Pot-Bellied

Are Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs really supposed to get this big in captivity? This one is housed at the Granby Zoo in Quebec, Canada, so I assume it's being properly cared for. Maybe I assume too much...

I once had a friend (I know, hard to believe), who owned a pot-bellied pig. The pig, who was by then full-grown, had free run of their several acres. One day my friend's mom was backing up in the mini-van. She didn't think to look behind her, and so was quite surprised when her van heaved and bounced over something in the driveway. When she came to a halt, she looked over her steering wheel to see that she had run over the pig. The pig, for his part, got to his feet (he had been sunning himself in the early morning sunlight), grunted at the van in indignation, and walked up to the porch where he resumed his nap.

Photo source: Gaëtan Bourque

Porcine Knowledge

Is she a wizened old gal with wisdom to share for the rising generation of pigs? Or is she simply another overfed hog?

Anyone know what breed this is? Those are some big ears and a very wrinkled face. I was thinking Meishan, but they tend to be hairy and not so pink. At times like this I deplore my dearth of porcine knowledge!

UPDATE: Anonymous has identified this as a fengjing pig. Thanks, anon.

No Turtle Frog Tadpoles

I can't seem to find much out about the turtle frog (Myobatrachus gouldii) of South Western Australia. It seems as though it feeds on termites and lives in open woodlands and scrub plains.



















From what I can tell, it bypasses the whole tadpole phase of life. But why in the world give up being a tadpole? That's one of any frog's claims to fame! Why give up one's carefree youth? Although, you would get to skip that embarrassing time of life when you're metamorphosing, and you've got under-developed legs and shrinking gills, and you're reabsorbing your tail, and you're just learning how to croak, but your voice cracks, and you can't eat enough frozen pizzas and chimichangas, and your face is breaking out with acne...

Shrieking Monkey, Shrieking Daddy

Photo source: Esther Kluth
This past weekend was a rough one for me, what with the wife away on a girls' retreat with her sisters and our daughters, and me left at home with all the boys. I felt quite a bit like this screaming monkey, especially during feeding time (theirs, not mine). And diaper changing time. And going-to-bed time.

But the boys weren't daunted by my shrieks or my bared fangs. If anything, it only encouraged their antics.

Giant Slime Star

Ever wondered what would happen if a jellyfish mated with a sea star? I haven't. But if I had, this is probably what I would have come up with: a large, gelatinous star. This echinoderm, is known as the hymenaster sea star, or giant slime star, and it gets to be about a foot across.

Really, if you're going to do the whole jelly thing, why not be giant too? Then again, given my lack of true biology training, this could be an ulcerous stomach recently removed from a corpse for all I know. I'll have to take Christopher's word for it.

Thanks for the star, Christopher.

My Own Monster

I rarely get to contribute any of my own photos, but I was so proud of this one that I had to share. That's right. Mr. Arachnophobia here mustered up enough courage to clamber into the ivy to get a shot of this beast up close. No sedatives or change of underpants needed.

Can anyone tell me this spidey's species? It lives in my backyard in the Sacramento valley of California, if that helps. I'd measure it in at around a two and a half inch leg span.

It never tried to snare any of my children, so I let it be. If some of the coloring looks to be off, that's because I had to use a flash (don't any of you purists give me a hard time! The monster was in the shadows, and it was back lit. Don't judge me.).

Mind Control Killer Fungi

Mind control killer fungi. That's all I've got to say.

Thanks, Moneca. One more reason not to be an insect.

Disillusionment

This photo was taken at a crocodile farm in Bangkok. The wrestler looks like a nice enough guy, complete with a winning smile. So why, oh why, does the baser part of me wish so desperately for the crocodile to clamp down? What's wrong with me?

I was pondering this picture and trying to figure out why the crocodile was being so docile. Was it training? Tranquilizers? Then I saw the wad of cash in its mouth, and the illusion was dispelled. The curtain was pulled back, giving us a backstage pass on the operations. The crocodile's been bribed!

Grrr. I hate being disillusioned.

Photo source: Ben Visbeek