Misguided Conservationists Plan to Murder Hundreds of Thousands of Owls

There are some idiotic fanatics working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They have submitted a plan to kill 500,000 barred owls (Strix varias) in the Pacific northwest over the next 30 years. These government bureaucrats classify barred owls as an invasive species, but this is pure bullshit because barred owls are native to North America. Barred owls began colonizing the Pacific northwest during the 1970s. Spotted owls (S. occidentalis) are in decline because they thrive in old growth forests, and logging companies are destroying much of that habitat. Barred owls outcompete spotted owls for several reasons: they live in denser populations, they are territorially aggressive, and they are more adaptable and able to eat a wider variety of prey, including crayfish. Spotted owls mostly feed upon flying squirrels and woodrats. Barred owls also mate with spotted owls, producing a hybrid known as a sparred owl. This further dilutes their population. The fish and wildlife service believes eliminating barred owls in this region will result in a resurgence of spotted owl populations, but scientific studies show this is a dubious belief.

Spotted owl range map. They live in old growth forests, but they can also survive in the pinyon pine/mesquite woodlands of southwestern North America. They are all the same species.

A sparred owl. This is a spotted owl x barred owl hybrid. Interbreeding with the more abundant barred owls dilutes spotted owl populations.

Comparison between barred owl and spotted owl.

Scientists looked at 2 different tracts of woods in the Pacific northwest. They removed barred owls from 1 tract but allowed barred owls to remain in the other. The study determined spotted owls declined by 12.1% in the tract with barred owls, but they also declined by .2% in the tract without barred owls. They still declined, just at a slower rate. If the fish and wildlife service go ahead with their plan to remove barred owls, eventually there will be no owls. What a stupid plan. The fish and wildlife service uses what they euphemistically refer to as “removal specialists” to kill the owls. The sole requirement to become an owl killer is to be trained by another “removal specialist.” I’m sure these experts accidentally kill spotted owls too.

The fish and wildlife service assumes barred owls are expanding their range due to anthropogenic changes made to the landscape, but this is yet another dubious belief, unsupported by any scientific study. Barred owls could be naturally expanding their range. Barred owls displacing spotted owls might just be a natural occurrence that has absolutely nothing to do with humans. One species displacing another species has happened millions of times during earth’s history.

I think it is a sin to kill an owl. They keep rodent populations in check. The government’s proposal is revolting, and I’m not alone is stating this opinion. 75 organizations have opposed the government’s plan. I hope they can stop it.

References:

Brown, Robin

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Barred Owl Management Strategy

USGWS November 2023

Wien, J. et. al.

“Invader Removal Triggers Competitive Release in a Threatened Avian Predator”

PNAS August 3, 2021

Scientists Propose Coastal Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops erebennus) is a Distinct Species

Edward Cope first described the coastal bottlenose dolphin as a distinct species in 1865, and he gave it the scientific name Tursiops erebennus, but the distinction between coastal bottlenose dolphins and deep-sea bottlenose dolphins fell out of favor among zoologists for over 100 years. Recently, scientists have taken another look at the differences between near shore dolphins, and the dolphins that live in deeper waters. Scientists studied the anatomy and genetics of bottlenose dolphins and published the results in a new paper. They determined Edward Cope was right after all, and coastal bottlenose dolphins are a distinct species from deep sea dolphins.

Coastal dolphins are smaller and have different shaped skulls, fewer ribs, and fewer back bones than deep sea dolphins. Image from The Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals.

