Crocodiles Communicate Even Before Hatching

Do all crocodiles hatch looking like their already planning mischief?

They might be. Crocodiles begin chatting to one another, and to their mother, just before they hatch. Researchers assume that it is some sort of communication, signaling that it is time to emerge and begin a long life of immitating a log, ambush hunting, being hunted in turn by over-zealous documentary hosts, and trying not to end up as a pair of boots or luggage.

Photo source: REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang

Baby Announcement

The matamata turtle has been a frequent guest on Ugly Overload. And I am happy to announce the first captive birth (well, breeding and hatching) of this species in the San Diego Zoo (see hatchling below).

The world needs more "it kills, it kills" turtles.

Photo source: AP Photo/Zoological Society of San Diego, Ken Bohn via Yahoo! News

Out of My System

I have to get these two out of my system (both figuratively and literally). I've been holding on to them for a while, trying to find a good excuse to post them. The problem is that they straddle the ugly - cute fence too much for my liking (I live in a very binary world). So here goes. Enjoy an orangutan being rubbed by a cat and the smiling face of a juvenile hedgehog.

Don't hate me, you ugly purists.

Photo source: Knuttz.net

Bad Omen

Kat sent me this article of an aye aye that was born in a zoo in Bristol, UK. This is a very rare occurrence, and is a happy event. These little lemurs have been hunted to near extinction on their native Madagascar. It seems the locals on that island see them as a bad omen.

Come on locals. Stop with the hunting. The only precautions you have to take are not to feed them after midnight, and never, ever get them wet.

Photo source: SF Gate

Twitching Kitty

Kittens often twitch in their sleep. But that same endearing tick takes on a new...flavor...when done by a naked Sphynx.

Thanks for the link, Peer.

Freakish kitten Video

Mere Technicality

Everyone congratulate Sgorby. He is the proud new owner of some Sphynx kittens. I've featured these hairless felines many times before, and intend to do so in the future.

But these kittens pass the ugly test on a mere technicality (hairlessness secures their place). They are so darned cute.

Thanks for the photos, Sgorby.

Name Calling

This baby ring-tailed lemur has been nick-named Gollum. Please, people, let's give this little one the benefit of the doubt. I really don't see how a baby primate from Madagascar could get its hands on any Ring of Power, much less the One Ring. Let's not resort to speculative name calling.


Thanks for the link, Rachel.

Photo source: Didgey

Babies on the Brain

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. My wife just gave birth to our son, so I've been away from the ol' computer. But have no fear, I'll get all caught up on my daily entries.

Since I have babies on the brain, I thought I'd share a photo from this Reuters article. You're looking at a set of panda twins, fresh from a research center in southwest China. You may not know this, but panda breeding is very difficult. Females only ovulate once a year, within about a 24 - 48 hour window. Combine that with encroachment into their territory, and you have a recipe for extinction.

Thanks for the link, Jared.

So Much Ahead of You

I assume this baby black vulture (that's 'buzzard' to most of us) is a bit tuffty and downy because it's a youngin'?

Oh, little vulture, you have so much ahead of you. No doubt mommy brought you tasty morsels of road kill and her own vomit. But soon you'll be wafting along the hot pockets of the sky in search of your own supply bloated corpses and erstwhile critters. Fly, little carrion-eater, fly.

Photo source: Vincent van Dam

The Debate Is Over

I've heard it asked in mysterious tones, 'have you ever seen a baby pigeon?' The implication being that maybe, just maybe they don't exist. I dismissed this out of hand. After all, I've never seen a baby eskimo, but I assume they procreate much like other humans.

And, wouldn't you know it, I've been right all along. The picture below settles this debate once and for all. You've all now seen a baby (or juvenile, at least) pigeon, and it turns out that they are freaky. That probably explains why their parents keep them out of sight.

Photo source: Hinderik

Owlets

I wonder if my parenting would change if my kids came covered in scraggly down. It would wreak havoc on my vacuum cleaner at least. Also, the whole head-turning talent that owls have would make feeding a bit more troublesome.

Photo source: Knuttz.net

Puggle Pictures

Cait took up my challenge to find a good stash of quality echidna puggle pictures (ooh, that would be a good studio name, 'Puggle Pictures'...). Here is what she found.

I contacted the photographer, Den, and he not only let me use them, but also sent me this link if you want to see more. Den works to rehabilitate these critters, and has expressed his ire that platypuses get all the love, while the echidna is left in the dark. I agree with his sentiments.

Photos courtesy: Den Whitton

Perfect Name

I cannot explain how much I like this animal, or rather, this baby. Callum sent me this link, and my world has changed.

