Prepare to be Bunked

I don't post on diseased animals unless it serves a purpose. And the purpose of this post is to do some bunking. That's right. I've debunked in the past, so here I am, bunking.

You all know about the antlered jackalope. But the truth is that they really do exist, at least in the form of diseased bunnies. These critters, see below or click this link, suffer from a viral infection similar to warts. The virus causes them to grow keratin horns all over their body, not simply on their head.

Photo source: Lafayette.edu





















Oh, and this will ruin you for the day: people can grow them, too. Just check out this link and scroll to the bottom. You'll tremble.

Thanks for the links, Pamela. You have made me paranoid about every little bump and blemish on my skin. Thank you so much.

Not A Bovine Expert

The curly locks on the beard and those disinterested eyes - oh, and that tongue - all combined to prompt me to post this photo.

I'm thinking this beast is a yak, but I am far from a bovine expert (unless you want to talk steak). Did you know that there are twenty four species of medium-sized to large ungulates (a group to which bovines belong) out there? I didn't either. I don't have the time to compile a comprehensive list of said ungulates, but I imagine most have been yoked with a plow or have been bred for the dinner plate.

UPDATE: I am a fool. According to many of you, this is no cow, but a goat! Most likely an angora. One of you should be running this blog, not me.

Photo source: Knuttz.net

Medium Rare

The reef stonefish is the most venomous fish on the planet. They come equipped with thirteen dorsal spines, each one ready and willing to inject passersby with agonizing toxins, toxins that can kill.

That being said, I see them all the time aquarium shops. Hmmm. I can't get the restaurant to prepare my burger medium rare for fear of E. coli poisoning (actually, for fear of insurance liability and lawsuits), but I can drop by the store and buy one of these no problem? Maybe I could get my stonefish cooked up medium rare...

Photo courtesy: Lady M.

Need to Narrow It Down

Chrissie sent me this photo, and I need some herpatology help. What is this glistening, bloated frog? There are roughly 4,740 species of frog in the world, so I'd have a hard time narrowing it down.

UPDATE: Looks like Julia, Silena, and bats have all identified this frog as Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis, or the purple frog from India. Thanks all!

Life Isn't Fair

This is one of those moments that causes you to reflect on why bad things happen to good people, and why bad things don't happen to bad people.

To start: below is a photo of Captain Dragan, who has lost a court bid not to be extradited to Australia. He is to stand trial for the torture and killing of Croats during Yugoslavia break-up. He is a bad dude, and it would have been nice to have this bear take a chomp out of him, and not just the apple


















But, no, instead a Nile crocodile in Taiwan has to bite off the lower arm of his veterinarian (see link below). The vet was only working to preserve a species that is dangerously close to extinction, and the thanks he gets is a severed arm.

Fair warning here people: clicking this link will send you to a Reuters photo of the Nile croc with his veterinarian's severed hand in his mouth. Gruesome. But they were able to reattach it.

See what I'm saying? Life isn't always fair.

There's A Monkey In the Pantheon

I don't know what species of monkey this is, but I think I've seen him rendered as the face of a monkey god in an African or Chinese pantheon. He strikes me as a playful sort (surprise for a monkey).

I challenge my readers to identify this monkey. No doubt Sun-Wukong will bless you for naming one of his lesser cousins.

UPDATE: Someone has identified this monkey, but, ironically, has failed to ID him/herself. Thank you anonymous - it looks as though this is a Colubus Monkey.

Photo source: Knuttz.net

Deep Sea Goodies

Both Manji and Jennifer sent along this link to an article that spotlights 10 horrible sea creatures. Jennifer mentioned the Giant Isopod, which I've featured before. There's also the anglerfish, the viperfish, the fangtooth, and several others. I thought I would highlight the deep sea dragonfish.

Isn't it lovely? These guys, like the anglerfish, have photophores that dangle on the end of lures that they use to bring prey in close. But that's always confused me. What is it about glowing food that makes other fish want to eat it? If my food were glowing, I would steer clear. Also, I can't imagine that it is a good survival trait to be a bite-sized glowing fish.

Thanks for the link, Manji and Jennifer.

Photo source: OddWeek.com

My Fragile Ego

I don't know my orb weaver spider ecology very well, but I'm assuming that is a pre-mating photo. I know that sexual dimorphism (look, I'm learning big words!) isn't uncommon in nature, but this is outrageous!

I for one am very happy not being a male spider. Not only do I not find female spiders attractive in that way (my relationships with she-spiders have always been platonic at best), but my ego is too fragile to endure the size differential you see here.

Thanks for the photo, Lance.

Photo courtesy: Lance Leopold