or so, they might be complaining about the younger generation and cost of living: and think critters with only two eyes are weird. And that's another topic. Topics.

Opabina? That's the little critter with five eyes and an improbable-looking mouth-claw-pincer thing sticking out of its front end in that picture.

Allegedly-related posts:

• "Tracing the Y Chromosome, Studying Fossil Proteins, Seeking Truth"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (August 16, 2013)
• "Lowbrow to Highbrow in Four Centuries, Paleolithic Pitchers, and a Fantastic Elastic Echinoderm"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (July 5, 2013)
• "Another 17,000,000 Years on the Coelacanth Timeline"
  (April 16, 2012)
• " 'Nutcracker Man,' Big Teeth, and - - - Grass?!"
  (May 6, 2011)
• "Snakes Don't Have Legs: There's an Explanation For That"
  (February 8, 2011)

(From Chase Studios, via Sam Noble Museum, University of Oklahoma, used w/o permission.)

"Fountain of Abundance" and the Psychedelic Buffalo

"Fountain in West Acres Shopping Mall, Fargo, N.D."
Digital Horizons, Photo Gallery for the North Dakota State University Institute of Regional Studies (1977-08)


(Institute for Regional Studies, NDSU, Fargo (35mm-0560.8), used w/o permission)
"View of shoppers seated around a courtyard in West Acres Shopping Center. A fountain and hanging plants decorate the area. In the background is visible the storefronts for Daytons and Flagg...."

"... The fountain is entitled 'Fountain of Abundance' and was created by P. Richard Szeitz...."

Looks like you could order a copy of that photo. A link on that page goes to http://library.ndsu.edu/archives/collections-institute/photography/reproductions/. Not the catchiest name in the world, maybe: but your browser should be able to find it. And that's another topic.

West Acres has been around since around 1972, and started out with that sculpture as a sort of centerpiece. They removed it for a while, but looks like it's back in public view. Along with a very strange bison.

The West Acres website, www.westacres.com, says that the psychedelic buffalo is in Buffalo Court, which makes sense. That's the one near Herbergers, at the west end of the original Mall.

The fountain is at the 'far end' of the mall, in - what else? - Fountain Court. That's the southwest end of the mall. It's also a whole lot brighter there, than when the Lemming last visited. Which was - quite a while ago.

The color photos are from West Acres' "Regional Showcase" page, by the way. The shopping mall seems to be presenting itself as a sort of cultural center.

The east end of the mall "...is where you'll find West Acres' 1,000-gallon freshwater aquarium filled with African cichlids. Pipedream, a spiral-like, soaring interactive sculpture made of 100 brushed and beveled steel pipes, engages young and old alike. In concert with Pipedream is a similar glass sculpture within the aquarium...."

The Lemming thinks it's okay for a shopping mall to attract shoppers with sculptures, aquariums, and other 'cultural stuff.' Your experience may vary. This photo shows where the "abundance" sculpture started out:

"....Center Court near Macy's is a great place to relax for a bit. Browse through our great collection of books that either feature our region or are penned by local authors (or both), and peruse photographs taken throughout the region...."

If you're still reading this post: thanks for your patience. The Lemming grew up across the river from West Acres, and enjoyed sharing a virtual visit to the place. It's still a lively regional shopping area: with no empty store fronts, the Lemming's been told.

Allegedly-related posts:

• "Mayan Apocalypse Transition: Book a Galactic Cruise; or Take the Cosmic Bike Tour"
  (February 3, 2012)
• "Taipei 101: Shopping Center, Offices, and a 728-Ton Sculpture"
  (January 18, 2012)
• "St. Paul, Minnesota, and The Curious Case of the Cherished Carousel"
  (November 16, 2011)
• "Wiggly Buildings and Other Weirdness"
  (September 13, 2010)
• "Santa Monica Place, Cool New Mall in California: It Would be Even Cooler Here"
  (August 10, 2010)

Another 17,000,000 Years on the Coelacanth Timeline

"Skull Confirms Older Origin for 'Living Fossil' Fish"
Wynne Parry, LiveScience (April 10, 2012)

"A group of ancient fish, called coelacanths, have changed so little over time they are known as "living fossils." Now, the remains of a skull found in the Yunnan Province of China, confirms these creatures have been around, largely unchanged, for more than 400 million years.

"Once thought to have died out at roughly the time the dinosaurs disappeared, the first living coelacanth was discovered in a fishing net in 1938 off the eastern coast of South Africa. Since then, others have turned up elsewhere along the coasts of the Indian Ocean. [Image Gallery: Freaky Fish]

"While it's clear their history goes way back, the fossils they left behind have been scarce so far. A lower jawbone, more than 400 million years old and discovered in Australia, hinted at the earliest known emergence of coelacanths whose appearance matched the two species alive today. This small fossil has been described as the oldest coelacanth, but the authors of the recent research write that it offers so little information that it cannot be reliably placed within the fishes' family tree...."

Fascinating as they are, coelacanths are not particularly pretty fish. But, although some folks say they're an "endangered species," these critters were around before those dragonflies with two-and-a-half-foot wingspans flitted around. And they're still here.


(Alberto Fernandez Fernandez, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)
"Preserved specimen of chalumnae (Also known as Coelacanth [1]) in the Natural History Museum, Vienna, Austria."

Ancient, and Apparently Durable

"...The discovery reinforces what was already suspected about coelacanths: After a period of rapid diversification long ago, these fish have remained pretty much the same over hundreds of millions of years, according to Matt Friedman, a lecturer in paleobiology at the University of Oxford, who was not involved in the research.

" 'It makes their sort of anatomical conservation, this lack of major change over geological time, much more impressive,' Friedman said.

"In fact, the discovery extends the record for coelacanths with modern-looking bodies back by about 17 million years, according to the researchers, led by Min Zhu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences...."

So far, coelacanths have survived assorted ice ages, asteroid impacts, and mobs of volcanoes that make the Mount St. Helens eruption look like a kitchen spill. Maybe they're not quite as delicate as they're supposed to be.

Pushing "coelacanths with modern-looking bodies back by about 17 million years" probably won't help American taxpayers who are struggling with tax forms while hoping that their request for an extension got processed. But the Lemming is fascinated by ugly fish that haven't changed much in 400,000,000 or so years.

Coelacanths, you see, are lobe-finned fish: which apparently led to tetrapods, critters with four limbs they use for moving around. Also lungfish, some of which 'walk' underwater, which suggests that walking started in the water.

Still awake?

The Lemming's noticed that peoples' eyes tend to glaze over pretty fast during these verbal meanders. And that's another topic.

Intermittent Ice Ages, Asteroid Impacts, and the Occasional Massive Volcanic Event

There may be planets where not much happens. Earth isn't one of them.

Some critters, like the koala, panda, and Bee Creek Cave Harvestman spider, require very special conditions. Change the environment, and they die.

