In a series of experiments in people and mice scientists for the first time demonstrated that carnitine from foods as well as from supplements influenced cardiovascular risk.
Hazen's group also compared mice fed their normal chow which is basically a vegetarian diet with mice
whose food was supplemented with carnitine. We saw that carnitine supplements doubled the rates of atherosclerosis in the mice Hazen said.
It did this by dramatically increasing levels of TMAO which is produced by gut bacteria that metabolize l-carnitine.
and toxic rat poison other studies have shown. Rare predator species such as spotted owls and fisher cats eat the poisoned mice and die.
The marijuana cultivators make trail systems to go in and put toxicants at every clearing said Mourad Gabriel a University of California Davis wildlife disease ecologist who studies the effects of rodenticides on rare species. A lot of predators will use any type of trail system
The cultivators spray pesticides and fertilizers and spread rat poison. Rodents that eat the poison live for two to seven days before keeling over giving predators plenty of time to capture their dazed prey.
UC Davis'Gabriel and his colleagues are seeing the effects of these chemicals on the fisher cat a carnivore being considered for Endangered Species Act listing.
which rely more heavily on rodents for food than fisher cats do. Spotted owls have tested positive for rodenticides in Oregon
and Gabriel said preliminary data indicates barn owls are snaring poison-laced mice. Email Becky Oskin or follow her@beckyoskin. Follow us@livescience Facebookâ & Google+.
Other mammals that thrived during this period include moonrats tenrecs (hedgehog-like creatures) and macrauchenia (similar to a llamas and camels.
Its genetic material was inserted into mouse embryos which proved functional in live mice. Photos: The Creatures of Cryptozoology Should we?
Now that de-extinction looms as a possibility it presents some thorny questions: Should we bring back these species?
and has a healthy appetite eating up to 15 mice a day the zoo said in a statement.
Truckers currently have to take a road that circumvents Tanazania's Serengeti National park and Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve a long journey.
I usually taste all the toxic plants that my wood rats and pikas eat. They are usually unworthy of a second tasting Dearing said.
Anything from Modest Mouse to Johnny cash to classical depending on the mood of the day. Editor's Note:
Krampus dragging bad children to the underworld pine trees kissing Santa lighting a cigar off a Christmas tree anthropomorphic mice decorating trees and cats tossing snowballs.
Researchers tested a high dose of garcinia cambogia extract on obese male rats. The good news? The rats lost weight!
The bad news? Extremely high doses seemed to cause testicular atrophy and toxicity. Yikes! If you do decide to hop on the latest bandwagon
And as researchers saw in the 2005 study on rats there may be consequences to taking large doses. Until we have more research to draw from we can't know what is truly safe.
The phenomenon was discovered first in 1959 in mice by biologist Hilda Bruce and is known as the Bruce effect.
It has since been reported in other rodent species but was known not to exist outside the lab until scientists observed it in geladas. 5. Spider cannibals The female Stegodyphus spider is the ultimate selfless mother.
Studies with primates and rats however suggest that some of our closely related animal cousins can also avoid decisions based on their own uncertainty.
Another preliminary study this one conducted in rats found coconut oil had some protective benefits for developing fetuses.
Rats that are accosted with bright lights and physically restrained during pregnancy typically give birth to pups with low birth weight and slower development.
However rats in the study that were stressed but also fed supplements of coconut oil had pups that had better development of their motor skills than the offspring of stressed rats that weren't given the supplement according to the paper published in the International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience.
For external use Ulbricht said coconut oil appears to be as effective as mineral oil. But more research is needed before conclusions can be made.
In light of these findings scientists ran studies in mice and on human tissue to see
But the studies on mice or cells have signaled a potential weight loss effect. A 2005 study on mice fed a high-fat diet found raspberry ketone prevented weight gain in the liver
and gains of visceral fat (belly fat) that surrounds organs according to the paper in the journal Life sciences.
