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Angel: Ok, now you're just being silly.
God: What?
Angel: Come on, look at it!
God: I don't know *giggle* Watto you mean.
Angel: That's it. No more Star Wars for you.
God: *rofl*
God: What?
Angel: Come on, look at it!
God: I don't know *giggle* Watto you mean.
Angel: That's it. No more Star Wars for you.
God: *rofl*
The Saiga Antelope is one of those unlikely things nature came up with just to fuck with us. It looks entirely made up.
As an even-toed ungulate, Saigas are more closely related to an orca than, say, a zebra.
(Taxonomy image via Lifemap lifemap-ncbi.univ-lyon1.fr)
(Taxonomy image via Lifemap lifemap-ncbi.univ-lyon1.fr)
Ok, so the nose. Filters out dust in the summer, warms up air in the winter. Cool, cool.
But you know what they say about antelopes with big noses, so sure enough, nasal roars to impress the ladies are a thing, too.
But you know what they say about antelopes with big noses, so sure enough, nasal roars to impress the ladies are a thing, too.
Roughly the size of a goat, Saigas usually travel in small herds of up to 50 animals. During migration season, however, they gather in massive herds tens of thousands in size.
Saigas reach sexual maturity within 7 months and have high fertility rates, mostly giving birth to twins.
A newborn saiga can outrun a human by its second day of life; adults can run at up to 80 km/h.
Saiga antelopes are listed as @IUCNRedlist Critically Endangered, population decreasing. Yes, directly due to humans being shitty (poaching for horns, building fossil fuel pipelines and roads in their territory, etc.), but also… iucnredlist.org/species/19832/…
...due to periodic mass mortalities. Like, hundreds of thousands suddenly dropping dead.
In September 2015, over 200,000 Saiga — almost 62% of the entire global population! — died over the course of just a few days!
In September 2015, over 200,000 Saiga — almost 62% of the entire global population! — died over the course of just a few days!
The analysis of this epizootic reads like a murder-mystery alien-horror-movie-script at times: advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/1/ea…
Scientists eventually identified 'Pasteurella multocida', a usually harmless bacterium, as the cause of the widespread, quick, and gruesome death.
How did Pasteurella turn deadly? Well, guess what: "unusually high relative humidity and temperature in the days leading up to the mortality event" seem to have been the trigger.
(Global temperature graph via @NASAClimate climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/gl…)
(Global temperature graph via @NASAClimate climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/gl…)
Or, as summarized by @edyong209 summarized last year (paraphrased): It's the climate, stupid. theatlantic.com/science/archiv…
So: an increase of even a few degrees, easily and often pooh-poohed by climate change deniers and 💩 presidents, may quickly lead to the extinction of this species, as "a climate change-induced increase in temperature is projected for the region over the short to medium term".
Due to their high fertility, Saiga are able to rebound from mass mortality events, but not if extra shitty humans continue to illegally hunt them for their horns for use in traditional asian "medicine".
You can help Saigas by (a) not being a shitty climate change denier, (b) not buying shitty "traditional medicine", and (c) contributing to e.g., @SaigaCA saiga-conservation.org/projects/ or @wildnetorg wildnet.org/wildlife-progr…
Extra saiga calf pics to make you want to help.
And this concludes today’s episode of Cultural Learnings Of Climate Change To Make Benefit Great Antelope of Kazakhstan.
Epilogue
George Lucas did sue God for copyright infringement. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum.
George Lucas did sue God for copyright infringement. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum.
Lucas retained the naming rights to all Watto, uhm, I mean, Saiga products, such as this crochet kit: edwardscrochet.com/PD.aspx?produc…
God's claim of prior art by way of the tapir was dismissed since as odd-toed ungulates they were clearly sufficiently different.
