***Official Weird Animal Thread***

[Blarg]

Post here with evidence of and speculation and musings about animal weirdness.

Here's a start, the big brother to the legendary Hogzilla:

Hogzilla's bigger brother, the 1051(?) pound pig



Five inch tusks -- and wild boar can be mean!

I'm thinking this must be an escaped farm animal, rather than something that would develop in nature. It's just too friggin big and would eat itself out of most habits naturally, and fall victim to predators.

P.S.: The link says this dead pig even has his own website! He must be very proud.

P.P.S.: One of the most striking things I read in the link went something like "hams the size of car tires." Wow!

[Blarg]

And to continue the giant animal theme:

Florida tries to wipe out cat-sized African rats:

Monster Rats

Gambian Pouch Rats: "The African rats can weigh 6 to 9 pounds (2.7-4 kg), with body shades ranging from brown to gray. They have large ears, black, beady eyes, hamster-like pouched facial cheeks, sharp teeth and distinctive long, stringy and white-marked tails."

And they can carry monkey pox, which can also affect humans:

"That was after an outbreak of monkey-pox, similar to but milder to humans than smallpox, was linked to Gambian rat contact with prairie dogs in the U.S. Midwest.

The CDC hopes to study the carcasses and fecal samples of Gambian rats from the Grassy Keys to learn about internal parasites, but they have shown no signs of monkey-pox.

"We're lucky that's the case," Witmer said. "They sure can bite."

Personal note: Outside the hospital in Compton, I once saw a calico rat that I thought was a cat because of its strange fur and huge size, but nope. I guess there already some giant rats in America. But still, 9 pounds is substantial ...

[katyseagull]

[ QUOTE ]

Personal note: Outside the hospital in Compton, I once saw a calico rat that I thought was a cat because of its strange fur and huge size, but nope.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha, a calico rat. I demand documentation. I cannot believe it was a rat you saw.

By the way your cat-sized rats grossed me out. Just talking about rats makes me want to be sick.

[katyseagull]

I always thought the kangaroo was one of the weirder animals ever invented. Did you know they never walk backwards? Also, supposedly they can go for months without drinking water.





"Males determine sexual dominance by “boxing”, a form of male competition, in which males stand upright and kick with their hind legs while balancing on their tails, scratching with their fore-limb."

(Aren't you men glad you don't have to do this?)

[fyodor]

We don't have to do that? [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

[katyseagull]

The story of the python that swallowed the alligator was pretty gross. I remember seeing pictures of it and thinking it had been photoshopped.

python eats alligator



[ QUOTE ]
"Encounters like that are almost never seen in the wild... And here we are," Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida wildlife professor, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

"They were probably evenly matched in size. If the python got a good grip on the alligator before the alligator got a good grip on him, he could win," Professor Mazzotti said.




[/ QUOTE ]

[fyodor]

re: the big pig

I normally don't have a problem with hunters but this story bugs me. First- something that special shouldn't be shot. Fine if there are a certain amount of licenses handed out each year to shoot wild boars - go ahead and bag your limit, but they should have let something as unique as this one live.

I also find it a bit on the cruel side that he was using a pistol (even if it was a large caliber) and had to shoot it 8 times and chase it for 3 hours. That's too cruel. They had rifles. If you're going to kill it, have the decency to take it down quickly.

This is one case where I agree with the haters. The kid is pretty fat. Shoot him too.

[Mrs. Utah]

When I saw this post I immediately thought about this guy...

Corndog








Yes he was breathing but that is the only movement we saw from him.
[img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[cardsharkk04]

I always thought Aye Aye's were pretty weird

[diebitter]

They're common (we've had them in our back garden in the past), but still, hedgehogs are weird.

Note: video link with sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPhpsIK7pDc&NR=1