Posted on 12/08/2020 10:02:58 AM PST by Red Badger
A wild panda with manure. Credit: Fuwen Wei.
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A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences working with the Beijing Zoo, has found a possible explanation for horse manure rolling (HMR) by giant pandas. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group outlines their decade-long study of the odd behavior by the pandas and what they found.
Approximately 10 years ago, members of the research team observed a giant panda living in the wild pausing to roll itself in a large pile of horse manure. Intrigued, the team began watching for other observations of the strange behavior. Over the past decade, they documented 38 instances of HMR by wild giant pandas. Confused by such strange behavior, the researchers began looking for an explanation.
Over time, they noticed that the pandas were not just rolling in the manure, they were working hard to cover their entire bodies in the feces—and it was not just one or two pandas, it was dozens of them. Eventually, they that the pandas seemed to carry out HMR only in the cold months—specifically, when temperatures dropped below 15º C. That suggested the pandas were using the manure to somehow ward off the cold.
Giant pandas, like all bears, are covered in fur, and past observations have shown that they are very well suited to living in chilly conditions. Still, the evidence suggested the bears were benefiting from the manure, but only when it was cold. To find out what the incentive might be, the researchers began studying the horse manure. And they also noticed that the pandas only bothered with fresh manure. They isolated two chemicals in horse manure, beta-caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide—both are aromatic and both dissipate quickly. They tried applying the chemicals to hay in captive panda enclosures and found that that pandas liked it—when it was chilly, they would roll around in it just as the wild pandas did with the manure. They next tested it with mice and found that it made the mice less averse to cold conditions.
The researchers suggest that the chemicals likely give the pandas (and mice) a feeling of warmth, similar to Vick's VapoRub on human skin. It does not actually help them stay warm—it just takes the sting out of cold air.
Explore further:
China's latest survey finds increase in wild giant pandas More information: Wenliang Zhou et al. Why wild giant pandas frequently roll in horse manure, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020).
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2004640117
Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
© 2020 Science X Network
“My panda had an accident, and now he has no nose!”
“How does he smell??”
“Terrible!”
Well, it’s a lot easier than walking when you look like a giant beach ball!....................................
I found a Box Tortoise that had embedded itself in a fresh cow patty. He found a easy spot to catch and eat flies.
Curled up just like a woolly bear caterpillar!
When I lived out in the country my dog decided it was the greatest thing to do that. However, eventually she associated the sudden hose sprayer showers with the activity and decided to stop!
That was the last I ever did that.
Yes, a lot of perfumes contain things extracted from the anal glands of civet “cats.” And some contain stuff from the castoreum sacs of beavers. In the case of castoreum it has even been used as a flavoring for food.
LOL! I notice all the girls are just watching, because they know.
Well, decomposing manure/compost naturally generates heat because of the bacterial action and chemical reactions. That’s why you can pack it around the roots of a warm weather plant to ward off frost damage.
“How many people sniff other people’s asses?”
About 2-3% of the population, though if you watch prime time TV you could be fooled into thinking they are a lot more prevalent.
Dogs like to roll in stuff that disguises their scent. It’s predator behavior. That’s why if you give your dog a bath and make them nice and clean, the first thing they want to do is go outside and roll around in the dirt and grass.
Maybe he was playing “Cow Patty BINGO!”............
“About 2-3% of the population,”
Want an education on this 2-3%. As a starting point go to wikipedia and search for “rim job”.
Something I never wondered about.
My wife, and I know now how to cut our electrical bills by shutting off the heat pump, and heading for the corrals.
Has to be in our corrals ‘cause everything outside the fences is Bullcrap these days.
Including this guy?
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