"Sarcastic Fringehead?" Really?
March 11, 2013 9:40 PM Subscribe
Amazing territorial behavior by a fish bearing the rather odd name of "Sarcastic Fringehead," from the David Attenborough's BBC Life series via WTF, Evolution?
Who's willing to wager that those two Fringeheads made their homes in shells that faced one another and got into epic territorial battles every day until the Attenborough crew stumbled upon them? If so I have a number of other bets to make with you.
posted by anewnadir at 9:47 PM on March 11, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by anewnadir at 9:47 PM on March 11, 2013 [5 favorites]
anewnadir, I was sort of charitably assuming that there was one fringehead occupying two shells and that the other fringehead was an interloper, trying to oust it from both of them. I don't think that Attenborough & co are known for messing around with wildlife in the way I think you are implying.
posted by Scientist at 9:49 PM on March 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Scientist at 9:49 PM on March 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Anyone else think of that scene in in The Wall?
posted by victory_laser at 9:59 PM on March 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by victory_laser at 9:59 PM on March 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
I dunno, if I were a creature and heard the dulcet toes of Attenborough, I would make an effort to, y'know, put on a SHOW for the man. Even if it wasn't necessarily consistent with my natural behavior.
I mean, shit, we're being narrated by SIR DAVID MOTHERFUCKING ATTENBOROUGH, this mating dance is going OFF.
posted by louche mustachio at 10:00 PM on March 11, 2013 [30 favorites]
I mean, shit, we're being narrated by SIR DAVID MOTHERFUCKING ATTENBOROUGH, this mating dance is going OFF.
posted by louche mustachio at 10:00 PM on March 11, 2013 [30 favorites]
I know there is an edit window, but I am just gonna leave "dulcet toes" right there.
posted by louche mustachio at 10:02 PM on March 11, 2013 [36 favorites]
posted by louche mustachio at 10:02 PM on March 11, 2013 [36 favorites]
I loved the closeup shots of the fish. Fish (and I know I'm guilty of anthropomorphism here) have the most surprisingly expressive faces. This past fall we visited an aquarium that allowed visitors to feed the resident fish frozen krill, and the fish were positively canine in the way they looked pleadingly at us for some scraps of shrimp.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:03 PM on March 11, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by KokuRyu at 10:03 PM on March 11, 2013 [4 favorites]
SIR DAVID MOTHERFUCKING ATTENBOROUGH is my new Twitter account.
posted by Scientist at 10:04 PM on March 11, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by Scientist at 10:04 PM on March 11, 2013 [6 favorites]
Sarcastic Fringehead is the name of my Paul Westerberg tribute band.
posted by jimmythefish at 10:15 PM on March 11, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by jimmythefish at 10:15 PM on March 11, 2013 [2 favorites]
Was it just me or did it sound like they were mixing in obviously fake sound effects? Especially the sounds that accompanied the octopus swinging it's legs and the fish chomping the crab thing.
posted by delmoi at 10:19 PM on March 11, 2013 [9 favorites]
posted by delmoi at 10:19 PM on March 11, 2013 [9 favorites]
OK, science fiction, you lose and can go home. Nature for the win!
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:23 PM on March 11, 2013
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:23 PM on March 11, 2013
Oh for sure, all the sound effects in nature documentaries are foley effects. Thus has it ever been, since time immemorial -- especially underwater. The real sounds for that video were probably the loud, darth-vader-like *HRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSH-HURRRRGHLEGURGLE* made by the diving camera person's respirator. You can hear those sorts of noises in all sorts of amateur underwater videos, when the person doesn't bother to replace the original sound with like some music or something.
posted by Scientist at 10:25 PM on March 11, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by Scientist at 10:25 PM on March 11, 2013 [5 favorites]
Even if the fringehead vs fringehead battle had a facilitated setup, this fringehead vs fringehead fighting behaviour is a common ritual for them
As are post-production sound effects.
posted by Nomyte at 10:26 PM on March 11, 2013
As are post-production sound effects.
posted by Nomyte at 10:26 PM on March 11, 2013
Well, have you ever tried to convince a Sarcastic Fringehead to wear one of those little wireless mic things?
posted by Scientist at 10:31 PM on March 11, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by Scientist at 10:31 PM on March 11, 2013 [7 favorites]
SIR DAVID MOTHERFUCKING ATTENBOROUGH is my new Twitter account.
