Have you heard those urban legends about huge birds swooping down and carrying off human babies? I couldn't find anything on Snopes, but I did find this great list of avian abductions. And I found a credible story (and video) of a Pomeranian puppy snatched by a predatory bird. Anya the Pomeranian had to have a leg amputated after her bird attack, but she gets along fine. Dominic the Greyhound gets along very well horizontally after losing two legs, and Faith the Wonderdog does equally well on the vertical, having been born without her front legs. But back to birds for a moment. The largest at a 25' wingspan was the South American Teratorn, which lived 6 to 8 million years ago. Today, the world record is held by the wandering albatross, with an average wingspan of 10'. And the North American bird with the largest wingspan is the California condor, which can measure upwards of 9'. A small dog would hardly make a snack!
Being a visual and verbal chronologue of my peculiar life, foremost my research interests—death and the anatomical body—and travels and people I've met in pursuit of same; my collecting interests—fossils, postmortem photographs, weird news, and new acquisitions to my “museum”; and (reluctantly) my health, having been diagnosed with MS in 1990. "Satisfying my morbid curiosity and yours..."
Monday, December 15, 2008
Birds and dogs
Have you heard those urban legends about huge birds swooping down and carrying off human babies? I couldn't find anything on Snopes, but I did find this great list of avian abductions. And I found a credible story (and video) of a Pomeranian puppy snatched by a predatory bird. Anya the Pomeranian had to have a leg amputated after her bird attack, but she gets along fine. Dominic the Greyhound gets along very well horizontally after losing two legs, and Faith the Wonderdog does equally well on the vertical, having been born without her front legs. But back to birds for a moment. The largest at a 25' wingspan was the South American Teratorn, which lived 6 to 8 million years ago. Today, the world record is held by the wandering albatross, with an average wingspan of 10'. And the North American bird with the largest wingspan is the California condor, which can measure upwards of 9'. A small dog would hardly make a snack!
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