Sunday, March 28, 2004
My two favorite animals
As I mentioned at the end of my previous blog, I want to talk a little about my favorite animals. However, this weekend was a little busier than I had hoped. So I will mention each briefly, and in coming blogs I will talk about them a little more.
My all time favorite animal is one that is very close to my heart. It is the coelacanth. The coelacanth is a very rare fish, only found around the southern waters of Africa. The coelacanth is often referred to as the dino-fish, because it is an exact replica of fishes caught in fossils from millions of years ago. It would appear that time, and evolution, have past this fish by.
The coelacanth has many features that make it mysterious, other than its unchanged anatomy. For starters, it is very hard to find. The estimations of how many there are are very low, and there are many groups who are fighting to prevent the poaching of these beautiful and special creatures. Also, the fish itself has two biological features that we don't get to study that often. One is a precursor to spinal cords called a noto-cord. It is filled with spinal fluid, but is not a skeletal feature.
The coelacanth also has two extra fleshy appendages on its belly that resemble a missing link between fins and legs. Scientists who studied it shortly after its "rediscovery" in 1938 assumed it used these "legs" to walk about the ocean floor. However, studies of the fish in its habitat show no such behavior. It remains a mystery if this fish was the uncle to the first amphibian. Perhaps the fins are vestigial, former legs no longer needed by a creature that found survival in the ocean's niche a much better place.
Two more things make this fish magical. One is that it will not live in captivity. Every attempt to capture one for an aquarium, or shallow water observation, have ended up with the fish dying. This fish will not submit to science! :) And secondly, the fish, when it senses danger, stands on its head! Researchers are baffled by this, and one assumption is that it is aligning it's organs to receive some sort of electrical impulse to help it "see" attackers (sort of like a radar).
I love this fish! I will explain why at a later time.
My second favorite animal is not alive at all (or is it?). It is the virtual pet. In the late 1990's, these computerized toys swelled with popularity. They ranged from key chain sized toys to large stuffed animals. They usually start off as an egg, and the more you care for it, the better and bigger it gets.
I am addicted to these still. They pop up in video games all of the time. I find myself becoming consumed with raising these artificial life forms, and caring for them. We cannot have pets in my apartment complex, so this is a nice way for me to share a little love with a pet (even though it is only electronic). The only problem is, inevitably these pets die, and I get very sad. It is funny how attached you can get to such things. For this reason, I try to stay away from them as best I can. I no longer own any fuzzy dolls that purr at me, or key chains that buzz at me when they are "hungry," but now and then on my video games, I spend hours feeding, playing with, training, and disciplining my virtual pets.
I will talk about this later too!
I hope this week goes better than last week. Thank you to every one who has given me words of encouragement. I will try to keep my hopes and dreams, and find a way to live my life in the meantime. Thanks again! I don't have many friends, but the ones that I have keep me going! Domo arigato gozaimasu!
My all time favorite animal is one that is very close to my heart. It is the coelacanth. The coelacanth is a very rare fish, only found around the southern waters of Africa. The coelacanth is often referred to as the dino-fish, because it is an exact replica of fishes caught in fossils from millions of years ago. It would appear that time, and evolution, have past this fish by.
The coelacanth has many features that make it mysterious, other than its unchanged anatomy. For starters, it is very hard to find. The estimations of how many there are are very low, and there are many groups who are fighting to prevent the poaching of these beautiful and special creatures. Also, the fish itself has two biological features that we don't get to study that often. One is a precursor to spinal cords called a noto-cord. It is filled with spinal fluid, but is not a skeletal feature.
The coelacanth also has two extra fleshy appendages on its belly that resemble a missing link between fins and legs. Scientists who studied it shortly after its "rediscovery" in 1938 assumed it used these "legs" to walk about the ocean floor. However, studies of the fish in its habitat show no such behavior. It remains a mystery if this fish was the uncle to the first amphibian. Perhaps the fins are vestigial, former legs no longer needed by a creature that found survival in the ocean's niche a much better place.
Two more things make this fish magical. One is that it will not live in captivity. Every attempt to capture one for an aquarium, or shallow water observation, have ended up with the fish dying. This fish will not submit to science! :) And secondly, the fish, when it senses danger, stands on its head! Researchers are baffled by this, and one assumption is that it is aligning it's organs to receive some sort of electrical impulse to help it "see" attackers (sort of like a radar).
I love this fish! I will explain why at a later time.
My second favorite animal is not alive at all (or is it?). It is the virtual pet. In the late 1990's, these computerized toys swelled with popularity. They ranged from key chain sized toys to large stuffed animals. They usually start off as an egg, and the more you care for it, the better and bigger it gets.
I am addicted to these still. They pop up in video games all of the time. I find myself becoming consumed with raising these artificial life forms, and caring for them. We cannot have pets in my apartment complex, so this is a nice way for me to share a little love with a pet (even though it is only electronic). The only problem is, inevitably these pets die, and I get very sad. It is funny how attached you can get to such things. For this reason, I try to stay away from them as best I can. I no longer own any fuzzy dolls that purr at me, or key chains that buzz at me when they are "hungry," but now and then on my video games, I spend hours feeding, playing with, training, and disciplining my virtual pets.
I will talk about this later too!
I hope this week goes better than last week. Thank you to every one who has given me words of encouragement. I will try to keep my hopes and dreams, and find a way to live my life in the meantime. Thanks again! I don't have many friends, but the ones that I have keep me going! Domo arigato gozaimasu!
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