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Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

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Mammalogy

Aggression and Love opus 24

Love of country.
    Love of Another.
        Love of property.
            Love of possessions.
                Love of a food.
                Love of a pet.
            Love of a sports team.
        Love of a political party.
    Love of a religion.
Love of freedom.

Love of all these things gives one meaning
And a sense of belonging.
But when events are challenged and go awry,
Everything of Love might bring out
The strong human feelings of conflict and then aggression--
Another human emotion which often
Wells up in resulting human behavior:
We mirror the schizophrenic ups and downs of chimpanzees
When we might have evolutionarily followed the peaceful,
Loving interactions of the Bonobos, the Lesser Chimp!

Will we always be destined for an aggressive existence,
Or follow the better supplications for a loving reality?

Bonobos and Humans opus 36

Two primates which share the blue ribbon,
By utilizing sex to bond, more than any other of that group.
The difference between the two species
Is that humans use sex to bond, juxtaposed with occasional violence,
While Bonobos use intercourse to bond and just simply reduce aggression.

Oh, the vagrancies of the outcome of random evolution.

Who Really Makes the Choice? opus 48

So, you think the 'Man makes the choice'.
Really?
The human female evaluates the best she can
To judge that male who might 'offer the best offspring' (as well as love).
But the females of other species do the same.
Birds of Paradise males are judged by their counterparts,
Evaluating the practiced year-long results of vocalization and/or dance.
The hen Sage-grouse sees who is best on the lek
And submits to the male acceptance to couple.
Remember, that mammals are basically female (XX)
And that birds are basically male (ZZ),
But no matter the genomic composition, the female is the one
Who, often, seems to decide the ultimate coupling for the future.

Whaling out Names! opus 188

There are adumbrations of data which suggest whales
Might call out 'codas' by means of identifying each other.
Only three individual Sperm whales have been spied upon,
Listening to their 5R coda placed at the beginning of a call,
But researchers are confident they may be on to something.
The 5R has distinctive timing and seems to be consistent with each individual.
And to think the more we learn of these special animals,
We slaughtered them (and still do!) oblivious of their personalities.
Shame that we were so ignorant of these 'non-human persons'.

The Rewilding of Humanity opus 189

A dear friend, after listening to a book lecture by Jessica Carew Kraft,
Sent me a copy of Kraft's book--'Why We Need to be Wild'.
The friend raved about the talk and thought of me immediately.
Kraft spoke of how humans have become so disconnected from nature,
And how to rewild ourselves back to health.

I do live on a small farm, harvested food gardens, raised fish,
Free raised turkeys and geese, and even worked with the African bee.
I have worked with raptors and the art of falconry which went with that.
And on and on, so I guess it was not a surprise she sent me the book.

Specifically, my thoughts homed down to one day in the Botswana, Kalahari Desert.
I was on a university safari in that wonderful desert.
One day I broke away from the group to wander and observe on my own.
No roads, no overhead planes--only silence accented by inhabitant creature sounds.
Late in the afternoon I came across an abandoned Bushman encampment.
Circled huts (three or four) with a central fire area.
I realized I was in lion territory, so I immediately began to gather fallen firewood
To later be used to burn all night, warding off these magnificent creatures.
Darkness fell and sure enough, the roar of lions commenced.
The marvellous repetition of roar after roar in a series of crescendoed bursts of sound.
The calls alternated back and forth, one to another.

I ate, stripped down and lay down on a grassy mat left by the original builder.
I fell asleep, dreamed, and suddenly awoke, imagining a lion approaching the hut.
The fire had died down and, indeed, I believed a lion to be nearby.
More wood on the fire and moments of thought,
Before returning to a soft state of slumber.

This experience was temporary, but I was truly partaking in time 10,000 years ago.

The Olive Saga opus 191

Trees, as with all earthly life require water,
Otherwise desiccation is the slow path to demise.
Trees, as with all earthly life require a comfortable mean temperature,
Otherwise desiccation and the 'bodily' functions eventually cease.
With the climate crisis, death from excessive heat is now obtaining.
More and ever more, birds, fish, mammals,
And of course the human mammal
Are migrating--shifting their earthly coordinates--
Desperately seeking out conditions they once enjoyed.

And now to feature yet another organism in this plight:
Our tree of human symbolic peace--the olive.
Humans and olive trees have coevolved for millenia--
Olives receiving greater care and genetic improvement,
And humans harvesting possibly the finest of oils.
But now, with the terrifying change in the climate earthwide,
Even our precious olive tree is severely suffering.
Olive oil production is reduced everywhere--in Spain by 50 percent.
Look around us dear people, and recognize the pending disaster we face.
By taking a weak response, humans with their fossil fuels
Are basically murdering their fellow earthly inhabitants.
My plea as a biologist is to take individual action
And always take the greater democratic action as well,
By voting in leaders who dare to understand and properly move ahead.

The Olfactory Mammal opus 256

Crickets to purchase in the pet store.
Wandered by the fish--and then the Betta display.
She had her back to me--she was tall.
I said, "You can train those, you know."
She turned; morphologically lovely.
We chatted about her school, her past,
Her time in our town; I added just a bit.

