Saturday, May 8, 2021

Shoo, Shoo Shuvuuia: Nocturnal Owl-Like Dinosaur with Keen Eyesight and Acute Hearing



            A small  carnivorous dinosaur had superb low-light vision and hearing that was likely as good as an owl's. And like an owl, the tiny dinosaur probably used those exceptional abilities to stalk and catch its desert prey under the cover of darkness.







    The owl-like Shuvuuia (shu-VU-ya) was a theropod, a three-toed and bipedal carnivorous dinosaur. There's only one known species, Shuvuuia deserti, and it was smaller than a domestic cat, measuring 2 feet (0.6 meters) long. Shuvuuia lived about 75 million to 81 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period in what is now the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.



      Prior analysis of Shuvuuia's fossilized eye bones revealed that it had large eyes that were specialized for seeing in dim light. But at the time, little was known about dinosaur adaptations for nocturnal activity. In a new study presented May 7, 2021 in Science, researchers looked at skulls from dozens of species of extinct theropods and modern birds, the only theropod lineage that survived to the present.




      By comparing dinosaurs' fossilized eye and ear structures with those in living animals that have nocturnal habits, the researchers were able to see if a dinosaur was adapted for day or night activity.

        Soft tissue is rarely preserved in the fossil record, but paleontologists can find clues about dinosaurs' eyes and vision in the bones that form a circle in the eye socket, known as the scleral ring. Scleral rings are found in many vertebrates (including extinct dinosaurs), and the diameter of this ring reveals the maximum width that an animal's pupil can dilate, hinting at their ability to see in low light, said lead study author Dr. Jonah Choiniere, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.  




     But nighttime hunting doesn't just depend on having good eyesight; specialized hearing is also key. So the researchers examined ear anatomy in 88 bird species and 17 extinct fossil theropods, using computed X-ray tomography (CT) scans to construct digital 3D models of the animals' skulls. They paid close attention to the cochlea, the part of the inner ear canal that holds sensory receptors for picking up sound waves. Decades of previous research had shown that the length of this canal is closely linked to how well animals can hear, and the length of Shuvuuia's ear canal suggested that its hearing would have been "off the charts," Dr. Choiniere said.




      "Shuvuuia had proportionally longer cochlear ducts than even the bird with the best hearing, the barn owl," Dr. Choiniere continued. What's more, the size of Shuvuuia's scleral rings showed that it also possessed "incredible night vision — better than any living bird we measured," he added. 




      The combination of light-sensitive eyes and superior hearing suggested that Shuvuuia would have been highly effective at detecting and ambushing prey at night, as owls do. By comparison, the theropod Velociraptor, which lived in the Gobi Desert alongside Shuvuuia, had an intermediate eye shape, "and was probably more twilight-active," said study co-author Dr. Lars Schmitz, W.M. Keck Science Department at Scripps College, CA. This is the first time that such extreme specializations for hearing and vision have been documented in an extinct dinosaur; in combining vision with hearing, the study also provides the best evidence for nocturnal behavior in dinosaurs, Dr. Schmitz said. 

     With a "hodgepodge body" Shuvuuia was an odd-looking dinosaur, and though it's related to fearsome meat-eating theropods such as Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus rex, "it's totally unlike them," Dr. Choiniere said. "It's got a lightly built jaw, and its teeth look like tiny grains of basmati rice. It's got this massive eye, but the beak is very small," he said. Shuvuuia's forelimbs were powerful and bulky, tipped with a huge claw like an aardvark's. Capping off this hodgepodge of features was a pair of long, slender hind legs that were built for running. Shuvuuia deserti may have preyed on nocturnal desert insects. Shuvuuia deserti may have preyed on nocturnal desert insects. 




      However strange its body may have looked, these traits may have made Shuvuuia a better nighttime hunter. Some modern mammals that live in arid desert environments, as Shuvuuia did, combine lengthy hind limbs with digging forelimbs, "and they often have really good night vision and hearing," which helps them track and catch hard-to-find prey, Dr. Choiniere said. Burrowing desert prey would also be an easy meal for Shuvuuia to dig up with its powerful forearms. "This observation that Shuvuuia could have operated at night makes a lot of sense in light of the rest of the adaptations," he said. "It puts those into perspective and allows us to think it would have fit into a desert ecosystem today really well." 



