Crush...Yiff...Destroy!

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

Face it, a lot of us are here because we like animals (and hate seeing them get violated by hermaprodite centaurs).

Do you know about any real interesting animals, perferably obscure ones? Share pics and interesting info about them, then. Mammals, bugs, birds, whatever.

Fossa
The fossa is a large mongoose-like animal native to Madagascar that resembles a little 'big' cat. They have the cutest facial expressions for a carnivore.
Strangely enough, despite their obscurity, a Google Image Search turned up a few fossa furries. :?

Kakapo
A giant flightless parrot, the kakapo is native to New Zealand. Due to their giveaway musky odor and lack of defenses (besides superb hiding skills), they are wiped out by foreign predators. There are only 83 left in the world, and every one is named. Kakapos only live on a handful of small islands that are specially kept free of rats and other invasive species.

Got any interesting critters to share?

Dogthing · Vociferator Joined: 26 Oct 2003 Posts: 700

Fossa

FUCK THAT THING

DA · Vociferator Joined: 06 Jun 2003 Posts: 595

Kakapo? who named that poor thing...

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

It's a name derived from the native language...

weird_guy_in_the_corner · Vociferator Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 708

Bird
A thing that flies.

Snake
A thing with no legs that slithers.

Fox
A thing furries jerk off to.

Mitch · Vociferator Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Posts: 658

Face it, a lot of us are here because we like animals (and hate seeing them get violated by hermaprodite centaurs).

Do you know about any real interesting animals, perferably obscure ones? Share pics and interesting info about them, then. Mammals, bugs, birds, whatever.

Fossa
The fossa is a large mongoose-like animal native to Madagascar that resembles a little 'big' cat. They have the cutest facial expressions for a carnivore.
Strangely enough, despite their obscurity, a Google Image Search turned up a few fossa furries. :?

Kakapo
A giant flightless parrot, the kakapo is native to New Zealand. Due to their giveaway musky odor and lack of defenses (besides superb hiding skills), they are wiped out by foreign predators. There are only 83 left in the world, and every one is named. Kakapos only live on a handful of small islands that are specially kept free of rats and other invasive species.

Got any interesting critters to share?

Salticidae
Cute, big-eyed, little furry critter. What more could anyone want?

mouse · Needs to get out more Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 1192

Fox
A thing furries jerk off to.

I was out with a friend buying beer for a new years party at his apartment later tonight, so we were just picking up unusual stuff like normal. So I decided I try this english beer Old Speckled Hen, and after we got out of the store , he proceeded to call me a "furry faggot" and accused me of buying it just because it has a cartoon fox on the 6-pack. (jokingly)

Well that is kinda true.. but either way .. I had to point out that he willingly purchased the 'Flying Dog' 12-pack I suggested , and that one has cartoon dogs all over it.. I think.. I didnt get too a good a look at the box

Im still laughing about it .. maybe you had to be there :)

Kadius · Needs to get out more Joined: 10 Feb 2004 Posts: 911

I'm going to add in the Red winged blackbird. Because, well; they were my favorite bird when I was little (and still are, to an extent).

And something I'd bet no one here's heard of before, the Hellgrammite. (Though we hicks call them Go-Devils.) Which is the larva of the Dobsonfly. I've found these every once in a while while fishing. I always thought they were pretty cool. They're also said to be an indicator of the cleanliness of a stream. And I know all this because I've always wanted to be an Entomologist. Yeah, I know I'm a geek. :roll:

Anencephalic Baby Jesus · Rasophore Joined: 17 Oct 2004 Posts: 69

Ouch! Those Dobsonfly things have some jaws! Do they bite?

I love bugs. Speaking of cool bugs, I enjoyed the cicadas we had this year in the U.S. Everyone else hated them, I ran around sticking them on people's heads. For those who don't know, cicadas are big, noisy insects that like to emerge in huge swarms every seventeen years, making a deafening racket with their mating calls. They fly around and land on people and can be annoying, but they're completely harmless.

Pics: http://www.cicadamania.net/gallery6.html

But one of the coolest insects I ever caught was a Jerusalem cricket.

http://kaweahoaks.com/html/jerusalem_cricket.html

Awesome animal, huge, strong, and heavily armored. I was impressed.

Kadius · Needs to get out more Joined: 10 Feb 2004 Posts: 911

Ouch! Those Dobsonfly things have some jaws! Do they bite?

