Neighborhood Hazard

[NevadaWolf]

I tried searching for this but was unsuccessful. If anyone can find if this was already shared with the forum (as I am expecting it has), then merge away.

This was shared with me today after a Twitter friend made the comment "Watch out for squirrels, they are dangerous." Thinking of our own dear @akima I questioned this belief and was given this story as proof.

http://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2004/...iceStreet.html

[jeffb502]

I lol'd so much I had tears in my eyes. I'll never look at squirrels the same way again.

In a more likely squirrel danger scenario, when I mentioned I had just started riding to a former co-worker of mine mentioned he was on a non-voluntary break from riding because he had lowsided into an oncoming pickup truck after a squirrel (or was it a rabbit...I don't remember for sure now...definitely a small furry creature) ran out in front of him mid-corner in the twisties and got squished.

[csmith12]

Yea, it has been posted before but it's funny enough to post again!

[misfitsailor]

Squirrels are evil. I once rescued one from the water while out sailing. He was far from land, and looked helpless. Once aboard, he ran in to the forward cabin. When I went below to check on him later, he had shredded some of the port light (window) curtains!!! No good deed goes unpunished...

[NevadaWolf]

I was hoping to just bump the original but alas, new thread.
@jeffb502 Same! I had tears from trying to not laugh out loud as i am sure everyone in the building would have heard me. He's a great writer!

[Ninja Bob]

Now that sure is some strong seat glue.

[Kscreations08]

I have a road rash scar that covers my entire right shoulder blade from one of those furry bastards. I was bombing a hill on my longboard and a squirrel ran out in front of me. Successfully swerved around the suicidal rodent but couldn't regain control of the board. Had concrete for lunch that day.

Interesting question though. Does anyone brake for squirrels or rabbits? In the cage, I don't even apologize lol. We have a major rabbit population here. I don't want a flat tire on the bike from a bunny skull lol

[Old Lemon]

squirrels were playing mind games with me on this day.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[NevadaWolf]

Link to original page on YouTube.

[akima]

That's been posted here before, but I loved it just as much this second time I read it There's a tree full of tiny, baby squirreletts outside my house. They spend all day looking out at the world... probably planning.

[Kscreations08]

^^^devious little buggers

[flitecontrol]

Originally Posted by Kscreations08

Does anyone brake for squirrels or rabbits? In the cage, I don't even apologize lol. We have a major rabbit population here. I don't want a flat tire on the bike from a bunny skull lol

Fresh (not dry) bones are softer than dry ones. I have a friend who has a large chicken operation. When a chicken dies, he feeds it, raw, to his dogs. When I asked him about the bones, he said fresh chicken is not a problem because the bones are soft. But he never feeds them cooked chicken bones because they are brittle and can perforate the dog's intestines.

I wouldn't worry about getting a flat from running over small critters.

[fishdip]

Originally Posted by flitecontrol

Fresh (not dry) bones are softer than dry ones. I have a friend who has a large chicken operation. When a chicken dies, he feeds it, raw, to his dogs. When I asked him about the bones, he said fresh chicken is not a problem because the bones are soft. But he never feeds them cooked chicken bones because they are brittle and can perforate the dog's intestines.

I wouldn't worry about getting a flat from running over small critters.

I use to feed baby rabbits to the dog when we where breeding them.

[akima]

Originally Posted by flitecontrol

Fresh (not dry) bones are softer than dry ones. I have a friend who has a large chicken operation. When a chicken dies, he feeds it, raw, to his dogs. When I asked him about the bones, he said fresh chicken is not a problem because the bones are soft. But he never feeds them cooked chicken bones because they are brittle and can perforate the dog's intestines.

I wouldn't worry about getting a flat from running over small critters.

huh.

I always wondered about that. I've seen dogs and cats eat recently killed animals and they pretty much eat the whole thing, yet I've always been told to not give them bones from meat from the butchers. I guess that's why! That's my new piece of knowledge for the day

[NevadaWolf]

Color me impressed, I didn't know that either. One of the things I'd wondered about given how easy humans can choke on bones but wild animals just tear into their prey.

Course that also explains how animals can get into the marrow so easily without hands to help break things apart.

