Science in Small Bites
Do some animals kill just for the fun of It?
(other than humans)
Apparently so.
I was 17 years old and living in Central Ohio when I took up a method of fishing called trotlining, used mainly to catch catfish. Running a trotline requires either a boat or chest waders, depending on the depth of the water.
The actual trotline is simply a weighted line stretched across the river and anchored to both banks. Individual short, baited lines are strung from the main line.
Bait often consisted of road-killed critters such as raccoons and possums – don’t even think about using a skunk! If you cannot find, or do not wish to use roadkill, chicken or beef livers will work as well, just as long as the catfish can smell the bait.
Once the trotline is set, you just sit back with a beer and wait several hours before checking your line. I preferred setting my trotlines in the early evening, checking them from time to time throughout the night.
My favorite body of water for trotlining was Big Walnut Creek, which flows through what was, in 1968, suburban Columbus, emptying into the Scioto River south of town.
One evening after setting several trotlines below a low head dam, I heard splashing in the water a few feet downstream from the base of the dam. Curious, I walked upstream to see what was causing the commotion. Much to my surprise, several longnose gar fish were attacking, but not eating, freshwater gizzard shad. I watched spellbound for a good hour as the prehistoric-looking gars ripped apart the shad with their barracuda-like teeth. It appeared for all the world like the gars were making sport of the shad.
Even a couple of hours later, when checking my downstream trotlines, chunks of shad came floating by. There may be, and probably is, a better scientific explanation for the gar’s behavior, but it looked like a murder spree to me.
Segment One:
Orca Whales observed ramming into giant Sunfish, causing them to explode
We’ve all seen it: cats playing with their prey before killing it. Now, marine scientists are reporting that killer whales (Orcinus orca) are killing giant sunfish, but not in the manner one would presume.
Orcas are considered an apex predator and live in all the oceans. Adult male orcas can weigh 22,000 lbs., be 33 feet in length, and swim at speeds up to 35 mph; a formidable battering ram against their prey. These are highly intelligent mammals in the dolphin family and have developed quite sophisticated methods of hunting.
Killer whales feed on a variety of marine life, including seals, fish, squid and other marine mammals. They have developed ingenious hunting strategies, such as coordinating with others in their pod to create waves to wash seals from the ice pack.
Their strategy for killing the giant ocean sunfish is unique indeed and was only recently discovered by marine researchers. The somewhat smaller female orcas will catch and hold the ocean sunfish. The male orca then charges the hapless sunfish at full speed, resulting in the sunfish exploding into bits.
And this is where the researchers have yet to determine the orcas’ intent; is this play, or is there a practical reason for this unusual behavior? The jury’s still out, but some researchers suggest that the motive is to break up the gargantuan sunfish into bite-sized bits for the young orcas. Others believe that it may be a method of teaching young killer whales, while another speculation is that it may be a bit of both, based upon their playful nature.
Side Note: The ocean sunfish (Mola mola) is a peculiar-looking fish, weighing in at 2,000 to 5,000 pounds – that’s a lot of fish and chips, or, when in the vicinity of killer whales, “chips of fish.”
The ocean sunfish or Mola mola is the largest bony fish in existence and appears as just a single massive head, lacking a tail fin, but has, instead, a clavus that acts as a rudder. The body is round and is more of a large disc than the streamlined body of most fish; a rather tempting target for a killer whale.
Also unusual for a fish, the sunfish primarily eat jellyfish in deep, cold water and return to the surface to warm up by floating on their sides. The added benefit of this behavior is that reef fish and seabirds clean parasites off their bodies while the fish float about, “catching some rays.”
Segment Two: An update on Alpha Gal, the Red Meat Disease caused by the Lone Star Tick
It’s summer, time for firing up the grill and having a barbecue, maybe invite the neighbors over, or maybe not. What are you going to put on the grill? Perhaps a mix of hamburgers and hot dogs or finish off that venison at the bottom of the freezer. If you can afford it these days, you may want to grill up some ribeye steaks.
However, if you have Alpha Gal disease, you must forego those luscious red meats and grill up some chicken, salmon, or, God forbid, tofu.
As you likely know, Alpha-gal syndrome, or red meat allergy, is acquired by a bite from the Lone Star tTck. However, there have been a few cases where the vector was a black-legged tick generally associated with Lyme disease.
You are probably aware that if you get Alpha-gal syndrome, you will be allergic to red meat and red meat products. If you are infected, you must avoid red meat; otherwise, you may have severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, which can be fatal. In West Virginia, we have only had approximately 200 cases to date, but it is on the rise.
At the time of this article, there is no permanent cure for Alpha-gal syndrome. That said, there are a couple of new novel therapies that hold promise of mitigating the symptoms of red meat allergies.
The first is something called the biodegradable nanoparticle treatment, an experimental immunotherapy. This therapy works by encapsulating the alpha-gal glycoprotein, which attaches to the offending sugar molecules, thereby avoiding the reactions to red meat consumption.
To date, the studies have only been on animals, primarily mice; however, it has been effective. Still, human studies are yet to be completed, so this therapy is not yet on the market.
The second therapy under study is a form of acupuncture called the Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment (SAAT), which is effective with other forms of allergies. With SAAT, a hair-size needle is placed in the outer ear that corresponds with the alpha-gal molecule.
The needle is left in the ear for 3 to 4 weeks, all the while monitoring feedback from the immune system. After the needle is removed, the patients are then instructed to eat small amounts of red meat or mammalian by-products to see if there are any allergic symptoms.
As with any new strategies to mitigate or eliminate Alpha-gal syndrome, experts advise patients to continue to avoid mammal meat and keep epinephrine handy until their doctor advises otherwise.
I would further recommend that you use preventative measures so that you don’t have to worry about getting alpha-gal syndrome in the first place.
When working or playing in the outdoors, you can minimize your chances of getting bitten by any species of ticks by stuffing your pant legs into your socks and spraying your garments and gear with permethrin. Additionally, do a tick check of your entire body after returning home. Perhaps your spouse could “give you a tick check” (which in some circles has an entirely different connotation). If you live alone, use a mirror for your scan.
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” Isaac Asimov
The following is a link to a video showing a killer whale attacking an ocean sunfish.
Ken Springer
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