Other critters, like rats, cockroaches, and - apparently - coelacanths, aren't quite as easy to kill off. Which is just as well, under the circumstances:

• 225,000,000 years BP (before present)
  • Asteroid hits Earth
• 200,000,000 years BP
  • Heavy volcanic activity starts
  • Pangea breaks in two
    • The gap got called "The Atlantic" recently
• 199,400,000 years BP
  • Heavy volcanic ends
    • Elapsed time: 600,000 years
    • Crurotarsans are extinct
      • Leaving room for dinosaurs
• 65,000,000 years BP
  • Asteroid hits Earth
    • Dinosaurs are extinct
    • Leaving room for mammals
      • And, eventually, humans
  (Adapted from March 24, 2010)

One of the critters that didn't make the cut, about a half-billion years back, was opabinia regalis: the thing shown in that sketch. It had five eyes, and isn't quite like anything that's alive today.

Recent Events: The Last 700,000,000 Years

The observable universe and been around for 13,730,000,000 years, give or take 120,000,000. That's a recent estimate by astronomers, cosmologists, astronomers, and physicists, anyway.

This timeline covers part of Earth's history, picking up the story around the time that glaciers reached the equator. By that time, single-celled critters (and maybe bigger) were leaving tiny (and rare) fossils.

• -700,000,000 - 799,999,999 years BP
  • -716,500,000: Sea ice reaches equator
  • eukaryotic life survives
• -600,000,000 - 699,999,999 years BP
  • -650,000,000: Primitive sponges
  • -652,000,000: Lots of stromatolites and acritarchs die out ("Applied Palaeontology," Robert Wynn Jones)
• -500,000,000 - 599,999,999 years BP
  • -544,000,000: Trilobites show up (The Arthropod Story)
  • -505,000,000: Opabinia regalis, a - thing - with five eyes
• -400,000,000 - 499,999,999 years BP
  • -445,000,000: Lots of volcanoes; about 60% of marine invertebrates become extinct
  • -400,000,000 or so: Coelacanths show up
• -300,000,000 - 399,999,999 years BP
  • -350,000 or so: a fish walks ashore
  • -300,000,000: Really big dragonflies
• -200,000,000 - 299,999,999 years BP
  • -248,000,000: No more trilobites; Dinosaurs show up (The Arthropod Story)
  • -250,000,000 or so: huge volcanic eruptions form Siberian Traps
• -100,000,000 - 199,999,999 years BP
  • -199,999,999 or so: lots of volcanoes for 600,000 years; Pangea cracks
  • Coelacanths still around
• -0 - 99,999,999 years BP
  • -65,000,000 years BP: Asteroid impact(s); huge volcanic eruptions form Deccan traps
  • -65,000,000 years BP (Before Present): No more dinosaurs
    
• Now
  • Coelacanths still around

These days, delicate critters teetering on the brink of extinction get a lot of attention. As important as that might be, the Lemming is also interested in why distinctly indelicate critters don't die out: and keep on not dying out. Sometimes for hundreds of millions of years.

Like coelacanths.

Related posts:

• "Life is On the Clock - And Has Been for a Very Long Time"
  (January 29, 2011)
• "Ecological Disaster - a Quarter of a Billion Years Ago"
  (December 14, 2010)
• "Really Big Dragonflies: Oxygen's What Does It"
  (November 3, 2010)
• "Two Thirds of a Billion Years Ago: Earth's First Animals?"
  (August 18, 2010)
• "Four Legs, a Tail, and Tracks a Third of a Billion Years Old"
  (July 26, 2010)

More related posts:

• "Change, American Culture, Trilobites, Humanity's History, and the Big Picture"

Brainless Blobs Invade Hawaii! - Or - Attack of the Ctenophores!

"Strange jellyfish-like creatures cloud Hanauma Bay"
Kathy Muneno, KOHN2 (March 3, 2012)

"A few weeks ago at Hanauma Bay, a group of swimmers ran into a group strange looking jellyfish.

"Called a ctenophore, it may not look menacing, but a swimmer said there were thousands - so many, they had to get out of the water.

" 'I was not very surprised, it's a very rare event and those people who got to see them were actually very lucky people because they're really harmless and it's a rare sight,' said Mark Martindale, a UH professor and ctenophora expert.

"That's right, although swimmers said they felt like these animals stung them, they are harmless.

" 'They do not sting, they have tentacles but instead of having stinging cells like the Medusi jellyfish that most people are familiar with, these animals use their tentacles to stick to the prey and then they bring them to their mouth, so yeah they're perfectly harmless,' Martindale said.

" 'These aren't jellyfish at all but they certainly look the part,' said UH professor Angel Yanagihara.

"But they can harm some environments, like when they depleted fish stocks in the Black Sea...."

Not to worry, apparently: the ctenophores aren't likely to eat Hawaii. The places where the voracious little predators caused problems are smallish bodies of water. The Pacific Ocean - isn't.

The hand-sized blobs of appetite showing up in Hanauma Bay may have something to do with the dropoff near the bay's mouth. Or maybe something else was going on. That's what the Lemming gathered from the article, anyway.

One more thing - a UH professor and ctenophora expert Mark Martindale says the critters are "extremely important" because "they're the most ancient example of multi-cellular animals. They've been around longer than any fish." Not that the individuals at Hanauma Bay are upwards of 488,300,000 years old. Mark Martindale probably meant that critters that looked like ctenophores have been around for something like half of a billion years.

Brainless Blobs

Ctenophores - mercifully - have another name. One that's easier to pronounce: comb jellies. Oddly, there don't seem to be brush jams, although the Lemming is familiar with door jams, and that's another topic.

Ctenophores are a sort of minimal animal, getting by with no brain: just a 'nerve net,' a sort of cobweb of nerves that runs through the critter. There's a gag or two involving elections, committees, or opinion polls, lurking in that factoid: but they eluded the Lemming. The gags, that is.

Other posts about critters:

• Wet
  • "Really Big Amphipod: 11 Inches Long"
    (February 13, 2012)
  • "Lemming Tracks: Inflatable Sharks? Swell!"
    (June 28, 2011)
  • "Save the - Goldfish?!"
    (June 16, 2011)
  • "Animals That Don't Need Oxygen - It Gets Weirder"
    (April 9, 2010)
  • "Dumbo Octopus: Two Eyes, Eight Tentacles, and Wings"
    (February 1, 2010)
• Dry
  • "Radioactive Pigs Attack Germany - No, Really"
    (August 4, 2010)
  • "Tarantula Feet, Silk, and Research"
    (May 20, 2011)
  • "Bradford's Giant Rat? Coypu? If You Meet One: Does the Name Matter?"
    (August 20, 2010)
  • "The Aye-Aye: Very Strange Primates In Madagascar"
    (January 7, 2010)
  • "Montauk Monster is Back: Photo Revealed"
    (May 13, 2009)
• Cute
  • "Heidi the Cross-Eyed Possum"
    (January 12, 2011)
  • "Funny, Freakish Critter's Feet: the Photo"
    (June 9, 2010)
  • "Cute: Strange, but Cute"
    (May 20, 2010)
  • "Oh, Look: It's a Cute - - - Thing"
    (May 8, 2010)
  • "Don't Worry: I See It, Too"
    (March 8, 2010)

More:

• "Ctenophora"
  Wikipedia
• "Ctenophores"
  C. E. Mills, University of Washington
• "Introduction to Ctenophora"
  UCMP (University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley)
• "Geologic time scale"
  • "Ordovician"
  UCMP (University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley)

That's No Carp! That's a TENCH!

