![]() ~/Library/Application\ Support/Steam/SteamApps/common/Starbound LinuxĬd ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/Starbound/linux/ &. In Finder, press Command+Shift+G (or select Go > Go To Folder in the menu bar), then paste in the following path:.Open Steam, right-click Starbound, click "properties", and select "Local Files", then "Browse Local Files".There are two ways to get to this folder: The command above will navigate to the directory of the Starbound game files, run the built-in asset_unpacker, and store the unpacked files in the game file directory. It'll take a minute or two for the script to run, depending on the speed of your computer. If the terminal seems to freeze up, that's ok. Open Terminal and paste in the following:Ĭd ~/Library/Application\ Support/Steam/SteamApps/common/Starbound/ &. (The following assumes Starbound was installed from Steam) This third string can be changed to whichever location or name you prefer. Where you want the unpacked assets to be dumped.The location of Starbound assets, or Mod assets, to be unpacked.The location of asset_unpacker.exe, which is the program that does all of the unpacking.The text typed into Command Prompt/Windows Powershell are three directory locations:.If purchased from Steam, the location of the main Starbound directory folder typically looks like this: Steam\steamapps\common\Starbound.Once Command Prompt/Windows Powershell displays a message equivalent to this, "Unpacked assets to _UnpackedAssets in s," you can close the program and move on to creating mods.Command Prompt/Windows Powershell will do nothing until asset_unpacker.exe has finished.Type the following into Command Prompt/Windows Powershell.Shift + right-click within the folder and select Open Command Prompt/Powershell or equivalent (depends on Windows version).Open up the main directory folder for Starbound. ![]() Changes you make to the unpacked assets will have no effect on your game.Ĭurrent as of Version 1.3.1, June 27th, 2017 Note - This step will not remove or change your packed.pak file, but simply extract its content for use as reference material. This means we need to unpack the assets before we can start modding. pak format which improves loading times and eases mod distribution. See external links below.įurious Koala introduced a. Only UTF-8 is supported, other encodings are likely to cause crashes.Īlternative sources for getting started in modding include the Official Chucklefish Forums, the Unofficial Modding Ebook, the third-party program ModPakHelper that can be used for both unpacking and packing assets, a video, and some more. Do not use a word processor such as MS Word instead of a text editor. You will need a text editor that is not the Windows included notepad.exe, as it does not support UNIX line endings. This article will show you the steps you need to take before you can start actually modding, and also the steps you can take after you are done modding, to pack and publish your mod.
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![]() barrister * In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, this used to be the only type of lawyer qualified to argue a case in both higher and lower law courts contrasts with solicitor. barmy crazy, unbalanced (US: balmy) barney a noisy quarrel, trouble origin unknown. Barman and the originally American bartender appeared within a year of each other (18) barmaid is almost two centuries older (circa 1658). barmaid *, barman a woman or man who serves drinks in a bar. "get your baps out, love") a person's head (Northern Ireland). (US: fuck up, screw up, mess up) bank holiday a statutory holiday when banks and most businesses are closed (national holiday state holiday in U.S.) bap soft bread roll or a sandwich made from it (this itself is a regional usage in the UK rather than a universal one) in plural, breasts (vulgar slang e.g. arse buttocks, backside or anus (more vulgar than US ass) (fall) arse over tit (vulgar) to fall head over heels (be) arsed (informal) to be made to get off one's arse, usually as a negative or conditional (US be bothered to) artic an abbreviation of "articulated lorry" (US semi) as at (before dates) on a particular date aubergine US eggplant (both the fruit and colour) Auntie or Auntie Beeb (affectionate) the BBC autocue an automated system for providing scripts to actors and orators, from a genericised trademark (US teleprompter) B balls-up (vulgar, though possibly not in origin) error, mistake, SNAFU. approved school (informal) a reform school for juvenile delinquents, from their pre-1969 designation juvenile detention centres, whether Secure Training Centres for 15- to 18-year-olds or Young Offender Institutions for 18- to 21-year-olds (US juvie) argy-bargy (informal) a noisy disagreement ranging from a verbal dispute to pushing-and-shoving or outright fighting. ![]() agony aunt or uncle (informal) the author of an agony column (US advice columnist) agony column (informal) a newspaper or magazine column providing advice to readers' personal problems (US advice column) aeroplane any fixed-wing aircraft (US airplane) afters dessert, informal "all change" the public-transportation announcement for the last stop (US All out) amongst a synonym of among acceptable in British English while seeming old fashioned or pretentious in American English anorak a hooded coat (US parka) a socially impaired obsessive, particularly trainspotters (US geek, trekkie, otaku, etc.) answerphone an automated telephone-answering machine, from the trademark