Even if its a skeletal day of responses I still defer to the Bone-meister
if he wiggles his finger bones over the keys to respond more correctly.
Even acknowledge his efforts in beating these facts through my own thick
skull.
 
>From:    Urban Fredriksson <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Ferret vision
 
>"Eric A. Schwartz" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>I'm afraid I don't have the actual citations, but I recall that ferrets
>>have zero color vision and do not have binocular vision, whereas actual
>>polecats have at least some color perception and do have binocular vision.
>
>Haven't you seen ferrets track objects with both eyes?
 
Ferrets probably do have binocular vision but its probably not as good as a
polecats.  During domestication most animals end.  up with smaller brains
and with the smaller brains they get a smaller skull.  In the ferret that
led to a distortion of the skull which pulled the eyes "back" or more on
the side of their head.  This would give them less area in the front where
both eyes can see the same thing.  Predators normally need more overlap for
better distance judgement when chasing prey.  Herbivores normally need less
overlap which gives them more total area - peripheral vision is wider - to
watch for approaching predators.
 
As for Swedish ferrets since I among those most familiar with Swedish
ferrets in comparison to American - they seem to have heads more similar to
polecats than American ferrets have.  Polecats have a somehwat triangular
shape to the ear - sort of a pointed ear but not as dramatic as a cats.
Polecats have a real frontward set to their eyes.  American ferrets have
very rounded ears rather circular even.  They also have the more side set
eyes.  Swedish ferrets are in between much more like the polecats.
 
Does that affect what you see Urban?  I don't know.
 
>From:    Brandon Burt <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Ferret "Thingies"
>I thought a ferret thingy was called something like a "bacula"
 
Yes bacula is plural for baculum.
 
Thats a bone literally a part of the penis.  Us people ain't got them so
don't go looking.  Its easy to note the bacula when a hob's penis is "out".
Or by feeling behind that covering gently.  Your hob may react based on the
stimulation there so um... er... you know.
 
-bill
 
--
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2750]