"Tench Information"
Fish Farm UK
("Home of Staffordshire 'Supa' Carp")

"Tench
"The Tench or Doctor Fish (Tinca tinca) is a freshwater and brackish water fish of the cyprinid family found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe into Asia. It normally inhabits slow-moving freshwater habitats, particularly lakes and lowland rivers.

"Ecology
"The Tench is most often found in still waters with a clay or muddy substrate and abundant vegetation. This species is rare in clear waters across stony ground and is absent altogether from fast-flowing streams. It tolerates water with a low oxygen concentration, even being found in waters where Carp cannot survive. Tench feed mostly at night on algae and benthic invertebrates of various kinds that they root up from the bottom.

"Breeding takes place in shallow water usually among aquatic plants where the sticky green eggs can be deposited. Spawning usually occurs in summer and as many as three hundred thousand eggs may be produced. Growth is rapid and fish may reach a weight of 0.11 kg (0.25lb) within the first year.

"Morphology
"Tench have a stocky, carp-like shape, olive-green skin, darker above and almost golden below. The caudal fin is square in shape. The other fins are distinctly rounded in shape. The mouth is rather narrow and provided at each corner with a very small barbel...."

The tench isn't likely to be in the news. This unassuming fish doesn't shoot members of Congress, or occupy Wall Street. Not that any fish are likely to do that sort of thing.

It isn't endangered.

The tench isn't even particularly pushy. Which, applying the "nice guys finish last" principle, should have doomed it to extinction.

So why is this humble fish so successful?

It's durable.

The tench isn't one of your delicate critters. It will survive conditions that would kill a carp. And that's saying something.

Heat, Cold, Salt, and the Tenacious Tench

...Tench can survive water temperatures as high as 30 to 35°C [86° to 95° in Fahreneheit], oxygen concentrations less than 1 ppm, and salinities up to 12 mg/1. Although tench from northern Europe can apparently withstand temperatures close to freezing, California tench, being descended from south European populations, may not be able to withstand such low temperature. The optimum temperatures for growth seem to be between 12 and 30°C.

"Tench are rather sluggish in their movements and are not very aggressive towards other tench or towards other fishes (Sterba, 1959), earning them the reputation of 'Physician of Fishes' (Walton, 1653)..."
("Inland Fishes of California," Peter B. Moyle, (2002), via Google Books and University of California Press, page 210)

Tench: a California fish? This European import is in North America, too. So, is it an "invasive species?" That's a good question: but apparently, not. Not in the 'beware the tench' sense, anyway.

Doctor Fish Gets Around

"Tinca tinca"
USGS (United States Geological Service)

"...Distinguishing characteristics were given in Berg (1949), Scott and Crossman (1973), Muus and Dahlstrom (1978), Wheeler (1978), and Page and Burr (1991). Identification keys that include this species and photographs or illustrations were provided in a few published state fish books (e.g., Whitworth et al. 1968; Moyle 2002; Wydoski and Whitney 1979; Woodling 1985; Bond 1994). A name used in some of the early literature for this species is Tinca vulgaris.

"Size: 84 cm.

"Native Range: Most of Europe, including the British Isles, and parts of western Asia (Berg 1949)...."

"...States in which this species has been stocked or reported include Alabama (Baughman 1947); Arizona (Baughman 1947; Courtenay et al. 1991); Arkansas (Baughman 1947); California (Shapovalov 1944; Kimsey and Fisk 1964; Skinner 1972; Moyle 1976a; Wydoski and Whitney 1979; Courtenay et al. 1984, 1991; Dill and Cordone 1997); Colorado...."

Briefly, it's in 38 states. That the USGS knows of.

"...In the 1940s this species was reported to be a nuisance because of high abundance in certain parts of Maryland and Idaho (Baughman 1947). The diet consists mainly of aquatic insect larvae and molluscs (Scott and Crossman 1973). Moyle (1976a) considered it a potential competitor for food with sport fishes and native cyprinids...."

A cyprinid isn't a space alien from Star Wars. It's what ichthyologists call "soft-finned mainly freshwater fishes typically having toothless jaws and cycloid scales." (Princeton's WordNet)

Interestingly, "ichthyologist" is a word, but "ichtheologist" apparently isn't. That'd be someone who studies the worship of iches. Which is spelled itches, and that's another topic.

Tench: More Than Just a Fish

Here's a few of the world's Tenches, past and present:

• John Tench
  • An actor from North America
• Tench (SS-417)
  • U. S. Navy Submarine
• Tench
  • Artist on DeviantArt.com

And those are other topics.

Other fishy posts:

• "Save the - Goldfish?!"
  (June 16, 2011)
• "Aerators in Minnesota Lakes: Good for Fish; For People, Not So Much"
  (January 6, 2011)
• "(Some of) Minnesota's Fishing Seasons Open"
  (May 15, 2010)
• "Piscatorial Pursuits - It's Not What You May Think"
  (February 27, 2010)
• "Family and Fishing: a Personal Blog"
  (August 30, 2007)

Lemming Tracks: Inflatable Sharks? Swell!

"Inflatable Shark Among 300 New Species Discovered in Philippines"
Charles Q. Choi, LiveScience (June 27, 2011)

"A treasure trove of hundreds of new species may have been discovered in the Philippines, including a bizarre sea star that feeds exclusively on sunken driftwood and a deep-sea, shrimp-eating shark that swells up to scare off other predators.

"Scientists braved leeches and a host of venomous creatures from the mountains to the sea to uncover more than 300 species that are likely new to science. These findings include dozens of new insects and spiders, more than 50 colorful new sea slugs and a number of deep-sea armored corals 'which protect themselves against predatory nibbles from fish by growing large, spiky plates,' said researcher Terrence Gosliner, dean of science and research collections at the California Academy of Sciences and leader of the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition....

"...All these new findings help support the idea that the Philippines 'is one of the hottest of the hotspots for diverse and threatened life on Earth,' Gosliner said. 'We found new species during nearly every dive and hike as we surveyed the country's reefs, rainforests and the ocean floor.' [10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye]..."

'You got an inflatable what?!!'



Now that the Lemming's got that out of his apathetic system, a micro-review of the LiveScience article.

What We Know, and What We Know that We don't Know - Yet

First, kudos for writing "likely new to science." Some of the 'new' critters may have been spotted, evaluated, and recorded before - but not all that well-known. Someday, maybe, there'll be some nth-generation successor to the Internet that can search just about all records ever made by anybody, anywhere - fast. But the Lemming's not holding his breath, waiting for it.

The same facts could be reported as Endangered Species Discovered in Philippines - with a sidebar about Save the Armored Coral, a frightfully earnest bunch that's raising funds in a desperate race to protect the critters from something. Probably climate change. Global warming seems to be currently démodé.

The Lemming - Against Biodiversity?

If you've read this blog before, you may realize that the Lemming is apathetic only in a snarky sense of the word. It's the sort of apathy that doesn't necessarily go ballistic over the crisis du jure.

Now, about biodiversity and all that.

It is the Lemming's opinion that kittens are cute. The Lemming also thinks that breathing exhaust fumes is a bad idea.

Earth has been the Lemming's home for decades - and so the Lemming has a very personal interest in what happens to life on this planet.

