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  1. #2721
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Acworth, GA
    Quote Originally Posted by Fish80 View Post
    Just so happens a friend of my daughter hates prime numbers. Could this be a case of opposites attract?
    Hmmm. Is she hot?

    (and, how old is she?)

  2. #2722
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Acworth, GA
    Note that this is page 127. Prime number.

  3. #2723
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    St Augustine, FL
    Quote Originally Posted by Lavabe View Post
    I don't see the "peanuts" you're discussing. On each side of the upper jaw, I see four premolars (two fell out postmortem, as per Ymo) and two molars (the rear teeth). If you could photoshop an arrow pointing to the peanuts, I might be able to respond better.

    The upper dental formula appears to be 3 incisors, 1 canine, 4 premolars, and 2 molars (3142). Note that the buccal (cheek side) surface of the molars is raised, much like many carnivores.

    It's a full adult raccoon. Maybe it needed an invisible fence to protect it from the foxes!

    Cheers,
    Lavabe

    I've drawn red ovals around the peanuts. They're near the back of the skull, toward the outside edges.

    This particular raccoon wishes he had an electric fence.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #2724
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Lexington, KY

    Peanuts

    Quote Originally Posted by Fish80 View Post
    I've drawn red ovals around the peanuts. They're near the back of the skull, toward the outside edges.

    This particular raccoon wishes he had an electric fence.
    Auditory bulla.

    It's a bone by the ear canal.

  5. #2725
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    St Augustine, FL
    Quote Originally Posted by Lavabe View Post
    Auditory bulla.

    It's a bone by the ear canal.
    Very cool, thanks. That makes sense, since they're located by the base of the ears.

    If you didn't know beforehand, could you tell by looking at the skull that it was a raccoon skull?

    A quick search on google indicates the auditory bulla developed with the carnivores about 63M years ago.

  6. #2726
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Lexington, KY

    Smile Process of elimination

    Quote Originally Posted by Fish80 View Post
    Very cool, thanks. That makes sense, since they're located by the base of the ears.

    If you didn't know beforehand, could you tell by looking at the skull that it was a raccoon skull?

    A quick search on google indicates the auditory bulla developed with the carnivores about 63M years ago.
    Not a primate (okay, I had to throw that one in there).
    Carnivore: easy to tell.
    Could eliminate cats, dogs.
    Dental formula eliminates mustelids (e.g., badgers, weasels, etc...).
    Too small for a bear. Throw out ursids.
    Found on land.
    Found in the Northeast.
    I'd have guessed raccoon.

    FWIW, primates have petrousal auditory bullas.

    Cheers,
    Lavabe

  7. #2727
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Sweet Home Alabama
    On the subject of critters who shouldn't be in our backyards, one of the neighbors' cats was under our deck challenging what turned out to be a snake. I figured it would be a little garter snake, maybe an adolescent snake, but nooooo.... at least a yard long and all black. It looked like moving poo - utterly disgusting. Obviously, it's not poisonous or the cat would have been toast, but I'm not sure I like something slithery and yucky and BIG sliming through our yard!!

  8. #2728
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    St Augustine, FL
    Quote Originally Posted by blublood View Post
    On the subject of critters who shouldn't be in our backyards, one of the neighbors' cats was under our deck challenging what turned out to be a snake. I figured it would be a little garter snake, maybe an adolescent snake, but nooooo.... at least a yard long and all black. It looked like moving poo - utterly disgusting. Obviously, it's not poisonous or the cat would have been toast, but I'm not sure I like something slithery and yucky and BIG sliming through our yard!!
    There's a large black snake called a rat snake that is a very nice snake, quite harmless to humans. The snake can reach a length of 8 feet. It's an excellent climber and is often found in trees, bushes and vines as well as on the ground. The black rat snake keeps the small rodent population in check.

    "The snake is my friend."

  9. #2729
    Quote Originally Posted by blublood View Post
    I'm not sure I like something slithery and yucky and BIG sliming through our yard!!
    Hence my restraining order on EarlJam.

  10. #2730
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Sweet Home Alabama
    Quote Originally Posted by Fish80 View Post
    There's a large black snake called a rat snake that is a very nice snake, quite harmless to humans. The snake can reach a length of 8 feet. It's an excellent climber and is often found in trees, bushes and vines as well as on the ground. The black rat snake keeps the small rodent population in check.

