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Oddities

Published
  • Zak-n-Wheezie on their joint birthday.
  • Lurch may look like a mythical monster, but hes actually an Ankole-Watusi cow, a real-life breed native to Africa and known for their distinctive horns.
  • A handful of bees.
  • Meet Venus, a cat who lives in Boca Raton, FL and divides her time between the typical feline diversions of napping and lounging. But it's not her laid back attitude that sets this cat apart. It's her two-parter of a face that makes Venus look like a famous opera phantom.
  • Oscar is a female cockatoo with a confounding condition that causes her to pluck her own feathers. The reason for this unnatural nakedness is beak and feather disease, a contagious and often fatal illness. But many years and many lost feathers later, Oscar has done more than survive. Shes a dancing machine.
  • A rising celebrity resides at the local zoo in Santa Barbara, California. With a neck curved at almost 90 degrees, it's no wonder this unusual giraffe named Gemina is a hit with zoo visitors. Gemina started out life as a normal giraffe. But from the age of three, her neck started curving to one side, finally resting at a right angle. And while the bend in her neck may look uncomfortable, Gemina doesnt act any differently that her tall brethren.
  • Caught live on video for the first time ever by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institutes deep-sea rover, the six-inch-long fish known as the barreleye, has a truly startling appearance. Check out the transparent dome on the oddball barreleye. Its fluid-filled face is actually see-through. Looking closely, you can make out more bizarre features. Dont be fooled by the two black marks at the front of its head. Those are scent organs called nares, akin to nostrils in a human.
  • Santa Cruz, California is home to mountain lions, black widow spiders, and rattlesnakes. If you live here, you know there's a chance you might come across one of these deadly predators. But when your familys in danger, animal control can be too slow. Even behind the safety of this steel shovel, homeowner Thomas Scott needs to be careful. Rattlesnake venom destroys tissue and causes crippling paralysis, sometimes leading to death. Unfortunately, this snake seems pretty attached to Thomas property. To protect his family, Thomas feels he has no choice but to take action. The snakes head, severed from its body, continues to scan the area, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Unlike mammals, reptile reflexes remain deadly after death. In fact, they can still bite and deliver a killing dose of venom up to an hour after being decapitated.
  • At Connecticut College, strange salamanders called axolotls are at the center of some radical experimental science. Theyve been genetically modified for scientific research. By combining genes from jellyfish with those of the axolotl, the result is protein that shines crazy colors when viewed under an ultraviolet light. They're called fluorescent protein axolotls. Experts use fluorescent proteins to dye cancer cells in animals, tracking them to see how the disease spreads in the body.
  • Bearded dragon lizards come from Australia and theyre very popular as pets here in the U.S.
  • What youre looking at is Zak-n-Wheezies unbelievable x-ray. One body, two heads, and a spine that looks like an open zipper. There are many possible causes of this condition, but one likely culprit is conjoined twinning, the partial splitting, or joining, of embryos. It's not uncommon, but it's often fatal.

  • Together Forever

    Photograph by MCT via Getty Images

    Zak-n-Wheezie on their joint birthday.

  • Rack of Horns

    Photograph by T&C Solutions

    Lurch may look like a mythical monster, but he’s actually an Ankole-Watusi cow, a real-life breed native to Africa and known for their distinctive horns.

  • Bee Careful

    Photograph by Courtesy MHoff Productions

    A handful of bees.

  • A Little Two-Faced

    Photograph by Transmedia

    Meet Venus, a cat who lives in Boca Raton, FL and divides her time between the typical feline diversions of napping and lounging.  But it's not her laid back attitude that sets this cat apart.  It's her two-parter of a face that makes Venus look like a famous opera phantom.

  • Boogie Woogie Bird

    Photograph by ZooToo

    Oscar is a female cockatoo with a confounding condition that causes her to pluck her own feathers.  The reason for this unnatural nakedness is beak and feather disease, a contagious and often fatal illness.  But many years and many lost feathers later, Oscar has done more than survive.  She’s a dancing machine.

  • Curves Are Beautiful

    Photograph by SB Zoo

    A rising celebrity resides at the local zoo in Santa Barbara, California.  With a neck curved at almost 90 degrees, it's no wonder this unusual giraffe named Gemina is a hit with zoo visitors.  Gemina started out life as a normal giraffe.  But from the age of three, her neck started curving to one side, finally resting at a right angle.  And while the bend in her neck may look uncomfortable, Gemina doesn’t act any differently that her tall brethren.

  • Seriously See-Through

    Photograph by MBARI

    Caught live on video for the first time ever by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute’s deep-sea rover, the six-inch-long fish known as the barreleye, has a truly startling appearance.  Check out the transparent dome on the oddball barreleye.  Its fluid-filled face is actually see-through.  Looking closely, you can make out more bizarre features.  Don’t be fooled by the two black marks at the front of its head.  Those are scent organs called nares, akin to nostrils in a human.

  • Severed Snake

    Photograph by Tom Scott

    Santa Cruz, California is home to mountain lions, black widow spiders, and rattlesnakes.  If you live here, you know there's a chance you might come across one of these deadly predators.  But when your family’s in danger, animal control can be too slow.  Even behind the safety of this steel shovel, homeowner Thomas Scott needs to be careful.  Rattlesnake venom destroys tissue and causes crippling paralysis, sometimes leading to death.  Unfortunately, this snake seems pretty attached to Thomas’ property.  To protect his family, Thomas feels he has no choice but to take action.  The snake’s head, severed from its body, continues to scan the area, waiting for an opportunity to strike.  Unlike mammals, reptile reflexes remain deadly after death.  In fact, they can still bite and deliver a killing dose of venom up to an hour after being decapitated.

  • Going Green

    Photograph by Justin Rosenberg

    At Connecticut College, strange salamanders called axolotls are at the center of some radical experimental science.  They’ve been genetically modified for scientific research.  By combining genes from jellyfish with those of the axolotl, the result is protein that shines crazy colors when viewed under an ultraviolet light.  They're called fluorescent protein axolotls.  Experts use fluorescent proteins to dye cancer cells in animals, tracking them to see how the disease spreads in the body.

  • Two Heads Are Better Than One

    Photograph by The Witties

    Bearded dragon lizards come from Australia and they’re very popular as pets here in the U.S.  

  • Looking Inside

    Photograph by Frank J. Witte

    What you’re looking at is Zak-n-Wheezie’s unbelievable x-ray.  One body, two heads, and a spine that looks like an open zipper.  There are many possible causes of this condition, but one likely culprit is conjoined twinning, the partial splitting, or joining, of embryos.  It's not uncommon, but it's often fatal.

3 comments
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Jane A.
Jane A.

The cat is actually a breed of cat.

Peggy Richter
Peggy Richter

animal wasn't identified as an Ankole-Watusi in the episode and the comparison animal had much more slender horns.  And a "he" is NOT a "cow".  The correct term is either bull (if intact) or steer (if neutered).