Ugly Overload

Happy World Tapir Day

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:18:00 +0000

Hey, why wasn't I invited to this party? After all the times I've posted about tapirs!

From the Facebook page of Zoo de Cordoba, Argentina.

Happy Monday Tapir Snout!

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:41:00 +0000

From Howletts Animal Park in England.

New ugdorable bat

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:13:00 +0000

Courtesy of Wired, where they're falling all over themselves coming up with different ways of describing this new species from South Sudan: "looks like a tiny flying bulldog," "manages to simultaneously resemble a badger and bulldog. With black-and-cream coloring reminiscent of a frothy stout," and "striking, panda-like bicolored patches." We sympathize with their enthusiasm.

New Giant Tarantula Discovered in Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:50:00 +0000

New giant tarantula discovered in Sri Lanka. With an eight inch leg span. Not much else needs to be said about that except maybe "Whoa, cool!"

Your Monday ugdorable

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:18:00 +0000

This is a new book about baby sloths. Of course, all of us liked sloths before sloths were cool. (I wrote a book with a sloth on the cover way before this one.) But it's not their fault they're popular, you know? So I'm betting you still want a book full of baby sloths. You can read more about it here.

Saving an ugly orphan

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:03:00 +0000

Here's something you don't see every day: a baby pangolin drinking from a bottle. This orphan named Fikile is being raised by the Tikki Hywood Trust in Zimbabwe (photo from their Facebook page).

World Pangolin Day

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 15:40:00 +0000

It's World Pangolin Day! Check out the official website for depressing info about the threats facing these unique scaly mammals, adorable video of a baby sticking out its tongue, and facts that even I didn't know, like that there are eight species of pangolin.

Buglovers

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:22:00 +0000

I recommend that you check out my article for the Associated Press on pet insects. It is highly relevant to our interests.

-Wombat (No Relation)

An ugly animal treat

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:25:00 +0000

Readers of this blog are no doubt familiar with the Marabou stork and as much as you love ugly animals, I'm going to guess that you don't find that that photo gives you a healthy appetite.

So imagine my surprise when I was recently given this bar of chocolate, a souvenir from Norway:

The bird is even reproduced on the chocolate itself:

According to the blog's Norway correspondent, this link explains that the company held a competition to design a logo in 1907 and they just liked the drawing. You have to wonder if they didn't see an actual photo of a Marabou stork till it was too late... or if they were just really our kind of people.

-Wombat (No Relation)

Your early Monday ugdorable

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:57:00 +0000

A baby sifaka from the Duke Lemur Center! They're the only place that's ever successfully bred the Coquerel's sifaka. There are only 56 of these lemurs in captivity and like probably everything on Madagascar they're endangered in the wild. And aren't they amazing little gremlin babies?

Finally, furniture for the ugly animal lover!

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:31:00 +0000

It's a toad sofa!

Sloth Attack

noreply@blogger.com (Raging Wombat) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:31:00 +0000

Had to post this one...

Tasty!

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 16:12:00 +0000

More Year of the Snake awesomeness

From Eataku via Archie McPhee's Geyser of Awesome.

Ugly duckling

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:48:00 +0000

Want to know more about why this duck is so ugly? Read this informative post all about caruncles.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:58:00 +0000

This coming year will be the Year of the Snake. These cute snakes are being sold at a market in Japan, which, as we've seen before, is a country that really appreciates its ugly animals.

Gator Claus is on his way!

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 21:58:00 +0000

Sick of cute animals in holiday outfits? Here, have an alligator instead. More on Buzzfeed. Happy Holidays!

Pugdorable!

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 21:20:00 +0000

Have broken my wrist and am a bit handicapped for blogging, but couldn't miss this baby echidna. Check it out: Perth puggles leading the breeding program for Perth Zoo.

New species of skinny, bug-eyed snake

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:10:00 +0000

Headline from Scientific American - how could you need to know more to be thrilled? But go ahead and click if you do. Don't miss the links to photos of its cool relatives, but maybe don't scroll down too far unless you want to know a little too much about the horror of snake sex organs.

-Wombat (No Relation)

Ugly animals in the mainstream media

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 15:43:00 +0000

Check out this article about the new vultures at the National Zoo in the Washington Post.

Tired of turkey?

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 00:14:00 +0000

Why not try some of these? It's Urechis unicinctus, a marine spoon worm also known as the fat innkeeper worm, or, if that doesn't sound delicious enough, the penis fish. And you don't even have to cook it! In China you might find them in a stir-fry, but in Korea, it's eaten raw. A little salt and sesame oil and you're good to go, a nice light meal after all that heavy holiday fare.

These guys have an interesting cuisine of their own. They secrete their own slime net to catch particles of food. And they're hospitable, hence the "innkeeper" name: they share the tunnels they dig with small fish and other marine animals, which also eat their leftovers.

All in all, a perfect symbolic animal for this holiday, right?

Happy Thanksgiving!
-Wombat (No Relation)

Ugly Cuisine and Conservation

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 02:06:00 +0000

Poster for the Tokyo Bug-eating Festival. Wish I was there (but just to watch).

Also relevant to our interests is this article at the BBC: Are these animals too ugly to be saved?

Your Monday.... ugdorable?

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 15:13:00 +0000

OK, even I am not sure about this one... That is a baby tentacled snake, resting on the hand of one of my sometime colleagues at the National Zoo. Tentacled snakes are aquatic (see some pictures of them in the water here) and spend their time hanging on by their tails to a branch and lolling about underwater looking uncannily like a dead branch. This clever method of disguise makes it easy for them to catch unsuspecting prey that swims by. Convenient for them, but less convenient for the keeper who is wondering how she would know if that dead-looking snake was actually dead.

-Wombat (No Relation)

Ugdorable baby weathers the storm

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:16:00 +0000

A little bit of good news: The New York Aquarium in Coney Island was flooded during Hurricane Sandy, with the entire facility reported to be under water. But staff remained to care for the animals, including orphaned baby walrus Mitik. The baby has had some health problems because of his history (you can read more of Mitik's backstory and see more photos, if you didn't before, at Zooborns) and what's described as his "around-the-clock" care was not interrupted.

We salute the staff's dedication to their ugly charge.

-Wombat (No Relation)

Happy Second International Sloth Day!

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 15:59:00 +0000

According to Foundation Aiunau, anyway. At my house every day is sloth day.

Foot Long Daddy Long Legs!

noreply@blogger.com (wombat) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:57:00 +0000

Discovered in Laos!