Of course. :wink:

MagKnightX · Vociferator Joined: 04 Dec 2003 Posts: 415

Man, that Fossa thing is ugly, and I say that as a cat... appreciator (I don't want to say cat-lover around this crowd, I think).

The Cicadas were awesome. My older brother was scared shitless of them, and I found out two things: You can throw them like darts, and you can put about 20 of them in a little tin and fling them all over a person with a flick of your wrist.

Paul · Needs to get out more Joined: 01 Feb 2004 Posts: 1092

I was out with a friend buying beer for a new years party at his apartment later tonight, so we were just picking up unusual stuff like normal. So I decided I try this english beer Old Speckled Hen, and after we got out of the store , he proceeded to call me a "furry faggot" and accused me of buying it just because it has a cartoon fox on the 6-pack. (jokingly)

Eh, fuck that, Old Speckled Hen is a brilliant beer (and incidentally it's named after a racing car, so it's really got nothing to do with animals, but of course the brewery made the fox as a joke in the packaging and in adverts).

If you want to stick with the furry beer theme, Fursty Ferret is another delicious English ale.

The New Meat · Needs to get out more Joined: 03 Jun 2003 Posts: 933

Not particularly unusual but just so darn cute, here's the nutria:

http://www.fsu.edu/~imsp/silent_invaders/new_weeds/guide/animals/nutria/nutriaindex.html

Also Known as coypu or swamp rat, it's a big muskrat-like critter originally brought to the US for its fur (because, hey, the market in rat fur was booming!!) which then got loose and took over the swamps of Lousianna and thereabouts. They're trying to put a good spin on the story by promoting them as a regional delicacy, and I hear they taste kinda like pork. You can also buy their paws as souveneirs in any quality New Orleans voodoo shop. Totally worth it, too; the claws look like something straight outta hell.

Best of all, they make a noise that sounds like they're blowing bubbles underwater: "Blblblbeeaahhh!!!"

They's so cute. Since Rankin's got his raccoons and Donny's got his squirrels and Charisma's got her cats, etc, I'm going to declae nutrias MINE.

Dormin · Qualificator Joined: 01 Nov 2004 Posts: 29

Insect:

My favorite is the Mantis Shrimp.

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/11/14_shrimp.shtml

Videos do no justice for seeing one of the "Thumb Splitters" in action.

Animal:

Don't really know of any unusual animals except for the the Platypus, but that's one everybody knows about.

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

I guess I need a cuter fossa picture then...

Is that better?

I found it on a German (I think) site. I have no idea about the context...

MagKnightX · Vociferator Joined: 04 Dec 2003 Posts: 415

I guess I need a cuter fossa picture then...

Is that better?

No, not really. Why don't you quite while you're only marginally behind?

They's so cute. Since Rankin's got his raccoons and Donny's got his squirrels and Charisma's got her cats, etc, I'm going to declae nutrias MINE.

Damn you! I was born in New Orleans, that nutria should be MINE!

Hmm... must claim another form of life related to that area as mine... I know! Goths! Goths are teh mine. Or small black children who tack bottlecaps to their shoes and tapdance. Them too!

Anyway, as for unusual animals, how about the box jellyfish? It's tiny, and it's deadly, and it's kind of trapezoidal. Apparently, the sting is so agonizing, you can be screaming well after passing out.

mouse · Needs to get out more Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 1192

Eh, fuck that, Old Speckled Hen is a brilliant beer (and incidentally it's named after a racing car, so it's really got nothing to do with animals, but of course the brewery made the fox as a joke in the packaging and in adverts).

If you want to stick with the furry beer theme, Fursty Ferret is another delicious English ale.

I really do like it .. Tho a bit pricey for me to buy on a regular basis. Then again I've been buying a lot of the german beers lately for about the same price. (and alternating with the fairly new to my area, and cheap, Yeungling - $7.99 for a 12 pack vs $7.99 for an Import 6-pack .. ..)

Hey, how long till someone draws porn of this fox?.. Him and the rest of the whole upper-class soiree featured in the background. seriously, cmon. Old Speckled Hen, official sponsor of Anthrocon'05

SquareMoogle · Vociferator Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 357

That sounded like a challenge to me...

-Photoshop me!

Mitch · Vociferator Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Posts: 658

I guess I need a cuter fossa picture then...

Is that better?

