Real or Fake ?
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Its Real!!!
BUT......
<B>Origins:</B> The photo displayed above does indeed show camel spiders encountered in Iraq, but a number of the claims about them multi-legged creatures made in accompanying text are inaccurate or exaggerated.
Claims of camel spiders being flesh-eating anesthesia-injecting beasts are folklore, not reality, so worry not that those serving in our country's armed forces in Iraq are having to deal with man-eating creepy-crawlies the size of small cats.
Camel spiders, also known as wind spiders, wind scorpions, and sun scorpions, are a type of arthropod found (among other places) in the deserts of the Middle East. They're technically not spiders but (although, like spiders, they belong to the class Arachnida). Camel spiders are the subject of a variety of legendary claims, many of them familiar to Americans because they were spread by U.S. servicemen who served in the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and re-spread at the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003:
Camel spiders can grow to be as large as dinner plates.
Camel spiders can traverse desert sand at speeds up to 25 MPH, making screaming noises as they run.
Camel spiders can jump several feet in the air.
Camel spiders eat the stomachs of camels and lay their eggs there, hence the name "camel spider." (Legend includes the detail that camel spiders eat camel stomachs from either the outside in or the inside out. In the former case they supposedly jump up from the ground and grab onto camels' bellies from underneath; in the latter case exactly how spiders allegedly as large as dinner plates get into camels' stomachs intact remains unexplained.)
Camel spiders are venomous, and their venom contains a powerful anesthetic that numbs their victims (thus allowing them to gnaw away at living, immobilized animals without being noticed). U.S. soldiers were said to have been attacked by camel spiders at night but remained completely unaware of their plight until they awakened in the morning to find chunks of their flesh missing.
These claims are all false. Camel spiders (so named because, like camels, they can be found in sandy desert regions, although they aren't technically spiders) grow to be moderately large (about a 5"-6" leg span), but nowhere near as large as dinner plates; they can move very quickly in comparison to other arthropods (a top speed of maybe 10 MPH), but nothing close 25 MPH; they make no noise; and they capture prey without the use of either venom or anesthetic. Camel spiders rely on speed, stealth, and the (non-venomous) bite of powerful jaws to feed on small prey such as other arthropods (e.g., scorpions, crickets, pillbugs), lizards, and possibly mice or birds. They use only three pairs of legs in running; the frontmost pair (called pedipalpa) is held aloft and used in a similar manner to the antennae of insects. Camel spiders shun the sun and generally hide during the day, coming out at night to do their hunting.
Although the creatures shown in the photograph above appear to be far too big for camel spiders, they look misleadingly large because of their closeness to the camera, which creates an illusion of exaggerated size. (Note their size in comparison to the uniform sleeve which appears in upper right-hand portion of the picture.)
BUT......
<B>Origins:</B> The photo displayed above does indeed show camel spiders encountered in Iraq, but a number of the claims about them multi-legged creatures made in accompanying text are inaccurate or exaggerated.
Claims of camel spiders being flesh-eating anesthesia-injecting beasts are folklore, not reality, so worry not that those serving in our country's armed forces in Iraq are having to deal with man-eating creepy-crawlies the size of small cats.
Camel spiders, also known as wind spiders, wind scorpions, and sun scorpions, are a type of arthropod found (among other places) in the deserts of the Middle East. They're technically not spiders but (although, like spiders, they belong to the class Arachnida). Camel spiders are the subject of a variety of legendary claims, many of them familiar to Americans because they were spread by U.S. servicemen who served in the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and re-spread at the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003:
Camel spiders can grow to be as large as dinner plates.
Camel spiders can traverse desert sand at speeds up to 25 MPH, making screaming noises as they run.
Camel spiders can jump several feet in the air.
Camel spiders eat the stomachs of camels and lay their eggs there, hence the name "camel spider." (Legend includes the detail that camel spiders eat camel stomachs from either the outside in or the inside out. In the former case they supposedly jump up from the ground and grab onto camels' bellies from underneath; in the latter case exactly how spiders allegedly as large as dinner plates get into camels' stomachs intact remains unexplained.)
Camel spiders are venomous, and their venom contains a powerful anesthetic that numbs their victims (thus allowing them to gnaw away at living, immobilized animals without being noticed). U.S. soldiers were said to have been attacked by camel spiders at night but remained completely unaware of their plight until they awakened in the morning to find chunks of their flesh missing.
