Editing 1338: Land Mammals
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This comic shows the total weight of {{w | + | {{Incomplete|Still need more guesses for the [[#Unlabeled Animals|Unlabeled Animals table]]}} |
+ | This comic shows the total weight of {{w|mankind}} and all other {{w|land 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 {{w|whales}} and any other {{w|marine mammals}} are not included. (Whether this only covers animals that cannot live on land, or also for instance {{w|seals}} and {{w|seelions}}, is not clear). | ||
− | The design of the blocks loosely resembles a {{w | + | The design of the blocks loosely resembles a {{w|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 animal|wild}} or {{w|domestic}}, in some way support human activity. |
− | The title text states that {{w|bacteria}} outweigh us thousands to one, without counting the several pounds of | + | The title text states that {{w|bacteria}} outweigh us thousands to one, without counting the several pounds of bacteria in our body that are considered part of our own weight. The aforementioned cell could also be a bacterium, making it a possible reference to the title text, since 1256 blocks have been used to sketch the "cell", and bacteria outweigh us by about this factor. |
This comic may be a [[Nerd Sniping|nerd snipe]] from [[Randall]], challenging his readers to figure out the missing parts. | This comic may be a [[Nerd Sniping|nerd snipe]] from [[Randall]], challenging his readers to figure out the missing parts. | ||
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====Humans==== | ====Humans==== | ||
− | Cattle, in aggregate, are much heavier than the human population. Humans outweigh both {{w|sheep}} and {{w | + | Cattle, in aggregate, are much heavier than the human population. |
+ | Humans outweigh both {{w|sheep}} and {{w|pigs}} put together. This may be a surprise for people in the countries that produce the majority of meat from such animals, because here these animals outweigh the population. But there are many parts of the world where especially pigs are not eaten, and it is not every where that sheep is in great demand. And especially in the some of the most populations dense regions in the {{w|Third World}} meat is not something you can afford to eat on a regular basis. | ||
====Our pets and livestock==== | ====Our pets and livestock==== | ||
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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 | + | 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. |
{| 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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| 122 | | 122 | ||
| 5002 | | 5002 | ||
− | | There are roughly 41 million {{w|Donkey#Present status|donkeys on Earth | + | | There are roughly 41 million {{w|Donkey#Present status|donkeys}} on Earth, with an average weight of about 125 kg. |
|- | |- | ||
| | | | ||
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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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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | : | + | :'''Earth's LAND MAMMALS by weight''' |
− | |||
− | :[ | + | :[A block indicating the value of each block:] = 1,000,000 tons |
− | |||
− | :[ | + | :[Dark gray block:] Humans |
− | : | + | :[Light gray block:] Our pets and livestock |
− | : | + | :[Green block:] Wild animals |
− | : | ||
− | :[The rest of the comic consist of | + | :[The rest of the comic consist of blocks representing the weight of mammals. Some of the blocks are labeled:] |
− | : | + | :*Cattle |
− | : | + | :*Pigs |
− | : | + | :*Goats |
− | : | + | :*Sheep |
− | : | + | :*Elephants |
− | : | + | :*Horses |
− | : | + | :Data from Vaclav Smil's ''The Earth's Biosphere: Evolution, Dynamics, and Change'', plus a few other sources. |
− | |||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} |