Here, have a ... Bighorn Sheep

"Gravity is totally overrated..."

Picture and quote from here (US Department of Interior).

I knew they were sure-footed, but wow.  I am boggled.  And so impressed.  What a skill to have.

Here, have a ...

... picture in lieu of content:

Here, have a... cute cat picture

(Picture from here.)

 I iz off to fling wurdz at the page and stuffs.

Here, have a Trio of Tiger Cubs!

Four-month-old Sumatran tiger cubs at Syndey's Taronga Zoo:

There are very few Sumatran tigers in the wild, so the addition of these three healthy youngsters to the world's total is very welcome.

Climate change is looming large for me at the moment.  I live in the US Midwest.  It's January and the grass still has a greenish tinge.  We've only had a dusting of snow so far.  Several days ago I heard thunder during a rainstorm.  It's January!!!  Year-end summaries are popping up detailing the extreme weather events of 2011.  I look at them, with my hand figuratively covering my eyes and peeking through spread fingers.  If you want the details, check out Jeff Masters' recent blogs - there's a link to the right. 

{Insert rant here about protecting the environment because this Earth is the only home we have.  I don't need to really say all that, do I?  Everyone's familiar with the drill.  Consider it, with the backdrop of cavorting tiger cubs.}

Here, have a BIG WAVE

This past week a new world record was set for the largest wave ever surfed (tow-surfing) - a 90 foot (27 meter) monster off the coast of Nazare, Portugal. 

The topography of the area is fascinating.  There is a deep (5000 meters) undersea canyon that runs close to the shore.  This canyon aids in the creation of unusually large rogue waves when swells from the right direction are heading to the coast.  On  Tuesday, November 8, there was an 8 meter swell running from that direction.  Three large waves of over 18 meters (60 feet) formed.  Garrett McNamara caught the largest.

That wave was about the height of a 9 story building.

I’ve experienced 10 meter seas (that’s not a story for today) and 8 meter swells are nothing to sneeze at.  But 90 feet??  The power of the ocean is mind-boggling.


Thanks for reading.  Comments welcome as always.

Here, Have a Guanaco! Have Four!

These are the wild version of llama.  They are agile, intelligent, fast, and have a marvelous wool-like coat.  Found in South America, they live in dry habitats from mountains to coastlines, surviving on grasses and other plants.

Fantasy and science fiction writers spend a lot* of time world building.  Because of my background, I think about how the biology of a place would be different from our own world.  I have not-guanaco in one of my fantasy stories (Shadows).  Killing one brings honor and prestige to the hunter, far beyond bringing down a deer or bison, because they are so wary and hard to catch.

(I’m primarily a biologist, but science of any kind is likely to appear in my blog.  Just sayin'.)

*Do you know about the Alot?  No?  Hyperbole and a Half on Alots