The Lemming is also aware that one of the few constants on this planet for the last few billion years has been change. There's a reason you won't find recipes calling for fresh trilobite - and the Lemming's used that one before:

• "Change, American Culture, Trilobites, Humanity's History, and the Big Picture"
  (September 26, 2009)

It's probably a mistake to assume that Earth's ecosystems were exactly right at one time, and any that deviation from that 'normal' setting is a planetary catastrophe of epic proportions - and may even result in the other party getting a majority in Congress. Not that there was anything 'wrong' with conditions in, say:

• 1850
• 1491
• 1065
• 454
• Whenever

But thinking that Earth's climate in 454 was okay does not necessarily mean that any change from that 'normal' is a problem.

Change may happen easily - whether we want it to or not - but that doesn't make living with change easy.

The trick, in the Lemming's opinion, is to tell the difference between change that might cause practical problems: and change that is not a disaster of global proportions.

"Biodiversity:" At Least Five Syllables Long

Is "biodiversity" important? Probably. Possibly. Could be. Quite a few folks think so, anyway.

Clearly, biodiversity decreases when the number of species on Earth goes down.¹

'Save the Cockroach??'

About that "[10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye]" - the Lemming isn't happy with the thought that every species that ever was isn't thriving right now? Wait a minute - let's think about that.

If change didn't happen - or had stopped at some point - that might mean that we'd have forests of lycophytes, and have to worry about a pederpes getting into the garden. Assuming that we'd be here, of course.

It'd be nice if the Sumatran rhinoceros, black-footed ferret, and Sumatran orangutan, weren't - apparently - on their way to being extinct. On the other hand, this may not presage a replay of the Permian-Triassic extinction even - or ever The End Of Civilization As We Know It.

Still, things don't look good for the Sumatran rhinoceros.

When we hear about cockroaches dying by the bushel, pigeons no longer gracing civic monuments, and rats being conspicuous by their absence? Then the Lemming will think there's cause for concern.

Ever notice how the Tasmanian devil isn't often mentioned in appeals to 'save the endangered [cuddlesome critter]?' Despite devil facial tumour disease ravaging the species? "...At present the population has dwindled 70% since 1996. Numbers as of 2010 show an 80% rate of infection throughout the population...." The good news is that six (6) females seem to be resistant to the disease. There's a captive-breeding program that may save the species. (Wikipedia)

Assumptions and an Apathetic Lemming

There's a time and place for intense earnestness. Sally Struthers achieved a kind of fame in the marketing world for her effectiveness at a particular sort of fundraising. That is not a criticism. The actress could emote very well - and had by that time achieved fame for her role in All in the Family. It's hard to argue with success - although some have tried.

And that's another topic.

In a world where the American bison and spotted owl were supposed to go extinct - and didn't; and we didn't mostly die in food riots that didn't happen; the Lemming thinks that there can be a difference between assumptions and reality. And that's yet another topic. Topics.

Related (no - really) posts:

• "Lemming Tracks: Hey! Where'd Sunday Go?!"
  (June 27, 2011)
• "Save the - Goldfish?!"
  (June 16, 2011)
• "Hellgrammite: A Lake, a Character, and a - Thing"
  (February 27, 2011)
• "Beware Warmonger Imperialist Space Aliens!?"
  (January 11, 2011)
• "Glowing Cancer Test From the Crystal Jellyfish: Maybe"
  (November 2, 2010)

---

¹ Think about it - - -.

Save the - Goldfish?!

"San Francisco Wants to Ban Goldfish to Prevent Their 'Inhumane Suffering' "
Todd Starnes, FoxNews.com (June 16, 2011)

"The San Francisco Animal Control and Welfare Commission wants to take away your goldfish, proposing a bill that would also include a renewed ban on pets like puppies, kittens and hamsters.

"The proposed ban is meant to discourage 'impulse buys' of pets that sometimes end up at shelters, said commission member Philip Gerrie....

Before anybody has a stroke, please note that the Lemming thinks:

• Animals should not be mistreated
• Pet owners have responsibilities
• Kittens and puppies grow into cats and dogs
• Free Willy was a fun movie

The Lemming also thinks that even elected officials should think before acting.

Is impulsively buying a kitten or puppy - or a baby chick - a bad thing to do? Not, in the Lemming's opinion, necessarily. In principle, it's possible for someone who knows about litter boxes and leash laws to suddenly decide that it'd be nice to have a kitten around - and a dozen years later still be taking care of the long-since-grown-up cat.

The Lemming also realizes that not everybody who grabs a cute little ball of fur and fangs really understands what having a pet means.

That's the real world, now, back to the article:

Swim Free, as Free as the Wind Blows - - -

"...He [commission member Philip Gerrie] said goldfish, guppies and other tropical fish were added to the proposed ban because of what he called the 'inhumane suffering of fish' and the way the fish are harvested.

" 'It causes animal suffering,' Gerrie told Fox News Radio. 'Whole reefs and ecosystems are being exploited for whatever might be marketable or sellable.'

"The Board of Supervisors considered a similar ban last year that would have included dogs, cats, hamsters, mice, rats and guinea pigs – but not fish. That proposed ban was tabled last August. The supervisor said they were going to reconsider it in January of this year – but did not.

"The proposed fish ban has local pet store owners up in arms...."

There's a lot going on in those four paragraphs.

Fish Really do Have Feelings - Sort of

About the "inhumane suffering of fish?" That may not be as crazy as it sounds. Fish are animals with a central nervous system that doesn't work all that differently from ours.¹

On the other hand, it's anyone's guess whether or not the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is aware that domestic goldfish are just that - domestic. There are no prides of Lionhead Goldfish swimming free along the sunlit shores of some exotic island.

Commercial exploitation of exotic animals, that's something else.

Remember how groovy "zero tolerance" must have seemed at the time? And that isn't quite another topic.

By the way, here's an entirely different sort of commercial goldfish:

"Goldfish Commercial"

link2772, YouTube (December 8, 2006)
video, 0:31

Save the Endangered - - - Rats?!

Last year's efforts to save San Francisco's (pet) rats may not have been the result of someone assuming that greedy pet store owners recklessly disturbed delicate ecosystems in the city's dumpsters and sewer system, harvesting rats for the pet trade. Still, you never know.

Again - rats have central nervous systems. They're not all that different from mice - and the Lemming's been over this before:

• "Mice Feel Pain (We knew That) - And Show it Like We do ('No One' Knew That)"
  (May 11, 2010)

In the Lemming's considered opinion: elected officials should get out of the office more often, and see what it's like on the planet the rest of us call home. So, again in the Lemming's opinion, should quite a few scientists.

And that is another topic.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Apathy is Rampant, But Who Cares? - The Sequel"
  (February 7, 2011)
• "Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide Now! Or, Not"
  (January 3, 2011)
• "John Muir: 'Hitched to Everything Else in the Universe' "
  (October 17, 2010)
• "San Diego Zoo on Birds, Some of Which are - What Else? - Endangered"
  (September 2, 2010)
• "Attack of the Mutant Eucalyptus Trees!"
  (June 13, 2010)

¹ Background (pretty boring):

• "Mechanoreceptive and Nociceptive Responses in the Central Nervous System of Goldfish (Carassius auratus) and Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)"
  Science Direct (September 2005)

Aerators in Minnesota Lakes: Good for Fish; For People, Not So Much

"DNR: Stay clear of aerators on lakes"
StarTribune.com (January 6, 2011)

"...As frozen lakes are aerated to help keep fish alive, officials are warning people to be careful around the open water.

