h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yes, once I had figured out it meant calibre and not calorie, I was fine.

I'll remember that for the revision, Superfrenchie

itiwbs NaJoPoMo 2017, F 10 Nov 2017, dates omitted posts 17 and 18, post 17, Th 9 Nov 2017, post 18, today.

Time for my weekly mail run in to town.

How do you cross a rhinoceros with a Clydesdale?

It sounds a bit heavy going!

On average the Rhino is about 5% heaver

Once mounted in the box, James and Robert continued to converse.

"I understand the tetraploid nature of your unicorns, rather than a haploid set of chromosomes from each parent, 32 from the horse and 41 from the rhino, with only half the genetic information, instead two fertile eggs are teased into fusing, so that the unicorn gets a full diploid set of chromosomes from each parent, 64 from the horse and 82 from the rhino for a total of 146 chromosomes in the hybrid."




"Yes, that's correct, Robert.

Also, the fusion of two fertile eggs, one of the horse, the other of the rhino, assures that the mitochondrial DNA from both parents is preserved, an important source of hybrid vigor.





"I'm clear on that, James.

There is something that still puzzles me though, their hooves, huge, even for a clydesdale."





"On that, there was a little actual gene tailoring done.

First, the code for the rhino's foot and toe articulation on the rhino DNA was overwritten with that of the clydesdale.

Next, the code for the clydesdale foot and toe articulation was doubled on the Horse DNA, making it a superdominant trait.

Finally the shock absorbing features of the Rhino's feet were reinforced to support the horses' hooves.

A little was done as well to reinforce the mane and tail and coat of the horse, purely cosmetic work to enhance their appearance.

Otherwise, in general, if there's a trait either parent species has got, the hybrid has it as well.

James smiled. "Unlike mules, which are diploid animals, with unequal numbers of chromosomes from their parents, 32 chromosomes from the horse and 31 from the donkey, our unicorns are fertile and can reproduce naturally.

You may see some wondering about freely.

Those are active breeders and progeny and retirees.

Its policy to retire them from working life before they begin developing work related infirmities."




Robert looked appreciatively at the unicorn's silver manes and tails.

"How long do they live on the average?"




"Usually about 42 years.

They take longer to mature sexually than horses as well, usually not under five years for females, ten years for males.




"James, I notice that the woodline is some fifty meters back from the roadway."




"That's a safety measure, providing a clear view all around.

You may see some of the grazing animals grazing on the clearcut."

itiwbs NaJoPoMo 2017, Sa 11 Nov 2017

Post 26 was started F 10 Nov 2017 and finished Sa 11 Nov 2017

My originally intended post 27 dropped before posting.

Ouch!!!

Back shortly.

>>>>>James pulled a small electronic device from his pocket.

"All of our predators and all of genetically engineered animals are
fitted with a microelectronic tracking and control device.

With this," he gestured with the electronic device, "I can instantly put
an animal into a harmless sleep.

The tracking system also allows monitoring for health.

If an animal gets sick, suffers an injury, goes into heat, gives birth,
the veterinarians go immediately into action.

If the animal is showing unusual aggressiveness, the animal control
people turn out.

The clearcut is more a traffic safety feature than anything else, to
prevent an animal possibly in a state of panic from blundering unawares onto a roadway in the path of an oncoming vehicle and to allow drivers adequate reaction time."

A small group of gazelles was grazing on the clearcut, a doe and a couple of offspring.

"Prey animals are uncontrolled and the most likely to end up as roadkills."

A pair of macaws flew by.

Robert looked up, remarking, "Since space colonialism took off in a really big way in the 22nd century, with the proliferation of asteroidal space colonies developments like this one, ecological arkologies have become increasingly popular with those who can afford to finance them.

One decides they'd like all the figs.

One thing leads to another, if the figs are to propagate, each needs its own pollinator wasp species.

For every animal lifeform introduced into an arkology, its entire food chain has to be pre-established.

With a pre-establishment of figs, myriads of possibilities involving fruit eating birds, bats, monkeys and other animals are opened up.

Someone else wants the Serengeti eco-system, another the north American high plains, yet another is a cactus fancier, another fancies bamboo, another wants a salmon fishery, the next a steelhead run.

No one wants to exactly duplicate the efforts of another, though some overlap between different arkologies is inevitable, each is developed as a unique system with its own distinctive appeal.

With your system here, its about 400 square miles or a bit over 1000 square kilometers of fabulous and fanciful animals in settings as natural as can be contrived."




"No arkology so far devised works without a measure of human oversight and control." James replied.




"True enough."



"You touched on an import arkological principle with your remarks on food chains.

Succesful animal arkologies as distinct from arboretums, tend to be all or almost all food chain."<<<<<

"We're almost there.

We can continue this discussion later.

You're about to get your first glimpse of the giant electric bullfrog.

Also, you can run your fingers through the coat of the liger once you've been introduced, if you want to."




The coach pulled up in front of a small cottage with a vehicle barn behind it.




"Its almost 10:00am.

They should be getting started any minute."




"So what are we going to be seeing here?"




They entered the cottage and got aboard an elevator going down.




"Its essential the liger be trained to avoid the hazards of the water hole, otherwise we risk losing one.




The elevator doors opened and they stepped out into a large bay area with a number of holding tanks.

They were greeted by a young woman leading the liger on a leash.

itiwbs NaJoPoMo 2017, Su 12 Nov 2017

Posts 28 & 29 posted Sa 11 Nov 2017, post 30, Su 12 Nov 2017

itiwbs NaJoPoMo 2017, M 13 Nov 2017

Moderate tempo medical work today.

High tempo medical work tomorrow.

I expect to be on the go continuously from 5:30am to 6:30pm at a minimum.