These claims are all false. Camel spiders (so named because, like camels, they can be found in sandy desert regions, although they aren't technically spiders) grow to be moderately large (about a 5"-6" leg span), but nowhere near as large as dinner plates; they can move very quickly in comparison to other arthropods (a top speed of maybe 10 MPH), but nothing close 25 MPH; they make no noise; and they capture prey without the use of either venom or anesthetic. Camel spiders rely on speed, stealth, and the (non-venomous) bite of powerful jaws to feed on small prey such as other arthropods (e.g., scorpions, crickets, pillbugs), lizards, and possibly mice or birds. They use only three pairs of legs in running; the frontmost pair (called pedipalpa) is held aloft and used in a similar manner to the antennae of insects. Camel spiders shun the sun and generally hide during the day, coming out at night to do their hunting.
Although the creatures shown in the photograph above appear to be far too big for camel spiders, they look misleadingly large because of their closeness to the camera, which creates an illusion of exaggerated size. (Note their size in comparison to the uniform sleeve which appears in upper right-hand portion of the picture.)
- Horus
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- DJKeefy
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Its Real!!!
In April 2005 Kylie Hodgson gave birth by caesarean section to fraternal twin girls, one black and one white. Although occurrences of this nature sometimes occur when a woman conceives twins fathered by two different men, this was a much rarer case in which a single pairing produced twins with distinctly different physical attributes (e.g., skin tone, hair color, eye color) rather than a blending of their parents' characteristics.
The parents, Kylie and her partner, Remi Horder, are of mixed race themselves, both having been born to white mothers and black fathers. Their twin girls Kian and Remee were both born with blue eyes, with Remee having blonde hair and Kian having black hair and somewhat darker skin than her sister. Since then, Remee's skin tone has become lighter, while Kian's has become darker and her eyes have turned brown.
The <I>Daily Mail</I> opined that the odds of such a coupling's producing mixed-race fraternal twins were about a million to one:
Skin colour is believed to be determined by up to seven different genes working together.
If a woman is of mixed race, her eggs will usually contain a mixture of genes coding for both black and white skin.
Similarly, a man of mixed race will have a variety of different genes in his sperm. When these eggs and sperm come together, they will create a baby of mixed race.
But, very occasionally, the egg or sperm might contain genes coding for one skin colour. If both the egg and sperm contain all white genes, the baby will be white. And if both contain just the versions necessary for black skin, the baby will be black.
For a mixed-race couple, the odds of either of these scenarios is around 100 to one. But both scenarios can occur at the same time if the woman conceives non-identical twins, another 100 to one chance.
This involves two eggs being fertilised by two sperm at the same time, which also has odds of around 100 to one.
If a sperm containing all-white genes fuses with a similar egg and a sperm coding for purely black skin fuses with a similar egg, two babies of dramatically different colours will be born.
The odds of this happening are 100 x 100 x 100 — a million to one.
In April 2005 Kylie Hodgson gave birth by caesarean section to fraternal twin girls, one black and one white. Although occurrences of this nature sometimes occur when a woman conceives twins fathered by two different men, this was a much rarer case in which a single pairing produced twins with distinctly different physical attributes (e.g., skin tone, hair color, eye color) rather than a blending of their parents' characteristics.
The parents, Kylie and her partner, Remi Horder, are of mixed race themselves, both having been born to white mothers and black fathers. Their twin girls Kian and Remee were both born with blue eyes, with Remee having blonde hair and Kian having black hair and somewhat darker skin than her sister. Since then, Remee's skin tone has become lighter, while Kian's has become darker and her eyes have turned brown.
The <I>Daily Mail</I> opined that the odds of such a coupling's producing mixed-race fraternal twins were about a million to one:
Skin colour is believed to be determined by up to seven different genes working together.
If a woman is of mixed race, her eggs will usually contain a mixture of genes coding for both black and white skin.
Similarly, a man of mixed race will have a variety of different genes in his sperm. When these eggs and sperm come together, they will create a baby of mixed race.
But, very occasionally, the egg or sperm might contain genes coding for one skin colour. If both the egg and sperm contain all white genes, the baby will be white. And if both contain just the versions necessary for black skin, the baby will be black.
For a mixed-race couple, the odds of either of these scenarios is around 100 to one. But both scenarios can occur at the same time if the woman conceives non-identical twins, another 100 to one chance.
This involves two eggs being fertilised by two sperm at the same time, which also has odds of around 100 to one.
If a sperm containing all-white genes fuses with a similar egg and a sperm coding for purely black skin fuses with a similar egg, two babies of dramatically different colours will be born.
The odds of this happening are 100 x 100 x 100 — a million to one.
- Horus
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- Grandad
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- DJKeefy
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A public toilet in Switzerland that's made entirely out of one-way glass. No one can see you in there, but when you are inside, it looks like you're sitting in a clear glass box.