I found it on a German (I think) site. I have no idea about the context...

I found a lewd fossa (NWS) on VCL. Who'd have thought?

Quantum Coyote · Venter Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 221

I guess I need a cuter fossa picture then...

Is that better?

I found it on a German (I think) site. I have no idea about the context...

That IS cute, it's odd looking at some of the "more obscure" animals that look like some sort of mix between others (which is an artifact of our own minds of course, I wonder what it IS related to, I guess I'll google), sorta gives you an idea of what it would be like to go on a zoological expedition 100,000+ years ago, when all sorts of strange things roamed around.

But as your pointing out, theres plenty o' strange critters in the world today to learn about :)

Heres one, not very odd, but not all that well known either. I've had the chance to observe them briefly on a mountain in Colorado. They make interesting little "MEEP!" noises.

Pika
(thats Pike-a, not Pika like Pikachu btw)

Paul · Needs to get out more Joined: 01 Feb 2004 Posts: 1092

I found a lewd fossa (NWS) on VCL. Who'd have thought?

Another testament to the truism that furries ruin everything. It's actually a bit sad to see such evident talent for sculpture-making as Michele Gault displays be spent on such stupid shit. Those figures would be rather neat if they just came sans genitals and in less idiotic poses.

ZenZhu · TOP POSTER! Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 1510

Of course, that fossa doesn't look like a fossa.. but a vaguely feline furry with a mouse-type face. Further proof that most furries can't actually depict these unique animals... but can merely draw either a generic feline or canine form and put a few features on it to give you the hint that it's supposed be a porcupine instead of a wolf with quills, or like how Groat's Rabbi Tom is supposed to be an aardvark, instead of a horse with a lizard tail.

For interesting, rarely heard of creatures, I'm partial to the pangolin:

The New Meat · Needs to get out more Joined: 03 Jun 2003 Posts: 933

like how Groat's Rabbi Tom is supposed to be an aardvark, instead of a horse with a lizard tail.

IT IS?!? I thought it wasa donkey.

I found a lewd fossa (NWS) on VCL. Who'd have thought?

I'd ask if there are any NWS nutrias on VCL, but I think we all know the answer to that. I'll bet they all look like mice, though.

m_estrugo · Vociferator Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 534

Not particularly unusual but just so darn cute, here's the nutria:

http://www.fsu.edu/~imsp/silent_invaders/new_weeds/guide/animals/nutria/nutriaindex.html

Also Known as coypu or swamp rat, it's a big muskrat-like critter originally brought to the US for its fur (because, hey, the market in rat fur was booming!!) which then got loose and took over the swamps of Lousianna and thereabouts. They're trying to put a good spin on the story by promoting them as a regional delicacy, and I hear they taste kinda like pork. You can also buy their paws as souveneirs in any quality New Orleans voodoo shop. Totally worth it, too; the claws look like something straight outta hell.

They's so cute. Since Rankin's got his raccoons and Donny's got his squirrels and Charisma's got her cats, etc, I'm going to declae nutrias MINE.

Oooh. Nutria.

"Nutria" is Spanish for "otter". :)

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

Yeah, I was searching on Google and saw that there was a clay (?) fossa from VCL. Therefore, I mades especially sure not to give it more than a quick eye-scan.

Hoopoe Hoopoe 2
An old world bird with striking orange and black and white plumage. It also has a dramatic crest of feathers on its head that it can raise up. Cool bird, stupid (phonetic) name.

ZenZhu · TOP POSTER! Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 1510

like how Groat's Rabbi Tom is supposed to be an aardvark, instead of a horse with a lizard tail.

IT IS?!? I thought it wasa donkey.

I'm pretty sure it's an aardvark. In my FurryMUCK days, I used to rub elbows with him and the person that was sanctioned to play Red Shetland. Groat's Rabbi Tom was an aardvark then.

I can understand your confusion, however, given that Groat cannot draw anything without it looking like a horse or a generic vague-fox/bear furry. As someone who has used an aardvark for their character, I can attest that figuring out how to draw int can be very difficult. Still, one can at least make an attempt at having it look like anything other than a horse with a lizard tail.

I think one of my favorite unique.. though not rare... yet rarely drawn.. animals is the giant anteater. I'd probably use that for my "personal avatar" if I could really figure out how to either give it a mouth or just draw around the mouth. If I do that, though, it looks like a traffic cone with eyes.

