Bring Back The Dodo!: June 2009

When the CBC gets depressed (for example, when there is no hockey...) they present some rather excellent documentaries. One of these is shown as a regular program, the Doc Zone. We recently viddied an excellent episode, "The Disappearing Male". This episode scared the fertilizer out of us - figuratively. Warning: CBC Television gets very "European" at times. During this episode, you will viddy several infant male genitalia and non-human (alligator) genitalia. But, this is done in an expository, scientific and responsible way. The CBC does not even warn you that you might find some of their televised content objectionable. Please get parental or guardian permission (if you are 18 or under) if you choose to viddy any of The Doc Zone programs, excellent though they are. That said, this episode is not to be missed.

The title is a perfect match for the main theme(s) of the episode. Males, human and non-human, appear to be shrinking in genitalia, sexual features and, as a consequence, populations. Take the case of the little town of Aamjiwnaang near Sarnia, Canada and across the river border from Marysville, Michigan. The local population there has difficulty producing male (human) offspring. Girls are almost exclusively produced. The parents and populace are very concerned, as they want, of course, some male children. They and the episode producers pointed out that they are virtually next door to a giant petrochemical plant complex - unnamed in the episode.

The main product or products of this complex appears to be bisphenol A and phthalate plasticizers, or so we are led to believe. According to the testimony given in many of the scientist interviews, BPA and phthalates are becoming present in the environment in sufficient quantities to interfere with normal biological reproduction. That is, these good people are making scientific connections between the presence of these things in the environment and the degradation of reproductive health. It seems that these things are affecting adult male productivity and is appearing as a cause of diminised male births and male genitalia - perhaps in all species. The town of Aamjiwnaang recently hosted a scientific conference on the subject. At least some of the scientists viewed what is happening there as "the first sign of extinction". Specifically, extinction of Homo sapiens. (Warning: the Wikipedia has posted the depiction of two nude humans from the Pioneer Plaque - OK, so we might be getting a little carried away).

The biologist interviewed in Florida is investigating the reproductive health and apparatus of (male - we assume he is by nature studying females as well) of the alligator. The size of the male genitalia was shown (like we said...) to be reduced in size. And to the scientists, yes, size does matter. It matters in the reproductive process. The alligators are not going to be able to reproduce if the genitalia size keeps reducing... Translation: potential extinction.

Parents of mostly female children were interviewed. One of the male parents was embarrassed to report that his sperm count is low and so is the motility. Translation: heterosexual couples with this medical/biological condition may not be able to produce male offspring. No sons. No males. No reproduction. You can see where this is going.

Further, the scientists report that the standard for sperm counts has been reduced. It used to be that the average human male had about 60 million per milliliter (or some such amount, we're going from memory here). The current and reduced standard is something like 10 million. We were told that whatever the reduced standard is now, it is a potential threat to human reproduction.

Not to dispute the findings reported, Wolfram Alpha calculated the human population for 3084 to be around 20 to 21 trillion. We wish the producers had thrown in some rough calculations for the population explosion or implosion, whichever the case might be... Is Malthus wrong?

Not much to report today, except for a rare TV program review. Its only colossal - about Colossal Squid, that is. The not-to-be-missed special Animal Planet program about the world's first live-caught Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni (see hyperlinks below). This program is for all-interested in animals, biology, zoology, invertebrates, cryptozoology, and on and on...This program is for virtually everybody.

They actually have video footage of the capture and netting of the M. hamiltoni by a fishing ship (the name of which escapes us...you'll just have to see the repeats)...from a couple of years back. The animal did not seem to struggle very hard, perhaps it was near the end of its approximately 450 day life cycle. Why did they not throw the living animal back in the sea, knowing that pulling it out would only kill it? Supposedly, it was done in the name of science. Of course, we don't know what science paid to possess this colossal and absolutely unique one-of-kind specimen.

The specimen was frozen and eventually delivered to the squid expert - Steve Shay (sp.?) and his team - who'd been searching 20 years for just this kind of opportunity. The thawing of the whole carcass in one-piece was a real nail-biter. Mainly, because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and never done before. The experience itself was absolutely unique. They were surrounded by photographers and videographers and other members of the media during this high time.

