SkatzPoker - Tough tities. - Official Skatz 10 Million Views Thread

SkatzPoker - Tough tities. (http://www.skatzpoker.org/forums/index.php)

- Gare-a-Lago (http://www.skatzpoker.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2)

- - Official Skatz 10 Million Views Thread (http://www.skatzpoker.org/forums/showthread.php?t=20380)

Gambian Pouched Rat - An Unlikely Hero

http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/we...ouched-rat.jpgThe Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus) is truly one of the unsung heroes of the rodent world. Found wild throughout Africa; Gambian pouched rats weigh on average between 1 and 1.4 kilograms (2.2 and 3.1 lb). The length of this rodent can reach sizes of 64 to 91 cm (25.39 to 35.83 in) and beyond, including the tail. from nose to tail. The Gambian pouched rat is brown or gray and may have white or lighter colored markings on its feet and belly. It is called a pouched rat because it has large storage pouches in its cheeks, much like a hamster. Omnivorous by nature, captive Gambian pouched rats thrive on a diet of vegetables, seeds, and grains in addition to commercial rodent kibble. In their native habitat of forests and thickets, Gambian pouched rats feed on palm kernels, insects, crabs, and snails. They are a nocturnal animal with keen hearing and smell but poor eyesight. In Africa, they are considered â€œbushmeatâ€ and commonly captured and eaten. The species is quite common on the African continent and is not endangered.

In the United States, the Gambian pouched rat is kept as a pet, although it is no longer legal to import specimens. Populations of Gambian pouched rats have become a problem in the Florida Keys where they have gained a toehold in the wild. Although it is not known precisely how the rat was released to the wild, it is most likely the result of careless pet owners allowing individuals to escape or deliberately releasing them when they became too hard to handle. Conservationists are concerned that the non-native species could have a serious negative impact on wildlife, particularly birds, as well as pose an agricultural threat if they should move to the mainland. Gambian pouched rats are believed to be one of the species that carry monkeypox and the recent outbreak of the disease in the United States is blamed on rats imported for the pet industry.

In 1996, Bart Weetjens began to experiment with Gambian pouched rats in detecting land mines. Weetjens sought a low-tech method of dealing with the problem of land mines and drew on his childhood experiences with pet rats. Gambian pouched rats have keen sense of smell and can be very docile if they are handled from a young age. Weetjens collaborated with the Belgium Directorate for International Cooperation and established APOPO, a nonprofit organization that trains mine detecting rats in Tanzania. Known as HeroRATS, Gambian pouched rats are trained to smell out explosives. When the rat scratches a patch of ground containing a land mine, a clicker is pressed and the animal receives a food reward.

Gambian pouched rats are also used to detect tuberculosis. Laboratory rats identify sputum samples infected with tuberculosis in a similar manner to rats trained to identify land mines. One rat can work its way through as many as 150 sputum samples in 30 minutes. Tuberculosis is a major health concern in Africa and early detection of the disease is crucial to successful treatment. Gambian pouched rats have been an economical and effective tool in fighting the spread of this disease.

Picture by Liftarn, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/anim...sQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/animals/~4/mB6CtPP2ECo

More...

Problems with Hispanics

Forum: Opposing Views ForumPosted By: runin0nemptyPost Time: 10-12-2012 at 08:37 PM

More...

Mount Sharp Slopes

This image is part of a series of color strips being acquired by HiRISE to support future traverse planning by the Curiosity rover.

The enhanced-color subimage shows an interesting portion of this scene, on the low slopes at the base of \"Mount Sharp\", where the rover could study deposits with diverse lithologies (rock types). The darkest areas mark deposits of loose, windblown sand. In general the bluer colors mark unaltered igneous minerals whereas the warm colors are due to altered minerals.

The experiments carried by the rover can provide much more detailed information about the compositions and implications for the geologic history of Mars.

Written by: Alfred McEwen

Credits: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

More...

Pre-stellar Cloud

Herschelâ€™s infrared view of part of the Taurus Molecular Cloud, within which the bright, cold pre-stellar cloud L1544 can be seen at the lower left. It is surrounded by many other clouds of gas and dust of varying density. The Taurus Molecular Cloud is about 450 light-years from Earth and is the nearest large region of star formation. The image covers a field of view of approximately 1 x 2 arcminutes.

Credits: ESA/Herschel/SPIRE

Read the article here

More...

like a magnitude order easier than problems with the blacks adolf, lets be real with life here

those challah bread french toasts you enjoy so much likely cooked by a well meaning mexican who took a bus to work so be real son

THEYRE NOT PERFECT BY ANY MEANS AND IN SWARMS THEY ARE THE WORST, but cmon lets give some allowances big dog

Galaxies, Stars, and Dust

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_121013.jpg Spiky stars and spooky shapes abound in

More...

Boullier coy on Grosjean future

Eric Boullier has refused to confirm that Romain Grosjean will retain his seat with Lotus for next season in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports F1.

More...