Extinct Animals- The Sea Mink

Hello. This is my first post in a series that will cover extinct animals. Today's unlucky animal is the Sea Mink.

The sea mink is thought to have been exterminated around about 1894 thanks to constant trapping for their fur. It was valuable because of its large size so the pelt fetched a higher price and it was actively sought by trappers.

The fabled Sea Mink

Touching Picture

Happy holidays to all!! Man, beast, bird, puppy, everything.

Patrick Karabaranga, a warden at the Virunga National Park in Congo, sits with an orphaned mountain gorilla in the gorilla sanctuary.

Source: PHIL MOORE/ AFP/ Getty Images

The Worlds Smallest Deer- The Pudu

This is a Pudu.

It is sticking its tongue out.

The Civet

Welcome back to Funny Pets and Weird Pets. We are glad to have you back. I have a very great creature for you today, the Civet.

The Civet

 I'm going to start of with this. Who likes coffee?? Kopi Luwak, is coffee that is prepared using coffee cherries that have been eaten and partially digested by the Asian palm civet, then harvested from its fecal matter. The civets digest the flesh of the coffee cherries but pass the beans inside, leaving their stomach enzymes to go to work on the beans, which adds to the coffee's prized aroma and flavor. Only around 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of civet coffee make it to the market each year, and 1 pound (0.45 kg) can cost up to $600 in some parts of the world and about $100 a cup in others.

Sounds...tasty?

The Tasmanian Nativehen

 I am particularly fond of obscure birds. As such, today you will be introduced to the Tasmanian Nativehen.

This is the Tasmanian Nativehen

                                       
The Tasmanian Nativehen is flightless. So, when it looks up into the sky and sees its' bird brethren soaring in the clouds, it cannot help but feel a bit envious.  It is one of twelve species of birds unique to the Australian island of Tasmania. Although many flightless birds have a history of extinction at the hands of man, the Tasmanian Nativehen has actually benefited from the introduction of European style agricultural practices in Tasmania.

Other common names include Narkie, Native-hen, Waterhen and my personal favorite, the Turbo chook.

Funny Cartoon Animal- In Real Life!- Snoopy

Snoopy is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet dog. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable comic characters in the world. The original drawings of Snoopy were "greatly patterned" after Spike, one of Schulz's childhood dogs.


This dog is one colorful character. Well, not in the literal sense as his coat consists of only two colors (black and white). Snoopy loves root beer and pizza, hates coconut candy, gets claustrophobia in tall weeds, and is deathly afraid of icicles dangling over his doghouse. One of his hobbies is reading Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace at the rate of "a word a day". Snoopy also has the uncanny ability to play fetch with soap bubbles, and can hear someone eating marshmallows or cookies at a distance, or even peeling a banana. He claims to hear chocolate chip cookies calling him. Snoopy is also capable of disappearing, like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, as shown in an extended strip, whenever Charlie Brown reads the book to him.




Snoopy, IN REAL LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Funny Cartoon Animal- In Real Life!- Crash Bandicoot

Crash Bandicoot is one wild and crazy guy marsupial. 

Crash Bandicoot, or simply Crash, is a title character and the primary protagonist of the Crash Bandicoot series. Introduced in the 1996 video game Crash Bandicoot, Crash is an Eastern Barred Bandicoot that was genetically enhanced by the series' primary antagonist Doctor Neo Cortex and was soon banished from Cortex's castle for his perceived unworthiness. Throughout the series, Crash acts as the opposition against Cortex and his schemes for world domination. While Crash has a number of offensive maneuvers at his disposal, his most distinctive technique is one in which he spins like a tornado at high speeds and knocks away anything that he strikes.

The Crash series has over 17 games, because there are 18 total!

Nice Shades!

BANDICOOTS IN REAL LIFE!!!!! 

Ocean Sunfish

The Ocean Sunfish is one incredible creature. Personally, I think the Ocean Moonfish would be a more appropriate name. "An ocean sunfish's color can vary from brown to gray or silvery, or even almost white".  However, an orange or yellow variety has yet to been discovered. Deer Moon, I feel that you are often overlooked. Heck. someone even spread a crazy rumor that you are made from cheese. I feel for you little brother of the Sun. With gravitational pull and all, you help keep the Earth where it is in space and not floating around the galaxy. Thanks moon. Sincerely, funnypets.  

The ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the globe. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally. Sunfish can be as tall as they are long when their dorsal and ventral fins are extended.

Sunfish live on a diet that consists mainly of jellyfish, but because this diet is nutritionally poor, they consume large amounts in order to develop and maintain their great bulk. Females of the species can produce more eggs than any other known vertebrate.

Overweight Weenie Dog

When you hear the word Weenie Dog, what do you think of? A nice cute little dachshund?  A possible snack? How about a mammoth beast that you can't even pick it up.







Well, lets not be mean to the little guy large dog. His name is Obie. Obie weighs 77 pounds, more than twice the maximum weight of an average Dachshund (32 pounds).







For comparison, here are some Weenie dogs that are not as hefty as poor little Obie.

 







 Of course, big is a relative term. Obie looks tiny when compared to some other pets.




  

Giant Fish

Seventy five percent of the Earths surface is covered by water. The average depth of the ocean is about 4,267 meters (14,000 feet). Taking all that in to consideration, it shouldn't be a shock to anyone that there are some monstrous fish lurking in the water. Like, the infamous GOLD FISH!


I'm kidding. There is nothing monstrous about the shrimpy goldfish. But here are a couple monstrous fish!


 (In this Aug. 18, 2012 photo provided by Jody Bright, Molly Palmer stands with her husband Shawn Palmer near her catch_ a 12-foot marlin that took more than four hours to get on her team’s boat, weighing it at more than a half-ton _ a would-be world record, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Courtesy Jody Bright)


(A monster white sturgeon weighing an estimated 1,100 pounds and measuring 12 feet, 4 inches was caught and released on the Fraser River, a British Columbia waterway famous for its big sturgeon...just not this big.)


(Catches of white sturgeon averaging 30 to 100 pounds are typical on the Fraser, even an occasional 250-pounder, but nothing as massive as this sturgeon, believed to be the biggest freshwater fish ever caught on rod and reel in North America...and possibly the oldest.)


I don't know why I've been frequenting fish lately. Maybe I should stop by a Red Lobster. 

Dog Sleeping With a Toy

I've decided to momentarily return to this blogs roots and post a picture of a funny pet.

So, without further adieu I present you all this weeks Funny Pet!!




This is a dog. Let's call him Jake for the time being. Apparently he is sleeping with a stuffed animal. Cute. Right? However, the cynic within me can't help but think the owners simply stuffed the toy into the legs of the dog in order to create a cute picture. But maybe the dog truly enjoyed sleeping with the toy. Maybe?

Catfish

Catfish. A very misleading name. One might imagine a cute, cuddly kitty. Or a furry fish. Something nice. Maybe something like this.



But in reality, catfish are ugly monsterous things.



But apparently, people like to hug them as though they were really cats. Next time. Info on the deceiving catfish.

Termites- Living Bombs

When the insects can no longer forage, nature weaponizes them

What are your plans for retirement? Do you plan on touring the country in an RV with the grandkids, or perhaps finally catch up with all that paragliding you never did when you were younger? Perhaps you should just be glad that you'll age more gracefully than the Neocapriterme taracua — as the termite enters its old age, it becomes a toxic, living bomb, ready to explode at a moment's notice.

The discovery came when researchers Jan Å obotník of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Thomas Bourguignon of the Free University of Brussels were examining termites in French Guiana. They noted that select termites had pale blue spots on their abdomens. When disturbed and unable to fight using their jaws, the insects commit suicide and burst, releasing a mix of chemicals that can poison and kill their attackers.

It's believed those blue spots are actually crystals that help give the termites' toxic stew its potency. Only older termites have the crystals — essentially, when the insect gets too old to forage for food, it turns into a living defensive weapon for the insect colony. Pretty cool, but if given the option, we think we'll stick to our RV tour when we grow old, thanks.

[Image credit: Soldier subterranean termites via Shutterstock]

This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

Funny Cartoon Animal- In Real Life!- Pascal from Tangled

Today we examine Pascal from the hit Disney film 'Tangled'.



