Saturday, January 14, 2017

Vipers and Kangaroo Rats - Science

The predator / prey relationship between rattlesnakes and kangaroo rats is fascinating to at least some subset of scientists maybe because of the incredible speed of the interplay.  In this research, they went out into the field to study the animals because a lab environment isn't accurate enough to real life and they used high-speed photography to capture every nuance of the strike / escape.  (Science Daily:  Viper's strike quantified in nature for the first time)

Just as with all things, this science is really about "Dune" but we will get back to that in a minute.

You may side with the snake or the rat in this one but both are animals trying to stay alive and, strictly in sporting terms, you send your strongest aggressor against your best defender so it's generally fair.

It will cost a few dollars to go out to the field to photograph rats so you need a pitch.

"Predator-prey interactions are naturally variable -- much more so than we would ever observe in a controlled laboratory setting," said Higham, an associate professor of biology, who led the research project. "Technology is now allowing us to understand what defines successful capture and evasion under natural conditions.  It is under these conditions in which the predator and prey evolve.  It's therefore absolutely critical to observe animals in their natural habitat before making too many conclusions from laboratory studies alone."

- SD


Some of the observations are really delicious.

"We obtained some incredible footage of Mohave rattlesnakes striking in the middle of the night, under infrared lighting, in New Mexico during the summer of 2015," Higham said.  "The results are quite interesting in that strikes are very rapid and highly variable.  The snakes also appear to miss quite dramatically -- either because the snake simply misses or the kangaroo rat moves out of the way in time."

- SD

How droll.


The researchers did get validation that fieldwork is required for the study.

In the paper, Higham and his coauthors conclude that rattlesnakes in nature can greatly exceed the defensive strike speeds and accelerations observed in the lab. Their results also suggest that kangaroo rats might amplify their power when under attack by rattlesnakes via "elastic energy storage."

"Elastic energy storage is when the muscle stretches a tendon and then relaxes, allowing the tendon to recoil like an elastic band being released from the stretched position," Higham explained. "It's equivalent to a sling shot -- you can pull the sling shot slowly and it can be released very quickly. The kangaroo rat is likely using the tendons in its lower leg -- similar to our Achilles tendon -- to store energy and release it quickly, allowing it to jump quickly and evade the strike."

- SD


Whether the animal is a rat or a mouse depends on whether you are on Arrakis.

Paul:  How do you call among you the little mouse, the mouse that jumps?
Stilgar:  We call that one muad'dib
Paul:  I am Atreides. It is not right that I give up entirely the name my father gave me.  Could I be known among you as Paul-Muad'Dib?
Stilgar:  You are Paul-Muad'Dib

- WIKI:  Muad'Dib

Here on Dune, we will be siding with the mouse because obviously the snake is the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV.

Note:  "Dune" is required reading on Ithaka because, wtf, you've had fifty years.  In fact, the use of dialect in "Dune" is similar to the masterful job Anthony Burgess did in "A Clockwork Orange," also required reading and ...

Ed:  shut up

You must read the book since the movie doesn't go far enough with the Burgess dialect.

Ed:  you don't listen too well, do you?

If you don't listen, you never have to stop talking.  I should have been in politics.

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