Not sure if I said something or she,
But there was a blush to her face.
Her prominent nose reminding me
Of my first Armenian High School love.
Then my nostrils were filled with her
Sweet female scent.
A shot went through me and I, the biologist,
Knew I was truly an olfactory mammal;
As she walked away,
Leaving her lingering pheromone.
Indeed, my whole phylogeny
Raced throughout my ontogeny.

The Right-Handed Warthog opus 280

As I was perusing my recently acquired African Warthog skull--
Sustainably harvested from South Africa,
An old male with fairly worn tusks--
I noticed something noteworthy with both upper and lower tusks:
The normally long, sharp right tusks were both rounded,
Shorter, and somewhat dulled.
There was a clear differentiation between left and right.
I thought for a moment and realized that pigs root,
Especially with large tusks.
The animal had literally worn down the enlarged right teeth,
Rooting and searching for food over years of a lifetime!
Dentition of mammals is a utilized taxonomic character
And they evolved to function in each group,
Enhancing their specialities.
Consider our teeth, an omnivorous species,
Are very similar to--wait--those of bears and pigs!
Have fun thinking!

The Synergy of Human Girls and Their Dogs opus 292

It has been documented that as girls age,
Their physical movements decrease
When compared with that of young boys.
When a girl lives with a dog,
Her movements are faster and more intense.
When a dog dies, a girl's activities once again decrease.
The conclusion, at the moment, appears to be
That a girl, companioned with a dog,
May manifest greater activity and health.
Of course, we must again remember our coevolution with dogs
And this data perhaps increases
The empirical importance of our millennial relationship
With this once ancestral and wild canid, the wolf.

Our Marijuana Dogs opus 313

As most states did, Ohio declared the use of marijuana illegal.
As most states did, they trained police dogs to sniff out the stuff.
As many states have, recreational marijuana use is now legal.
What to do with these steno-olfactory, well trained dogs?
The attempt to retrain these dogs with a very exaggerated specific sense,
Proved to be too difficult--were they too habituated like their human counterparts?
At any rate, the only fate for these dogs is complete retirement,
Just as we retire our protective military and police dogs.
Thankfully, there are human activists who attempt to maintain
A just end for the lives of these canine coworkers (do they have a choice?).
Yet another example of the ever-closer coevolution of humans
With our wolf-descendent-dog companions.

A Mammalian (Human) Territorial Flaw opus 353

Most living creatures, in order to eat well and breed successfully,
Need space, territory, habitat, feeding ground, display area. ...
Humans have gone several steps beyond all this.
Not only do they need area for resource production, living space and so,
But they delve in another mind dimension--that of the holy and revered spaces.
These are territories which, as abstract as they are,
Are to be claimed, maintained, and defended as fiercely as if they were wheat fields,
Without vital seed to eat, but places where one meets a Chosen Entity.
And more, if that space is desired by others,
There is no thought, but to hold and defend it unto death.
A 'simple' mammalian (in our case) functional behaviour to survive has super evolved
Into an abstract set of emotions which continually divide our human world.
If we could only see through this behaviour--completely--
More gentleness and understanding and compromise would prevail!

Neanderthals (and Early Homo sapiens) Could not Live on Mammoth Flesh Alone! opus 361

Butchered bones with stone blade marks are prominent in Prehistoric middens.
The question is, did our ancestors consume anything but meat?
Time has passed until now, when, with new research techniques,
We are learning that a large array of plant material
Has been detected and identified around the fossil dentition of the ancient ones.
Chard, wild oats, beans, wild peas, mushrooms, wild mustard,
Acorns, pistachios, and other nuts all have been ferreted out from their non-existent gum lines!
Meat, as it should be with us also, was not continually consumed,
Thus, resulting in a nice omnivorous diet, as our dentition so indicates.

Dig Your Canines into this One! opus 364

It is interesting to contemplate
As to what might have caused
The difference between canine morphology
Of us--the hominids--and our fellow pongids
(Including Chimps, Bonobos, Gorillas, and Orangutans).
The dentition of the human mouth
Was really our manipulating third hand.
Then came the invention of tools,
Rendering the lesser utilization
Especially of our large canines.
Thus with tools, combined with the opposable thumb,
Our canines evolved to a 'respectable' size',
Unlike the more exaggerated canine morphology
Of our 'brotherly' pongid hominoids.

They 'Otter' get it Right - Another Dentition Story opus 367

Dentition in mammals is not only important for survival,
But also used to determine the relatedness of the various mammalian groups.
Sea Otters in the Monterey Bay area have been studied for many decades.
The interest in mammalian tool users is now more focussed research.
Abalone and softer shelled creatures are first choices for otter food,
But with more than 200 otters feasting in a concentrated area,
The use of rocks, bottles, and other harder scavenged materials
Are needed to crack snail shells and other more difficultly-opened armaments.
Using tools have allowed smaller individuals as well as females to successfully compete.
In addition, tool use has enhanced better tooth condition,
Which also has increased the successful survivability of otherwise vulnerable individuals.
Contrast this with how tool use in humans
Has caused the hominids to maintain otherwise larger hominoid canines!

