Fainting Goats and Answers

Hi Everyone! Plane leaves in a little while, but I wanted to give you the answers to yesterday's Real or Fake Animal game and it's a very special game because all of the real animals will have a video clip, and you have to watch them because these creatures are amazing. Okay, I take that back. One real animal is so rare that I couldn't find any video of it, so I am linking you to some pics. AND today I also want to tell you about an animal with a really weird defense mechanism.

It's called the Fainting Goat and I'll start with it.

Wikipedia says this about them: A fainting goat is a breed of domestic goat whose muscles freeze for roughly 10 seconds when the goat is startled. Though painless, this generally results in the animal collapsing on its side. The characteristic is caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita. When startled, younger goats will stiffen and fall over. Older goats learn to spread their legs or lean against something when startled, and often they continue to run about in an awkward, stiff-legged shuffle.

I'll have to try that the next time I get in trouble with my Mom! Think she'll buy it? ;)

Check out this video clip of fainting goats in action!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9_CdNPuJg


On to the game answers!

A). Real - Kori Bustard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Ixqnua3Ig&feature=PlayList&p=8E0A2AC111C3C8FE&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2

B). Real - Water Penny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIoMQpNF1x0&feature=PlayList&p=F1ED08DC0C719F66&index=27

C). Real - Wombat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO0u9oI1XzQ&feature=related

D). Real - Red River Hog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j80gayKrZz4

E). Real - Green Jay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR3XIM-uU6Q

F). Real - Bornean Bay Cat
No video clip on this guy! He's too rare! But here's some pics!
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=Bornean+Bay+Cat&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=d9m7SsqTHOGPtgfe-aW4DQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1

G). Real - Barbirusa Boar
http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist/SURCAT/1977/01/01/X01017701/

H). Real - Blue Bottle Man of War (Jellyfish)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut9XX96XS4c&feature=related

I). Real - Takin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoPO8yukvgM


Yep, they were all real! Hope no one is mad at me! *Lucy falls over like a fainting goat* HAHA!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Real or Fake Animal Game

Hi everyone! I'm really short on time this week - I'm heading to Boston for a conference on cryptozoology - so I'm posting the Real or Fake Animal game a little bit early. No worries, you still have until midnight on Thursday night to get your answers in and I'll be sure to post the correct ones on Friday before I go. Don't forget, email me just the fake animals.
lucyclayfoot@yahoo.com
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Animals, Our Brothers and Sisters

Hi Everyone! I want to talk today about the way things should be.

My people, the Sioux, tell a story... at the beginning of time humans and animals were good friends, living in harmony together. But the great trickster spirit, Iktomi, convinced man that he should rule over the animals. Iktomi is very persuasive and it wasn't long before humans were domesticating the animals, putting them to work in the fields or in their homes, and eventually hunting them for food. It was very sad, the bond between them was broken and forgotten. The animals felt so betrayed by their former friends that they stopped speaking altogether. But Sioux believe it's never too late to make amends - to rebuild the friendship. But it starts by treating all animals well.

Today I'm posting video clips of extraordinary examples of bonds between man and animal. These clips aren't long, and worth watching. They remind us of what's truly possible.

Malaysian Eagle Owl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdHZot_nRns

The capybara (The largest rodent on the planet. It's in the same family as the rat and the mouse)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyzR8w2i7bM

Another amazing video of the capybara, this time enjoying a popsicle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEX7t_BsFSQ&feature=related

And maybe one more surprising video before I go. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Do something nice for an animal friend! Let's earn their trust back!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT0hFXblpaM&feature=related

Answers and a Sad Reminder

Hi Everyone,
I just have a couple of things to do here today, and I'll start with the answers from yesterday's Real or Fake Animal game. Nobody won, but keep trying! The fun is in the playing, not necessarily the winning, right? Right? Hello? Anyone?

A). Fake - It started out as some cactus thingie before I "dunked" it in Photoshop.

B). Real - Vulturine Guinea Fowl.
Can I just say how much I love this bird? It's got sort of an ugly head, but the most beautiful feathers ever! Don't you just love how nature works?
I posted just its head for the game, so here's a full body pic of it. Do yourself a favor and take a look.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Vulturine_Guineafowl.JPG
And if you follow this link you can read all about the species.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulturine_Guineafowl
C). Real - Amazonia Leaf-foot Bug
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artour_a/2271182074/
D). Real - Cantor's Soft-Shelled Turtle
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/cantors-softshell.html#cr
E). Real - Hickory Horned Devil (Cool name, or what?). This guy is so awesome I thought he derserved a VIDEO LINK! Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT52brviTGI&feature=related
F). Fake - It started out as an underwater plant, but I erased its stem in Photoshop.

