02-Paw Patrol - Into the Woods Traditional Cache

This is part of the PawPatrol Into the Woods circuit of caches. Bring your own pen. It is roughly 10km and takes around 4 hours to complete.

PLEASE NOTE: Be really careful that the caches are returned to their EXACT locations as you have found them. This is because some of them are very unusual, very small and some are fixed into place. This is a densely wooded area and GPS can be unreliable so it is imperative that they are replaced correctly.

Gastroliths

Several animals – both prehistoric and modern – ingest rocks. When rocks are consumed by an animal, the rock takes on another name – it becomes a gastrolith. Ingested gastroliths served as substitutes for molars, particularly in animals without a fully evolved set of teeth that could chew food thoroughly enough for digestion. The rocks tumbled around in the digestive tract as they ate, separating and rending the flesh of birds, plants, or tiny fish nabbed by the predator. Over time, the gastroliths became smooth as the rocks continually collided into each other within an animal. When the supply of gastroliths used for mastication becomes too smooth and thus unable to tear apart, animals regurgitate or pass the now-smooth rocks and consume craggier ones found along the ground, beginning the process anew. Gastroliths can also act as a ballast system for some aquatic creatures. Ingesting the rocks created a center of balance, allowing massive aquatic creatures to move through the water with ease.