Baby Animal Alphabet
posted on Jul 21, 2008 - View this thread

Eusociality - its what bees, ants, and all those other insects that divide into workers, drones, and queens do. But naked mole rats (which are not related to moles or rats) are one of only two mammal species that follow the same pattern, with their cousins Damaraland mole rats as the only other eusocial mammals. They're also nearly cold blooded, impervious to pain, and feed their young on their own feces from the time they're a month old until they can eat the giant tubers that make up most of their diet.
posted on Jul 17, 2008 - View this thread

Snoring duck, snoring dog, snoring pig, snoring cat, snoring parrot. That is all.
posted on May 30, 2008 - View this thread

As Moscow changes, so does its population of stray dogs. During Soviet times, Moscow's stray dogs foraged for food and avoided humans, since there wasn't much to be gained from begging. As the city became increasingly affluent, the dogs' behavior changed radically. Some recent adaptations include passive subway begging, observing stoplights, and a food scam called the "come-from-behind ambush." The stray dogs, whose population is estimated at 26,000, have even ceased some of their interpack warfare. Observe the Moscow subway dog here.
posted on May 29, 2008 - View this thread

We're all used to animal cams at the zoo. You can watch animals in the wild or in captivity. But how about a live animal cam at...the library!
posted on May 15, 2008 - View this thread

Animal Rights History collects quotes and original source documents from historical figures concerned with animal welfare, animal rights and vegetarianism throughout history, including John Locke on kids' cruelty to animals, Voltaire on vivisecting dogs, the author of history's first protected species list, lots about Pythagoras, timelines, a survey of anti-cruelty laws and more.
posted on May 12, 2008 - View this thread

"With most animals, males duke it out and the winner gets the girls," says Holekamp. "But with hyenas, females have 100 percent say." They decide when and under what conditions they will tolerate deferential sperm donors. At age 2 or 3 a male leaves his natal clan and wanders off to beg acceptance into another clan. After vicious rejections, he eventually succeeds and reaps his reward: brutal harassment as the clan's nadir, one of the last in line for food and sex. This probation, which biologists call "endurance rivalry," is a test, Holekamp explains: "The guy who can stick it out the longest wins." The trial lasts about two years, after which some females may grant him access. "You do not want to be a male hyena," Holekamp says.

Animal Kingdom Odd couples . Evidently, altruism is everywhere.
posted on May 7, 2008 - View this thread

Evil Monkey’s Guide to Kosher Imaginary Animals (via)
posted on Apr 20, 2008 - View this thread

Guillermo Habacuc Vargas, Bienarte, Maltratador de Animales. Costa Rican artist Guillermo Habacuc Vargas' exhibit El Perrito Vive has drawn a number of criticisms from concerned animal rights activists after he allegedly starved and deprived a dog named Natividad as an installation piece.
posted on Apr 15, 2008 - View this thread

50 Animals with Drinking Problems Also, 50 Animals with Day Jobs, 50 Animals Driving, and the apparently related 50 Animals in Casts [Previously] Via
posted on Mar 17, 2008 - View this thread

Minds of their Own: Animals are smarter than you think.
posted on Feb 29, 2008 - View this thread

E.J. Peiker, Nature Photgrapher There are a lot of nature photographers out there -- some better than Peiker and some worse -- but what fascinates me about Peiker's site is the number of photos available. A birdwatcher's dream, it features pages of photos of over 500 different species of birds, including an index devoted solely to wild waterfowl. Maybe animals are more your speed? How about nearly 150 pages of photos of wild animals (including my favorite - a quite handsome, flower-eating porcupine.) There's also a section for scenic photography featuring 23 states and 20 countries (or you can search by national park.) The photos are, unfortunately, not that big but there a ton of them, many of them quite pretty.
posted on Feb 29, 2008 - View this thread

They Think They're People Filter: Animal Combat Friday!
posted on Feb 29, 2008 - View this thread

Nothing To Do With Arbroath
posted on Feb 29, 2008 - View this thread

Calculated to amaze.
posted on Feb 8, 2008 - View this thread

Undercover video (warning: very graphic) released by the Humane Society reveals abuse of animals on the slaughterhouse floor and other code violations.
posted on Feb 1, 2008 - View this thread

THX for the eyes.
posted on Jan 29, 2008 - View this thread

Hellbenders and Giant Salamanders live in various places around the world: China, Japan, and the United States. Some are only 12 inches long. Some are over 5 feet long. The National Zoo in Washington DC now has them too.
posted on Jan 24, 2008 - View this thread

Wildlife rehabilitators take care of wounded or orphaned animals, nursing them back to health and preparing them for a life back in the wild. This leads to a lot of cute baby animal videos. (Roll over for descriptions.)
posted on Jan 7, 2008 - View this thread

Working Class Cats documents the lives of gainfully employed felines in NYC. There is, of course, some controversy. [via]
posted on Dec 22, 2007 - View this thread

For sale: One useless cat.
posted on Dec 1, 2007 - View this thread

Thanksgiving dinner with Brutus the Bear. (First link YT. Via Friday fish wrap)
posted on Nov 25, 2007 - View this thread

Offal Good is a blog dedicated to helping you get more dining experience out of your animal. Most people stop at the skeletal muscle cuts, but there's a world of tripey goodness, not to mention snouts, feet, etc. Videos, recipes, photogalleries & more.
posted on Nov 20, 2007 - View this thread

