Archive for the ‘animals’ category

“Fancy Bear” from FreeCreditScore…

January 16, 2013

Fancy Bear– – Seems like everyone’s a critic these days, even Fancy Bear from the FreeCreditScore commercial!  It appears that you’re just not safe from having a home invasion by a bowler-hat wearing, cane and moustache-sporting bear in a dress jacket who criticizes your taste in home decor.  “May I respond negatively about your porcelain poodle?,” interjects the well-dressed ursine intruder, disdainfully holding up the objectionable artifact.   “This should be in the trash!,” he huffs.  The commercial closes with Fancy Bear playing a piano piece while the properly scolded human couple sit listening on the couch.  

Fancy Bear is not quite my cup of tea, and I dread to think of what he would say about half of the stuff that I have sitting around my house, such as a bust of a snarling werewolf…

 

 

Snake On A Plane!

January 12, 2013

python plane– – We all know about the 2006 Samuel L. Jackson film, Snakes On A Plane (sample repeatable line:  “Why exactly are there snakes on this plane?”), but in another case of life imitating art(?), a scrub python hitched a ride on the wing of a plane on a flight from Australia to Papua, New Guinea.  A woman supposedly pointed outside the plane and told the cabin crew, “There’s a snake on the wing,” recalling William Shatner’s memorable performance in the classic Twilight Zone episode, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.  

The nearly ten-foot-long python was tucked away under the plane’s wing but the wind caught its tail and dragged it out from its hideout.  The snake repeatedly tried to haul itself to safety only to be dragged out again by the wind.  The snake was whipped against the rear of the plane and also exposed to 10-degree freezing temperatures, and sadly it did not survive its ordeal.  Now it’s not just a koala that hates Qantas

Feline First Alert Systems…

January 10, 2013

python– – We’ve all heard the heroic dog stories, typified by something like Lassie alerting folks to Timmy having fallen in a well.–Well, cats can do some rather helpful things, too! 

An Australian mother in New South Whales heard her cat hissing in the middle of the night, which awakened her and alerted her to the fact that a six-foot-long python was wrapped around her two-year-old daughter’s arm.  The python had repeatedly struck the girl’s hand, but her mother with some effort was able to pull the snake away.  The snake was later found, and at the mother’s request commendably released into the wild.   According to one expert, the snake initially was likely just trying to get warm rather than hurt the child.  The cat unfortunately took off, and hasn’t yet come home.  Discretion, after all, is the greater part of valor…

Cannibalistic, Jumbo Squid Invading California!

January 8, 2013

Humboldt squid– – It may alarm some to hear that hundreds of blob-like squid are invading California; on the other hand, some might think that this was inevitable, or that they might just be assimilated to become Californians.  The squid are big suckers known as Humboldt squid, who can reach up to six feet and weigh as much as 100 pounds.  They normally live at depths of 660 to 2,300 feet in the eastern Pacific.

Humboldts have been known to attack humans and are nicknamed “red devils” for their rust-red coloring and mean streak, and can hunt in schools of up to 1,200 individuals.  First washing up dead on the beaches off San Diego, California, the squid have been emerging from the depths recently, roughing up unsuspecting divers, some of whom report tentacles enveloping their masks and yanking at their cameras and gear…that’s right, squid thugs!  As the animals taste with their tentacles, they may be touching divers and their wet suits to determine if they are edible.

Humboldts are cannibalistic, and in addition to eating lanternfish, shrimp, and mollusks have been known to eat other Humboldt squid that have been captured in nets.  Over 800 of the jumbo squid were hooked in the Pacific Ocean off Orange County in Southern California in just 45 minutes last Saturday.  Gradual warming of the ocean, pollution, and over-fishing of large predators are felt to be contributing to the territorial expansion of the squid…

Cat Detained With Contraband!