[akima]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

Color me impressed, I didn't know that either. One of the things I'd wondered about given how easy humans can choke on bones but wild animals just tear into their prey.

Course that also explains how animals can get into the marrow so easily without hands to help break things apart.

I know that carnivores like cats and dogs are better at digesting and eating animals than we omnivores are. They have more acidic stomachs for breaking down the meat and other animal parts and their teeth are all specialized for tearing and cutting through their food whereas we have a mix of teeth. We have tearing teeth (the front ones I think) and at the back we have grinding teeth for grinding down plant material. We can do plants and meat with our equipment but we're not as good at either as a pure carnivore or pure herbivore.

I used to think that our dogs would have trouble digesting their food on account of how quickly they swallowed it without chewing, but apparently (no surprise really...) that behaviour is completely normal. They are designed to tear chunks of meat off and swallow it whole without chewing. The rest happens in their stomach.

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by akima

We have tearing teeth (the front ones I think) and at the back we have grinding teeth for grinding down plant material. We can do plants and meat with our equipment but we're not as good at either as a pure carnivore or pure herbivore.

My thread, I can threadjack it if i want.

Just run your tongue over your teeth to figure out their usage.

Incisors — the sharp, chisel-shaped front teeth (four upper, four lower) used for cutting food.
Canines — sometimes called cuspids, these teeth are shaped like points (cusps) and are used for tearing food.
Premolars — these teeth have two pointed cusps on their biting surface and are sometimes referred to as bicuspids. The premolars are for crushing and tearing.
Molars — used for grinding, these teeth have several cusps on the biting surface.

I need to read more as I do wonder how much we've changed from our prehistoric ancestors in our ability to eat whatever comes across our path. Is it more cultural, societal, or genuine biological that has limited our diets to be only a few select foods (yes there is a massive amount of food but no where near the variety there was before we began selectively growing our own food).

Need an anthropologist!

[akima]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

Is it more cultural, societal, or genuine biological that has limited our diets to be only a few select foods

I think it's both. We physically can't eat some of the food our pets eat without getting ill from it. I think the high acidity of their stomachs protects them. There's such a massive range of foods that different cultures eat. People of one culture can find something delicious and people of another culture gag at just the smell.

So many of us just eat the muscle and fat of animals and don't touch the other organs. I kind of wish I was raised to enjoy eating a much wider ranger of plant and animal.

[fishdip]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

My thread, I can threadjack it if i want.

Just run your tongue over your teeth to figure out their usage.



I need to read more as I do wonder how much we've changed from our prehistoric ancestors in our ability to eat whatever comes across our path. Is it more cultural, societal, or genuine biological that has limited our diets to be only a few select foods (yes there is a massive amount of food but no where near the variety there was before we began selectively growing our own food).

Need an anthropologist!

Forks over knifes on Netflix.

[NevadaWolf]

I'll watch it to watch it, but a quick scan of their webpage has me going "Nope, like eating meat too much."

[flitecontrol]

Originally Posted by akima

huh.

I always wondered about that. I've seen dogs and cats eat recently killed animals and they pretty much eat the whole thing, yet I've always been told to not give them bones from meat from the butchers. I guess that's why! That's my new piece of knowledge for the day

Meat the butcher sells is usually from larger animals, such as beef or pork. They contain bones which are often cut in such a way that they will splinter into fairly sharp points. So keeping them away from pets is probably a good idea. The exception would be a fresh leg bone from a cow. It's big enough that a large dog can't break it; just slowly gnaw bits off the ends.

[flitecontrol]

Originally Posted by akima

I think it's both. We physically can't eat some of the food our pets eat without getting ill from it. I think the high acidity of their stomachs protects them. There's such a massive range of foods that different cultures eat. People of one culture can find something delicious and people of another culture gag at just the smell.

So many of us just eat the muscle and fat of animals and don't touch the other organs. I kind of wish I was raised to enjoy eating a much wider ranger of plant and animal.

Sorry for the hijack.

Many animals can eat foods that would sicken or kill us. Deer love the leaves of pokeweed (aka poke salad), a native plant historically eaten in the South by poorer folks. It is very high in protein. Deer or course eat it raw. Humans have to soak or boil it (can't remember which) and pour off the water before it is safe to eat.

