Monthly Archives: March 2009
Long Eared Jerboa: exceedingly cute rodent of the big-eared variety
The author of BV is invoking her writerly prerogative, and stretching the parameters of the pink animal series to includeEuchoreutes naso, a nocturnal rodent which is not properly speaking pink, but is replete with long tail, long hind legs, and exceptionally large, exceptionally … Continue reading
Pink Fairy Armadillo
The next member of our pink animal brigade is the pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus), a diminutive member of genus Chlamyphorus native to South America. At about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches long (excluding the tail), the pink fairy armadillo is the smallest … Continue reading
Filed under pink animal league, Uncategorized
pink elephant: not just a figment of your imagination
The next pink animal to grace our fair page is this charming little pink elephant. Scientists say that he is probably an albino, but the discerning readers of BV (all several of you. ahem.) will likely join the author in … Continue reading
pink amblycorypha katydid
It has been brought to the author’s attention that the Pink Dragon Millipede is not the sole pink specimen in the insect world; the pink amblycorypha katydid is equally pink, and no less charming at cocktail parties. In accordance with this discovery, … Continue reading
Pink Dragon Millipede: Dangerous Beauty
The Pink Dragon Millipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea) may look like the lastest pokemon character or Sanrio creation, but you wouldn’t want one on your keychain. Why not? Because the Pink Dragon Millipede, a recently discovered species native to Thailand, … Continue reading
Gouldian Finches: female finches practice sex bias
Ever wished for a more palpable measure of a date’s long-term potential? Some visible sign telling you whether he will leave the toilet seat up? Gouldian finches can’t commiserate: females can judge a male just by looking at his head. A new study in the … Continue reading
African Bat Bug: insectus sex-offenderus
One would not wish to be a female bat bug. Male bat bugs (blood-sucking insects of the family Cimicidae) have developed the disconcerting habit of ignoring females’ conventional girlie bits, instead using their sharp penises to stab target females in the stomach, injecting … Continue reading
Puli Dogs: hirsute canines
flying mop? animate dryer lint? This mid-air mass of moving dreadlocks is actually a puli dog on an agility course The Puli, a medium-sized Hungarian herding and livestock guard dog, may not fit the mainstream aesthetic bias towards dainty, long-haired … Continue reading
Star-nosed Mole: a face only a mother could love
The star nosed mole (Condylura cristata) looks like something out of a science fiction novelist’s wildest imagination: the star of tentacles is seen nowhere else in the mammalian world, and covered with minute touch receptors known as Eimer’s organs, which some speculate are used … Continue reading
Dumbo Octopus: if disney did cephalopods
Dumbo octopuses (genus Grimpoteuthis) are so called because their ear-like fins and head-like bodies recall the disproportionate ears of Walt Disney’s flying elephant of the same name (the resemblance is more apparent in the specimen represented in figure 2, below). Like its namesake, the dumbo octopus “flies” through the … Continue reading
Filed under marine life, the strange and the beautiful, Uncategorized
Sea Anemone
Sea anemones (order Actiniaria) are marine predators named after the terrestrial anemone (a member of the Buttercup family). When we think of sea anemones, we typically recall their beauty, their stinging poison, and the symbiotic relationship of certain species with clownfish, which are immune to the … Continue reading
Filed under marine life, rated NC17, the strange and the beautiful, Uncategorized
Early Birds
Baby birds are among nature’s most amazing creatures. Newly hatched chicks range from helpless to remarkably independent, depending on species. The most helpless newborn chicks (nature’s true early birds) are called altricial, and are typically born tiny, blind and naked; need help thermoregulating; and must be brooded for longer … Continue reading
Filed under baby animals, common household pets, Uncategorized
Lobster
I’d like to take a break from my organized, logical pursuit of truth in the animal kingdom to talk about something decidedly disorganized and illogical: Marriage. There can be no more appropriate object for today’s topic than Lobsters, which comprise … Continue reading
Filed under marine life, the strange and the beautiful, Uncategorized
The Author Apologizes…
The Author apologizes for her tardiness in posting this weekend. Full installments of BV will return with the workweek. For the interim, the author submits for your perusal the picture below. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2000003.stm http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2307-featherless-chicken-creates-a-flap.html http://www.manningworldnews.com/archives/000268.php http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chickens-without-feathers-naked-hot-weather-sunburn