      Animals that live together in the same geographical location often require the same resources in order to survive, but they can share them by being either night owls or early birds. Dinosaurs likely did this as well, and this study is just the beginning of paleontologists' discoveries of nocturnal and daytime preferences in these extinct animals and how those preferences might have affected their habits and behavior, Dr. Schmitz said. "That's something that we really don't understand well yet in the fossil record, but we know from looking at living species," he said. "I think there are some exciting discoveries waiting to be made."

         I wonder why we usually use birds to define early morning or late night behaviors. Which are you?

153 comments:

  1. Shuvuuia is a cool name.

    Early morning bird here. . .with an occasional night owl sighting here and there.

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  2. Oh, if you’re a bird, be an early bird
    And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.
    If you’re a bird, be an early early bird --
    But if you’re a worm, sleep late.
    -- Shel Silverstein

    I like this image that emphasizes the owl-like appearance.

    "Hodgepodge body" suggests a flabby Frankenstein.

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    1. One of my favorite Silverstein poems!

      I liked the image, too, but those stylized charge bolts near the bug were confusing. What are they meant to represent?

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    2. Insect sounds, I assume. Unless those Cretaceous arthropods evolved directed-energy weapons I was unaware of.

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    3. Maybe so. Between those charge bolts and the bright pink color, that artist's rendering was less appealing than some others.

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    4. Color "derived" from fossil remains is an interesting topic of discussion among paleontologists.

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    5. I thought the bolts were a supposition that the Shuvuula could detect electric or magnetic energy, as sharks do, as an aid in hunting. A variety of animals, including the bird descendants of dinosaurs, can detect magnetic fields, though so far as I know only very large fields.

      Color seems a difficult topic to qualify. Again, with only our knowledge of extant species, (mostly) male birds seem to use bright colors as a location and advertising, while many female birds have colors that blend in the background, perhaps to avoid predation on them and the chicks.

      Pure speculation on my part; dinosaurs were certainly around long enough to have evolved preferential color patterns. With hope.

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    6. Yes, it could well be representing detection of electric or magnetic charges (though
      Shuvuula usually paid in cash ;-)).

      Determining dinosaur color patterns is fascinating to me.

      And thanks for the Chicago music link!

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    7. Saw Chicago in concert about 6 months after Terry Kath (singer of Color My World) accidentally shot himself.

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  3. Replies
    1. Ignore that comment, for some reason Blogger is not taking my messages very well, I guess it publishes without allowing previews.

      Glad you're back, I was wondering if you had been wandering the desert. And I guess I was right, but not for the full 40 years.

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    2. Hi eco, glad you are back as well! This winter/spring has been very full. How about you?

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    3. Fairly mellow start to 2021, mostly trying to stay ahead of deadlines. Seldom succeeding. No weather alerts like you folks just had - how much snow did you get?

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    4. And are you enjoying the lives of Bob and Flo, and their growing family?

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    5. We had just a dusting here in town. Friends in the foothills got several inches of snow.

      Drawing a blank on Bob and Flo. DDG didn't come up with a clear winner. More, please?

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    6. I usually prefer Flo's view, but sometimes Bob's broader perspective is better, especially at night. Even more so a few weeks ago, when you could behold a much bigger lava.

      Note the first Bob died a fiery death a few weeks ago. I think some just look in to see the flash crash and splash. Not me, I just enjoy the warm glow.

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    7. eco, most enjoyable. Thanks for the heads up!

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    8. Some of the archive and drone footage is really cool, er, hot. Much more activity in April.

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    9. Rather surprising to see folks so close to the flows. . .

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    10. I'd think it reasonably safe to get close to the flows, they aren't likely to change direction. Were I there I'd have brought marshmallows to sell for a Euro each.

      But standing so close to the flume? My office mate said he melted the bottom of his shoes walking OVER the lava flows in Hawaii, he hadn't fully thought through the possibility of the crust breaking. May be another reason why women live longer than men.