Ansafone (US & UK answering machine) anti-clockwise, anticlockwise the direction opposite to clockwise (US counterclockwise). A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZĠ–9 999 Pronounced "nine nine nine", the UK Emergency phone number (US 911) A abseil to descend on a rope (US rappel) Action Man the action figure toy sold in the US as G.I. ![]() SSH Server Fingerprint: The fingerprint of the SSH server. ![]() SSH Server: The location of the SSH server.SSH Password: The password for the SSH user.SSH User: The username for the SSH server.SSH Client Cert Password: The password for the SSH client certificate (if required).SSH Client Cert Type: The type of key store containing the SSH client certificate.SSH Client Cert Subject: The subject used to search for the certificate in the specified store (default "*").SSH Client Cert: The name of the certificate store, path to the client certificate file, or the contents of the client certificate.In order to connect, you will need to set Use SSH to "true" and set the following properties: The CData Connectors for MySQL contain a built-in SSH client that allows you to easily connect to a MySQL instance through an SSH tunnel.Įach CData MySQL connector has connection properties that allow you to connect to a MySQL instance through an SSH server. Generally, creating an SSH tunnel requires a separate SSH client. With an SSH tunnel you do not have to configure your MySQL server to accept remote connections, which means that your MySQL instance has fewer security risks. SSH uses strong encryption and, through the tunnel, makes it look like the client connections are coming from the SSH server (and not from a remote client). Using an SSH tunnel requires an SSH server to be running in the same environment as the MySQL instance, but once the server is running, setting up a tunnel is a straight-forward process. SSH Tunnel MySQL can be configured to only accept traffic from 'localhost', blocking all connections except ![]() To supporting encryption through SSH security protocols, which have a terrific record against attacks, with an While the CData MySQL driver supports both options, with ourīuilt-in support for tunneling, SSH Tunneling is typically easier to implement and more secure. You now have a new favorite in your Sequel Pro sidebar that you can use to connect to your Platform.sh environment anytime you need it.When you want to expose access to your MySQL database through an insecure network, there are two main choices:Īn SSL connection or through an SSH tunnel. That's it! Click Test Connection if it connects hit Save changes then Connect. Sequel Pro should pick up your public key from your computer but if it can't you can browse to your public key to explicitly point to it (usually in ~/.ssh/). Leave the rest of the settings blank but make sure the Connect using SSL box is checked.This is the part of the string before the it consists of the platform site ID and the environment.The part of the string after the ssh.us.platform.sh.To get the string, login to platform.sh, choose your project, hover over the Access site link, and copy the SSH ACCESS string to your clipboard. The rest of the settings can easily be obtained through the ssh connection string provided by platform. This will literally be the string database.internal.I usually stick to the format: Example Site - Test. This can be anything that describes the database you are connecting to. ![]() Let's break down the rest of the settings. Select the ssh tab for a platform.sh connection. Each type of connection prompts for different settings. You will be prompted for connection settings. Open up Sequel Pro and click the + in the bottom left corner to create a new connection.
![]() Instagram Story aspect ratio and best resolution We’ll dive deeper into those numbers in the sections below. The aspect ratio is the relationship between the video’s height and width, which also determines the overall picture.Īs you may have guessed, Instagram has its own requirements regarding resolution and ratio. Uploading videos might seem as simple as pressing a button - and often, it is - however, there are two components to consider if you want your content to be high quality: resolution and aspect ratio.Ī video’s resolution is the number of pixels that can be displayed in each dimension, which determines how clear or unclear a video is. Instagram video resolution and aspect ratio The recommended size for IGTV cover photos is 420 x 654.The maximum file size is 650MB for videos 10 minutes or shorter, or 3.6GB for videos up to 60 minutes.However, when you’re uploading from a computer, the maximum length increases to 60 minutes. When you upload from a mobile device, the maximum IGTV video length is 15 minutes.The minimum IGTV video length is 60 seconds.While you have more wiggle room when it comes to length for IGTV videos, there are still some limitations to be aware of: IGTV videos can be posted to your feed or can be found in the IGTV section of your homepage. In June 2018, Instagram launched IGTV in an effort to meet users’ requests for long-format video. However, you could post up to 10 60-second clips to create a video up to 10-minutes long. While there is no minimum length for vertical videos, the maximum Instagram video length is 60 seconds.The minimum Instagram square and carousel video dimensions are 600 x 600.Here are the requirements and restrictions for carousel and square videos: The minimum Instagram landscape video dimensions are 600 x 315. ![]() Here are the requirements