Deer also eat poison ivy with no ill effects. Deer and humans can eat the tender shoots of most species of greenbriar. To me, it tastes a lot like raw asparagus shoots. There are over 40 species of greenbriar, and one of them tastes terrible!

Most people can eat chocolate with no problems, but too much will kill a dog.

[kxpower?]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

I was hoping to just bump the original but alas, new thread.
@jeffb502 Same! I had tears from trying to not laugh out loud as i am sure everyone in the building would have heard me. He's a great writer!

Clicking around this guy's website man I wanna go test ride a valkyrie now!

[capt_bugaloo]

Squirrels are just rats with fuzzy tails and good P/R.

[mgentz]

[akima]

Originally Posted by capt_bugaloo

Squirrels are just rats with fuzzy tails and good P/R.

* bites @capt_bugaloo and runs away *

[CajunNinjaR]

Hit a rabbit on the way to work in the cage, it went in the pot :-) if i run over a squirrel or rabbit I will bring it home and clean it. Squirrels make awesome gumbo and rabbits are great smothered with onions and gravy! However i will not pick up an animal that I did not see get killed or one that was visibly sick.
Posted via Mobile Device

[EternalNewb]

Originally Posted by CajunNinjaR

Hit a rabbit on the way to work in the cage, it went in the pot :-) if i run over a squirrel or rabbit I will bring it home and clean it. Squirrels make awesome gumbo and rabbits are great smothered with onions and gravy!
Posted via Mobile Device

I like this. At least their life doesn't go to waste that way.

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

My thread, I can threadjack it if i want.

Just run your tongue over your teeth to figure out their usage.



I need to read more as I do wonder how much we've changed from our prehistoric ancestors in our ability to eat whatever comes across our path. Is it more cultural, societal, or genuine biological that has limited our diets to be only a few select foods (yes there is a massive amount of food but no where near the variety there was before we began selectively growing our own food).

Need an anthropologist!

We haven't changed that much, at least going by what we're able to eat, we can still go through pretty much anything with the teeth we've got. There hasn't been much selective pressure to change our dental pattern & farming is only around 12,000 years or so (~800 generations) we may have lost the enzymes to deal with certain small doses of poisons in that time, if it wasn't strong enough to kill us but had unpleasant digestive side effects we would have avoided it anyway.

Using fire probably done a lot more damage to our digestive prowess than farming.

I'm a biologist not an anthropologist.

Originally Posted by flitecontrol

Sorry for the hijack.

Many animals can eat foods that would sicken or kill us. Deer love the leaves of pokeweed (aka poke salad), a native plant historically eaten in the South by poorer folks. It is very high in protein. Deer or course eat it raw. Humans have to soak or boil it (can't remember which) and pour off the water before it is safe to eat.

Deer also eat poison ivy with no ill effects. Deer and humans can eat the tender shoots of most species of greenbriar. To me, it tastes a lot like raw asparagus shoots. There are over 40 species of greenbriar, and one of them tastes terrible!

Most people can eat chocolate with no problems, but too much will kill a dog.

Again down to the enzymes we have to deal with the poisons, my guess is boiling it denatures the proteins & releases the smaller toxic chemicals, discarding the water & rinsing it off makes it more edible.
It's worth it for the deer to be able to eat it, as there's a lot of protein so they've developed the enzymes needed to deactivate the poisons. It goes to selective pressure & survival of the fittest, the deer that can eat it get bigger & stronger than the deer who can't so the gene for that enzyme gets passed on.

It's caffeine in chocolate that doesn't do dogs any good, they can't break it down

[NevadaWolf]

Thank you. That makes more sense.

I wasn't thinking meat when I posted, mostly imagining tromping through the woods and being able to recognize plants as edible, medicinal, or hazardous then snacking along the way (a skill I wish I had for hikes or backcountry adventures). I know farming hasn't been around very long, certainly not long enough to change us physically, which is what leads me to wonder about how much we have changed. Thanks for your input!

Am I understanding correctly that the use of fire to cook the meat would have caused us to lose the enzymes needed to protect against the harmful side of eating fresh raw meat/blood?