The scientists who wrote the below referenced study looked at 147 dolphin skulls and 43 dolphin spines. They were also able to analyze the DNA from 78 of these specimens. They found notable differences in the size and shape of the skulls of coastal dolphins compared to deep sea dolphins. Coastal dolphins on average are smaller than deep sea dolphins and have fewer backbones and ribs. They usually have 1 more tooth than their deep-sea counterparts. Coastal dolphins have more flexible spines, allowing them to maneuver better in shallow near shore environments. The genetic evidence suggests the 2 species diverged from a common ancestor about 80,000 years ago. This is when oceans began retreating during the most recent Ice Age, perhaps resulting in shallow ocean habitat that was cut off from deeper ocean. There is no significant breeding between the 2 populations. The 2 species subsist on different diets. Near shore dolphins eat fish commonly found near the beach and tidal inlets, while deep-sea dolphins eat smaller fish and squid, and they are more likely to have scars from parasitic worms in the Crassicauda genus. 47% of offshore dolphins have scars from parasitic worms, but less than 2% of near shore dolphins have these scars. 45 of the specimens studied were from deep-sea dolphins; 102 came from coastal dolphins. The authors of this study proposed coastal dolphins be classified with the original scientific name bestowed by Edward Cope and should no longer be lumped in with deep-sea dolphins which are classified as T. truncatus.

References:

Costa, A., W. McFee, L. Wilcox, F. Archer, and P. Rosel

“The Common Bottlenose Dolphin (T. truncatus) Ecotype of the Western North Atlantic Revisited: An Integrative Taxonomic Investigation Supports Presence of Distinct Species”

Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 196 (4) 2022

https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/196/4/1608/6585199?login=false

Wursig, Bernd; J. Thewissen, K. Kovacs

Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals

Academic Press 2009

The Ashfall Fossil Beds in Nebraska

11.86 million years ago, a super volcano in Idaho erupted, and ash blanketed a considerable area of mid-continental North America. During 1971 Mike Voorhies was looking for fossils along a tributary of the Niobara River in Nebraska, and he discovered this 9-foot-thick layer of volcanic ash that covered many skeletons of large extinct mammals. Eventually, scientists found over 200 complete or nearly complete skeletons. Scientists believe the site was a seasonal water hole because the most common specimens belonged to the semi-aquatic hippo-like rhinoceros (Teleoceras major). There were also fossil remains of aquatic plants, diatoms, and pond turtles. Scientists believe the water hole was ephemeral because no fish remains were present. Other species found at this site include 5 species of horses, 4 species of camels, giant tortoise, 3 species of fox-sized canids, cranes, a hawk similar to Africa’s secretary bird, a vulture, and a small musk deer (Longirostromeryx wellsi). Scientists dispute where the latter species should be classified. No skeletons of large predators were found here, but some of the skeletons have gnaw marks from a bone crunching dog (a borophagine). The small animals died first soon after the ashfall, but the larger animals may have lived for as long as a month before succumbing to the lung damage caused from breathing the ash. The site is now the Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park, and workers constructed a building over all the exposed skeletons.

Map showing location of Ashfall Beds. From the below reference.

Visitors can watch paleontologists work at the Ashfall Beds State Historical Park.

A new study of bone chemistry from Ashfall Fossil Beds’ skeletons helps illustrate the environment that existed here when the volcanic eruption occurred. The scientists who wrote the below referenced paper analyzed the isotopic ratios of carbon, oxygen, and strontium found from the bones of 7 species (the hippo-like rhino, 3 species of horses, 2 species of camels, and the musk deer). All of these species primarily ate warm season grasses, forbs, herbs, and leaves. They were all browsers. Some of the species of grass they ate were found in their teeth, and today this kind of grass occurs in Central America. The plants they ate were Carbon-3 plants, the type preferred by browsers. The evidence suggests the hippo-like rhino ate more aquatic plants, while the horses ate plants from drier habitats. Strontium isotopic values indicate these were local animals and did not migrate long distances. The environment was subtropical savannahs and woodlands.

The early Miocene was mostly forested across North America, but during the mid-Miocene when the volcanic eruption occurred, the environment was becoming more open, perhaps caused by the rise of the Rocky Mountains which partially blocked precipitation. More species of mammals lived in North America during the mid-Miocene than during any other age. Species diversity declined 8 million years ago when continent wide subtropical climates altered and became more seasonal.