and restrictions for horizontal videos: The minimum Instagram vertical video dimensions are 600 x 750.Here are the requirements and restrictions for vertical videos: And the dimensions depend on which kind of video you use: vertical, landscape, or carousel and square. While videos on Instagram have drastically changed from the original 15-second rule, there is still a short-form limitation in place. You won’t find any feature-length films on this social media app. Instagram video size and length for posts It’s also important to note that when you upload a video longer than 15 seconds to Stories, it automatically splices it up into 15-second chunks for you. So you might have to trim your iPhone video if you want it to fit in one Story. However, you can post an unlimited number of 15-second videos back-to-back to essentially create one long video. The Instagram Stories video length limit is 15 seconds.The maximum Instagram file size is 4GB. ![]()
Pick up the jammer and run across to the other side of the first passage. Go straight ahead, then duck into the first right area when you can, avoiding the mine. For now, it is best just to continue with Level A1 by going through the doorway labeled 1. From this section of the temple, you can enter the other levels within World A, and you can see your progress both on the signs next to the doors and on a larger sign at the end of the hall. Step into the light up on the platform to reach Elohim's Temple Halls of His Temple. ![]() Go through and use the terminal, then keep going through the purple doorway ahead. Now you can solve the puzzle gate in the hub area of this level using your 3 green sigils: ![]() Now use the jammer to disable the turret, so you can safely collect the sigil and leave again. Use this to disable the door, then quickly pick it up again to trap the mine on this side. Run past and grab the sigil, then retrace your steps to exit. Now you can pick up the jammer and use it on the mine. Go close to the turret and up the stairs until you find a switch - use this to disable the turret permanently. Go left and find a jammer, then use this to disable the turret. Use the jammers to get back out and leave this area. Pick up the second jammer once more and use it on the turret. Find a second jammer and use it on the first door from the other side, then grab the first jammer and use it on the second door. Pick up the jammer from the far left and use it to deactivate the first door. ![]() World A Sigils Level A1 Only the Two of Us (Green) They can be obtained in many different orders, but the remainder of the guide is a suggested order. The signs you will see have colored symbols which indicate sigils you must collect by solving puzzles. Now follow the path until you reach an open area with signs leading off in various directions. Grab the next jammer and point it at the turret Logic check. Pick up another jammer and point it at the mine to disable it. Pick up the yellow jammer from the left and aim it at the blue door to disable it. ![]() WIRED’s gear reviewers have filled their homes with sound machines for everything from muffling Witcher battles in the living room while the kids snooze to keeping us asleep while night-owl partners sneak into bed. A good sound machine (also called a white-noise machine or sleep machine) is just one tool in an arsenal of gadgets that can help you get your recommended number of z’s. Whether you feel the same or not, you probably still don’t get enough sleep, and if you’re like most people, it’s not for lack of trying. Too much noise and I can't turn my brain off, but too little and every toss, turn, or sniffle is amplified. I need the hum of a fan or the crackle of a fire. There are 64 individual audio samples inside, adding up to 659 MB of audio data.I cannot sleep in total silence. Rain Sounds includes a collection of rain and thunder sound effects for free download.Īll included samples are available in stereo 24-bit WAV format with a 44.1 kHz sampling rate. ![]() I suggest filtering some of the low-frequency content, as anything below 60 Hz can most likely be removed without impacting the sound of the samples. You can always use additional EQ and dynamic processing to make these recordings fit your project perfectly. They were only trimmed to find the perfect loop start and endpoints. No effects were used on any of the sounds provided in the pack. The rain sounds will probably be rather quiet in your mix anyway, so the normalization settings reflect this. The rain and distant thunder loops have been normalized to values ranging from -12 dB to -6 dB, depending on the overall atmosphere and the feel of the loop. ![]() The heavy thunder samples have been normalized to -0.1 dB to ensure maximum volume without clipping. In the audio example embedded in the sidebar, a single rain sample was looped five times, with four different heavy thunder samples layered on top. They have long tails, so it’s very easy to layer them on top of a rain loop and get natural-sounding results. The “Heavy Thunder” samples are provided as one-shots. The provided loops can work at any tempo, and of course, there is no need to use time-stretching because the loops do not contain rhythmic content. You can easily connect multiple copies of the same audio file in an audio track inside your DAW to create infinite rain loops. Most of the samples in the “Rain” and “Distant Thunder” folders have been edited to loop perfectly. Thankfully, I managed to record some fantastic rain and thunder sounds during this heavy