Facts of the Pre-Historic Predator Hyaenodon

Facts of the Pre-Historic Predator Hyaenodon Name: Hyaenodon (Greek for hyena tooth); pronounced hi-YAY-no-don Habitat: Plains of North America, Eurasia, and Africa Historical Epoch: Late Eocene-Early Miocene (40-20 million years ago) Size and Weight: Varies by species; about one to five feet long and five to 100 pounds Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Slender legs; large head; long, narrow, tooth-studded snout About Hyaenodon The unusually long persistence of Hyaenodon in the fossil recordvarious specimens of this prehistoric carnivore have been found in sediments dating from 40 million to 20 million years ago, all the way from the Eocene to the early Miocene epochscan be explained by the fact that this genus comprised a large number of species, which ranged widely in size and enjoyed a nearly worldwide distribution. The largest species of Hyaenodon, H. gigas, was about the size of a wolf, and probably led a predatory wolf-like lifestyle (supplemented with hyena-like scavenging of dead carcasses), while the smallest species, the appropriately named H. microdon, was only about the size of a house cat. You might assume that Hyaenodon was directly ancestral to modern wolves and hyenas, but youd be wrong: the hyena tooth was a prime example of a creodont, a family of carnivorous mammals that arose about 10 million years after the dinosaurs went extinct and went extinct themselves about 20 million years ago, leaving no direct descendants (one of the biggest creodonts was the amusingly named Sarkastodon). The fact that Hyaenodon, with its four slender legs and narrow snout, so closely resembled modern meat-eaters can be chalked up to convergent evolution, the tendency for creatures in similar ecosystems to develop similar appearances and lifestyles. (However, bear in mind that this creodont didnt much resemble modern hyenas, except for the shape of some of its teeth!) Part of what made Hyaenodon such a formidable predator was its almost comically oversized jaws, which had to be supported by extra layers of musculature near the top of this creodonts neck. Like roughly contemporary bone-crushing dogs (to which it was only distantly related), Hyaenodon would likely snap the neck of its prey with a single bite, and then use the slicing teeth in the back of its jaws to grind down the carcass into smaller (and easier to handle) mouthfuls of flesh. (Hyaenodon was also equipped with an extra-long palate, which allowed this mammal to continue breathing comfortably as it dug into its meal.) What Happened to Hyaenodon? What could have edged Hyaenodon out of the spotlight, after millions of years of dominance? Thebone-crushing dogs referenced above are possible culprits: these megafauna mammals (typified by Amphicyon, the bear dog) were every bit as lethal, bite-wise, as Hyaenodon, but they were also better adapted for hunting scurrying herbivores across the wide plains of the later Cenozoic Era. One can imagine a pack of hungry Amphicyons denying a Hyaeonodon its recently killed prey, thus leading, over thousands and millions of years, to the eventual extinction of this otherwise well-adapted predator.

The film Black Swan explores and critiques cultural ideas concerning Essay

The film Black Swan explores and critiques cultural ideas concerning women - Essay Example In many ways, the ballet is the epitome of the misogynist fantasy, women who are represented as virginal and without sexuality, but with every movement of every muscle highlighted and visible. The great choreographer, George Ballanchine, wanted his ballerina’s to have no weight, to eat nothing, and to appear to be children rather than grown adults. Within the framework of the ballet, the dream of female fragility is played out through extremes of physical contortion and athleticism, which is presented to seem as if it is not. The film, Black Swan (2010), provides context for the nature of the life that women lead. Woman have always been constrained to live through the expectations put on them by society, trying to meet impossible standards without true recognition for how impossible the expectations that have been put on them are to meet. The expectation of perfection, the need to be all things, creates a pressure that often turns inward into self-mutilation and destructive be haviors. In the case of the lead character in Black Swan (2010), the critique on the culture of women explores the nature of striving for perfection and the dangers that lurk within the struggle to meet the expectations that are impossible to achieve. ... ecretaries for organizations, and do little within the home towards maintaining the daily chores, women are not allowed that luxury to let go of any sphere without facing failure. The ballerina, is first, an athlete. She performs on her toes, each movement of each muscle under her control so that she can turn, fly, twist, and land without appearing to be putting in any effort. She must be in peek condition, but her body must be starved of any body fat and lean without the bulge of muscle. Her representation is frail and fragile upon the stage, despite the strength and prowess that is required to create the dance. Her life is a contrast of needs, her impossible task set to see her fail. Few can achieve the balance, and all those who cannot, step away feeling like failures. The most notorious relationship in the recent history of the ballet is that between the choreographer George Balanchine and the ballerina Gelsey Kirkland. Kirkland wrote a book that described her experiences with Ba lanchine as he pushed his dancers to perform. He would tell his dancers â€Å"must see the bones†, â€Å"eat less†, and â€Å"eat nothing† (Freidler and Glazer 15). He led his dancers in what Kirkland is quoted as calling a â€Å"concentration camp aesthetic† (Gordon 124). Kirkland suffered from bulimia and anorexia nervosa, as well as drug addiction from taking pills to balance her lack of nutrition and energy. Her experience was painful, stressful, and full of the turmoil that women face as they strive to balance on their toes and be all things in the process. The metaphor of the ballet provides a rich textual dialogue about the difficulty of being a woman in today’s society. Unfortunately, as much as it is a metaphor it is also an explicit truth that the expectations in the ballet are