Morning Ed: Creatures of Nature {2017.05.30.Tu}

Will Truman

Will Truman is the Editor-in-Chief of Ordinary Times. He is also on Twitter.

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13 Responses

  1. Damon says:

    That whale reminds me of my urge when eating the GF’s garlic rosemary fries at her favorite pub.Report

  2. Dark Matter says:

    32 dead cows is nothing. You can get *hundreds*.

    Big 4 legged animals are *much* more vulnerable to electricity running along the ground than we are. Because their legs are further apart they’ll have larger electrical differences and the position of their organs means it goes through their heart.Report

  3. Kolohe says:

    The Deep-Sea Octopus make for very dedicated parents.

    The Deep Sea octopuses are dedicated to pre-natal care.

    Octopuses typically have a single reproductive period and then they die

    But then they leave a lot of orphans.Report

  4. LeeEsq says:

    I wonder why the meat from the lightning struck cows is unfit for human consumption. The article doesn’t really say why.

    Luckily, one of the scientists exploring the cave was wearing and crucifix and made a successful roll to turn undead vampire bats.Report

    • Toad in reply to LeeEsq says:

      The electricity blows out blood vessels, sometimes the heart itself, and then the blood permeates the meat in a less than tasty way. Which also speeds up decomposition. (I imagine it would be like eating a badly bruised fruit.) That’s why people don’t eat animals killed by lightning.

      “Unfit for human consumption” is a particular term in the food industry. When applied to meat, the animal must be able to walk on its own into the slaughterhouse in order to be considered “fit for human consumption”.Report

    • Hoosegow Flask in reply to LeeEsq says:

      I’m by no means experienced in the matters, but it’s my understanding that need to gut an animal fairly quickly to prevent contamination of the meat. The article doesn’t say, but they cows could have been dead several hours before being discovered. Combine that with the impracticality of moving 32 whole cow carcasses. How would one even do that? Forklift?

      It’s conceivable that there might be other regulations at play as well, such as actively slaughtering the animals instead of finding them dead and/or requiring it be done under proper conditions.Report

    • DensityDuck in reply to LeeEsq says:

      Because it’s been lying around in a non-temperature-controlled field for who knows how long.Report

  5. notme says:

    Police in Chicago hail the shooting total of 49 people over the weekend as progress.Report

  6. Pinky says:

    I don’t think skunks spray from the handstand position. They do it to make themselves look bigger. Other animals try to blend in and go unnoticed; not the skunk. His colors are a warning. When confronted, he says, “hey idiot, I’m a skunk”. He stands his ground, stomps his front paws, or stands up on his hind legs. Skunks get hit by cars a lot because they have lousy vision and don’t scare off easily. Forest creatures generally learn not to bother them.Report