storm, and you can now download them for free. It was almost as if the storm was trying to tell me that it wasn’t playing around and that it didn’t fancy ending up in a free rain sound library. Play the last sample in the “Heavy Thunder” folder at a loud volume, and you’ll understand why I chickened out. Still, at that moment, I was pretty sure that staying outside would be too dangerous, so I played it safe. There would have been around five or six more fantastic thunder strike samples if I kept recording that time. This is something I regret from today’s perspective. The funny thing is that I got a bit scared at one moment, so I turned off the recorder and took shelter inside a building. Those are the most valuable samples in the pack because recording a storm from such a close distance is indeed a very rare opportunity. The coolest sounds in this library are the samples of seven extremely loud thunders that struck very close, even too close if you ask me. These can be mixed with clean recordings of rain if you need background noise for a movie or an audio project. There are also around twenty recordings of distant thunder rumble. The subtle sound of rain dropping on the surface of an umbrella is almost like vinyl noise. ![]() I also recorded the beautiful sound of raindrops falling on an umbrella. These are perfect for use as sleep sounds or a rain background in video projects and game development. The rest of the audio content was recorded in quieter parts of the city, far from the busy downtown. You can hear the cars passing by on some of the recordings, tires splashing through puddles, and people walking around in a hurry. The library contains all the rain and thunder sound effects you may need to evoke the atmosphere of a rainy day in a large city. The sounds were captured using a portable Edirol R-09 stereo audio recorder. I recorded these free rain sound effects during a spring storm on the streets of Belgrade. The free download link is located at the end of this article. Rain Sound Effects is a free thunderstorm sound library featuring 64 royalty-free rain and thunder sounds. ![]() Simply follow the comprehensive documentation to get started. Storybook is an open-source tool, and it’s free to use. Storybook automatically creates basic documentation for each UI component, which you can edit to include your design system’s guidelines, usage, principles, and more. The Chromatic add-on lets you automate visual testing across browsers and gather feedback from QA teams. Storybook is a collaborative tool allowing you to review new components with teams and stakeholders to get input and sign-off before publishing. The dashboard layout allows you to organize and categorize your Storybook component library, so it’s easy to find what you need. With Merge’s Storybook integration, you can sync your library to UXPin’s editor so that designers can access the same components–creating a single source of truth.Ī sandbox environment inside Storybook makes it easy for engineers to focus on individual UI components, including states and interactions. Storybook also integrates with other design and development tools. Storybook is a popular tool for engineers who want to build and store UI components in isolation. You can also sync Supernova to popular design tools so designers don’t have to download and import files. ![]() Supernova’s VSCode extension syncs your design system to the popular IDE, so developers have everything they need in one place. One of Supernova’s best features is the ability to automatically “convert design data into code or assets for any tech stack.” You can also include starter templates for developers in your product’s formats, like iOS, Android, React, Angular, Flutter, and others, ensuring engineers always have the correct code and assets at the beginning of every project. Supernova is an excellent alternative to Zeroheight with a similar layout and features but slightly more functionality. You can store all of your design system’s assets in Zeroheight, and the DS team can embed YouTube, Vimeo, Loom, or Google Drive videos for tutorials and explainers. ![]() This familiar layout helps with onboarding, allowing teams to navigate the design system to find what they need. Zeroheight offers a standard dashboard layout for your design system, similar to Lightning, Polaris, Stacks, and others, with main navigation on the left and a table of contents to the right. The platform does, however, allow you to embed your design system’s components from Storybook with code snippets. Unlike UXPin, where designers can draw components directly from the library, Zeroheight lets you host design files that team members must download and install. Zeroheight is a hub for hosting your design system documentation to share across the organization. ![]() They also have the freedom to use different versions for each project or prototype. Teams can use UXPin’s Version Control to switch between different versions of the design system. Any updates to the repository automatically sync to UXPin’s editor, notifying designers of the new version. With Merge, designers and engineers use the same components, thus creating a single source of truth for your design system. UXPin also makes it easy to link to external documentation for engineers, like a component library hosted in Storybook.