Research in mice and on cells growing in lab dishes often inspires more research. But for results that can be trusted doctors look for many human trials of a chemical with many participants.
and nestlings by squirrels and mice was lower. But now that the forest has changed and the birds are nesting in similar sites their nests are being detected more often by predators
#Will poisoned Mice Solve Guam's Snake Problem? In a desperate bid to reduce Guam's population of poisonous brown tree snakes officials with the U s. Department of agriculture believe they've hit on a foolproof plan:
airdropping dead mice onto the Pacific island. It gets weirder: Before the airdrop the dead mice will have stuffed their bodies with Tylenol (acetaminophen)
which is toxic to the snakes according to the Guardian. Wait it gets weirder still. Each mouse will be fitted with a tiny parachute
so they'll be more likely to get snagged in trees where the snakes live.
That will also reduce the risk that the dead mice will poison other animals. The brown tree snake a native of Australia Papua new guinea
When rats were introduced accidentally to Hawaii the rodents quickly became pests since they had no natural predators.
So sugar-cane plantation owners brought over a group of mongooses to control the rat population. But nobody knew that the mongoose generally hunts during the day
and rats are primarily nocturnal according to the New york times. So while the rat population continued to soar the mongooses proceeded to destroy Hawaii's native bird and turtle populations.
And Florida's attempts at controlling another invasive snake the Burmese python have met with limited success. The state recently sponsored a much-ballyhooed Python Roundup with rewards offered for the biggest snake
Just 68 snakes out of several thousand according to ABC News. The poison-mouse trick has been used before in Guam:
In 2010 the USDA airdropped mice at military installations on the island according to CNN. com. That program's effectiveness led to the current airdrop program
In both rats and humans for example early painful experiences have been linked to changes in pain sensitivity later
In humans and rats the hormones and brain circuits that influence the stress response are affected by early life experience Mendl said.
smaller animals like ground squirrels and rodents; and even birds'eggs and berries. They like meat best
A 2009 Johns Hopkins study on mice found that broccoli sprouts are especially good at helping in this way.
Mice that were fed broccoli sprouts daily for two months reduced the levels of H. pylori in their stools by more than 40 percent.
A necklace of beaver ponds graced the valley below supporting a diverse community of plants and animals while storing precious water vital to human communities downstream.
Platypuses (which is the correct plural form not platypi) have shaped a paddle tail like a beaver;
The largest rabbit breeds are checkered giant Flemish giant French lop and giant chinchilla. These mammals are known for their insatiable reproductive habits for good reason.
They eat small game such as rodents rabbits fish and frogs and larger game like deer.
To keep the yard tick-free use landscaping that deters mice deer woodchucks and other rodents that carry ticks he said.
People should also remove tick habitat such as leaf piles shrubs and groundcover near the house.
Mini Hedgehog and Tiny Tapir Fossils Found in Canada A miniature hedgehog smaller than a mouse
See Images of the New Hedgehog & Tapir Fossils When they looked at it under a hand lens they realized it was a fossil vertebrate Eberle told Live Science.
and some teeth belonging to a previously unknown species of hedgehog dubbed Silvacola acares from the words for tiny forest dweller in Greek and Latin.
This little hedgehog would have been only about 2 inches (5 centimeters) long smaller than a house mouse.
Red wolves eat smaller prey such as rodents insects and rabbits. They aren't afraid of going outside their carnivorous diet
#Hamster Facts: Diet, Habits & Types of Hamsters Hamsters are small rodents that are kept commonly as house pets.
They are distinguishable from other rodents due to their short tails stubby legs and small ears.
Hamsters have many different colors including black grey brown white yellow red or a mixture of several colors.
With 24 species of hamsters these animals come in a wide range of sizes. The European breed can grow as large as 13.4 inches (34 centimeters) long
and are some of the biggest varieties of hamsters. The dwarf hamster lives up to its name.
These tiny hamsters grow to around 2 to 4 inches (5. 5 to 10.5 cm) long.
The most common pet hamster the Syrian hamster also known as the teddy bear hamster or golden hamster usually grows to about 6 inches (15.24 cm) long.
The first hamsters were discovered in Syria though they also live in Greece Romania Belgium and northern China.
In the wild they like to live in warm dry areas like steppes sand dunes and the edges of deserts.
Hamsters were brought to the United states in 1936 from Syria according to the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association.
They were some of the first domesticated hamsters. Hamsters are nocturnal according to the ASPCA which means they like sleeping during the day.
In the wild they dig burrows which are a series of tunnels to live and breed in.
