Lepidosiren aimectans [now Lepidosiren paradoxa] - South American lungfish

This curious Amazon-basin fish is one of the few obligate air-breathers in the fish world, meaning it cannot get its oxygen from the water it lives in, and must breathe from the surface. It’s also notable in the ichthyological world for being a hibernator when conditions are poor, much like frogs and toads. It can encase itself in a cocoon of mud, and re-emerge as much as 6 months later, having had no fresh air or water in the mean time.

The first naturalists to encounter these fish in the mid-19th century recognized that when they dissolved these mud-cases underwater, the encased fish would “come back to life”, but they assumed that the mud casing was a very short-term protection capsule for the fish.

When they took the capsules back to Europe and dissolved them, assuming they would get some dead (but preserved) specimens, the lungfish took more than one group of zoologists by surprise when they sprung back to life, even after a 3-month voyage over the Atlantic.

South American lungfish behavior hasn’t been as well-studied as African lungfish behavior, but their hibernation/estivation behaviors are very similar. However, the South American lungfish is not believed to be as capable of crossing land as African lungfish, owing to its smaller “limbs” and its very swampy environment - African lungfish tend to live in ponds with defined shorelines, rather than swampland.

Popular History of the Aquarium of Marine and Fresh-Water Animals and Plants. George Brettingham Sowerby, 1857.

Wound closure techniques ca. 1855.

Fig 1. Closure of the wound without sutures, using adhesives and cloth.
Fig 2. Simple interrupted suture.
Fig 3. Simple uninterrupted suture.
Fig 4. Interfolded suture, with stabilizing rods. Suture passes under wound and is pulled together despite no stitches over the wound site.
Fig 5. “Suture en zigzags” - Continuous horizontal mattress suture.
Fig 6. Twisted suture. Dieffenbach used this stitch in the early steps of his reconstructive surgery.
Fig 7. Suture needle holder.
Fig 8. Curved suture needles.

Précis iconographique de Médecine Opératoire et d’Anatomie Chirurgicale. Drs. Bernard and Huette, 1854.

scientificillustration:

The Helmet Vanga (Euryceros prevostii) by BioDivLibrary on Flickr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmet_Vanga

Osteologia avium, or, A sketch of the osteology of birds /.
[Wellington] :Published by R. Hobson, Wellington, Salop,1858-1875..
biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41399243

The Pronghorn - Antilocapra americana

The pronghorn is still colloquially known as the “prong-horned antelope”, even though it’s not actually related to the true Old World antelopes, which are native to Asia and Africa. It fills a similar ecological niche, and appears very similar, due to convergent evolution.

When humans first arrived in North America, there were five species of Antilocarpa extant, but the other four have since gone extinct. The other North American Artiodactyla were much larger than the pronghorns are. In fact, the fawns of these ruminants are so small at birth (only a few lbs) that they’re not uncommonly snatched by golden eagles, in smaller harems that cannot effectively defend their offspring while eating.

Quadrupeds of North America. John James Audubon, 1854.

Black Piranha - Serrasalmus rhombus

The black piranha (also known as the redeye or rhombeus piranha) has recently been discovered to have a bite force as strong as the estimated force of the extinct Megapiranha.

Though the negative stigma towards piranhas is largely undeserved, the mature black piranha is one of the most aggressive fish. This is especially true recently, with the over-fishing of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, depleting the food sources of the adult fish.

Most species of juvenile piranhas feed on the scales and fins of others fish. Yes, they will swim up to, and rip the fins off of big fish, especially as they near maturity, but are not yet large enough to reliably hunt down other fish.

Despite their huge size (up to 1 m long, four times longer than adult black piranhas) and extremely strong bite force, the Megapiranha of the Pleistocene era (8-10 mya) wasn’t believed to have a solely carnivorous diet. Their saw-shaped teeth bear similarities to the Serrasalmus genus, but also to the teeth of the Pacu, or “vegetarian piranha”.

Expédition dans les parties centrales de l’Amérique du Sud, de Rio de Janeiro à Lima et de Lima au Para. Under direction of  Le Comte Francis de Castelnau, 1856.

Field illustration of Wallace’s flying frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus)

Alfred Russel Wallace discovered this “flying” (gliding) frog during his first expedition to South-East Asia. This is the first known illustration of the species.

biomedicalephemera:

Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)

Aww, the sea otter…so cute, so resourceful, so smart. Such adorable bobbing buoys above the Pacific kelp forests. Such…jerks?

Yep, that’s right - just like humans observed decades ago in animals that they considered to be “highly intelligent” (such as dolphins, elephants, and apes), when you get smarter, you get more potential for dickishness. The brain power it takes to use tools and find novel ways to extract food also gives sea otters the mental capacity to understand how to manipulate the behavior of other otters.

To wit: Male sea otters are routine kidnappers. Though otters often raise pups in close proximity to one another, and males occasionally interact with pups in an amicable fashion, one of the most common behaviors of younger males is to kidnap the pup of a sleeping mom and hold it ransom.

The mother goes into a panic and will procure an almost absurd amount of food for the male, just to get her pup back. Older males will engage in kidnapping from time to time, but from what’s been observed thus far, it largely seems to be a behavior of the younger male who hasn’t perfected his hunting skills, and instead of improving his skills, sees an easy way out.

What a jerk.

Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. John James Audubon. Completed and posthumously published by John Woodhouse Audubon, 1858.

