Category:
Animals

Lobster Leash

Lobster Life Systems of Lodi, New Jersey was just granted a patent (No. 11,997,992) for a "lobster tether and method of tethering a lobster."

This should be useful if, like the French poet Gérard de Nerval, you enjoy taking your pet lobster for walks. Nerval tethered his lobster with a leash made of silk ribbon.



Nerval walking his lobster



via Jeff Steck

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jun 06, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Patents

Voluntary Alcohol Consumption in Chimpanzees and Orangutans

A study published in the June 1968 issue of the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol involved giving chimpanzees and orangutans as much vodka (mixed with fruit juice) as they wanted to drink in order to find out if they'd become alcoholics.

Reportedly the chimpanzees were enthusiastic drinkers and became drunk repeatedly. But oddly, the orangutans, although they drank, never showed any signs of intoxication.

I'm curious to know more details about the study, but unfortunately the article itself is locked behind a paywall.



Central New Jersey Home News - Aug 22, 1968

Posted By: Alex - Wed Jun 05, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Inebriation and Intoxicants, Experiments, 1960s

Mrs. Wilmer Steele’s broiler house

In 1974, Mrs. Wilmer Steele's broiler house was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It has the distinction of being the only chicken coop included in the Register.

Mrs. Wilmer Steele's broiler house, located at the University of Delaware Substation near Georgetown, Delaware



The documentation shows that the folks responsible for maintaining the Register were reluctant to add a chicken coop. They initially rejected the application. But finally they were won over, convinced by the argument that it was in Mrs. Wilmer Steele's chicken coop that the modern broiler industry (i.e. breeding chickens for meat rather than for eggs) began.

More info from Wikipedia:

Cecile Steele of Ocean View, Delaware was the first person in Delaware to raise chickens specifically for meat production, separately from her laying flock that was primarily meant to produce eggs. The wife of a Coast Guardsman stationed at the Bethany Beach Lifesaving Station, she raised her first flock of 500 in 1923, selling 387 two-pound chickens for 67 cents per pound. She ordered 50, but was accidentally shipped 500 which she decided to keep and sell at a discount. Her business model was profitable. In 1924 she doubled to 1,000 chickens, and in 1925 leaped to 10,000. By 1973, 50 years later, the industry processed 3 billion chickens per year.

"Ike Long, a broiler caretaker, two of the Steele children and Mrs. Wilmer Steele in front of a series of colony houses during the pioneering days of the commercial broiler industry."

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jun 03, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Farming, Landmarks

The Dancing Pig

Posted By: Paul - Sat May 25, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, 1900s, Dance, Love & Romance

Arrow Storks

Arrow storks (in German Pfeilstörche) are storks that got arrows stuck in their body while wintering in Africa but nevertheless managed to fly back to their summer habitats in Europe. To date, around twenty-five Pfeilstörche have been documented.

From wikipedia:

The first and most famous Pfeilstorch was a white stork found in 1822 near the German village of Klütz, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It was carrying a 75-centimetre (30 in) spear from central Africa in its neck. The specimen was stuffed and can be seen today in the zoological collection of the University of Rostock.


Image & text: Overlooked Sights. German Places. By Michaela Vieser and Reto Wettach.



Posted By: Alex - Mon May 20, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Science

The doctor who made rats go insane

Dr. Norman Maier is pretty much unknown today, but Wikipedia notes that his research "received extensive publicity in its day." That research involved making rats go insane.



Life - Mar 6, 1939





The cause of man's mental suffering identified: not being given his breakfast promptly at 7 am.

The Michigan scientist said he could not actually say that his rats suffered nervous breakdowns when they were frustrated, but that their reactions resembled very closely the reactions of human beings when they did not get what they wanted.

Thus a man who is "conditioned" to expect his breakfast promptly at 7 o'clock in the morning and does not get it may develop a nervous disorder if his wife fails to provide it at that time for many mornings in succession.

Detroit Free Press - Jan 1, 1939

Posted By: Alex - Mon May 13, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Psychology, 1930s

Crazy Yogi



Posted By: Paul - Sat May 04, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Music, Cartoons, 1960s

The Language and Music of the Wolves

Don't play this while your dog is listening!

The first video is Redford's speech; the second is the calls.






Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 03, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings, 1970s, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults

Drunken Hog Pile

Intoxicated animals is a favorite WU theme, going back, I think, to entries in Chuck Shepherd's NOTW.


Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 16, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Animals, Inebriation and Intoxicants, 1960s, Alcohol

RIP Pigcasso

The artist's Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 08, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Art, Obituaries, Africa, Natural Wonders

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Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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