Hamsters will also store food in their burrows. Living underground keeps wild hamsters cool in hot climates.
Some hamsters are very social while others are loners. For example the Syrian hamster doesn't like living near other hamsters.
They are very territorial and should never be put in a cage with other hamsters. It will bite the other hamster
and may even kill it. Dwarf hamsters on the other hand are social and like to have a friend nearby.
Wild hamsters will hibernate if the weather gets cold enough. Hamsters will wake up from their hibernation periodically to eat.
If there isn't enough food stored hamsters will wait to hibernate until their surplus is to their liking.
Hamsters like to eat seeds grains nuts cracked corn fruits and vegetables. Wild hamsters also eat insects frogs lizards and other small animals.
A captive hamster's diet should be at least 16 percent protein and 5 percent fat according to Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.
Hamsters'name comes from the German word hamstern #which means hoard.##This is a very apt way to describe how hamsters eat.
They have pouches in their cheeks that they stuff with food. Then they will carry their hoard back to their colony so they can eat it later.
Pet hamsters will often store food under their cage bedding. Male and female hamsters waste no time when mating with one another.
If you put two opposite gender hamsters into a cage together the female will become pregnant very quickly.
Their gestation period lasts 15 to 20 days. After the birth the litter is blind until they are two weeks old
and at 3 to 4 weeks the young are weaned. Females tend to have two to three litters per year.
Hamsters typically live one to two years but can live up to three years in captivity. Golden hamsters are considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources'Red List.
This breed is found in Syria where agriculture and human development are taking over the hamster's natural habitat.
Generally hamsters are ideal house pets because they are gentle and are easy to take care of.
They will bite when startled or scared though. They will also bite if they are awakened during their sleeping time.
Since they sleep during the day and humans are awake during the day this means that biting is more likely.
Hamsters have very poor eyesight. Their scent glands on their backs secrete an easily identifiable smell.
To find their way around they leave a trail of scent by rubbing their backs against objects.
When a hamster needs to find their way back home they will use this scent trail as a guide.
Hamster's teeth grow continually. Chewing on wood or twigs keeps their teeth short. Without something to chew on their teeth would grow so long they would injure the roof of the mouth and lips.
A mother hamster is very protective. If she fears that her babies are in danger she will put the babies in her mouth pouches
and carry them to safety o
#King penguins'Genes Explain Ancient Island-Hopping King penguins colonized a string of islands north of Antarctica about 15000 years ago after glaciers melted
and the climate warmed according to a new genetic study. The balmier weather gave the penguins two things they needed to thrive:
ice-free pockets of land on which to raise their chicks and food within swimming range for feeding those chicks the study found.
Rodents would feed on the corn and corn snakes would come to eat the rodents. Corn snakes are closely related to rat snakes and sometimes known as red rat snakes.#
#Corn snakes are slender and range from 18 to 44 inches (45 to 112 centimeters) with the record at 72 inches (1. 8 meters).
and invade rodents nests looking for prey. Nevertheless these snakes are generally quiet and shy.
How Snakes Slither Up Trees Corn snakes enjoy a diet of rodents lizards frogs small birds bats and bird eggs.
Rodents are their favorites. Not being venomous these snakes don t just bite their prey to kill it they constrict it.
The small portion of the wild animals in the leopards'diet consisted of mostly rodents as well as civets monkeys mongooses and birds.
#oecompared to 100 rats or 200 college students this is a small study#says Sheree Watson a primatologist at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg who was involved not in this work.
A 2012 study published in the journal Ancient Science of Life suggested rats with diabetes that were fed Gomutra Ark had significantly lower blood glucose levels than rats in a control group did.
And a 2013 study in the International Brazilian Journal of Urology claimed that distilled cow urine might help to prevent the development of kidney stones in rats.
#Gluten-Free Diet Reduces Risk of Type 1 Diabetes in Mice Exposure to a gluten-free diet prenatally
or very early in life in the womb or through a mother's milk may reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes at least in mice a new study suggests.
In the study researchers used a type of mouse that is prone to developing type 1 diabetes.
Mouse mothers were fed either a gluten-free diet or a regular diet during pregnancy and the time when they were nursing.
When the mouse pups were four weeks old the researchers transitioned them to a regular diet.