Reference:

Ward, C.; B. Crowley, R. Secord

“Home on the Range: A Multi-isotopic Investigation of Ungulate Resource Partition at Ashfall Fossil Beds, Nebraska, USA”

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology and Palaeoecology V 650 2024

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003101822400364X

Evolutionary Link Between North and South American Porcupines Discovered

41 million years ago, when the continents of Africa and South America were closer together, storms sent clumps of floating vegetation down rivers and into the Atlantic Ocean, and currents carried this debris from Africa to South America. The ancestors of American monkeys and caviomorph rodents rafted on this debris and eventually colonized their new home. The caviomorph rodents radiated and evolved into many different species including cavies, agouties, chinchillas, hutias, capybaras, and porcupines. South and Central America are home to 16 different species of porcupine in the coendou genus, but just 1 species lives in North America. The scientific name for the North America species of porcupine is Erithizon dorsatum. The ancestor of E. dorsatum crossed into North America when Central America emerged above sea level, but until recently scientists knew little about it. Scientists did have fragmentary evidence of this evolutionary ancestor, and they named the species E. poyeri. However, a few years ago, a nearly complete skeleton of E. poyeri was found at a fossil site located in north central Florida known as Haile 7G. The specimen is estimated to be 2 million years old. Scientists were able to study this specimen in detail, and they found this animal had physical characteristics that showed it was an evolutionary link between North and South American porcupines.

Photo of a North America porcupine. It is larger and has different shaped teeth and jaws than South American porcupines.

Photo of South American porcupine. They have prehensile tails. Modern North American porcupines do not, but the evolutionary ancestor of North American porcupines did.

Specimen of the evolutionary ancestor of North American porcupines. It had physical characteristics resembling North and South American porcupines.

South American porcupines have prehensile tails that can wrap around a tree limb and completely support their weight. Modern North American porcupines don’t have prehensile tails, and their tails are shorter, but E. poyeri did have a prehensile tail. The shape of E. poyeri’s jaws and teeth did more closely resemble those of modern North American porcupines. They were adapted for eating more inner bark (cambium) than South American porcupines eat, and this adaptation enabled them to range into regions with harsher climate. They also evolved to grow to a larger size to help them retain more body heat–another adaptation to colder climate. Today, porcupines are absent from southeastern North America. This may be because they reproduce slowly and can’t endure intense human hunting pressure. Their quills protect them from inexperienced predators but afford no protection from a human who can just walk up and hit them over the head with a club. They can survive in areas with sparse human populations that have lost their taste for porcupine. Porcupines originally colonized southeastern North America when a corridor of forested habitat occurred along the Gulf Coast connecting this region with Central America.

Reference:

Vitek, N.

“An Extinct North American Porcupine with a South American Tail”

Current Biology 34 (12) 2024

6 Fossil Sites in Manatee County, Florida

A science paper I read about Pleistocene bison a few weeks ago mentioned the 51st Street fossil site in Bradenton, Florida. My sisters live in Bradenton, and I thought it would be interesting to write a blog article about the site. I couldn’t find any published papers about the site, but pertinent information can be sourced from the paleobiology database. I discovered what is referred to as the 51st Street fossil site actually consists of 6 different sites, none of which are on 51st Street. The specimens are displayed and/or stored at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature–also not located on 51st Street. (Maybe a reader who knows more about it can explain why these disparate sites are referred to as 51st Street.) These sites include the Clark Dolomite Quarry, the P and R Shell Pit, both along 15th Street; State Road 70 Pit, Quality Aggregrate Quarry, Quality Aggregate Richardson Road Pit, and Gator Asphalt Paving Reclaimed Concrete Operation. The remains of 83 species of vertebrates have been excavated from these sites, and they were all likely discovered by accident during road-building and quarrying operations. The specimens range in age from the Miocene to the mid-Holocene.

Location of some fossils sites in Manatee County. They were probably all found accidentally by workers.

