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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13476 Posts |
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R.Wreck
SFN Regular
USA
1191 Posts |
 Posted - 11/18/2009 : 13:05:28 [Permalink]
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They actually make more sense than Ray & Kirk. |
The foundation of morality is to . . . give up pretending to believe that for which there is no evidence, and repeating unintelligible propositions about things beyond the possibliities of knowledge.
T. H. Huxley
The Cattle Prod of Enlightened Compassion
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 11/18/2009 : 13:38:11 [Permalink]
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But I can prove that tree lobsters do exist!
This is a bergus, also known as a coconut crab, on it's way to lunch.
Hey, I got a chuckle out of that. 
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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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Hawks
SFN Regular
Canada
1383 Posts |
Posted - 11/18/2009 : 14:58:14 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
This is a bergus, also known as a coconut crab, on it's way to lunch.
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I've seen a couple of those buggers. They're HUGE. |
METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL
It's a small, off-duty czechoslovakian traffic warden! |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 11/18/2009 : 18:18:35 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Hawks
Originally posted by filthy
This is a bergus, also known as a coconut crab, on it's way to lunch.
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I've seen a couple of those buggers. They're HUGE.
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[hijack] They're much more than merely huge; they are one of the most amazing crustaceans extant. Here's Wikipedia's take on them.
It is actually one of the hermit crabs and it's size is probably at the upper limit for a terrestrial exoskeleton. As an adult, it is entirely terrestrial and will drown if immersed in water. It is enormously strong and perfectly capable of shucking a coconut, which it does regularly. It is, however an omnivore with an excellent sense of smell and is not above scavenging dead meat. Indeed, there is a speculation that Amelia Earhart's body was never found due to it being consumed by bergus'. Possible, I suppose, but it's s bit of a stretch.
They make fascinating terrarium pets and are very good eating. [/hijack]
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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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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2009 : 02:32:22 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
Indeed, there is a speculation that Amelia Earhart's body was never found due to it being consumed by bergus'. Possible, I suppose, but it's s bit of a stretch.
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Bah! Every informed person knows she was abducted by aliens and brought to the Delta Quadrant.
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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 - 11/19/2009 : 04:31:42 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
Originally posted by filthy
Indeed, there is a speculation that Amelia Earhart's body was never found due to it being consumed by bergus'. Possible, I suppose, but it's s bit of a stretch.
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Bah! Every informed person knows she was abducted by aliens and brought to the Delta Quadrant.
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Yes, assimilated by the Borg as was D.B. Cooper and Dick Cheney along with his pet primate.
I'd rather have the crabs.
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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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treelobsters
New Member
1 Post |
Posted - 11/19/2009 : 07:45:34 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
Originally posted by filthy
Indeed, there is a speculation that Amelia Earhart's body was never found due to it being consumed by bergus'. Possible, I suppose, but it's s bit of a stretch.
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Bah! Every informed person knows she was abducted by aliens and brought to the Delta Quadrant.
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What makes you think birgus aren't aliens? |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 11/19/2009 : 08:32:22 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by treelobsters
Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
Originally posted by filthy
Indeed, there is a speculation that Amelia Earhart's body was never found due to it being consumed by bergus'. Possible, I suppose, but it's s bit of a stretch.
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Bah! Every informed person knows she was abducted by aliens and brought to the Delta Quadrant.
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What makes you think birgus aren't[/i] aliens?
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Welcome to SFN [b]treelobsters! Great to have another sentient crustacean among us.
Actually, it depends upon where the crab is. I believe it was Ambrose Bierce who said to the effect: "An infidel is a Muslim in New York and a Christian in Constantinople." I would expect the same to hold true for a bergus.
But there's a point to be made here; of all the weird, complex species on earth, crabs in general look the most like they originated on the home world of Dr. Zoidberg.
Again, welcome!
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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 - 11/20/2009 : 02:28:23 [Permalink]
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My favorite "Alien on Earth" creature is the Horseshoe Crab. Its a living fossil, not actually a crab, and its blood is based on copper not iron. There's a lot a weird things about it and it looks very cool too. Here's an excellent website to poke around in with nice enlargeable illustrations: http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/horseshoecrab/
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2009 : 04:05:23 [Permalink]
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A very interesting crab, albeit on the other end of the size scale, are the pea crabs. These are found in various bivalves, notably oysters, and can be eaten right along with it.
These crabs have been considered a symbiote and then a parasite, but really they are neither, They don't attack their hosts and any damage done to it is inadvertent. On the other hand, they don't help it much, either.
