1. You're in the desert and run out of water. What do you do?
2. What do most rattle snake bite vitcims (human) have in common?
3. What do the Native Americans use to get the saguaro fruit off the saguaros?
2. What do most rattle snake bite vitcims (human) have in common?
3. What do the Native Americans use to get the saguaro fruit off the saguaros?
posted by:
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Tucson
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Re: pop quiz
Tue, June 6, 2006 - 6:16 PM1. Build a solar stil.
2. The bites are on the hands and feet?
3. Distilling alcohol, once a year.
Let me know how how I did.
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Unsu...
Re: pop quiz
Tue, June 6, 2006 - 6:59 PM1. Use transpiration bags, much less labor and they produce more water than solar stills.
2. The bites are on the hands and feet.
3. Long poles made from the wooden ribs of Saguaro skeletons were used to hook and knock down the fruits.
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Re: pop quiz
Tue, June 6, 2006 - 8:09 PM1. Mush up the interior of a barrel cactus and drink the liquid from that
2. They are male, 17-30 years old, have tattoos and a better than average chance of being drunk when bitten
3. Saguaro ribs
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Re: pop quiz
Tue, July 18, 2006 - 4:04 PM1. pray to allah
2. they were a rattlesnake in a past life
3. they make a protective suit out of rodent pelts and climb to the top
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Re: pop quiz
Tue, July 18, 2006 - 6:11 PM1. eat dirt...
2. they both have reptilian brian stems...
3. now adays they use shot guns! -
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Re: pop quiz
Tue, July 18, 2006 - 8:59 PMEdward's the winner! He got 3 for three.
Barrel cactus pulp is the best chance for survival, and even that's iffy! Cactus water can be very very hard for our bodies to assimilate, it could make you sick and then throw up and get more dehydrated! Another tip, is that although de-topping a barrel cactus kills the plant, it forms an inverted bowl shape and will collect water next time in rains.
You can also take a sliver of barrel cactus or prickly pad and such on that, and it will keep you cooler and hydrated.
Your best bet would be to eat saguaro fruit, I think. Tasty and nutritious
The moral about rattle snake bites is, don't be stupid and agressively curious about these animals! They don't WANT to bite you! You are bigger than they are, and it takes a lot of energy for them to produce their venom, why would they want to waste it on something they can't eat? -
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Re: pop quiz
Sat, August 5, 2006 - 12:01 PMHi all,
I’m usually not a rain-on-your-parade type of gent but I gota stand up for the barrel cactus here.
They are not filled with water but rather an alkaline juice that if drunk would be a net loss of water and would hurt you more than help (even if you kept it down).
I say this because the barrel cactus is a magnificent but disappearing spirit from our natural gardens and encouraging their destruction from misinformation can be avoided.
Bring lots of water to the desert!
With all due respect and many big hugs,
David -
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Unsu...
Re: pop quiz
Sat, August 5, 2006 - 12:36 PM"They are not filled with water but rather an alkaline juice that if drunk would be a net loss of water and would hurt you more than help (even if you kept it down)."
Yeah, I thought that was the case. I think Les Stroud mentioned it on the TV show "Survivorman" during the Sonoran Desert episode. Thanks for the conservation heads-up. -
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Re: pop quiz
Mon, August 7, 2006 - 1:08 PMYup, it's true, the juice in the barrel cactus is pretty darn alkaline. But we were talking about a survival, no-other-choice situation here. You could at least stay hydrated if you really had to. As for the wisdom put forth by some show on Discovery Channel, well, YMMV. I'll stick to the advice from old-timers who've been in the desert for a long time rather than a reality show which may have other agendas, such as avoiding a lawsuit or trying to avoid being accused of promoting wanton destruction of our environment.
Please note that I am not in any way advocating ripping up barrel cactuses. They are very lovely and should be preserved, as should all the plants and wildlife we encounter. So pack lots of water, be aware of your surroundings, and tread lightly on the earth.
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