… but one of the children had the postman’s eyes..
Ian Bsays
PZ, I didn’t think that you would ever support this kind of quackery!
Stephen Wellssays
I find feeding the ducks and geese on the river much more interesting now that we know they’re dinosaurs. Cute, fluffy, delicious-when-roasted dinosaurs. There’s one particularly adventurous duck who flies up onto the bridge to demand bread at close range; I think she knows her great-great-uncle was a velociraptor.
I don’t know about mallards, but Eider will adopt stray ducklings. The guys working on them thought that this was because they were stupid. But when they followed things more closely, they found that the adopted duckings were made to stay on the outside of the group, so they would be more likely to be picked off by predators. So Rev. BigDumbChimp is even more right (except it’s more likely to be seagulls. The neighbor’s cat doesn’t like water).
My brother once caught a duck when we were fishing. It went for his lure. I can’t remember if we were able to get to the duck. I remember taking the boat out, but I think it flew away from us.
Funny I can’t remember what would probably be the most important part of the story.
Lilithsays
Yeah, cute and fluffy now, but wait until they grow up.
Ducks don’t like me. I have been attacked by friends’ backyard-dwelling ducks and drakes on several occasions (hilarity ensued).
And I was regularly menaced by wood ducks which would run hissing at my feet or swoop at me from trees when I was walking across campus at the ANU.
On the plus side, the ANU ducks did act as a good warning when Sullivan’s creek was polluted and stinky because they wouldn’t swim in it and stood around on the bank looking put out. Someone–prevailing theory was it was the Research School of Chemistry–regularly dumped toxic waste into the creek and if the ducks were swimming, you knew you didn’t have to hold your breath crossing the bridge.
Chantsays
So, if ducks are dinosaurs, does that mean that my dad, who once got into a fight with a duck, has fought a dinorsaur?
Cool, my respect for him just went up another notch.
Dinahsays
AW! I saw baby geese this morning. So cute.
SC, OMsays
This reminds me – it wasn’t that many years ago that I learned that black, yellow, and chocolate labs weren’t different breeds and could be born in the same litter. Never seen a litter firsthand, though.
Clintsc9says
#10 Lilith
You can always order the Roast Duck next time you are in a restaurant to get even. Or have you done this too much already and they know it?
This reminds me – it wasn’t that many years ago that I learned that black, yellow, and chocolate labs weren’t different breeds and could be born in the same litter. Never seen a litter firsthand, though.
Researchers found that birds preyed on salamanders with the most common color pattern at much higher rates than they went after those with one that was more rare, which should help maintain rare variants in a population.
Researchers found that birds preyed on salamanders with the most common color pattern at much higher rates than they went after those with one that was more rare, which should help maintain rare variants in a population
Yeah I’ll admit pure speculation in my comment as the yellow duck stands out (at least to my human eyeballs).
Rorschachsays
Clintsc9
What are you insinuating?
:-)
And yeah,cute ducks !
Looks like a swimming Mendelian family tree.
gaypaganunitarianagnosticsays
Cute as can be. Commonly snacked on by turtles (tortoises?) If not,I suppose we’d be up to the gills in ducks.
Ducks hybridize like nobody’s business, except for Mandarin ducks. (And that might have been found false since I heard it too.) So Blondie there could be a sportin’ type, or could be showing more of Daddy’s Peking White traits.
Some duck hybrids are plentiful enough that they have their own names, like Brewer’s duck; many of those have names because they were originally thought to be “good” species.
In short, a duck’ll fuck anything.
Holbachsays
I like to think that the standout duckling is the atheist of the crowd.
Nomen Nesciosays
Ducks don’t like me. I have been attacked by friends’ backyard-dwelling ducks and drakes on several occasions (hilarity ensued).
you might like this webcomic. its storyline has run its full course and it’s in re-runs now, but the early strips had a running gag involving aggressive ducks. check out the archives, it’s worth it.
uncle frogysays
it is interesting that they seem to be “lined up”. Is that what they do or how we(I) see things?
Anonymoussays
I’m watching a duck on my neighbor’s roof right now…
Libbiesays
Ron — Mandarins sure do hybridize! (Although probably not as readily as a lot of other Anseriformes.) When I worked at the Aviary there were scads of wild Mandarin drakes who would pair up with various captive hens–teals, wood ducks (not surprisingly), shovelers, even some wild mallard hens who hung around pretty regularly.
Ducks are weird like that.
Katrinasays
When I was a girl, we kept a pair of Call ducks in our back yard. When the drake died, the hen “called” a wild Mallard drake into our yard for a short visit.
When the hybrid ducklings were large enough to fly, they all flew off to a neighboring pond, and never came home again.
Silisays
My sister was beaten up by a goose when she was little (hmmm – perhaps it runs in the family. I think my mother was chased by a flock as a kid as well). Strange that she should be so attached them later – I can’t count how many geeselings we’ve had crapping all over the livingroom just because she didn’t want their necks to be wrung.
'Tis Himselfsays
Chant #11
my dad, who once got into a fight with a duck, has fought a dinorsaur?
Cool, my respect for him just went up another notch.
Why did your dad fight a duck?
Timsays
Why a duck? Why-a no chicken?
Last Hussarsays
I am in ur brood,
wiv de resessif genes.
Dennissays
I saw these ducks in Cambridge last month. They must be exchange students!