See Dig Your Canines into this One!

Playful Orcas? opus 371

For a number of years now
Orcas have been ramming smaller boats,
Often targeting the rudders, which are demolished.
Some have even managed to overturn a boat or two!
The question has always been as to why this occurs?
Is it an action of revenge for climate change and the diminishing food supply,
Or possibly the invasion of boats with their terribly disruptive motor sounds?
After some study by marine biologists, a conclusion has been formed--
It appears to be young animals, which are merely being playful!
Hitting these boats is all in a day's hunting technique
And nothing more than roughing up their normal prey.
Remember that cetaceans are intelligent and, like their fellow humans,
Play is part of the way of gaining skills to be used in 'serious life'.

(Orcas avoid jellyfish, so a successful remedy
Is to paint jellyfish on the hull and rudder!
Might it work? We'll see!)

Amputations of Man and Beast opus 384

Perhaps as long as 30,000 years ago Homo sapiens
Were performing amputations--Homo neanderthalis
Probably had them beat by several thousand years!
But let's talk of amputations millions of years ago!
Carpenter ants, it has now been discovered,
Have continuously amputated injured legs
Of fellow warriors, when necessary.
They are also presumably able to produce
Antibiotic secretions for serious wounds
As well as for amputations when needed--
Lower leg wounds are left alone
Because if altered, death usually occurs,
While upper leg wounds are successfully
Amputated and treated.
Ants produce many antimicrobial compounds
And have evolved to possess many medical treatments.
This, of course, includes therapeutic amputation!

I believe this is monumental information
Which draws our thoughts towards various life forms,
Ever closer together, and gives us pause
As to just how we might evaluate 'other life'!

California's Newest State Symbol opus 386

Several years ago I proposed and had finally passed as a state symbol,
Purple Needle Grass (Stipa pulchra), the now state perennial native grass
Which was a food staple for native people
And is now used in restoration to outcompete star thistle.
Each plant can stay around quite a while-- 150 years!

Recently California just designated the Pallid Bat as that group's representative.
A most interesting creature consuming insects and scorpions in its diet.
It also consumes cactus (plant) nectar--one of two bats in the world to do so.
The Lesser Long-nosed Bat generally sips cactus nectar
And pollinates with a delicate tongue.
Researchers were surprised to observe the Pallid Bat,
Pollinating by shoving its whole head into the flower!
These bats use echolocation to hunt on the ground
For beetles, crickets, as well as scorpions
The venom of which they are totally immune!
They also found that Pallid Bats transferred
Thirteen times as much pollen as the Lesser Long-nosed Bat.
So the more 'refined' and delicate consumption of the latter species
Was way out done by the less mannered, new discovery--the Pallid Bat.

Who's Got Milk? opus 422

We humans are mammals--homeotherms (warm blooded),
Hair, and mammary glands, producing milk for offspring.
The milk in mammals is for strong, early growth.
No mammal consumes milk as an adult--
Oh, except some adult Homo sapiens!
Humans, as always, attempt to 'outwit' the system.
Northern Europeans, especially,
'Discovered' milk as an additional food source.
The problem was adult lactose intolerance--
By attempting the imbibition of milk,
Many became very ill or actually died!
Those who remained, were the progenitors of our dairy industry today!
Ah, once again, Nature, through evolution and its natural selection,
Has manifested its strange outcomes,
Which baffle the uneducated and ignorant non-thinkers.

The Longevity Bottleneck Hypothesis opus 447

For a long time now, humans have sought a longer life span.
Some slow progress has been accomplished.
There may be, however, something in our deeper past
That has caused our lack of accumulated years.
The name for this has been dubbed the 'Longevity Bottleneck Hypothesis'.
Because dinosaurs found the newly evolved mammals to be quite tasty,
The predation on these small, fuzzy creatures gradually increased.
For more than 100 million years dinosaurs were the dominant predator,
While mammals were usually small, nocturnal, and short-lived.
Thus dinosaurs 'forced' mammals through predation to lose or inactivate
Genes and pathways associated with long life.
In other words, rapid reproduction was more adaptive for survival!
Remember, this is an hypothesis,
(A scientific theory has to be proven from many valid hypotheses),
So it is not accepted by all, but just like the efforts to reactivate the dinosaur tail
In a chicken, reactivation of our 'longevity genes' might result in a similar consequence:
Are we really accomplishing beneficial outcomes--creating little 'chicken dinosaurs',
Or perhaps worse, thousands of really old people who may lack productivity?

Zebra Stripes opus 460

Zebras have stripes not for 'normal' camouflage,
But to be more invisible to biting flies!
How do we know? It has been researched.
To jump to an 'obvious conclusion' only
Is not fulfilling the needed human empirical conclusions,
We must all need to study and follow--
In all things.

The Beaching Enigma opus 474

Recently a pod of 30 Pilot whales beached themselves on a coast of Australia.
Many human volunteers rushed to the crisis with sheets,
Rolled each cetacean into the makeshift hammock
And floated them back into deeper surf to once again be free.
It is still a mystery as to why whales make this fatal mistake.

As a result of an educated, understanding human population,
Creatures who were hunted almost to extinction,
Now are rescued, with great effort, to continue to live.

