in 
Critters
Critters Friday
07Mar
Menagerie
Friday, 03.07.08 @ 12:09AM 
We’ve gained a few more pets here at Chez Cellania. My mother thought maybe the new parakeet Star wouldn’t be so psychotic if he had a companion. So we visited the pet shop, where the store keeper showed us a “vanilla” parakeet. He was referring to the color, but it stuck, and Vanilla is the name of the new addition. He told us he’s pretty sure Star is a boy and Vanilla is a girl. Star wasn’t too impressed. He’s made it clear that he prefers to look at the bird in the mirror instead of Vanilla. And she’d better not venture onto his half of the main perch! So we took away his mirrors, temporarily. He’s not happy (yet), but he seems to be much calmer than when he was alone.
Gothgirl also got a new pet. Meet Mr. McShellshell, the hermit crab. Although his name may be changed now. We bought a second hermit crab and an aquarium with proper sand after this photo was taken, and now she wants to name them simply Crabby and Patty. Makes sense to me. Now we have two cats, two birds, two crabs, two little girls, and just one me. Tune in next month when we stock the fish pond!
Trained Turtle (via Arbroath)
Psychologist Mitchell Spero trained his pet turtle to do dog tricks! Florida can sit, stay, and roll over (turtles in the wild do their best to avoid the rollover). Spero uses his turtle as an example of overcoming obstacles, to encourage the children he works with.
Zebroids: On Beyond Zebra. What do you get when you cross a zebra with a...
10 Animals You didn’t know were Venomous.
Top Eight Most Poisonous Animals. Yes, they actually meant most venomous. Most live in Australia, where people wear thongs on their feet year-round.
The 15 Most Bizarre Animal Mating Rituals.
6 Assorted Animal Adventures. Includes the war hero bear, the inspiring fish, and the sportscaster monkey.
Swimming Sloth (via Arbroath)
Tired Dog
(via Bits and Pieces)
An old, tired-looking dog wandered into the yard. I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home.
He followed me into the house, down the hall, and fell asleep in a corner. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.
The next day he was back, resumed his position in the hall, and slept for an hour. This continued for several weeks.
Curious, I pinned a note to his collar: "Every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap."
The next day he arrived with a different note pinned to his collar: "He lives in a home with ten children -- he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?"
THESIS
(Thanks, Rich!)
One fine, sunny day, a rabbit sat outside his burrow, typing on his laptop. Along came a fox, out for a walk.
"What are you working on, Rabbit?" asked the fox.
"My thesis," said the rabbit.
"Hmm. What's it about?" asked the fox.
"It's about how rabbits eat foxes," replied the rabbit.
"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed the fox. "Any fool knows that rabbits don't eat foxes."
"Sure they do," said the rabbit. "And I can prove it! Come into my burrow."
They disappeared inside and after a few minutes, the rabbit emerged alone, returned to his laptop, and resumed typing.
Soon, a wolf came along. "What are you working on, Rabbit?"
"My thesis," the rabbit replied.
"Hmm. What's it about?" asked the wolf.
"It's about how rabbits eat wolves," said the rabbit.
"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed the wolf. "Any fool knows that rabbits don't eat wolves."
"Sure they do," said the rabbit calmly. "And I can prove it! Come into my burrow."
They disappeared inside and after a few minutes, the rabbit emerged alone, returned to his laptop, and resumed typing.
Meanwhile, inside the rabbit's burrow there was a pile of fox bones and a pile of wolf bones -- and a lion picking his teeth.
The Moral: It doesn't matter what you choose for a thesis subject. It doesn't matter what you use for data. What matters is who you have for a thesis advisor!
The Tarsier is Looking at YOU (Thanks, Jan!)
Previously at Miss Cellania: Many posts on various Critters, and a category just for Cats.
Thought for today: Scientists tell us that the fastest animal on earth, with a top speed of 120 feet per second, is a cow that has been dropped out of a helicopter. -Dave Barry
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Reader Comments (2)
so cool! pretty sure this is the first listverse list that you've posted. thanx! i do lite 'housework' there as site admin.
do you call those birds parakeets? we call them budgies over here in Oz