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Cool Animal of the Day Thread

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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
I'd say about 80% of my everyday life is spent learning about cool things related to wildlife and plants and every time I see/hear about something really cool all I want to do is tell somebody, so I'm going to share with you a rad animal or plant of the day (or as close to daily as possibly given my schedule)!

If no one cares, I'll probably just stop doing it but it's worth a shot!

Last night I was watching a documentary about water birds and I have to say that the shoe billed stork is by far the most dinosaur-like bird I've seen as of yet. It's beak looks like it could destroy you.

The shoe-billed stork, or Balaeniceps rex "B-rex", is native to the tropics of Eastern Africa and feeds on large fish, rodents, young crocodiles, waterfowl, snakes, etc. It's populations are currently in decline due to habitat destruction and the still legal bird trade in many African countries.

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Feb 11 2011 4:37PM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24725 - Karma: 29,944
Vampyroteuthis.




Screw tentacles with suction cups... try TEETH...
Feb 13 2011 6:03PM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24725 - Karma: 29,944
Damn. Embed didnt work...

Feb 13 2011 6:04PM
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SkiThe603
Posts: 5376 - Karma: 498
this for the win, blobfish looks like semen
Feb 13 2011 7:45PM
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king.tubby
Posts: 2865 - Karma: 122
my threads
Feb 13 2011 7:49PM
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beezey
Posts: 9027 - Karma: 427
favorite post..... ever
Feb 13 2011 7:50PM
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RoofDaRoofieDogg
Posts: 3090 - Karma: 1,989
MAN BEAR PIG

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Feb 13 2011 8:16PM
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BlackieChan
Posts: 1474 - Karma: 193
finally, someone has the right idea
Feb 13 2011 8:28PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
I think I posted the lyre bird video in nsg last year, but it's so awesome it's worth mentioning it again. The lyre bird is an Australian species and chicken-like in size. Its a shy and illusive ground-dwelling bird but its ability to mimic noises is spectacular. Aside from mastering the calls of many other bird species, lyre birds are known to mimic car alarms, chainsaws, dogs, etc. The video is worth watching for the chain saw mimicry- it's so good I thought the video was fake at first.

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Feb 13 2011 8:42PM
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SkierX
Posts: 16253 - Karma: 538
Holy shit.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1003_SnappingShrimp.html

That is AMAZING.
Feb 13 2011 8:53PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104

I missed a day so I'll do a couple bird of prey entries today.  I love birds of preyyyy!

First off, the Stellar's sea eagle because I met one named Aleutia yesterday and she is effing huge with a horrifyingly massive beak.  With an eight foot wing span they're capable of taking a seal's calf, but mainly rely on fish and sea snakes.

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HUGE bird

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The Phillippine eagle, or the "monkey-eating eagle" is endemic to and the national bird of the Phillipines.  They cooperatively hunt to distract large groups of monkeys, civets, and lemurs, before attacking.  It's believed that only between 140-500 exist today.

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Feb 16 2011 10:08AM
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TechnoPotamus
Posts: 11626 - Karma: 3,522
(re: the jumping spider) talk about pressure to perform! holy shit.

"hey baby how you doin?"
"dance for me or die mother fucker"
"ok don't judge too harshly, it's my first time, here we go..."

a short while later...

"...delicious"
Feb 16 2011 11:45AM
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apcaipse
Posts: 2168 - Karma: 25
The sea eagle is fucking awesome. We have 2 at our zoo, and they're fucking epic.



Peregrine Falcon deserves a mention. Fastest bird ever. Can dive at up to 200mph. There's a video of a guy jumping out of a plain with a piece of meat on his back, and then having a peregrine falcon diving after him, catching him, and eating the meat off his back. They're incredible. Their migratory route is about 10k miles long.




Albatrosses. They have the largest wing span of any birds. They can sleep while flying, and have been known to fly all the way around the earths circumference without ever touching down, even eating on the wing. Fucking epic birds.
Feb 16 2011 1:33PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
Narwhals!!! The narwhal is the unicorn of the sea! The tusk of a narwhal is almost always exclusive to males and actually a highly specialized tooth reaching lengths of up to 8.8ft long!! It has an impeccable ability to detect even the slightest changes in water temperature, salinity, pressure, and particle gradients. Weighing up to 3,500 lbs, the narwhal is capable of dives to the benthic arctic ocean zone to feed on fish, squid, and shrimp.