The moral may be that an enemy or prey species,
Through education and understanding,
Can become an ally or a non-hunted one.
Compassion and realization and edification can make a difference
As to how we humans might at least relate to the rest of our world.

A Child's Mind! 2 opus 514

After our 'ladybug' hunt, we, Rowan and I, looked at our thumbs.
I showed him they rotated around and could oppose all his fingers.
I told him we were the only animal with such a dextrous thumb.
He seriously looked down at his moving thumbs,
Then looked up at me and said,
"This is how I can pick up things so easily!"
We went on to discuss that monkeys cannot do such, as well.
I mentioned that monkeys also have thumbs on their feet,
But they were also not completely opposible.
I added that we had no 'foot-toes', because we are real walkers.
He looked down at his bare feet and said,
"We are really special, Papa Frank!"
I smiled with satisfaction that I got the lesson successfully across--
A new dimension in thought for my growing grandson.

The Fate of Two Sons opus 530

The recent incident in Venezuelan waters reminded me
Of my Antioch Co-op job (1963) at a whale processing plant in California.
I was hired as a Federal employee to collect samples
From whales taken in that Pacific area, during the closedown
Of the last USA whaling station near Point Richmond.
(During that time, my brother, John, 20 years old,
Had been shot in the back by a hunter, perhaps miles away,
Who fired in the air, with no backing to shield the bullet's trajectory.
There was no sound as he dropped to the ground.)

Filmed by his father, a son with his packraft
Was taken into the mouth of a whale!
"I saw blue and white; I felt slime against my face and smelled the bad breath."
"I was released and I and my rubber boat were again on the surface!"
Father and son had been paddling to a nearby island to explore.
When asked if they would attempt to venture there again,
They both agreed they would definitely try once more.
The Humpback Whale could not have been able to swallow him,
He being spared because of the whale's narrow throat.
If one were swallowed (only possible by a Sperm Whale),
The acids in the four stomachs and lack of air would have been fatal.

My brother was lost and this young man was wonderfully spared.

Indohyus Becomes a Whale opus 534

The Indian geologist, A. Ranga Rao, came upon
A few fossil fragments in rocky areas of Kashmir.
Some teeth and part of a jawbone made up those fragments.
In spite of their future significance, the collection lay unnoticed for decades.
Indohyus, the size of a domestic cat, resembled a mouse-deer,
A small, deer-like mammal with a long snout, a tail and hooved feet.
The skeleton, with heavy leg bones, indicated it walked
On the bottom of lakes and rivers, hinting at a semi-aquatic lifestyle.
Why a return to the water? Food, fewer predators, exploration?
With adaptation, these semi-aquatic mammals, over several million years,
Transformed to the adept, aquatic cetaceans of today--
Whales of the present actually arose from a small, deer-like mammal!
Who would have guessed without the conclusions of scientific enquiry?
(But there is also the story of the hyrax,
Ancestor of the elephant, manatees, and dugongs.)
Check out these most interesting transformations
Of one very different life form to another.

Dealing With Death opus 557

Death is a life phenomenon which all creatures face cognizantly or not.
Of course there are those that recognize this new state.
It is well known that elephants clearly react to death
By touching with their collective trunks, reaching out.
Even later encounters with the decomposed body
Elicit fondling the now cleaned bones.
Mother porpoises are known to 'carry' their deceased offspring
For many days or weeks; one female did so for up to 100 days.
Mother chimps and bonobos hold dead infants for days.
These two groups are known to touch, attempt play,
And gaze deeply into the eyes of a passed companion.
Humans deal culturally differently, but profoundly with their dead.
The Irish have wakes and Hispanics often gather in a parlour.
There is some good archeological evidence that Neanderthals
Had some sort of recognition of death.
From so long ago, it is often difficult to discern actual fact,
But revealed hyena and raven tarsals near an infant's disinterned body,
Or an isolated lithic near an adult's corpse,
Finding no other similar lithic at all nearby,
Indicate that there must have been some thought applied.
We will never know whether there was singing, or other vocalizations,
Or if possibly, even tears were shed for a downed comrade.
But judging from chimp and bonobo behavior around their dead,
And, of course, knowing our own feelings and behavior,
It is quite certain our kindred Neanderthal went through
Much the same agony and heartache.
Nearing that life stage, I myself, as many,
Premeditate my own demise with wonder and trepidation.