      I told him the tragic and remarkable tale of Kendall Bumpass (a perfect last name) who, 150 years ago was looking for lost cattle and discovered the thermal pots now known as Bumpass Hell in Lassen Volcano National Park. Bumpass fell through the crust and had to have his leg amputated.

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    11. Hadn't heard about Kendall (Ken doll?) Bumpas. Looks like intriquing territory to explore.

      I like your marshmallow plan. Wonder if they'd taste any different cooked over lava flows.

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    12. The pasta I cooked at the Reykjavik youth hostel tasted a bit different - the very hot water from the tap had a definite sulfurous odor. But it boiled quickly.

      So far as I know nobody owns a hot water heater; wearing metal jewelry in a shower is not a good idea.

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  4. I got a kick out of some 4th graders who described working on their "annual reports."

    Turns out it was their animal reports. ;-)

    Consider this my animal report. . .

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  5. Replies
    1. Indeed! Our dear lovable tardigrades!

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    2. I particularly objected to the phrase "tardigrade jam" to describe the result of higher velocity impacts.

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    3. That was uncalled for. Tardigrade mélange perhaps?

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  6. Check out Image of Atoms with Record Resolution plus author name Tibi Puiu belongs in a Will Shortz puzzle of some sort.

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  7. Replies
    1. Santabarbarite is new to me. Sounds more like a citizen of Santa Barbara than a mineral. I do like that it has "barite" in the word. Looking forward to reading Weir's book!

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  8. Up next: a cage match pitting tardigrades vs. bdelloid rotifers. (Take that, autocorrect!)

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    Replies
    1. Oooh, this is getting really interesting. Thanks, jan.

      Bdellium is another bd word. Bd, bd, bd...

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  9. Replies
    1. eco, great to see you here! How's everything in NoCal?

      And thanks for the LZ link--perfect for a hot Tuesday afternoon.

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    2. Why not? I've learned to avoid skepticism when my 2-year old granddaughter tells me about tomato frogs.

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    3. WW: I'd heard you had some scorching temps in Denver. My little world is pretty comfortable, but last Friday I had a meeting just 30 miles away and it was 104° or so. A degree per mile is a good rule of thumb when heading eastward.

      Not looking forward to this year's fire season. I should replenish my stock of N95's, which saw me through the first few months of COVID....

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    4. Yes, tomato frogs are real. That's what I meant -- my initial doubts were unjustified. Her older sister may be more imaginative, but the 2-year old is usually reliable.

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    5. eco, yes, it has been bloody hot, save for yesterday which was a delightful 72 degrees. Glad you've been staying out of trouble. Hope the fires do not materialize.

      jan, sorry I misread your comment. Where did she learn about said tomato frogs?

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    6. That looks fun. I thought perhaps she "re(a)d" about tomato frogs somewhere. �� �� ��

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  10. Worth it for the puns alone. (Don't miss the photo captions.) And now I know what a mukbang is.

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    1. When the proud New York Times
      is reduced to cheap rhymes
      there's no mores (just in case you have to look it up).

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    2. Cheep rhymes are for the birds ��.

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    3. And now I know what a mukbang is, too.

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    4. IF you like mukbang you'll really enjoy this flim clip. My opinion hasn't changed over four decades.

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    5. Of course that should be "film" clip.

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    6. O Tempora o morays!

      That's Tempora as in (NY) Times, not tempura, else we're back to mukbang.

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    7. eco, eww.

      jan, learned more than I really needed to know about Tempora timesheet software. I wonder how many Times tempora and tempura are confused. And then there's tempera, as in paint.

      It's all temporal anyway, right?

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  11. Pulse of the Planet. But not the one they play on NPR.

    - eco (for some reason $#$#%&%Q@# won't let me comment as usual, did I mention they're a bunch of %^&#$%#^&%*???)

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  12. Replies
    1. eco, thanks, I really enjoyed that video. The music, combined with the flowing lava, was mesmerizing.

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    2. At the risk of being critical (I am) I thought the music was a bit too new Age-y for my blood. And too complicated for the simple raw power on exhibit. Or maybe it was my mood.

