Silly Little Guys Dump

Silly little guys dump

Also this tough fella

Spent some time hanging out with the African lions (Panthera leo) yesterday. We filmed an interview with visiting researcher Larisa DeSantis, who is interested in studying microwear patterns on feliforms - species of wild cats, and hyenas. Tiny breaks in the teeth can be an indication of what an animal was eating shortly before it died, whether they were shearing soft tissues or breaking into hardened bone, which could indicate scavenging behavior.  

This sort of research becomes particularly interesting when you’re looking at specimens living during extinction events. Museum collections allow these scientists to compare recent specimens to older examples of that species. If, historically, a species wasn’t known to be scavenging, but you see significant microwear in the more recent specimens, then it could imply that prey animals were scarce and a non-scavenger would have been more desperate for prey. 

But what really blows my mind is the application of this research when studying man-eating behaviors. We still aren’t certain as to why the Lions of Tsavo began preying on railway workers in 1898. A few theories include evaluating dental and pain disease, and how that could have precluded the lions from hunting their typical large game (although research published in 2011 indicates they were still consuming herbivores). Other hypotheses suggest there was food scarcity and they were simply desperate – or perhaps the lions gained a taste for human flesh after eating workers who died of other causes. By taking dental impressions of the Tsavo Lions’ teeth, we may be able to answer this question – with science! In other words, heavy microwear on the Tsavo lions’ teeth could indicate they were super desperate and eating whatever was around - including people.

Stay tuned for the upcoming videos on the Tsavo Lions and Other Man-Eaters – and check out more of Larisa’s fascinating dental-work-meets-paleontology research here.

HELLO THIS IS SO COOL WHAT OMG

Finished gif! Rotoscope animation by me of the winning try from the woman’s bronze medal match in Olympic Rugby Sevens

I'm curious. Reblog this if you know how to cook

I don’t even care if it’s macaroni, ramen or those little bowls you stick in the microwave. Please, I need reassurance that most of the population on tumblr WOULDN’T STARVE TO DEATH if their parents couldn’t fix them food or they couldn’t go out to eat. 

SO CUTE

Sleeping rat taxidermy.

Borgar.......

Right arm is too short but life goes on