Saturday, October 31, 2015
It is rare for a new animal species to emerge in front of scientists’ eyes. But this seems to be happening in eastern North America
The new super predator in your backyard.
Wolves, it seems, faced with a scarcity of potential sexual partners are not beneath lowering their standards. It was desperation of this sort, biologists reckon, that led dwindling wolf populations in southern Ontario to begin, a century or two ago, to begin breeding widely with dogs and coyotes.
The clearance of forests for farming, together with the deliberate persecution which wolves often suffer at the hand of man, had made life tough for the species. That same forest clearance, though, both permitted coyotes to spread from their prairie homeland into areas hitherto exclusively lupine, and brought the dogs that accompanied the farmers into the mix.
Interbreeding between animal species usually leads to offspring less vigorous than either parent—if they survive at all. But the combination of wolf, coyote and dog DNA that resulted from this reproductive necessity generated an exception. The consequence has been booming numbers of an extraordinarily fit new animal (see picture) spreading through the eastern part of North America. Some call this creature the eastern coyote. Others, though, have dubbed it the “coy wolf”.
At 25kg or more, many coywolves have twice the heft of
purebred coyotes. With larger jaws, more muscle and faster
legs, individual coywolves can take down small deer. A pack
of them can even kill a moose.
Coyotes dislike hunting in forests. Wolves prefer it.
Interbreeding has produced an animal skilled at catching
prey in both open terrain and densely wooded areas.
Coywolves also tend to be as omnivorous as coyotes, eating
just about anything, which naturally gives them a competitive
advantage. Coywolves eat pumpkins, watermelons and other garden produce, as well as discarded food. They also eat rodents and other smallish mammals. Many lawns and parks are kept clear of thick underbrush, so catching squirrels and pets is easy. Cats are typically eaten skull and all, with clues left only in the droppings.
The moral of this story is to keep your kids indoors or well watched in the territory of these hungry beasts.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Cool
Mitch Martinez uses an array of 50 cameras placed around the performers, allowing him to reconstruct the full, three-dimensional representation of the flames. Similarly, some scientists use arrays of high-speed video cameras to collect 3D, time-resolved data about phenomena like combustion. Because these flows are so complex in terms of their fluid dynamics and chemistry, capturing full 3D data is important to help understand and model the flow better. (Video credit: M. Martinez; via Rakesh R.)
Australian sniper claims world record long shot to smoke a Taliban
Earlier this year an Australian Commando sniper team was secreted in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Through binoculars at a distance invisible to the naked eye they spotted a group of Taliban. The soldiers having means of identifying targets went through a process of obtaining verification and permission to engage.
Two marksmen using Barrett M82A1 50 calibre rifles simultaneously fired. The bullets were six seconds in the air. One killed the Taliban commander. It is not known for certain which sniper fired the fatal shot.
While there have been no triumphant press releases, in the tight global Special Forces sniper community the shot is much discussed, because it seems certain to be a world record.
As the bullet yawed through the thin air on a windless morning, GPS aids measured the distance at 2815m. The targeted Taliban would not have heard the gunfire. The hand of death came quickly, but silently.
The previous world record achieved by British Corporal Craig Harrison occurred also in Helmand in November 2009. Firing from a distance of 2475m, Harrison killed two Taliban.
Soldiers from the Anglosphere continue to demonstrate their superior martial skills.
Hat tip: Bayou Renaissance Man
Two marksmen using Barrett M82A1 50 calibre rifles simultaneously fired. The bullets were six seconds in the air. One killed the Taliban commander. It is not known for certain which sniper fired the fatal shot.
While there have been no triumphant press releases, in the tight global Special Forces sniper community the shot is much discussed, because it seems certain to be a world record.
As the bullet yawed through the thin air on a windless morning, GPS aids measured the distance at 2815m. The targeted Taliban would not have heard the gunfire. The hand of death came quickly, but silently.
The previous world record achieved by British Corporal Craig Harrison occurred also in Helmand in November 2009. Firing from a distance of 2475m, Harrison killed two Taliban.
Soldiers from the Anglosphere continue to demonstrate their superior martial skills.
Hat tip: Bayou Renaissance Man
Celebrate! Best state in the union (in my opinion).
Nevada Day is a grand celebration commemorating admission to statehood on October 31, 1864. Nevadan's have the distinction of holding the largest statehood celebration in the nation! The highlight is the Nevada Day Parade, now in its 77th year in Carson. This year the Nevada Day Parade takes place on Saturday, October 31, 2015.
Small state, small town, good times.
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