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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 01/28/2006 : 04:27:07 [Permalink]
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Rats & mice are not a problem for me: I have a house 'possum. Now that I know how to post a picture via Image Shack, here he is:
He was 2 years old and I'd just fished him out of the kitchen garbage -- yet again. Happened to have a camera on hand and took the photo whilst hanging on to his tail. He was cute then; now, at age 8, he's become another rank, old, boar opossum. He is not a pet, just someone who stays with me (and freeloads off me) and goes in and out the cat door. He is one hell of a mouser.
I rescued him from a dog when he was tiny. When I released him, he came right back in and has been hanging out ever since. As long as he continues to take his dumps outside, he is more than welcome to stay.
What you need to sooth those jangled nerves, 'mooner, is a good, reliable snake such as this one (although I'd reccommend a rather less venomous species):
Crotalus h. horridus
Or:
Bitis arietans
They are pleasant to look at; spend most of their time asleep, and, as adults, only eat a couple of times a month -- except elapids, which have the metabolism of a wood chipper, but I don't often go around reccommending cobras to anybody, either. 
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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| Edited by - filthy on 01/28/2006 04:41:59 |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2006 : 15:48:40 [Permalink]
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Cool pics...
Now I can really imagine you scaring kids on Halloween with some of those roaches in your beard! |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2006 : 18:54:25 [Permalink]
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Glad ya liked 'em!
Here's a more recent photo of Possum:
I had set up a temporary enclosure for a medium-large, green iguana. When the lizard found a home, I tore it all down except his limb, which was anchored down pretty solid and wasn't in the way. In due course, a snake cage was set up under it. I heard a clatter around 3 am one morning, and there was Possum, hanging from the limb with his hind feet, trying to get at the snake -- which he really didn't want; it was an adult, great basin rattler.
I grabbed a camera, took the shot, cussed him for a mule, tweaked his tail, and sent him off to sulk and pout in his sometime lair behind the desk. And before going back to bed, I took the limb out.
As is apparent, he misses few meals.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2006 : 21:07:53 [Permalink]
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Just for fun:
Japanese Zoo offers kids a chance to play with long-dead animals:
http://plaza.across.or.jp/~kumichan/nonhoi.htm
I think some US zoos have done this too. Further down on the page linked above: I don't know what kind of turtle that is, "Tartaruga Warnerbrotheris?" And what the heck is that reptile in the tank with the sharp turtlelike beak? Looks pretty nasty! |
Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2006 : 00:40:14 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Chippewa
Just for fun:
Japanese Zoo offers kids a chance to play with long-dead animals:
http://plaza.across.or.jp/~kumichan/nonhoi.htm
I think some US zoos have done this too. Further down on the page linked above: I don't know what kind of turtle that is, "Tartaruga Warnerbrotheris?" And what the heck is that reptile in the tank with the sharp turtlelike beak? Looks pretty nasty!
Oh dear dear...we saw some zoo animals in Japan that were in incredibly deplorable conditions. They have a lot to learn about how to treat captive animals. Shame. |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2006 : 00:43:35 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by HalfMooner
... and I want to discourage the rats.
Yep. Had cute little footprints on my window and wasn't sure what they were until I was up late one night and there was a big rat eating out of the feeder that hung by the kitchen window.
My friend has a few hummingbird feeders that attract hummingbirds all winter long. I was amazed but there they were at 40F buzzing the feeders. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2006 : 02:44:51 [Permalink]
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beskeptigal supposed: quote:
My friend has a few hummingbird feeders that attract hummingbirds all winter long. I was amazed but there they were at 40F buzzing the feeders.
I remember reading somewhere about one species of hummer that now has spread its range from the west into the northeast, this made possible only because of the hummingbird feeders people keep filled in the winter. |
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2006 : 03:46:50 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Chippewa
Just for fun:
Japanese Zoo offers kids a chance to play with long-dead animals:
http://plaza.across.or.jp/~kumichan/nonhoi.htm
I think some US zoos have done this too. Further down on the page linked above: I don't know what kind of turtle that is, "Tartaruga Warnerbrotheris?" And what the heck is that reptile in the tank with the sharp turtlelike beak? Looks pretty nasty!
The turtle in question is one of my alltime favorites, not Tartaruga Warnerbrotheris, but: Macroclemys temminckii, the alligator snapper.
They are said to reach as much as 300#, but I think that's a bit much. The biggest I've ever seen was just under 200#. I've read that the current record is something like 220#.
