Tuesday, March 20, 2007

New Squid Found



A great cephalopod blog site can be found here.
It's a Girl: Atlantic mystery squid undergoes scrutiny by Janet Raloff
Three weeks ago, while working the waters south of Key West, Fla., a chartered fishing boat hauled in a surprise: the fresh carcass of a huge squid unlike anything that the people on the boat had ever seen. In fact, according to marine biologists, the gelatinous creature is unlike any known in the Atlantic Ocean.
The fishing boat's captain sent the squid's decomposing body to the Mote Marine Laboratory, headquartered in Sarasota, Fla., where cephalopod specialist Debra A. Ingrao has been studying it. When the specimen arrived on Feb. 22, Ingrao promptly sampled its DNA.
"Most squid are 2 feet long or less," Ingrao notes.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Beautifyl White Peacock


Casper Kelley saw this image and sent it to my attention. It is a white peacock !

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Odd Couple in Georgia: Motherless Lamb Attached to Dog


Here's an exclusive for you Weird Beast Readers!! This sent to me by a writer colleague! Due to a fatal accident, a new-born lamb became motherless. This report relates the tale behind the great photo.

"Yes, Chrispy, that's the motherless lamb. However, the dog is not the adopted mom -- that would be P___ who feeds him and holds him while he works on the computer! The lamb is living in the house and follows the dog and sleeps near her. The lamb likes to snuggle. "

~Casper Kelley

Friday, March 02, 2007

Orangutans and Tigers: Inseparable





CISARUA, Indonesia - A pair of month-old Sumatran tiger twins have become inseparable playmates with a set of young orangutans, an unthinkable match in their natural jungle habitat in Indonesia's tropical rainforests.

The friendship between 5-month-old female baby primates Nia and Irma, and cubs Dema and Manis, has blossomed at the Taman Safari zoo where they share a room in the nursery.
After being abandoned by their mothers shortly after birth, the four play fight, nipping and teasing each other, and cuddling up for a shared nap when they are worn out.

"This is unusual and would never happen in the wild," said zoo keeper Sri Suwarni

"When the time comes, they will have to be separated. It's sad, but we cant' change their natural behavior," she said. "Tigers start eating meat when they are three months old."