Category Archives: Animals

Animals, Blogs, Weird Stuff

Spider Bottlecap Nearly Killed Me

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…so as I’m going through the {cough, cough} 2+ years of comments I never got around to moderating on this blog, I came across one that is freaking me out.

//www.shawnhogan.com/2006/11/vampire-bite.html#comment-33317

Dr. Finch seems to think I have some gnarley spider bite that needs immediate doctor attention and my life is in danger.

I think he missed this part about this post… lol

Quote

“Okay, okay… it was from me trying to open a beer bottle with my bare hands last night at poker.”

Thank God is all I have to say… if it were otherwise, I might be the first person to die from not moderating their blog comments fast enough.

Animals

World’s Tallest Man Saves Dolphins

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The world’s tallest man doesn’t play basketball, he saves dolphins…

The dolphins at an aquarium in Fushun, Liaoning Province, had fallen sick after swallowing the plastic from the edge of their pool, and attempts to use surgical instruments to remove the plastic failed because of the contraction of the dolphins’ stomachs in response to the instruments, the China Daily newspaper reported.

Veterinarians than decided to ask for help from Bao Xishun, a 2.36-metre-tall herdsman from Inner Mongolia.

Bao, 54, was confirmed last year by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest living man.

The official Xinhua news agency said Bao, using his arm length of 1.06 metres, was able to reach deep enough into the dolphins to pull out the plastic.

Photographs showed the jaws of one of the dolphins being held back by towels so Bao could reach inside the animal without being bitten.

“Some very small plastic pieces are still left in the dolphins’ stomachs,” Zhu Xiaoling, a local doctor, told Xinhua.

“However, the dolphins will be able to digest these and are expected to recover soon.”

Animals

Stingrays Are Terrorists

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Is it me, or do you think there might be a worldwide stingray terrorist campaign going on?

A leaping stingray stabbed an 81-year-old Florida boater in the chest, authorities said Wednesday, leaving its poisonous stinger lodged close to his heart in an incident recalling the one that killed Australian TV naturalist Steve Irwin last month.

Fire Department officials in Lighthouse Point, about 30 miles north of Miami, said James Bertakis was in a small recreational boat with two grandchildren Tuesday when the spotted eagle ray leaped aboard and struck him.

“It’s just a real freak thing,” Lt. Mike Sullivan told Reuters, saying the incident occurred on Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, where stingrays are rarely seen leaping in the air.

“For an 81-year-old man he’s in really good shape,” Sullivan added, saying Bertakis was expected to make a full recovery after surgery at a local hospital to have the stinger removed from his chest.

“Crocodile Hunter” Irwin, 44, died when a stingray’s stinger punctured his heart off Australia’s north coast last month. It was one of only a handful of stingray fatalities on record.

//www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/19/stingray.reut/

Animals, Sports

San Diego Fishing

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Did anyone besides me know that it doesn’t get light outside until about 7:15 am?

We went on a half day fishing boat today, and I had to get up at 5:00 am (yuck!!). Our boat went down to Mexican waters almost to Rosarito. Because of that, we had some Mexican beer at 8:30 am (Corona). We almost convinced Shoemoney to hug/spoon a sea lion for $200. haha That would have been a great picture, unfortunately it would also mean that we would be making the arrangements for his funeral… and that’s no fun.

Oh, and I caught 6 fish because I’m pretty much a bad ass fisherman.

Animals, Sports

Steves Shot And Killed

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One Steve (Foley) was shot by a off-duty police officer, while another Steve (Irwin) was killed by a stingray today (well yesterday now).

The San Diego Chargers’ Steve Foley was shot Sunday by an off-duty policeman who had followed him to his home after noticing Foley’s car driving erratically, a sheriff’s investigator in San Diego, California, said.

The 30-year-old, nine-year NFL veteran was shot twice; his wounds are not believed to be life-threatening, said San Diego Sheriff’s Department Lt. Dennis Brugos.

Steve Irwin, the Australian TV presenter known as the “Crocodile Hunter,” has died after being stung in a marine accident off Australia’s north coast.

Australian media reports say Irwin was diving in waters off Port Douglas, north of Cairns, when the incident happened on Monday morning.

Irwin, 44 was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest, according to Cairns police sources. Irwin was filming an underwater documentary at the time.

Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality Monday morning off Port Douglas, according to Australian media.

Queensland Police Services also confirmed Irwin’s death and said his family had been notified. Irwin was director of the Australian Zoo in Queensland.