"While aeration isn't a new concept, early winter storms have made it more difficult than usual for aquatic plants stuck under the lakes' icy surfaces to get sunlight and produce the oxygen that fish need.

"Consequently, some aeration systems are being turned on earlier than normal, and people need to be careful when they go out on the lakes to avoid the open water and thin ice, said Marilyn Danks, an aquatic biologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources...."

The Minneapolis Star Tribune article says there are only about 270 Minnesota lakes with aeration systems in use this year.

If the Lemming did the math right, that means you've got about a 1 in 37 chance that the lake you snowmobile or ice fish on this winter won't have an aeration system in it. The odds are even slimmer, counting all the ponds, puddles, and damp spots that aren't big enough to count as "lakes" in this part of the world.

Minnesota's authorities recommend that folks use their brains. Lakes with operating aeration systems have signs at public access points that say so. And if a sign says "thin ice:" That means that the ice may be thin.

We're pretty good, in this part of the world, about recovering bodies. But, in the Lemming's opinion, it's better if folks use their heads and stay alive to enjoy another Minnesota winter.

Very Old, Quite Small, Lamprey: A Big Deal for Scientists

"Discovery of the oldest fossil lamprey in the world"
Science in Africa (February 2007)

"Scientists from the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Chicago have discovered a 360 million-year-old lamprey, from Witteberg Group rocks near Grahamstown, in the Eastern Cape, demonstrating that modern lampreys are remarkable living fossils. The report is published in Nature.

"This jawless fish fossil was discovered by Robert Gess, a PhD student at the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research at Wits, under the supervision of Prof. Bruce Rubidge of Wits and Dr Mike Coates of the University of Chicago.

"Scientists from around the world are currently engaged in reconstructing the evolutionary tree of life, combining data from the structure of living organisms, the fossil record and the analysis of DNA. In ancient seas, jawless vertebrate fish predated and gave rise to jawed fish, from which all vertebrates, including humans, descended. The only surviving group of jawless vertebrates are the lampreys which, as a result, are attracting intense scientific interest. Only in living lampreys may jawless vertebrate embryology or DNA be studied, resulting in lampreys being increasingly used as surrogate ancestors in researching jawed vertebrates...."

This newly-discovered fossil is a big deal, since lampreys haven't left much evidence of their existence:

"...Knowing when lampreys acquired this specialization, would suggest how representative they really are of ancient fish.

"The boneless cartilagenous skeletons of lampreys have, however, left virtually no fossil record - only three fossil species having previously been described, in none of which is a sucker-disc visible...."

And now, there are four.

Back to that article:

"...The remarkably well-preserved new fossil, described in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, published today, is older than any previously discovered fossil lamprey by 35 million years. Only 42mm long it reveals details of its fin, gill basket and, most importantly, its mouth region. It's circular mouth, situated at the center of a large sucker disk and encircled by small teeth, is remarkably like that of living lampreys, revealing that lamprey adaptations for a blood-sucking lifestyle were acquired in ancient seas, before modern fish faunas arose. Lampreys are therefore 'living fossils' that have remained largely unaltered through more than 360 million years and four major extinction events...."

This ancient lamprey species has been dubbed Priscomyzon riniensis. The article explains that it's taken from Latin prisco (ancient), myzon (a lamprey), and Rini, the Xhosa name for Grahamstown and surrounds).

Lampreys aren't likely to show up in, say, a list of cute Disney cartoon characters. Between their eel-like appearance, that mouth, and their eating habits, they're - well, just not that conventionally endearing. The term 'disgusting blood-sucker' comes to mind.

That said, they're impressive critters - for their durability, if nothing else. And, as the article points out, lampreys are useful tools for studying other critters that didn't leave living descendants.

Now, this little fossil lamprey gives paleontologists and others some concrete evidence to work with.

"Little" is a comparative term. The Lemming checked - and that 42mm length works out to just over one and five eighths inches.

Ecological Disaster - a Third of a Billion Years Ago

"How Plants Drove First Animals Onto Land"
Wired Science (September 29, 2010)

"About 350 million years ago, evolution took one small step for fish, and a giant leap for every terrestrial animal since. According to a new study, it was all made possible by plants.

"Prehistoric oxygen levels extrapolated from ancient mineral sediments suggest aquatic life went into overdrive after plants boosted atmospheric oxygen levels. Oceans became so fiercely competitive that some fish sought safe haven outside them.

"Some scientists have proposed as much, but the new research, published Sept. 28 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides the first solid evidence.

" 'Before this paper, there was essentially no experimental evidence for how oxygen accumulated through animal history. It was only predicted by theory,' said Tais Dahl, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Southern Denmark’s Nordic Center for Earth Evolution...."

The research involves seafloor samples, molybdenum, and what we've learned about how that relatively-common element, erosion, and how long it takes the average particle to settle to the bottom of the ocean and stay there (about 1,000,000 years).

The Wired Science article tells about one debate in the scientific community - an example of what the Lemming has noticed in other sciences, ranging from biology to geology. It seems that there are two basic philosophies about how development happens:

• One is that development is gradual, like the smooth growth curve you get when you take data from thousands of people and come up with an "average" person.
  • Growth spurts? Those can't happen - that smoothed-out statistical curve don't have no growth spurts.
    • That's another topic.
• The other is that development comes in fits and spurts.
  • The sort of thing we see when we look at data from individual human beings.

The advantage of the 'gradualist' philosophy, as the Lemming sees it, is that it allows textbooks to display nice, smooth growth curves; and provides a feeling of continuity.

The advantage of the 'spurt' philosophy, again from the Lemming's point of view, is that it seems to be a somewhat better match with reality. Particularly when researchers start collecting enough data - and track specific instances of a process, rather than averages from a set of instances.

Back to that article:

"...The first, traditional view holds that planetary oxygen levels continued to rise steadily, reaching near-contemporary levels well before Earth’s life diversified again, some 400 million years ago. In this narrative, it was only a matter of time - another 50 million years, give or take - before a few lagoon-dwelling creatures ventured onto land. Terrestrial life was a clockwork eventuality. Plants provided more oxygen, but weren’t essential.

"According to the other interpretation, oxygen levels stayed steady from 550 million to 400 million years ago, when the forerunners of modern plants evolved and flourished. Only then did oxygen jump, allowing fish - until then a small, relatively insignificant part of the animal kingdom - to take large, highly predatory forms...."

In this case, "large" means up to 30 feet long - which would be a substantial fish even today, about a third of a billion years down the pike.

Oxygen: Not Necessary for Life-As-We-Know-It

We're used to living in an atmosphere with quite a great deal of oxygen in it. In fact, human beings need oxygen to survive. So to quite a few other creatures.

Not all, though. (April 9, 2010)

As the Wired Science article points out, the amount of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere has changed - quite a lot - since plants started dumping that highly reactive gas into the environment.

