Submitted via IRC for Bytram
Desert tortoises pace back and forth and can overheat by roadside fencing meant to help them, according to a study published in the journal Biological Conservation by the University of California, Davis, and the University of Georgia.
The Mojave Desert tortoise is a threatened species and icon of California's southern deserts. The tortoise currently faces intense pressure as its habitat is eyed for solar and wind energy development. Loss of habitat comes at a time when biologists are working to reverse the declines this species has experienced since the 1970s. A key issue is roads.
[...] The researchers placed tiny GPS units on tortoises found near roads and along newly installed fencing. The units recorded the location and temperature of the animals every 15 minutes for two years.
See also: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.07.022
Source: Desert Tortoises Can't Take the Heat of Roadside Fencing
(Score: 2, Funny) by takyon on Monday August 07 2017, @03:13PM (2 children)
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[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday August 07 2017, @04:15PM (1 child)
We're Making News Big Again
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Wednesday August 09 2017, @09:27AM
Real news, real curves. More on this burgeoning topic at 11.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Monday August 07 2017, @03:38PM (15 children)
This is somewhat complicated, but it'd be an interesting project: solar-powered robots that patrol a section of the highway, looking for tortoises wanting to cross the road, which then grab the tortoise and escort it across safely.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday August 07 2017, @03:41PM (12 children)
How about solar powered fans along the fencing?
Or solar powered emdrive attachments so that the turtles can fly?
Or maybe a tunnel under the road.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by gtomorrow on Monday August 07 2017, @03:51PM (1 child)
Or really, really low wind farm turbines to create a breeze...?
(Score: 2, Funny) by realDonaldTrump on Monday August 07 2017, @11:43PM
Wind farms are the problem. Part of the problem. It says so in the story. If you shoot a tortoise, they want to put you in jail for five years. But wind farms kill more than 1 million tortoises a year. We're ending the war on clean, beautiful coal. We're going to have all forms of energy. We use electric, we use wind, we use solar, we use coal, we use natural gas, we will use nuclear if the right opportunity presents itself. I'd love to go nuclear. We’re going to be strong for the future. But wind is a big, big problem. I don’t want to just hope the wind blows to light up your homes and your factories. As the tortoises fall to the ground. 🇺🇸
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Monday August 07 2017, @04:22PM (7 children)
The tunnel thing doesn't work (by itself, without a way of forcing them to use it). It's been tried before many times in many places, with little success. The problem is these animals don't have human-level intelligence, and don't really understand the concept of "roads" and "tunnels" that well. They might happen to use a tunnel if they just happen to approach the road right where the tunnel is, and get scared by passing cars. Or they might be too scared to use the tunnel (or not understand it takes them to the other side) and still try to cross the road. And if they're not very close to the tunnel, they won't know it's there in the first place. It's not like they can read signs saying "don't cross the road! use the tunnel instead!". We're talking about tortoises here.
But a roof along the fencing to keep the sun off them might not be a bad idea, so they can stay out of the sun until they get funneled to the tunnel. But even here, it's questionable how well it'll work. The only way to know is to do a field trial IMO. Will they give up trying to cross? Will the tunnel be too small for them and scare them off? Will the fencing and roofing hold up to the elements?
(Score: 2) by tibman on Monday August 07 2017, @04:47PM (3 children)
A good example of a German frog fence. Will have to scroll down a bit or search for "frog fence": http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/gregfrazier/news/2002-05-20.shtml [horizonsunlimited.com]
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 07 2017, @07:23PM (2 children)
Thanks for the link, but... how does that frog fence even work? Off-hand:
1) Won't there be a huge problem from water and drainage pooling on either side of the fence?
2) That's a pretty narrow area. What about the frogs on the "outside" of the fence area? Is there some mechanism which forces the frogs to go into that funnel?
I'm assuming it works because it was made and is still around, but how?
(Score: 2) by tibman on Monday August 07 2017, @07:53PM
I remember in some places there was a low green mesh fence that directed the frogs to specific frog crossings. I think something for tortoises would have to be very large.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 07 2017, @09:19PM
1) water and drainage
Ever see the temporary concrete barriers used for highway work?
The sections are used collectively[1] to form a partition to protect the workers and direct traffic away from the messy area.
Each section is small enough that a forklift can manage it.
There are slots in the bottom edge such that the forks can get under the thing.
If water drainage is a problem with the frog fence, simple put holes in it at ground level that are big enough to let water through but not frogs.
Vertical slots would probably be better (won't clog up with dirt as easily).
Hell, you could make the whole deal out of mesh to start with.
Additionally, the wall doesn't look all that tall from the outside. [horizonsunlimited.com]
If there is a really heavy rain, it would crest the frog wall and spill over into the ditch.
...and one might even call what's there a berm. [google.com]
[1] There's that word again. 8-)
2) frogs on the "outside" of the fence
Frogs are amphibians and need water in which to submerge their skin often.
They won't likely be too far from the body of water (the ditch).
...and I don't imagine that the frog fence is so terribly long that adventurous migratory frogs couldn't find a way around the end of it in a quest for new mates.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 07 2017, @08:46PM
Brilliant in its simplicity.
(It's easy to spot the engineers in the crowd.)
a field trial
A pilot study?? You're making way too much sense, dude.
Clearly, you will never find employment with any government.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by t-3 on Tuesday August 08 2017, @01:26AM (1 child)
Why a roof? Just put the fence in at an angle.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 08 2017, @02:49AM
...and see what the Joie Chitwood wannabes do with that. [google.com]
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday August 07 2017, @04:22PM
Or, attach a reflective, biodegradable, parasol to the tortoise's back when it approaches the fence, thus keeping it cool while it figures out what to do about this un-natural thing that just appeared in the otherwise open-range habitat it evolved in for millions of years.
Seriously, 220 million years learning how to navigate the open desert and some joker comes along and puts up a wall - it's gonna take more than 15 minutes to figure the thing out.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 08 2017, @02:24AM
Some of it's highways are fenced but there are tunnels so animals can move grate
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Monday August 07 2017, @08:13PM
Give it two and a half million years and the tortoises would evolve to vigorously defend the robots from the inevitable gangs of roving scrap-dealing opportunists targeting the robots.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Monday August 07 2017, @09:49PM
Except for the robots that see the tortoise overheating, and then do nothing. Why is that?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 07 2017, @03:53PM
Could they just go under?
(Score: 4, Funny) by BenJeremy on Monday August 07 2017, @03:59PM (1 child)
Yeah, I can see how the thick padded uniform and mask can make them overheat.
Not sure how sword fighting helps them, but somebody must find it entertaining.
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Monday August 07 2017, @08:47PM
LOL!
So much for the 'lightning quick ripostes' in those matches.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Monday August 07 2017, @08:51PM (1 child)
From the my-tortoise-ate-my-dept-line dept.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 08 2017, @12:36AM
When the department line is left off, I mentally insert "Happy New Year from the religion of peace" and it usually fits.