This area of Florida has periodically been below sea level, and accordingly many shark’s teeth were found at these fossils sites. Teeth from the famous megalodon, an extinct 60-foot monster, were found here. Another extinct species represented here is Cosmopolitados hastalis, a type of mackerel shark. Hemipristis, formerly a common species, also swam the ocean here millions of years ago. Evidence of extant species of sharks that also swam the waters here so long ago are the teeth of Atlantic sharp-nosed shark, bull shark, tiger shark, sand tiger shark, and lemon shark. There are specimens of rays, drum fish, and porcupine fish from these sites as well.

Megalodon jaw span displayed at a museum in Bradenton, Florida.

Wetlands predominated in this region when it was above sea level, explaining why the remains of so many aquatic species have been found at these fossil sites. Scientists have identified the remains of mottled duck, hooded merganser, Ciconia malthus (an extinct stork), egret, great blue heron, black-crowned night heron, sandhill crane, pied-billed grebe, coot, and cormorant. Pleistocene cormorants were on average larger than modern cormorants. Just 3 species of terrestrial birds are represented at these sites–terratorns (an enormous extinct condor), turkey, and red-bellied woodpecker. Remains of both alligators and crocodiles have been found here as well.

Photo of a long-horned bison horn span found in Manatee County, Florida.

Display of local fossils found in the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

More displays found at the museum in Bradenton.

Some of these sites yielded the remains of Miocene-aged mammals (25 million years ago-5 million years ago). Scientists have identified 16 species of 3-toed horses that lived in Manatee County during the Miocene. They were browsers similar in size and shape to deer. Deer ecologically replaced 3-toed horses during the Pliocene. The hippo-like rhino, and indarctos, a little known but widely distributed bear, also represent Miocene mammals that lived here. 2 extinct marine mammals lived in Manatee County during the Miocene–a dugong (Metaxytherium floridanum) and a walrus (Ontocetus emmonsi). Walruses didn’t become adapted to colder conditions until Ice Ages began occurring. Typical Pleistocene species found among the specimens include both long-horned bison and Bison antiquus, horse, llamas, tapir, mammoth, mastodon, gompothere, giant beaver, pampathere, dire wolf, capybara, round-tailed muskrat, and giant tortoise.

Reference:

https://www.mindat.org/paleo_collection.php?col=20580

Saber-tooth cat (Smilodon fatalis) Baby Teeth

The Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in California are a unique and valuable fossil site. Most fossil sites yield more specimens of herbivores than carnivores because in a normal ecosystem the former greatly outnumber the latter. When carnivore remains are found, they usually consist of isolated bones or teeth. But the tar pits served as a trap that captured a greater number of predators that were attracted to flailing herbivores stuck in the tar. The specimens that are found are often large sections of the skeleton. Scientists learned more about saber-tooth cats from the thousands of specimens found here than from any other site in the world. Among the interesting specimens are the mostly complete skulls of juvenile saber-tooth cats. Scientists were able to study the baby teeth of saber-tooths and learn how adult fangs developed.

Saber-tooth skull with baby fangs and unerupted adult fangs. The 2 stabilized each other when the cubs were learning to bite, thus preventing damage.

The milk teeth and unerupted fangs helped stabilize each other and prevented tooth breakage while the cats were inexperienced. The way the teeth developed reduced the chances the teeth would be damaged before the cat learned how to properly bite its prey’s throat. It took longer for saber-tooth’s canines to develop than it does for other big cats–the eruption period was prolonged. The erupted canines didn’t replace the milk teeth until saber-tooths were 30 months old. This is about how long it took before their powerful forelimbs were strong enough to hold prey down, so a killing bite could be administered with less risk of traumatic injury to the canines.

Some scientists believe saber-tooths were social animals, but I disagree because they had smaller brains than lions. I don’t think they lived in packs. However, I do hypothesize they lived in family groups, and cubs stayed with their mothers for 2-3 years. Mother cats and nearly full-grown cubs likely hunted larger prey as a team.

