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Holy Pleistocene Batman, the answer's in the cave
EurekAlert! ^ | April 25, 2019 | James Cook University

Posted on 04/29/2019 8:43:18 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

Researchers from James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, chose the bat poo in their quest to answer to a long-standing question: why is there some much biodiversity on the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Java, when not so long ago (geologically speaking) they were all part of one vast continent?

One theory has been that the former continent (Sundaland) was dissected by a savanna corridor. "That might explain why Sumatra and Borneo each have their own species of orang-utan, even though they were linked by land for millions of years," Dr Chris Wurster said. "The corridor would have divided the two separate rainforest refuges, as the sea does now."

The corridor theory has been boosted by millions of insect-eating bats, which have gathered evidence about the landscape over millennia and deposited it in layers in their caves.

"Bat poo is highly informative, and especially so in the tropics, where the climate can make some of the more traditional modes of investigation less available," Dr Wurster said.

A three-metre pile of bat faeces at Salah Cave in Borneo gave the researchers a 40,000-year-old record composed of insect skeletons.

"We can't tell what insects the bats were eating throughout that time, because they're in tiny fragments, but we can read the chemistry," Dr Wurster said.

"Eating insects that have been feeding on tropical grasses results in faeces with a characteristic chemical imprint. It's quite different from the result you'd get from eating insects that fed on tropical trees."

According to the bat record the landscape around Saleh Cave (now featuring lush rainforest) was once dominated by tropical grasses.

(Excerpt) Read more at eurekalert.org ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: 24chromosomepairs; batcave; bats; blacki; borneo; bradshawfoundation; catastrophism; chriswurster; genealogy; gigantopithecus; globalwarminghoax; godsgravesglyphs; greennewdeal; helixmakemineadouble; java; orangutan; orangutans; salahcave; sumatra; sundaland

1 posted on 04/29/2019 8:43:18 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: 75thOVI; Abathar; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AnalogReigns; AndrewC; aragorn; ...

2 posted on 04/29/2019 8:44:34 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

3 posted on 04/29/2019 8:44:38 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

So... it would seem it’s not just the climate that changes on our wonderful planet.


4 posted on 04/29/2019 8:54:21 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: UCANSEE2
So... it would seem it’s not just the climate that changes on our wonderful planet.

Nah. There are still people who are batpoop crazy.

5 posted on 04/29/2019 8:59:42 PM PDT by CurlyDave
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To: SunkenCiv

When Nature Calls


6 posted on 04/29/2019 9:28:49 PM PDT by null and void (The press is always lying. When they aren't actively lying, they are actively concealing the truth.)
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To: null and void
They seem to eat fine, even being blind.

7 posted on 04/29/2019 9:51:53 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

guano makes guava


8 posted on 04/29/2019 9:59:07 PM PDT by bunkerhill7 (queen)
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To: bunkerhill7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9ymE2Rcxo


9 posted on 04/29/2019 10:36:46 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Interesting...what is A O-C opinion on that? She is batpoop crazy...


10 posted on 04/30/2019 3:15:21 AM PDT by Deplorable American1776 (Proud to be a DeplorableAmerican with a Deplorable Family...even the dog is, too. :-))
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