Soccer Dad

More non-traditional living arrangements

A month ago I blogged about a zoological odd couple - a hippopotamus and tortoise. Well the BBC just keeps coming up with them.

One is a hamster who has taken up with a rat snake. Apparently the snake had tired of dining on frozen mice, so his zookeepers presented him with a live hamster. Funny thing happened, the snake apparently enjoys the company of the hamster and they've been together since October.

The BBC notes:

The apparent friendship between the snake and hamster is one of many reported bonds spanning the divide between predator and prey.

You don't say. Another one of these bonds has been shown by a lion for some young (and tender) antelopes:

A lioness in Kenya has adopted another baby oryx - her third in as many months, game wardens at the northern Samburu National Park have reported.
The lioness is said to allow a female oryx several minutes each day to feed the new-born calf.

The last calf was killed while she was sleeping

The oryx would normally represent a tasty meal to a lion, but this is not the first time the lioness has placed a calf under her protection.

One was seen in her company in December last year, but it was eaten by other lions after two weeks. Another calf was taken away from her in February and placed in a zoo because it showed signs of malnourishment.

Well I guess there are risks to oryxes in such circumstances.

Anyway these stories remind me of three things.

1) 20 or so years ago I interviewed at a company. In the office of one of the executives were two fish tanks. In the top tank were piranhas; in the bottom goldfish. Feeding time apparently was rather popular there. (No, his name was not Ernst Stravo Blofeld.)

2) There's a joke that a man walks into a zoo and sees a lion lying down with a lamb. Amazed at his messianic vision he collars the zookeeper and can't contain his enthusiasm. "A lion is lying down with a lamb. How?"

The zookeeper nonchalantly replied: "Actually, it's not that hard, we put a new lamb in every morning."

3) The movie that we just rented.Madagascar