Viewing archive for the ‘Animal Adventure’ Category
575Not quite a hotel review…
Last weekend I was in Paris for the Institubes 7th anniversary party. Shout out to the whole Institubes crew and Mazel Tov for such a joyful celebration. I stayed at a nice hotel, which is rare for France (no shots), the Costes K. I didn’t have time to film a hotel review but I snapped a few pictures of the most interesting part: these sculptures of animals scattered around the lobby. Enjoy.
…and a giant shoe!
Ruben went to Antarctica
Friend of Fool’s Gold Ruben Fleischer, who directed Kid Sister’s “Pro Nails” video a few years back and struck it big last year with the movie Zombieland, just came back from a trip to Antarctica!
Now, I’ve never been shy about my fascination for nature and animals, so you can imagine how much I enjoyed looking at his pictures. Go check the whole photo album for yourself, it’s phenomenal.
Here are a few highlights…
Animal Adventure: Singapore’s Night Safari
OK so you know I’m currently on tour in Asia. I just spent the weekend in Singapore. Running around with the False posse, I got wind of this Night Safari thing. It’s a zoo that’s only open at night! The only one in the world. Of course I had to check it out. In fact it’s only open from 7pm to midnight (those animals must have a good union) and we got there at 11pm so we had to hurry but it was still an incomparable experience.
I think my Twitter activity from that evening shows you what state of mind I was in:
“I’m going to Singapore’s nighttime zoo where I will mingle with nocturnal animals. Night safari I am so ready.”
“First animal at the night safari: a mouse-deer. Whoa!”
“Looking for the malaysian flying fox. These howling noises are scaring me shitless.” (It’s true, the wolves were howling like crazy in the dark.)
“Flying squirrels are big! Almost like a racoon and red. Big furry tail. I’m in the enclosure with it. Less affable than Rocky.”
“When a leopard pees it still looks majestic.”
All in all I saw mousedeer, fishing cat, otters, indian wolves, striped hyena, leopards, long-tailed porcupine, malay civet, flying fox and a giant flying squirrel… at night! All in 45 minutes.
Plenty more pictures after the jump.
Hobbits really existed
I know, doesn’t really look like Elijah Wood. This is fascinating though. In the last few years scientists have been discovering remains of a species called Homo florensiensis that lived in Indonesia as recently as 17,000 years ago. The big debate is whether these were small humans or another species of primates entirely, and they’re nicknamed hobbits. Their skulls were as small as a chimpanzee’s, they were really short, barely over 3 feet tall, but had very long feet! Scientists first thought that these were pygmy humans that underwent some sort of mutation but it’s becoming increasingly apparent that these hobbits were another branch of primates that we didn’t know about. Read about it here and here.
Mustachioed horse
The Telegraph reports that this horse (Alfie is his name) grew a mustache and won’t let anyone shave it. Actually they write “moustache” because they’re British. I just wanted to post this picture.
This is why life is beautiful
If you know anyone who’s a bitter hater or just a general pain in the bee-hind, have them watch this:
Shout out to Jess Jubilee and Catchdini for the hook-up.
Animal Adventure: the Planet Earth series
OK, you know by now that I’m into strange animals and documentaries on wildlife. So how come I’m only now discovering the Planet Earth DVD box set? After a couple of thorough recommendations I got my hands on the series last week and started watching it on tour. This series is nothing short of amazing. The shots are so good it almost feels like you’re cheating nature by watching it. Seriously, when I’m in the middle of those schools of fish I feel like I’m intruding. It’s too pretty. When they tell you that you’re watching the first footage of a snow leopard I want to ask “is he OK with this?”. I’m only about a quarter into it now but this clip of a vampyroteuthis is mesmerizing. This youtube clip doesn’t do it justice. Get those DVDs!
Animal Adventure: Skinless armadillo or baby hippo?
I don’t have the answer to this question but this thing gives me the heebeegeebies!!!
The music is a nice touch….
Bees on cocaine: they dance more (this is real)
OK so they gave some cocaine to bees to study the behavioral effect, on a biochemical level. It makes them “exaggeratedly enthusiastic about things that would not normally excite them.” Apparently when honeybees find a whole bunch of nectar they do a dance. Not every time they find food, only when it’s a big mama load. But the bees on coke got excited and danced way too much, every time.
You need to read this article over at the New York Times…
For the record, I’ve never done drugs in my life. I don’t find it cool!!!
This bird can imitate chainsaws and car alarms! Wtf?!?
I didn’t really think that my Animal Adventure series would delve into the avian realm. Probably because I like animals that are quirky and weird, and birds don’t usually fall into that category in my book. BOY WAS I WRONG. This lyre bird is a copycat. It imitates the noises of its surroundings, not just other birds but camera shutters! You gotta watch this…
By the way I got this from Carlena Altman‘s blog, a stand-up comedian who also makes Jewish rosaries… Interesting.
PS: Honorable mention to the extinct Dodo bird, the original bird that tickled my fancy since my youth watching cartoons. What cartoon had dodos in it? I can’t remember, someone help me…