References:

Tseng, Z. Jack

“Bending Performance Changes during Prolonged Canine Eruption in Saber-toothed Carnivores: A Case Study of Smilodon fatalis”

The Anatomical Record Special Bulletin April 2024

Wysocki, M.

“Fossil Evidence of Evolutionary Convergence in Juvenile Dental Morphology and Upper Canine Replacement in Saber-tooth Carnivores”

Ecology and Evolution October 2019

Pleistocene Bison Ate a Wide Variety of Plant Foods

A new study of isotopic carbon from Pleistocene bison tooth enamel suggests bison had a more flexible diet than previously thought. Bison crossed the Bering Land Bridge about 190,000 years ago and colonized North America. Bison were formerly thought to have arrived in North America 240,000 years ago, marking the beginning of the Rancholabrean Land Mammal Age, but genomic studies combined with the known timing of the formation of the Bering Land Bridge and paleontological evidence suggests they arrived more recently. The species of bison that colonized North America is known as Bison priscus. This species gave rise to the largest species of bison in history–Bison latifrons, an animal that thrived during the Sangamonian Interglacial (132,000 years BP-118,000 years BP) and the early part of the Wisconsinian Ice Age until about 24,000 years ago. Bison latifrons likely evolved into Bison antiquus, a smaller species that lived during the coldest stage of the last Ice Age. In turn Bison antiquus evolved into a still smaller species, the modern Bison bison. Bison occidentalis is thought to be a transitional species between B. antiquus and B. bison. Fossils of this species have only been found in western states. Scientists thought Pleistocene bison were grazers that mostly ate grass, but this new study finds they actually ate a variety of plant foods and could be considered mixed feeders.

Image of all the known bison species that have inhabited North America over the past 190,000 years. They all likely evolved from Bison priscus.

The scientists who authored the below referenced study analyzed the carbon isotopic ratios found in the teeth of 32 specimens from 4 different regions of North America plus previously published data from 142 specimens. The teeth came from specimens excavated from sites including Snowmass, Colorado, the American Falls Reservoir, Idaho, and Diamond Lake, California. They also looked at specimens from 5 sites in Florida–Haile, Bradenton 51st Street, Auffenberg, Withlacoochee River, Ichetucknee River, and Millenium Park. Specimens from the California and Colorado sites showed a seasonal variation in diet, but the specimens from Florida and Idaho show these animals ate the same diet year-round. Bison living in Snowmass, Colorado during the Sangamonian Interglacial enjoyed a climate and environment similar to today–it was mostly pine and spruce surrounding a marsh. However, 10 species of plants not found there today did occur there then. About 87,000 years ago this area transformed into a drier grassy steppe environment. Semi-aquatic mastodons were replaced by upland Columbian mammoths. The site in Idaho also hosted an environment similar to that found in the area today, though 1 species of fern from the last interglacial is missing today. Diamond Lakes in California was dominated by pine, fir, grass, sagebrush, salt bush, and mustard plants during the Pleistocene. The Florida sites were grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands, not too different from modern conditions.

Bison relied on grass, classified as a C-4 plant, but the study shows they also ate C-3 plants–leaves, twigs, fruit, acorns, and some herbs. Bison latifrons was especially adapted to living in open woodlands interspersed with wet meadows. This species of bison grew to enormous size in order to fight off their primary predators–big cats. B. antiquus grew to a smaller size and had to survive in harsher drier environments with more scarce resources during the coldest phase of the Ice Age. Modern bison evolved to grow to a still smaller size but could run longer distances to avoid the humans and wolves that became their primary predators.