Īs your design system matures, upgrade to UXPin Merge–a technology that lets you sync a design system from a repository to UXPin’s editor so designers can build layouts using fully functional code components. With everything inside UXPin, you get maximum consistency and efficiency because teams never have to leave the tool to visit design system documentation. You can then share the design system across the organization and set permissions to prevent unauthorized changes–perfect for managing governance procedures and protocols.ĭesigners can simply drag and drop the design system’s components and assets to start building layouts–no external files or plugins are required. Whether you’re starting from scratch or you have an existing design system, UXPin has the tools and features to build, grow and scale.ĭesigners can create a design system from scratch by saving interactive components, assets, typography, and color. ![]() This apex predator of oceans is known to attack even whales that are twice in size.ĪDVENTURE – Sharks are known to dwell in the depths of the ocean. UNAFRAID – Have you ever heard a story where a shark swam away from a challenge? Even a lion steps back when he senses danger but not Shark. So What do Shark Tattoos exactly stand for? Depending on the design the meaning can vary but overall there are a few common symbolism of shark tattoos. During this period a ‘shark sub-culture developed within the American culture where a fan would dig up useless Shark facts or point out that how Sharks are immortals. But it never truly died as the success of Steven Spielberg’s movie ‘Jaws’ again brought them back in trend. The trend faded away after the second world war. Therefore lots of sailors loved to have a shark tattoo on their body to remind that of what constant danger they have to face every second on the sea. This was the time when sea exploration was at its peak. Tattoos of Shark were hugely popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Now it doesn’t matter if you to are riding the wave of shark tattoos or you want to get a unique and meaningful tattoo for yourself – we got you covered in both cases. One fan even pointed out that King Shark is a narcissist since he has his portrait tattoo on his lower back. ![]() The character has several tattoos inked on his ripped shark body. One thing that fans found was that King Shark looks a lot different in comics. Everyone was searching about King Shark and his background history. Nanaue or King Shark had more vocal dialogues than Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy and he made sure to use it to charm the audience.Īs soon as the movie became a hit there was a sudden rise in sea-related tattoos, most notably shark tattoos. The adorable and ‘friendly’ King Shark (Voiced by the great Sylvester Stallone) was one of the most standout characters in the film. Thanks to the critical success of James Gunn’s DCEU masterpiece “The Suicide Squad”. ![]() Now to do something about that bedtime cookie habit. Now matter how you do it, you can’t go wrong. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. If you’re looking for alternative ways to enjoy this curry chicken salad, you could tear the lettuce and serve the whole thing as a big salad, or put it in between a few slices of bread, or even scoop it on top of toasted naan or flatbread. Heat a splash of the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken for 3 minutes, turning regularly. Curry-Cashew Chicken Salad on Cucumber Coins With Jimtown Spicy Pepper Jam 1 large or 2 small boneless/skinless chicken breasts, about 8 ounces total 2. There was no hangry mid-afternoon binging, and no regrets. Last week I had a few lettuce cups with an apple each day for lunch and I felt so good. They’re so flavorful, fresh, and unique that I find myself actually looking forward to lunch every day. Plus I can do all of the prep once and enjoy them all week long with minimal effort. These curried chicken salad lettuce cups are just what the doctor ordered. I’m starving and so I start grabbing for whatever is easiest, which is also usually the least healthy food in the whole house. Eleven o’clock rolls around and my toddler gets his usual pb&j with grapes and the baby gets a bowl of mushed fruit, every single day.īut also every single day, before I know it, it’s 3 o’clock and I realize I forgot yet again to eat lunch. I have to be honest, I really suck at making myself lunch. Delicious served hot or cold, this recipe is a great choice for using up leftover cooked or rotisserie chicken. This recipe was developed in partnership with Diamond of California. Curry chicken salad with cashews uses just a few ingredients and has crunch and a wonderfully warm spice flavor. ![]() Scoop it into fresh lettuce leaves for a delicious and healthy meal. With Crackersįor a snack or light meal, serve this salad on top of your favorite crackers.This twist on classical chicken salad is filled with golden raisins, roasted cashews, and cilantro all held together with a curried yogurt sauce. Top a lettuce salad or a mixed greens salad with this curried chicken salad for a lighter, but still delicious, gluten free meal. Want a lighter wrap? If so, then use lettuce leaves instead of bread and fill with the chicken salad, roll up and enjoy this gluten free version. Add the chicken, raisins, shallots and celery. Wrapsįill a tortilla, pita or thin flatbread with this curry chicken salad, add lettuce if you want and you have a tasty wrap. Add the mayonnaise, curry powder, lemon juice and some salt and pepper to a large bowl and stir to combine. Grab your favorite sandwich bread or a croissant, fill with this salad, add lettuce if you want, and voila, you have a great curry chicken salad sandwich for home or to go. 