Skunkfuckers Inc. · Needs to get out more Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 1006

Wow.. all these posts and not one mention of our beloved Gollum Aye-Aye. For shame.

Speakng of aye-ayes...

C'MON, BABY... WHY YOU GOTTA BE LIKE THAT?

m_estrugo · Vociferator Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 534

I think one of my favorite unique.. though not rare... yet rarely drawn.. animals is the giant anteater. I'd probably use that for my "personal avatar" if I could really figure out how to either give it a mouth or just draw around the mouth. If I do that, though, it looks like a traffic cone with eyes.

Just do a search for the Depatie-Freleng cartoon "The ant and the Aardvark", copy and paste.

Is this an aardvark or an anteater?

The New Meat · Needs to get out more Joined: 03 Jun 2003 Posts: 933

"Nutria" is Spanish for "otter". :)

No kidding? Well, you do kinda look like otters. In German, they're called Sumpfbiber - "swamp beavers." Hee hee. Funny name.

mouse · Needs to get out more Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 1192

I found a lewd fossa (NWS) on VCL. Who'd have thought?

Another testament to the truism that furries ruin everything. It's actually a bit sad to see such evident talent for sculpture-making as Michele Gault displays be spent on such stupid shit. Those figures would be rather neat if they just came sans genitals and in less idiotic poses.

Ill make a predition that by .. oh, I dunno 2015... ALL animals, real, imagined, mythological/cryptozoolgical/whatever.. will have furry porn of them somewhere

No kidding? Well, you do kinda look like otters. In German, they're called Sumpfbiber - "swamp beavers." Hee hee. Funny name.

Kinda like how 'Gerbil' in German translates to "racers" or "running mice"

I actually always thought it was weird Nutria in spanish was for otter, and they used a Spanish word for a different animal in English...

ZenZhu · TOP POSTER! Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 1510

Is this an aardvark or an anteater?

Aardvark. Even if I didn't vaguely remember the cartoon, anteaters don't have long ears. They did a similar trick with an anteater in the new Secret Squirrel cartoons that appeared with 2 Stupid Dogs.

Quantum Coyote · Venter Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 221

Of course, that fossa doesn't look like a fossa.. but a vaguely feline furry with a mouse-type face. Further proof that most furries can't actually depict these unique animals... but can merely draw either a generic feline or canine form and put a few features on it to give you the hint that it's supposed be a porcupine instead of a wolf with quills, or like how Groat's Rabbi Tom is supposed to be an aardvark, instead of a horse with a lizard tail.

Your right, they can't! I hate that! Some artists are so ignorant about animals let alone animal biology, yet animals are there supposed area of artistic speciality. One of my peeves is when people draw the tail impossibly high on the back. Didn't they ever noticed where the tip of their own damn tailbone is? Now I understand and accept that tooniness, stylization, etc., will distort features, after all, the subject at hand is not drawing photorealistic animals but anthropomorphs, but man, why can't this just be a perfect world?

For interesting, rarely heard of creatures, I'm partial to the pangolin:

Ever read Commander Kitty? There's some cartoon pangolins in there.

Hmm, what happened to to commanderkitty.com. havn't looked at it and a while, and now I can't even ping it..

I think one of my favorite unique.. though not rare... yet rarely drawn.. animals is the giant anteater

edit:
Not at UCI, it's the mascot!

m_estrugo · Vociferator Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 534

No kidding? Well, you do kinda look like otters. In German, they're called Sumpfbiber - "swamp beavers." Hee hee. Funny name.

Kinda like how 'Gerbil' in German translates to "racers" or "running mice"

I actually always thought it was weird Nutria in spanish was for otter, and they used a Spanish word for a different animal in English...

As far as I can tell, this is because both the otter and the coipo had the same popular name. People would just call coipos "nutrias" or "Falsas Nutrias" (false otters!), even if they belong to pretty different families. Oh, now that I remember, the CONAF, the Chilean national forest organization, has a coipo as their mascot:

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

Viscacha
To everyone who is curious...is it just me or does this critter (related to the chinchilla) look like a living...cutesy animal mascot anime character?

M0us3_Zero · Vociferator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 437

I draw a blank, but it's not cute.

It's chillin' like a villain. Seriously. I mean, look at it's content face. He's all like "I just smoked a bowl, I'm so baked".

