fieldherping.eu

Ilian Velikov wrote:You should apply a hell of a lot of actions and consider countless factors. Surely there's more than one way to kill something, some easier/harder than others.

That's precisely what I had in mind. Is it easier to kill a grown-up scolopendra, or a grown-up crocodile?
It strongly depends on what you use for the "experiment". If you employ a rocket launcher ("bazooka"),
then it's equally easy. If you try with a 1 kg stone, there might be a great deal of difference...
My principal point is: the statement about "hard to kill" is not only disgusting, but also totally senseless,
meaningless - within the context of a paper like that, call it scientific or not. It explains nothing and
irritates many.
In the meantime I contacted one of the authors, and she agreed that they should have omitted that
unfortunate comment.

An obese 100-year-old crocodile has died of overeating after worshippers repeatedly threw it sacrificial goats and chickens.

While visitors to the Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali Shrine in south-western Bangladesh believed feeding the crocodile would bring them good fortune, it brought the crocodile bad fortune, because it died from an obesity-related condition.

The overweight reptile saw an increase in the amount he was getting fed as villagers became desperate in an uncertain economic climate.

‘We were aware of the problem but were not sure what to do about it. The legend is that anybody who feeds the hunger of the crocodiles will have their hearts desire fulfilled,’ explained keeper Mohammed Sarwar, 40.

‘Usually it was just a chicken but more recently people have been offering even more, including goats, believing that big sacrifices meant more chance of a wish being granted.’

The crocodile was in fact one of four. His three crocodile friends also died from overeating, meaning that food that would normally have been divided between the group went solely to the centenarian reptile, which didn’t help matters.

http://metro.co.uk/2015/02/12/obese-cen ... s-5060753/

news old but interesting
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/lif ... y-of-frogs

https://www.newscientist.com/article/21 ... e-species/