We're the sort of creature that's geared to use oxygen's habit of reacting with a wide range of substances - releasing quite a lot of energy in the process. We need the stuff. Other critters can be killed by exposing them to oxygen. ("Anaerobic bacteria culture," Encyclopedia of Surgery)

From what we've learned about Earth, about a third of a billion to half a billion years back, it looks photosynthetic plants triggered a massive ecological disaster. Their metabolism dumped oxygen into the ocean and atmosphere - killing off species which couldn't cope with that reactive gas.

Finally, the Wired Science article has some cool pictures: of a 30-foot-long fish (that used oxygen), a - thing - that could live on water or land, and leaves from the gingko tree - that hasn't changed much in the last 350,000,000 years.

Related posts:

• "Two Thirds of a Billion Years Ago: Earth's First Animals?"
  (August 18, 2010)
• "Four Legs, a Tail, and Tracks a Third of a Billion Years Old"
  (July 26, 2010)
• "Animals That Don't Need Oxygen - It Gets Weirder"
  (April 9, 2010)
• " 'Snowball Earth,' Evolution, and Really Old Rocks"
  (March 16, 2010)
• "Frail, Delicate Little Mother Nature?!"
  (December 20, 2009)
• " 'Journey of Mankind:' 160,000 Years of Ups and Downs"
  (November 1, 2007)

More related posts, at

• "Change, American Culture, Trilobites, Humanity's History, and the Big Picture"

BP and Gulf of Mexico: No Walruses!

"Disaster that never was: Why claims that BP created history's worst oil spill may be the most cynical spin campaign ever"
MailOnline (August 6, 2010)

"The warm, white sand stretches for miles as clean and flat as a freshly laundered bed sheet.

"The turquoise sea is so clear that I can see silvery fish playing around my toes as I take a cooling paddle.

"If there is any more pristine resort in which to spend a summer holiday than Pensacola Beach, on the Gulf Coast of Florida, I would like to find it.

"And yet, at a time of year when usually there is barely room to unfold a deckchair, the shore is eerily deserted.

"Ask Pensacola's fretfully quiet seafront traders why the tourists have all stayed away and they angrily recall one chaotic day back in late June.

"Then, hungry for dramatic TV footage to support Barack Obama's announcement, that the BP - or, as he preferred, 'British Petroleum' - oil spill was 'the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced', news networks descended on their town.

"They quickly found what they were looking for: shocking images of Pensacola's famously white beaches thickly-coated with sticky, black crude oil and apparently beyond salvation...."

Particularly the walruses that British Petroleum had heartlessly, callously, cluelessly claimed they could save.

Walruses? I'm not making that up. BP had included walruses in its response plan for spills in the Gulf of Mexico. (June 9, 2010)

That was then.

From what I've read in the news, BP has been taking a close look at which yahoos they've put in critical decision-making posts - and done a little internal reorganization.

Meanwhile, around the Gulf, a whole lot of people are short of money. Some of them because the American government shut down the oil drilling industry that had employed them, others because reporters kept telling tourists that the beaches were soaked with great gobs of oil and dead birds and yukky stuff like that.

It's true, sort of. Some beaches did have oil on the sand:


(from Steve Douglas/Digital Beach Media, Via MailOnline, used w/o permission)
OH NO! BIG OIL KILLED ALL THE WALRUSES!!!!!

That was then.

This is now:


(from Steve Douglas/Digital Beach Media, Via MailOnline, used w/o permission)
'Never mind.'

So, what happened?

Is the oil gone - or going - from the Gulf because bands of eco-workers marched to the beach, each waving a copy of "Silent Spring" and chanting "recycle or die," then toiled in collective strength to cleanse delicate Mother Earth of the deadly toxins of cancerous humanity?

Not exactly, it seems.

Actually, there were workers on the beach. Not, perhaps, the 'right' sort for news coverage: "...if the U.S. TV news crews had returned just three days after their original visit, they would have seen that the black morass had already been removed by some of the 20,000 clean-up workers hired by BP...."

There was more going on in the Gulf than that clean-up crew, though.

Remember, there are huge reservoirs of petroleum under the Gulf of Mexico. Even without drilling, sometimes they leak.

When something that's not necessarily good for organisms is around now and again, organisms tend to adapt.

"...a respected Time magazine environmental writer voiced the near-heretical proposition: that the effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on April 20 had been massively hyped.

"His article was largely based on the opinions of Professor Ivan van Heerden, a brilliant but controversial marine scientist fired by Louisiana State University after publishing a book about Hurricane Katrina that said cataclysmic flooding was inevitable because the protection given to the coast was wholly inadequate.

"He said: 'There is just no data to suggest this is an environmental disaster - although BP lied about the size of the oil spill, we're not seeing catastrophic impacts.'

"Also recovering: Marsh grasses, with new growth, are seen along the Louisiana coastline

"Emboldened by the academic's willingness to go against the accepted wisdom, other leading scientists have concurred, with similar views being expressed in influential U.S. newspapers such as the New York Times and Washington Post...."

There's quite a bit more to the article, but I'll indulge in just one more excerpt. The setup for this is that plants grow along the Gulf of Mexico. A sort of byproduct of this growth is:

"...a thick, dark-brown plant sediment known as ‘coffee ground’ for its resemblance to the dregs left at the bottom of the cup."

"...Even from a few feet away, this sediment can be very easily mistaken for oil, and often when passing boats or aircraft report spotting oil on the shore, this is what they have really seen.

"This is one reason why the extent of the coastal oiling has been exaggerated. Indeed, Grenon, a veteran of 25 spills, says he is constantly amazed at how little pollution he finds.

"He says: 'I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's probably the largest spill there has ever been and yet there's hardly any oil.

" 'The ecosystem around here is also used to oil. It's been here forever, and there are more than 4,000 oil wells in the Gulf.

" 'So there are spills and natural seepage all the time, and the fish and plants adapt to deal with them. I'm confident the area will make a full recovery.'..."

Well, I wouldn't say that the ecosystem has been there "forever." Earth is only about four and a half billion years old, and that particular patch of real estate has changed quite a bit in the roughly 65,000,000 years since an asteroid knocked a hole in what's now the Yucatan Peninsula.

But I agree with Grenon's point, that the critters living in and around the Gulf have been dealing with petroleum leaks for a lot longer than BP has been around. Or England, or homo sapiens sapiens.

Now, since the walruses who never really existed, are gone from the Gulf, isn't it about time that the American government let the oil companies who haven't already left - rehire those unemployed folks?

Related post:

• "Frail, Delicate Little Mother Nature?!"
  (December 20, 2009)

More:

• "Oil in the Gulf of Mexico: Posts"

Why is Everybody Ignoring the Suckermouth Catfish?

Hypostomus plecostomus is a surprisingly elusive critter - online, anyway. Actually, I was able to find quite a bit about diseased armored suckermouth catfish, but not so much about healthy ones. Apart from pages like this:

"Hypostomus plecostomus | suckermouth catfish"
Texas State Department of Biology

"Maximum size: 600 mm SL (Hensley Courtenay 1980).

"Life colors: Frequently have patterns of spots (Hoover et al 2004).

"Counts:

"Body shape: Range from 14-50 cm depending on species (Hoover et al 2004).