Dr. Dos · Vociferator Joined: 11 Oct 2004 Posts: 718

Thanks to these forums I'm now aware of those mole rat things.

The New Meat · Needs to get out more Joined: 03 Jun 2003 Posts: 933

Kinda like how 'Gerbil' in German translates to "racers" or "running mice"

I actually always thought it was weird Nutria in spanish was for otter, and they used a Spanish word for a different animal in English...

German is funny because it's such a literal language. When you translate animal names, most of them end up sounding like the descriptions a caveman would use upon seeing them for the very first time: Bats are "flying mice," turtles are "shell toads," and Hornbills are "nose horn birds."

I also like how a lot of German words use the vernacular for things where we use fancy Latin and Greek. Like how television, which means something that can see over long distances in, oh, Latin or something, is Fernseher, which means the exact same thing in German. And Rhinocerous (Nose horn in..Greek?)is Nashorn (nose horn in German) and Hippopatomus (River Horse in ...something) is Nilpferd (Nile horse in German)

Not that this is amazing or anything, I just always thought it was nifty. A GERMAN FAG IS ME

Quantum Coyote · Venter Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 221

Kinda like how 'Gerbil' in German translates to "racers" or "running mice"

I actually always thought it was weird Nutria in spanish was for otter, and they used a Spanish word for a different animal in English...

German is funny because it's such a literal language. When you translate animal names, most of them end up sounding like the descriptions a caveman would use upon seeing them for the very first time: Bats are "flying mice," turtles are "shell toads," and Hornbills are "nose horn birds."

I also like how a lot of German words use the vernacular for things where we use fancy Latin and Greek. Like how television, which means something that can see over long distances in, oh, Latin or something, is Fernseher, which means the exact same thing in German. And Rhinocerous (Nose horn in..Greek?)is Nashorn (nose horn in German) and Hippopatomus (River Horse in ...something) is Nilpferd (Nile horse in German)

Not that this is amazing or anything, I just always thought it was nifty. A GERMAN FAG IS ME

German IS spiff.. Our ways of thinking are largely defined by language. I like how in German you can combine words to create a brand new one, corresponding to a new idea, which you gain from the old words plus the context they are in (I'm pretty sure, tho I'm no linguist).

So how do different cultures deal with novelty?

Germany: slap together pre-existing words in context, bam
America: shamelessly steal words from other cultures. also, jumble a bunch of letters together and add 'tron' or something to the end.
France/Quebec: create a completely new, completely French word for any idea invented anywhere, and inforce it's use by law.
Latin America: same as with the USA, but add an 'o' or an 'a' at the end
Finnland: learn english =)

ZenZhu · TOP POSTER! Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 1510

Sounds like Chinese is similar to German in its approach. Many of the words are just assemblages of concepts related to the object. That's one thing that makes learning Chinese script difficult. Besides just learning the characters, you have to make sense of them together to read the signs. I don't know the Chinese words for these, but here are some examples with the English words and how their corresponding sounds and characters in Chinese would be:

Airport = flying-machine parking lot
Computer = electric brain
Telephone = electric talk
Automobile = self-moving cart
Fountain pen = ten-thousand years (lasting) brush
Pencil = lead pen

With a car being still referred to as a "cart," you can see how Chinese hasn't really changed much from its early days... merely pushed words together from the old language to describe new things.

m_estrugo · Vociferator Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 534

German is funny because it's such a literal language. When you translate animal names, most of them end up sounding like the descriptions a caveman would use upon seeing them for the very first time: Bats are "flying mice," turtles are "shell toads," and Hornbills are "nose horn birds."

Well... uh.....
Actually... neologisms are usually composed words from Greek and Latin, and are common in a lot of languages, even in Japanese.
Telephone comes from Greek words "tele" and "phonos". In other words, it's a "distance-talker". And the word in Japanese for telephone is... "terefon".

That's something common in most languages, although in some Romance languages like Spanish and Greek, we tend to make the word a little more local. So, while in Latin (and English) you can find words like "Apathosaurus", the word is written as "Apatosaurio" in Spanish and Italian.

It's surprising to see the amount of words with a Latin or Greek origin , that we use on a daily basis, even in languages that didn't come out from the Latin culture, like English, that is in fact closer to German in its origins than Latin. Just to illustrate you a little, I decided to highlight the Latinized words with blue on this paragraph. :)

In other words... all languages are descriptive. It's just that some of them use Greek and Latin to describe the same things you could do with your local language.

