Archive for the ‘Random’ Category

Barking Mad Cat

Have you ever seen something like this before? This cat gets caught barking by its owner, then carries on meowing as if nothing weird has happened! I always knew cats were up to something when our backs were turned! Maybe him and Standing Cat are in on this together…

By Sinéad. Posted in Cats, Funny, Random

Top 5 Animal Dads

The mother is often given all the credit when it comes to raising the kids in the animal world – but we shouldn’t forget the input of some of the most doting of fathers. Some will do the unheard of for a father – go without food – for their kids, while others will actually ‘give birth’! So, in honour of Father’s Day this weekend, here’s our list of Top 5 Animal Dads.

5.  Rhea

Even though this South American ostrich impersonator is known for his wandering eye and for having numerous lady-friends, you can’t accuse him of being a deadbeat Dad. Having literally been ‘left holding the baby’ by the many notches on his bedpost, he becomes responsible for the incubation of up to 50 eggs at a time. He doesn’t take this duty lightly and will not hesitate in charging any human or animal threats.

4. Giant Waterbug

This Japanese bug is sometimes referred to as the ‘toe-biter’ as it is able to deliver one of the most painful insect bites in the world. This will come in handy when he’s protecting his young – which he carries around on his back. The female waterbug ‘glues’ up to 150 eggs onto the male for a week long piggy-back prior to their hatching.

3. Marmoset

The male marmoset is the modern-day Dad of the monkey world. These tree-dwellers are very hands on throughout their partner’s pregnancy and go to midwifery-like lengths to help the female in the birthing process, even biting through the umbilical cord and cleaning up the afterbirth. The mother then takes a backseat and leaves the rearing of the children up to the male, who will groom, feed and nurture the young.

2. Emperor Penguin

This dedicated Dad goes through a lot to care for his one and only egg each year. The largest of the penguins live in Antarctica and breed in temperatures of around 57 degrees below Celsius. After the mother lays her egg, she leaves the Dad with it to go on a two month eating spree. It’s then up to the father to keep the egg warm in the small pouch just above his feet. Groups of penguin fathers can often be seen huddling together to provide added warmth for their eggs. This incubating goes on for two months, with the Dads forgoing food for the duration.

1. Seahorse

Male seahorses top the list of animal Dads thanks to their devotion to both their mate and their offspring. He is actually the one who does all the leg-work in this relationship – he can carry up to 1000 babies at a time. A graceful dance starts the mating process and ends up with the female depositing 100s of eggs in the male’s pouch, which he will proudly display during his “pregnancy”.

By Sinéad. Posted in News, Random

An Embarrassment of Pandas – Weird Terms for Groups of Animals

Collective nouns are the words used to describe a group – we all know the most common ones used for animals. There’s a herd of sheep, a pride of lions, a flock of seagulls. But did you know that a group of bears can be referred to as a sleuth? Or that the collective term for a group of swans is a bevy? Next time you’re at the zoo you can wow your friends with your vast vocabulary as you point out a flamboyance of flamingos or a creep of tortoises.

For more weird – and sometimes very fitting – ways to describe animal groups, here’s our A-Z of unusual collective nouns.

A – An Aurora of Polar Bears

B – A Bouquet of Pheasants

C – A Confusion of Guinea Fowl.

D – A Dule of Doves

E – An Embarrassment of Pandas

F – A Float of Crocodiles

G – A Gulp of Magpies

H – A Hedge of Herons

I – An Implausibility of Gnus

J – A Journey of Giraffe

K – A Kindle of Kittens

L – A Leap of Leopards

M – A Murder of Crows

N – A Nest of Vipers

O – An Ostentation of Peacocks

P – A Parliament of Owls

Q – A Quiver of Cobras

R – A Rake of Mules

S – A Scurry of Squirrels

T – A Troop of Monkeys

U – An Unkindness of Ravens

V – A Volery of Birds

W – A Wisdom of Wombats

X – An eXaltation of Larks

Y – A Yoke of Oxen

Z – A Zeal of Zebras

By Sinéad. Posted in Random

Ten Must-See Animal Pictures

10. Running Bassett Hound

9. Fantastic Mr. Fox

8. Bashful Walrus

7. Cat Eating Pizza

6. Pig Wearing Wellies

5. Dog at the Pub

4. Fireman Giving Oxygen to Kitten

3. Pug in Pug Boots

2. Top (Hat) Cat

1. Spineless Hedgehog Wearing a Tank Top

By Sinéad. Posted in Funny, Random

Drunken Monkeys

Tourists on the sleepy island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean have fallen victim to a group of alcohol swigging monkeys. The small vervet monkeys have become adept at swooping in to beachside bars and hotel swimming pools to cunningly snatch their daily fix. They love nothing more than a beer or rum cocktail and like some humans, will keep coming back for more until they are drunk.

Watch the party animals knock a few back below:

By Sinéad. Posted in Funny, Random