The palaeobatrachids were a group of frogs, part of a fairly “primitive” lineage that also includes the living pipids. They first appeared in the fossil record about 70 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous, but may have actually originated much earlier, perhaps as far back as the Late Jurassic (~145 mya).
These frogs lived mainly in Europe, with a few possible remains also known from North America in the Cretaceous. They were fully aquatic, spending their entire lives in water, and fully-grown adults looked similar to modern Xenopus clawed frogs, with slightly flattened egg-shaped bodies, upwards-facing eyes, and long fingers and toes.
Some fossils preserve soft-tissue impressions, showing internal organs such as unusual bag-shaped lungs. Eggs and juveniles have also been found, and while most species’ tadpoles usually reached lengths of around 6cm (2.4″), a few were comparatively gigantic, growing to over twice that size.
The end-Cretaceous extinction (~66 mya) had little overall effect on the palaeobatrachids, and they continued to thrive in the warm wet environments of Europe during the early Cenozoic. But as climates in Western Europe gradually became drier and cooler starting in the Early Oligocene (~33 mya) they mostly disappeared from that region and instead shifted east towards Central and Eastern Europe, ranging as far as Russia.
By the Late Pliocene (~3 mya) they were struggling to cope with the ongoing cooling and drying, and the onset of the Pleistocene glaciations made things even worse for them.
Palaeobatrachus langhae was probably the last species of these frogs, known from the Early Pliocene to the mid-Pleistocene (~5 mya – 500,000 years ago). Growing to about 10cm long (4″), it lived in some of the final refuges of the palaeobatrachids in Eastern Europe, inhabiting inland temperate areas where winter temperatures weren’t too harsh.
Unfortunately the palaeobatrachids didn’t quite manage to make it through the Ice Age, ending up trapped by their fairly specialized habitat preferences. During repeated glacial periods the temperatures became too cold for them, freezing the water they depended on, but the warmer climates to the south were also too dry for them to migrate into – and with nowhere to go, they finally went completely extinct just half a million years ago.
Australia Losing The War Against The Emus, colorized (1935)
Thinking again that the main reason I have run into so many problems trying to deal with the NHS that I’m currently just having to go without treatment for some serious health problems is probably a combo deal.
Mainly consisting of (a) more things working against me wrt discrimination, and (b) much less/not as effective support available as a disabled foreigner trying to navigate an unfamiliar system. Set up so that it’s much harder to just find someone else to see who might treat you more like an actual person, rather than a weird and exasperating waste of increasingly limited time and resources.
(And I have to say that the current state of the US healthcare system likely does not help with some perceptions there. On a couple of fronts. Kinda tying in with the too-popular scapegoating of “NHS tourists” as somehow responsible for the austerity undrrfunding mess. People working in the system are not magically exempt.)
At least I am less inclined to blame myself for all of the difficulties now, while well aware that probably 90%+ of people not facing the same combination of garbage totally would. Still very short on feasible workarounds, though.
It’s wild to me, the people who are willing to stan things like big pharma and health insurance companies in the US like somehow the cost of things isn’t arbitrary and absolutely made for profit.
Just saw a comment that said “I don’t think people realize how expensive health care actually is, it’s not like pill companies are out to make a profit” like, I’m sorry, my migraine meds which I can get for free or for a significantly lower cost in nearly every other country in the world, would cost me $120 per month in the US if I chose to fill the prescription. And yes, that’s generic. And yes, that’s with health insurance. My health insurance doesn’t cover them.
My epi pens, a literal life saving rescue med, if I can’t get a generic non auto-injector or if I don’t have a coupon, can cost me $600 per pen. And you’re supposed to carry two and replace them yearly.
For that price I can literally fly home to the UK for two weeks and have them replaced for free (I’m a UK citizen before anyone gets their knickers in a bunch about freeloading scroungers), and still have an extra $100-400 to play with depending on the time of year I fly out.
I literally plan trips home based around when my meds need refilled, because it’s works out cheaper than trying to get a pharmacy in the US that takes my insurance and provides generic non automated adrenaline pens.
That’s fucked up.
And it is absolutely because health insurance companies and “big pharma” are in cahoots over how much profit they want to make from tragic events and debilitating illnesses. Meanwhile people die cause it’s a choice between food for their kids or insulin for their diabetes.
But go off I guess.
Another thing that ticks me off is people who go “oh just get new insurance if yours is too expensive” like I didn’t already think of that, and am also not restricted with who will cover me because I’m an immigrant.
Cause oh yeah, that’s a thing.
Anyone that says “well immigrants come here to get free healthcare” are absolutely talking out of their asses.
“Oh but we meant the illegals…” except you cannot get Medicaid or state equivalent without an official alien green card number??? So that’s false???
