Editing 1338: Land Mammals
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This comic shows the total weight of {{w|Human|mankind}} and all other land {{w|mammals}}. Only a few centuries ago, {{w|humans}}, their {{w|pets}} and {{w|livestock}} came to make up a great proportion of the earth's land mammal {{w|biomass}}. Note that only land-dwelling mammals are taken into account, so for instance {{w|whales}} and {{w|sea cows}} will not be included. (Whether this only covers animals that cannot live on land or any {{w|marine mammals}} like for | + | {{Incomplete|Still need more guesses for the [[#Unlabeled Animals|Unlabeled Animals table]]}} |
+ | This comic shows the total weight of {{w|Human|mankind}} and all other land {{w|mammals}}. Only a few centuries ago, {{w|humans}}, their {{w|pets}} and {{w|livestock}} came to make up a great proportion of the earth's land mammal {{w|biomass}}. Note that only land-dwelling mammals are taken into account, so for instance {{w|whales}} and {{w|sea cows}} will not be included. (Whether this only covers animals that cannot live on land or any {{w|marine mammals}} like for stance {{w|Pinniped|seals}} and {{w|walrus}}, is not clear). | ||
The design of the blocks loosely resembles a {{w|Cell (biology)|cell}}. This could be a reference to how these animals support humans, analogous to a cell supporting a central nucleus. If so, it seems that all the animals in this diagram, {{w|wild animals|wild}} or {{w|Domestication|domestic}}, in some way support human activity. | The design of the blocks loosely resembles a {{w|Cell (biology)|cell}}. This could be a reference to how these animals support humans, analogous to a cell supporting a central nucleus. If so, it seems that all the animals in this diagram, {{w|wild animals|wild}} or {{w|Domestication|domestic}}, in some way support human activity. | ||
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====Wild Animals==== | ====Wild Animals==== | ||
− | There are 8 distinct blocks of wild animal ({{w|elephants}} and 7 others). The elephant is the only type of wild animal to be singled out in the comic. This may possibly be due to elephants being the largest land mammal. And yes, the world's heaviest land animal only takes up one square. Also interesting is that the largest group of wild animals only comes in on | + | There are 8 distinct blocks of wild animal ({{w|elephants}} and 7 others). The elephant is the only type of wild animal to be singled out in the comic. This may possibly be due to elephants being the largest land mammal. And yes, the world's heaviest land animal only takes up one square. Also interesting is that the largest group of wild animals only comes in on a tied 8 place in the ranking (which is shared between the two tables). |
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: auto; text-align: center; font-size: 95%; table-layout: fixed; line-height:1.25" | {| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: auto; text-align: center; font-size: 95%; table-layout: fixed; line-height:1.25" | ||
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====References==== | ====References==== | ||
− | The comic references the book | + | The comic references the book [http://vaclavsmil.com/the-earths-biosphere-evolution-dynamics-and-change/ The Earth's Biosphere: Evolution, Dynamics, and Change] by {{W|Vaclav Smil}} as the source for most of the data. A few other sources have also been used, but were not referenced. |
On page 186 of Smil's book, there is a bar chart with the following values: | On page 186 of Smil's book, there is a bar chart with the following values: | ||
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: auto; text-align: center; font-size: 95%; table-layout: fixed; line-height:1.25" | {| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: auto; text-align: center; font-size: 95%; table-layout: fixed; line-height:1.25" | ||
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| 0.5 | | 0.5 | ||
| 2000 | | 2000 | ||
− | |The {{W|World Health Organization}} estimates 4 billion rats{{ | + | |The {{W|World Health Organization}} estimates 4 billion rats{{Citation needed}} worldwide. The average weight of an adult rat is under 500 g. |
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