He is survived by his American-born wife Terri and their two children, Bindi Sue, born 1998, and Robert (Bob), born December 2003.

Crazy that the Crocodile Hunter was finally killed (and not by a crocodile)… That dude would jump into a murky swamp in the middle of the night to wrestle a 16′ crocodile, and a little stingray does him in. Weird.

Update

Steve Foley is done for the season “officially” now.

Animals, Travel

Three-Toed Sloth

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We are staying in Manuel Antonio (at the Costa Verde hotel) for 2 nights (last night was our first night), and we woke up, and check out what was outside our hotel window (this a picture from our room)… A three-toed sloth. Cool. 🙂


BTW, my head still has a knot in it.

Animals, Travel

Crocodiles

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Somewhere between David Hasslehoff’s favorite cafe and Manuel Antonio, we came across a bridge that had all sorts of crocodiles under it. Thankfully, there was a little shop that sold ice cream Trits (BTW, these things are f’ing good), so we could eat them while we stare at the crocodiles.

Animals, Travel

Bear Deterrent Spray

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I’m going to Montana in 2 weeks for a little mini-weekend vacation, and someone mentioned to me that I should get some “bear spray” if I’m going to be hiking around. So I Google [bear spray] just to see what it is (not that I really was going to get any).

The #1 site that comes up is //www.udap.com/

So the one testimonial they have on their front page is from some guy named Mark, and this is his picture they use:

Uhm yeah… if that’s what I’m going to look like after using their product, maybe I just won’t use their product and just skip the hiking part altogether I’m thinking. 🙂

Animals

Wiggly Is Drunk

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I really don’t know why I find this 3 second video so funny, but I do, so here you go. 🙂

My cat (Wiggly) is always falling off stuff (monitors, computers, shelves, etc.) because he falls asleep and then just falls off stuff. This certainly isn’t the funniest one I’ve seen of him falling off stuff, but it’s the only one I managed to get on film.

Animals, Tech Stuff, Weird Stuff

Insect Cyborgs

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I saw this on Boing Boing this afternoon… it looks like DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is starting to research the feasibility of engineering insect cyborgs…

Quote from their website…

DARPA seeks innovative proposals to develop technology to create insect-cyborgs, possibly enabled by intimately integrating microsystems within insects, during their early stages of metamorphoses. The healing processes from one metamorphic stage to the next stage are expected to yield more reliable bio-electromechanical interface to insects, as compared to adhesively bonded systems to adult insects. Once these platforms are integrated, various microsystem payloads can be mounted on the platforms with the goal of controlling insect locomotion, sense local environment, and scavenge power. Multidisciplinary teams of engineers, physicists, and biologists are expected to work together to develop new technologies utilizing insect biology, while developing foundations for the new field of insect cyborg engineering. The HI-MEMS may also serve as vehicles to conduct research to answer basic questions in biology.
Animals

World’s Smallest Fish

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Last time I was deep sea fishing, I swear I caught one of these, but threw it back because it seemed a little small. God dammit… if only I knew it was fully grown!

The tiny, see-through Paedocypris fish have the appearance of larvae and have a reduced head skeleton, which leaves the brain unprotected by bone.

They live in dark tea-coloured waters with an acidity of pH3, which is at least 100 times more acidic than rainwater.

//www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2006/jan/news_7501.html

Animals, Weird Stuff

Cat With Two Tongues

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I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure that if my cat had two tongues, it would kind of freak me out. I think maybe this cat got some lizard DNA in him or something.

Just looking that that picture almost makes me want to cry. 🙂

Thankfully, my cats are not a spawn of satan and only have one tongue. Although Yashi (my white cat) who has an oral fixation and will lick anything for hours might actually be jealous.

Animals, Weird Stuff

Mutant Turtles

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Not sure what to say about this, but here’s the ad:

No Eyed Red Eared Slider Hatchlings

WELL THE PARENTS OF STEVIE HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!

These little babies are true miracles of nature. They have the same parents as Stevie our no eyed mascot. They are truly unique in every way. They are smart and adapt quickly. They aren’t shy either, when they hear your voice they become excited just like any seeing turtle does. The one thing they need help with until they are use to their surroundings is feeding and as smart as these little fellows are it won’t take long for them to get adapted to your feeding schedule. So if you have the time and love for a special needs turtle, order one of these little gems today and enjoy them for a lifetime.