      I imagined (and tried) a couple of other pieces that I thought fit better:

      Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune evokes the dream-like nocturnal state.

      Erik Satie's Trois Gymnopedies 1 has a slow pace that matches beautifully with the flow.

      But my favorite combo is Arvo Part's Spiegel Im Spiegel. The cello is the meandering river of lava, while the piano pulses with the throbs of the bubbling crater and occasional pops from the fumaroles.

      Though I'm biased, each of these has been a go-to for relaxation. The video with Arvo Part's is especially worth watching, incredible control and discipline by the musicians.

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    3. eco, I enjoyed all three selections, especially the Arvo Part piece. It is quite calming and soothing. In fact, I fell asleep listening to it last night.

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    4. Somebody happened to fly a drone at a really cool (hot) time. More triumphalist music would fit well here.

      I wish they had left it running for a little longer, and I hope no drones were killed or injured during this filming.

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    5. Yes, all that volcanic activity at the end was quite surprising and mesmerizing. Flowy!

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  13. This little piggy went to Fukushima. My next band will definitely be called "Radioactive hybrid terror pigs."

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    1. Wild boar��, the ultimate oxymoron.

      We'll see if that boar emoji works.

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    2. Akira Kurosawa's "Ran" opens with a boar hunting scene in the Japanese mountains. No explicit violence, they save that for the scenes of human slaughter.

      And no boars with super powers.

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    3. Thanks, eco. Worth waiting for the credits to see the hunt.

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    4. I ignore the credit names and enjoy the compositions of each shot in the credits.

      I've enjoyed the composition of every scene in the movie, Kurosawa famously painted storyboards in advance to help him visualize the movie and convey this to the crew. He did this for his other late films, like Kagemusha and Dreams. As I recall he was nearly blind by the end of filming.

      There was a book of the script and story boards published a year after the film; I just searched and found a copy for #35, less than half the price that I've seen before. Christmas in July.

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    5. $35, not #35. And in strange coincidence land Lionsgate issued a new 4k digital version of the film today. I guess this is Blue-Ray, I have neither the player nor a TV worthy of that quality.

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    6. Amazing storyboards! Are you considering buying the $35 compilation w/ script?

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    7. I think that's what I bought. There was a new copy available at Alibris, which I "bought" only to have them send me an email that the item wasn't available. But I found another copy at Ebay, and won that auction. Arrives Wednesday.

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  14. If you're still not certain whether it's safe to dine out, you can at least watch others having dinner. Tonight's menu features unsliced sashimi.

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    Replies
    1. Oh my! Glad they are ok. Clearly the definition of the pun "in tents."

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    2. eco, I missed your initial post. Quite the unsliced sashimi, indeed!

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    3. They're alive, but still getting medical treatment. Not OK yet.

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    4. jan, I guess I read that too quickly. Hoping they will be home and doing ok soon.

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    5. Thanks. The thing is, he's an Alaska wildlife biologist, and they're experienced backcountry people who, as far as I can tell, were following all the rules, except for being in backcountry in Alaska. Sleeping, in a tent. And, while it sounds like they were in the middle of nowhere, they were only 60 miles or so from Anchorage. Grizzlies are unpredictable.

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    6. Glad they'll recover, it's still a wild world in Alaska. We in the lower 48 are lucky to not have very aggressive predators (Grizzlies in MT and Yellowstone areas notwithstanding). WW: one website said Grizzlies might have found their way to southern CO - any insights, or outsightings?

      60 miles may not seem like a long distance, but the Anchorage area seems to hug the coast and adjoining plains, and going inland it looks pretty roadless.

      I wasn't familiar with see through tents, I've only had solids with open netting at the top for ventilation and star gazing. I've only encountered black bears in the backcountry, including some who decided sharpening claws on a nearby tree at 2 am might make me sleep better. Fortunately they took no interest in me.

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    7. I've only encountered (7) black bears while biking in suburban New Jersey. One looked at me while I looked at him/her, the others seemed not to notice me at all. My biking in MA is all urban; I see plenty of turkeys, but no hope of bears. Gotta do more hiking (where I've never seen a bear).

