asia murphy phd (river to the sea) Profile picture
Mar 23, 2018 14 tweets 8 min read Read on X
NEXT UP:
#1 seed Harar hyena
vs
#8 seed Bristol fox!
#2018MMM
Less than two days ago, the hyena from the walled eastern Ethiopian city of Harar devoured the Belo Horizonte marmoset, & the Bristol fox scare off a raccoon from some choice eggshells. Now these carnivores will face each other! #2018MMM
The Harar hyena & Bristol fox diverged around 54 mya, near the beginning of the Eocene (timetree.org). The Earth was warming, the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere doubled, & Antarctica was nearly tropical 🌴 (researchgate.net/publication/23…). #2018MMM
Both the hyena and the fox are predators that also scavenge. And they both can make pretty creepy noises (see: ).

However, there are many differences between our fighters. #2018MMM
Our female hyena is 48kg (218 stoats), more than 3x heavier than our 14kg (63 stoats) male fox. As opposed to foxes, females are actually the larger of the sexes in hyenas! #2018MMM #StoatsAsMeasurement
Another difference between the two is that, while the rabies virus is a fox killer, infected hyenas very rarely die from the virus (or even show symptoms). In the Serengeti, up to 37% of hyenas could be exposed to rabies. researchgate.net/publication/11… #2018MMM
We come upon our female hyena patrolling Harar's streets as night falls. Unbeknownst to her, it is Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan! During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset; Eid al-Fitr is the breaking of that fast. #2018MMM
People celebrate Eid al-Fitr with lots of food, music, and family! Cows have been slaughtered for the feasts, and so there's plenty to scavenge.

Our hyena is happy.

Our fox is confused. #2018MMM when you're suddenly in ethiopia so you sit there like fox meme
He doesn't know how he got to these strange streets, but he figures he made a wrong turn on Nibletts Hill. Meanwhile, he still has kids to feed. He comes upon a promising cow femur that has plenty of meat still on the bone. #2018MMM
But our Harar hyena has spied that tasty bone and wants it all for herself.

Like Kellog, Swiss.

Or Killmonger, the throne of Wakanda. #2018MMM
The fox crouches close to the ground, wriggling, in classic submissive fox posture. #2018MMM
A submissive fox doesn't really look like a submissive hyena, but she gets the gist. However, she wants to make sure the fox knows where he is in the hierarchy on these streets. #2018MMM
She grabs him by the scruff and gives him a few good hearty shakes.

Aaaaaaannnnnd breaks his neck.

She drops his still twitching body & runs off with her prize, her tail high. #2018MMM
HARAR HYENA KILLS BRISTOL FOX!!!!!! #2018MMM

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More from @am_anatiala

Apr 3, 2018
UP NEXT: #1 seed Orinoco Crocodile vs #2 seed Amebelodon! #2018MMM
Tonight's battle also brought to you by @chumblebiome, @drew_lab, @MarkKissel, and @c_n_anderson. #2018MMM
Our fierce competitors tonight have crushed all that have dared stand before them in previous rounds. #2018MMM
Read 32 tweets
Mar 30, 2018
NEXT UP: #1 seeded PYGMY HIPPO vs. #2 seeded CHEETAH! #2018MMM

(photo credit: #actuallivingscientist @AnneWHilborn, Dr. John Carroll (snr.unl.edu/aboutus/who/pe…), Dr. Hernandez (warnell.uga.edu/people/faculty…) & @conservationorg (pygmyhippo.uga.edu/index.html))
Tonight's battle was a tag-team collab between @AnneWHilborn (Anne) and @am_anatiala (Asia)! #whapalabmates #2018MMM
ASIA: So, Anne, I wouldn't think that this 130lb/265 stoat-heavy fast cat would make it this far. Cheetahs aren't generally considered great fighters, right? *whispers* Unlike Kylo. #2018MMM #StoatsAsMeasurement
Read 22 tweets
Mar 29, 2018
'TIS THE FINALE!! #1 seeded Doedicurus clavicaudatus vs. #4 seeded Andrewsarchus mongoliensis!

(DC: gettyimages.ca/detail/news-ph…; AM: Bogdanov 2006) #2018MMM
Tonight's battle has been brought to you by the mighty collaboration of @PKurnath & I. #teamwork #TeamKylo #2018MMM
Doedicurus, a.k.a. #TankMammal, made it to the #Sweet16 by being large like a boulder and tough like a battering ram. #2018MMM
Read 20 tweets
Mar 27, 2018
NEXT UP: #4 seed Andrewsarchus mongoliensis vs #5 seed Thylacoleo carnifex! #2018MMM
To get here, Andrewsarchus taste-tested Nuralagus rex & the giant short-faced kangaroo blundered against our marsupial lion from down under, Thylacoleo! (AM: Bogdanov 2006; TC: Roman Yevseyev romanyevseyev.deviantart.com) #2018MMM
Now the 135kg Thylacoleo has bought a ticket to Inner Mongolia to face off against the (estimated) 810kg Andrewsarchus. Whether that ticket is one-way or round-trip remains to be seen. #2018MMM
Read 19 tweets
Mar 22, 2018
NEXT UP:
#1 seed Orinoco crocodile 🐊
VS
#16 seed praying mantis! 🙏🏽🦗
#2018MMM
The croc & mantis diverged ~797 mya (timetree.org). Around this time the Earth went through an ice age that covered the entire world.

This might have led to the rise of algae due to glaciers grinding up stone into nutrients! #2018MMM cosmosmagazine.com/geoscience/how…
The praying mantis showed itself to be a stealthy predator of the bigger goldcrest in the wildcard battle (here's a play-by-play of that battle: wakelet.com/wake/45f524b8-…). #2018MMM
Read 19 tweets
Mar 16, 2018
NEXT UP: #4 seed Andrewsarchus mongoliensis vs #13 seed Nuralagus rex! #2018MMM
Not much is known about A. mongoliensis because the only evidence we have of their existence is one massive, 3-foot long skull with enormous teeth (see quoted tweet). We know that they lived in Inner Mongolia about 45 mya. #2018MMM
Here’s a picture of what A. mongoliensis might have looked like (credit: Bogdanov 2006) #2018MMM
Read 17 tweets

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