Skunkfuckers Inc. · Needs to get out more Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 1006

HEY, guys...

Argon-Vile just uploaded an (oddly tame) anteater pic in his "Adult" section. I know because I check his gallery every day for new uploads and never miss a thing!

http://us.vclart.net/vcl/Artists/Argon-Vile/Adult/man-eater.jpg

An anthro anteater is eating you from the bottom up. You are delicious!

Yes you are!

ZenZhu · TOP POSTER! Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 1510

Telephone comes from Greek words "tele" and "phonos". In other words, it's a "distance-talker". And the word in Japanese for telephone is... "terefon".

Japanese has introduced a number of "Nihonicized" versions of English words, while also having their own words for the objects. The actual Japanese word for telephone is denwa. But, like kuruma (car), basu (bus), takushi (taxi), and "Koka Kora" (take a guess!), they also import English words and adapt them to Japanese phonetics.

I think one of the funniest descriptive terms in Japanese is the terms for masturbation. Of course, there is similar pronunciation with Japanese phonetics, but the actual Japanese term translates to something like "100 strokes" to imply male masturbation, and "1,000 strokes" for female masturbation. It's almost like a joke in itself as to how it's generally much easier for a guy to get off.

Donotsue · Needs to get out more Joined: 17 Jan 2004 Posts: 884

What about arabs? Ya know...when they yell those curses at us... in comics and movies.. =)

Ya suppose they have just one short word for bastard, but it literally translates as
"You son of a thousand fathers!" ... and "You fruit of the loins of an infidel camel!" ?

And does arabic evolve like every other lingo? or do they just add "Windows" and "Hard drive" in it? =)

Allaahu akbar, sonovabitch!

Mastertran · Venter Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 275

We do have a word for Bastard.
Ibn haram which is if translated to English is son of sin. But we are people of many swears so here's some more.

Air il'e yeba'atak May you be stabbed by a dick
Fatah Foreskin (considered a grave insult)
Ah dena mukk Damn your mother's religion
Ahhlass Shut up
Koos Cunt, pussy
Yebnen kelp Son of a dog
Nikomak Fuck your mother
Sharmoota (or Sharmuta) Whore, bitch
Gahba Whore, bitch
Shlicke Slut
Ahbe Slut
Zarba Shit
Khara Shit
Kis Vagina
Elif air ab tizak A thousand dicks in your ass
Elif air ab dinikh A thousand dicks in your religion
Kisich Pussy
Mos zibbi Suck my dick
Waj ab zibik An infection to your dick

We truly are a great people.

SquareMoogle · Vociferator Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 357

Mastertran, stop kicking so much ass, NOW. :P

The New Meat · Needs to get out more Joined: 03 Jun 2003 Posts: 933

German is funny because it's such a literal language. When you translate animal names, most of them end up sounding like the descriptions a caveman would use upon seeing them for the very first time: Bats are "flying mice," turtles are "shell toads," and Hornbills are "nose horn birds."

Well... uh.....
Actually... neologisms are usually composed words from Greek and Latin, and are common in a lot of languages, even in Japanese.
Telephone comes from Greek words "tele" and "phonos". In other words, it's a "distance-talker". And the word in Japanese for telephone is... "terefon".

Yeah, I figured it wasn't unique to German. But in English it seems that the descriptions are all stolen from other languages (Greek, Latin, etc) so that we tend to not even realize that a lot of words which are descriptive even mean anything, while in German it's pretty obvious since the descriptions themselves are in German.

In other words... all languages are descriptive. It's just that some of them use Greek and Latin to describe the same things you could do with your local language.

Oh, you said that already. Never mind:?

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

A good discussion, but a tad off-topic, so I shall introduce the...

Quetzal
I think it has the ugliest face, but just look at the goregeous breast feathers and tail plumes. <3 I'm no bird fanatic, but how often do you see an emerald colored bird?
Its tail feathers are so encumbering it has a special way of taking flight.

Quantum Coyote · Venter Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 221

We do have a word for Bastard.
Ibn haram which is if translated to English is son of sin. But we are people of many swears so here's some more.

Yebnen kelp Son of a dog
Nikomak Fuck your mother

Ah dena mukk Damn your mother's religion

We truly are a great people.

