Fun facts

Just a quick post with some things we learned in classes this week:

• Fainting goats do exist.   Myotonic goats have a Cl- channel mutation in cell membranes thus they can't maintain membrane potentials affecting the communication system.  This causes spontaneous muscle contraction.  When startled or excited, these goats "faint" or fall to the ground because of these muscle contractions.  For those interested:

                               Check out this video:   http://youtu.be/we9_CdNPuJg

Fainting goats were originally sent to pasture with a farmer's sheep flock.  When predators came around the flock, the sheep would run off and the goat would be startled and "faint" and the predator would eat the goat instead.  Hence the term, "Scape Goat."

• Brachiocephalicus is not a dinosaur.  It is, in fact, a muscle that extends from the head/neck area to the humerus.   

Brachiocephalicus

                                                

Dinosaur (in case you weren't sure)

• Casting sheep is hard, but oh so much fun.  Essentially the goal is to run into a flock of sheep and grab one by the head with your left hand by the hip with your right hand and lift and push and the same time so the sheep ends up sitting on it's bum.  Once in this position, they will let you do anything.  It was awesome.  Imagine forty vet students running around a barn chasing sheep, falling over, and running into each other.  Pure crazy awesomeness.  

The goal.

• Scottish flu bugs are a different breed.  Seriously.  More than half the kids in my classes are sick, which makes listening to the professor very difficult due to the level of coughing.  I'm lucky enough to have not gotten sick, but I'm sure it will happen eventually because all of my roommates are sick too.  Here's to popping Vitamin C like candy. . .