Flora & Fauna: Super Ronin, the landmine smelling rat; red corn revivial; skijoring in the U.S.A.; the strangest hitchhiker - Entrepreneur Generations

Ronin the African giant pouched rat is one of more than 100 rats trained by a Belgian nonprofit to
sniff out deadly landmines. (Photo by Guinness World Records via Smithsonian magazine)

If you think rats are just dirty rodents, think again. Meet Super Rat Ronin and his "landmine-sniffing rat pack who are making a name for rodents everywhere by saving innocent civilians from hidden explosives," reports Lex Harvey of CNN. "The African giant pouched rat recently set a new world record for the most landmines detected by a rat. Ronin's main handler, Phanny, told the Guinness publication, "Ronin’s achievements are a testament to the incredible potential of rats."

Two University of Wisconsin plant experts became the Nancy Drews of botany. Their goal was to help revive a near-dead heirloom red corn for a local distiller who wanted to use the unique seed to create new bourbon flavor. "It took some serious seed vault sleuthing, a deep dive into a germplasm bank, and a retread of historical breeding efforts, but the bounty of those efforts is now flowing from fine oaken barrels," reports Audra Koscik for UW Plant Sciences. The J. Henry & Sons bourbon distilled with red corn has a "distinct flavor and is higher in protein, fat, and oil content, trading efficiency for quality and flavor."

Modern skijoring riders use horses instead of skis.
(The Daily Yonder photo)

It all began with Scandinavians, skis and reindeer, but it has branched out into an annual contest in rural Leadville, Colorado, where contestants use horses instead of reindeer and ski at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. "It’s called skijoring, and it’s nothing new," reports Jared Ewy for The Daily Yonder. "Leadville’s course features multiple jumps and several rings. . . . Estimates say there are about 5000 people in attendance. Leadville’s population is just over 2600." Skijoring contestant, Stephanie Weber, told Ewy, "It’s high-speed, horse-powered chaos."

Farmers aren't the only ones who could be spreading PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," as they tend their crops. American gardeners and lawn-lovers who use sludge fertilizer might be unwittingly exposing themselves and their soil to PFAS. "Your plants might love fertilizers containing nutrient-rich sewage sludge, but treating your garden or lawn with these products could be exposing you to 'forever chemicals,'" reports Allyson Chiu of The Washington Post. To read the steps that will help consumers avoid PFAS fertilizers, click here.

Spring will bring calling cicadas.
(Photo by Sagar Vasnani, Unsplash)

They're almost here and make no mistake, they will be noisy. "With spring will come warmer temperatures, flora in bloom -- and millions of screaming insects emerging from their resting place beneath the ground," reports Julia Jacobo of ABC News. "Three species of cicada that only emerge once every 17 years are gearing up to spring to the surface in droves. . . . States like Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and North Carolina can expect to witness the emergence of Brood XIV this year. . . .Those who witness emergences can upload their accounts to Cicada Safari, a citizen science program that tracks cicada events."

When life gets too exhausting for this octopus, he gets a "Lyft" from another marine animal. "When she spotted the mako shark in the Hauraki Gulf off of New Zealand, Rochelle Constantine, a marine ecologist, was concerned. The animal had a curious orangey-brown mass perched on top of its head," reports Melissa Hobson of The New York Times. Constantine and her crew dangled a drone camera above the shark to uncover the orange mystery. 

                        Don’t stick your eight arms out so far, they may go home in another shark.
                        (Video by Esther Stuck And Wednesday Davis, University Of Auckland)

"An octopus was riding the shark. They nicknamed it the 'sharktopus' and said it was one of the strangest things they had ever seen in the ocean," Hobson writes. "The team identified the eight-armed commuter as a Maori octopus. The hefty cephalopods can stretch up to 6.5 feet and weigh around 26 pounds. They are the largest octopus in the Southern Hemisphere. Even riding a huge predator like the shark, a shortfin mako, this hitchhiker occupied a lot of room. . ."

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/D5Xh4Em Flora & Fauna: Super Ronin, the landmine smelling rat; red corn revivial; skijoring in the U.S.A.; the strangest hitchhiker - Entrepreneur Generations

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