Spinal thought 89. In 2013 scientists at Chicago’s Field Museum reported a new species of Hero Shrew – the Scutisorex thori - that has the ‘most bizarre mammalian spine on Earth’. It’s vertebrae have multiple lateral processes that interlocking with its neighbouring vertebrae. This is unique in mammals making its spine four or five time more robust relative to its body mass. It has 10 lumbar vertebrae compared to our five. The original Hero Shrew first came to light in 1910 when explorers “watched in amazement as a full-grown man stood on the back of the Hero Shrew and the animal walked away, unharmed.’ Locals used it as a talisman and called the Hero Shrew. The new specimen which has an even stronger spine was collected in the Democratic Republic of Congo. fieldmuseum.org/explore/new-hero-another-example-most-bizarre-mammalian-spine-earth
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 09:32:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015