EPILOGUE {It is clear that as with most hominin groups,
Cannibalism is a practice sometimes evidenced among them.
Among Neanderthal butchered bones, tool cut marks are evidenced
On both remains of animals, as well as on their own kind.
There is much contemplation as to reasons for this.
Dealing with their trauma might have included the depositing of bodies,
Taking them apart and reconstituting the raw components
Back to life with consumption, bones used as tools, or by marking them.
Cut marks on the face and skull may indicate the recognition of another.
Was the common practice of taking apart hunted carcasses,
Transposed into a grieving process involving familiar butchery,
Including cannibalism, as acts of intimacy and not violation?
Catholics in Western society have special relics for viewing,
And even more, in Eucharist, bread and wine are
Consumed as the body of Jesus, inside the mouths of the faithful!
They say this is not about death, but life.
Perhaps this was also true for Neanderthals.}

Grooming May Be the Undoing of Vampire Bats opus 606

Vampire Bats drink blood of course, but they also spread rabies.
A campaign was launched to eradicate these bats
Near areas where cattle abounded and were affected.
Utilizing the knowledge that Vampires groom themselves and each other,
Poisons were used to smear on the hair of captured bats,
Which would return to their colonies to groom and spread the poisons.
Killing the bats was working, except for the fact
That as the colony declined, the remaining bats dispersed,
Spreading the rabies elsewhere. Not good.
Then a vaccine for rabies was substituted
Thus, not affecting the bats, except to inoculate them to be rabies-free.
It was not the taste of the 'potion', but rather the intense behavior
Of the bats to get rid of this terrible stuff off their backs and pass it on!

Radioactive Rhinoceroses? opus 622

The poaching of elephants and rhinos is done by those who have no reverence
For earth's ancient creatures--only for monetary ivory and 'aphrodisiac--horns'.

Yet another plan to cease this horrible murder--
Insertion of a radioactive chip, placed into the rhino's horn.
With this insertion, horns may be detected and origins traced.
It appears the radioactivity will not harm the bearer.
So much effort, just to attempt the survival
Of an incredible and ancient elder of the mammalian world.
But, another aspect of this whole situation,
Is that, there must be more of an effort
To involve the local citizenry to feel a part of things,
Thus having a stake in the preservation of these creatures.
Local care and efforts towards preservation
Is the only way this horror will ultimately be averted.

Why do Female Mammals Live Longer than Males? opus 656

It is well known that women usually live longer than men.
But more than that, female mammals in general also do so.
The answer lies in deeply rooted evolutionary history.
Research has revealed that in mammals, 72% of females
Live on average 13% longer that males,
While studies on birds show the opposite;
That 68% of male birds outlive females by about 5 %.
Mammalian males are the heterogametic sex,
Having an X and Y chromosome,
While females have two X chromosomes,
Making females more protected from lethal mutations
And thus a survival advantage.
In birds the female is the heterogametic sex
And thus the male lives longer.
However, there are exceptions such as with birds of prey.
Females are larger and longer-lived than males,
Rendering chromosomes as only one factor.
Following from the facts above, polygamous,
Competing male mammals generally die earlier as well.
Monogamous male birds with lower competitive pressure
Often live longer.
Parental care by female mammals, raising young, tend to live longer.
Long-lived species such as primates see the female living longer.
These are adaptive for survival of those species.
Should male humans start thinking about marrying older women?
This would even out the widows who sit alone--unless they wish to!

The Mystery of Why Domestic Cats Have Vertical Pupils opus 729

Have you ever wondered why domestic cats have vertical pupils,
And in big cats like lions, tigers, jaguars, and pumas, the pupils are round?
The summary is this in the evolutionary story of various life cycles--

----Round pupils (humans, birds) give even focus across the entire
     depth of field during the day.
----Vertical pupils (cat, gecko) optimize depth perception, day and night.
----Horizontal pupils (goat, frog) optimize and give a panoramic
     field of view to detect predators.

These various pupil shapes are adaptations to their lifestyle.
Specifically, domestic cats are ambush predators 
And have a superior depth of field.
This allows them to better judge distance to their prey.
This pupil shape also helps cats to see side-to-side motions,
Making their small rodent prey easier to spot with their movements.
Unlike small domestic cats which are crepuscular actors,
Big cats which hunt diurnally and with round pupils,
Are capable of a clear focus across the entire long distance field of view.
Having vertical pupils, also gives its bearer camouflage,
As it breaks up the round shape of the eye,
And thus makes it harder for its prey to see the hidden predator.
There too, are geckos with vertical slits, having tiny round openings,
Cuttlefish with distinctive 'W'-shaped pupils,
And rays possessing crescent-shaped pupils.
Such aquatic species are benefitted by both round and horizontal pupils.
The other factors determining how an animal sees,
Are the number and distribution of rods and cones, 
Working in concert with pupil shape;
The shape of the lens is also important, for instance, 
In correcting chromatic aberration, resulting in excellent color vision.
So, wonder less about the different pupil shapes, because you now know!

Finding a Loose Cow opus 738

This morning at 7, I received a text,
Reporting that a loose cow was sighted near my farm.
Jessie, my vitally important 'manager',
Arrived and called our Black Angus back through a gate.
A great relief for all of us here.
The escape place was found and repaired.
Lots of fresh grass to graze and daily supplementary grain--
So why the escape maneuver by this animal?
An Angus is a Scottish breed, perhaps 
With the Scots' desire to always be free!
From this incident, I was reminded of something from my past.
 
While in India, I followed a Mahaut 
With his working elephant for one day.
I was continually amazed that a small human
Had such complete control of a giant beast.
I relayed this to Jessie, that he was now a Mahaut of cows--
With kindness and training, relationships of all sorts
Can be formed, bringing many worlds into harmony.

