Well, this one's not about killing, but I thought it was pretty cool. I was out camping with a group one night, and we were around the campfire. All of a sudden a female wolf spider came across the area with her back stacked high with baby spiders. She couldn't go very fast because the spiderlings would fall off, but she tried to hurry anyway.
I think nature is just amazing. Some things about it make me very happy, like this mother spider and her babies. People seldom think about spiders with any sympathy. I have to say I felt sorry for her, and I also felt a strange sort of female bond. Hard to explain.
Also, one other thing I thought was extremely cool, was the anteater at the zoo. The female had a baby riding on her back, and the most amazing thing was that there was a white stripe along the dark fur of her side; and while the baby was on her back, 'his' stripe lined up perfectly with hers, so it didn't look like he was there, and instead made her look much bigger and more formidable to possible predators. I just *love* stuff like that. I tried to point this phenomenon out to others, but no one seemed as intrigued by it as I was. Oh well. Their loss, I guess. I derived a *great deal* of pleasure from seeing that, and still do when I think of it.
On topic (heh):
Once, at a Mayan ruin in southern Mexico (Palenque), I was sitting in the grass eating some fruit. I saw a large, fat caterpillar making its way through the grass just inches from where I was sitting. Suddenly a frog appeared and tried to swallow the caterpillar, but I think it secreted a foul taste or something, because the frog spat it out. I was relieved briefly; but not even a minute passed before the caterpillar was eaten by a bird. I just sat there in amazement at the short brutal life of some creatures.
Last thing: a friend and I were driving down a dirt road in the wilderness when we saw a tarantula in the middle of the road. He reared up on his hind legs and challenged us, though 'we' were in a car and were a million times bigger than he. Pretty brave spider, don't you think?
Last thing: a friend and I were driving down a dirt road in the wilderness when we saw a tarantula in the middle of the road. He reared up on his hind legs and challenged us, though 'we' were in a car and were a million times bigger than he. Pretty brave spider, don't you think?
I've seen a wild cobra doing this, too. It was bent double with its hood up in prepared-to-strike position as we drove past it.
I would guess the bird of prey in the original post was probably a Peregrine Falcon. They aren't that big a bird, much smaller than people imagine and they have adapted well to life in cities...all those tasty pigeons to eat and highrises to nest on.
I once heard a loud noise like incoming artilary and the next thing I know feathers are falling down all around me. I didn't even see the bird after the kill, but it scared the crap out of me given that I was in Israel at the time and it really could have been a missile!
Like Hassan I have also seen lions chowing down on a kill in the Mara, but was not lucky enough to see the actual taking down of the animal. In fact I just sold one of my photos of the meal for $300 to some ad agency in Toronto. That's twice what I paid for the Safari so not bad profit.8)
I can't think of any other dramatic kills at the moment other than the mundane cat kills and the like.
I would guess the bird of prey in the original post was probably a Peregrine Falcon. They aren't that big a bird, much smaller than people imagine and they have adapted well to life in cities...all those tasty pigeons to eat and highrises to nest on.
I once heard a loud noise like incoming artilary and the next thing I know feathers are falling down all around me. I didn't even see the bird after the kill, but it scared the crap out of me given that I was in Israel at the time and it really could have been a missile!
Like Hassan I have also seen lions chowing down on a kill in the Mara, but was not lucky enough to see the actual taking down of the animal. In fact I just sold one of my photos of the meal for $300 to some ad agency in Toronto. That's twice what I paid for the Safari so not bad profit.8)
I can't think of any other dramatic kills at the moment other than the mundane cat kills and the like.
Well, craiger, the photos of the flamingo scenes are just magnificent. The lighting, composition, and color are spectacular. Wow wow wow.
The buffalo is unbelievably huge. And I *love* the shot of the varying-sized hippo group on the shore. Amazing, that gigantic one and the little one nearby...!
I've seen a wild cobra doing this, too. It was bent double with its hood up in prepared-to-strike position as we drove past it.
Okay, Hassan, I'll have to dust off a quick story myself.
During the two years that I was married, at one point my husband spent a few months traveling in SE Asia. At university, though he was studying engineering, he had become friends with a prof. in the biology dept. So as a favor to the professor, when he returned from Asia, he also shipped back a few items.
For a while, we had in our apt. (in glass cages):
* a bamboo viper
* a 9' reticulate python
* a hog-nosed viper
* a puff adder
* and a brown spitting cobra
I may have forgotten one or two, but you get the general idea.
My job was to feed the python. I had to ride my motorcycle to a chicken farm in the south part of the city, buy two young roosters (alive) which were put in a brown paper bag that I affixed carefully to the back of the seat.
When I got home I had to dump these poor creatures in with that snake. I would cry. Plus, the snake had a very bad attitude...truly malevolent. You could tell he *really* resented having his freedom taken away in exchange for life in a cage. (I don't blame him.) He would pack his feces into his water bowl, and give me hateful looks.
Like Hassan I have also seen lions chowing down on a kill in the Mara, but was not lucky enough to see the actual taking down of the animal.
All these lion stories happened within five days of one another. It was during my first time in Africa and I absolutely thought that this was the kind of thing you saw every day when you drove out of the city. At the end of it I was like 'oh, we're being charged by a bull elephant! Heh.'
I've seen some utterly insane things since then in Africa, although the maddest events generally involve human beings. Taxibus drivers, normally.
I have a picture somewhere of the ten seven-year-olds we allowed to take turns driving our ruined hire car, sitting on its bonnet and laughing themselves stupid.