Pea crab in a mussel.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
After developing hairlike setae (bristles) on their walking legs that allow them to swim, males leave their host to find and mate with a female. Brooding females are found from April to October in the northern part of their range. Larvae develop in the plankton through four zoeal stages before settling out as megalopae and seeking a host.
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One gets a mental picture of two pea crabs happily canoodling in the soft mantle of a plump oyster just before it, and they, are served on the half shell.
Kil, by this time you should know better than to get me started on these things!
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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 11/20/2009 04:11:34 |
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The Rat
SFN Regular
Canada
1370 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2009 : 11:20:55 [Permalink]
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| I learned in Jamaica that the larger a hermit crab is, the more cautious it is. I would often find tiny ones on the beach, with shells no more than an inch long. If you pick one up they immediately pull themselves inside, but within a few seconds they are sticking their heads back out and picking at your thumb and finger with their claws. I found some in shells about the size of a small plumb, and they pulled themselves inside before I picked them up, usually as I was still walking toward them. Then it took them about five or ten minutes before they would pull themselves out for a picture, while I lay patiently on the sand with my camera. Then one day I found a monster in a shell bigger than my hand, and it was drawing everything in while I was still a short walk away. I waited patiently for over half an hour and the bugger refused to exit. I finally had to turn it over to get a pic of the underside, waited another twenty minutes or so with no luck, and left to get a Red Stripe. |
Bailey's second law; There is no relationship between the three virtues of intelligence, education, and wisdom.
You fiend! Never have I encountered such corrupt and foul-minded perversity! Have you ever considered a career in the Church? - The Bishop of Bath and Wells, Blackadder II
Baculum's page: http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=3947338590 |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13476 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2009 : 11:27:40 [Permalink]
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filty:
Kil, by this time you should know better than to get me started on these things! |
What? Are you kidding? I read the whole wiki page on coconut crabs because of you. Getting you started works for me! |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2009 : 08:29:50 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Kil
filty:
Kil, by this time you should know better than to get me started on these things! |
What? Are you kidding? I read the whole wiki page on coconut crabs because of you. Getting you started works for me!
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Okee-dokee. Here's yet another fascinating crab with the charming name of.....
Sally Lightfoot
She's very well named, is our pretty Miss Sally:
"Many people have spoken at length of the Sally Lightfoots. In fact, everyone who has seen them has been delighted with them. The very name they are called by reflects the delight of the name. These little crabs, with brilliant cloisonné carapaces, walk on their tiptoes, They have remarkable eyes and an extremely fast reaction time. In spite of the fact that they swarm on the rocks at the Cape [San Lucas], and to a less degree inside the Gulf [of California], they are exceedingly hard to catch. They seem to be able to run in any of four directions; but more than this, perhaps because of their rapid reaction time, they appear to read the mind of their hunter. They escape the long-handled net, anticipating from what direction it is coming. If you walk slowly, they move slowly ahead of you in droves. If you hurry, they hurry. When you plunge at them, they seem to disappear in a puff of blue smoke—at any rate, they disappear. It is impossible to creep up on them. They are very beautiful, with clear brilliant colors, red and blues and warm browns.
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Man reacts peculiarly but consistently in his relationship with Sally Lightfoot. His tendency eventually is to scream curses, to hurl himself at them, and to come up foaming with rage and bruised all over his chest. Thus, Tiny, leaping forward, slipped and fell and hurt his arm. He never forgot nor forgave his enemy. From then on he attacked Lightfoots by every foul means he could contrive and a training in Monterey street fighting has equipped him well for this kind of battle). He hurled rocks at them; he smashed at them with boards; and he even considered poisoning them. Eventually we did catch a few Sallys, but we think they were the halt and the blind, the simpletons of their species. With reasonably well-balanced and non-neurotic Lightfoots we stood no chance."
And where pray, did the name originate? Well....
| According to antique seamen's lore, Sally Lightfoot is a night club dancer in the Caribbean. Although wearing hardly anything to cover her divine body, her dress is bright and colourful, red, orange and yellow. By profession, her movements are light and swift. A quick step sideways to avoid the odd hand snatching is her specialty. After months at sea and rounding Cape Horn, sailors anchor at the Galapagos Archipelago to take in fresh water. Brightly coloured crabs, red, orange and yellow, abound at the beach. High on their legs they move swiftly sideways. There is no doubt in any sailors mind; this is Sally Lightfoot. |
Relatives of this spritly little crab are quite common around the world; wherever there are rocky shores and children to pursue them. I myself have lost juvenile skin in the thrill of the chase.
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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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Tree Lobsters
