nuderefsarebest:It’s International Vulture Awareness Day! The only vulture that really frequ

nuderefsarebest: It’s International Vulture Awareness Day! The only vulture that really frequents my neck of the wood is the Turkey Vulture, so, let me explain you a thing. Turkey vultures like to eat carcasses that have rotted to the point where they’re no longer attractive to other large scavengers, like foxes, coyotes, or raccoons. This is the point when the carcass is absolutely filled with pathogens. The longer that carcass sits there and rots, the more time it has to spread diseases out into the environment, including Clostridium botulinum. For those not familiar, C. botulinum is the reason you never, ever, ever want to eat food from a can that’s bulging or otherwise compromised. The bacterium itself wouldn’t be that bad, except it produces botulinum toxin, the most potent toxin known to man that’s not ionizing radiation. The LD50 is 1 nanongram. ONE. NANOGRAM. That’s one of the many reasons that animals like coyotes, raccoons, opossums, and other vertebrate scavengers want nothing to do with an overly-rotted corpse. You know who doesn’t give a shit about botulism, though? The Turkey Vulture. Not only does C. botulinum not make Turkey Vultures sick, it somehow lives in harmony with their immune systems. Other pathogens like anthrax, E. coli, and swine flu are promptly nuked by the bird’s incredibly powerful stomach acid. Basically, Turkey Vultures and their kin are out there taking disease-ridden corpses that could spread deadly illnesses to humans and other animals, and converting them into sterile fertilizer. So, the next time you see one of these guys circling a thermal, or sun-worshiping in a tree, you don’t necessarily have to make yourself say he’s handsome, but, at least show a little respect, because they deserve it. “You’re welcome, naked ape-things.” -- source link
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