Recent comments in /f/askscience

coconut-gal t1_j9kg7di wrote

Reply to What makes bats a good disease vector? by JustJustinInTime

I've heard it's because of their rare status as a flying mammal. In short, keeping their weight aloft when they aren't as well adapted to flying as, say, birds which have hollow bones, means they have to be exceptionally tough, and this includes having a highly robust immune system.

Robust immune system means they are ideal carriers because they can contact loads of viruses without becoming incapacitated, and coupled with their ability to cover reasonable distances they have the opportunity to spread them.

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softserveshittaco t1_j9kfg1w wrote

Reply to AskScience AMA Series: I'm Dr. Christine Wilkinson, National Geographic Explorer, carnivore ecologist, human-wildlife interactions specialist, and performer. Want to know why a coyote wanders through your city? What happens when hyenas chew your tires during research? How to get into SciComm? AMA! by AskScienceModerator

Your resume is diverse. Pretty good chance that when you were in school, you were drawn in several different directions.

How did you decide what to specialize in?

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Curious-Accident9189 t1_j9ke8ye wrote

Reply to AskScience AMA Series: I'm Dr. Christine Wilkinson, National Geographic Explorer, carnivore ecologist, human-wildlife interactions specialist, and performer. Want to know why a coyote wanders through your city? What happens when hyenas chew your tires during research? How to get into SciComm? AMA! by AskScienceModerator

I have yard chickens with unclipped wings and pigs in an enclosure. I live in a remote rural area with a significant coyote and black bear population, yet I've not had problems with either one in 2 years. I have 4 dogs of varying size and I often hike the nearby woods and walk my property line.

It's cuz I pee outside isn't it?

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CassandraVindicated t1_j9kckvu wrote

Reply to AskScience AMA Series: I'm Dr. Christine Wilkinson, National Geographic Explorer, carnivore ecologist, human-wildlife interactions specialist, and performer. Want to know why a coyote wanders through your city? What happens when hyenas chew your tires during research? How to get into SciComm? AMA! by AskScienceModerator

I had a coyote as a pet for about 14 years. I never had a problem with vets treating them. She was one of the best 'dogs' I ever had. What's your opinion on that, and was there anything I should have absolutely paid attention to in recognition of the difference between them and dogs?

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atomfullerene t1_j9kbtqk wrote

Reply to comment by bestatbeingmodest in Why can’t mules reproduce? by Imaginary_Camel4213

>are there any other examples of this in nature?

It's pretty common, but doesn't always happen.

>do ligers have the same issue in terms of reproducing?

Ligers are generally fertile. Note that it's not a hard cutoff, there's a range between hybrids that are almost always fertile and those that are almost always infertile. Plenty of species fall in the middle ground.

>is this why a chimpanzee and a human couldn't reproduce?

This has never really been thoroughly investigated, so we don't actually know if hybrids are possible. Hybrid incompatibility is about more than just differences in chromosome number, though. Specific adaptations can make egg and sperm incompatible (related species with overlapping ranges sometimes have adaptations like this to prevent hybrids) and sometimes the details of genetics can make hybrids nonviable.

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eriberry13 t1_j9k8225 wrote

Reply to AskScience AMA Series: I'm Dr. Christine Wilkinson, National Geographic Explorer, carnivore ecologist, human-wildlife interactions specialist, and performer. Want to know why a coyote wanders through your city? What happens when hyenas chew your tires during research? How to get into SciComm? AMA! by AskScienceModerator

What are a few ways to deter coyotes from preying on backyard pets and other domesticated animals (like chickens)?

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