About 50 percent of the mouse pups whose mothers were fed a regular diet developed type 1 diabetes
whether the findings apply to humans as intriguing findings in mice don't always translate very well into recommendations for people said Dr. Victoria Hsiao an assistant professor of endocrinology
if the mice pups in the study that didn't develop type 1 diabetes by the time they were 30 weeks old would end up developing type 1 diabetes later in life;
To follow up on the mouse study a future study could look at information already collected from women who happened to followed a gluten-free diet in pregnancy
The researchers previously showed that this method worked in rodents but pig hearts are similar to human hearts in their size
The crispy carcasses of muskrats alligators and snakehead fish populated the other carving boards and fried tarantulas were served on sticks.
and leaves they also eat locusts lizards snakes and rodents according to the San diego Zoo. They also eat sand
A study in mice published last year in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that chlorogenic acid in green coffee bean extract didn't help prevent weight gain in mice fed a high-fat diet
when the oil is drizzled on other foods new research in mice suggests. Olive oil's unsaturated fat reacts with certain compounds in vegetables to form a third compound that can reduce blood pressure the researchers found.
which have been shown to keep blood pressure in check in animals according to the researchers. 7 Foods Your Heart Will Hate The scientists used mice to investigate how nitro fatty acids may lead to reduced blood pressure looking specifically at
The results showed that the diet increased the level of nitro fatty acids in mice and lowered their blood pressure.
The evidence was strengthened by the fact that a subgroup of mice that were modified genetically and were resistant to the inhibitory effects on the enzyme were found to maintain their high blood pressure
and stealth to take down deer peccary monkeys birds frogs fish alligators and small rodents. If wild food is scarce these large cats will also hunt domestic livestock.
Can a marmot or a mouse who is playing fail to detect the presence of a predator?
Can a chimpanzee too full of himself put himself at risk by ignoring social cues from others who are not as taken with him?
Based on a field study of Golden Marmots in Pakistan's Khunjerab National park UCLA biologist Daniel Blumsteinsuggested that play might expose individuals to predation.
while scientists were looking for the traces of ancient woodrats. Researchers took DNA samples from the dung
#Chinchilla Facts Chinchillas are rodents that are native to the Andes mountains of northern Chile. Often kept as pets chinchillas are prized also for their luxuriously soft fur
and were driven nearly to extinction because of the demand. Chinchilla fur was mottled originally yellow-gray in the wild according to The Merck Veterinary Manual.
Through selective breeding however other colors have become common including silver yellow-gray bluish-gray white beige and black.
Each hair ends in a black tip no matter what color the chinchillas are. First appearing around 41 million years ago the chinchilla's ancestors were some of the first rodents to infest South america.
Chinchilla fur became popular in the 1700s and the animals were hunted nearly to extinction by 1900 About that time Argentina Bolivia Chile
and Peru banned the hunting of wild chinchillas. However according to the Chinchilla Chronicles website an American mining engineer named Mathias F. Chapman got special permission from the Chilean government to bring chinchillas to the United states in 1923.
Nearly every pet chinchilla in the United states today is a direct descendant of 11 chinchillas that Chapman brought to the country.
Chinchillas are related to guinea pigs and porcupines. With short forelimbs and long muscular hind legs chinchillas resemble rabbits
but their ears are much shorter and rounder. They have large black eyes and bushy tails.
They have four toes on each foot and the thin claws on each toe are surrounded by stiff bristles.
Chinchillas are typically 9 to 15 inches (23 to 38 centimeters) long but the tail can add another 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) to their length.
They generally weigh 1. 1 to 1. 8 lbs. 0. 5 to 0. 8 kilograms.
Chinchillas are covered in thick fur for a reason. In the Andes they can live in elevations of about 3000 to 5000 meters (9800 to 16400 feet.
Chinchillas can tolerate freezing temperatures but they cannot survive in temperatures higher than 80 F (27 C);
high temperatures and humidity can cause these rodents to suffer from heat stroke. Chinchillas are crepuscular and nocturnal
which means they are very active at dawn or dusk and sleep during the day.
and live in colonies that consist of hundreds of chinchillas. Females tend to be aggressive toward other females.
