ZooWeird 69

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Rosy-lipped batfish.  The rosy-lipped batfish can be found in the waters surrounding the Cocos Island, off the shore of Costa Rica—hence the species’ other common name “Cocos batfish.” It inhabits sand and rubble substrate and occurs in depths ranging from 35 to 150 m (114—494 ft). Like the red-lipped batfish, the rosy-lip has bright red lips, its most distinctive characteristic. The fish has a depressed head that is elevated above the disk-shaped body and a pointed snout, with a horn-like rostrum, projecting well forward between the eyes. The body is covered by leathery skin and features protruding bony spines on the back, unlike the red-lipped batfish, which has a smooth back. Individuals have an average length of about 15 cm (6 in.). They have (like the red-lipped batfish) highly modified pectoral and pelvic fins, which allow them to walk on the ocean floor. When swimming, they are slow and clumsy. On a side note, the spotted handfish walks and swims in a similar fashion. The Cocos batfish is carnivorous, with its diet consisting of benthic worms, crustaceans (like shrimps & crabs), gastropods and small fish. (All animal info from http://www.strangeanimals.info/2014/07/rosy-lipped-batfish.html#ixzz4XkpA0vvH)

Just off the Costa Rican coast

You’ll find these weird and reddish dudes.

They are not really prone to boast—

Or share their squirmy, wormy foods.

Just do not get too close to them—

You get too close, well, some disgrace.

To every batfish—her or him—

The challenge is to kiss your face

With those big rosy-lips so wet

A single kiss will wreck your day.

So if they come, your safest bet?

As swift as swiftness, swim away!

ZooWeird 68

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Red panda. The species' average length from head to body is 50 to 65 cm (20 to 26 inches), with an additional tail length of 30 to 50 cm (12 to 20 inches) and an average weight of 3 to 6 kg. Males weigh 3.7 to 6.2 kg whereas females weigh about 4.2 to 6.0 kg. The red panda is a small arboreal mammal and the only representative of the genus Ailurus. Despite. Its common name is the red panda, but it isn’t related to the giant panda and is much smaller and lighter. It has a reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. Red pandas use their ringed tails as a blanket to protect themselves from the cold temperatures of the chilly Himalayan areas they live in. (All animal info from: http://www.strangeanimals.info/2010/10/red-panda.html#ixzz4Xf0VJ6z4)

These pandas are arboreal—

They're up there for each nap and meal.

It isn’t such an awful deal.

For while they're up there in the trees

They get to do just what they please—

Like dream and love ... and Tastee Freeze.

ZooWeird 67

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Red-lipped batfish. The red-lipped batfish is a weird looking fish of the family Ogcocephalidae that is best known for its bright red, lipstick-like lips and for its unique ability to “walk” on the ocean floor using its modified fin. The batfish can be found exclusively on the sandy bottoms around the Galapagos Islands. It is a bottom- dwelling species, found at depths of 30 meters (100 feet.) or greater. The species inhabits sand and rubble substrate, with the deepest recorded sighting being at 120m (400 ft). (All animal info from http://www.strangeanimals.info/2011/10/red-lipped-batfish.html#ixzz4XZ4AK3hL)

It seems that it can walk upon

The deepest ocean floor—

While wearing “lipstick,” piscine-style,

And, yes, there is some more.

But we should pause a little bit—

Of time there is no dearth—

And marvel once again, my friends,

At marvels of the earth

(And sea.)

ZooWeird 66

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Pygmy marmoset. (Cebuella pygmaea) is a small New World monkey native to rainforests of the western Amazon Basin in South America. The species is notable for being the smallest monkey and one of the smallest primates in the world. Adults barely get to be over 100 grams. (All animal info from http://www.strangeanimals.info/2014/12/ninita-the-pugmy-marmoset.html#ixzz4XTEazyVv)

And so this pygmy marmoset—

About as small as you can get—

Had fallen into deepest debt.

He told the loan shark, “Listen, I

Am really such an honest guy—

So … how about a fresh supply?”

The loan shark, with a kind of bark,

Said in a way so very dark:
“You know, of course, I am a shark!

“So pay the vig on what you owe—

Or in the ocean you will go,

Where you will sink, so very low,

“And I am guessing that you’ll feel

A bit regretful (that’s the deal!)

As I consume you for a meal!”

ZooWeird 65

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Platypus. The platypus is actually a mammal. A very strange one that is—and not just for the way it looks. On close inspection, it looks like a crazy hybrid of a duck, a beaver, and an otter. For instance, other than the closely-related echidna, it’s the only surviving mammal that lays eggs. Platypuses are also one of the very few known mammals with the sense of electroreception, (or electrolocation), meaning that they can sense the electrical fields produced by other organisms, much as sharks can. The only other known mammals with electroreception are the echidna and the Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis). (All animal info from http://www.strangeanimals.info/2010/12/platypus.html#ixzz4XNN7XjdP)

The platypus cried, “Curse my luck!

I look like some sad furry duck—

An otter with a silly bill

Who lays some eggs—oh, what a skill!”

But, platypus, don’t feel deprived:

Unlike some others, you’ve survived.

ZooWeird 64

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Pink fairy armadillo. The world's smallest and probably cutest species of armadillo, this strange animal is endemic to the warm sandy plains of central Argentina, occurring south of Mendoza province as well as north of Rio Negro and south of Buenos Aires. The species prefers to burrow in very dry soil. However,  they will leave their burrows if they get moistened by rainfall. The burrows are often located near anthills, so that they are close to their main food source. (All animal info from http://www.strangeanimals.info/2015/05/pink-fairy-armadillo.html#ixzz4XHWtjEqh)

The smallest armadillo lives

In Argentina now.

In northern worlds he was so teased

He fled aboard a scow

And settled in the pampas, where

He had more time to think—

And where he was not teased because

He happened to be pink.

And now he is much happier—

His life is now in synch.

He and his bride spend evenings now

With MP3s of Pink.

ZooWeird 63

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Pea aphid. Pea aphids are notable for being the only known animals to synthesize a carotenoid, Torulene. Carotenoids are pigments produced by plants, fungi, and other microorganisms and play an important role in photosynthesis. A 2010 study on pea aphids found that they have gained the ability to synthesize torulene through horizontal gene transfer from fungi. Two years later, new research revealed that this carotenoid may be behind a photosynthetic-like ability. (All animal info from http://www.strangeanimals.info/2014/10/four-photosynthetic-like-animals.html#ixzz4XG8Rz6y2)

This aphid (with the name of Pea)

Succeeds in, well, surpassing me.

He makes some stuff inside his bod—

Which seems to me a little odd.

But then I’m something of an ass:

I dozed too much in science class.

So much I do not understand—

In sea, in sky, and on the land.