But The Dulcet Toes of Attenborough is still totally up for grabs.
posted by louche mustachio at 10:34 PM on March 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
But The Dulcet Toes of Attenborough is still totally up for grabs.
posted by louche mustachio at 10:34 PM on March 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Well, have you ever tried to convince a Sarcastic Fringehead to wear one of those little wireless mic things?
They're all like "OH OF COURSE. YOU JUST CLIP THAT RIGHT ON WHEREVER IT'S CONVENIENT" and then you're like "hey wait a second.."
posted by louche mustachio at 10:36 PM on March 11, 2013 [12 favorites]
Those are some seriously ugly fish. That was an adorable octopus.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 11:28 PM on March 11, 2013
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 11:28 PM on March 11, 2013
when i saw the title of this post i thought it was going to be about epic forum battles over canon minutiae by fans of the tv show Fringe. but this is probably better.
posted by Partario at 11:50 PM on March 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Partario at 11:50 PM on March 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Things I love - anything narrated by Sir David Attenborough and WTFevolution
posted by TwoWordReview at 11:51 PM on March 11, 2013
posted by TwoWordReview at 11:51 PM on March 11, 2013
Can anyone shed any light (pun intended) on the equipment used to capture such vivid and clear shots underwater? Are they using additional post production magic or just amazing lights and camera setups? Underwater nature footage never used to be this vivid... did it?
posted by rh at 11:55 PM on March 11, 2013
posted by rh at 11:55 PM on March 11, 2013
How BBC Natural History Producers Use Sound Design To MakeIt doesn't sound real though, it sounds fake as hell. Maybe they let the interns handle it this time, or something. And it's also probably the case that their sound effects sound more like what you would hear on land then underwater.
The Real World Sound Real
The real sounds for that video were probably the loud, darth-vader-like *HRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSH-HURRRRGHLEGURGLE* made by the diving camera person's respiratorCouldn't they figure out some kind of noise cancellation system, or something?
posted by delmoi at 12:31 AM on March 12, 2013
Huh. I'm sure I'd stopped looking up Borderlands 2 bosses and gone to Metafilter, but I guess I was wrong.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 1:06 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 1:06 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
The sarcastic fringehead is both a remarkable creature and fuel for every nightmare I will have for the rest of my life.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:23 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:23 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Those look like fish built by the Jim Henson Creature Shop.
posted by whitneyarner at 4:01 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by whitneyarner at 4:01 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Things I can't stand - anything narrated by that guy.
posted by newdaddy at 4:06 AM on March 12, 2013
posted by newdaddy at 4:06 AM on March 12, 2013
This post has been up for six and a half hours and nobody has created a "sarcastic fringehead" mefi account yet. You guys disappoint me.
posted by ardgedee at 4:09 AM on March 12, 2013
posted by ardgedee at 4:09 AM on March 12, 2013
Things I can't stand - anything narrated by that guy.
You poor dear.
posted by unliteral at 4:11 AM on March 12, 2013 [6 favorites]
You poor dear.
posted by unliteral at 4:11 AM on March 12, 2013 [6 favorites]
The convict fish video linked in the Related Videos section is even neater, I think.
posted by painquale at 5:15 AM on March 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by painquale at 5:15 AM on March 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
Couldn't they figure out some kind of noise cancellation system, or something?
Dunno 'bout underwater noise cancelling, but my understanding is that they don't use live sound for any of the dry land stuff either. I'm no kind of expert on this stuff, but the way I heard it explained was that to capture professional quality sound you either have to mic the participants or have a boom hovering overhead, and this is too difficult to do when filming wild animals --- with blinds and jeeps and a good zoom, you can get quality images from a certain distance, but for sound you have to be up close. Nobody's sending a sound guy out there to try a hover a mic over the heads of a feeding lion from five feet away, lest he become lunch.
posted by Diablevert at 5:37 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Dunno 'bout underwater noise cancelling, but my understanding is that they don't use live sound for any of the dry land stuff either. I'm no kind of expert on this stuff, but the way I heard it explained was that to capture professional quality sound you either have to mic the participants or have a boom hovering overhead, and this is too difficult to do when filming wild animals --- with blinds and jeeps and a good zoom, you can get quality images from a certain distance, but for sound you have to be up close. Nobody's sending a sound guy out there to try a hover a mic over the heads of a feeding lion from five feet away, lest he become lunch.
posted by Diablevert at 5:37 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I kept expecting him to tell us it was designed by Jim Henson.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 5:52 AM on March 12, 2013
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 5:52 AM on March 12, 2013
I loved the closeup shots of the fish. Fish (and I know I'm guilty of anthropomorphism here) have the most surprisingly expressive faces. This past fall we visited an aquarium that allowed visitors to feed the resident fish frozen krill, and the fish were positively canine in the way they looked pleadingly at us for some scraps of shrimp.
Yessssss. I love fishies so much. Although for me I don't see it so much in their faces, but their body language is pretty clear to me, and it still has the same effect. I've had a few bettas and plecos--and a nice 10 gallon tank with a filter and heater and just an overall pretty good environment that really lets them be happy and express themselves--and there's a surprising range of fish personality... or if you prefer, behavior. Which frankly I think can be argued to be the same thing.
My first betta (Omega - groan) I inherited when he was pretty old and I didn't know a damn thing about how to take care of them, so for the first year I had him he was in a tiny tiny tank with no heater or filter (one of those stupid bowls they sell them in and show on commercials and shit) and he'd just kind of listlessly float there all the time. So then finally I read up on the tank conditions they should have and got him a five gallon tank with heater and filter he (GASP) went NUTS and was the happiest fish ever. Bubble nests everywhere, flitting around all the time. Never was too interested in me, preferred to endlessly explore the tank, but that was fine because I was buried in guilt about how he'd lived almost his entire life and he could live the rest of it however he damn chose.
I've always tended to choose bettas who were more mellow in the store, and that's gotten me mixed success; my first one (Icarus) was the most gregarious fish, he got to know my face (or maybe just my body shape) and would get excited whenever I would walk in in the mornings and often during the day. We tested this. I'd have friends walk in at approximately the same time I got in in the morning and he'd go to the edge of the tank and kind of look at them for a while before losing interest. But for me he would do sort of a spastic little dance even when I was like five feet away at the door and then flutter around the corner until he got fed. He'd do this most of the time I walked in, food or no. He was smart and sociable enough that I always wanted to teach him how to do an obstacle course, but I just didn't have the time. I regret that. He liked chasing the laser dot though, or my finger, or things I'd trail along the top of the tank. Never could get him to keep interest in a floating ball though.
After that I had a betta (Theo) that was the only non-aggressive one in the store and was kind of runty. They're always shy in the beginning until they get to know the tank and you, but he sort of never got over it. He wouldn't even come to the corner for food, he'd just sort of wait for it to drift over near him.
The betta I have now (Simon) I've only had for a few months but he's pretty friendly and I think over time he might like me more but I don't think he'll ever get to the level of my first. He says hi in the morning and comes over to the corner of the tank to get fed but unless I try to get his attention he mostly ignores me for the rest of the day. He's a little less exploratory (explorative? adventurous.) but I think that's because he moved into a tank with a very well-established pleco named Oscar nicknamed Fatty tho because he's huge but he is also fittingly very grouchy and likes things uber-dirty who does not like you going in his vase you had damn well better stay out. Most of the plecos I've had just want to hide and eat their algae pellets, but he's a bristlenose and he will take no one's shit. Except maybe to eat it. I'm not sure.
I had shrimp once and even they were pretty different, harder for me to relate to probably just because they seemed much more alien. Still, they had sort of personalities as well. The runty one was the braver one and he would chase off things three times his size and he was generally something you did not want to fuck with, while the one that was easily twice his size just tried to stay out of his way and seemed a little bit slow. Somehow they both ended up eaten or simply vanished whole into the ether. I actually blame Oscar because I really doubt Theo would've even attempted it.
And this has apparently become the thread in which I talk about my fishies. In conclusion, it is my opinion that provided a suitable environment they are just as much individuals and as emotive as any other animal and I am maybe a little overly-zealous at correcting people when they say they are dumb or boring or only have a five second memory or whatever stupid misconception they've been given. I submit to you these fishy stories in hopes that they are semi-on-topic.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 6:14 AM on March 12, 2013 [19 favorites]
Yessssss. I love fishies so much. Although for me I don't see it so much in their faces, but their body language is pretty clear to me, and it still has the same effect. I've had a few bettas and plecos--and a nice 10 gallon tank with a filter and heater and just an overall pretty good environment that really lets them be happy and express themselves--and there's a surprising range of fish personality... or if you prefer, behavior. Which frankly I think can be argued to be the same thing.