Veronika, the Tool User opus 753

Jane Goodall, astounded the world by showing
That chimpanzees hunted termites with stick-tools.
More data among birds showed that crows and ravens were tool-users.
We must also consider the overlooked ability of rocks used by sea otters.
Incredibly, a new aspect concerning a cow has been observed!
Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow in Austria,
Living as a pet on a family farm, was observed
By researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.
Veronika, with her tongue, picks up sticks, rakes, and deck brushes,
Manipulating these tools to scratch unreachable parts of her body.
She uses the bristled end of a deck brush for her thick-skinned back,
And switches to a smooth handle for her sensitive underbelly.
This cow does not make tools, but neither, always, does a chimp.
(There are similar undocumented accounts of goats also using sticks.)
Humans had to slowly learn technology and the use of tools;
Are the creatures around us, picking this up for their own benefit as well?
If Veronika were given a couple of 'pasture-mates',
Would she teach them how to do such manipulations?
The passing on of such behavior to others could also be really crucial.

Will Hybridization Save the Polar Bear? opus 765

Polar Bears evolved about 150,000 years ago in Ireland
Through a maternal lineage from an ancient Brown Bear (Grizzley) population.
Later research has shown this lineage is much more complex.
They evolved quickly to survive on sea ice by hunting seals.
Distinct features such as white fur and specialized bodies
Developed through isolation in the harsh, cold Arctic.
There has been some interbreeding with Brown Bears,
While leaving some genetic marks, the Polar Bear remains a distinct species.
As the ice disappears, and hybridization increases,
Will the Polar Bear exist only as a hybrid?
The aquatic hybrid will not be well adapted in that form,
And the terrestrial hybrid will also be ill adapted to compete.
Polar Bears are actually classified as terrestrial and papophilic (ice loving),
And are considered marine mammals, depending on marine ecosystems.
In conclusion, Brown Bears moving north will survive.
And if 'pure' Polar Bears are completely interbred,
The hybrid may survive marginally, but 'white bears' will most likely be gone.

The Wonderful Armadillo opus 790

Armadillos are the only mammal with a true bony shell.
They are related to anteaters and sloths.
Twenty-one species are found in South America.
One, the Nine-banded Armadillo, has migrated north into the US
And is one of the three State Mammals of Texas.
John Lewis is responsible for its designation in that state.
I sought him out on a trip to Texas,
Where he was demonstrating these animals at a Chili Fest.
A kind, soft-spoken small man with rosy smooth skin.
We compared stories of my designating California's State Grass
To his work, forming recognition of the armadillo in Texas.
He explained that for defense, this creature partially rolls into a ball.
When startled some species can leap 3 to 4 feet vertically into the air.
This ability often results in fatal collisions with a vehicle's undercarriage.
With powerful forelimbs and long claws, they excavate deep dens.
They also turn up surface soil when hunting for insects and other prey.
An armadillo's egg splits into four separate embryos
Which produces identical quadruplets of the same sex.
Delayed implantation ensures a summer breeding
Will yield the spring birth of young with a plentiful food supply.
Armadillos are insectivores with long, sticky tongues
Used to consume up to 40,000 ants or termites in one meal!
They also ingest worms, grubs, beetles, some small vertebrates,
Along with occasional consumption of even carrion.
This creature is sensitive to cold, limiting it to warmer climates.
Some species are moving further north due to Climate Change.
Only humans and armadillos naturally contract leprosy and because of this,
Armadillos' identical offspring are used to study leprosy,
Birth defects, and organ transplants.
Wouldn't you know it, armadillos are one of my favorite creatures.

An armadillo addendum:  It has been reported that these creatures
Are now recorded in North Carolina for the first time.
Besides Climate Change, there also seems to be an increase
In insect populations, allowing for a good food source.
Armadillos, along with beavers, are both considered
To be environmental engineers.  Beaver dams slow down
Water flow and loss and armadillos' burrows create shelter
For many other species sharing their habitat.

Unravelling Porcupine Ancestry opus 800

The old zoogeographers used porcupines 
To help document continental drift.
However the two species are not closely related.
Their quills evolved independently through convergent evolution.
African porcupines are in the Old World family Hystricidae,
While the American species belongs to 
The New World family Erethizontidae.
The American group is arboreal and has specialized claws 
With a tail for climbing.
The African species has remained on the ground and is terrestrial.
The New World species has short, barbed quills,
While the African one has longer, smooth quills. 
However, both are in the infraorder Hystricognathi,
Within the very diverse Order Rodentia.
It looks like the continental drift hypothesis is out the window!

Cesar Chavez, et al. opus 817

Primates are a special group of mammals,
And we, among others, are the gregarious ones.
The behavior of non-human males, controlling their group,
Is often to mate with selected females.
This maintains their dominance and their gene flow.
The power-mating behavior seems to manifest 
In normal-adaptive primate behavior, 
Even though it is very stressful for an alpha male.

We humans, again primates, are appalled
Regarding the mating behavior of often 
Powerful, successful human males,
Choosing multiple partners, and abusing young girls.
I am sure you can recall such men in our society.
Today we are all shocked by the revealed past of Cesar Chavez,
Both famous and powerful in the Farm Movement.
Does the behavior of human males somewhat mirror
That behavior we see in baboons, for instance?
We are related.  Something to ponder.