References:

Hardy, F. ; and S. Rowland

“Stable Isotope Analysis of Fossil Bison Tooth Enamel Indicates Flexible Dietary Ecology Across Pleistocene North America”

Quaternary Science Review 33 2024

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277379124002427

See also

Froese, D. ; M. Stiller, P. Heintzman, B. Shapiro

“Fossil and Genomic Evidence Constrains the Timing of Bison Arrival in North America”

PNAS 114 (13) 2017

https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1620754114

The Largest Elephant Species in History (Palaeoloxodon namidicus)

Taiwanese fishermen occasionally catch Pleistocene-aged animal bones in their nets when they drag them on the bottom of the Taiwan Strait. During Ice Ages the Taiwan Strait was above sea level, and it hosted a variety of extant and extinct species including straight-tusked elephant, rhino, water buffalo, horse, scimitar-toothed cat, tiger, racoon dog, human, alligator, and pond turtle. The human specimen found by fishermen was a single jawbone from an unidentified species of man. During phases of low sea levels a land bridge emerges that connects Taiwan with mainland Asia, and accordingly the island shares much of its fauna with Asia. Animal bones found in fishermen’s nets here date to between 750,000 years ago to 1,000 years ago, but the younger specimens include gray whales and right whales that date to more recent times when the Taiwan Strait became submerged. Today, the largest species of mammals on Taiwan include sambar deer and Asian black bear.

During Ice Ages Taiwan was connected to mainland Asia due to lower sea levels.

Map showing where straight-tusked elephant remains have been found on Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait. From the below referenced paper.

Scientists recently used 15 specimens of straight-tusked elephants found in fishermen’s nets and at fossil localities on land to estimate the size of this extinct species. They refer to this species as Palaeoloxodon sp., but other papers refer to the species of elephant that formerly lived on Taiwan as Palaeoloxodon huaihoensis. The status of this species must be uncertain. Based on the size of the leg bones and skulls, scientists estimated the straight-tusked elephants that lived on Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait when it was above sea level were enormous. They were on average 21% taller than modern day African elephants (Loxodonta africanus, L. cyclotis), and they weighed twice as much, exceeding 20,000 pounds. But they were not the largest species of elephant of all time. That distinction belongs to the extinct Asian straight-tusked elephant (P. namidicus), a giant that reached weights of 32,000 pounds. There were 2 other species of straight-tusked elephants that also grew quite large–the Eurasian straight-tusked elephant (P. antiquus) and the African straight-tusked elephant (P. recki).

Images of different elephant species comparing them in size. From the below referenced paper. The species of straight-tusked elephant that lived in Taiwan weighed over 20,000 pounds on average. P. namidicus weighed 32,000 pounds. By contrast the average African elephant weighs 10,000 pounds.

Computer generated image of a straight-tusked elephant.

Straight-tusked elephants lived in semi-tropical to warm temperate climates. Their ranges shrank during Ice Ages and in northern regions they were replaced by smaller but cold-adapted wooly mammoths. Straight-tusked elephants survived in thermal refuges during Ice Ages, and some lived on Mediterranean islands where they evolved into dwarf species. Humans likely hunted them to extinction when their ranges became more restricted. Evidence suggests they preferred mixed woodland and grassland environments. To reach such prodigious sizes they surely required a tremendous quantity of forage.

Reference:

Biswas, D. ; C. Change and C. Tsai

“Land of the Giants: Body Mass Estimation of Palaeoloxodon from the Pleistocene of Taiwan”

Quaternary Science Review 336 2024

2 Xenarthran Specimens Separated by 21,000 Years

I have a collection of animal skulls including those from dog, cat, raccoon, and squirrel. They are road-killed specimens. I was taking a stroll during my vacation last month at Callaway Gardens and found a skull that at first I couldn’t identify. I began to consider it as armadillo, then turned my head and saw the bleached carapace of an armadillo, thus confirming my diagnosis. It was near a road and likely was killed by a collision with a car. Armadillos use roadways to colonize new territory and are especially vulnerable to the danger posed by vehicles. The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) has recolonized southeastern North America over the past 100 years after being absent from the region for 10,000 years. Genetic studies suggest many Pleistocene-aged specimens of armadillos found at fossil sites were wrongly identified as being the beautiful armadillo (Dasypus bellus), an extinct species twice the size of the nine-banded armadillo, but they were actually the latter. (See: https://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2017/01/19/a-recent-study-of-pleistocene-armadillo-dna-yields-2-surprising-results/ )

Armadillo skull I found at Callaway Gardens.

