I just talked to my local bird person. Saliva yes, drool never. Birds
are so--birdlike.
Mark
At 09:38 AM 5/10/2009, you wrote:
>Thank Ginny for me, whoever she may be.
>
>No need to drop a Komodo Dragon into the AWP convention--twould only
>put them out of their misery.
>
>Mark
>
>At 07:07 AM 5/10/2009, you wrote:
>>If there is a question to be asked, there is someone from whom to
>>learn an answer. This, by the way, is not the Jon Stewart Show or
>>Prof. Irwin Corey: this is dead-on serious. I have trusted Ginny
>>with information about my cats and dog for years. I wonder if it
>>mightn't be an idea worth considering to drop a Komodo Dragon into
>>the midst of the next AWP meeting in the name of herd-thinning.
>>
>>Ken
>>
>>-------- Original Message --------
>>Subject: Re: [Fwd: Yet another question]
>>Date: Sun, 10 May 2009 01:36:49 -0400
>>From: Ginny Palmieri <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: Kenneth Wolman <[log in to unmask]>
>>References: <[log in to unmask]>
>>
>>
>>
>>Most birds do not have saliva, no. There are some exceptions (most
>>notably birds of prey.)
>>Parrots, parakeets, canaries, etc., and most song birds have dry
>>tongues (which feel really,
>>really cool, like a very soft finger, btw.) Birds with wet tongues
>>(saliva) don't have crops. Crops are found in those birds with dry
>>tongues. The crop is an expanded area of the esophogus, and there
>>is a fluid with digestive enzymes found there. It comes from a
>>submaxillary gland, which is not activated until the mechanical act
>>of swallowing begins.
>>Essentially, that's saliva, which begins the digestive process
>>through the action of the
>>enzymes. The crop also use mechanical means of breaking down foods, which is
>>why some birds require grit or dirt in their diets.
>>I have never seen a bird drool. I don't know if those with saliva
>>can or not, but I would
>>assume that the possibility exists.
>>
>>Reptiles can and do drool. Komodo dragon saliva carries a lethal
>>dose of bacteria, which
>>is fast acting and disables and often kills its prey. They are
>>famous for drooling great ropes
>>of this toxic swill, and may rank among the most disgusting of all
>>animals. However,
>>like birds, most reptiles have a fairly dry tongue until the act of
>>swallowing begins,
>>at which point the submaxillary gland pumps fluid into the mouth to
>>assist in the swallowing
>>process. Given the way snakes eat, probably a good idea to get
>>some lubrication into
>>the act, I'd say.
>>
>>Normally, I think snakes have fairly dry mouths, but I know that
>>drooling can be a sign
>>of some kind of illness in the larger, constricting snakes. I'm no
>>herpatologist, though,
>>and you'd have to ask one of them if you wanted more (and more
>>accurate!) detailed
>>information on reptiles.
>>
>>Me
>>
>>>>>On 5/9/2009 at 1:44 PM, Kenneth Wolman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>You're my local animal expert. I never thought of this. DO any of them?
>>>ken
>>>-------- Original Message --------
>>>Subject: Yet another question
>>>Date: Sat, 9 May 2009 13:30:32 -0400
>>>From: Mark Weiss <[log in to unmask]>
>>>Reply-To: Poetryetc: poetry and poetics <[log in to unmask]>
>>>To: [log in to unmask] References:
>>><[log in to unmask]>
>>><001401c9d0c9$4691bd50$0601a8c0@shakespeare>
>>><000501c9d0ca$360cceb0$a2266c10$@com>
>>>
>>>This time I'm taking advantage of the considerable oddity of
>>>poetryetc, not to speak of the surprising erudition of its members..
>>>It's Spring, so naturally my thoughts turn to saliva. In my mind's
>>>eye I conjured a drooling chicken. Hence the question: do birds
>>>drool? do they even salivate? What about reptiles? No jokes about
>>>rabies, please--I've already run through them.
>>>My mind is like a stone
>>>skipping on water, which one day
>>>will sink, tee hee.
>>>Mark
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>Ken Wolman http://awfulrowing.wordpress.com/
>>http://www.petsit.com/content317832.html
>>---------------------------------
>>"All writers are hunters, and parents are the most available
>>prey."--Francine du Plessix Gray
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