At one time, there was a flourishing commercial market for them -- they are very good eating -- and they were fished out in many parts of their range. Now, they are being raised on farms, and indeed, many hatchlings and juveniles find their way into the pet trade. Some of the farms are run for the purpose of restocking.
This is the turtle that 'fishes' with an appendage on it's tongue, and that organ can be seem in the photo. It looks like a tiny, pink worm.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2006 : 04:32:49 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by filthy
Macroclemys temminckii, the alligator snapper...They are said to reach as much as 300#, but I think that's a bit much. The biggest I've ever seen was just under 200#...This is the turtle that 'fishes' with an appendage on it's tongue, and that organ can be seem in the photo. It looks like a tiny, pink worm.
Thanks for the info. I think I've seen that animal come to think of it. It was at a California State Fair years ago, in a tank. I remember it sitting underwater with its jaw open and the wormlike tongue occasionally wiggling. Those jaws look like real choppers! Kind of reminds me of a mean Devonian beast I recall since I was a kid. It is named Dunkleosteus and just its boney plate-jawed head was about the size of a Volkswagen. It seems like everything in prehistoric times was big and gnarly.
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Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2006 : 05:24:34 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Chippewa
quote:
Originally posted by filthy
Macroclemys temminckii, the alligator snapper...They are said to reach as much as 300#, but I think that's a bit much. The biggest I've ever seen was just under 200#...This is the turtle that 'fishes' with an appendage on it's tongue, and that organ can be seem in the photo. It looks like a tiny, pink worm.
Thanks for the info. I think I've seen that animal come to think of it. It was at a California State Fair years ago, in a tank. I remember it sitting underwater with its jaw open and the wormlike tongue occasionally wiggling. Those jaws look like real choppers! Kind of reminds me of a mean Devonian beast I recall since I was a kid. It is named Dunkleosteus and just its boney plate-jawed head was about the size of a Volkswagen. It seems like everything in prehistoric times was big and gnarly.
I did an essay on Dunk a while back. It's posted around here somewhere....
Pretty remarkable animal. I've seen the excellent fossils on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and they are a little chilling. One of the most remarkable features of it is that it's jaws were entirely of regenerating bone, no teeth at all, and self sharpening from rubbing together. This guy had arguably the most powerful jaws ever, and could easily chop chunks out the largest of sharks. It was the premire, marine predator of it's day.
The baiting appendage on the turtle's tongue acts rather like a trigger. When something touches it, the jaws slam shut like a drop shear. An excellent adaptation for the often murkey water that they are usually found in.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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trogdor
Skeptic Friend
198 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2006 : 13:20:14 [Permalink]
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Re. snappers:
last summer on a 3 week canoe trip through the Canadian wilderness I met the largest snapper I had ever seen.
it was the end of a long day and we were about to start dinner. we had caught a small fish and were considering letting it go. at that point the snapper came. here's a pic:
edit: this photo from image shack does not seem to work. any suggestions? |
all eyes were on Ford Prefect. some of them were on stalks.
-Douglas Adams |
| Edited by - trogdor on 01/29/2006 13:28:16 |
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trogdor
Skeptic Friend
198 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2006 : 13:33:51 [Permalink]
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this seems to work better. click on the image to see the whole thing.
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all eyes were on Ford Prefect. some of them were on stalks.
-Douglas Adams |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2006 : 14:26:53 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by trogdor
this seems to work better. click on the image to see the whole thing.
Chelydra serpentina, doing what he does best: scavenging fish. Or, in this case, doing what she does best. That one's a female and a most beautious, young lady.
About 30 years ago, when I was living in VT, there was something of a to-do over a snapper found in a CT swamp. It was weighed at some 70#. There was much bragging and many heroic tales concerning it's capture. I was vastly impressed -- that is, until I saw a quality photo of it. Then I got a good laugh; the turtle folks lie too, and they're pretty, damn' good at it!
That it weighed seventy pounds, I had no doubt. However, it was obvious that it was grossly obese, long-term captive. That thing was so fat it was hanging in fleshy folds from it's shell. If it were actually taken from the swamp it might have gone around 40 or so, judging by the length of the shell. That's still a very big snapper.
I usually relocate several snappers each year, as well as the ones I come across in my travels, and the largest I've encountered weighed 47# and change on my bathroom scale.
Thanks for the photo Trog!
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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