Posted on 12/08/2012 2:19:44 PM PST by Renfield
The preserved body of a woolly rhinoceros has revealed new insights into how this now extinct giant animal once lived.
The woolly rhino was once one of the most abundant large mammals living in Eurasia, but only a handful of preserved carcasses have been found.
Now an analysis of a female woolly rhino found preserved in Siberia reveals that the animal was a herbivore that grazed mainly on cereals, and was similar in size to today's Javan rhino.
However, it was slow to reproduce, had a short stubby tail and ears, and was likely driven to extinction in part due to its inability to wade through deeper blankets of snow, which became more common as the climate changed, say scientists....
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
What secrets could John McCain have?
“Grazed mainly on cereals” - Frosted Flakes?
I thought this was an Alan Simpson thread.
“The animal was a herbivore” - ohhhh......they were gay.
John McCain?
George Romney?
Those dang velociraptors and their SUVs.
They call it a “giant animal” and then write that it probably died off because it was too short to plow through the snow. I guess everyone else had snowmobiles.
That's a load of hog wash. We all know climate warming didn't start until the introduction of the internal combustion engine, coal fired power plants and the back yard bar-b-que, so sayeth Swami Algore!!!
Not likely. The face looks like a snow plow.
It looks a bit like a wild boar.
“Frosted Flakes”
Good one.
Strange. It's about the size and build of a modern American bison which existed in staggering numbers on the Great Plains precisely because it dealt so well with intense blizzard conditions. Hmm.
Bison evolved to deal with such conditions, specifically a large square head to plow under snow to search for food. But the major strategy they used to survive winter was to migrate south as winter arrived, and then move north as grasses began to sprout in the spring. It should also be noted, that although winter on the Great Plains can be bitterly cold, it really doesn’t snow much - drifts may be deep, but that’s about it. About 60 miles from where I sit on the other hand, it really snows - Mt Baker has had 6 and half feet this week alone. It averages about 55 feet a year, and a few years back they ended up with 95 feet of snowfall. It that case, it doesn’t matter how long your legs are...
Ping
I should know better than to post something about Rhinos here...
So why didn’t rhinos evolve to deal with it? That big horn would be as good of or a better plow than a bison’s head. Bison did not migrate south in any particular pattern. The Canadian Woods Buffalo lives around the Arctic Circle. The Mountain Buffalo lived in the high country of the Rocky Mountains.
Thank goodness it doesn't snow much on the Great Plains.
Sometimes punctuated-equilibrium doesn't "punctuate".
Early Rinos.
They shoveled snow like the current ones shovel sh*t.
I read something very long ago that rhinos suffered from chronic constipation, which accounted for their foul disposition and high death rate.
When I saw the title, I just knew this thread would be LOL!
Hat tip to all y’all. Funny stuff.
Looks like an overnight dusting at some of the places around me. As I said, drifts can be deep, but snowfall like that pictured is uncommon in the Great Plains (probably why that image has lasted as long as it has). As far as the animals you mentioned, those are most likely relic populations. And I was probably simplistic when I talked about migration; bison will move to areas that provide better thermal cover during the winter - that may be downslope, or even north if conditions are more favorable.
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Thanks Renfield. Political Action Committee hyderm ping. |
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...found preserved in Siberia reveals that the animal was a herbivore that grazed mainly on cereals...and was likely driven to extinction in part due to its inability......to find food when Siberia suddenly became as it is today.
I'm sure the manner in which the snow gets deep is very meaningful to the animal.
As far as the animals you mentioned, those are most likely relic populations.
Most likely. Relics aren't affected by the weather.
...bison will move to areas that provide better thermal cover during the winter - that may be downslope, or even north if conditions are more favorable.
Undoubtedly how the American Bison got its reputation for being able to withstand the worst imaginable winter conditions.
Nobody is saying that bison can’t put up with bad weather. They were historically found all the way to the shores of the Arctic Ocean. But we aren’t talking about cold, we’re talking about snow. You can go around a drift, and despite what you seem to think, bison migrate to locations where forage and grazing is better; animals that can’t migrate (for whatever reason), or can’t adapt, die. Sounds like you just want to argue...
“That big horn would be as good of or a better plow than a bison’s head.”
Right on Kemosabe!
Just yesterday I ordered a herd of unicorns (actually the proper term is a “shaft” of unicorns) off e-bay which are guaranteed to clear my driveway of snow in under 40 minutes as well provide eight pounds of dung daily for my woodstove.
Money-back if me and the missus aren’t completely satisfied!
ROTFLOL
What happened to da Skittles?
Geez, I clicked the link thinking it was about John Boehner .......
mark
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