digimills

HOBE SOUND, FL — Scientists late Friday were still trying to figure out how to capture the first bearded seal spotted in Florida - an arctic animal that spent the day floating in the marina of a gated community along the Intracoastal Waterway.

Because of the warm FL waters, he likely won’t survive long.

Interesting comparison:

“It was like eating peanuts: You couldn’t leave,” said Joan Smith, one of the many residents who spent the day snapping photos or watching the animal through binoculars.

see also: wild monkeys live near Fort Lauderdale Airport

link (via stuckonthepalmetto)

Flocks of lambs were shipped from the UK and Australia to Japan and sold as poodles. The scam was spotted after a leading Japanese actress said her ‘poodle’ didn’t bark and refused to eat dog food.

I find it amazing that someone can’t tell a poodle from a lamb.

see also: two headed lamb born in Dongyang Province, China.

update: sheep sold as poodles was a haux.

link (via boingboing)

“A Sudanese man has been forced to take a goat as his “wife”, after he was caught having sex with the animal.”

And it wasn’t even his goat!

link (via boredsheepless)

Also available in ‘Longhorn Steer.’ A tad pricey @ $1495.00.

link (via yumsugar)

“The idea is that you immerse your feet, hands or, if you are brave enough, your entire body in a warm pool that swarms with hundreds of hungry minnow-sized feeders. The fish zoom in on your most crusty, flaky or scabby skin and chomp away at it to reveal the fresh layer beneath. According to the spas and their enthusiasts, you emerge refreshed, healthy, buffed and glowing.”

link (via ilovethisworld)

Got my first taste of polo today-on the sands of Miami Beach. An interesting sport, with a lot of rules (no charging at angles, the player behind the ball having the right of way, no slide tackles) to keep it from being as rough as it could be. A few horses took shots from the ball, which is basically a mini soccer ball. Having the horse stand in front of the goal during a penalty shot seemed a little cruel.

Overall a fun time, enhanced by free booze, hors d’oeuvre and cigars…

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Reminds me of those bird/alligator/monkey head pinchers we’d get from the zoo when I was a kid. I think they came out with similar dinosaur heads during the Jurassic Park movies. These are solely made to fuck with other people.

link (via gizmodo)

Wider Net has a good piece on the recent pet poisonings further exposing the lack of a difference between brand name and generic foods.

Just saw this new warning for various dog biscuits.

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Apparently this monster is called a Tiger Fish. Fitting name.

link (via geekologie)

“Wolfgang Puck announced that he is removing foie gras, battery caged eggs, and crated veal and pork from all his menus, and adding vegetarian options throughout his restaurants worldwide. Puck’s continually expanding empire encompasses Spago, Postrio, Cut, Chinois, Grand Cafe, Gourmet Express, Lupo, American Grille, Bar & Grille, Vert, and 20-21.”

He joins the city of Chicago, the state of California and a few countries that have bans on producing or serving foie gras. Hopefully this list keeps growing.

(via miami newtimes)

Here’s a great video of a monkey and a dog that have become inseparable after a flood forced the dog into the wild to fend for itself.

Looks like she’s treating the monkey as a baby. Maybe the monkey hooked the dog up with some bananas out in the wild.

“When severe flood waters hit northern Mozambique in 2002, causing misery and extensive damage to property and crops, many animals were left to fend for themselves. But villagers in Caia witnessed a bizarre friendship between a dog and a monkey.

A skinny dog emerged from the bush with a tiny monkey clinging to its back. ”

link (via stromdotcom)

Kevin Lafferty, whom I never had the pleasure of working with in my former life as a USGS biologist, has added to the evidence that cats are making us lose our minds. Another study shows the little bastards are increasing the number of males born, all via the Toxoplasma gondii parasite.

“U.S. Geological Survey biologist Kevin Lafferty has linked high rates of toxoplasmosis infection in 39 countries with elevated incidences of neuroticism, suggesting the mind-altering organism may be affecting the cultures of nations.”

“The normal sex ratio is 104 boys born for every 100 girls, but in women with high levels of antibodies against the parasite, the ratio was 260 boys for every 100 girls.”

link (via boingboing)

see also: Feeding stray cats should be an arrestable offense

“For years, Kansas State students have smuggled live chickens into basketball games against Kansas, then thrown them onto the court and behind the opposing bench before tip-off - mocking their rival’s Jayhawk mascot.
But an animal rights group objected to the mistreatment of chickens, and the school issued an open letter to fans this week calling for an end to the practice.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals responded to the latest incident during a game Feb. 19 by sending a letter to university president Jon Wefald. The letter described chickens as “very intelligent and inquisitive animals” that appeared to have been subjected to “deafening noise, bright lights, terror, abusive handling and likely death for the sake of amusement.”

I’m not so concerned with what happens to the chickens during the prank, chickens are tough, but would they starve to death on the streets of Manhatten, Kansas afterwards?

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Patches, the world’s coolest horse.

link (thanks walknbluez)

Two women in my neighborhood feed strays every day and it’s resulted in at least 40 strays in a half-block radius. One of the women scoops hunks of food from a big prepared bowl onto tin foil held down by rocks and placed under cars. So she gets a crazy pass. Another woman drives up in her car and delivers food to a parking lot of cats and seems otherwise sane. She should be jailed.

Supporting these overgrown populations of cats leads to disease, nightly fights/deaths, cat shit everywhere, hundreds of birds dying every year and continues the cycle with further generations of cats that suffer from life on the crowded streets.

Internet research provided some good news, nearby Surfside has some laws on the books as do some other areas in the country. Seems like it’s a city by city ruling. Unfortunately plenty of idiots are fighting these laws.