In the film, Pascal is Rapunzel's pet chameleon. Pascal is a caring creature. He is always near Rapunzel. He attempts to assist Rapunzel whenever she needs it. As such, he does various actions. Sometimes he does something funny to make Rapunzel laugh. Sometimes he tries to fight a villain. Thus, Pascal has a comedic side and a tough side. The following pictures will demonstrate these two opposing sides.






NOW. Time for some info about Chameleons, IN REAL LIFE!!!!

Chameleon, a tree-dwelling lizard having the ability to change color and to move each eye independently. The color change is involuntary, contrary to common belief, and is brought about by light, temperature, and nervous stimulation such as anger or fear. It is not related to the color of the substance on which the chameleon happens to be.

Under ordinary conditions, the rough skin of the chameleon is a dull brownish-green. Under stresses of fear or anger, the color changes to a vivid green; it turns brown or yellowish-gray in response to hunger, low temperatures, and strong sunlight. The males of some species may display a brilliant red dewlap (a loose fold of skin under the throat) during courtship or in combat.

About 90 species of chameleon are known. They are native to Africa, Spain, Madagascar, India, and Sri Lanka.

"http://animals.howstuffworks.com/reptiles/chameleon-info.htm"

White-bellied Green Pigeon

When most people think of pigeons, they think of flying rats. Dirty nasty creatures. However, pigeons are very majestic creatures. Case in point, the White-bellied Green Pigeon.

See, not all pigeons are dirty, nasty, yucky vermin with wings.

But, some are :p

Six Legged Calf

This is a six legged calf. How do we know that cows aren't supposed to have 6 legs, and that the cows we see with 4 legs are actually the abnormal ones!!





And why don't we eat cow legs? Yum, fried cow legs.

Baby Platypus!

Who doesn't love cute little babies! I love babies, as long as they are properly seasoned...

And let the comments resembling "aww, how cute, where can I buy some" Commence!!

I also have a frighting baby platypus image, if anyone cares to see it let me know!

One of a Kind, Lonesome George.

The world has just recently lost a very special someone. Lonesome George. 

(He was kind of cute. In a weird turtuly way)

Lonesome George has died, leaving the world one species poorer.

The only remaining Pinta Island tortoise and celebrated conservation icon passed away Sunday, June 24th 2012.  

Estimated to be more than 100 years old, the creature's cause of death remains unclear and a necropsy is planned. ( I think he was assassinated by another turtle, jealous of Georges popularity) 

Lonesome George's longtime caretaker, Fausto Llerena, found the tortoise's remains stretched out in the "direction of his watering hole" on Santa Cruz Island, the statement said.

Lonesome George was discovered on Pinta Island in 1972 at a time when tortoises of his type were already believed to be extinct. Since then, the animal had been part of the park service's tortoise program.

Repeated efforts to breed Lonesome George failed. 

"Later two females from the Espanola tortoise population (the species most closely related to Pinta tortoises genetically) were with George until the end," the park service said.

(He was a player that just couldn't find the right gal)e was a player, that just couldn't find the right gal. Maybe he was gay... not that there's anything wrong with that)

In honor of Lonesome George, the park service said it was convening an international workshop in July on management strategies for restoring tortoise populations over the next decade.

The Galapagos Islands, situated about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off Ecuador's coast, is considered a haven for tortoises. (Well, it wasn't good enough for George. Hopefully, he will fair better in turtle Heaven than he did in the turtle haven)

Goodbye George. We will miss you. Next time, I will try to not post about a dead animal. It's getting a little depressing here.

Prince Harry the Pygmy Hippo

This is one cute little, hippo.





His name is Prince Harry and he is a Pygmy Hippo.


Wildlife experts estimate that there are fewer than 3,000 pygmy hippos left in the wild.


Harry was born on March 22nd, 2012. Unfortunately, he passed away on May 10th after surgery to repair an umbilical hernia. He went into respiratory arrest and ultimately heart failure.


I for one, would not be disgusted if I found one of these little things floating around in my tub. 






 


(The hippo is not too bad either)


This is a big ugly hippo-------------------> 


Not a pygmy like Harry.