Other times you need pictorial evidence you're normally speechless with fear or shock, or driving yourself.
Comments
I think nature is just amazing. Some things about it make me very happy, like this mother spider and her babies.
Also, one other thing I thought was extremely cool, was the anteater at the zoo. The female had a baby riding on her back, and the most amazing thing was that there was a white stripe along the dark fur of her side; and while the baby was on her back, 'his' stripe lined up perfectly with hers, so it didn't look like he was there, and instead made her look much bigger and more formidable to possible predators. I just *love* stuff like that. I tried to point this phenomenon out to others, but no one seemed as intrigued by it as I was. Oh well. Their loss, I guess. I derived a *great deal* of pleasure from seeing that, and still do when I think of it.
On topic (heh):
Once, at a Mayan ruin in southern Mexico (Palenque), I was sitting in the grass eating some fruit. I saw a large, fat caterpillar making its way through the grass just inches from where I was sitting. Suddenly a frog appeared and tried to swallow the caterpillar, but I think it secreted a foul taste or something, because the frog spat it out. I was relieved briefly; but not even a minute passed before the caterpillar was eaten by a bird. I just sat there in amazement at the short brutal life of some creatures.
Last thing: a friend and I were driving down a dirt road in the wilderness when we saw a tarantula in the middle of the road. He reared up on his hind legs and challenged us, though 'we' were in a car and were a million times bigger than he. Pretty brave spider, don't you think?
Originally posted by Carol A
Last thing: a friend and I were driving down a dirt road in the wilderness when we saw a tarantula in the middle of the road. He reared up on his hind legs and challenged us, though 'we' were in a car and were a million times bigger than he. Pretty brave spider, don't you think?
I've seen a wild cobra doing this, too. It was bent double with its hood up in prepared-to-strike position as we drove past it.
I once heard a loud noise like incoming artilary and the next thing I know feathers are falling down all around me. I didn't even see the bird after the kill, but it scared the crap out of me given that I was in Israel at the time and it really could have been a missile!
Like Hassan I have also seen lions chowing down on a kill in the Mara, but was not lucky enough to see the actual taking down of the animal. In fact I just sold one of my photos of the meal for $300 to some ad agency in Toronto. That's twice what I paid for the Safari so not bad profit.8)
I can't think of any other dramatic kills at the moment other than the mundane cat kills and the like.
Originally posted by craiger77
I would guess the bird of prey in the original post was probably a Peregrine Falcon. They aren't that big a bird, much smaller than people imagine and they have adapted well to life in cities...all those tasty pigeons to eat and highrises to nest on.
I once heard a loud noise like incoming artilary and the next thing I know feathers are falling down all around me. I didn't even see the bird after the kill, but it scared the crap out of me given that I was in Israel at the time and it really could have been a missile!
Like Hassan I have also seen lions chowing down on a kill in the Mara, but was not lucky enough to see the actual taking down of the animal. In fact I just sold one of my photos of the meal for $300 to some ad agency in Toronto. That's twice what I paid for the Safari so not bad profit.8)
I can't think of any other dramatic kills at the moment other than the mundane cat kills and the like.
Well, craiger, the photos of the flamingo scenes are just magnificent. The lighting, composition, and color are spectacular. Wow wow wow.
The buffalo is unbelievably huge. And I *love* the shot of the varying-sized hippo group on the shore. Amazing, that gigantic one and the little one nearby...!
Originally posted by Hassan i Sabbah
I've seen a wild cobra doing this, too. It was bent double with its hood up in prepared-to-strike position as we drove past it.
Okay, Hassan, I'll have to dust off a quick story myself.
During the two years that I was married, at one point my husband spent a few months traveling in SE Asia. At university, though he was studying engineering, he had become friends with a prof. in the biology dept. So as a favor to the professor, when he returned from Asia, he also shipped back a few items.
For a while, we had in our apt. (in glass cages):
* a bamboo viper
* a 9' reticulate python
* a hog-nosed viper
* a puff adder
* and a brown spitting cobra
I may have forgotten one or two, but you get the general idea.
My job was to feed the python. I had to ride my motorcycle to a chicken farm in the south part of the city, buy two young roosters (alive) which were put in a brown paper bag that I affixed carefully to the back of the seat.
When I got home I had to dump these poor creatures in with that snake. I would cry. Plus, the snake had a very bad attitude...truly malevolent. You could tell he *really* resented having his freedom taken away in exchange for life in a cage. (I don't blame him.) He would pack his feces into his water bowl, and give me hateful looks.
Originally posted by craiger77
I
Like Hassan I have also seen lions chowing down on a kill in the Mara, but was not lucky enough to see the actual taking down of the animal.
All these lion stories happened within five days of one another. It was during my first time in Africa and I absolutely thought that this was the kind of thing you saw every day when you drove out of the city. At the end of it I was like 'oh, we're being charged by a bull elephant! Heh.'
I've seen some utterly insane things since then in Africa, although the maddest events generally involve human beings. Taxibus drivers, normally.
Originally posted by craiger77
You wouldn't be talking about something like this would you Hassan?[/IMG]
Yes.
Other times you need pictorial evidence you're normally speechless with fear or shock, or driving yourself.
Your picture's a classic, by the way.
Originally posted by craiger77
You wouldn't be talking about something like this would you Hassan?
I think the front tires might be off the ground.
Originally posted by craiger77
God, I love those crazy Shriners.