A Useful Rat opus 827

Humans use fellow mammals to accomplish jobs only they can do.
Dogs are famous for many tasks--even pigs (Sus scrofa) 
'Souse' or 'suss' out truffles.
In Cambodia they use the African Giant Pouched rat to root out landmines.
They are trained in Tanzania by the Belgian NGO, APOPO, 
To 'ferret' out these buried devices from the scent of TNT.
The lightweight rats are too light to trigger-pressure-activated landmines.
Working in an area the size of a tennis court, it takes only 20-30 minutes,
While a human with a metal detector would require four days!
Metal detectors are triggered by mines as well as scrap metal,
Thus rats speed up the process by wasting less time 'detecting' false alarms.
The rats are trained for 9-12 months, using clicker training and food rewards.
In the field a rope grid is used and the rat scratches the ground 
When it detects a mine.
Magawa, the most famous HeroRat, found over 100 landmines.
In April 2026 a seven-foot-high stone statue was unveiled in his honor.
Cambodia is scheduled to be mine-free by 2030.

A Chimp Community Splitting into Two Factions opus 834

During the mid-1970's in Tanzania's Gombe National Park,
Jane Goodall witnessed her study group of chimpanzees
Splitting into two factions and then turning on each other.
These chimps had grown up together and intermingled peacefully.
Now they were systematically killing each other.
What Goodall perceived as creatures 'nicer than humans,'
Suddenly demonstrated a nasty, brutal side, like humans.
No one seemed to understand what had caused this.

In 2015, a new study spanning more than 30 years
Of the Ngogo chimpanzee group in the western forests of Uganda,
Observed 200 individuals living peacefully in smaller clusters.
Males and females from different clusters mated and hunted together.
One day in June a large number of chimps were in their territory
And the observers heard other chimps nearby,
Most likely from the larger Central cluster.
The Western chimps quieted, seemed very nervous,
And it appeared that they were hearing 'outsider' chimps.
Suddenly the Western chimps fled and the Central group chased them.
The two groups then avoided each other for six weeks.
By 2018 the clusters were basically, completely separate groups.
At that point, the killing began without explanation.
Over the next seven years the Western group 
Killed 6 Central adults and 17 infants.
Fighting continues to the present.  Why this occurred is still unclear.
Several factors may have contrbuted:  The size of the group,
Competition for food, and male-to-male competition.
Another factor in 2014, before the divisions took place,
Were the natural deaths of five adult males and one adult female.
These natural deaths may have weakened the social networks.
Chimpanzees do not have religion, political parties nor ideologies,
Which are often the reasons for human divisions.
To what extent are the interpersonal relationships and behaviors
Really more important in chimpanzees than we realize in humans?
This is a profound question needing more study 
For our greater understanding.

Haiku XXII opus 835

The marsupials
A distinct group of mammals
Keep their young in pouch.

They all give birth to
Underdeveloped offspring
Complete growth in pouch.

The marsupium
Protects the developing
Young.  Australian..

North America
Not only Australian
Metatherians.

History began
In the Northern Hemisphere
One hundred mil years.

Share basic traits like
The hair and milk production
Metatherians.

Have unique features
Unlike placental mammals
Have short gestation.

Their reproduction
'Joey' born, embryonic
State.  Must crawl to pouch.

Embryonic state
Must crawl and attach to teat
Drinking milk for months.

Different brain form
Lack a corpus collosum
Connecting fibers.


Two brain hemispheres
Separate.  No nerve fibers
As in placentals.

Their anatomy
Females have two uteri
And two vaginas.

To match vaginas
Males often have forked penis
It's bifurcated.

Onefifty mil years
Metatherians diverged 
From the placentals.

Diverged Jurassic
Or Early Cretaceous
From the placentals.

Earliest fossils
As i a / America
Not Australia.

Sixtysix mil years
North to South America
There:  diversity.

South America
Major place:  diversity
Marsupials , thrived.

Then Antarctica
Warm, joined to Australia
Formed with Gondwana.

In Australia
Filled all ecological
Niches--tree to hole.

Feral Hog Disaster in Texas. opus 845

Texas has an increasing feral hog problem,
With 3 to 4 million pigs now living there.
They cause hundreds of millions of dollars in crop damage
And, just like coyotes, they are moving into suburban areas.
(Of course, it is also a result of our own successful reproduction!)
A few years ago, eradication began with a feral pig pesticide.
Naturally, this decision is controversial among environmental groups.
Expectedly in Texas, the pesticide is called 'Kaput Feral Hog Lure.'
It is a modified rodenticide or modified rat poison.
Opponents are concerned it is both inhumane
And could affect other animals, even killing them.
Despite the population explosion, there seems to be no other way.
Trapping, shooting, and aerial gunning have not been effective.
So far, the numbers have not decreased significantly.

In every farm use of rodenticides I have attempted over the years,
It seems to do little; how and where to apply it was always a problem. 

(See my followup called 'Using a Poison on Texas Feral Pigs.')

