They Watch the Discovery Channel, Don't They?

we were always taught that the most abundant macroscopic animal was an insect genus that includes the Springtails, with ants a distant second. In geologic history, the springtails collemba , or something like that, were abundant in shoreline environments and coal measures and amber. They were all over.

Now if your talking sheer weight , Id have to say ants or krill.

I had always heard ants / insects. Discovery said krill.

Wiki link



That's just one species in one ocean.

Then theyre just talking sheer weight. BTW, euphasia superba is quite good, it can be eaten like roe. The Chinese dry them and reconstitute them in a jelly like soup. Ive eaten krill from the Northumberland straights and found them not-too-bad when served with some wasabi and soy.


Everythings edible, pretty much.

Squinney, I watch Animal Planet, Discovery, and National Geographic channels a lot. A LOT.

Animal Planet is currently running a series called Orangutan Island. I'm fascinated by these almost human creatures. Orphaned apes are being placed in the unnatural situation of being raised in groups. These are normally very isolated creatures. The group dynamics and interactions are riveting. And the cameras roll.

Watched a program a little while ago on Discovery about Tyrannosaurus Rex. Predator or scavenger? (IMO, both.) BTW, scientists are trying to get a better understanding of how two-legged dinosaurs moved by studying emus.

Last night, crocodiles. The narrator said that crocs are in some respects closer to birds than lizards. Who knew?

I could go on. I'll spare you.

We watch a fair amount of that stuff, too. Less lately.

For a while, every day after school we'd watch that countdown show... I can't remember what it's called. Like, top 10 most vicious animals or whatever. We always try to guess what it will be from the hints. Might be the one you're talking about, Squinney?

Found the one I'm thinking of, "The Most Extreme":

http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/mostextreme/episode/episode_02.html

I loved the manufactured debate between Horner and Bakker about whether T rex was both scavenger and hunter. There we sit with huge crocodiles with useless little front feet who are some of the most savage predators and yet "age" their food like scavengers.

They found gastroliths ("gizzard stones")in T rex fossils , indicating that they had a crop so the story is kinda moot. They needed assistance in woofing down their food so , we knew since the early 40's that scavenging was part of their practice. With teeth the size of a bowie knife, I dont think they went to the salad bar.

Right, farmerman (still adjusting to the new avatar). My theory for what it's worth is that they wouldn't have had teeth that curve to the back if they didn't have to hold onto prey. Dead things don't wiggle around and try to get away.

Crocodiles will hunt and scavenge. Why not T-rexes?

although, if they decided to visit the salad bar.... who the hell is going to try and stop them?

they couldnt dip out their own little olives though.

I love Deadliest Catch on Discovery, I also like Myth Busters, Dirty Jobs.

I like Animal Planet, but like to watch on my own, otherwise show is interrupted by hubby and son talking over the top and you miss out on what the show is telling.

I'm looking forward to the end of Feb (end of the Shark Month Marathon) for the Nigel Marven special on bull sharks. In Oz we get quite a few fatal shark attacks by bull sharks, so this I'm interested in.

Have watched a few of the shark specials during the month - the one with Mike Rowe was good.

Some of the shows with the inventions (in the future and showing of past inventions) are incredible to watch and learn about.

Of course, hubby loves the American Chopper show and the Junk Wars show (and heaven forbid if I happen to open my mouth during the show!)

Happy discovery watching!

Theres a coupla new ones SMASH LAB and MASTER BLASTERS..I think that these two are attempting to draw in the market that watch Mythbusters.

I need to see a show that follows big bucks lottery winners.

They all go nuts fm.

They are not socialised to be rich. It does their heads in.

There was a show about this, fm. It wasn't a series; it was a one-time documentary. I didn't watch, but I remember reading about it. Spendius is right. They all go nuts. And many of them spend, waste, lose every cent.

Gonna have to take a Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet break. Too much weird stuff.

Tonight there was a show about T-rexes. An ancient ancestor of the T-rex was unearthed in China. It had feathers. 500 million years ago, a small ancestor of T-rex had feathers. Now they're speculating that T-rex had feathers.

Sea birds on an island on the coast of Scotland are being killed by red deer. They break the wings of the fledgling birds with their hooves. Then they eat their heads. DEER. Carnivorous deer.

I turned off the tv when they showed me a coral snake that farts as a defense mechanism. Makes an audible sound, likened to the cobra's hiss and the rattle snake's rattle.

Now I can't get the image of a T-rex running around with ostrich feathers out of my head. Can't get the image of the bird dangling from the mouth of a deer out of my head. (Yes, this was filmed with infrared cameras; it happens at night.) Keep hearing the snake farting.

I'm gonna watch the Reality Show channel. Nothing weird happens on reality shows.

I awoke just before 5:00 this morning to find I had fallen asleep with the tv set to Animal Planet and they were discussing Bug Brothers - vermon in our homes and beds. (What they do on their own time without my knowledge is best left without my knowledge.) A few minutes later I was learning of the carniverous deer and being shown the beheaded baby birds in Scottland.

Sorry I missed the farting snake. That would have been preferable.

I like shows on jungle cats, and primates.

Just watched an AP show on a guy who raised two tigers who were born in captivity, and helped train them how to hunt. Supposedly nobody thought tigers born in captivity would ever be able to learn to live on their own, and he did it. He had some pretty good methods.

I'm just waiting for one of these guys who like to play with the tigers to get his throat ripped open wrestling with one. It's still a wild animal.

Smashlab rocks!

Mr. B is totally crushing on cute math girl. She's brilliant.

I'm a huge fan of MythBusters. The James Bond shows they did were great.

The Dog Whisperer on NatGeo is the only thing I Tivo.

I actaully like NatGEO more. Loved Taboo and Population Zero when humans disappered all of the sudden. I am almost wishing it would happen. The earth was able to recover from our trashing of it fairly easily and quickly.