Showing posts with label bones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bones. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Robinson Crusoe (the Storms)

"How important for the narrative are the descriptions of the storms?" (book: Robinson Crusoe)



What is the importance of the descriptions of the storms in Robinson Crusoe? I believe that the stories in Robinson Crusoe don't as much focus on the descriptions of the storms but rather the consequences in Robinson Crusoe's life after the storms/through the storms. His ship sinking, being stranded on an island, etc. are instances and circumstances that I view as the meat of the story.

The storms although important, aren't necessarily the meat of it for me. They're rather the bone marrow, with his actions in response to his life's circumstances being the bones.




Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Identifying the Diet of a Deceased, Unidentified Animal

"Suppose you found the bones of an unidentified animal.  How could you learn about what the animal ate?  What specific structures would give you clues about the creature's diet?"



If you were to find the bones of an unidentified animal, your first thought probably wouldn't be, "I wonder what this animal ate when it lived among us in space and time."  But lets pretend that this was your first thought regarding the animal.  How would you find the answer to the question?  Well, you would look at the teeth.  What kinds of teeth are among the bones?  If they are mostly molars and premolars, then that would mean that the animal generally ate a diet which would require it to grind and crush the food in it's mouth.

A good example of this sort of animal is the horse.  The horse's diet is made up of foods such as oats, grass, grain, and hay.  All of these require the horse to grind and crush the food using it's molars.

Likewise, if the animal's teeth are mainly incisors and canines the animal was probably be a flesh eating, ferocious best from the underworld.  Either that, or it could be a harmless little chihuahua that generally wore little booties and doggy dresses...both work I suppose.  My point is that incisors and canines are characteristics of meat-eaters.

This is one of the fascinating ways that you can identify an animal's diet.

I hope that you have found this essay informational, as well as enjoyable!  Please leave me some feedback; I would love to hear from you!