The breeding season for chinchillas runs from November to May in the Northern hemisphere and from May to November in the Southern hemisphere.
Once a female chinchilla becomes pregnant she will carry her young for about 111 days before giving birth.
Generally chinchillas live eight to 10 years though some have lived as long as 20 years. Chinchillas are omnivores;
they eat both plants and meat. Primarily they eat grass and seeds but they also eat insects
There are two species of chinchillas: the long-tailed chinchilla and the short-tailed chinchilla. According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information system (ITIS) the taxonomy of chinchillas is:
Though chinchilla fur is valued highly for use in clothing and coats the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species has restricted the sale and trade of wild chinchillas since 1975.
Many chinchillas are bred commercially for their fur. Both species of chinchilla are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources'endangered-species list.
Both the short-tailed chinchilla and the long-tailed chinchilla are listed as critically endangered. Short-tailed chinchillas are thought to be extinct in Bolivia
and Peru but are suspected to be recovering in other areas. In 1996 there were only 42 colonies of long-tailed chinchillas
and the population has declined since then and continues to decline. The Michigan Humane Society recommends keeping domestic chinchillas in a wire mesh cage with a solid floor.
The cage should be well ventilated and kept dry and cool in temperatures from 60 to 70 F 16 to 21 C). Chinchillas do not get along well
when caged together and should be kept in individual cages. Chinchillas can eat food pellets available from pet stores as well as hay dried fruits and nuts and carrots and green vegetables in moderation or about 10 percent of their daily diet.
A bottle equipped with a sipper tube is the best way to provide water. To stay clean these rodents give themselves dust baths.
It is recommended that domestic chinchillas take dust baths once or twice per week in fine volcanic ash that can be purchased at pet shops.
Chinchillas are thought to be smarter than rabbits and can be taught to play with humans. They do not make good pets for small children
however because chinchillas are hyperactive and high-strung. t
#Gazelles: Facts & Pictures Gazelles are thin graceful antelopes that live in Africa and Asia. They resemble deer
and are in the same family as goats cattle and sheep. Gazelles can be identified by their curved ringed horns tan or reddish-brown coats and white rumps.
Often there are spots or stripes on their coats. Their light frames help make them agile and better able to escape from predators.
There are 19 species of gazelle according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information system (ITIS. Smaller species such as the Speke's gazelle and Thomson's gazelle are only 20 to 43 inches (51 to 109 centimeters) at the shoulder.
They weigh from 26 to 165 pounds (12 to 75 kilograms. The dama gazelle is the largest gazelle.
It weighs in at 88 to 165 pounds (40 to 75 kg) and is 4. 5 to 5. 5 feet tall (137 to 168 cm).
Starving Rats Ate Trees By now most of North america has thawed out from a brutal winter that introduced unhappy phrases such as polar vortex into the lexicon.
One surprise was the discovery that starving rats in New york city had attacked the trees in urban parks for sustenance.
which even in winter have some carbohydrates mostly sucrose) in the vascular tissue beneath their bark had been gnawed by rats all the way around the base of the trunk a practice called girdling that usually kills a tree.
Sorry no rat Armageddon The population of Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) whose numbers are almost wholly dependent on humans for food may drop somewhat this year as a result of wintry blasts.
and it's hard for young rats to jump across the snow and get to the food then cold temperature might actually cause some mortality urban ecologist Steve Sullivan of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museumin Chicago told Fox news Chicago.
But urbanites who are hoping that last winter's unusually bitter weather resulted in a rat Armageddon may be disappointed.
Sullivan doesn't expect a major die off from cold for a tough smart animal like the rat.
Norway rats are a very adaptable species Sullivan told Fox news. Follow Marc Lallanilla on Twitter and Google+.
Animal studies show whey protein supplements fed to rats can prevent inflammation and early signs of complications from obesity and diabetes according to a 2012 review published in the journal Lipids in Health and Disease.
In their study Brandt and her colleagues also used a mouse model as proxy for humans
Mice fed a diet where a fifth of the food was powdered carrot had fewer and smaller tumours than mice who were fed a normal diet.
since they know they'll get a treat (either a rat or a fish to munch on).
And one study in rats suggested that extremely high doses of Garcinia may cause testicular atrophy and toxicity.
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