What Cats Know About War. A reporter adopts cats to reconnect with life amid unremitting death. [Via linkfilter.]
posted on Oct 14, 2007 - View this thread

Giraffe mating battles can be brutal but they are generally gentle giants. Man's fascination with these exotic creatures can be tracked from 9,000 year old rock art to the quest for exotics that brought them to the courts of Medici-era Florence, Restoration Paris, and Imperial China, spawning much curiosity and fanciful illustration. Today, giraffe-o-philes can get up close and personal in Kenya's Giraffe Manor.
posted on Sep 30, 2007 - View this thread

The 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
posted on Sep 13, 2007 - View this thread

Animals at Play: Stuart Brown, a physician and clinical researcher who founded the National Institute for Play, describes Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear playing with sled dogs.
posted on Sep 10, 2007 - View this thread

Lurch has very big horns.
posted on Aug 26, 2007 - View this thread

Zoomusicology , a subfield of Zoosemiotics.
posted on Aug 22, 2007 - View this thread

25 Weirdest Animals. See also: 24 bizarre creatures of the deep. Not responsible for nightmares related to the viperfish, the oarfish, or the star-nosed mole.
posted on Aug 20, 2007 - View this thread

Learn To Draw Animals.
posted on Aug 18, 2007 - View this thread

Taxidermia! Animal furniture! Via tanned hides!
posted on Aug 16, 2007 - View this thread

I love giraffes. Sure, some people think they're evil (previously on MeFi), but did you know that they have black tongues? Or that their scientific name hints that early viewers thought they resembled a camel/leopard mashup? That their closest living relative is the okapi? Did you know that they come with a special structure to prevent too much blood flow to the brain while drinking, and built-in pressure hose to protect the capillaries in their legs from their massive height and resulting blood pressure? This here giraffe is an amazing critter.
posted on Jul 30, 2007 - View this thread

Deyrolle: The Strangest Shop in All of Paris. "Paris has many unusual shops, but one of the most unusual has to be Deyrolle."
posted on Jul 1, 2007 - View this thread

Earthlings (1 hr 35 min Google video) is "a feature length documentary about humanity's absolute dependence on animals (for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research) but also illustrates our complete disrespect for these so-called 'non-human providers.'" Also in three parts on YouTube.
posted on Jun 24, 2007 - View this thread

Animal Face Off! A herd of buffalo battle a pride of lions and two crocodiles. Like "The Warriors" at a watering hole.
posted on May 22, 2007 - View this thread

10 Animals That May Go Extinct in the Next 10 Years.
posted on May 21, 2007 - View this thread

The Encyclopedia of Life project will create a compendium of every aspect of the biosphere. It aims to compile data on all of Earth's 1.8 million known species on one Web site, and will include species descriptions, pictures, maps, videos, sound, sightings by amateurs, and links to entire genomes and scientific journal papers. E. O. Wilson is getting his wish. [Via BB.]
posted on May 9, 2007 - View this thread

Moptops in suits. Not necessarily the ones you were thinking of.
posted on May 9, 2007 - View this thread

Frenzied Fauna -- Michel Gange's illustrated animal kingdom. (via)
posted on May 8, 2007 - View this thread

Suicide food. Yep, some animals just have an inexplicable death wish. Classic. Creepy. Cute. Sporty. Disturbingly sexy. Just plain confusing. These animals all have one thing in common. They're freakin' tasty.
posted on Apr 18, 2007 - View this thread

Still lifes of dead animals.
posted on Apr 4, 2007 - View this thread

Zoo Babies from around the world. Probably the cutest photo gallery you'll see this week.
posted on Apr 3, 2007 - View this thread

The most effective Surreality is that which is entirely Unintentional (15-minute Google video). A delightful balance between amusing & disturbing. Harvested from Doctor Macro's MGM Shorts page. Previously.
posted on Apr 1, 2007 - View this thread

Nearby residents didn't seem too upset. No one claimed it was the work of aliens or a secret cult. 250 animal carcases dumped. Included coyotes, dogs, cats cows, the usual stuff. "I'm a little concerned about it,""Stuff like that happens," she shrugged. But the folks in the forums think otherwise and have opinions as to what should happen to the deed doers and the cause of their actions.
posted on Mar 27, 2007 - View this thread

In this corner: John "Mack Daddy" Mackey. In this corner: Michael "The Pollanator" Pollan. Mackey. Pollan. Mackey. Pollan. Mackey vs. Pollan!! (.rm file via)
posted on Mar 1, 2007 - View this thread

Saving the world’s weirdest creatures. The EDGE of Existence programme, a project of the Zoological Society of London, aims to conserve the world's most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species by implementing the research and conservation actions needed to secure their future. [Via MoFi.]
posted on Jan 16, 2007 - View this thread

Gregory Colbert's Ashes and Snow has been linked to twice before on Metafilter. However, you can now view 10 minutes of his film as part of his Ted Talk--it's the most stunning nature footage I've ever seen. In the talk he also mentions a new concept he's developing called Animal Copyright, which I think is long overdue.
posted on Jan 2, 2007 - View this thread

Cure for teh gay? I was relaxing in front of X-Men 3 when a friend mentioned that the United States "gay sheep" experiments were wrapping up (though not uneventfully), with considerable successes. Lesbian tennis champ Martina Navaratilova has been fighting to end the tests for some time, but it appears a "gay vaccine" for pregnant mothers may be inevitable. Meanwhile, the GOP's only gay congressman retires.
posted on Dec 31, 2006 - View this thread