Odd Friends

"Let's play Serengeti: I'll pretend to be a lion and you pretend to be an antelope."
"Uh, . . . o. . .k."

R.I.P. Paul the Octopus

Dear all,

I'm sorry to report the passing of Paul the Octopus, the King of World Cup bets from this summer. You'll remember that Paul guessed the outcome of all of the matches correctly. They say that he died of natural causes -- at the ripe old age of 2 1/2! Read more here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/world-cup-prognosticator-paul-the-octopus-dies/article1772959/

We'll miss you, Paul! You had us convinced for a while that the reason octopi look like giant brains is because, well, you are giant brains, so giant that you can even tell the future. You brought some magic to our lives, so thank you!

Small World

Hey all,

This photo won fifth place in Nikon's Small World photo competition, in which scientists send in their best photos of microscopic life (see http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/). I think it should have received the first prize! It's a bird of paradise seed, believe it or not! As Javi says, "It's beautiful even before it's born." Amen.

Beautiful Bugs

O.k., maybe it's not "animal" and maybe it's not breaking news, but I never thought I'd think a photo of a bug is beautiful -- and you have to admit that John Hallmen's photos, from Sweden, are just that. The colour is extraordinary and even the texture on their creepy bug-bodies is interesting. I guess even insects have their share of beauty. You can check out the rest of them at this link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2010/oct/18/micro-bug-photography#/?picture=367791512&index=7

The White "Dorse" of Huffington?

Hey all!

Are you aware of this southern England (Oxfordshire) landmark, called "The White Horse of Uffington"? It's 3,000 years old! I think it's just beautiful! But apparently it's the source of debate lately, since some say it's actually a dog. What do you think?

800 pounds of fluffy friend

Hey all,

Here's a photo to cheer your heart as you head into the long weekend:

This is Casey Anderson and his 800-pound best friend, a young male grizzly. If you want to see more of this dynamic duo, check out their show on the National Geographic website:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/wild/shows-expedition-wild

Enjoy! And have a great Thanksgiving weekend!

Gallopin' Guadalupe fur seals!

Finally, some happy news on the environmental front! The handsome fellow (or lass) you see pictured below -- a Guadalupe fur seal -- was thought to be extinct in 1892 due to overhunting for their pelts. Thankfully, they have been found in strong numbers, some say 15,000, off the coast of Mexico. Hey, weren't the devil rays I featured a few posts ago also found off the coast of Mexico? It seems that it's not all bad news there, either!

Click on this lovely photo to make it bigger: