A mineral lick (also known as salt lick ) is a place where animals can lick essential nutrients from salt deposits and other minerals. Mineral licking can occur naturally or artificially (like a salt block put by farmers in pasture for livestock to lick). A common natural lick, and they provide important elements such as phosphorus and biometal (sodium, calcium, iron, zinc, and trace elements) needed in spring for bones, muscles and other growths in deer and other wildlife, such as deer, elephants, tapirs, cows, woodchucks, domestic sheep, fox squirrels, mountain goats and porcupines. Such licking is very important in ecosystems with poor availability of nutrients in general. Bad weather exposes salty mineral deposits that pull animals away to feel the nutrients they need. It is estimated that certain fauna can detect calcium in saline solution.
Video Mineral lick
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Many animals regularly visit mineral licks to consume clay, supplementing their food with nutrients and minerals. Some animals need minerals in these sites not for nutrition, but to counteract the effects of secondary compounds that are included in the plant's defense shed to herbivores. The mineral content of this site usually contains calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S) phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sodium (Na). Mineral lick sites play an important role in the ecology and diversity of organisms that visit these sites, but little is still understood about the benefits of diet.
Traces of animals made to lick natural minerals and aqueous holes into predators of hunting paths and ancient humans used for hunting. It is theorized that this water and salt path becomes the path and then the path for early humans.
Nevertheless, many studies have identified other uses and nutritional benefits of other micronutrients present in these sites, including selenium (Se), cobalt (Co) and/or molybdenum (Mo). In addition to the utilization of mineral licks, many animals suffer traffic collisions as they gather to lick the accumulated salts on the road surface. Animals also consume soil (geophagy) to obtain minerals, such as wildebeest from Canada minerals minerals from fallen tree roots.
Maps Mineral lick
Licks artificial salt
People use salt licks on cattle ranches and to attract or preserve wildlife, whether it is for viewing, photography, agriculture, or hunting purposes. Maintaining artificial salt licks as a form of bait is illegal in some states in the United States, but legal in other countries.
In the history of America
The native Americans and the Long Hunters watched the game of salt licking for hunting. Many became famous including Bledsoe Lick in Sumner County, Tennessee; Blue Lick in central Kentucky; 'Great Buffalo Lick' in Kanawha Salines, now now Malden, West Virginia; Lick France in southern Indiana; and Blackwater Lick in Blackwater, Lee County, Virginia.
Mythology
In Norse mythology, prior to the creation of the world, it was Audhumla's veal which, through its lick of cosmic salt ice, gave form to Buri, the ancestor of the gods and grandfather of Odin. On the first day when Audhumla licked, Buri's hair appeared from the ice, on the second day of her head and on all three bodies.
See also
- Saltern
- Zoopharmacognosy
References
Further reading
- Kurlansky, Mark (2002). Salt: A World History .Walker and Co. ISBNÃ, 0-8027-1373-4.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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