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 ounces cashew pieces 1 cup Vegenaise 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 3/4 teaspoon. In a large mixing bowl, combine shredded chicken and seasoned mayo and stir to coat. Many Ways to Serve Curry Chicken SaladĪnother reason I love this recipe is that there are so many ways to serve this salad! Sandwiches In a small bowl, combine mayo, curry powder and salt. I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts that I bake and then shred. ![]() You can use grilled chicken, roasted chicken, or even a store-bought rotisserie chicken. This chicken curry salad with grapes recipe is a great way to use up any leftover cooked chicken you have as long as it isn’t heavily seasoned – like a lemon-pepper seasoned chicken – since that would impact the flavors of this recipe. ![]() ![]() But heterozygous black wolves, being only a little less aggressive, do well on balance in areas prone to distemper outbreaks. The disadvantage of low aggressiveness may be too great for homozygous black wolves, despite improved immunity to distemper. In wolf society, that’s not a good thing, for wolves need to be able to defend their territory from trespassers. Both heterozygous and homozygous black wolves are less aggressive than gray individuals, and homozygous black wolves are the least aggressive. If it’s good to have the mutation on one chromosome, why wouldn’t it be even better to have it on both? It turns out that black coat color is also associated with a behavioral difference. It’s interesting that homozygous black wolves are less successful than gray colored wolves. It seems that black coat color is merely along for the genetic ride through evolution because it is linked to a mutation that improves immunity. The mutated form does confer superior immunity to some infections diseases: Black heterozygous wolves showed higher annual survivorship following 3 distemper outbreaks than gray colored wolves in Yellowstone National Park. In other words, the target of natural selection is probably the difference in immunological activity between the normal and mutated form of the ß-defensin protein, and has nothing to do with coat color.Īnd there is evidence to support that idea. Given the role of ß-defensin proteins in the immune system, scientists think that the mutated form of this particular ß-defensin protein improves a wolf’s ability to fight certain diseases. Since black coat color itself is not a survival advantage, there must be something else about that mutation that benefits the animal. Captured by trail camera at the same site where the two black wolves appeared. This more typically colored Minnesota wolf sports shades of gray, light brown, and cream in its coat. Some directly kill microbes, some influence signaling between different types of immune cells, and some do both. They also play a role in the immune system. But ß-defensin proteins are involved in more than just coat color. ![]() A single mutation in a gene coding for a certain ß-defensin protein enables that protein to bind to the Melanocortin I Receptor, and that causes black coat color. Since heterozygous and homozygous black wolves are the same color, there must be something other than coat color that gives heterozygous black wolves a survival advantage.Ĭoat color in dogs and wolves is mediated by a hormonal system called the melanacortin pathway. ![]() Homozygous black wolves, on the other hand, are less successful than gray individuals. Black coat color is a dominant mutation in a single gene, and only heterozygous black wolves fare better (live longer and reproduce better) than gray individuals. The answer is no, black coat color in and of itself does not improve survival and here’s how we know this. Why would that be? Does a black coat improve survival in some way other than camouflage? I learned that they aren’t particularly common in Minnesota, but they are more common in North America than in other parts of the world, and especially common in the Yellowstone area, where about half the wolves are black. That is a tiny sample, but I was surprised to get two of them and wondered if they are more common than I expected. I became curious about this when my trail camera stationed in a deer bedding area for a year in Minnesota captured 2 black wolves, out of 5 or 6 different individuals. This one and the other mostly black wolf pictured at the top of the page were captured by trail camera at the same site in Minnesota. Why would that be? The answer lies in an unexpected connection between wolf coat color variation and the immune system. But then there are black wolves – They are not as well camouflaged as gray individuals, yet they are becoming more common in parts of North America. In this way, survival is improved, increasing the odds of passing on one’s genes, thus enriching the gene pool with well camouflaged individuals. It’s easy to imagine how this evolved: Blending better with the surroundings makes them less conspicuous to prey animals, which makes it easier for them to capture dinner. For example, the white coat of the Arctic wolf allows it to blend better with the snow and ice, and the muted, earthy tones of gray, buff, and reddish-brown common in the coats of most other wolves allow them to blend with the vegetation in milder climates. Coat color varies more in the gray wolf ( Canis lupus) than in most other mammals, and some variations relate to camouflage. |
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