My nickname in college was “Duckman”, because supposedly I my walk looks like I’m waddling like a duck. Alas, this was before the cartoon came out, otherwise I would’ve put a Duckman poster on my dorm room door.
Diane Gsays
Aww, Dennis, that is so cute! The pic, & your comment, too!
… but one of the children had the postman’s eyes..
PZ, I didn’t think that you would ever support this kind of quackery!
I find feeding the ducks and geese on the river much more interesting now that we know they’re dinosaurs. Cute, fluffy, delicious-when-roasted dinosaurs. There’s one particularly adventurous duck who flies up onto the bridge to demand bread at close range; I think she knows her great-great-uncle was a velociraptor.
My other duck is a velociraptor?
And become the neighbor’s cat’s dinner.
Give ’em 8 months and they’ll be just wonderful roasted.
I don’t know about mallards, but Eider will adopt stray ducklings. The guys working on them thought that this was because they were stupid. But when they followed things more closely, they found that the adopted duckings were made to stay on the outside of the group, so they would be more likely to be picked off by predators. So Rev. BigDumbChimp is even more right (except it’s more likely to be seagulls. The neighbor’s cat doesn’t like water).
Charge of the quack brigade!
or,
The Canadian Navy in training maneuvers!
or,
“Aren’t non-humans disqualified from Olympic sports? Even synchronized swimming?”
AWWWW!!! That is absolutely adorable.
My brother once caught a duck when we were fishing. It went for his lure. I can’t remember if we were able to get to the duck. I remember taking the boat out, but I think it flew away from us.
Funny I can’t remember what would probably be the most important part of the story.
Yeah, cute and fluffy now, but wait until they grow up.
Ducks don’t like me. I have been attacked by friends’ backyard-dwelling ducks and drakes on several occasions (hilarity ensued).
And I was regularly menaced by wood ducks which would run hissing at my feet or swoop at me from trees when I was walking across campus at the ANU.
On the plus side, the ANU ducks did act as a good warning when Sullivan’s creek was polluted and stinky because they wouldn’t swim in it and stood around on the bank looking put out. Someone–prevailing theory was it was the Research School of Chemistry–regularly dumped toxic waste into the creek and if the ducks were swimming, you knew you didn’t have to hold your breath crossing the bridge.
So, if ducks are dinosaurs, does that mean that my dad, who once got into a fight with a duck, has fought a dinorsaur?
Cool, my respect for him just went up another notch.
AW! I saw baby geese this morning. So cute.
This reminds me – it wasn’t that many years ago that I learned that black, yellow, and chocolate labs weren’t different breeds and could be born in the same litter. Never seen a litter firsthand, though.
#10 Lilith
You can always order the Roast Duck next time you are in a restaurant to get even. Or have you done this too much already and they know it?
Baby theropods!
Yep sure can. Here’s a cool site that discusses the genetics involved.
Maybe not (third paragraph).
Yeah I’ll admit pure speculation in my comment as the yellow duck stands out (at least to my human eyeballs).
What are you insinuating?
:-)
And yeah,cute ducks !
Looks like a swimming Mendelian family tree.
Cute as can be. Commonly snacked on by turtles (tortoises?) If not,I suppose we’d be up to the gills in ducks.
Is it true blondes have more fun?
Ducks hybridize like nobody’s business, except for Mandarin ducks. (And that might have been found false since I heard it too.) So Blondie there could be a sportin’ type, or could be showing more of Daddy’s Peking White traits.
Some duck hybrids are plentiful enough that they have their own names, like Brewer’s duck; many of those have names because they were originally thought to be “good” species.
In short, a duck’ll fuck anything.
I like to think that the standout duckling is the atheist of the crowd.
you might like this webcomic. its storyline has run its full course and it’s in re-runs now, but the early strips had a running gag involving aggressive ducks. check out the archives, it’s worth it.
it is interesting that they seem to be “lined up”. Is that what they do or how we(I) see things?
I’m watching a duck on my neighbor’s roof right now…
Ron — Mandarins sure do hybridize! (Although probably not as readily as a lot of other Anseriformes.) When I worked at the Aviary there were scads of wild Mandarin drakes who would pair up with various captive hens–teals, wood ducks (not surprisingly), shovelers, even some wild mallard hens who hung around pretty regularly.
Ducks are weird like that.
When I was a girl, we kept a pair of Call ducks in our back yard. When the drake died, the hen “called” a wild Mallard drake into our yard for a short visit.
When the hybrid ducklings were large enough to fly, they all flew off to a neighboring pond, and never came home again.
My sister was beaten up by a goose when she was little (hmmm – perhaps it runs in the family. I think my mother was chased by a flock as a kid as well). Strange that she should be so attached them later – I can’t count how many geeselings we’ve had crapping all over the livingroom just because she didn’t want their necks to be wrung.
Chant #11
Why did your dad fight a duck?
Why a duck? Why-a no chicken?
I am in ur brood,
wiv de resessif genes.
I saw these ducks in Cambridge last month. They must be exchange students!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7674356@N04/3467108520/
My nickname in college was “Duckman”, because supposedly I my walk looks like I’m waddling like a duck. Alas, this was before the cartoon came out, otherwise I would’ve put a Duckman poster on my dorm room door.
Aww, Dennis, that is so cute! The pic, & your comment, too!