G). Real - Pompeii worm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii_worm

H). Real - Pink Farie armadillo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Fairy_Armadillo

I). Real - Muscovy Duck

A lot of people guessed that Mr. Muscovy was a fake. Happy to disappoint, because he's real and super cool. Just watch this VIDEO to see for yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1EFTCIh-Y0&feature=related

J). Real - Lesser Mouse Deer

I'm going VIDEO crazy today, but I think it's important to see these animals as living, breathing creatures who share this beautiful planet with us. Don't forget, you can Google any of the ones that you want to learn more about, and I knoooooow you want to learn more about all of them, so get Googling!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx9ZrKz8vVo

Okay, I'm going to end today's blog on a downer. I want to remind everyone how important it is to do everything we can to take care of every precious species, from the rare to the common. We can't take any of them for granted. Not too long ago, the Passenger Pigeon was one of the most abundant species in North America, traveling in flocks that sometimes stretched a mile across the sky. But people hunted it to extinction, for its meat, and now it's gone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Pigeon

Someday it's possible that the common cat could be extinct, or the rainbow trout, or blue jays. Right now honeybees and frogs are disappearing at an alarming rate.

So be grateful for all of the wonderful animals we have to enjoy and learn about and interact with and never take them for granted.

I'm leaving you guys today with a slide show of animals that have disappeared within the last five hundred years, some much more recent. Something to think about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40nJPTQMY-0&NR=1

Your Pal, Lucy

Real or Fake Animal Game Thursday!!!

Hey Everyone! It's time for the Real or Fake Animal game again! Remember, email me the letters of just the fake ones. Good luck!

lucyclayfoot@yahoo.com

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Think Pink - Part Two!

Hi Everyone! Right after I posted the blog about pink animals yesterday Yahoo put out a news story about a boy who found a very rare pink grasshopper at a wildlife event not too far from his home.
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpicks/253/boy-finds-rare-pink-grasshopper.html

I think this is cool for two reasons. First because the grasshopper is just so pretty and second because it just goes to show you that new and rare species can be found almost anywhere! And scientists aren't the only ones finding these amazing creatures, Daniel Tate is just a normal eleven year old boy, only a year younger than me! So to all the kids who follow my blog here's my advice. Keep your eyes open and watch where you step! ;)

Your Pal,
Lucy

Think Pink!

Anyone that knows me will tell you, I am not a girly girl. So pink is one of my least favorite colors. Unless you're talking about new species, because I love pink animals! The pinker the better. We all know about the pink river dolphin and the pink flamingo...

But this year at least two new pink species were discovered, so I want to talk about them for a minute.

First is the pink iguana found in the Galapagos Islands. The only place you can find it is on the Wolf Volcano on the Isle of Isabella! Sounds like something from a mystery novel, right? So cool.

Learn more about the pink iguana here:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090105-pink-iguana-photo.html

Next up is a fuchsia colored centipede found in the Greater Mekong Region. It's able to shoot cyanide to defend itself. Friendly little guy, isn't he? 8P

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/photogalleries/greater-mekong-new-species-photos/photo2.html

And, ofcourse, we can't forget the most elusive pink animal of all time! ;)

Answers, Gorillas and Wallpaper!

Hi Everyone!

REAL OR FAKE ANIMAL GAME ANSWERS

Thanks for playing the Real or Fake Animal Game yesterday. Unfortunately nobody won, so I guess it was a toughy!

Here are the answers.

A). REAL - Western Crowned Pigeon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Crowned_Pigeon

B). REAL - Plume Moth

http://www.plumemoth.com/

C). REAL - Aardwolf

http://www.livingdesert.org/animals/aardwolf.asp

D). FAKE - (It started out as a work of art!)

E). REAL - Brown Sicklebill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Sicklebill

F). REAL - Blue Weevil

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/tropical-blue-weevil-douglas-barnett.html

G). REAL - Ribbon Tailed Astrapia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon-tailed_Astrapia

H). FAKE - (It started out as a flower. I erased the stem, added an eye and blurred the "wings".)

I). REAL - Boll Weevil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boll_weevil

J). REAL - Wooly Aphid (Everyone thought this little guy was fake! Cool factoid: They are also called Farie Flies and Fuzzebutts. Not kidding!)

http://bugguide.net/node/view/7465/bgimage

K). REAL - Blue Bird of Paradise

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Bird_of_Paradise

VIDEO CLIP
Here's a video clip that will make you cheer for joy! The first half is about new species that have been discovered recently, and the second half features the discovery of a previously undetected population of 125,000 lowland gorillas! That's nearly triple their known population! Whoo hoo!http://www.sling.com/video/show/143819/32/Discovering-New-Species

WALLPAPERS

And last, you have GOT to check out Nationalgeographic.com for some amazing wallpapers for your computer. I'm posting some of my favorites here for you to enjoy, but NG has a ton of great images for you to use! How AWESOME is the diversity of nature?!
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/wallpapers

The Real or Fake Animal Game

Hi again! Every Thursday I'll be presenting a game for you guys, called the Real or Fake Animal Game. The object is simple. Just tell me which animals in the pictures I post are fake. In order to be considered a real animal, they have to fit the criteria as outlined on dictionary.com:

(An Animal is) any member of the kingdom Animalia, comprising multicellular organisms that have a well-defined shape and usually limited growth, can move voluntarily, actively acquire food and digest it internally, and have sensory and nervous systems that allow them to respond rapidly to stimuli:

Basically no plants, no viruses and no photoshopped fakes (and yep, there will be some!)

So email the letters of the fake animals only to my email: lucyclayfoot@yahoo.com
In order to beat the game you have to get every answer right. I do have a prize for the first winner of each game! I'll post the answers every Friday. Good luck!

A).

B).

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