"Mouth position: The mouth is inferior and the lips surrounding it form a 'sucking disk' (Hoover et al 2004).

"External morphology: Adipose fin has a spine; pectoral fins have thick, toothed spines which are used in male-to-male combat and locomotion (Walker 1968)...."

As the page says, near the top:

"THIS ACCOUNT IS IN PROCESS. PLEASE CHECK BACK LATER FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION."

My curiosity piqued, I set forth, as on a quest, in search of more lore of the suckermouth catfish.

At last my efforts were rewarded:

"LORICARIIDAE FAMILY"
CATFISH, MONGABAY.COM

"The Loricariidae or Suckermouth Armored Catfish Family has over 600 members found in Central and South America. It includes, among others, the genera Ancistrus, Chaetostoma, Farlowella, Hypancistrus, Hypoptopoma, Hypostomus, Otocinclus, Panaque, Peckoltia, Pterygoplichthys, Rineloricaria, Scobinancistrus, and Sturisoma.
SIZE: The Loricariidae Family includes small to large fish; some as small as 1" (2.5 cm) while others exceed 24" (61 cm)...."

That page is geared for aquarium owners, and has a fair amount of information about the armored suckermouth catfish.

Which, interestingly enough, some people apparently like to keep in their aquariums.

Whaddaya Know: Gulf Coast Beaches aren't All Closed

"Gulf Coast beaches update"
Travel, CNN (July 1, 2010)

"As Americans gear up for the Fourth of July weekend, coastal areas affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are working hard to keep beach-bound travelers informed.

"Here are some of the latest updates from destinations affected by the oil disaster:

"Northwest Florida

"Waters east of the Pensacola Beach fishing pier and on the north side of Santa Rosa Island along the Santa Rosa Sound remain open...."

There's a fair amount of detail in the CNN article: I think the best idea would be to call ahead to see if the spot you're planning to visit is open, and what conditions are like there.

It's not just about Florida: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Gulf islands are discussed, too. Nothing about Texas beaches: but the last I checked, which was a while ago, they were mostly unaffected.

Me? I'm staying where I am, here in central Minnesota.

---

More:

• "Oil in the Gulf of Mexico: Posts"

(Some of) Minnesota's Fishing Seasons Open

"Festivities begin for Governor's Fishing Opener"
The Associated Press, via WQOW (May 14, 2010)

"Festivities get under way Friday in the 2010 Governor's Fishing Opener at Lake Kabetogama near International Falls.

"The fishing doesn't begin until the season opens Saturday, but various community events and a picnic are set for Friday afternoon and evening.

"Both Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau are participating in several events on Friday and fishing on Lake Kabetogama on Saturday morning. Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung says the governor is available for ongoing budget negotiations with legislators by phone...."

Actually, today's the opening of a few of the more popular fishing seasons: lake trout, walleye, sauger, northern pike, and stream trout in lakes. They overlap with others.

But The Associated Press calls this the fishing season opener, and who am I to argue with the AP? Which threatens to raise another topic.

More:

• "Fishing seasons"
  Minnesota Department of Natural Resource (2010)

Just How Kosher is Lox?

"Several Types of Fish Under Attack as Unfit for Kosher Label"
FOXNews (March 8, 2010)

"A group of Ultra-orthodox Rabbis from New York have declared several types of fish, including wild salmon, unfit to be called kosher because they can contain tiny parasitic worms that can escape the organs of the fish and find their way into the meat.

"Lock up your lox, smoked fish are under assault!

"A group of ultra-orthodox rabbis from New York have declared several types of fish, including wild salmon, unfit to be called kosher because they can contain tiny parasitic worms that can escape the organs of the fish and find their way into the meat.

"In the organization's opinion, observant Jews can no longer safely eat many versions of salted and smoked delicacies like lox, nova and sable, traditional favorites during the upcoming Passover season...."

At issue is Anisakis. That's a tiny worm that can cause serious intestinal problems in humans if ingested alive. Which can happen if you eat fish that hasn't been sufficiently cooked. Or frozen. This particular parasite doesn't seem all that tough to me: but then, I live in central Minnesota where some invertebrate bloodsuckers are really hard to kill. That's another topic.

I didn't know that "Jewish teachings prohibit the consumption of visible parasites, whether they are alive or dead, particularly ones that enter the meat after the host animal has died -- though the interpretation of the rules is continually open to debate." Actually, I still don't know it: but that's what it says in the article. (I'm a devout Catholic, and long ago learned that old-school news coverage of our faith tends to be fictional - which is yet another topic.) FOXNews, where I've been able to check assertions, tends to be fairly reliable.

Still: If you want something authoritative on what's kosher and what's not, ask a rabbi whose opinion you trust. Me? I'm a gentile - and have not researched fish and this parasite.

So what?

My household eats seafood on a fairly regular basis, so anything about how healthy fish is - or isn't - is of very practical interest to me. I printed the article and handed it off to my wife. "Doctor Mom" is the subject expert for food, nutrition and health in this household. One of my sisters-in-law actually is a medical doctor - and health maintenance and healing go 'way back on her side of the family.

Why should an up-to-date, educated Westerner be interested in the dietary habits of a group of people who were contemporary with the Babylonian and later the Roman Empire?

For starters, they're still around. Babylon isn't. We call the territory that Hammurabi ruled Iraq these days. Being kosher probably isn't the only factor: but I figure that staying healthy helped the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob keep their identity as the millennia rolled by. (That family has quite a long and colorful history. "The Patriarchs and the Origins of Judaism" (Judaism 101) seems like a pretty good place to start.)

Vaguely-related posts:

• "Hating People: Not a Good Idea"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (January 22, 2010)
• "NutritionData: Looks Like a Common-Sense Food Information Resource"
  (July 24, 2009)
• "Like, Wow! Medicinal Marijuana in Minnesota"
  (April 28, 2008)
• " 'Catholics and Muslims along with the fake Jews all are Satanic Cults' - Who Knew?"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (April 2, 2009)

---

About that 'marijuana' post: I grew up in the sixties. I know about "Tell Your Children"/ "Reefer Madness" (1936). I'm also not among the vocal groups who declare everything they don't like (or, I suspect, understand) "Satanic." On the other hand, I've never 'done drugs.' With a brain like mine, who needs to?

That said, although I'm sure that you could find a rabbi who doesn't agree, it looks like hashish isn't kosher. Not for Passover, anyway. But don't take this blog post at face value: It's the same source I use for those weird 'fashion' photos.

• "No hash matzos?"
  Oddly Enough, Reuters blog (March 28, 2007)

Like I wrote before, ask a rabbi you trust.

Piscatorial Pursuits - It's Not What You May Think

Piscatorial Pursuits

"Whether you're looking to book an Alaska salmon & halibut fishing package or a Washington fishing trip out of Forks on the Olympic Peninsula, helpful info on how to fish on your own, recipes, Kenai Peninsula tide tables for halibut fishing or clamming, or perhaps some of the most popular fishing bulletin boards / forums ... you've found the right place!

"Our site menu will load to the left. Just mouse-over the buttons for links to the information or fishing trip that you're looking for. If you have any difficulties viewing the menu, text links appear at the bottom of every page!..."