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Feb 17 2011 12:28PM
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
fuck. threads
Feb 17 2011 12:31PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
The Basiliscus or "Jesus" lizard lives in Central America and finds refuge anywhere near water so that when threatened by a predator, it runs away on the water's surface. Their hind toes have a fringe of scales that creates a web and traps air bubbles underneath enabling them to stay on top of the water's surface if they are running fast enough. The video below shows one running towards the end... it's pretty cool!

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Feb 19 2011 4:56PM
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000000000000
Posts: 843 - Karma: 1,552

with i could give you more karma. keep it up El Train

Feb 19 2011 5:33PM
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hoodratz47
Posts: 12020 - Karma: 9,475

im pretty sure the Condor has a bigger wingspan then a ablitross.

but Falcons for the win..  i used to have one living in the top of the house i lived at..... called him mordaci   you know the only name for a falcon

Feb 19 2011 5:42PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
Members of the Corvus genus in the Corvidae family are some of the most intelligent animals in the world. While many of us see crows on a daily basis, we also probably underestimate their "cool" factor. Crows live in large, complexly organized, and structured social groups where individuals are allocated occupations and information is shared. Crows are also famous for their use of tools. Some tool examples are demonstrated in the videos below and include using bread as bait to lure in fish, dropping nuts into heavy trafficked streets so cars drive over them and crack their shells only to use cross walks and signals to safely collect the nut, and weaving twigs and leaves in a variety of ways to remove grubs from logs. They've also learned to follow wolves to ten fold increase their hunting efficiency and in some species, figured out how to eat poisonous prey items, and can remember and speak words more clearly than parrots.

Crow using traffic lights to crack nut


Tool Use

Feb 20 2011 9:49PM
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Bumblesteeze
Posts: 3092 - Karma: 748
I like this thread idea, keep it going!
Feb 20 2011 10:32PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
Sorry I've been seriously lacking on this due to excessive loads of school work, but I don't think too many people pay attention anywayyyyyssssss but I'll post more this weekend. For now... here are some epic Chameleons.

"Chameleons are specialized tree-living lizards. Their bodies are flattened from side to side, and more or less leaf-shaped. They remain still and concealed for long periods of time and wait for their prey to come near. When they move, they do so slowly, and rock their bodies from side to side like a leaf in the wind, fooling predators and prey. Chameleons may change their colors for camouflage but their color may also reflect their emotion"

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Feb 24 2011 10:27PM
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ryantheconnolly
Posts: 2027 - Karma: 108

motherfucking honey badger
Feb 24 2011 10:31PM
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MN_Nice
Posts: 3824 - Karma: 56
I own one!
Feb 24 2011 10:36PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
Is he the coolest?! I want one!!
Feb 25 2011 7:56AM
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melbs
Posts: 415 - Karma: 77
koalas are where its at
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Feb 25 2011 8:17AM
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MN_Nice
Posts: 3824 - Karma: 56
She's pretty chill. Not much color change, only like a bright green and a dull brown. But its always cool to watch them take in a cricket.
Feb 25 2011 5:04PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
I just read this article on domesticating wild animals for human pleasure- it makes me VERY uneasy, but it sure is interesting. It was the cover story of the last National Geographic. I know someone had mentioned about domesticated fennec foxes earlier in this thread... this is the same idea. Where will we draw the line?

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/taming-wild-animals/ratliff-text
Feb 25 2011 7:52PM
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michelle
Posts: 6290 - Karma: 428
I've seen so many animals I never knew existed in this thread!

Also, very happy you mentioned the narwhal. It's my favorite animal.
Feb 25 2011 8:30PM
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beezey
Posts: 9027 - Karma: 427
I hear they are actually terrible vermin and make awful screams when having sex. I just lived with a ton of aussies
Feb 25 2011 8:35PM
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Bonzalo
Posts: 2593 - Karma: 1,812
Chickens!