Armadillo carapace, bleached from a lengthy exposure to the sun, found near the skull.

Another specimen of a xenarthran (a group including sloths, anteaters, armadillos, and glyptodonts) was recently excavated along the Reconquista River in Merlo, Argentina, and it is of much greater importance because the authors of the below referenced study propose it is evidence humans butchered it 21,000 years ago. The specimen was identified as a Neosclerocalyptus sp., a type of now extinct glyptodont. It couldn’t be identified to the species level because it was missing its skull. Scientists believe humans butchered the animal on a sandbar, and it was partially covered in river sediment before eolian winds covered it completely with sand. Scientists are confident in the calibrated radio-carbon dates taken from the beast’s hip bone, indicating the animal lived 21,000 years ago. It’s consistent with the stratigraphic evidence. They dated a clam shell in sediment beneath where the glyptodont remains were found and that dated to 30,000 years BP.

Image of glyptodont from the below referenced study with the bones that show evidence suggesting human butchery.

Image showing cut marks that the authors of the below study believe were from a stone knife.

Scientists found 32 cut marks on the glyptodont bones, and they were strategically placed as if the butcher was cutting off the largest most palatable pieces of meat. They were v-shaped, evidence the marks were made by human-made knives and not by carnivore or rodent gnawing. The former are u-shaped and the latter are w-shaped. Some archaeologists believe v-shaped incisions can also be made by bones rolling against rocks in river currents, but the authors of this study seem certain humans made these marks. However, there is no lithic evidence (no tools), and of course, no human remains found nearby. If humans did butcher this glyptodont, it would show humans were roaming the Americas thousands of years earlier than previously thought. There is some tantalizing but uncertain evidence of humans at other sites in South America and southwestern North America that suggests humans were in the Americas about 20,000 years ago.

A glyptodont provided plenty of protein–they weighed a ton. Glyptodonts differed from armadillos in the structure of their carapace. It was inflexible like a turtle shell. Armadillo carapaces are flexible, allowing them to roll up in a defensive ball.

Reference:

Del Papa, M. et. al.

“Anthropic Cut Marks in Extinct Megafauna Bones from the Pampean Region (Argentina) at the Last Glacial Maximum”

PLOS One July 2024

My Experience with Sildenafil

I’m writing this article for fellow old men over the age of 55 years old who are experiencing erectile disfunction and are considering the option of getting a prescription for a boner pill.

I always had a reliable erection since well before puberty, and I rarely had a problem performing in the bedroom. Throughout my late 50’s, I noticed a decline in the frequency of my erections, but I still could have successful performances when needed. I used to joke that old people sex wasn’t as good as young people sex, but it was better than no sex at all. My partner (my wife) and I have enjoyed lovemaking twice a week for decades. I long realized I wasn’t the stud I used to be, but I was satisfied with my sex drive for my age. About 6 weeks before my 62nd birthday, I began having a hard time sustaining an erection. I could get an erection, but it wouldn’t stay hard enough for long enough. Sometimes, I would lose my erection in the middle of intercourse. That was not satisfactory. We would then try mutual masturbation, and sometimes I would ejaculate without even getting hard. That was definitely not satisfactory. I began researching boner pills, now constantly promoted on television advertisements.

Being able to have a reliable erection is important for a man’s psychological well-being. I wouldn’t go to the doctor if I had cancer, but I went to the doctor to get a prescription for a boner pill. I like this song, “Shut up, I have an erection,” because it illustrates the importance of an erection for a man.

I take the generic sildenafil. It’s white and round. The original was blue and diamond-shaped and much more expensive.

About 30 years ago, scientists were working on developing a new medication to treat high blood pressure and chest pain. They invented sildenafil, a drug in the class of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Ph-5 is an enzyme that prevents men from having constant erections. Researchers discovered 1 of the side effects of taking this medication was improved blood flow to the penis. A slightly altered form of sildenafil is used for treating high blood pressure, but the drug company realized the market for treating erectile disfunction was potentially much more lucrative because there already were many blood pressure medicines but nothing for treating erectile disfunction. The FDA approved sildenafil (known as Viagra) in 1998. Several other PH-5 drugs have been approved since including tadafil (Cialis), avanfil (Stendra), and vardafil (Lenitra). Studies show these drugs work better than placebos by a statistically significant margin, though men taking placebos often respond positively as well, showing erectile disfunction can be a psychological issue. Another study found no evidence men develop a tolerance for these drugs and need ever higher dosages, so they are not physically addicting like heroin.

I was concerned some evidence suggests these types of drugs can cause vision problems. A study of 213,000 health insurance claims found men who regularly took boner pills were almost twice as likely to develop vision problems. A case study was published of 17 men who took boner pills for the first time and experienced vision problems that lasted for as long as 3 weeks. Men who take these medications were twice as likely to suffer retinal detachment and 44% more likely to experience ocular vascular occlusions. High risk groups include people with high blood pressure, men who have low blood pressure when they sleep, and men who inherit the risk of getting retinal pigmentosa. Men who suffered heart attacks were 10 times more likely to develop vision problems. I decided to take the risk because it was small, and going blind wouldn’t be the end of the world. I planned to learn how to play the xylophone and figure out how to do housework while blind, if I did become sightless. I made an appointment with my doctor’s physician’s assistant because she could see me sooner than my doctor. When I made the appointment the secretary told me the physician’s assistant was a woman, and I had to assure her this wouldn’t bother me. I wanted to try the drug, but I wasn’t going to order a medicine this important from some dodgy online source. The physician’s assistant gave me a perfunctory exam and classified it as a wellness visit, so the insurance company would pay for it. I described my condition in detail, and she told me it was not unusual for a 61-year-old man to experience erectile disfunction. She prescribed 100 milligrams a day of sildenafil, but suggested I take half a pill (50 milligrams). The generic pills are cheap–$1.25 each–and are definitely worth the price.

I’m very careful when taking drugs, and I take 50 milligrams before lunch on Wednesdays and 25 milligrams on Sunday mornings when I awake. (My partner and I have had a regular twice a week schedule for decades–Wednesday afternoons and Sunday mornings.) I respond well to sildenafil. I start to feel it working after about 15 minutes. All I have to do is think about something sexy, and I have an erection that lasts as long as needed. For some time before I started taking sildenafil, I wondered whether I was simply tired of my partner. We’d made love ~3,148 times, and I thought maybe I just couldn’t keep it up for the 3,149th time. I can now banish that thought. When I have a strong sildenafil-induced erection my partner seems more desirable. The drug exceeded my expectations. I only wanted to turn the clock back by a couple of months, but now I can screw like a 30-year-old porn star. The refractory period is shorter. I can get a 2nd erection after resting for 15 minutes or so, though it is harder to ejaculate–I’m still a 62-year-old man. I’ve experienced no failures so far and have taken the pill over 20 times. However, my partner knows I can perform better, and she expects more from me. She’s a very demanding woman.

Side effects are minimal. My vision does get a little shady with a bluish tint, but nothing close to an impairment. I get a little congested–a side effect I also experience when starting to drink wine. I feel like I need to burp a little–pretty mild, if a person considers this indigestion. None of these symptoms last more than an hour or two.

The last time I made love before I began the medication, I had a successful performance, and I wanted to try unmedicated sex before writing this article. This didn’t happen because I saw no reason not to bring my A-game with boner pills still in my medicine cabinet. I’m going to keep this prescription filled for the rest of my life. I noticed many years ago that I also had better performances when I was hungover after a night of binge drinking, and I wonder if alcohol withdrawal creates a similar biochemical response as a PH-5 inhibitor.

I’m too lazy this week to add a reference section to this article, but there are dozens of studies about PH-5 inhibitors that are easily found and accessible online with a simple google search.