Well, I’m not, I’m skipping breakfast, but it is. I don’t know if watching a centipede eating a cockroach is your idea of a cheery way to wake up in the morning, but you’re about to find out.
Actually, this is how my mornings always begin. Not with devouring cockroaches, but with cockroaches sending me email. Today, for example:
How’s your empire crumbling?
You short fat prick? How much more detestable will you get you foul abhorrent cunt?
I could tear apart each of those bizarre rhetorical questions, but I think you’ve all seen enough glistening mysterious viscera for the day.
I am most bewildered, though, by the suggestion that I have, or had, an empire. You’ve been remiss in sending me tribute, my loyal vassal states.
There seems to be a distinct lack of obligate power structures in your “empire”, PZ. Are you sure you’re doing this right?
Why does the roach stay still? Is it somehow dozed? Or is it just being stupid?
#2 – By the left over legs I’m guessing it was glued down to make filming easier.
Wow. Your correspondent is nothing if not ignorant (of human anatomy, among other things). I mean you can’t really be both …. can you?
This little gem reminds me of an old Doonsbury strip that came out during the infamous “Gang of Four” show trial in 1980. Referring to Honey’s testimony about Jiang Qing (a.k.a. “Madame Mao”) counsel for the defense asks,
source
i was looking for a fight, but the feet were all glued down
I think the squeamish might overlook the value of having a healthy population of giant centipedes around to control populations by ingesting blattaria.
They’d also help in another situation.
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I felt bad for the roach since it didn’t seem able to move at all. I also feel bad when I see mice fed to a snake since they’re in a small cage with no possibility to escape. But I might be projecting my own terror onto these situations.
@7 – I’ve read of experiments which seem to indicate that roaches (and other arthropods) don’t feel pain.
If you damage a mouse’s foot, it will favor that foot when walking (and I believe the same applies to reptiles and birds — I’d look up sources, but I can only procrastinate from my chores for so long). Arthropods don’t exhibit that reaction.
I always wonder about how some can express negative feelings about seeing a carnivorous animal eating another but seem not to feel anything about the idea of that same carnivores starving slowly to death.
seems odd.
any animal that wants to eat the myriad pest animals that want to feed on our messy environs is OK with me, the more the merrier.
uncle frogy
The roach seems glued to the rock, but at least the fore legs seem to be free, I still find bizarre that it doesn’t react in any way whatsoever.
I’m am Pharyngula, skeptic of skeptics, look upon my works ye mighty, and despair.
#9 unclefrogy,
I think it’s not the killing, but more the squeamishness and the horrible suffering we project onto the subject. An animal starving to death doesn’t have the same visceral (ha!) impact. See this for instance. Come on, nothing?
I am surprised so much time is spent munching on the exoskeleton. Isn’t the gooey filling the whole point?
#11
Hello troll.
Does anybody know why the cucaracha doesn’t make a run for it? It’s like he’s hyp-mo-tized.