“But I heard…” well ya heard wrong.
Free health care is such a weird phenomenon to me.
We have state clinics, which are cheaper than private hospitals. You still pay for your treatment though. Medical insurance is ridiculously expensive, and not a “Benefit” with most jobs in my country. You’re lucky if you land that gig.
My husband tore a ligament a year back, we carted him off to the state hospital, he sat in line for 9 hours, had a quick xray to confirm and was sent home with aspirin. That was the extent of the help he got.
I had my wisdom teeth removed in a private hospital. I’m deathly allergic to tramal, which is the painkiller they inject you with after you come out of surgery. Noted on my chart and medical alert bracelet. I felt confident that the doctors wouldn’t inject me with the thing that could kill me.
I guessed wrong.
If I hadn’t asked the doctor what he was injecting me with ( still high on anaesthetic, fyi) he would have killed me. Do you know what he said to me when I told him I was allergic? “HOW allergic?” 😐.
Pharma companies, healthcare in general? No one cares. Pay, don’t pay. You’re going to suffer regardless. All that matters is how much money they can make off of you.
‘Free’ healthcare isnt all its made out to be. The british NHS will do everything they can to blame YOU for anything that is wrong or that you need treatment for. If your BMI is over the optimim 18 to 25 points you’re screwed. Flu? Too fat. Broken Ankle? Too fat. Polycystic Ovaries? Too fat. Asthma? Too fat. Everything you would not have if you lost weight. Oh you have despression and are self harming? Well if you lost weight… do you see where this is going?
Also prescriptions; in Scotland and Wales prescriptions are free. But in England unless you have a medical exemption card you’re paying. I have asthma and regularly have to replace my inhalers for various reason; lose them, break them, they run out. I earn less than £7k a year so i earn less than someone who claims benefits. The one exception is if they are what are classed as ‘life saving drugs’ you dont have to pay.
Doc: If you dont carry your inhaler and have an attack you’re screwed and could die.
Me: Oh ok. So can i get a medical exemption card? These things are getting expensive.
Doc: Nope
Me: But you said if i dont have my inhaler i could die from an asthma attack.
Doc: Exemption cards are only for Life Saving Drugs.
Me: But you just said i have to carry my inhaler or else i could die. It could literally save my life.
Doc: Nope. Inhalers arent considered life saving drugs.
Me: but…
Oh and lets get onto mental health care. I was diagnosed with post natal depression after i lost my first child. That then turned into the fairly rarely diagnosed pre-natal depression when i was pregnant with Superpup.
After he was born the trauma of his birth and the isolation that came with being a new mother tipped me back into severe post natal depression again. I found the strength to seek help and my GP referred me to a state shrink…
I walk into his office and before i’ve even sat down he comments that he wished new mums didnt bring their babies with them. Then he told me (not asked) to tell him the history, asked some very emotionally painful questions before telling me to ‘snap out of it before you get committed’.
He then suggested i would feel better if i lost weight and was happy to write me a prescription for amphetamines that would make me very active and happy.
I told him to fuck off and stormed out.
So no, free healthcare isnt all its cracked up to be.
Oh friend. I got news for you. Private for cost care doesn’t remove any of that shit.
It just means I’m getting charged $500 per 20 minute appointment to be told it’s my fault.
That isn’t a money or cost issue, it’s a systemic ussue of the sexism, the racism and ableism that is permitted to run riot in the medical world, regardless of cost.
Okay. It may be a terrible photo, but this is a minor miracle. This is Britney, she came in to my work yesterday in a box looking like mangled road kill. We thought she was dead. She’s almost 4 months old and only 1.8 pounds. Yesterday she couldn’t move… but she would eat. And the day had been so goddamned horrible that the vet and I just HAD to try to save her because there was too much death already.
She survived the day at work, so I took her home overnight to continue feeding her a couple teaspoons of slurry every 3 to 4 hours. And she starting moving some. And this morning she was able to turn her head enough to groom a hind foot for a few seconds.
Now, I don’t know if you know cats, but a cat that feels like crap does not groom. And while she doubtless feels like crap… she already apparently felt so much better that she expended that tiny bit of effort. Over the course of today she has been moving about more. And so with the last feeding, I tried to see if she wanted to eat in a normal cat position.
Sure, I had to help her position her hind legs correctly (we’re quite worried about that, but she can pee and poop on her own and move her tail) and sure, she was wobbly as hell and fell over several times, but that my friends is our train wreck kitten sit/standing.
So Britney may be on Death’s doorstep, but she’s no longer in his living room having tea and biscuits and we’ll take what improvements we can get.
Can I just say that Britney is amazing? This is her third evening in my care. Tonight she was able to stand with her belly off the ground, with some leg positioning help. She can also pull herself sternal whenever she wants and kinda shift herself around a bit.
