Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 4]

Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 4]

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LivingTheDream

1,753 posts

178 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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Dr Jekyll said:
Jonboy_t said:
Theoretically, would it be possible to completely domesticate a Jaguar? As in, have it live in your house and not eat you and stuff?
Doubt it. Even domestic cats aren't particularly domesticated, not compared with dogs
Although not a Jaguar, I guess Christian the Lion was the closest thing.

theplayingmantis

3,721 posts

81 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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Jonboy_t said:
Theoretically, would it be possible to completely domesticate a Jaguar? As in, have it live in your house and not eat you and stuff?
is there such a thing as completely domestic? even a spaniel could theoretically turn.


V8mate

45,899 posts

188 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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How do animals know how to swim?

Humans don't know how to swim. They have to be taught.

So how do (land) animals manage to just crack on and swim without lessons?

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

260 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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V8mate said:
How do animals know how to swim?

Humans don't know how to swim. They have to be taught.

So how do (land) animals manage to just crack on and swim without lessons?
They tend to automatically float in a good swimming position with their heads above water.

captain_cynic

11,873 posts

94 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
quotequote all
Dr Jekyll said:
Jonboy_t said:
Theoretically, would it be possible to completely domesticate a Jaguar? As in, have it live in your house and not eat you and stuff?
Doubt it. Even domestic cats aren't particularly domesticated, not compared with dogs
If a house cat goes of the rails you get a few minor scratches and bite marks. If a big cat goes off the rails, well ask Siegfried and Roy about that one.

Theoretically you can domesticate anything with enough time. Dogs, like most animals were domesticated more through breeding than training.

SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

252 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
quotequote all
V8mate said:
How do animals know how to swim?

Humans don't know how to swim. They have to be taught.

So how do (land) animals manage to just crack on and swim without lessons?
Left to your own devices, as a baby, you would have learned on your own to walk, and in time, to swim. Floating is as simple as holding your breath, and performing the cycle of exhaling and re-inhaling quickly.

Animals are the same, they're just born with those skills closer to fully developed. I don't know why.

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

260 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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SpeckledJim said:
Left to your own devices, as a baby, you would have learned on your own to walk, and in time, to swim. Floating is as simple as holding your breath, and performing the cycle of exhaling and re-inhaling quickly.

Animals are the same, they're just born with those skills closer to fully developed. I don't know why.
By general mammalian standards humans are born premature, something to do with babies head sizes vs pelvis sizes.

glazbagun

14,259 posts

196 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
quotequote all
captain_cynic said:
Dr Jekyll said:
Jonboy_t said:
Theoretically, would it be possible to completely domesticate a Jaguar? As in, have it live in your house and not eat you and stuff?
Doubt it. Even domestic cats aren't particularly domesticated, not compared with dogs
If a house cat goes of the rails you get a few minor scratches and bite marks. If a big cat goes off the rails, well ask Siegfried and Roy about that one.

Theoretically you can domesticate anything with enough time. Dogs, like most animals were domesticated more through breeding than training.
A Russian dude managed to domesticate foxes through some pretty brutal selective breeding so it might be possible. Circuses have been training bears/lions for generations.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_red_f...

Not sure how you'd pick the friendliest animals to breed if the givaway sign of their displeasure is that they tear your head off though.

SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

252 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
quotequote all
Dr Jekyll said:
SpeckledJim said:
Left to your own devices, as a baby, you would have learned on your own to walk, and in time, to swim. Floating is as simple as holding your breath, and performing the cycle of exhaling and re-inhaling quickly.

Animals are the same, they're just born with those skills closer to fully developed. I don't know why.
By general mammalian standards humans are born premature, something to do with babies head sizes vs pelvis sizes.
I know that for myself, personally, I was born at a VERY young age.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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You could feed it bring it up from a cub, declaw it and get it to wear a muzzle. That would be the only way you have a chance of living.

