A not-very-good picture of a Gaboon viper. I include it for two reasons (other than the fact that it just looks cool and it's almost as fun to say "Gaboon viper" as it is to say "boomslang"...)
- The reason that it is not a very good pic is because I was taking my photos with available light, unlike the self-centered jackass in front of us who stopped in front of each tank in the darkened half ot the snake exhibit and lit off his flash. I was ready to grab his DSLR by the zoom lens and beat him to his knees with the camera body. I checked the news this morning in the hope that he had died in a crotch fire on the drive home, but no such luck...
- Also, the sign on the tank proclaimed that the scientific name of this subspecies of Gaboon viper is Bitis rhinoceros, which, as Bobbi pointed out, is Huck the Cat's life's ambition.
On the list of "Things That Creep Tamara Right The Heck Out", go 'head and pencil in "The Legs Of A Marabou Stork" at the bottom. (Although if I remember correctly, you could get Marabou Barbie's knees to bend like this, too, which made for very authentic pink Corvette wrecks.)
Obviously these two white rhinos are tired out after a tough day of rhinocerosin'. Either that, or someone just told them that the nickname of their species is "square-lipped rhinoceros", and they're sulking.
15 comments:
I'm going to assume you meant Malibu Barbie's knees. I'm also going to assume I'm going to get mercilessly teased for pointing that out, but I ain't skeered.
45er,
Yes. I was trying to make a funny. :)
Oh, and cool pics. Tell the Rhinos to watch out for Bitis rhinoceros :)
"If I Ran the Zoo..."
You should be in charge of PR. Between your photos and your commentary, I predict a change in visitor demographics...
Orson Bean-on the old TV show 'To Tell the Truth'-always seemed to be waxing on about the Gaboon Viper.
He'd always say he was so named, because he'd bite you in the Gaboon!
The sign on the tank was slightly incorrect. A Gaboon Viper's latin description is Bitis Gabonica, with the western subspecies being Bitis Gabonica Gabonica and the eastern subspecies being Bitis Gabonica Rhinoceros. The eastern subspecies is often called the Rhinoceros Viper.
Bob,
Yes, but then the joke isn't funny anymore. :(
I started to type gabonica in my reply and Tam's right, the funny just drained right out.
I have tried and tried, and I am damned if I can see "Tam" and "Barbie" in the same paragraph.
On the list of "Things That Creep Tamara Right The Heck Out", go 'head and pencil in "The Legs Of A Marabou Stork" at the bottom.
Useless-but-fun trivia factoid: that particular marabou stork is standing flat on its feet. Yes, its feet. That backward-bending joint that you think is the knee is actually its ankle.
The pic of the gaboon viper is quite respectable for visible light. I would try editing it in Photoshop/Elements/GIMP/other-editor-of-choice, you should be able to dim the left hand side a bit and bring out some more detail there.
As for the post below: giraffes, they be right nifty animals. They worry me a bit, with that long and quite startlingly flexible neck carrying around an intensely curious head, but still nifty. I occasionally wonder what might have been if it were possible to tame and ride a giraffe...
One of the family 8mm home movies we had included "Going To The Zoo!" -- complete with Marabou. That avian species, along with the phrase "carrion eating stork" are secured behind a strong door in the mansions of my memory (a room I do not often visit)!
Wolfwalker,
"Useless-but-fun trivia factoid: that particular marabou stork is standing flat on its feet. Yes, its feet. That backward-bending joint that you think is the knee is actually its ankle."
Actually, I pointed that out to Bobbi at the zoo. That doesn't make it look any less weird, though. ;)
"...Marabou Barbie's knees..."
Aha! I see that your family, in a cost-saving gesture, also shopped at the Asian Toy Store. ;)
I don't know about Marabou Barbie, but Barbies in generally could have their knees bent backwards, especially when GI Joe has a bat.
Just ask my older sister. {grin}
Or a busy day of keeping the black rhino down.
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