Give Robert credit.

He didn't cry out or run in blind panic.

He did turn pale.

His jaw dropped.

He gasped audibly as he stood, looking up into the eyes of the liger.

itiwbs NaJoPoMo 2017, Tu 14 Nov 2017

Made it home a bit earlier than expected, remaining tangled strands of a medical snafu still tangled.

5:40pm now.

>>>>>"People often faint when first confronted by a liger." James remarked.

"The space between his ears is almost exactly eight feet off the ground." He continued.

"Molly, this is Robert, Robert this is Molly." James said, indicating the young woman holding the liger's leash. " Molly, would you care to do the honors and introduce Robert and your friend."




Molly smiled. "Robert, this is Hieronymous, Hieronymous, meet Robert."

Hieronymous tilted his ears slightly forward.

"Robert, hold up your hand where Hieronymous can sniff at it."

Robert did so, Hieronymous sniffed.

"Okay, Robert, you can go ahead and give Hieronymous a scratch.

He'll show you where he wants it."




Hearing this, Hieronymous stooped slightly and tensed his right shoulder blade.<<<<<

>>>>>Robert stepped forward to give Hieronymous a scratch in the indicated area.




Molly stepped forward. "We're just getting started here." She gestured in the direction of chairs in front of a wall screen. "Gentlemen, please be seated."

As the men took their chairs, Hieronymous also seated himself facing the screen.

"This is a fast moving picture slide show of the metamorphic stages of development of the giant electric bullfrog, from egg to maturity of the eel-like form, the transformation of the eel-like form to a giant tadpole, metamorphosis of the tadpole to frog.

After Hieronymous has seen the slide show, I'm going to walk him past live examples in those tanks and he'll get to dabble his paw in the water with them.

You," she continued, making eye contact with Robert, "are advised not to.

Please keep well back during that phase of the demonstration."




Robert nodded. "I'll do that." He said.




The lights dimmed, the picture show began, was a deceptively fast paced presentation.

When it was over, Molly took Hieronymous in tow again, remarking to the men, "Please stay about twenty feet behind the scene of the action."

Molly led Hieronymous past a tank holding a gelatinous egg mass, next a tank with minute eel larvae like 'fish' of various sizes, finally to a tank with a six foot electric eel in it.

Hieronymous approached, made as though to dip the eel from the tank with a paw, squalled, his eyes widened, sat down abruptly, examining and licking at his paw.

Molly approached. "Here, let me see that." She took Hieronymous' injured paw in hand, looked the big cat in the eye. "So now you know!"




To James and Robert, she remarked, "Sometimes they get serious burns from contact with the electric eel.

For human beings, contact can be fatal."




"Come along, Hieronymous, you need to get a good look at the next two stages."

Hieronymous followed, duly looked into the succeeding tanks, made no further effort to dabble his paw.

He was led to a waiting animal transport truck and placed aboard gunman and animal control officer got into a following vehicle of their own.

"You want to ride along with us?" Molly asked.




"I think we should." James responded.

"We'll need a ride back to pick up Mack and the carriage."




"No problem." Molly ushered the two men into a passenger van.




The vehicles started up silently, "Recycling oxy-hydrogen IC engines, which need only to be plugged into a suitable electric terminal to recharge them."<<<<<

I want pictures!

itiwbs NaJoPoMo 2017, W 15 Nov 2017

>>>>>The terrain around them changed perceptibly as they moved, from forested low rolling hills interspersed in broad meadows to a more boggy ground with denser forest cover and finally an expanse of reeds bordering a lake.

Another vehicle was already on the scene, with a gazelle tethered by a path leading to the water's edge.

As the party disembarked, Hieronymous caught sight of the gazelle and his ears perked up.

Molly scratched him at the base of his mane. "Easy, Hieronymous." She said and had him sit.

The gazelle looked nervous, straining at its tether away from Hieronymous.

"We're almost ready here." Molly called out.

"The same." Called a man standing with the gazelle. "When you give the word 'Go!'."

Molly put a little tension on Hieronymous' slip leash and prepared to release him.

"Go!" She cried out.

The man holding the gazelle snapped its collar off and the gazelle bounded down the path toward the water's edge, followed by Hieronymous.

The gazelle reached the water's edge, there was a roiling in the water, a cavernous maw emerged gaping from the water a prehensile tongue shot out enwrapping the gazelle.(

Convulsed, the gazelle did a back flip and landed in the mouth of the giant electrical bullfrog, which then closed on it, as the frog resubmerged.

Hieronymous stopped abruptly in the middle of the path, gazing at the spreading ripples where the frog had submerged.

I'm begining to feel sorry for your liger!

itiwbs NaJoPoMo 2017, Th 16 Nov 2017

>>>>>James stepped up behind Robert, laid a hand on his shoulder. "You look almost as shocked as Hieronymous.

Like I say, as ambush predators go, the giant electric bullfrog is one of the most deadly in the known universe.

Hieronymous, without training, almost certainly would have come up a casualty.

Now, he'll never again carelessly approach open water.

With unlimited territory we could probably allow nature to take its course.

In the comparatively small territory we've got, apex predators and grazers need careful management to keep their numbers optimal against food resources on the one hand and good genetic health of the total population on the other.

Liger simply represent too great an expense to risk throwing them away needlessly on frog encounters that do the frogs no good either.

So far as humanity and animals in domestication are concerned, Hieronymous is merely a very big puddy-tat otherwise, he is the apex predator among land dwelling animals.

The GEB is too big to come out of the water, by the way, needs bouyant support on account of its huge body size."




"GEB? Oh! You mean the giant electrical bullfrog."




"There's still time to introduce you to some of the other GMOs if you like, or would you like to call it a day?"<<<<<