Never Mind

This elephant seal's many double chins make it look as though it is smiling ear to ear! Oh wait, I don't see any ears. I...uh. Hmm, there's a trunk. Um.

I'm very confused right about now. All I know is that bull elephant seals can get to be three times larger than cows. No, I mean, than elephant seal cows.

Ugh. Never mind.

Photo source: Knuttz.net

You Are What You Eat

Jen went on a quest at the Memphis Zoo: to capture an image of an animal worthy of Ugly Overload. And she succeeded.

Behold her Abyssinian Ground Hornbill. These birds are native to Subsaharan Africa, and dine on lizards, snakes, spiders, amphibians, and insects. Well, birdy, what do you expect to look like with a diet like that. Come on!

Thanks for the photo, Jen. May your future quests be as fruitful.



















Wanna see some cooky eyeball action and a Abyssinian Ground Hornbill sneeze? Then check it out...

Turtle Wisdom

Now this is a snapping turtle in all her glory (even if in captivity). I've heard stories about people getting digits chomped off by these reptiles, and now I believe.

Snapping turtles are the largest freshwater turtles. Their shells aren't big enough to retreat into for protection, so she relies on her long neck and strong jaws to protect herself. But, usually, she'll choose discretion and just slink away silently if she's approached. There is wisdom in this - wisdom that I want to instill in my daughters. I'll have to find a suitable shell for them, though.

Photo source: Tim Curtis

Useful Pest

Wowsies. banno8, Julia, Aaron, Andrea, and Sarah all emailed me this news story. Thanks, all, for keeping us informed!

It seems that a monster cane toad, "with a body the size of a football and weighing nearly 2 pounds," was just discovered in Darwin, Australia. It is among the largest specimens every captured.

Cane toads were imported from South America during the 1930s in a failed attempt to control beetles on Australia's northern sugar cane plantations. The poisonous toads have proven fatal to Australia's delicate ecosystems, killing millions of native animals from snakes to the small crocodiles that eat them.

But there is a silver lining to this amphibious and pesty cloud. The "Toad Buster" project, in which the Frogwatch conducts regular raids on local water holes, blinds the toads with bright lights then scoops them up by the dozen. "We kill them with carbon dioxide gas, stockpile them in a big freezer and then put them through a liquid fertilizer process" that renders the toads nontoxic. "It turns out to be sensational fertilizer."

I guess even pests can be useful.

Photo source: Yahoo!

It's Time for...

... more idolomantis diabolica.

If you want to keep one as a pet, check out this link. Here's the real kicker, though: they only eat flying insects. You can't feed them the usual mealworms or crickets. So unless you are willing to catch flies and skeeters yourself, don't bother. You'll soon have a dead idolomantis on your hands.

Photos from: Igor Siwanowicz

Respect & Tenacity

Here is an interesting commment on amphisbaenians that has made me respect them a bit more (not that I didn't before, mind you...):

Amphisbaenians are small but fierce predators capable of biting off pieces from any small animal that crosses their path, and then swallowing them with the help of their short and muscular tongues. They occasionally eat carrion, as well. Many don't hesitate to bite when handled and, although indeed their teeth are very sharp and their jaw muscles are enormously strong for their size, none except the largest species can inflict any serious pain on a human hand. All the same, even rather small species can draw some blood, delivering quite a pinch by fastening to a finger with bulldog-like tenacity, and then twisting their bodies around, seemingly with every intention of ripping off as big a chunk of flesh as possible.

I'll never mock another worm snake as long as I live.

Photos courtesy: KingSnake.com

Addition to the Pantheon

Robin requested that I revisit the camel spider (sun spider, solpugid), since her cat once dragged one into her Tucson, AZ, house. It was still alive and a little larger than a mouse.

I'm never visiting the Southwest US again.

The picture below is of an Egyptian variety, known as the Egyptian Giant Solpugid. What amazes me is that, to the best of my knowledge, a solpugid-headed god never made it into the ancient Egyptian pantheon. I don't see why not, given their appearance and the fact that they can outrun some people (10 mph!). I can see some god called Solpugek among the ranks of Amen, Anubis, Set, and Sobek. Man, I would have made the best vizier!

Photo source: National Geographic

My Esteem

I think nearly every photo I've posted on the Aye Aye is of the same creature, just in different poses. I may have to travel to Madagascar myself to get some new images. But based upon what I've seen on this blog, I'm afraid to go there.

I'm willing to pay someone to go there for me. But I don't pay in 'money', only 'esteem'. And that's priceless.

Thanks for the photo, Kelly