    "The snake is my friend."
    In trees??!! Oh my God... ooooooh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, o.k., I'm going to pretend I didn't read that...

  11. #2731
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Lexington, KY

    Smile Snakes vs. rats

    Quote Originally Posted by blublood View Post
    In trees??!! Oh my God... ooooooh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, o.k., I'm going to pretend I didn't read that...
    Now, now...

    Snakes, indeed, are our friends. I much prefer snakes to rats.

    A black rat snake is usually a good thing, especially if you have a garden.

    Green tree pit vipers ... now THOSE you should watch out for (if you live in Laos).

    Cheers,
    Lavabe

  12. #2732
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Sweet Home Alabama
    Quote Originally Posted by Lavabe View Post
    Now, now...

    Snakes, indeed, are our friends. I much prefer snakes to rats.

    A black rat snake is usually a good thing, especially if you have a garden.

    Green tree pit vipers ... now THOSE you should watch out for (if you live in Laos).

    Cheers,
    Lavabe
    Notice that neither of you is saying, "Don't worry, blublood, you're being ridiculous! The snake would never slime up a tree limb, await its fiendish opportunity, and dive bomb onto you or your small child when you least expect it!"

    Also, my cats handle all rodent-dispatching duties around the yard, so I'm not sure why the snake wants to live with us anyway. I mean, not with us, not in the house, not in our house, oh my God, o.k. gotta go!!

  13. #2733
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Lexington, KY

    Smile Snakes are our friends

    Quote Originally Posted by blublood View Post
    Notice that neither of you is saying, "Don't worry, blublood, you're being ridiculous! The snake would never slime up a tree limb, await its fiendish opportunity, and dive bomb onto you or your small child when you least expect it!"

    Also, my cats handle all rodent-dispatching duties around the yard, so I'm not sure why the snake wants to live with us anyway. I mean, not with us, not in the house, not in our house, oh my God, o.k. gotta go!!
    IIRC, calling another poster ridiculous would be an infraction, and no one wants to be banned from the OTB.

    Many rodents are nocturnal, so while the cats are away ...

    Most snakes in the US are afraid of humans. They don't attack you as prey, ambushing you from the trees.

    Leopards, on the other hand, ambush from the trees remarkably well and efficiently. Last check, however, is that we have no leopards in the US.

    Cheers,
    Lavabe

  14. #2734
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    St Augustine, FL
    Snakes in trees!!!

    Funniest thing - my mother-in-law walked out her front door and a snake fell down on her neck. It doesn't get any funnier than that.

    She was fine, just momentarily startled.

  15. #2735
    Quote Originally Posted by Fish80 View Post
    Snakes in trees!!!

    Funniest thing - my mother-in-law walked out her front door and a snake fell down on her neck. It doesn't get any funnier than that.

    She was fine, just momentarily startled.
    Eeeeeewwwwwwwww!!!!

    Now, neither blublood nor Tilly will EVER leave the house. Sorry, blublood, I shouldn't speak for you, though I'm betting you're with me on this one.

  16. #2736
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Lexington, KY

    Smile Back to basics

    Quote Originally Posted by TillyGalore View Post
    Eeeeeewwwwwwwww!!!!

    Now, neither blublood nor Tilly will EVER leave the house. Sorry, blublood, I shouldn't speak for you, though I'm betting you're with me on this one.
    ... but if you had a raccoon in the backyard, you could knock out the snake AND the rodents ... and they wouldn't pounce from above.

  17. #2737
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    St Augustine, FL
    They have a "roof" over the entrance, and tree frogs hang out in that enclave. Most likely, the snake was hungry for some frog. My theory is that when the door was opened, the snake fell rather than pounced.

  18. #2738
    Quote Originally Posted by Lavabe View Post
    ... but if you had a raccoon in the backyard, you could knock out the snake AND the rodents ... and they wouldn't pounce from above.
    I'll go along with this. Raccoons are okay in my book. I do love their cute little faces.

  19. #2739
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Lexington, KY

    Exclamation Uh oh ...

    Quote Originally Posted by TillyGalore View Post
    I'll go along with this. Raccoons are okay in my book. I do love their cute little faces.
    EEK!! I just had a thought...

    ... but what would happen to Moneypenny?

  20. #2740
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Acworth, GA
    Quote Originally Posted by Lavabe View Post
    EEK!! I just had a thought...

    ... but what would happen to Moneypenny?
    You all need to stop hijacking this thread and move it back on topic!

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