Category:
Animals
Animals
Wolverine Soap
Even before a certain blade-wielding comicbook character pre-empted the name of "Wolverine," could it possibly have been a good idea to name your product after a vicious, pint-sized killer beast?
"Wolverine Soap--it will rip the dirt off your skin, and your skin with it!"
No wonder the pitchman in the ad below is working so hard to find sales reps.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Sep 21, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Animals, Business, Advertising, Products, Death, Destruction, Hygiene, Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods, 1920s
Bear Attacks Man—Provokes Smiling and Laughing
When bears attack, men and women....laugh and play with the bear.It is Russia after all. I'm just surprised it's not Putin. The guy does get bit on the hand later, but who can be upset? Play with bears -- you will get bitten.
Posted By: gdanea - Thu Sep 20, 2012 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals
How the Marsh Mongoose catches prey
The Marsh Mongoose (Atilax paludinosus), also known as the African Water Mongoose, has an unusual method of catching its favorite food (birds). It makes its butt look like a piece of ripe fruit, which tempts birds over to investigate — and fall right into its trap. Jonathan Kingdon, author of East African Mammals, explains:
The marsh mongoose has been widely credited by local people with employing a very bizarre subterfuge to catch birds. The story would seem quite outlandish were there not corroborative evidence for the behaviour pattern, even if not for its alleged purpose. My captive female occasionally would sun-bathe lying on her back, in which position her pale pink anal area assumed a quite startling prominence against the surrounding fringe of dark fur. This display is claimed to induce birds (including the locals' chickens), to approach and peck at the anus, whereupon the mongoose seizes the bird.
According to Animal Diversity Web, the Marsh Mongoose also has another odd trick:
When approached by a threating presence, the mongoose makes a low growl, which may be reinforced by sudden explosive barking growls in a deeper tone. When the mongoose is cornered or distressed, it ejects jets of foul brown fluid from its anal sacs.
Goes to show that you really can't compete with Nature for weirdness.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 16, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Animals, Freaks, Oddities, Quirks of Nature, Science
Sea Lion Hide Shoes
[From Playboy for November 1968. Click to enlarge.]
Lizard, alligator, shark--sure, I've heard of shoes made with those, and also with ostrich skin.
But sea lion?!?
I went looking and found a firm that still uses sea lion hide for various products, though I'm not sure sea lion shoes are among their offerings.
But Holy God, look at this crocodile chair!
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 12, 2012 -
Comments (7)
Category: Animals, Furniture, Shoes, 1960s
Snake In Your Bonnet
It sounds worse when English newspapers report it. The bonnet isn't a hat -- it's the hood of your car. Finding a 16 foot rock python under the hood of your car is bad, especially when you have just watched it slither under your car. When it doesn't come out, do you have the guts to open the hood?
Even more surprising, since there was no one around to help, they drove -- WITH THE SNAKE IN THE CAR -- three miles to a lookout station to coax out the snake. Here's the link to the bonnet story.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/python-found-in-car-engine-16-ft-1309075
By the way, they were there to see lions.
Posted By: gdanea - Sun Sep 09, 2012 -
Comments (7)
Category: Animals
Suicide by Crocodile
1990: A woman climbed the fence at the same crocodile farm, Samut Prakarn, and was swarmed by crocs as hundreds of tourists watched in horror. [LA Times]
1994: Following the death of President Felix Houphouet-Boigny of the Ivory Coast, a man declared that without the president life wasn't worth living and jumped into the crocodile-infested moat outside the presidential palace in Yamoussoukro. Crowds watched for two days as the crocs chewed on his body. [Glasgow Herald]
2002: Again at Thailand's Samut Prakarn croc farm, a depressed woman waded into the crocodile pit. A spectator later said, "The moment the crocodile grabbed her body, she even hugged onto him. It was horrifying." [The Nation]
2011: A South-African farm worker, depressed after a fight with his lover, waded into the crocodile-infested Lepelle river. No one saw him actually being eaten, but someone later reported seeing a human leg dangling out of a crocodile's mouth. [Daily Mail]
Based on these reports, it sounds like it can take up to 20 or 30 minutes before the crocodiles actually kill you. So it's not a particularly quick form of suicide. Also, I'm not sure if it would be blood loss or drowning that would finally kill you -- or perhaps a combination of both!
Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 07, 2012 -
Comments (12)
Category: Animals, Death, Suicide
The Lucrative Deer Urine Industry
Judi Collora, owner of Mrs. Doe Pee's Buck Lures, makes her living selling deer urine. She sells it to hunters who use it to lure deers. Apparently it's a pretty good living. Businessweek.com figures she's a multimillionaire.Some factoids about the deer urine business: 1) it's seasonal, because deers pee more in the summer than they do in winter. 2) the urine is collected by means of a two-story barn. The deer are on the top floor, and their urine drips through grates into vats on the first floor.
Despite her success, Collora is worried about the future. She fears that an Obama victory in November will cause the collapse of the deer-urine industry. So it sounds like Romney has the deer-urine vote in the bag.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 03, 2012 -
Comments (19)
Category: Animals, Jobs and Occupations, Body Fluids
Follies of the Mad Men #188
Subtext: our arcane, byzantine loan policies are as horrifying and deadly as this nausea-inducing hybrid nightmare creature we chose as our new mascot.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 31, 2012 -
Comments (7)
Category: Animals, Business, Advertising, Products, Money, Fictional Monsters
Singing Gibbons on Helium
I think a study of helium-sniffing singing gibbons qualifies as weird science. Link to the original article in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. And you can hear the gibbons singing with and without helium either at eurekalert.org, which has the sound files posted, or in the Newsy Science video below.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 25, 2012 -
Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Music, Science, Experiments
The New Golden Age of Crow Hunting
According to crowbusters.com, the 40s, 50s, and 60s were the "Golden Era" of crow hunting. But then Federal protection appeared, and the crow population began to grow... and grow. As a result, crows aren't endangered any more. And so, says the crows busters team:I believe we are entering the second "Golden Era" of crow hunting. Hunters are finding out that there is no other type of varmint hunting that involves so many hunting skills. Camouflage, blinds, calling, decoy placement and wing shooting all need to come together for a successful crow shoot. And best of all, crows are everywhere! With the exception of a few isolated spots, at least a few crows can be found almost anywhere you hunt.
What to do with the crows once you've shot 'em? Eat 'em, of course!
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 24, 2012 -
Comments (12)
Category: Animals, Food
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |