nanna: April 2009

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Gourd-shaped Tortoise

A gourd-shaped tortoise is seen in Huaibei, east China's Anhui Province, June 24, 2007. Residents say a gene mutation contributed to the aberration, local media reported.
(China Daily/ Reuters )

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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Crossbreed Zebra Horse

The zebra and horse crossbreed Eclyse puts its best face on during its public presentation in Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock, western Germany.The father of Eclyse is a horse from Italy, where the crossbreed filly was born in 2006. Her mother is a zebra from the Safari park. (Udo Richter, uripress.de/AP Photo)

Credits: MARTIN MEISSNER

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Valentine Chihuahua

A long-haired male Chihuahua named Heart-kun was born with a heart-shaped pattern of brown fur in Odate, Japan, May 18, 2007. Shop owner Emiko Sakurada said that of the 1,000 dogs she had bred, Heart-kun was the first puppy born with such a mark. There are no plans to sell the puppy. (Issei Kato/Reuters)

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Monday, April 27, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Seven-legged Lamb

A seven-legged lamb is pictured on its farm at Methven near Christ Church in the South Island of New Zealand, July 31, 2007. Veterinarian Steve Williams said he believed a misprint in embryo formation had resulted in the lamb being born polydactyl, or with many legs, a condition that occurs once in every several million sheep. (Susan Sandys, Ashburton Guardian/AP Photo)

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Monkey-faced Piglet - Photo

While all the other little piggies will be going to market, this freak little piggy from China will stay at home – for fear that nobody will buy a walking bacon sandwich with the face of a monkey. Curious locals flocked to the home of owner Feng Changlin after news of the piglet spread in Fengzhang village, Xiping township. “It’s hideous. No one will be willing to buy it, and it scares the family to even look at it!” Feng told Oriental Today.

He says the piglet looks just like a monkey, with two thin lips, a small nose and two big eyes. Its rear legs are also much longer than its forelegs, causing it to jump instead of walk. Feng’s wife said the monkey-faced piglet was one of five newborns of a sow which the family had raised for nine years.

“My God, it was so scary. I didn’t known what it was. I was really frightened,” she said. “But our son likes to play with it, and he stopped us from getting rid of it. He even feeds it milk.” Neighbours have suggested the couple keep the piglet to see how it looks as it matures

The pig with the face of a monkey

Spectators looking at the monkey-faced piglet

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Two-headed Calf

Blinky the cow was born with two heads. Although the calf is clearly special, unfortunately, the life span of two-headed cows is not very long, which does not bode well for Blinky, who can't stand or sit on her own. Greg Hamstra, owner of Hamstra's Dairy in Tulare, Calif., where the calf was born, said, "We call her Blinky because all four eyes blink at the same time." (ABC News)

WATCH: Two-Headed Calf

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Saturday, April 25, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Two-headed Tortoise

Janus, the Geneva Museum of Natural History's two-headed Greek tortoise, is presented to the press and public during the official celebration of its 10th birthday Sept. 5, 2007, at the Natural History Museum in Geneva. Janus, named after the two-headed Roman god was born Sept. 3, 1997. Geneva's Natural History Museum invited children born the same year to take part in the celebration of Janus' birthday. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

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Friday, April 24, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Deformed Frog

This undated handout photo provided by the University of Colorado shows a deformed frog. The growing number of deformed frogs in recent years is caused at least partly by runoff from farming and ranching, new research indicates. (Peiter Johnson, University of Colorado/AP Photo)

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Thursday, April 23, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Two-headed Turtle

Store manager Jay Jacoby displays a two-headed red slider turtle at Big Al's Aquarium Supercenter in East Norriton Pa., Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007. The rare turtle is on display at the store. (Matt Rourke/ AP Photo )

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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Crooked Neck Giraffe

Gemina, a giraffe with a distinctive crooked neck and one of the most beloved animals at the Santa Barbara Zoo, died Jan. 9, 2008. The 21-year-old is shown on her last birthday, July 16, 2007, at the California zoo. (Michael Moriatis/News-Press/AP Photo)

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Valentine Piglet

A weeks-old Gloucester Old Spot pig was dubbed Valentine when he was born Jan. 29 with a heart-shaped patch on his side. The piglet, one of a litter of seven, became the center of attention after staff at Byford's Farm near Newent, southwestern England, spotted his unusual markings. Specialist breeder Eric Freeman said the piglet was "stealing the show" and has won a legion of fans in the buildup to Valentine's Day. (Gloucester Citizen/PA/AP Photo)

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Tropical bug with big hind legs - Series #3

Yet another photo set of an identified tropical bug. The bug was caught at KTM Station at Batang Benar, Negri Sembilan. Batang Benar station is a one stop away from Nilai Station.

Tropical bug perched on a leave

Closer shot of tropical bug. Click on the photo for a larger view and notice the tiny spiky furs.

Tropical bug on my fingers

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Monday, April 20, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Five-legged Dog

Deborah Parker holds Angel the dog, Monday, March 31, 2008, at the Avon Lake Animal Clinic in Ohio. A developmental quirk caused one of the dog's legs to split, making her look like a five-legged pet. (Bruce Bishop, Elyria Chronicle Telegram/AP Photo)

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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Six-legged Kitten

Hex, a six-legged kitten, was born in Florida. Vets say that the kitten needs to have the extra limbs removed to save its life. (ABC)

Animal Oddity - Photo of One-horned Roe Deer

A 1-year-old, one-horned roe deer -- nicknamed "Unicorn'' -- was born in captivity at the Center of Natural Sciences park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence. He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns. (Center of Natural Sciences/AP Photo)

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Saturday, April 18, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Six Legged Deer

A six-legged fawn is recovering at West Rome Animal Clinic in Rome, Ga., after sustaining minor injuries this weekend from two dogs in Everett Springs, Ga. Because of the injuries, one of its two tails had to be amputated. The fawn has two distinct pelvises and uses one leg from each pelvis to walk. Here, it is shown July 21, 2008. (Brittany Hannah,The Rome News-Tribune/AP Photo)

Animal Oddity - Photo of Two Headed Kitten

A two-headed kitten born in Wood County, Ohio, died after only a few days. The kitten was born with four eyes, two noses and one mouth. (ABC)

Friday, April 17, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Cat Wings

This male cat in China's Shanxi province has two wings on his back. The wings started as bumps and then grew into two 10-centimeter-long wings. (CNImaging/newscom.com)

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Twin Tilapia Fish

Two conjoined Nile freshwater Tilapia fish, dubbed "Siamese twin," swim in a small aquarium in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 3, 2008. They are both 8 months old and share part of their skin. The bigger fish tends to protect the smaller one from harm while the smaller one looks for food at the bottom of the aquarium. (Sukree Sukplang/Reuters )

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of White Albino Lion

Pictured here in the Sanbona Game Reserve is one of four white lions recently released into the Sanbona Game Reserve in South Africa. The white lions were taken into captivity decades ago to protect them from poachers. Under a multimillion dollar conservation project, the lions are now being reintroduced to the wild. (Courtesy The Mantis Collection)

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Smallest Primate

For the first time since 1921, scientists observed a living pygmy tarsier -- one of the planet's smallest and rarest primates -- on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Some scientists believed the tarsiers had become extinct because they had not been seen for so long. The nocturnal animals are very small -- weighing 2 ounces -- and have large eyes and ears.
(Sharon Gursky-Doyen/Texas A&M University/Courtesy of National Geographic Society )

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Monday, April 13, 2009

Photo of Dillenia Suffroticosa - Simpoh Air

Dillenia Suffroticosa (Wormia suffruticosa), known as Simpoh Air in Bahasa Malaysa and Buan in Bidayuh. This distinctive shrubby tree grows vigorously on eroded soil, wasteland, forest edges and swampy areas. Everything about it is large. It has large leaves, and large yellow flowers. Dillenia, is a name derived from the personal name Dillenius, a German botanist (1684-1747).

Dillenia Suffroticosa bloom

Dillenia Suffroticosa fruits or flower buds

Dillenia Suffroticosa fruits or flower buds

The unopened fruits are surrounded by thick red sepals. To distinguish them from flower buds, the fruits face upwards while flower buds face down. The ripe fruit splits open also at 3 am, into pinkish star-shaped segments to reveal seeds covered in red arils. The plant blooms from age 3-4 and can live for 50-100 years! Plants in the Simpoh family (Dilleniaceae) hiss when the trunk or a branch is cut (you have to put your ear to the cut to hear it). The sound comes from the air that is sucked into the cut vessels.

Uses of Dillenia Suffroticosa's Leave

The large leaves of the Simpoh Air were used to wrap food such as tempeh (fermented soyabean cakes), or formed into shallow cones to contain traditional "fast food" such as rojak as well as being used to wrap cooked rice.

The Simpoh Air sends out very deep tap roots to reach underground water sources. So much so that their presence suggests an underground water source, and some people use the plant as a guide to decide where to dig a well. The timber is not useful because it is twisted and very hard.

Traditional medicinal uses of Dillenia Suffroticosa

Simpoh Air is used to staunch bleeding wounds, and the fruit pulp may be used to wash the hair (Brunei).

SEO: Bunga Simpor | Dillenius | Simpor Bini (Dillenia suffruticosa) | River Simpor (Dillenia beccariana) | Ayer Muleh | Family Dilleniaceae

Animal Oddity - Photo of Largest Huntsman Spider

The Heteropoda maxima (shown here) is one of more than 1,000 new species discovered around the Mekong River in southeast Asia over the past 10 years, according to a new report by conservation group World Wildlife Fund). With a legspan of up to 11.8 inches, the species is the largest huntsman spider in the world. (Courtesy Petra and Wilfried Creative Commons/WWF)

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Longest Tail Horse

Summer Breeze just became a world champion. She may not gallop the fastest or jump the highest, but Guinness World Records says her impressive 12-foot-6-inch tail is the longest in the world. Owned by Crystal Socha of Augusta, Kan., Summer also has a long, flowing mane.
(WENN)

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Saturday, April 11, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Barreleye Fish - Macropinna microstoma

Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) captured this image of a barreleye fish (Macropinna microstoma) in the deep waters just offshore of Central California from a video taken by a remotely operated video at depths of 2,000 to 2,600 feet. Since it was discovered in 1939, the barreleye's vision has been a mystery, until scientists at MBARI solved it on Feb. 23, 2009. The barreleye has extremely light-sensitive, tubular eyes that can rotate inside of its transparent head. Capped by bright green lenses, the fish's eyes point upward when it looks for food overhead, and then they point forward when the fish is feeding to focus on its prey. (Courtesy Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)

Friday, April 10, 2009

Animal Oddity - Photo of Pink Albino Dolphin

A rare albino dolphin has been spotted in Louisiana's Lake Calcasieu, an inland saltwater estuary north of the Gulf of Mexico. The pink mammal also has reddish eyes and was originally spotted swimming with a pod of four other dolphins by a charter boat captain, according to the U.K. Telegraph. The Amazon River in South America is home to a species of pink dolphin, called the boto, but biologists say this particular pink dolphin is an albino bottlenose that should be gray. (Caters News Agency)

Freak Banana With Long Fruit Bunch (Trunk)

Photo of a freak banana with trunk. Or rather, a very long bunch. No exact measurement was given by the original photographer.

Photo by: by Thong Weng Kwong, TheStar

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Thursday, April 9, 2009

Animal Oddity - Bearded Cat

Bearded ugly Bat Boy came to live with a New Hampshire veterinarian after the vet told the cat's previous owner that he liked the animal's looks, according to the U.K. Telegraph. Ugly was born to a litter of four and is now 8 years old. Because of his appearance he's become a local celebrity. (ABC)

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Animal Oddity - Albino Pink Elephant Calf

A rare albino elephant calf is captured on camera in the Okavango region of Botswana. Experts say albino elephants are usually not white but have more of a reddish-brown or pink hue, according to the BBC. Albinism is thought to be fairly common among Asian elephants but is not so common in larger African elephants. (Mike Holding/AfriScreen Films)

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Animal Oddity - Two-nosed Bunny

A Connecticut pet shop worker found the two-nosed bunny in a delivery of 6-week-old dwarf rabbits that arrived at the Milford store last week, according to The Associated Press. Both noses have two nostrils. The bunny eats, drinks and hops around just like the other bunnies in the litter. Gregg Dancho, director of the state's Beardsley Zoo, told The Associated Press that the deformity could be the result of too much inbreeding or the parents' exposure to pesticides or poisons. Workers at the pet store have started a naming contest for the bunny. Cyrano de Bergerac and Deuce are in the running so far. In this photo, Iris Bergeron, an employee of Purr-Fect Pets, holds the bunny, March 31, 2009.
(Brian A. Pounds/The Connecticut Post/AP Photo)

WATCH: Bunny Born With Two Noses

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Monday, April 6, 2009

Animal Oddity - Giant Killer Worm

A 4-foot-long giant sea worm has been discovered at an aquarium in the U.K. Workers at Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium unearthed the creature while they were trying to figure out what was attacking a coral reef and prize fish, the U.K.'s Daily Mail reported. The Daily Mail said the tropical worm, named Barry, is capable of permanently numbing humans with its sting.
(Rex USA)

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Serpent Rock, Bako National Park

Photo of a vertical rock formation in the shape of a Serpent's Head at Bako National Park. The attractive sandstone formations appear pink with iron patterns on the cliff.