Egyptian Vulture

 

If there was ever a cooking game show where you had to use the grossest imaginable ingredients to make a meal for your peers, the Egyptian Vulture would win. They would win for a few reasons:

1. They are opportunistic and will pretty much each whatever crosses it’s path. WHATEVER crosses it’s path. Do you understand WHATEVER? Are you ready to hear this? Prepare yourself. Ready? Ok. Scraps of dead carcasses, rotten fruit or vegetables, small animals (preferable weak or injured), insects, eggs, and poo. Yes. I said, “poo.” Animal and/or human poo.
2.  They use tools to eat. For instance, they are flying around and spot a delicious ostrich egg. They’ll drop a rock on it to break the shell, so they can eat what’s inside (and it ain’t jellybeans. . .)
3.  They watch out for other vultures to clue them into where food is. They let the other birds/animals do all the hard work in killing the meal and then just wait until everyone is done eating, swoop in, and voila! Dinner is served.

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Patagonian Mara

Patagonia is a cool place. Literally, it’s dry and cool. It’s located at the southern end of South America and is home to glorious mountains (the Andes) and surrounded by the ocean. A rugged beauty filled diverse flora and fauna.  Living in this unrelenting landscape are the Patagonian Mara.

Maras are beautiful rodents who are one of the few animals in the world that are known for stotting (hop, gallop, bounce on all four feet, think of a little lamb bouncing around). They look like a cross between a rabbit and a hamster and enjoy burrowing just as much. Patagonian Maras are one of the very few mammals who are strictly monogamous. STRICTLY MONOGAMOUS. They form a lifelong bond with their mate, which includes peeing on each other to mark their social territory. Imagine, if you will, instead of a diamond engagement ring, your suitor pees on your back.
How romantic.

 http://www.arkive.org/patagonian-mara/dolichotis-patagonum/video-00.html