Another Giant Rat, this time from the Solomans

  • Thread starter Thread starter BillTre
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Time
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the recent discovery of a new species of giant rat from the Solomon Islands, drawing connections to literary references and biological concepts related to island ecosystems. The scope includes literary allusions, biological theories, and examples of island gigantism and dwarfism.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant references a New York Times article about a newly described species of giant rat, linking it to a quote from Sherlock Holmes.
  • Another participant notes the phenomenon of giant and dwarf species on isolated islands, citing Foster's Rule and the Theory of Island Biogeography as explanations.
  • A different participant mentions the tendency for larger species to become smaller on islands, providing examples such as mini-elephants and the "hobbits" of Flores.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express interest in the connections between literature and biology, but there is no explicit consensus on the implications of these connections or the specific examples discussed.

Contextual Notes

The discussion touches on various biological theories and literary references without resolving the complexities of island biogeography or the implications of the literary allusions.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in the intersection of literature and biology, particularly in the context of island ecosystems and species adaptation.

BillTre
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
2,770
Reaction score
12,190
I just read about a recently described species of rat in an article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/29/science/giant-rat-coconuts-solomon-islands.html?emc=edit_th_20170930&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=38810697
This, of course, reminded me of the famous line from a Sherlock Holmes story.
Holmes is one of my favorite literary characters and I consider Mr. Spock to be the second coming of Sherlock.

The original giant rat quote is:
"Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson, ... It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared."

After looking this up in wikipedia, I discovered there have (of course) are actually many Giant Rats in nature as well as in literature after Conan Doyle's story (see wikipedia article), some of which were not that unreasonable WRT the original quote (rats involved in disease transmission on a ship which becomes depopulated).
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: jim mcnamara
Biology news on Phys.org
I reread all the Sherlock Homes stories about every ten years or so.

Giant vertebrates (and dwarf species, too) are common on isolated islands, first explained well by Foster's Rule and generalized by Theory of Island Biogeography. (R MacArthur and E O Wilson)

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_gigantism
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: BillTre
I was about to say that big things will also tend to get smaller, but then I saw it in your link!

I was thinking mini-elephants and relatives (on many islands islands) and mini-people (the hobbits on Flores).
 
Can't resist