Going to Give It a Go

I've received quite a bit of interest from readers in keeping Ugly Overload going by assembling a team of bloggers. I've grown to like the idea. I'm going to give it a shot.

So, watch for new posts rolling out in the next few days as I get invites out to the new team members and get us all on the same page. I'm really looking forward to this new era of UgO. I expect a few rough patches, but that's okay. I'm just glad it doesn't have to end. It's likely that the blog will improve with fresh minds and fresh content. I'm really looking forward to it.

Also, thank you all for the kind comments. It's been great to read them.

Stay tuned...

A Possibility...

I've had a few folks express interest in joining the Ugly Overload team to keep the blog rolling with fresh new content. I'm strongly considering the idea. I'm thinking of a group of bloggers who write whenever the fit takes them, nothing formal, no official commitment, just a few basic guidelines.

If you're interested, please email me at ragingwombat at gmail dot com, and let's see if we can put something together. Worst comes to worst, I'll just leave the blog in place as is.

Thanks for all of your kind and thoughtful comments. I've actually gotten verklempt (please don't tell the neighborhood bully).

Thank You

It's with a conflicted heart that I write this post. I've been dreading it for some time (hence the lack of activity for the past week or so). After four and a half years, I've decided to close down Ugly Overload.

This blog has brought me a lot of fulfillment. In the end, though, I need to let it go to pursue my true passion. Daily blogging takes its toll, and I've found that my novel writing has suffered for it. If I'm to become a full time novelist, then I need to set this blog aside. It hurts, and it isn't a pleasant decision, but it's the right one.

Ugly Overload has accomplished far more than I ever thought it would. It's been featured on CNN, Southwest Airline's in-flight magazine, BoingBoing, Mental Floss, I Am Bored, and national radio. I've been a guest blogger for PBS Nature, and I've made a lot of contacts in the nature blogging world. So many of you have featured UgO on your own blogs and sites, and I'm honored. Most of all, it's been you readers that have made this blog so much fun. Ugly animals and infotainment only get you so far if you don't have people showing up to read and comment. It's you readers that I'll miss the most.

I plan on doing a few more posts to clear out some of my inbox. I've got hundreds of photos set aside for use and oodles of unsifted submissions. I can't possible get to them all, but I'll get to some.

I've had big plans for this blog, including complete site overhauls, calendars, merchandising, and all that. In the end, I just don't have enough time to do it all justice, not and become the novelist I want to be.

So what will happen to Ugly Overload? What about all this free content, with more than 1,600 posts? I've debated that for some time. I've thought of passing the reins on to someone else--all you readers who submit are already co-producers. In the end I imagine I'll just leave it in place as a repository of ugly animals. It's actually quite a resource and a collaborative creation that I'm very proud of.

Thanks for all the great memories. I'll miss posting here, but I've already had a taste of what it's like to be able to focus on my writing, and it's wonderful.

Paca Poo

A variant on an old sales addage: if alpaca manure sells, sell alpaca manure. But of course marketing still has its place. The product will be called 'paca poo.'

A school boosters club in St. Charles, Il., will be selling alpaca manure to raise funds. In place of baked goods or a barbecue, their product is 30 lbs bags of alpaca pellets for use in your garden. It really does make for great fertilizer, and given its size and texture, it's easy to work with.

I applaud ingenuity like this. Maybe you can think of similar sales for you local charitable fundraisers. How about some naked mole-rat droppings? Mangy Chupacabra or Sasquatch fur? Or cicada molts? So many possibilities.

Thanks for the article, Ida.

Photo source: LA Times

Horseshoe Leafnose Microchiropterans

Photo source: Animal Diversity Web
Behold a few specimens from the glorious microbat genus of Rhinolophus (leafnose, in Latin). These bats are but a sample of the 69 species that comprise the genus of horseshoe bats. To your left you'll see the largest of the group, the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum).

The next two photos are of the lesser horseshoe bat. The last is the real prize: the rufous horsehoe bat.

I've never liked calling various species 'lesser' or 'greater'. I know the designation usually pertains to size, but still, it bugs me. Perhaps my dislike stems from my deep fear that one day a millennium from now, archeologists will uncover my bones, run a DNA test, and classify me as a 'lesser human.' In my case, the classification wouldn't pertain to my size, but to my quality.

Thanks for the Rhinolophus bats, Jelo. The night just got a bit squeakier.

Cracking the Hyena Code

26 captive spotted hyenas were part of the first ever effort to decipher hyenas' calls. The study was conducted at UC Berkeley, where the beasts' vocalizations were recorded and analyzed in a variety of social situations.

The pitch of the call indicated a hyena's age, while changes in frequency correlated to each individual's hierarchical status within the group. In all, hyena's have 10 types vocalizations.

Whoops with longer intervals signal separation between individuals (that might explain my own nearly nine hours of daily whooping, what with me being separated from my family and contained in an accounting office).

Grunts and soft growls signal close contact with members of the same clan (that, too, explains the sounds my youngest boy emits each day when he comes toddling up to me as I walk in the door from work).

Photo via BBC

Oddly, there were no vocalizations indicating proximity to pizza, a sound researchers have tabulated in my own behavior. You know: eager yelps, devouring growls, and satisfied groans.

Thanks for the article, Ida.

Famous People and Their Trapdoor Spiders

Jade sent this one to us from This Blog Rules. Many species have been named after famous people, and this article names but a few of them. I plucked out the spiders and present them to you for your viewing pleasure.

First is Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi, a trapdoor spider native to Alabama and Florida named after Neil Young. Why did Jason Bond name this spider after Neil Young? Because he admires the singer's dedication to peace and justice. And nothing says peace and justice like an ambush predator.

The second spider is Stasimopus mandelai, another trapdoor spider. It is native to South Africa and is named after Nelson Mandela. Jason Bond is responsible for this name as well, wanting to honor the man's moral leadership. And nothing says moral leadership like a creature that lurks in hidey-holes to eat passersby.

Not Made in China

Piya forwarded this link to me from NY Daily News of the top 20 ugly animal species on the planet. You folks have been so thorough in your submissions that every single species, and more than half of the actual photos, have been profiled here on Ugly Overload.

Nevertheless, I thought the beauty below needed some more spotlight. Behold the fruit-roll-up-for-a-tongue mug of a Chinese Crested Dog. This breed is the most popular of the hairless dog breeds, though it is still rare. They originate from Africa (they used to be called the African Hairless Terriers), but Chinese trade ships loaded them onto their vessels to hunt down vermin.

Photo source: Sullivan/Getty via NYDailyNew.com

Though I highly recommend buying mixed breeds and mutts and rescues for your household pet, if you must have a pure bred dog you'll find this one to be kind, lovable, and intelligent. They're great with kids. They tend toward timidity if they are babied. Remember, you hairless dog owners, these beasts were once proud rat hunters that sailed the seven seas.

Thanks for the link, Piya.