And and and…. just a little bit ago she army crawled a couple steps to me! She positioned her legs herself and wobble-scootched to me because I had stopped petting her itchy ears.
There’s an adage that if you put all the bits of a cat together in one room, it will heal. I think this little girl is trying to prove it true.
I love you Britney! You’re the most fabulous cat ever. You’re on Death’s driveway… and not looking back.
Oh my god! What a strong and beautiful baby! She is amazing and so are you for believing in her! ❤️❤️❤️ I am sending all of my kitty love her way! Please give her special snuggles for me!
Aww poor little baby!!!! Such a strong little baby!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I’m starting to think Britney actually has super powers. I blogged that last update a mere 4 hours ago. I got her out to feed her… and she stood! On her Own! AND SHE WALKED. Not well. But it was up and it was walking, no matter how wobbly, and she walked her way over to me (about 5 steps total) and then CLIMBED ON MY LEGS and is laying there purring and I might be crying right now.
She did that, everyone. On her own.
Yeah. Crying.
Britney is rather amazing. She is doing far better and far faster than we had any reason to expect or even hope for. I mean, 4 days ago we were fairly certain she *wasn’t* going to make it, and now? She’s still weak and wobbly, but when you started with a body condition score (BCS) of 1/9 (5 being ideal) and have graduated to a 2/9, what can you expect?
A different vet did her recheck today. This vet got a glimpse of her on Tuesday, the morning after she arrived. She couldn’t believe the first vet and I were trying to save her. So today she does the exam, and Britney turns and give her the same look that she gave us that first day and this vet looks up at me and says “I thought you both were crazy to even try… but I can see now why you did. She’s won me over. I’m team Britney now.”
She’s still getting fluids under the skin twice a day, and antibiotics. And she got a bath (horror) and a brush out to remove the gunk that was in her fur. Her wounds are healing really well. She is SO soft now, and she purrs SO loud and she loves SO fiercely that her biscuits are painful.
“Ow”
This is the best kitten.
I have given her super long lap sessions because of you all. Britney is very grateful.
Britney had her 3rd recheck exam today with the vet who first helped me save her. She’s far surpassed our wildest hopes. She’s still ataxic (wobbly when walking) and we are unsure if it’s from muscle weakness, toxicity/trauma, or something congenital like a minor case of cerebellar hypoplasia. We’ll have to see how she progresses. She gets her next vet exam in a week. The vet also told me that because she’s no longer in critical condition that she doesn’t *need* to be fostered to me. I’m sure I gave the vet a very strange and fierce expression as I said “But I love her. And she loves me.” And therefore even though I’m NOT keeping her forever, she gets to stay with me until she’s adopted. Because MY foster kitten.
She’s currently helping me enter physical exams and booster vaccines that I’ve done today into the computer. Very useful kitten.
It’s been 2 weeks since I took Britney home, fully expecting her to not make it. Today she was spayed and she did really well during the surgery and had a very gentle recovery.
Two vets did an extra thorough exam on her today and they’ve ruled out cerebellar hypoplasia as a likely cause for her issues for two reasons: 1- she doesn’t have intention tremors, and her issues are limited to her hind legs, and 2- she is painful when you press on her back where the thoracic vertebrae meet the lumbar vertebrae.
We took some really good spinal radiographs while she was under anesthesia and she doesn’t have any breaks or compressions or anything obvious. Both vets think she is not in any danger, but that I should not encourage her to be super active for a while longer. She should not get any worse, and will hopefully get better. So current thought is trauma, probably caused by whatever caused the head and neck wounds as well.
Britney on the recovery bed after surgery.
Super soon Britney is going to be up for adoption. She’s got an ‘unknown neuro’ waiver in place as well as one that she had height restrictions as it’s more accurate to say she flops off the couch rather than jumps. This would be exceptionally bad news if she did it off, say, a 6ft tall cat tree. She is also going to get a big story about her done by my shelter that should go out soon-ish so she can get a wide pool of potential adopters and we can choose the best one for this little miracle kitten.
I’m going to definitely demand (politely!) regular updates from whomever adopts her, because I really love her.
A short video of her and the laser pointer, to show how she kind of flops around when chasing it.
It’s been 2 years since my best foster case ever. Cheers Britney!
(2/2) statement that you absolutely couldn’t bear to vote Democrat even in a worst case scenario. Even if your vote “doesn’t matter” and you would totally vote differently if you lived in a swing state or whatever
Anyone who reinforces the notion that voting is an expression of your personality is part of the problem. I’ve wrote about this before but it’s part of the consumerization of politics, how everything is about building your personal brand and not creating material improvements.
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 
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