Although our mores regarding the display of the human body and bodily functions have changed a good deal over the years (for example, the notion that a woman might breast-feed her child in a public place was almost completely unthinkable just a few decades ago), most of us still hold very strong taboos against anyone other than intimates seeing us in certain circumstances, such as when we're unclothed, when we're engaged in execretory activities, and when we're engaged in sexual activities. Our squeamishness in these regards is such that we're often quite uncomfortable when others are present during these circumstances, even if they cannot see us. (Many people feel quite embarrassed about disrobing when a member of the opposite sex is present in the room, even if that other person keeps his or her eyes tightly closed.) On the other hand, we may not be so fussy about stripping down in a locker room or using a public bathroom in the presence of others — it somehow seems more acceptable for us to do these things in front of other people when those others are engaged in the same activity.
The concept of how we react to "seeing but not being seen" was put to the test by 38-year-old architectural artist Monica Bonvicini in December 2003, when her work entitled "Don't Miss A Sec" was installed at a construction site (the future home of the Chelsea College of Art and Design) across the road from London's Tate Britain museum. (The same work was also displayed at an art exhibition in Basel, Switzerland, in June 2004.) Bonvicini's creation is a public toilet enclosed within reflective glass walls that allow the user to see out but prevent those outside from seeing in, an exhibit that challenges whether we can adapt to the idea of being able to view others passing in close proximity to us while we engage in an activity which we don't want them to view - even when we know full well that they can't possibly see us. As a spokesman for Ms. Bonvicini explained:
It will arouse curiosity because people can come and just use it, although there is a question of whether people will feel comfortable doing so.
They may be wary of desecrating a work of art or may be uneasy that because they can see out, other people can see in.
There could be this feeling that there is some form of switch to change it and let people see in, but of course there isn't.
Jeff Boloten, who works at the Tate Britain, noted:
Playing with the idea of the most private bodily function and having to sit on a street corner is just bizarre.
The construction site makes it interesting because portable toilets are at construction sites all the time, but, the Tate Britain's a respected institution; the juxtaposition makes it more unique.
The title of the work refers to Ms. Bonvicini's observation that attendees at art openings were afraid to leave the room for fear of missing a key entrance or comment, hence her "Don't Miss A Sec" exhibit "reflects peoples' reluctance to leave the spectacle, and allows the art-goer to remain in the action, even while on the toilet." Her use of a stainless steel toilet and sink unit was inspired by the fact that the "Don't Miss A Sec" exhibition site once housed Millbank Penitentiary, a 19th century prison facility.
A public toilet in Switzerland that's made entirely out of one-way glass. No one can see you in there, but when you are inside, it looks like you're sitting in a clear glass box.
Although our mores regarding the display of the human body and bodily functions have changed a good deal over the years (for example, the notion that a woman might breast-feed her child in a public place was almost completely unthinkable just a few decades ago), most of us still hold very strong taboos against anyone other than intimates seeing us in certain circumstances, such as when we're unclothed, when we're engaged in execretory activities, and when we're engaged in sexual activities. Our squeamishness in these regards is such that we're often quite uncomfortable when others are present during these circumstances, even if they cannot see us. (Many people feel quite embarrassed about disrobing when a member of the opposite sex is present in the room, even if that other person keeps his or her eyes tightly closed.) On the other hand, we may not be so fussy about stripping down in a locker room or using a public bathroom in the presence of others — it somehow seems more acceptable for us to do these things in front of other people when those others are engaged in the same activity.
The concept of how we react to "seeing but not being seen" was put to the test by 38-year-old architectural artist Monica Bonvicini in December 2003, when her work entitled "Don't Miss A Sec" was installed at a construction site (the future home of the Chelsea College of Art and Design) across the road from London's Tate Britain museum. (The same work was also displayed at an art exhibition in Basel, Switzerland, in June 2004.) Bonvicini's creation is a public toilet enclosed within reflective glass walls that allow the user to see out but prevent those outside from seeing in, an exhibit that challenges whether we can adapt to the idea of being able to view others passing in close proximity to us while we engage in an activity which we don't want them to view - even when we know full well that they can't possibly see us. As a spokesman for Ms. Bonvicini explained:
It will arouse curiosity because people can come and just use it, although there is a question of whether people will feel comfortable doing so.
They may be wary of desecrating a work of art or may be uneasy that because they can see out, other people can see in.
There could be this feeling that there is some form of switch to change it and let people see in, but of course there isn't.
