Official Random Fact/Random Thought Thread!

[Knotorious]

Not-So-Random-Fact: The word "chevrotain" comes from the Middle French word chevrot, which means "kid" or "fawn" and is derived from chèvre, which means "goat". Chevrotains are small, hornless, deer-like mammals that live in tropical Asia, the Malay archipelago, and West Africa. They are also known as mouse deer.

Sorry, I just wondered where they got their name. Kind of disappointed in that answer. But I'm hard to please. I read A LOT of facts lol

 

[Knotorious]

Let's not cock block the female, here, guys!

Here's what the female Chevrotain looks like...

No fangs, unless you count the emotional ones!

 

[Knotorious]

Nature is kinda predictable, boys will be boys, and they'll kill eachother and themselves over girls.

In 2024, there's A LOT more to fight over than a mate! That's why reproduction rates are decreasing! Sometimes it pays to not have a mate! And as a human, it's an option to find a mate! Love is still attractive as all hell, though. Girls are still attractive as f*ck. It's a different dynamic, but women are definitely one of the most powerful elements against and for a man.

 

[lxskllr]

I wonder what the world looks like to a prey animal? Having eyes on the side of your head's weird. I wonder how that resolves visually? As an example, squirrel!

 

[Marc-Antoine]

Cute.
They get a wider vision field than us. We can see barely at 180° total at most, the front 90° being the most accurate. I guess that they have over 120° for each eye. They can see literally behind their head. Optical geometry: their ocular globes are very prominent, like a fish-eye lens. I remember a pic showing what should see a horse : almost 360°, short of a triangular area at the bottom back. They can see their rider even without turning their head.

 

[lxskllr]

I posted cause it's something I think about, and I just saw the squirrel pic. Aside from squirrels being super cool animals, their eyes are interesting. It's my understanding that 3D vision and depth perception isn't as good with prey animals. A horse or bunny? Yea, sure. They aren't doing anything particularly weird, but I'd think 3D view would be essential for a squirrel. I don't know how you make those incredible leaps through the branches without it.

 

[Kaveman]

That was my first thought. Being able to see everything around you, and everything around the is trying to eat you. Sounds terrifying.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

That's right, it doesn't seem that they are particularly gifted in the 3D vision with this skull. I guess that the eye's mobility, the speed of info treatment and reflexes play a big role in these incredible critters.

 

[Mick!]

That was my first thought. Being able to see everything around you, and everything around the is trying to eat you. Sounds terrifying.

Not being able to see everything that is trying to to eat you is probably more terrifying.

 

[Knotorious]

The more peripheral vision you have, the better you can identify prey.

 

[Knotorious]

Periphal vision is much more sensitive to movement.

 

[Mick!]

Periphal vision is much more sensitive to movement.

Than what?

 

[Knotorious]

Than what?

Than focal vision... (straight ahead)

• Peripheral vision
  Also known as ambient vision, this mode of vision is responsible for navigating the space around the body and providing context before focusing on something. It covers more than 90% of the visual field, but has lower resolution than focal vision. Peripheral vision is especially good at detecting movement and changes in the visual field, such as differences in color, light intensity, or size. For example, when driving or walking, peripheral vision helps you notice things to the side while you're focused on looking straight ahead.
• Focal vision
  This mode of vision is responsible for processing detailed information from a small region of the visual field. It's less efficient in the peripheral visual field, but it allows for greater acuity and contrast sensitivity. Focal vision often involves attention, and builds on the information provided by peripheral vision. For example, while reading while walking, focal vision is responsible for the reading task, while peripheral vision helps maintain spatial orientation.

 

[Nutball]

Not being able to see everything that is trying to to eat you is probably more terrifying.

Just be a sheep & stick your head in a bush, so you don't see the wolf anymore.

 

[lxskllr]

 

[Knotorious]

View attachment 139601

That's likely to help them glide through holes without any resistance from their fur.

 

[Treeaddict]

View attachment 138936

Or how about “corn on the cob”. Corn comes on the cob but we say corn and usually mean corn off the cob. We should say corn and that means it’s on the cob. We should say corn off the cob when referring to a can or frozen bag of corn.

 

[Knotorious]

Random Fact: How much sleep do you lose after having a child?

According to a 2010 survey by Silentnight, parents lose an average of six months of sleep during the first two years of their child's life. Other surveys have found similar results, with some parents losing as much as seven or more hours of sleep per night:

• Bensons for Beds
  69% of parents in a 2022 survey lost three or more hours of sleep per night in their child's first year, with over two-fifths losing three or four hours, almost one in six losing five or six hours, and over one in ten losing seven or more hours
• The Bump
  A 2022 survey of 1,300 parents found that 7 out of 10 parents lost an average of three hours of sleep every night in their baby's first year, which adds up to 133 nights of sleep lost before the baby's first birthday

 

[Knotorious]

"The Loaf"

Tasteless food as a punishment...

A brief history and then, mostly, about the present applications.

 

[Mick!]

That's likely to help them glide through holes without any resistance from their fur.

More likely so it doesn’t inhibit their reversing in tunnels (which they do a lot)

 

[Knotorious]

More likely so it doesn’t inhibit their reversing in tunnels (which they do a lot)

That's exactly what I was saying. =-P

 

[Mick!]

Sure it was.

 

[Knotorious]

@Mick! Stop being such a cynical skeptic. You thought I made up my story about my ex-girlfriend, too, and I proved that I wasn't lying by posting the restraining order with her name on it. Now you think I'd lie about something as petty as a gopher's freaking fur? Don't look now, but your trust issues are showing. We both came up with the same explanation for the fur factoid. It's not like it was a 200 IQ level observation or something. Not sure why you'd think someone else wouldn't quickly figure it out as well. Sheesh. You confuse me sometimes, but I still love you. =-P

Random Fact: Last night @Kaveman and I obliterated our previous record for longest phone conversation (which was previously 3 hours) and we talked for 7h 31m 1s! It was one of the best conversations I've ever had in my life. It's so wonderful to be able to have free flowing conversations about pretty much everything under the sun and, of course, tree climbing and tree work. Roughly 60% of our conversation was about exactly that.



As "treeple," we all know how hard it is to find people who know anything about trees, climbing, removals, etc. We are a rare breed. So it's quite the gift to have such a great friend who also shares my climbing obsession, and who can discuss and tie more knots than just the two on each shoe lol

Anyways, one of the things Kaveman brought up were these sheep called Churros that are bred by the Navajo. Their wool, which is ultra ragged and nappy compared to all other sheep (not to mention they are known for rolling in their own shit regularly), is sheared and used to make the beautiful, colorful, patterned rugs that the Navajo are so well known for.

Curious, I Googled them as we talked and I was immediately shocked to see countless photos of crusty quadrupeds, many with four horns growing out of their heads! Apparently, sometimes horns will grow out of the wrong parts of their head, such as their noses or chins and cheeks. They look like they would steal your wallet and help you look for it haha

 

[Mick!]

Today’s your mental day is it?
As long as we know.
In fairness I’d fake my own death to avoid you.

 

[Knotorious]

Today’s your mental day is it?
Fair enough.
In fairness I’d fake my own death to avoid you.

That's a bit dramatic. All I did was call you out, brother. And I did so honestly, directly, and politely. No need to fake your death; just hit the "ignore" button.