Using a Poison on Texas Feral Pigs opus 846

I previously wrote on my P and T, called 'Feral Hog Disaster in Texas.
As stated, I had to use rodenticide on my small farm.
The question was always how to apply this safely.
This writing considers how Kaput Feral Hog Lure must be applied in Texas.
One must have a valid Texas Department of Ag (TDA) applicator licence.
But first, one must complete a mandatory training program.
Only an approved feeder with a 17 pound lid may be used. 
It must be situated near water or heavy cover.
At first the feeder must be filled for two weeks with hog feed or corn.
Using trail cameras, they ensure regular hog-lid lifting.
After 1 to 2 weeks, hogs are conditioned, and regular feed is removed.
The Kaput poison is then introduced and lids are carefully closed.
Monitoring is followed by replenishment every two to four days.
Carcass and site management is then required.
A blue dye colors the fat and fluid signaling unsafe meat.
Dead hogs must be buried a minimum of 18 inches or disposed of.
When hog activity ceases, all feeders must be cleaned.
Warfarin is a chronic toxicant needing 5 to 8 feedings to be lethal.
(If needed, call poison control for affected pets or humans.
It is treatable with Vitamin K.)
What an irony that breeding hogs for huge litters,
It is now plaguing and overcoming us with their fecundity!
In addition, although this program started off slowly,
Published reports measure decreases in both hog numbers
As well as property destruction once the program was established.
A sad, but necessary program to reintroduce balance.

Belugas and Mirrors opus 850

At 18 months of age, humans are able to
Demonstrate mirror self-recognition.
It was thought that we humans were the only ones with that ability.
However, in 1970, chimpanzees were the first non-humans 
To demonstrate this interesting and important behavior.
Dolphins and Asian elephants, which have large brains were chosen
And also passed the test of self-recognition.
So far, bonobos, orangutans, gorillas, magpies, and cleaner wrasse fish
Have demonstrated this unusual bahavior.
Organisms which are social and recognize others have this ability.
Beluga whales were first studied in 2001.
The results were shelved until a revival in 2020.
First there is a reaction to the mirror, by looking behind it.
The mirror first 'shows a peer,' then a check to see themselves.
Then comes 'self directed behavior,'  using the mirror to view themselves.
 Clapping of jaws follows, attempting to intimidate 'that other Beluga.'
Then 'contingency testing' commences, with head nodding at the mirror.
Then 'self-directed behaviors,' including barrel-rolling and mouth inspections.
One Beluga reared up and flapped her pectoral fins at the mirror.
Several Belugas blew bubbles with their mouths or blowholes,
And then bit the bubbles--behavior not seen without a mirror.
With a clear plexiglass control, they definitely demonstrated  
Mirror self -recognition.
The researchers then gave them a 'mark test'
Making a mark on the body, which can be seen only in a mirror.
The Beluga orients her body towards the mark, seen in the mirror.
Sometimes she pressed the mark against the mirror.
The cleaner wrasse fish study was conducted in 2023,
Showing a fish with a smaller brain, recognizing other fish,
Can also recognize itself.
Researchers found that creatures with these abilities
Are evidenced  to be held with more empathy by humans.
Humpback whales demonstrated these characteristics in the 1970s,
Which led to conservation legislation including
The Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act!

Timmy the Whale Has Died opus 851

The benevolent actions of humans are astoundingly confusing.
Days of effort to free a young Humpback whale
From its confinement in the less saline Baltic Sea
Where it would die if left in these water conditions,
Compared to how cruelly we treat each other,
In interactions, including warfare!
The Humpback had mistakenly lost its way in the Baltic Sea.
The Germans took a liking to the youngster,
Named it Timmy (and Hope), and followed its progress.
It repeatedly became stranded on the Sea's coast.
Finally it was coaxed into a flooded barge,
Financed by two German millionaires,
Off Wismar and transported to the North Sea.
Sadly after two weeks it was found dead off a Danish island,
Called Anholt in the Kattegat, the strait 
Between Denmark and Sweden.
Its identity was confirmed by a tracking device 
Attached to its back.
Just why whales become disoriented and stranded 
Is not fully understood.
Perhaps the increasing number of chaos-pounding engines
May at last be discovered as the cause.

The Flensing Knives. (Danish, flense, 'to strip the skin off.') opus 852

A sudden explosion
And the harpoon
Flies out, over the water.
A body contorting.
Blood blends with the sea.
The body is tied to the boat.
A long voyage to the California coast.
The body slides upward,
Multiton in size, tail first,
On a long shoot
Towards the knives.
In through the huge door
And they are upon her.
The flensers with spiked boots
Walk up her body,
Flensing knives in hand,
Cutting deep through the blubber.
Black outside, 
With a white margin and base.
Piece after huge piece
Is peeled off with a winch,
Crackling sounds as it folds backward.
The body is now flesh alone.
The dissection continues
Until only pieces lie here and there.
Dismembering is completed.
The flensers with their
Long handled knives 
Have finished their job. 

I was a student biologist.
Now it was only to know
Where the meat was destined.
I learned in my young life's case,
All the flesh was destined
For Kalcan Dog Food.
Today, sad and illegal.
Basically, I had witnessed 
Many murders of fellow creatures.