It's interesting how certain phrases, however translated, appear in most languages (at least in the more estern world), I know the phrase "dick head" is this way. Is "dick head" a common phrase in arabic? :) (if your talking about arabic.. you never know w/ regional dialects and all)

EDIT: Quetzal: Wow that thing is flashy! Must be a male :) What reallyl sucks, and sorry about the rant, is the number of exotic birds taken out of latin america every day. Alot of them live a long time, take a long time to reach sexual maturity, and don't make very many young. Plenty of mammals and other things being trafficked(sic) too. it's sad

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

Japanese Giant Salamander
You know how everything is weirder in Japan?
...
I think there are salamanders even bigger than this individual.
I recall watching Animal Planet (heh) and seeing a special on amphibians. They had a brief segment on this critter. It showed the largest known salamander in the world (owned by a rich Japanese guy).
They were exhibiting it to schoolchildren and it snarled and lashed out. Everyone stepped back.
You don't often see amphibians with that kind of command!

m_estrugo · Vociferator Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 534

Japanese Giant Salamander
You know how everything is weirder in Japan?
...
I think there are salamanders even bigger than this individual.
I recall watching Animal Planet (heh) and seeing a special on amphibians. They had a brief segment on this critter. It showed the largest known salamander in the world (owned by a rich Japanese guy).
They were exhibiting it to schoolchildren and it snarled and lashed out. Everyone stepped back.
You don't often see amphibians with that kind of command!

Well, yeah, but they aren't as cute and cuddly as Amazonian giant otters.

Like your average otter, but a little bigger. ;) http://www.guyana.gwebworks.com/features/zssd.shtml

Skunkfuckers Inc. · Needs to get out more Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 1006

<

A Giant River Otter snacking on a pirahna.

MMMMmmm.... fishy nummies for my tummy!

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

I think giant river otters have kinda scary faces...

Mimic Octopus
Mimic octopi are incredible. Not only can they contort their bodies in countless shapes and change color at command, but they mimic the movements of other venemous creatures. This link has some videos of it in motion (ignore the rest of the crap about mating cockroaches).

ZenZhu · TOP POSTER! Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 1510

I think giant river otters have kinda scary faces...

They're like if a Precious Moments kid screwed a sea lion and the offspring became possessed by the One Ring.

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

Hm. I can now picture an anthro giant otter with a flapping fish in its fish, hissing "My preciousssss!"

Oh yeah. Time for hot...
Pouched Rat action!

James John Audubon is my hero. :lol: His pictures are excellent at finding angles to show the most interesting and distinct parts of animals, such as these homely rodent's pouches.

Seriously though, I wonder how closely related they are to naked mole-rats, with those teeth that are beyond the gums and all, making for easier burrowing.

m_estrugo · Vociferator Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 534

Okay. Going back to extremes, I guess my favorite "scale-down" animal is the dik-dik. It's a cuuuute lil' antelope from the African savannah.

Antelopes are gracile animals, beautiful, with big, nice eyes. Dik-diks are like baby antelopes, and have even BIGGER eyes. I like them a lot. And fortunately, it seems they aren't as popular on the fandom as other species, so I haven't seen spoogey images of those animals to spoil the image I've got of them
This one, down here, is an -adult-.

And before any of you do look for links on VCL, NO I DON'T WANT TO SEE GRUESOME PORNOGRAPHIC IMAGES OF MORE-OR-LESS HUMANIZED GAZELLES AND/OR ANTELOPES SO PLEASE SPARE ME FROM THE EXPERIENCE. Thank you.

Lafarga · Qualificator Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 22

Let's see. How about the aquatic giant isopod?

And some video footage of Tasmanian Devils eating roadkill.

Banrai · Vociferator Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 560

Japanese Giant Salamander!

HOOOLY SHIT.

I have one of these things as a PET. It's called a 'Hellbender' here in North Carolina.

Mine's about 2ft long and lives in my 29 gallon fishtank, and eats crayfish and feeder goldfish. I'll take some photos if any of you are interested in him.

His name is "Gozirra" and it has to be said with a bad japanese accent. Especially when he comes out from under his rock to get some air. :) He's pretty mean, he's bit my husband and tried to bite me a few times.

They're actually protected, I think. Probably illigal to have. :/ Oh well.

The New Meat · Needs to get out more Joined: 03 Jun 2003 Posts: 933

Japanese Giant Salamander!

HOOOLY SHIT.

