Topic: Look out J'inn New weapon Development in Progress.

[Sirgod]

http://p2pnet.net/story/2022

Here's another in our occasional 'it doesn't have a lot to do with p2p, but it's interesting anyhow' series, and it poses the question, What do squirrels, dolphins and bats have in common?

Easy: they're all mammals.
Nope.

They all fly (like, bats fly, there are 'flying' squirrels, dolphins 'fly' under water)?
That's really stretching it and it's wrong anyhow.

They all 'squeak' to communicate?
Yep. But there's more to it.

Under discussion is Richardson's ground squirrel, found in North America. They don't just make noises; they're ultra-sonic, and it's the first time an animal has been found to use high-frequency sound this way, say University of Manitoba researchers David R. Wilson and James F. Hare in their Animal communication: Ground squirrel uses ultrasonic alarms.

Stephen

[SSCF-LeRoy]

"Attention all squirrels, aim all ultrasonic sound waves at the big, white, fluffy lawer and set to OVERLOAD!"

[Sirgod]

I wonder if J'inn will take this "Racial"  case. 

Bluffs man cited for annoying squirrel




04/21/2004




A Council Bluffs man was cited Tuesday night for one of Council Bluffs' most unusual laws: annoying a black squirrel.


Billy G. Cates, 18, of Council Bluffs was cited in the 300 block of North Seventh Street around 7:15 p.m. by Council Bluffs police. Few details were available about the incident, but the citation indicated that Cates allegedly "did release his animal with the intent to annoy, worry, maim, injure or kill the squirrel."


City Attorney Richard Wade said roughly in the 1930s, the City Council adopted an ordinance barring people from bothering black squirrels.

According to the ordinance, it is illegal to annoy, worry, maim, injure or kill a black squirrel.

Annoying or worrying a squirrel could include actions such as throwing things at it or repeatedly threatening or scaring it. The violation is considered a simple misdemeanor. The citation fined Cates $325.

The extent of the squirrel's injuries are unknown and there was no indication that medical treatment was sought for the animal in reports.

Stephen

[KAT J'inn]

grrrrr

[Bonk]

Interesting, but kind of counter-inuititve: the higher the frequency of sound the more quickly it is attenuated. (Also more directional) Lower frequencies travel farther, "sub-sonic" vibrations would make more sense for an alarm call. (Like long distance communication between elephants.) Considering the size of the animal though, perhaps it is simply able to create the most intense vibrations in the ultrasonic range. It would be cool if that was all the noise they made, what gets me are those long loud calls they tend to make early in the morning (inevitably when I'm hung-over) that are unfortunately well below ultrasonic.