Tea? (Part 2)

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Night Train

Maker of Things
NT - might I suggest a more trainer-styled toe-tector?
I've got some which are actually quite comfy.
I appreciate that you need steel toecaps - I've tried lifting a KMX before and it's not for the faint of heart...

The ones I use are quite like trainers but high at the ankle, they are suede and fabric with lots of soft, flexible padding in the upper and in the sole. I see them as hiking boots as I also hike in them and rock scramble and so on. Given I don't have anything else I guess I have to do everything in them.

I will need to shop for some new ones soon.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Technically, whether with a hoof or a cloven hoof all the toes are still there internally.
But yes, Unicorns effecively have two toes in their cloven hooves, big toes and littler toes.;)


I'm afraid I have to pull rank here, and wave my MSc. ;) There is only one toe inside a horse's hoof, and two in the hooves of cattle etc. Horses have only the middle toe, cattle and sheep etc have the third and fourth toes. Horses have one metapodial (metacarpal, or metatarsal, the bone above the toe), cattle and sheep etc also only have one, but it's the third and fourth ones fused together, with a very cool double articulation point for the toes. The loss of digits is an evolutionary trait in prey animals to reduce the relative weight of the foot. In conjunction with the elongation of the foot, to give a longer stride, this allows fast running.

There are some vestigial remains of some of the other metapodials in some hooved animals. The vestigial metapodials of pigs are very usefully pointy and pin shaped, and were often used as... pins.

Unicorns would fit the cattle/sheep model, of a single metapodial, and twin sets of phalanges. Sadly, in all my experience of animal skeletons, I was never able to positively identify a unicorn.

The osteology of the horn is more open to discussion. If it is a true horn, there will be a bony core, around which the horn sheath, made of the same stuff as fingernail, will grow. However, there are theories that the legend is based around the tusk of a narwhal, which is a tooth and therefore would be dentine and enamel (and would be much stronger and better preserved)

The anatomy of mythical beasts is fun. For example, the shoulder area of a dragon would be dead complicated, with forelimbs AND wings attached to the scapulae.

It's a long time since I rummaged through a box of assorted bones. I wonder how many I could identify off hand now.

And on that note, I really ought to go to bed! Night all!
 

Night Train

Maker of Things
I'm sure that in Science class back in 1978 we looked a pictures of animal legs and feet to see that there were vestigial signs of five fingers or toes to show that there was an evolutionary relationship.
However, you know better then I do about horses, cattle and sheep. I'll just wiggle some Unicorn toes (ouch!) at you.;)

I would have thought Dragons would have originally been six limbed where the front pair of limbs became the wings and the middle pair became the effective forearms.

Next time I meet a dragon (though I tend not to socialise with them much) I will ask.:smile:
 

Baggy

Cake connoisseur
I'm sure that in Science class back in 1978 we looked a pictures of animal legs and feet to see that there were vestigial signs of five fingers or toes to show that there was an evolutionary relationship.
However, you know better then I do about horses, cattle and sheep. I'll just wiggle some Unicorn toes (ouch!) at you.;)
Horses have things called ergots and chestnuts, which are the last remaining signs of other bits of toe.

Coffejo, glad to hear you have a merry band of three for the mini-exodus. The rainy ones are always the best, honest. :angel:
 

coffeejo

Ælfrēd
Location
West Somerset
Coffejo, glad to hear you have a merry band of three for the mini-exodus. The rainy ones are always the best, honest. :angel:

*looks sceptical*

Anyone hungry?

Scones 17july11.JPG

Hope not, they were scoffed yesterday. Not by me, alas. C beat me off with his fork when I tried to get closer...
 

Baggy

Cake connoisseur
Anyone hungry?
Was hungry, but am immune to your sconey - teasings as am just enjoying a bacon and mushroom sarnie...:tongue:
 

Night Train

Maker of Things
Snob ;)

I suppose you mix it up with the centaurs all the time?

Nah, Unicorns don't socialise at all if they can help it, generally just keeping themselves to themselves. Like Centaurs, Unicorns prefer not to be be classified as 'beings' prefering to remain 'unclassified' and so generally fall in to the beasts catagory according to Newt Scamander's 'Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them'. In reality Unicorns, and presumably Centaurs, have no interests in clasification and so should be outside the scope of Scamander's book. Likewise they are outside the scope of general social interaction.

;)
 

Baggy

Cake connoisseur
...tea for me please. Am on hols this week and got off to a flying start by having a really bad night's sleep, followed by early (for me) start to take Doogie mog for his senior cat MOT. Am flagging a bit now, not helped by the weather.
 

cookiemonster

Squire
Location
Hong Kong
*sneaks in for a rare visit to the Tea thread*

*leaves choc digestives on the table*


Day off today. Hammering it down with rain so no bike ride today.
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But, my friend called me and asked if I would like to do some sparring with him, he has a competition soon, so I happily obliged. Boxing and gym today.
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I'm going to feel that tomorow.
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Just had lunch. Chicken wings, spaghetti, green pesto and rocket salad and, of course, tea.
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