My first betta (Omega - groan) I inherited when he was pretty old and I didn't know a damn thing about how to take care of them, so for the first year I had him he was in a tiny tiny tank with no heater or filter (one of those stupid bowls they sell them in and show on commercials and shit) and he'd just kind of listlessly float there all the time. So then finally I read up on the tank conditions they should have and got him a five gallon tank with heater and filter he (GASP) went NUTS and was the happiest fish ever. Bubble nests everywhere, flitting around all the time. Never was too interested in me, preferred to endlessly explore the tank, but that was fine because I was buried in guilt about how he'd lived almost his entire life and he could live the rest of it however he damn chose.
I've always tended to choose bettas who were more mellow in the store, and that's gotten me mixed success; my first one (Icarus) was the most gregarious fish, he got to know my face (or maybe just my body shape) and would get excited whenever I would walk in in the mornings and often during the day. We tested this. I'd have friends walk in at approximately the same time I got in in the morning and he'd go to the edge of the tank and kind of look at them for a while before losing interest. But for me he would do sort of a spastic little dance even when I was like five feet away at the door and then flutter around the corner until he got fed. He'd do this most of the time I walked in, food or no. He was smart and sociable enough that I always wanted to teach him how to do an obstacle course, but I just didn't have the time. I regret that. He liked chasing the laser dot though, or my finger, or things I'd trail along the top of the tank. Never could get him to keep interest in a floating ball though.
After that I had a betta (Theo) that was the only non-aggressive one in the store and was kind of runty. They're always shy in the beginning until they get to know the tank and you, but he sort of never got over it. He wouldn't even come to the corner for food, he'd just sort of wait for it to drift over near him.
The betta I have now (Simon) I've only had for a few months but he's pretty friendly and I think over time he might like me more but I don't think he'll ever get to the level of my first. He says hi in the morning and comes over to the corner of the tank to get fed but unless I try to get his attention he mostly ignores me for the rest of the day. He's a little less exploratory (explorative? adventurous.) but I think that's because he moved into a tank with a very well-established pleco named Oscar nicknamed Fatty tho because he's huge but he is also fittingly very grouchy and likes things uber-dirty who does not like you going in his vase you had damn well better stay out. Most of the plecos I've had just want to hide and eat their algae pellets, but he's a bristlenose and he will take no one's shit. Except maybe to eat it. I'm not sure.
I had shrimp once and even they were pretty different, harder for me to relate to probably just because they seemed much more alien. Still, they had sort of personalities as well. The runty one was the braver one and he would chase off things three times his size and he was generally something you did not want to fuck with, while the one that was easily twice his size just tried to stay out of his way and seemed a little bit slow. Somehow they both ended up eaten or simply vanished whole into the ether. I actually blame Oscar because I really doubt Theo would've even attempted it.
And this has apparently become the thread in which I talk about my fishies. In conclusion, it is my opinion that provided a suitable environment they are just as much individuals and as emotive as any other animal and I am maybe a little overly-zealous at correcting people when they say they are dumb or boring or only have a five second memory or whatever stupid misconception they've been given. I submit to you these fishy stories in hopes that they are semi-on-topic.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 6:14 AM on March 12, 2013 [19 favorites]
I love your love of fish, six-or-six-thirty.
posted by jfwlucy at 6:27 AM on March 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by jfwlucy at 6:27 AM on March 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
There's nothing so odd about that - Kemal Ataturk had an entire menagerie named Abdul.
posted by sneebler at 6:52 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sneebler at 6:52 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Thanks for the link to wtfevolution! That is now a tumblr I am subscribed to.
The fish were interesting (aka a little disturbing), but those slugs down the page were both beautiful and made me cringe. Having sex while hanging upside down.. wtf evolution indeed.
posted by royalsong at 6:53 AM on March 12, 2013
The fish were interesting (aka a little disturbing), but those slugs down the page were both beautiful and made me cringe. Having sex while hanging upside down.. wtf evolution indeed.
posted by royalsong at 6:53 AM on March 12, 2013
I love your love of fish, six-or-six-thirty.
Yay! I like to think there's much more to them than most people give them credit for, but then, Simon has spent all morning doing aggression displays at an algae pellet sitting at the bottom of the tank, so YMMV.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 7:44 AM on March 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Yay! I like to think there's much more to them than most people give them credit for, but then, Simon has spent all morning doing aggression displays at an algae pellet sitting at the bottom of the tank, so YMMV.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 7:44 AM on March 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
In conclusion, it is my opinion that provided a suitable environment they are just as much individuals and as emotive as any other animal and I am maybe a little overly-zealous at correcting people when they say they are dumb or boring or only have a five second memory or whatever stupid misconception they've been given. I submit to you these fishy stories in hopes that they are semi-on-topic.