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    8. To us an encounter with a bear is rare and exotic, to the bear - especially in crowded NJ - a human encounter is probably pretty routine, perhaps even daily. Hence their indifference - it's not personal.

      In the backcountry I suspect the bears are more aware of us than we are of them, and knowing that our species carries guns it probably makes them a bit wary. Except, of course, as Gary Larson envisions.

      Turkeys are plentiful here, even a few blocks from the main streets. While documenting an unoccupied office building nearby I saw a vicious battle of the Tom Tom Club.

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    9. eco, I've not read or experienced grizzlies in CO. Many sightings appear to be black bears. But who knows? There's some quite remote areas in southern CO.

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  15. Whoa! Quite the vicious battle...

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  16. ^<<<Tardigrade playing a cello. Because, why not?

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    Replies
    1. Was there supposed to be a link? This is the closest I could find, but I didn't look very hard.

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    2. eco, no link in my post but I enjoyed the t-shirt in your link. Is there anything tardigrades can't do?!

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    3. I suppose, given their name, they might be late to the bball party.

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  17. A friend is at Brooks Falls in Alaska watching bears feast on salmon now. This webcam is fascinating viewing of this bearidise. Have you visited before, either in person or by webcam?

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    1. I thought it looked familiar! I've become quite the bear voyeur, checking in once a day this past week. It must be thrilling to be there.

      jan, checking in on your friends who were camping in AL. Are they doing better?

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    2. Yes, they're coming along, thanks. But it was AK, not AL. In AL, the gators keep the grizzlies away.

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    3. jan, glad they are coming along.

      Haha. I want Alaska to be AL and Alabama to be AB but the USPS doesn't seem to care what I prefer 😀.

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    4. WW: The explore.org website has several webcams at Brooks Falls, looking up, looking down, even one underwater. They're all on Youtube, but the exolore site (scroll down) makes it easy to jump back and forth. Youtube does have the live chat, and I do find it interesting how many people are able to identify individual bears Violet G: ​"Patches is back. He looks really good for his age. Now we need to see 68,755, 879 and many other bears."

      I hope I don't show my prejudice, but they all look the same to me.

      Jan: glad your friends are doing better.

      Can we try to make AL to be part of AF? Or give it back to the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek? They can keep their part of Oklahoma too. But wait, if they call right now they can have the rest of the state, just pay a small fee. And shipping is always free on the Trail of Tears!

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    5. Now I'm totally hooked on all the bear cams!
      Thanks, eco! <<< Here is my friend's iPhone photo from one of the platforms which allow only 40 people. Can't wait to see the telephoto images!

      Not completely sure what AF is (unless it's a bit off color). Yes, the Native Americans would likely treat the land better than most folks from the heartland.

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    6. Also, I am starting to see different personalities in the bears now. Even more fun than the Olympics!

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    7. And how do the bears stand so close to the edge and not fall over the falls? I will admit to wanting to see that happen but so far, they never fall, even while swatting at salmon mid-air!

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    8. iPhone photo is a no-show, curious to see.

      AF = Afghanistan, though I suppose those poor folks have enough trouble without having Alabama, we don't need to bring down the Afghan standard of living. So I'll retract that idea.

      The bears are fun, perfect timing as the Iceland volcano hasn't been as interesting, not as much action, much more impenetrable fog.

      It is remarkable how they don't get swept over the edge. I have very vague memories of a childhood book describing the many crevices in the large pads of a bear's foot, and that gripped well onto the rocks. All that weight helps too.

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  18. <<< Are you able to see this bear image taken by my friend in AK?

    I walked under the falls at Smith College all the way from edge to edge. It was exhilarating and a bit terrifying. No salmon, though. 😉

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    1. Ah, I didn't realize you meant your thumbnail. They're so small I usually don't pay much attention, but it's a good action shot. Needs a bib.

      I didn't know Smith had a waterfall, pretty long walk. Would that be more like a weir? Among Ithaca's highlights were the many falls in its gorgeous gorges.