Behold the puggle. No, not the all-the-rave beagle-pug hybrid. This is a baby echidna. Echidnas and platypus are the only Australian marsupials to lay eggs, which is one possible reason as to why their offspring were given their own name: puggle. Don't Aussie animals have some great names? When puggles hatch, they only measure about 1.3 cm and about 0.3 of a gram (that's tiny, y'all).

My only disappointment here is that there aren't better images on the web. I'll offer my eternal esteem (that's priceless, baby) for whoever can dig up some quality puggle shots.


Photos courtesy: Fourth Crossing Wildlife

Evolutionarily Distinct

Both J. Carr and Alan sent in this article from the BBC. Though this baby slender loris isn't exactly ugly, you can certainly file it under 'wierd' - at least according to the Zoological Society of London.

They've begun a campaign to protect some of the most evolutionarily unique and endangered animals on the planet. Such animals include this slender loris, the pygmy hippo, and the bumblebee bat. Each of the species targeted have been identified as 'one-of-a-kind,' meaning, they are very distinct, evolution-wise. This uniqueness is being combined with their numbers in the wild (or lack thereof) to create a better plan to preserve them. I like the effort. I'm behind it. The world is full of kittens and puppies. We could use more bats and loris's and pygmy animals.

Photo courtesy: ZSL

I'm Thinking Baboon

I need to hone my primatology. Especially when it comes to developing my baby-monkey-identifying abilities. Now, that is a marketable skill set.

I'm thinking this one is a baboon. Any takers?

A lot of you are going to be upset that I posted on a baby, because you think I am disparaging this little one for being ugly. Mind you, he is ugly, but I'm fully aware that his large eyes, big ears, and endearing countenance are going to evoke your care-giving and 'aww' reflexes. It worked on me, too.

I'm just giving this baby some web time here, becuase I don't think your average cute animal site will give it the time of day. It just isn't in the same category as fluffy bunnies and floppy-eared puppies.

UPDATE: A reader has identified this as a baby macaque. My guess wasn't far that off at least. Thanks for the help.

Photo courtesy: Steve Evans

Not So Cute

I make it a point not to post on deformed animals. This site isn't a freakshow. But, occassionally, I do like to put the spotlight on disturbing trends, such as my post on white tigers. Lorri sent these photos of a hairless palomino foal (with mom in the bottom one). This is a sad mutation, since it results in a truncated lifespan for the afflicted horse. It is, therefore, never intentionally bred into the animal.

I'm posting on this because I thought it dovetailed nicely with an article that one of my readers, Michael, sent me. It is a New York Time's article that reports on the Japanese obsession with cute and cuddly pets. The problem with this craze is that it is fed by rampant inbreeding and puppy mills, and it results in deformed, tortured, and sickly animals.

My point is this: every new breed of animal we create invariably involves some inbreeding. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is all too often abused. Let's stay away from these Hollywood fads and bear in mind that these are living critters. For every mini chihuahua Paris Hilton carts around, there is one of its littermates that was born missing its paws, nose, or eyes, or with a brain disorder. That's not so cute.

Thanks for the photos, Lorri, and thanks for the article, Michael.

A Lively Pair

Tawnya sent me these photos of baby cockatoos - either of the rose-crested (aka salmon-crested) or galah varieties. These birds can live for over 30 years, and they have the emotional development and needs of a three-year-old human child. They make for great pets, but you had better know what you're getting into. Do you want another toddler running--that is, flying or waddling--around?

I imagine mommy has had enough of their begging, which is possibly why she isn't in the photo. That's how it is with my own toddlers. Their begging for cookies too often resembles that of baby birds. I'm just glad I don't have to regurgitate for them. Though that might be cathartic...

UPDATE: It would seem, from multiple sources, that these birds do live to be quite a bit older--as old as 80 years. I new that was true for macaws, but didn't know that for cockatoos. Thanks, all.

Ugly Chick

Some baby animals are so cute, you wish they would stay babies, like kittens and puppies. But baby birds? Don't think so. Thank goodness featherless chicks come with a promise to become something much more visually appealing.

Is it even possible to identify the species of bird from this picture? I'm thinking it's a cockatoo. They tend to have the ugliest chicks.

Thanks for the photo, Fredda.

Photo courtesy: FunMansion.com

Circle of Life

This baby stump-tailed macaque reminds me of how similar old age is to infancy, with the white hair, wrinkled skin, and oversized hands.

Oh wait ... that would only hold true for baby macaques. There goes my attempt to be philosophical about the circle of life.

I should stop trying to be so clever. It never works out.

Photo courtesy: Yahoo!

Abominations in Paradise

Below is the photo of a truly hairless cat. This kitten is a kohona sphynx, one of only a few cats that bear the hairless genetic trait that has only been found on Hawaii. See folks, even paradise can produce abominations.

Thanks for the link, Phlimm.

Photo courtesy: Belfry Sphynx