Jeff Boloten, who works at the Tate Britain, noted:
Playing with the idea of the most private bodily function and having to sit on a street corner is just bizarre.
The construction site makes it interesting because portable toilets are at construction sites all the time, but, the Tate Britain's a respected institution; the juxtaposition makes it more unique.
The title of the work refers to Ms. Bonvicini's observation that attendees at art openings were afraid to leave the room for fear of missing a key entrance or comment, hence her "Don't Miss A Sec" exhibit "reflects peoples' reluctance to leave the spectacle, and allows the art-goer to remain in the action, even while on the toilet." Her use of a stainless steel toilet and sink unit was inspired by the fact that the "Don't Miss A Sec" exhibition site once housed Millbank Penitentiary, a 19th century prison facility.
- Horus
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I am going for Fake
Spoiler
Something does not quite seen right about the snake, it matches the background too well. It is difficult to know the snakes size as the animal it is holding is hard to make out, but it looks to be dead already and if that is the case the snake would not be eating carrion. Also the snakes coils look wrong, but I must say that this one is difficult to call
- HEPZIBAH
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That's one heck of a snake - look how far it lays along that ledge!
FAKE
FAKE
Spoiler
I think the snake bit is real until you get to the head 'bite' onto the 'bait'. It looks a bit 'fudged' in that area. But I am confused by the reflection of the 'bait' in the shallow pool. I can't work out the relationship between the two creatures.
Experience is not what happens to you;
it is what you do with what happens to you.
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- DJKeefy
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Its Real!!!
Some species of snake are capable of truly impressive feats of strength and gastronomy, and the photograph displayed above is one example of such.
The serpent captured in this picture is an olive python, one of Australia's largest snakes. What the python appears to be hauling out of the water is not a cow but a wallaby; still a very large animal in comparison to the snake itself, but a type of prey that pythons have been known to ingest before.
The Australian news outlet <I>ABC Far North Queensland</I> reported of this picture back in July 2005:
It's not your average fishing shot but I'm sure you'll agree it's a catch that few could ever imagine.
The picture shows a large Olive python capturing dinner a wallaroo or euro.
Note the size of the python, which if you look closely you can see disappearing out the right hand side of the frame. How much more of it is there, curled around the escarpment it so beautifully blends with?
It appears that the wallaby is already dead but swallowing it will require an awesome feat of strength from the python not only to drag the 'roo into it's gut but also to hang on while it does so. It's a large python but it's still an impressive display of the incredible physiology of these reptiles.
The pic was taken in the Kimberley region of [Western Australia] ... the scene captured in this image holds a kind of macabre fascination for most of us who view it, as well as a tease ... did the python actually manage to swallow its ambitious meal, given its precarious location?
Or was it simply reeling in its catch, like any fisherman, to consume it in a more genial environment.
ABC also noted that someone posting as the original photographer left a message in their guestbook:
I hope you enjoyed the photo that we took recently while hiking in a gorge in northern Western Australia. The phython was not able to lift the wallaby after trying for approximately one hour. We left him catching his breath on a rock ledge above the pool.
Some species of snake are capable of truly impressive feats of strength and gastronomy, and the photograph displayed above is one example of such.
The serpent captured in this picture is an olive python, one of Australia's largest snakes. What the python appears to be hauling out of the water is not a cow but a wallaby; still a very large animal in comparison to the snake itself, but a type of prey that pythons have been known to ingest before.
The Australian news outlet <I>ABC Far North Queensland</I> reported of this picture back in July 2005:
It's not your average fishing shot but I'm sure you'll agree it's a catch that few could ever imagine.
The picture shows a large Olive python capturing dinner a wallaroo or euro.
Note the size of the python, which if you look closely you can see disappearing out the right hand side of the frame. How much more of it is there, curled around the escarpment it so beautifully blends with?
It appears that the wallaby is already dead but swallowing it will require an awesome feat of strength from the python not only to drag the 'roo into it's gut but also to hang on while it does so. It's a large python but it's still an impressive display of the incredible physiology of these reptiles.
The pic was taken in the Kimberley region of [Western Australia] ... the scene captured in this image holds a kind of macabre fascination for most of us who view it, as well as a tease ... did the python actually manage to swallow its ambitious meal, given its precarious location?
Or was it simply reeling in its catch, like any fisherman, to consume it in a more genial environment.
ABC also noted that someone posting as the original photographer left a message in their guestbook:
I hope you enjoyed the photo that we took recently while hiking in a gorge in northern Western Australia. The phython was not able to lift the wallaby after trying for approximately one hour. We left him catching his breath on a rock ledge above the pool.
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