Globally, hammerhead sharks have experienced severe declines owing to continued overexploitation and anthropogenic change. The smooth hammerhead shark remains understudied compared to other members of the family Sphyrnidae. Despite its vulnerable status, a comprehensive understanding of its genetic landscape remains lacking in many regions worldwide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoxiellosis, or Query (Q) fever, a disease caused by the intracellular bacteria , was recently described in a managed breeding herd of white rhinoceros () in the southeastern United States. Clinical disease often results in abortion and could represent a conservation challenge for this species. In addition to the reproductive and herd management consequences, coxiellosis is also a zoonotic disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe origin of PGE-Ni-Cu mineralization in the Platreef, northern limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC), and the possible correlation with the Merensky Reef in the eastern and western limbs has been long debated. The Platreef and Merensky Reef share the same stratigraphic position in the uppermost part of the Upper Critical Zone (UCZ), near the transition to the overlaying Main Zone (MZ). However, discrepancies in interpretations have been difficult to resolve due to the effects of intense magma-country rock interaction throughout most of the northern limb succession.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC) is known for its laterally extensive platinum group element-bearing layers, the most famous being the Merensky Reef and the UG-2 chromitite in the eastern and western limbs of the complex. In the northern limb, the Platreef mineralization and a thick chromitite seam below it (referred to as the "UG-2 equivalent" or UG-2E) have been proposed to be the stratigraphic equivalents of the Merensky Reef and the UG-2, respectively. In this study, we compare a suite of UG-2E samples from the Turfspruit project with a UG-2 reference suite from the western limb using petrography, electron probe microanalysis, laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and Mössbauer spectroscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSerum chemistry analyses were compared between captive and free-ranging giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in an attempt to better understand some of the medical issues seen with captive giraffes. Illnesses, including peracute mortality, energy malnutrition, pancreatic disease, urolithiasis, hoof disease, and severe intestinal parasitism, may be related to zoo nutrition and management issues. Serum samples were collected from 20 captive giraffes at 10 United States institutions.
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