Small, Big-Brained Animals Dodge Extinction 85
ananyo writes "Large-brained animals may be less likely to go extinct in a changing world, perhaps because they can use their greater intelligence to adapt their behavior to new conditions, according to an analysis presented to a meeting of conservation biologists this week. Plotting brain size against body size creates a tidy curve. But some species have bigger or smaller brains than the curve would predict for their body size. And a bigger brain-to-body-size ratio usually means a smarter animal. The researchers looked at the sizes of such deviations from the curve and their relationships to the fates of two groups of mammalian species — 'palaeo' and 'modern'. Analysis of each group produced similar results: species that weighed less than 10 kilograms and had big brains for their body size were less likely to have gone extinct or be placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list for endangered species. For species larger than about 10 kilograms, the advantage of having a large brain seems to be swamped by the disadvantage of being big — such as attracting the unwelcome attention of humans."
Re:Except (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Snake meat tastes much better than chicken meat (Score:5, Informative)
I think I had snake once, and it was really quite tasty. I don't know which kind it was, or indeed if it really was a snake. The idea of snake farming is rather amusing though, especially if there's a risk/reward factor there. Is there a golden taste-to-poison ratio?
While there are many species of venomous snakes there are vey few species of poisonous ones. Many kinds of snake venom can be ingested. The venom will not kill you (unless you have a wound in your mouth) but it may make you throw up. That's why you can suck snake venom from a wound without dying yourself.
Re:Snake meat tastes much better than chicken meat (Score:4, Informative)
Do NOT cut and suck. Cutting into the bite site can damage underlying organs, increase the risk of infection, and sucking on the bite site does not result in venom removal. [emedicinehealth.com]
Incising (cutting) and suctioning the bite area has not been shown to be beneficial, but a venom extractor (found in commercial snake bite kits) may be helpful if it is applied to the area within five minutes of the bite and left in place for 30 minutes. A 2004 study of mock venom extraction using a suction device, however, questioned the validity of venom extractors and suggested that their use is unlikely to be effective. [medicinenet.com]