January 6, 2013

escape cat– – A cat being used as a “mule” for contraband was detained on the grounds of a Brazilian prison on New Year’s day as it crossed the main gate!  Strapped to the cat’s body with tape were drill bits, a saw, files, and a mobile phone with charger and memory chip, all intended for use by prisoners. 

“It’s tough to find out who’s responsible for the action as the cat doesn’t speak,” a prison spokesman memorably told the local paper. 

The largely-white cat, remaining silent, was taken to an animal disease center to receive medical care…

The Feline Avenger…

January 3, 2013

Batcat – – If Batman and Catwoman had a child, the offspring might look something like this magnificent creature whose image originally came from Reddit and was popularized by the Huffington Post before spreading like wildfire throughout the Internet.  Thought by a number of commentators to be a Maine Coon cat, this Batcat might not have a Robin, but could probably bring you one…Meow!

 

(more…)

Pig On A Plane!

December 25, 2012

Maxwell on plane– – We’ve had the movie, Snakes on a Plane, and now we have Maxwell the Pig in a commercial set on a plane, where two flight attendants are after him to turn off what they think is his “little word game.”- -Well, it turns out that Maxwell is actually using his Geico application to pay his bill, detailing a host of other potential functions which the flight attendants can’t quite swallow, one remarking that she’ll believe the accounting of the app’s functionality “when pigs fly.”  

“Did she seriously just say that?!,” marvels Maxwell to a fellow passenger in this episode which is free of the “wee” squealing and the pinwheels that were Maxwell’s hallmarks in earlier commercials.  Pigs, it would seem, fight stereotypes as do many of us for a variety of assorted reasons…

…and wishing Happy Holidays to all of our readers!

The Pepto Bismol Squirrel…

December 21, 2012

Pepto squirrel– – Even when you are out in the woods in the darkness of night, you can apparently find attached to a tree a convenient brightly-illuminated medicine cabinet, filled with a wise, zen-like squirrel who will counsel the gastric-afflicted that “many hot dogs are within you,” and provide pepto bismol to go, in a convenient use-anywhere vial! 

Such is the Pepto 2 Go TV commercial, “Squirrel.”  Would you refer to such a squirrel as, “your nutty buddy?”–Nah, I’m not gonna touch that one…

 

Sad-Looking, Cute, and Threatened…

December 17, 2012

cute slow loris– – Have you ever seen anything look this sad and cute at the same time?–Don’t you just want to take it home with you?–Well, you may not want to, because it’s a venomous primate, a type of slow loris species called Nycticebus kayan newly discovered in Borneo.

Now the slow loris (which sounds like a Dr. Sseus character) is a nocturnal primate found across Southeast Asia that is closely related to a lemur and is characterized by unique fur coloration on its face and body.  The creatures are poorly understood due to their lifestyle of nighttime activity and slow movements.

To access its poison, a slow loris rubs its hands under glands near its armpits, then applies the poison to its teeth.  The resulting bite can put a person or predator into potentially fatal anaphylactic shock.  Despite its toxic defense, the species is threatened due to deforestation and poaching.  Sadly, the cuteness of the species may lead to its undoing, making it a prime candidate on the illegal pet-trade market in Asia.  Due to the toxicity of its bite, captive animals often have their canine and incisor teeth pulled out, which puts them at risk since they then can’t chew properly, ultimately resulting in death…

Disappearing Minnesota Moose!

December 15, 2012

Bullwinkle– – In Minnesota, a dwindling moose population has prompted the state’s Department of Natural Resources to recommend that the moose be labeled a “species of special concern” under the state’s endangered species protections.  This designation could clear the way for the Minnesota moose to eventually be listed as threatened or endangered should the population fall further.

We might expect this to be a cause of concern as well  to one Bullwinkle J. Moose, who resides in the fictional small town of Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, a parody of the real-life American town of International Falls, Minnesota.  Bullwinkle has trouble enough, after all, being plagued by the nefarious schemes of spies Boris and Natasha Badenov.  I’m sure, however, that Bullwinkle and the “plucky squirrel” will prevail against any and all difficulties…