There's something fishy about this website.

Sorry: it had to be said.

Seriously? If you like fishing, you'll probably like this website. It may not be the 'ultimate' website for folks who fish, but it looks promising.

And, updated. The most recent 'Site News' update was January 29, 2010.

Enjoy.

A Somewhat Paranoid Look at Cute, Deadly, Animals

"15 Cute Animals That Will Cause You Horrible Harm"
brains (undated, probably February 1, 2010, or before)

"When we think of animals that will destroy us, rend us limb from limb, and leave us in a bloody mess, we usually thing of the huge and horrifying. Which means we forget about the real threats: the tiny, the cute, the gorgeous. The animals at which we ooh and aaah over, but are deadly, poisonous and generally all around nasty. And, after writing this list, I've come up with two pieces of advice. 1) Never go in the water. 2) Never visit Australia. Combine the two, and it's even more true: never go in the water in Australia! Seriously, terrifyingly deadly critters everywhere...."

There's a photo to go with all 15 animals, from rats to - believe it or not - kittens.

If you're susceptible to paranoiac delusions, don't read that article. You may never leave your home again. You'll be lucky to work up the courage to leave your bed.

The post has the sort of editing gaffes that you'll see in this blog from time to time (before my oldest daughter catches them). Like "So yeah, shrews are eat gross other creatures, and are venomous."

Several of the potentially-lethal animals, like the puffer fish and blue ringed octopus, are dangerous because of 'muscle relaxants' so effective that they'll shut down our diaphragm. Since our brains shut down without a steady supply of oxygen: that's really bad news.

On the up side, there are 15 lovely photographs in the post.

On the Whole, I'd Rather be in Minnesota

Reading that post reminded me of how wonderful it is to live here in Minnesota, where the leeches, mosquitoes, horse flies and ticks are dead or dormant during the winter: and don't kill their victims. Usually.

Hammerhead Sharks, 360° Vision - and More

"Scalloped Hammerhead and Bonnethead Sharks Have 360 Degree Vision"
DiscoveryNews (November 30, 2009)

"The old idiom "eyes in the back of your head" holds somewhat true for scalloped hammerhead and bonnethead sharks, according to new research that found these sharks possess a 360 degree field of vision. Virtually nothing can escape their view.

"The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, also helps to explain why hammerhead sharks have such unusual shaped heads...."

The researchers used pickups that detected electrical activity in the shark's eyes. And detected activity in a full 360° range. Those critters can, literally, see what's directly behind their heads.

I was glad to see that the article said "helps to explain why hammerhead sharks have such unusual shaped heads...." [emphasis mine]

I don't doubt that having full-circle vision helps explain their odd head shape, but there's probably more to the function these odd-looking fish's heads. It's not entirely unreasonable to think that they've got 'stretched' heads to help them pick up variations in Earth's magnetic field.

The excerpt from a learned periodical is about as accurate as I've come to expect. The "unique sensory capabilities of the hammerhead" are shared by the platypus and other critters, but never mind that.

The point is that hammerhead sharks are one of the creatures that are able to sense electric fields, and apparently use this for navigation - and quite possibly other purposes.

"...Knowing the unique sensory capabilities of the hammerhead (it detects faint bioelectric fields, which help it find hidden prey), we later surveyed the geomagnetic field around the seamount and discovered that the paths of the sharks coincided with magnetic valleys (intensity minimums) and ridges (intensity maximums) leading away from El Bajo Espíritu Santo like spokes from a hub. These magnetic traces were likely produced by the flow of magnetite-impregnated basalts from the seamount during volcanic eruptions. Taken together, the evidence suggests that this predator, unlike some others, does not congregate at the seamount because it is a biotic hotspot, but because the area provides a network of 'paths' that enables it to find a constellation of productive feeding grounds in the surrounding waters..."

From "Figure 8 / Magnetic_Field_guides_sharks.pdf"
From an article in the January-February 2005 issue of American Scientist,
excerpt hosted by Department of Geoscience, The University of Montana:

Weedy Sea Dragons: Two Videos

"Ghostly 'dance of a sea dragon' "
Earth News, BBC (October 29, 2009)

"One of the most elegant courtship rituals in the animal kingdom has been captured on film by a BBC crew.

"The dance of the weedy sea dragon takes place every year in the shallow seas off the coast of Australia.

"During the ghostly dance, two beautifully odd-looking fish mirror each other's every movement...."

The article's text and two gives a bit of extra information about weedy and leafy sea dragons, and where the footage was taken.

The main attraction of this page is the video: 3:57 of narration and music over some quite good nature photography. I'd have preferred that more clues as to the size of the fish appear - but this is a good piece of nature documentary.

And Now, for Something Not Completely Different

"Weedy Sea Dragon"

thelning, YouTube (December 23, 2008)
video, 2:40

"The weird and wonderful weedy sea dragon. Filmed at Jervis bay, NSW, Australia 1986. You can see at the end of the video how well camouflaged the weedy sea dragon is, which makes it difficult to find them."

The YouTube video has no sound, and isn't as elegantly edited as the the BBC video. On the other hand, about halfway through you see a weedy sea dragon with a diver - which shows the size of these odd-looking creatures.

---

A tip of the hat to therightblue, on Twitter, for the heads-up on the BBC article.

Dead Fish Thinks! - or - fMRI Analytic Methods Need Evaluation

"Scanning Dead Salmon in fMRI Machine Highlights Risk of Red Herrings"
Wired Science, Wired (September 18, 2009)

""Neuroscientist Craig Bennett purchased a whole Atlantic salmon, took it to a lab at Dartmouth, and put it into an fMRI machine used to study the brain. The beautiful fish was to be the lab's test object as they worked out some new methods.

"So, as the fish sat in the scanner, they showed it 'a series of photographs depicting human individuals in social situations.' To maintain the rigor of the protocol (and perhaps because it was hilarious), the salmon, just like a human test subject, 'was asked to determine what emotion the individual in the photo must have been experiencing.'

"The salmon, as Bennett's poster on the test dryly notes, 'was not alive at the time of scanning.'..."

The salmon's brain, if you take the fMRI scan's results at face value, was thinking about the emotional state expressed by human faces.

No, Bennett is not trying to add dead fish to the list of "intelligent and self-aware beings" oppressed by humans. (June 25, 2008)

"...'By complete, random chance, we found some voxels that were significant that just happened to be in the fish’s brain,' Bennett said. 'And if I were a ridiculous researcher, I'd say, "A dead salmon perceiving humans can tell their emotional state."'

"The result is completely nuts — but that's actually exactly the point. Bennett, who is now a post-doc at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his adviser, George Wolford, wrote up the work as a warning about the dangers of false positives in fMRI data. They wanted to call attention to ways the field could improve its statistical methods...." [emphasis mine]

The article explains what a "voxel" is. It also says that "Bennett's paper has been turned down by several publications." Can't say that I blame them: Who'd want to admit that accepted fMRI interpretation methods can show cognitive activity in a dead fish?

Bennett's poster might get the word out, though.

I rather hope that the imaging industry catches on, and uses the right statistical tools to analyze fMRI scans. It's a useful technology - but if you're not careful, it'll show that a dead fish is thinking about you.

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