Clockwork Cupcake

74,402 posts

271 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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SpeckledJim said:
I know that for myself, personally, I was born at a VERY young age.
hehe

SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

252 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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Clockwork Cupcake said:
SpeckledJim said:
I know that for myself, personally, I was born at a VERY young age.
hehe
I've come so far, and I've reached so high. For the most part, looked each day and night in the eye.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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Who decided that in the UK we'd use individual numbers when referring to Fiat cars e.g. one two seven when in Italy they call them by the whole number e.g. centoventisette / one hundred and twenty seven....apart from the Fiat 500 where we use the same format?

And does the same apply for Ferraris? Is a 355 a 'trecento cinquantacinque' or a 'tre cinque cinque'?

Clockwork Cupcake

74,402 posts

271 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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Spumfry said:
Who decided that in the UK we'd use individual numbers when referring to Fiat cars e.g. one two seven when in Italy they call them by the whole number e.g. centoventisette / one hundred and twenty seven....apart from the Fiat 500 where we use the same format?

And does the same apply for Ferraris? Is a 355 a 'trecento cinquantacinque' or a 'tre cinque cinque'?
It's just a cultural thing, surely? English-speakers tend to say numbers that way, whereas it seems the Italians like to say it in full.

What always amuses me is translating evocative Italian names into English. So we have the Ferrari red head, the Lamborghini Countach four valve, the Maserati four doors, the Fiat pen, etc. smile



Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Tuesday 19th February 13:40

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
quotequote all
Clockwork Cupcake said:
Maserati four port
'Four doors', surely? But not the most imaginative name in English, no.

Clockwork Cupcake

74,402 posts

271 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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Spumfry said:
'Four doors', surely? But not the most imaginative name in English, no.
You managed to quote me just before I realised my error myself and corrected it.

captain_cynic

11,873 posts

94 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
quotequote all
Clockwork Cupcake said:
Spumfry said:
Who decided that in the UK we'd use individual numbers when referring to Fiat cars e.g. one two seven when in Italy they call them by the whole number e.g. centoventisette / one hundred and twenty seven....apart from the Fiat 500 where we use the same format?

And does the same apply for Ferraris? Is a 355 a 'trecento cinquantacinque' or a 'tre cinque cinque'?
It's just a cultural thing, surely? English-speakers tend to say numbers that way, whereas it seems the Italians like to say it in full.

What always amuses me is translating evocative Italian names into English. So we have the Ferrari Red head. The Lamborghini Countach four valve, the Maserati four port, the Fiat pen, etc. smile
I've always thought it was an American thing. Seven oh Seven and that kind of thing which we generally reserve for names. When talking about dates, prices, measurements we tend to state the whole number, I.E. four hundred and thirty seven Pounds, not four three seven Pounds. We also mix it like a BMW "three twenty eye" but we're talking about proper nouns and regular rules can be suspended for those.

I've noticed this bleed into Spanish, I asked a friend in south america which plane she wen't on and she replied "siete siete siete" (meaning a B777) which oddly enough is one of our exceptions, we'd don't usually call it a "seven seven seven", I usually hear "triple seven" or "seven-seventy seven". They don't usually shorten dates, it's dos mil diecinueve (2019) as compared to just nineteen for us.

I think I'll just conclude that English is weird and I should stop trying to make sense of it smile

Clockwork Cupcake

74,402 posts

271 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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captain_cynic said:
I think I'll just conclude that English is weird and I should stop trying to make sense of it smile
That's probably for the best. English is a language of exceptions, and exceptions to exceptions. No wonder non-native speakers struggle with it.

(And even native ones, sometimes)

captain_cynic

11,873 posts

94 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
quotequote all
Spumfry said:
Clockwork Cupcake said:
Maserati four port
'Four doors', surely? But not the most imaginative name in English, no.
You've got to love false friends when learning a new language. Embarazada in Spanish sounds like embarrassed in English... but actually means you're pregnant.

To be fair, in Italian "porte" is door, "porto" is where ships dock.

Clockwork Cupcake

74,402 posts

271 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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captain_cynic said:
You've got to love false friends when learning a new language. Embarazada in Spanish sounds like embarrassed in English... but actually means you're pregnant.
I am so pregnant to have got my initial post slightly wrong for all of 90 seconds before correcting it myself, during which time at least two people quoted me.

smile

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