In the time they had to thaw the big star of this show, other specimens (another M. hamiltoni - carrion) mainly found dead, were examined and dissected. A couple of rather unique observations and details on the structure of this body plan were revealed. The M. hamiltoni (and all squid?...) have a brain shaped like a torus or a doughnut. This allows the animal's esophagus to pass right through it. If the beast slurps too much of its food through this tube, it can cause brain damage. But, perhaps that doesn't matter much if your life-span is only 450 days...

At one point, they displayed the rather striking gills on the animal during the dissection. Any fishermen, biologist, zoologist and so on would recognize these for what they are. Here, they found the anus. That must be a rather uncomfortable body plan, to position the waste disposal port right near the breathing apparatus and the feeding apparatus! Truly, an alien being.

The beak and claws were genuinely fearsome in appearance. You would not want to encounter one of these animals during fishing, boating, scuba-diving or other water-related activities. The beak is supposedly the largest one in nature. Avoid this living structure at all costs. The tentacles do not have suckers (unlike its relative, the Architeuthis...see links below). Rather, they have razor sharp talons (growing up to three inches in length). And, to our amazement, each one is paired with another and can rotate 360°! By comparison, an adult Architeuthis can hold on to (and devour) a two foot long fish. The M. hamiltoni, it is said, can hold on to a seven foot long fish.

Video footage in the interim showed the program and Dr. Shay studying M. hamiltoni's natural enemy - Physeter macrocephalus (or catodon, according to which school you belong...see links below). The video footage of a living P. catodon was eerie and far too short. The footage showing Dr. Shay and partner dissecting a dead, beached carcass of the whale was both gross and amusing. Dr. Shay used these opportunities to study the interactions of the squid and the whale. He showed us what appeared to be obvious talon scars on the patch of the dead whale's skin. Examination of the whale's digestive system showed remains of the M. hamiltoni's (beak, claws, etc...) left inside. This was somewhat amusing as the odor left Dr. Shay gagging and retching helplessly, almost falling to his knees. The producers just had to leave this sequence in the program. The man is still a trooper, and he still won our respect.

Eventually, with much consternation, fear, anxiety and ingenuity, the carcass of the captured specimen of M. hamiltoni was thawed and examined. (Dr. Shay had stayed up two nights in a row to keep watch.). Dr. Shay allowed them to remove one of the largest eyeballs in the world for examination. Measurements showed a diameter of 10.5". The lens was split in two pieces (naturally) and the size of a baseball. The program focuses in on the one remaining eye, preserved forever in formalin (as opposed to formaldehyde, which we believe Wikipedia needs to further disambiguate...) at the end of the program.

At one point, Dr. Shay was hopping about in excited glee shouting "Its a hexacaudylus! Its a hexacaudylus!". Which is a modified tentacle used by males to deliver sperm packets during mating - meaning that the specimen was male. Much to Dr. Shay's chagrin, he realized that it was a modified tentacle and the specimen was therefore, not a male. Dr. Shay shared his disappointment later - and we sympathized - but he still had one of the greatest-ever scientific specimens. A search and inserted video camera later showed eggs (but not too many) in the carcass - demonstrating that the animal's gender was female. After the four or so hours of thawed examination, the crew realized the carcass was rotting right before the eyes and had to rush in a drum of formalin and inject the carcass with very large hypodermics of the same. Some stitching (there was a tear in the mantle, revealed after the colossal tail fin had been delicately pulled back) repaired the rest of the carcass. After a time of near-hysterics, the full and intact body was delivered into its display tank and to the museum.

Animal Planet: Colossal Squid

http://animal.discovery.com/tv-schedules/special.html?paid=15.15326.25625.0.0

Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossal_Squid

Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni (EOL Link)

http://eol.org/pages/591284

Architeuthis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_squid

Architeuthis (EOL Link)

http://eol.org/pages/51388

Physeter catodon or macrocephalus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physeter_catodon

Physeter Macrocephalus (IUCN Red List)

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41755/0

Physeter catodon (macrocephalus [EOL Link])

http://eol.org/pages/328547

Not fair game - Afghanistan's first list of protected species

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8091095.stm

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Bring Back The Dodo!

Monday, June 29, 2009

Monotremata News and Megapiranha and More for Monday, June 29, 2009

Monday, June 22, 2009

Revised/Updated Monday, June 22, 2009 from Sunday, June 21, 2009

Sunday, June 21, 2009

For Sunday, June 21, 2009

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Another TV Program Review: "The Disappearing Male"

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni: A TV Review and More for Wednesday, June 10, 2009

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