Saturday, May 02, 2009


In Inuit legend, the narwhal's tusk was created when a woman with a harpoon rope tied around her waist was dragged into the ocean after the harpoon had struck a large narwhal. She was transformed into a narwhal herself, and her hair twisted around in the water until it became the characteristic spiral narwhal tusk.

Some medieval Europeans believed narwhal tusks to be the horns from the legendary unicorn. As these horns were considered to have magic powers, such as the ability to cure poison and melancholia, Vikings and other northern traders were able to sell them for many times their weight in gold. The tusks were used to make cups that were thought to negate any poison that may have been slipped into the drink. During the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth received a carved and bejeweled narwhal tusk for £10,000—the cost of a castle (approximately £1.5—2.5 Million in 2007, using the retail price index). The tusks were staples of the cabinet of curiosities.

The most conspicuous characteristic of the male narwhal is its single 2-3 m (7-10 ft) long tusk. It is an incisor tooth that projects from the left side of the upper jaw and forms a left-handed helix. The tusk can be up to three meters (nearly 10 ft) long (compared with a body length of 4-6 m [13-16 ft]) and weigh up to 10 kg (22 lbs). About one in 500 males has two tusks, which occurs when the right incisor, normally small, also grows out. A female narwhal may also produce a tusk, but this occurs rarely, and there is a single recorded case of a female with dual tusks.

Serotiny is the behaviour of some plant species that retain their non-dormant seeds in a cone or woody fruit for up to several years, but release them after exposure to fire. The cones protect the seeds from granivores and the heat generated by bush fires. However, during a bush fire the heat melts resins in the seed, that once held the cone or fruit tightly shut, which then allows the structures to open and release the seeds. Such survival strategies allow for seeds to be released after fires which signal the clearance of competitor plants from the environment.


THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET
by John Sayles


I am not sure why I never saw this before.... was very suprised at how good the acting was and the cinematography. It was also pretty funny...& John Sayles plays the evil alien dude.

Has anyone seen THE WIRE? the T.V. show? my friend Adam says it's the best show ever... but I don't wanna get stuck watching some bullshit.

check out this good lookin' guy!
the KING CHEETAH!


The king cheetah is a rare mutation of cheetah characterized by a distinct pelt pattern. It was first noted in Zimbabwe in 1926. A recessive gene must be inherited from both parents in order for this pattern to appear- which is one reason why it is so rare.

2 comments:

Benjamin Parrish said...

king cheetah looks cool but he's no kimmswick, walter, melba jean, or paloma!

Devon said...

I've heard lots of good things about The Wire, but I've avoided it because I can't commit to getting sucked into a 5 season tv show addiction these days. Check out Breaking Bad though. That show is AMAZING!