Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Game Fences to Keep Cattle out and Wild Animals from Locals
Indeed, in the SAVE conservancy area, the breaking down of fences has resulted in wild
animals such as lions preying on the local livestock populations, and local tribal chiefs were
complaining about the land grab by the political elite resulting in the escaped animals killing
the rural people. There is little traffic since fuel is scarce. In the villages gas stations have
signs up as to whether they have fuel or not. Indeed, the former Zimbabwe Airlines planes no
longer fly because they did not pay their fuel bills, and the South African Airway flights just
turn around in Bulawayo and do not refuel. The Land cruiser has double fuel tanks so we do
not have to stop, and happily cruise along at 130 to 140 km/hr. (70-80mph). I'm impressed
with its speed but it is noisy and too loud to talk so we are left to our own thoughts and
perceptions.
Environment, Rivers, Mega herbivores, and Geology:
We soon leave the more grassy Highveld plains, spotted by smoke plumes from fires, and
travel down some winding roads to the Lowveld where there is more bush, particularly thorn
bush, less grass, and the earth drier. The countryside thorny Bushveld tells a story of geology
and climate driving vegetation driving animal life and human imperatives. The environment
determined physiology, which in turn determined anatomy. No other animal has the broad
ability of humans to adapt to environments even if we may not be the best in every endeavor.
For example, humans can survive at 17,000 feet, swim long distances, get out of the water and
sprint and then slow down to run a marathon and at the end still do some complex task
determined by his phenomenal ability to integrating either primitive or modern hunting process
based equivalent task. Man also has more endurance than most animals and thus can
outperform animals in feats of endurance. Part of this advantage is related to the fact that
animals have fur to keep warm but cannot shed this when over heated by running, whereas
human do not have fur and thus are able to perform at a higher metabolic rate for a longer
period and also in a hot environment. The obvious question is why then are babies head's free
of hair when it would seem they need extra insulation because of lack of metabolic activity
related to locomotion and because with a greater surface area to volume they lose heat and
moisture quicker. The answer is that babies are instead born with a thick layer of brown fat,
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