I have one of these things as a PET. It's called a 'Hellbender' here in North Carolina.

Mine's about 2ft long and lives in my 29 gallon fishtank, and eats crayfish and feeder goldfish. I'll take some photos if any of you are interested in him.

His name is "Gozirra" and it has to be said with a bad japanese accent. Especially when he comes out from under his rock to get some air. :) He's pretty mean, he's bit my husband and tried to bite me a few times.

They're actually protected, I think. Probably illigal to have. :/ Oh well.

I want to see this.

Quantum Coyote · Venter Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 221

Yeah, lets see your Hellbender! go for it!

mouse · Needs to get out more Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 1192

forget the hellbender

I was hesitant at first..but if you guys really want to see it, I might consider posting some pics of my trouser snake.

Maybe even my new wristwatch

:D :D :D

Anencephalic Baby Jesus · Rasophore Joined: 17 Oct 2004 Posts: 69

Someone once told me that nikuchtek (fuck your sister) was used more than nikumak and is just as insulting. Is that true?

AngryPuritan · Needs to get out more Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Posts: 1361

What has three eyes, is older than the dinosaurs and is an opportunity cannibal (at least mine were)?

The lil' ol' Triop.

Information.

Banrai · Vociferator Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 560

Ah, here we go.
Presenting: GOZIRRA

Here you see him, chillin' in the tank with his lun... err... my baby comets.

Ah, another hard day of pulling the plants up so they float around and make me think they're dead fish...

DAMNIT. In a plastic shoe box so you guys could see him. He crawled out of it...

...and onto my chair. 2 liter soda bottle there, for size comparison. ...He's still a baby.

I found this guy just after the three hurricanes came through. He was in my back yard, and I thought he was a dish at first, because the water was so muddy... SO of course, i scoop him up and dump him in my tank, and turns out he most certinly wasn't a fish. :/ I've talked to a few forestry guys and most of them were shocked. The Hellbender population has decreased so much here in Western North Carolina that people were starting to think they were no longer around.

...Well, I thought it was cool, anyway.

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

Wow, and he's still not fully grown? Just how big do hellbenders get?

I have to admit, he looks a lot better in than out of the water. :lol:

Banrai · Vociferator Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 560

Well, that 'Giant Japanese Salamander' is the same species. I don't know what teh fancey schmancy name for them is, I know they're called 'Hellbenders' around here cause back in ye olden days they'd bend the hell out of your fishing rod if you caught one.

They're pretty mean, and so strong! He bit my boy on teh wrist and left a nasty scar. >.< Of course, I told him he was going to get disentary from it... Seeing as how Godzilla here looks like a GIANT turd with legs. :X

Anencephalic Baby Jesus · Rasophore Joined: 17 Oct 2004 Posts: 69

Holy Christ, I had some oscars once that I thought were pretty cool but that thing just pwned anything I've ever had living in a tank. What region are those native to?

Resisting urge to go out and purchase piranha...

The New Meat · Needs to get out more Joined: 03 Jun 2003 Posts: 933

Gozilla looks like one of those toys that you put in water and they grow. And eventually just turn into big slimy blobs of mush. You know what I mean.

He's still awesome, though.

Banrai · Vociferator Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 560

Well, they're supposed to be native to North Carolina and surrounding areas in the mountains.... But I don't know. Most of the info I find on them contradicts other info I previously had, so I don't think anyone really knows. :(

http://hellbenders.sanwalddesigns.com/whats.html

That tells a lot about them and has a few more photos, too.

And as a note, yes, I know it says not to take them from the wild. But when it's going to die because it's stranded almost 1,000 feet away from teh creek and can't really walk you kinda make descisions like that.

Skunkfuckers Inc. · Needs to get out more Joined: 20 Jan 2004 Posts: 1006

Banrai, you have officialy PWNED us all in the cool animals category.

Christ, it's called a hellbender after all, that in itself is awesome. Sounds like something from a Clive Barker horror flick.

Presea · Coadjutor Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Posts: 71

Mola mola, or Ocean Sunfish

Nope, this kind of sunfish doesn't interbreed with bluegills. It's enormous, produces enormous amounts of eggs, and is one of the goofiest looking creatures I've ever seen.

Donotsue · Needs to get out more Joined: 17 Jan 2004 Posts: 884

More cool animules! =)

http://www.worth1000.com/cache/gallery/contestcache.asp?contest_id=1625