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    2. Yes, I think weir is technically a better descriptor but Smith calls it a dam. You can see the dam exposed here as they were dredging sediment from the pond. We always called it the waterfalls.

      <<< New bear image. Hmmm, choices, choices for lunch.

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  19. Replies
    1. Isn't that a sadly appropriate name?

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    2. The truly sad thing is virtually everything happening was predicted 30+ years ago. That's when I first read about the collapse of the North Atlantic currents, giving London have the joyous Moscow winters.

      WW: sorry our fire is making your air miserable, the irony is I'm only 150 miles from the fire, and the air is pretty clear here. I spoke with a friend in Cambridge (Jan's fair city?) this morn, she said the smoke was affecting the air there.... The winds will turn on the Bay Area in a month or so.

      Selfishly, the fire affected travel plans, Lassen Nat'l Park is a frequent destination to view the Perseids, but not this year. I hope the friendly bears who tormented me (mentally) in years past are okay.

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    3. No smoke here this week, but last week or the week before the reports were that the haze here was from Western fires.

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    4. Air pollution here today is probably due to my 12-year old Prius. Our 3-townhouse condo complex is getting our roofs replaced, and the equipment is blocking access to our garage, so I parked overnight on the street for the first time in a long while. When I pulled out this morning, it sounded like a Harley. Took no time for the mechanic around the corner to diagnose the problem: my catalytic converter was stolen.

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    5. Yes, we've had 37 days in a row of bad air. For a few days, Denver held the title of worst air anywhere.

      Sorry you won't make it to Lassen, eco. Friends went this summer and had a blast!

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    6. jan, that's a drag about your catalytic converter!

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    7. Apparently, it's been happening a lot here lately. Platinum's pricey, and supply chains are shaky. Supply and demand, and all that.

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    8. Anyway, having a Prius that sounds like a Harley was a little exhilarating. I considered driving around like that for a while, garnering some unfamiliar respect.

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    9. jan, hoping someone's insurance will cover replacing that!

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    10. Hope you got the respect you deserve. . .

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    11. Bummer about your catalytic converter. That's been a thing around here too, though I've parked my (biodiesel) Jetta on the street for 16 years, no theft. Famous last words, maybe the obnoxious alarm gets them, or maybe VW's made it impossible to get at those, similar to the light bulbs.

      Next car might be electric, no catalytic converter needed. Undiscussed issue with electric cars: years ago I was driving an electric F-150; when you see a pretty girl on the street you have to roll down the window and yell "Vroom! Vroom!" Do I get the Andrew Cuomo Memorial Prize for Political Correctness?

      California also tightened the regulations on the scrap metal dealers, particularly after copper was stolen in big waves - a friend had all the railings stolen in her condo complex. I had a job in West Oakland where PG&E had coiled up a big electric line on a pole for installation, it was gone the next morning.

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    12. And a 10 second Google search (sorry DuckDuck) turns up this article and why Priuses are top targets, and an aftermarket protective shield.

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    13. Speaking of West Oakland, while visiting family in Piedmont last month, I went for a bike ride with my brother-in-law down to the Oakland waterfront. I was amazed to see, running up the Embarcadero to Jack London Square, right on the street with the cars, a big Amtrak diesel passenger train. As if it were a, er, um, what's the word again?

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  20. Self-appointed replacement for Alex Trebek put himself in Jeopardy! Someone had to say it.

    For those who can't breach the pay wall: Mike Richards, the Jeopardy! producer who decided that after the long, long tryout season, that HE would be the best to replace Alex, resigned after some racist and misogynist comments were revealed. I'll take Self-Destructive Career Choices for $200.

    Whole thing reminds me of George W selecting Dick Cheney to run the search for his Vice President candidate.

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    1. Mike Richards ought to step down as executive producer as well. Bring on Mayim Bialik!

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    2. And, eco, I agree, it was the most bizarre search process...which will now continue on.

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    3. Oh the drama! Apparently, Richards taped one show yesterday which, I imagine, they'll have to air 9/13. What a mess. But, in the grand scheme of things...

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    4. Richards did step down as executive producer. I wonder if they'll redo yesterday's show. But then if a different contestant wins will the first winner sue?

