. Earth Science News .
FLORA AND FAUNA
North America's yellow-bellied kingsnake is actually three species
by Brooks Hays
New York (UPI) Oct 5, 2016


Study explains how birds dive into water at high speeds
Blacksburg, Va. (UPI) Oct 5, 2016 - Despite their slender necks and hollow bones, some birds dive into the water at speeds that would result in serious injury should a human try to replicate the feat. Gannets and boobies, for example, pierce the water at speeds upwards of 50 miles per hour. But how?

To find out, researchers at Virginia Tech created a 3D model using a gannet skull and skeleton. The model consisted of a 3D-printed cone, representing the head, attached to a narrow, elongated pole, representing the neck.

"That's what we do: We take a complicated system and find a way to simplify it," Brian Chang, a fourth-year doctoral student at Virginia Tech, said in a news release.

Scientists plunged the model into water at varying speeds. They also manipulated structural variables, like cone angle and neck length. High-speed video revealed whether the neck buckled upon impact.

Their experiments showed the model's head shape and neck length to be most important in reducing drag. At the standard dive speed for a gannet, the bird's pointed beak and slender neck ensure only a safe amount of drag is exerted on the bird as it plunges into the water.

"What we found is that the gannet has a certain head shape, which reduces the drag compared to other birds in the same family," Jung said.

The findings -- detailed in the journal PNAS -- may have implications for human divers.

Biomechanists may use the analysis of birds like the gannet to help participants in sports like cliff and bridge diving contort their bodies into the safest position possible for high-speed water entry.

New genetic and ecological analysis suggests the yellow-bellied kingsnake, Lampropeltis calligaster, found throughout the eastern United States, is actually three distinct species.

The range of the yellow-bellied kingsnake stretches from Nebraska to Virginia in the north and from Texas to Florida in the south.

It's not the first time the yellow-bellied kingsnake has been divided into distinct species. When first discovered, researchers divided the kingsnake among two species. Later, the two species were demoted to subspecies, and a third subspecies was added. Now, scientists have come full circle.

The three species are: Lampropeltis calligaster, found among the prairies west of the Mississippi River; L. rhombomaculata, which prefers the forests east of the Mississippi; and L. occipitolineata, unique to the wet prairies of South Florida.

Perhaps more important than the reclassified names are the insights the yellow-bellied kingsnake has offered biologists. Previously, researchers assumed the Mississippi River served as the driving factor in the diversification of closely related species like the three kingsnake varieties. But the latest analysis suggests ecological niches -- prairie versus forest, for example -- are more significant in terms of driving speciation.

"You go from the forest to the grasslands and voila, you make a different species," Frank Burbrink, an associate curator in the Natural History Museum's herpetology department, explained in a news release.

Burbrink and researcher Alexander McKelvy, from the City University of New York's College of Staten Island, published their findings in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

"Not only have we uncovered multiple species, but we're making steps toward understanding the mechanisms that are generating biodiversity in the United States," Burbrink said. "Even though the U.S. has been explored scientifically for more than 200 years, we still don't fully know what's in our backyard."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
FLORA AND FAUNA
World wildlife talks end with tighter conservation rules
Johannesburg (AFP) Oct 4, 2016
A global conference on wildlife trade wrapped up on Tuesday after adopting a slew of decisions to curb rampant trafficking of threatened species such as sharks and pangolins. Officials and conservationists meeting under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have been gathered in Johannesburg for the past 11 days seeking to toughen restrictions on the trade of sp ... read more


FLORA AND FAUNA
Agencies warn of fresh disaster as winter looms in flood-hit N. Korea

'Smashed cranes' slow aid flow to Yemen: UN aid chief

Aid teams bracing for the worst as Matthew lashes Haiti

Selfies and prayers as Pope visits Italy quake zone

FLORA AND FAUNA
Study eyes radiation of everyday objects

Small droplets feel the vibe

Large volumes of data from ITER transferred to Japan at unprecedented speeds

Facebook's Oculus pushes virtual reality with new gear

FLORA AND FAUNA
Atlantic Ocean's slowdown tied to changes in the Southern Hemisphere

Vietnam court rejects fishermen lawsuits against Taiwan's Formosa

Clever fish keep cool

Reservoirs are a major source of greenhouse gases

FLORA AND FAUNA
All polar bears across the Arctic face shorter sea ice season

Northern Lights trump street lights in Iceland

Global cooling yielded modern ecosystems 7 million years ago

Arctic Sea Ice Annual Minimum ties second lowest on record

FLORA AND FAUNA
As arable land disappears, here come the vertical farmers

Australian-Chinese bid for massive cattle estate

Flower attracts pollinating flies by mimicking smell of attacked bee

Which cropping system is best for the environment

FLORA AND FAUNA
Chaos in Haiti after hurricane, but neighbors help out

Magma movements foretell future eruptions

Harrowing reports emerge from Bahamas as storm smashes through

Hurricane forces US tourists to flee beach resort

FLORA AND FAUNA
Madagascar protests halt activity at Chinese gold mine

22 soldiers killed in attack on Niger refugee camp

Zimbabwe, Namibia to push for ivory trade

Ivory trade vote exposes divisions on saving elephant

FLORA AND FAUNA
Reading literary fiction doesn't boost social cognition

Why Does Dying Cost More for People of Color

World's first baby born from 3-parent technique: report

UMass Amherst Research Traces Past Climate, Human Migration in the Faroe Islands









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.