vertebrate

Not only must successful blood-suckers be able to find a compatible vertebrate, they need to have evolved senses that let them hone in on their targets.

“The vertebrate's natural body defenses against blood loss and invasion include blood clotting, platelet aggregation, vasoconstriction and immune defenses. Most if not all blood feeding parasites secrete a form of saliva into the feeding site that contains many different proteins and even chemicals that target host defenses.”

These are ventures — often one-person crusades — that celebrate fast food, Finnish folk art, Skid Row, skateboarding, vertebrate zoology and more.

The analysis anticipates revenue loss of an unknown amount to the department, as well as to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Vertebrate Pest Control Research Advisory Committee.

This is the first study to strongly indicate that a vertebrate species can use bubbles to breathe under water, a trait that several bugs and invertebrates are known to have adapted.