      Might make most sense to just let that person be the winner, and never air the show. Or maybe digitally paste someone else's face over Richards'. A mess indeed. Sad, after 30+ years of Trebek where the only controversies were over interpretations of answers. I don't recall Art Fleming being anything but affable.

      But yes, this is a minor distraction in the big picture of disasters. Sometimes those are good.

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    5. True, sometimes they are good!

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    6. And, I forgot they tape a whole week in a day so they'll likely need to show that entire week of taping with Mike Richards. . .

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    7. eco, where did you read he stepped down as EP? Haven't seen that as yet.

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    8. I misread his step down announcement in the early version. Apparently (and Sony confirmed) he will stay on as exec producer. And they will show the whole week of taped shows.

      Just another embarrassing day in the good ol' USA.

      In other embarrassment news, my state seems likely to remove its mediocre governor and replace him with.... who knows. I mailed my vote the morning after receipt, before the election packets arrived. Had I read those I surely would have voted for Angelyne, the godmother of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.

      As it stands this so-called blue state will likely end up with Trump stooge Larry Elder, who could win with 20% of the vote. I suspect we will have an immediate recall of his election. Distractions. California has right wing proto-fascists and their followers, and moderate liberal morons and their followers. Heading towards a failed state.

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    9. That's a whole different kind of mess!

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    10. If Larry Elder is governor it could go beyond California: our senator Dianne Feinstein is 88, and could be facing earthly term limits. Do you think a right-wing radio host will appoint a rational replacement or someone in the mold of Devin Nunes? Mitch McConnell back as Senate Majority leader? No Supreme Court nominations by Biden considered.

      And now a brief word from Machiavelli: if the polls show Gavin Newsom's recall likely in the days before the election, he could resign as governor, rendering the recall moot, and the lieutenant governor would assume the role. But that would require a politician putting state (and country) before self, how likely is that?

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    11. I like the resigning idea. I hope it happens for the greater good and all.

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    12. I hope the lazy Democrats
      1) get off their duffs,
      2) realize what a train wreck it would be if they vote to recall or don't bother to vote at all, and
      3) vote to reject the recall.
      But at the moment I'm not optimistic.

      Newsom has been an okay but not exceptional governor, he should have been removed for his selection of Kimberly Guilfoyle as a wife...... though that was decades ago.

      Delete
    13. SC Justice Kennedy resigned for the "good of the party" allowing Cavanaugh to be ushered in. Sometimes I think the R's see the bigger picture better. Not that I like their picture!

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    14. Since the Nixon days (nights) the GOP has worked with very smart and evil think tanks that have developed strategies for gaining and maintaining control. Coincidentally, Monday is the 50th anniversary of The Powell Memo, the blueprint for the business takeover.

      Democrats think they can win on ideas and doing good. Stupid naifs!

      Delete
  21. Are you going to offer insights on the strange disappearance of the creature known as the Tinapetersaurus? Not quite a Florida contribution, but pretty good.

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    Replies
    1. eco, I was in the dark about Tinapetersaurus until looking up Tina Peters who is apparently "working from home" for CO. No insights as it was news to me.

      Another exchange including personal attacks over yonder. We still miss you there! If it weren't for the jans and the legos and SuperZees, I might leave entirely.

      Delete
    2. Wow, seeing that posted makes me realize I hammered to much on the keyboard.... Sorry about that.

      Delete
    3. Hmmm, seems like Blogger has a word limit, or rant limit. So I will repost in smaller bits, and we'll see if those stay. My 5:31 comment was in response to my posting, not yours.

      Partie Un:
      The Tina Peters story is pretty funny, except for the fact that it is another devolution of democracy.

      I just peeked in at Blainesville for the first time in quite a while. Sorry to see you receiving uncalled for vitriol, it is a characteristic feature. Were I the blogmaster I might install rules about behavior.

      But I'm not, and chose to leave; was that due to that person or other community members general acceptance of what I consider inexcusable behavior? Hard to say. Some did speak out, but my recollection is fairly mildly.

      Were I there I would not respond to his postings, and were he to respond to mine I would delete my posting. The best I can think of to isolate and castigate.