Yes - my ex had a fairly sizeable tank with a variety of residents; I remember one angelfish, and at one point he told me what the others were, but had to think about it, and we ususally ended up calling them "the red guy" or "the little striped guy" or whatever. And sometimes, we would spend an hour or so at his place just watching his fish, because if you stopped to pay attention there was a lot those guys were doing. Feeding time was especially fun because the angelfish would do this weird little samba-ish dance back and forth across the front of the tank, following whichever human was holding the can of food as they moved to and fro.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:47 AM on March 12, 2013
Yes - my ex had a fairly sizeable tank with a variety of residents; I remember one angelfish, and at one point he told me what the others were, but had to think about it, and we ususally ended up calling them "the red guy" or "the little striped guy" or whatever. And sometimes, we would spend an hour or so at his place just watching his fish, because if you stopped to pay attention there was a lot those guys were doing. Feeding time was especially fun because the angelfish would do this weird little samba-ish dance back and forth across the front of the tank, following whichever human was holding the can of food as they moved to and fro.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:47 AM on March 12, 2013
About the sound... I can't find out if he worked on this one, but the sound recordist & musician Chris Watson has recorded sound for a lot of Attenborough's projects. His work on Life of Birds is amazing. He's been known to plant contact mics on the underside of leaves to get insect footsteps. Not making that up.
So not everything is foleyed. At least not if you've got the budget.
posted by rock swoon has no past at 9:23 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
So not everything is foleyed. At least not if you've got the budget.
posted by rock swoon has no past at 9:23 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Six or six tirthy, I know exactly what you are saying.
My wife's most popular YouTube upload is a video of our two prettiest Bettas having sex in a 10 gallon planted tank. We tried to keep everything natural, so the male missed like half of the eggs. Of the hundreds of eggs in the nest about a hundred hatched into pinhead sized fry. Some 30 made it to a size that we could give them away to friends.
The tank was big enough and with so many hiding places that we did not remove the parents.
We kept about 10 of the children, mixed males and females, in the tank. Every male got his little territory and defended it like crazy, with short low key fights that never led to serious injuries. Turns out fighting fish only fight to the death if you stress them a lot.
A few of the males were not aggressive at all and would share an anubias plant, each resting on a different leaf, like a betta condo.
That tank with a dozen bettas and the one with the crystal shrimp were my favorites. Both tanks had very complex interactions that you could watch for hours, and everyone who got to know them had a favorite fish or shrimp.
Now we have a single male betta in a planted 5 gallon. He is old and regal and says hello when I go make coffee, and likes to watch us cook. When we feed him live food he gets super excited and will attack the little worms like they were deadly anacondas. He will then strut around the tank for hours and flare at his own reflection.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 10:01 AM on March 12, 2013 [4 favorites]
My wife's most popular YouTube upload is a video of our two prettiest Bettas having sex in a 10 gallon planted tank. We tried to keep everything natural, so the male missed like half of the eggs. Of the hundreds of eggs in the nest about a hundred hatched into pinhead sized fry. Some 30 made it to a size that we could give them away to friends.
The tank was big enough and with so many hiding places that we did not remove the parents.
We kept about 10 of the children, mixed males and females, in the tank. Every male got his little territory and defended it like crazy, with short low key fights that never led to serious injuries. Turns out fighting fish only fight to the death if you stress them a lot.
A few of the males were not aggressive at all and would share an anubias plant, each resting on a different leaf, like a betta condo.
That tank with a dozen bettas and the one with the crystal shrimp were my favorites. Both tanks had very complex interactions that you could watch for hours, and everyone who got to know them had a favorite fish or shrimp.
Now we have a single male betta in a planted 5 gallon. He is old and regal and says hello when I go make coffee, and likes to watch us cook. When we feed him live food he gets super excited and will attack the little worms like they were deadly anacondas. He will then strut around the tank for hours and flare at his own reflection.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 10:01 AM on March 12, 2013 [4 favorites]
Mmmm, crunchy...
posted by homunculus at 3:26 PM on March 12, 2013
posted by homunculus at 3:26 PM on March 12, 2013
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(That was an impressive right...uh...left.... nice punch, Octopus.)
posted by louche mustachio at 9:46 PM on March 11, 2013 [5 favorites]