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Feb 25 2011 9:34PM
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matt.s
Posts: 2502 - Karma: 93
all of these facts are true, and we can even spear people just for the sport of it.
Mar 1 2011 10:11PM
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matt.s
Posts: 2502 - Karma: 93
i have a chameleon like this one! he is badass. except mine has a bit more blue
Mar 1 2011 10:12PM
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matt.s
Posts: 2502 - Karma: 93
yes, we tend to be very popular with the pinknames.
Mar 1 2011 10:13PM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24725 - Karma: 29,944
Lorelle! you've been slacking!
Mar 4 2011 6:37PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
It was midterms week! So sorry! I'll get back on ittttt.
Mar 4 2011 7:38PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
The Okapi looks like a cross between a giraffe and a zebra- but is most closely related to the giraffe. It lives in the rainforests of the D.R. Congo and has an extremely long tongue used to pluck leaves off trees, but also to clean its eyes and ears. The okapi has been known to eat burnt or lightning struck wood, sulfourous clay, and plants that are extremely poisonous to humans.

I just think theyre super cool looking and thought they were a made up animal as a child.

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Mar 4 2011 8:06PM
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Conker
Posts: 1379 - Karma: 6
this last post is a joke
Mar 4 2011 10:06PM
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grilledsteezeyo
Posts: 1419 - Karma: 72
one of these in the back of my science class in a tank. thing's crazy
Mar 4 2011 10:20PM
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theWIZARD
Posts: 935 - Karma: 76
Yip.
Mar 4 2011 10:49PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
Why? ......very curious....
Mar 4 2011 11:06PM
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Slowbro
Posts: 3866 - Karma: 21,351
axolotl
Mar 5 2011 12:15AM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
The pangolin!!! Pangolins are the only extant member of their entire order (Pholidota) so they're extremely unique and important in terms of understanding ancient ancestors of similar organisms. They look like a cross between an anteater and an armadillo and their very sharp scales are made of keratin, the same material as our hair and nails. Their armor accounts for up to 25% of their body weight. Their huge claws allow it to efficiently dig up termites and their lack of teeth and long tongue further suits this purpose, but it makes for very clumsy walking forcing the pangolin to curl it's toes under to keep balance. The pangolin is threatened by illegal trade, illegal killing for TCM, and hunting for food in Asia.

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Mar 6 2011 8:31PM
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dunkaroos
Posts: 2574 - Karma: 633
looks like kristofferson from fantastic mr fox
Mar 6 2011 8:37PM
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asapCferg
Posts: 3057 - Karma: 358
my threada...these animals are sick
Mar 6 2011 8:39PM
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Master_Debater
Posts: 1211 - Karma: 225
the mysterious blue footed booby.

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Mar 6 2011 8:44PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
Soooooooo cute : )
Mar 6 2011 8:46PM
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tbayskier
Posts: 1138 - Karma: 1,642
dude that made my day! so sick! 10
Mar 6 2011 9:11PM
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PagesHouse
Posts: 6024 - Karma: 104
The European legless lizard or " Scheltopusik" can be found in southern Europe to central Asia and as you can probably guess from its names... it lacks functional legs or arms. Most of their body is composed of a tail which can detach as a defense mechanism. They basically look and move as snakes do, but are identifiable as a lizard by their ear openings, eyelids, and scales.

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Mar 7 2011 4:40PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
CANDIRU CATFISH Maximum Length: Up to 6 inches

The Most Horrific Candiru: Perhaps the most horrifying Candiru species of all is the Candiru asu. This small catfish is a voracious parasite. It uses its circular mouth and sharp teeth to bite flesh and then enter organisms, leaving behind a wound that looks uncannily like a bullet hole. The Candiru asu proceeds to feed on the organs, literally eating its victim from inside. Human corpses have been discovered in the Amazon filled with more than 100 of these river monsters. Scientists and coroners have determined that the victims may have even been alive and simply incapacitated when the Candiru asu struck

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Mar 7 2011 4:50PM
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BDWYE
Posts: 571 - Karma: 12
threads, loving these animals
Mar 7 2011 4:55PM
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