Lots of Smiles

Fishermen (and fisherwomen), it would seem are a happy lot. At least, I see a lot of smiling in these photos. Of course, the pictures were probably only taken because a good haul was brought in, hence the smiles. Even the man with the LSU hat seems very pleased with the horrid beast he's holding.

Thanks to Peer Brauner for sending along the photos of the grenadiers (first two photos)

I imagine that the photo of the enormous stingray and its captors is an image taken from a catch-tag-and-release program in Thailand.

I threw in the last photo because its occupational in nature, and you'll see no smiles there (expect for maybe on the elephant, if he can surprise the woman).

No Easy Way to Get a Geoduck

This is one creature I've had many an encounter with while clamming on the Northern California coast. They make for good eating in chowder, and they make you work for them. There's just no easy way to get a geoduck (pronounced gooey duck) clam out of its sandy home.

You find them in one of two ways. One is to watch for the high sprays of water that mark where they're retracting their necks down the into the holes from where they have been feeding. Or you can do it like this woman, and spot the tell-tale lips among the seaweed, right at the mud's surface.

Photo source: C. Chase Taylor


















Then you dig. You dig and dig and dig (we use a manual pump made from PVC pipes). Then you lay down on your side and plunge your arm into the darkness of the muddy slush, find the neck, feel your way down its length until you can reach the shell. Inevitably, the shell is too far down, and you have to continue to slurry the mud out until you can get to it. The big clams are often still too far down, way below your arm length, and they get away. But you'll still get your fair share (following the limits of your fishing license, mind you).

And this is what you pull out.



















Just trust me when I say that they're delicious. I know they look abominable, but now I'm hungry, and it's lunch time.

Thanks for the links, Mike.

Interesting Origins

Photo source: KrakenHammer via Wikipedia
Guinea fowl have interesting origins. Artemis, the Greek god of hunters, killed Meleager the Boar Slayer's sisters, Deianira (wife of Hercules) and Gorge, and transformed them into Guinea fowl. And though Dionysus later persuaded Artemis to undo this deed, by then the guinea fowl as a species had been established. So, when you see these birds, know that they are the descendants of gods.

They were prized birds among the ancient Greeks and Romans, and during the Roman hay day, they were found all throughout Europe, in many a Roman garden, and featured in many a Roman meal. After the fall of the Roman empire, these birds disappeared from the European landscape, only to be returned more than a millenium later by Portuguese traders who imported them from West Africa. Now they are once again popular.

They make for good snake hunters, which is why a buddy of mine keeps a small flock of them on his ranch.

This particular Guinea fowl is a pearled grey helmeted Guinea fowl. And if you're going to be a Guinea fowl, may as well be of the helmeted variety. Better than being a soft head.

Thanks for the links, Fabien.

Greenland Ugly

The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) provides for a double dose of ugly. The shark, which dwells in arctic waters, is no beauty contest winner. Its pebbly hide and prehistoric appearance alone make it a good candidate for residency at Ugly Overload.

But the ugly doesn't start there. That's because most Greenland sharks are host to small crustacean parasites called copepods. These parasites attach themselves to the shark's cornea and do permanent damage to the eye, resulting in partial to complete blindness.


Photo source: Nick Caloyianis via National Geographic




















But there is a silver lining to be found in these murky depths. Greenland sharks are also called sleeper sharks, because they are so slow-moving. So slow, that they can be dragged aboard with one's bare hands. So how in the world have they been found with squid and other fast-moving fish in their gullets? One theory is that the parasite, which dangles out of the eye like a worm, might serve as a lure for other fish, thereby allowing the shark to get close enough for an ambush attack. How's that for symbiosis?

Photo source: Nick Caloyianis via National Geographic



























But then, that doesn't explain the seal, reindeer, polar bear, and even horse parts found inside the shark's belly. Just goes to show that we have a lot to learn. It also goes to show that not even polar bears can feel too safe when taking a moonlit stroll along the banks of the St. Lawrence River.

Thanks for the links, Rebecca.

Mystery Sphynx

The next time you're in the Mission in San Francisco, drop by Borderlands Books. You'll find good folks, and you'll find good books (especially of the science fiction, fantasy, and horror variety). You'll also find three resident Sphynx cats, Ripley, Ash, and Sly, all of whom are sweethearts, and all of whom hairless. Or, were hairless.

You see, several months ago, Ripley under went a procedure to have a cancerous lump taken off her shoulder. She then had to receive radiation and chemo therapy. Then an odd thing happened. Ripley the Hairless Cat became Ripley the Slightly Hairy Cat. That's right, she began growing thin, fine fur (you can see the fuzz on her back). Anyone care to explain that?

It's very appropriate that this mystery happened to a Sphynx cat. May both she and the proprietors of Borderland Books live long and prosper.

Thanks for the story, Amanda.

Photo source: Tensegrity Dan

Kneaders

Niner sent this one along. It's a short little article about a masseuse in Israel who has discovered that some people will pay top dollar ($80) to have snakes slither across their backs and faces. Turns out that king snakes and corn snakes deliver a nice kneading sensation when they get their slither on.

Fair enough. Takes a certain tolerance of reptiles to be able to enjoy this treatment. I'd try it, though I wouldn't pay for it.

As far as the animal rights angle on this, I don't know. I imagine Ms. Barak has a good incentive to treat her snakes properly. The last thing she wants to do is place an ill-treated and therefore ill-tempered snake on some woman's bare back. Chances are these snakes are well fed and well cared for. But who knows? Maybe angry and hungry snakes make for better kneaders.

Thanks, Niner.

Deadly Wanderer

Jade, a proven arachnophile and experienced invert breeder, passed this one along to us. These are images of a man handling the world's most deadly spider: the Brazillian wandering spider (Phoneutria nigriventer).

What makes them so deadly? What makes this handler insane? The Guinness Book of World Records has listed this spider as the most venomous spider, as they are believed to be the cause of the most deaths by envenomation (great band name!) by a spider. Many people die swift and painful deaths after run-ins with it.





















Another reason why they are deadly is found in their name: wandering (as opposed to 'Brazilian'). They wander the jungle floor in an active hunt for food. Ergo, their contact with humans. But despite all this, if you are bitten, don't write yourself off. Only a third of their bites result in any envenomation, and even then, only a third of the bites result in full envenomation. I'd like to meet the man who can look down at his newly bitten foot and actually console himself with those factoids as he lumbers through the Amazonian undergrowth.

Imported Killer

Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium's slow-growing and precious corals have been under assault. Each day people would return to their award-winning coral display, only to see still more corals having been torn asunder. Each loss was a heavy blow. It wasn't until they decided to break the display up that they discovered the culprit: a four-foot-long giant reef worm.

These reef worms come equipped with jaws that allow them to munch through corals, and thousands of bristles capable of delivering a toxin that can cause permanent numbness.




















This giant reef worm, seen above, now resides in his own dedicated aquarium, well away from the corals he once terrorized. No one knows exactly how he got into the aquarium, though the best bet is that he was imported as a juvenile by accident in a new batch of live rock.

As many saltwater aquarists know, you can never be sure what you're going to get when you bring some new live rock or live sand into your tank. You just might get a killer.

Thanks for the article, Vincent and Captain Geek.