      Ultimately I've decided I need to spend my energy elsewhere, though I do miss the banter with almost all others.

      Delete
    4. Deuxième partie:

      Almost completely unrelated: I'm on the board of a local non-profit, and for many years the organization revolved around one person (Person A) who was the most active, and who kept the organization running after the board made some very poor choices for Executive Director (one before my time, one over my objections).

      While Person A was instrumental in keeping the organization afloat, she was also very difficult to work with. She had to show power over lower level staff (driving one to tears as she described the abuse to me), misrepresenting what she had done and outright lying to the rest of the board, and stating things in a manner that suited herself, not allowing for other reasonable options.

      Headstrong and intolerant makes for a very bad combination. And unwillingness to even consider points of view from someone else (singular or plural) is not a good stance for leadership. I had resigned from the Board about a year ago - Person A had threatened to resign herself because I had deigned to ask for some info from one of the staffers, who sublet an office from me. Person A said I was not respecting (threatening?) her authority by talking with staff directly and not through her.

      Delete
    5. eco, thanks for reposting. I had read your original post directly through gmail. I didn't know Blogger has a word limit.

      I ought to have been more forceful in my support of you. I am sorry. I know it felt good to get some support yesterday.

      Instituting blog administrating rules of civility is a good idea. Following them--that's another story. I've been part of moderating some Smith groups and whoa, it seems one needs to monitor 24/7 and that's not good for sleep and, you know, life.

      Sounds like the Board situation worked out ok. Disagreeable and intolerant people are everywhere, unfortunately.

      One of these days, I'll add a new post here. Right now, I am unable to add images due to a glitch in my home connection. Technology is great until it isn't.

      Delete
    6. The relative anonymity and separation in the internet brings out the worst in people. The id is still there, but the superego seems to be super e-gone.

      I can offer no help for connection glitches - I've realized my limitations when trying to help Lego with his Puzzleria blog.

      My home modem (yes, I still have DSL) is fading fast into electronic oblivion, but I found my ISP offers fiber optic for the same price. My office fiber is about 100x faster, my stupidity for not changing home service sooner.

      Delete
    7. It's weird. Text only sites load fine but any images will not load at all. Sometimes in the image box, a description of what is in the image shows up. If I pull them up via 4G rather than Wi-fi, the images load but I am nearly out of GBs on my plan for this month already.

      Delete
    8. Can you connect your computer directly via cord and not use the Wi-fi? With the caution that I know less than nothing (but I'm a dude so I can't resist), it might be there is a buffering problem from a slow load. It's what happens as my modem is crapping out, and when it's really misbehaving I have to reload 3 or more times for images to appear. Smacking it doesn't seem to help, but I do it anyway.

      Wi-fi is always slower than hard connection. It might also be there is something interfering with your wi-fi reception. Distance in your vast estate might be an issue, or metal objects can muck with those cancer causing radio waves passing through us on the way to our machines.

      Delete
    9. It depends on your laptop. Some laptop PC's have an ethernet connecting port - look like a big telephone plug - that can connect to your router or modem (latter if you're on DSL). If you don't have an ethernet port you can get am adapter for $10-15 that will plug into a USB port.

      No idea if that's the issue, but it's a relatively cheap check.

      Delete
    10. It's worth a try.

      Now, I wonder how can I fix my phone?

      Delete
    11. In addition to the adapter you'll also have to get an ethernet cable. E6 cables transmit more than E5's, but I've had both and never noticed the difference, but I'm not a gamer or a streamer.

      In my life I've used a cell phone perhaps 30 times, so I am definitely not going to suggest anything. As Clint Eastwood snarled just after he blew up Hal Holbrook, "Man's got to know his limitations."

      Delete
    12. Sorry, I don't have a good enough idea of the problem to offer a solution beyond the usual: I assume you've already tried rebooting your router (i.e., remove both power and data cables, plug them both back in, and hope for the best).

      Delete
  22. A new post is up! I decided to stay at school to publish this post on the codex which contains representations of day and night time earthquakes. It has few images...but at least it is out there. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

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