Reginald Southey with human and monkey skeleton

Albumen photograph by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (nom de plume Lewis Caroll, author of Alice in Wonderland), 1857.

Reginald Southey was an English physician who invented a specialized cannula (tube) for draining the excess fluid from limbs suffering from edema (dropsy). He also apparently served on England’s “Lunacy Commission” so…there’s that. Southey was lifelong friends with Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and was the one who encouraged him to take up photography.

The pensive expression on Southey’s face betrays the fact that he’s standing with his arm around a skeleton rather than a live human. The composition of the photograph and the portrayal of the abnormal as mundane strikes me as incredibly reminiscent of the worlds Dodgson created in his writings.

biomedicalephemera:

Callorhinchus milii - The Elephant Fish

This unfortunate-looking chap is an elephant fish, from the Antarctic basin. Antarctic elephant fish are smaller and more wrinkled than the variety that New Zealanders might know as elephant shark that comprises much of the “fish” side of fish & chips shops on the Islands. Their standard whitefish-like meat with palatable texture made them popular even before Europeans arrived in the South Pacific, with indigenous Maori populations. Since the fish come very close to shore during breeding season, Maori were able to catch and dry large numbers of them for the rest of the year.

The eponymous elephant-like trunk of the elephant fish is a proboscis, and the fish’s primary mode of food detection. As it weaves along the sea floor, the sensory nerves of the proboscis pick up movement from any buried crustacean life, and guide the fish to its prey. Though not prehensile by any means, most species of elephant fish are thought to use the proboscis to dig out the prey, as well as locate it.

Fishes and Fishing: Artificial Breeding of Fish, Anatomy of their Senses, Their Loves, Passions, and Intellects. W. Wright, Esq., 1858.

70-year-old Burmese Albino Man, Maung Shwe Maung.

Watercolor painting from the mission to the Court of Ava by Major Phayre, in 1855.

Maung Shwe Maung was the child of two non-albino parents, and his children were not albino. However, one of his grandchildren had very pale skin, though he was not thought to be albino. This is typical of albinism - as all known forms of human albinism are recessive, it tends to at the very least skip generations.

There are two distinct forms of albinism - oculocutaneous, and ocular. While there are multiple alleles that can lead to albinism of both the eyes and skin (oculocutaneous), the vast majority of albinism restricted to the eyes (ocular) is caused by one recessive allele on the X chromosome. Since males only have one X-chromosome, they’re much more likely to develop this condition than females.

A Series of Views in Burmah taken during Major Phayre’s Mission to the Court of Ava. Colesworthy Grant, 1855.

Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)

Aww, the sea otter…so cute, so resourceful, so smart. Such adorable bobbing buoys above the Pacific kelp forests. Such…jerks?

Yep, that’s right - just like humans observed decades ago in animals that they considered to be “highly intelligent” (such as dolphins, elephants, and apes), when you get smarter, you get more potential for dickishness. The brain power it takes to use tools and find novel ways to extract food also gives sea otters the mental capacity to understand how to manipulate the behavior of other otters.

To wit: Male sea otters are routine kidnappers. Though otters often raise pups in close proximity to one another, and males occasionally interact with pups in an amicable fashion, one of the most common behaviors of younger males is to kidnap the pup of a sleeping mom and hold it ransom.

The mother goes into a panic and will procure an almost absurd amount of food for the male, just to get her pup back. Older males will engage in kidnapping from time to time, but from what’s been observed thus far, it largely seems to be a behavior of the younger male who hasn’t perfected his hunting skills, and instead of improving his skills, sees an easy way out.

What a jerk.

Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. John James Audubon. Completed and posthumously published by John Woodhouse Audubon, 1858.

Thaumalia amherstiae [now Chrysolophus amherstiae] - Lady Amherst’s Pheasant

Despite the flashy appearance and elegant tail that look like they would stick out anywhere, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant does a remarkably good job at blending in with the underbrush of its native rainforest habitat, in Myanmar and China. Though not endangered, they are rarely seen in the wild.

Birds of Asia. John Gould, 1850-86.

Fascia of the Palm

Below the dermis of the palm, there is a significant and tougher-than-average layer of fascia (connective tissue) that serves primarily as a protector to the underlying muscles. Despite the keratinized layer of epidermis on the palms, additional reinforcement is needed for general protection of the muscles in the area. On the back of the hands, the fascia is still significant, but not as tough as the palm.

Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical. Henry Gray, 1858.

Callorhinchus milii - The Elephant Fish

This unfortunate-looking chap is an elephant fish, from the Antarctic basin. Antarctic elephant fish are smaller and more wrinkled than the variety that New Zealanders might know as elephant shark that comprises much of the “fish” side of fish & chips shops on the Islands. Their standard whitefish-like meat with palatable texture made them popular even before Europeans arrived in the South Pacific, with indigenous Maori populations. Since the fish come very close to shore during breeding season, Maori were able to catch and dry large numbers of them for the rest of the year.

The eponymous elephant-like trunk of the elephant fish is a proboscis, and the fish’s primary mode of food detection. As it weaves along the sea floor, the sensory nerves of the proboscis pick up movement from any buried crustacean life, and guide the fish to its prey. Though not prehensile by any means, most species of elephant fish are thought to use the proboscis to dig out the prey, as well as locate it.

Fishes and Fishing: Artificial Breeding of Fish, Anatomy of their Senses, Their Loves, Passions, and Intellects. W. Wright, Esq., 1858.