Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Elephant-Seal Crossing?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/mar/20/elephant-seal-traffic-brazil-video
This hilarious video from Brazil shows a half-ton Elephant Seal going for a stroll in town. The narration is cute -- and comforting, as we're told that the seal was splashed with water during his stroll to keep him comfortable and healthy -- but I was surprised that the narrator does not see fit to mention a very surprising aspect of this incident. I mean, it is weird enough that a seal should show up downtown, but no one mentions that he's USING THE ZEBRA CROSSING!!!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Untamed Shrew UPDATED!

I came across a photo of this beautiful little creature from Africa today and just had to share it with you. It is the Elephant Shrew and I'm quite taken with it! I think it's just lovely in its strangeness, and its coat is an example of an expert dye-job if I've ever seen one! My mom put it best when she wrote, "It’s as though God said, 'I think I’ll make a rat -- no, a fox -- changed my mind, a tiny elephant! Oh, what the heck. I’ll just let them figure it out.'" They clearly haven't decided yet -- and I'm delighted they haven't!

UPDATE: ANW has just learned that there may be a new species of Elephant Shrew. Please see this link for more information: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100920-science-animals-new-species-elephant-shrew-kenya/