You've certainly embiggened this thread with all of your perfectly cromulent words, Obi-Jiff. Allow me to offer you my sincerest contrafibularities...
I was going to say that it's a made up word, but then they ALL are really, aren't they?
Cheers,
Dean
Full Version: Obi-Jiff's Word of the Day
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QUOTE (Deanflyer @ May 28 2009, 09:33 PM) 
I was going to say that it's a made up word, but then they ALL are really, aren't they?
Yep!
Right then, today's word(s) is (are):
doolally tap
Oh! I am in first, being an hour ahead helps!
Or the long version;
This is an excellent illustration of the reach, not only of the Internet, but of the English language itself. The expression is certainly a British one (though now not so often heard in that form) but to find its origins we must travel to India.
In 1861, the British army established a military base and sanatorium at Deolali, about 100 miles north-east of Bombay (it is still an important Indian military centre today). One of its functions was to act as a transit camp for soldiers who had finished their tours of duty (“time-expired”, in the jargon of the time) and were waiting for a troop ship to take them back to Britain. Ships left Bombay only between November and March, so a soldier ending his tour outside those dates might have a long wait for transport.
The effects are best explained in the words of Frank Richards, who knew the camp well. He wrote in Old Soldier Sahib in 1936:
To say someone was doolally tap meant he was mad, or at least very eccentric. The first bit is obviously the result of the standard British soldier’s way of hacking foreign-sounding placenames into something that sounded English. The second part is from a Persian or Urdu word tap, a malarial fever (which is ultimately from Sanskrit tapa, heat or torment). So the whole expression might be loosely translated as “camp fever”.
We’re not sure when the term entered soldier’s jargon. The earliest example I know of is in a glossary forming part of a book with the title Rhymes of the Rookies by W E Christian, published in 1917. It would not be at all surprising to one day turn up an instance from decades earlier.
The full expression, though it’s still heard from time to time, must have already been falling out of common use when you heard it, since most reference books imply that by the 1940s it had already been shortened to doolally. That’s the way people like me learned it around that period, often as “he’s gone doolally”, meaning that somebody’s showing signs of odd behaviour. You can still often hear it, though not one speaker in a thousand can connect it to a town in India.
Rather curiously, some American subscribers have mentioned that doolally is also known to them as a term for something whose name one couldn’t for the moment remember. It has the same pattern as other US words with the same meaning, like dohickey, doojigger and doodad. Has doolally been imported or is it an independent local variation on one of these other words? I don’t know.
Julien (can we go back to animals now obi?)
QUOTE
from Deolali, a British army camp 100 miles north-east of Bombay where British soldiers would stay after finishing their tour of duty, to await transport back to Britain; and tap, a Persian or Urdu word for a malarial fever (ultimately from Sanskrit tapa (“‘heat” or “torment’”))
Or the long version;
This is an excellent illustration of the reach, not only of the Internet, but of the English language itself. The expression is certainly a British one (though now not so often heard in that form) but to find its origins we must travel to India.
In 1861, the British army established a military base and sanatorium at Deolali, about 100 miles north-east of Bombay (it is still an important Indian military centre today). One of its functions was to act as a transit camp for soldiers who had finished their tours of duty (“time-expired”, in the jargon of the time) and were waiting for a troop ship to take them back to Britain. Ships left Bombay only between November and March, so a soldier ending his tour outside those dates might have a long wait for transport.
The effects are best explained in the words of Frank Richards, who knew the camp well. He wrote in Old Soldier Sahib in 1936:
QUOTE
The time-expired men at Deolalie had no arms or equipment; they showed kit now and again and occasionally went on a route march, but time hung heavily on their hands and in some cases men who had been exemplary soldiers got into serious trouble and were awarded terms of imprisonment before they were sent home. Others contracted venereal disease and had to go to hospital. The well-known saying among soldiers when speaking of a man who does queer things, “Oh, he’s got the Doo-lally tap,” originated, I think, in the peculiar way men behaved owing to the boredom of that camp.
To say someone was doolally tap meant he was mad, or at least very eccentric. The first bit is obviously the result of the standard British soldier’s way of hacking foreign-sounding placenames into something that sounded English. The second part is from a Persian or Urdu word tap, a malarial fever (which is ultimately from Sanskrit tapa, heat or torment). So the whole expression might be loosely translated as “camp fever”.
We’re not sure when the term entered soldier’s jargon. The earliest example I know of is in a glossary forming part of a book with the title Rhymes of the Rookies by W E Christian, published in 1917. It would not be at all surprising to one day turn up an instance from decades earlier.
The full expression, though it’s still heard from time to time, must have already been falling out of common use when you heard it, since most reference books imply that by the 1940s it had already been shortened to doolally. That’s the way people like me learned it around that period, often as “he’s gone doolally”, meaning that somebody’s showing signs of odd behaviour. You can still often hear it, though not one speaker in a thousand can connect it to a town in India.
Rather curiously, some American subscribers have mentioned that doolally is also known to them as a term for something whose name one couldn’t for the moment remember. It has the same pattern as other US words with the same meaning, like dohickey, doojigger and doodad. Has doolally been imported or is it an independent local variation on one of these other words? I don’t know.
Julien (can we go back to animals now obi?)
Cracking stuff, Julien. As for animals, there might be one or two in the offing next week 
I remember this as being an expression of my late Father's. He spent some of WWII in North Africa with the IVth Indian Divison, 8th Army. He never made any mention of it's origins, but implied it referred to those of Mental Instability.
Its still in common usage today in the Army. Likewise from India and still in use with us:
Dhobi
Gadgee
Wallah
Mucker - from Muckerjee
Dhobi
Gadgee
Wallah
Mucker - from Muckerjee
Along with dungarees, bungalow, jodhpurs, snooker, and many others.
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ May 28 2009, 08:32 AM)
Right people, today's word, with spelling variations (I prefer the first one), is:
cromulant
or
cromulent
cromulant
or
cromulent
I hesitate to be picky but this is actually two words. Cromulent is an adjective, meaning "possessed of the property of cromulence". Cromulant is a noun and means "a person who is in a state of cromulence". We must try to get these things right or civilisation is lost ...
QUOTE (pigsty @ May 29 2009, 02:00 PM)
I hesitate to be picky but this is actually two words. Cromulent is an adjective, meaning "possessed of the property of cromulence". Cromulant is a nound and means "a person who is in a state of cromulence". We must try to get these things right or civilisation is lost ...
That's exactly the kind of educational post I hoped for when I started this.
Right folks, due to popular request (well, 2 people have asked!), this week will be a week of animals. Today's word is:
fruitbat
fruitbat
Fruitbat (born Leslie George Carter, 12 December 1958, in London) is the stage name of the English musician, most famous for his part in Carter USM. As well as his official birthday he also celebrates a second birthday "like the Queen and Paddington Bear"[1] on 12 February. Fruitbat says his second birthday was given to him in 1992 by Smash Hits.
Carter played in a number of bands during the late 1970s, before meeting Jim Bob (James Robert Morrison) at The Orchestra Pit in Streatham, where their bands The Ballpoints and Dead Clergy used to rehearse.. When The Ballpoints' bassist quit at the end of 1980, Les joined the band, who then went on to change their name to Peter Pan's Playground. When Peter Pan's Playground split Carter and Morrison continued to write together and formed the band Jamie Wednesday.
Jamie Wednesday broke up in 1987 after some limited success. The pairing of Jim Bob and Fruitbat stuck together and Carter USM was born. In Carter USM, Fruitbat became a renowned punk guitarist, helping to co-write enough mosh pit friendly songs to secure a loyal following. Carter USM had 14 Top 40 singles, one number one album and played over 800 gigs all over the world. A lifelong enthusiast of cycling, the cycling hat Fruitbat wore onstage in the early years became a strong visual trademark for the band. He would often take his bike with him on Carter tours, much to the annoyance of Jim Bob as detailed in the book, Goodnight Jim Bob.
One of Carter USM's most talked-about moments was when Fruitbat rugby tackled presenter Phillip Schofield on live TV, in front of millions of viewers at the Smash Hits music awards. Schofield made some remarks about the band's performance and Fruitbat has said that he was "severely hammered" after drinking a crate of beer supplied by The Farm.[citation needed] The incident made the front pages of most of the UK tabloids, and represented some short-lived infamy for the band, which could only make them more popular with their fans. He is still occasionally invited to speak about the incident on various TV programmes and claims to earn up to £100 a time.[citation needed]
Carter USM split up in 1997. Fruitbat has since formed a new band Abdoujaparov, who have had some limited success[citation needed]. He is still a well-known and respected figure in the London music scene, and remains a strong supporter of his former bands by personally running the Carter USM website, fan club and selling the band's merchandise. He also presents a regular show on Brentwood radio station, Phoenix FM.
He currently lives in Brixton with his girlfriend. He remains good friends with his former band mate Jim Bob, and contributed to two of Bob's recent albums, 2004's Angelstrike! and the concept album School in 2006, but not to his 2007 album "A Humpty Dumpty Thing".
Julien
Carter played in a number of bands during the late 1970s, before meeting Jim Bob (James Robert Morrison) at The Orchestra Pit in Streatham, where their bands The Ballpoints and Dead Clergy used to rehearse.. When The Ballpoints' bassist quit at the end of 1980, Les joined the band, who then went on to change their name to Peter Pan's Playground. When Peter Pan's Playground split Carter and Morrison continued to write together and formed the band Jamie Wednesday.
Jamie Wednesday broke up in 1987 after some limited success. The pairing of Jim Bob and Fruitbat stuck together and Carter USM was born. In Carter USM, Fruitbat became a renowned punk guitarist, helping to co-write enough mosh pit friendly songs to secure a loyal following. Carter USM had 14 Top 40 singles, one number one album and played over 800 gigs all over the world. A lifelong enthusiast of cycling, the cycling hat Fruitbat wore onstage in the early years became a strong visual trademark for the band. He would often take his bike with him on Carter tours, much to the annoyance of Jim Bob as detailed in the book, Goodnight Jim Bob.
One of Carter USM's most talked-about moments was when Fruitbat rugby tackled presenter Phillip Schofield on live TV, in front of millions of viewers at the Smash Hits music awards. Schofield made some remarks about the band's performance and Fruitbat has said that he was "severely hammered" after drinking a crate of beer supplied by The Farm.[citation needed] The incident made the front pages of most of the UK tabloids, and represented some short-lived infamy for the band, which could only make them more popular with their fans. He is still occasionally invited to speak about the incident on various TV programmes and claims to earn up to £100 a time.[citation needed]
Carter USM split up in 1997. Fruitbat has since formed a new band Abdoujaparov, who have had some limited success[citation needed]. He is still a well-known and respected figure in the London music scene, and remains a strong supporter of his former bands by personally running the Carter USM website, fan club and selling the band's merchandise. He also presents a regular show on Brentwood radio station, Phoenix FM.
He currently lives in Brixton with his girlfriend. He remains good friends with his former band mate Jim Bob, and contributed to two of Bob's recent albums, 2004's Angelstrike! and the concept album School in 2006, but not to his 2007 album "A Humpty Dumpty Thing".
Julien
Cracking stuff, Julien. Of course, we probably shouldn't go into what the initials stand for in "Carter USM," as this is a family site...
Hey, just thought of something - bonus points will be awarded to the first person who can post a clip of Metal Mickey saying 'fruitbat.'
Hey, just thought of something - bonus points will be awarded to the first person who can post a clip of Metal Mickey saying 'fruitbat.'
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 1 2009, 11:57 AM)
fruitbat
This is very easy to determine. It refers, of course, to my ex wife!
QUOTE (bentwaters81tfw @ Jun 1 2009, 01:46 PM)
This is very easy to determine. It refers, of course, to my ex wife!
I would say it also applies to my ex-girlfiend*, but it's nowhere near strong enough!
*no, that's not a spelling mistake.
We also have Fruitbats
Adaptations: Fruit bats, like other bats, have very long, webbed fingers that serve as wings. Fruit bats also have very good senses of smell and sight (contrary to the myth that all bats are blind).
Reproductive Cycles and Family Habits: Fruit bats tend to live in large colonies, or "camps." Within these camps, one male fruit bats usually lives with up to eight female bats.
Behavior: Fruit bats are nocturnal, and hang from their feet during the day. They may hang with their wings wrapped around their bodies, or, if it is hot, may use their wings to fan themselves. Although fruit bats are good at flying, landing is another story! Fruit bats can't land gracefully, and instead must crash into bushes or trees to come to a stop, or try to latch onto a branch as they pass by. Sometimes these crash-landings disturb other fruit bats at the site, and cause noisy fights amongst them.
Diet: Fruit bats, as their name hints, consume fruit and flowers. These bats usually suck on the flowers and fruit, then swallow the nectar or juice and spit out the remaining pulp.
Habitat: Dense forest areas.
Predators: Humans sometimes eat bats.
Threats to Survival: Habitat destruction is one big threat to the survival of many types of fruit bats. Storms, and hunting also contribute to the endangerment of some species.
Adaptations: Fruit bats, like other bats, have very long, webbed fingers that serve as wings. Fruit bats also have very good senses of smell and sight (contrary to the myth that all bats are blind).
Reproductive Cycles and Family Habits: Fruit bats tend to live in large colonies, or "camps." Within these camps, one male fruit bats usually lives with up to eight female bats.
Behavior: Fruit bats are nocturnal, and hang from their feet during the day. They may hang with their wings wrapped around their bodies, or, if it is hot, may use their wings to fan themselves. Although fruit bats are good at flying, landing is another story! Fruit bats can't land gracefully, and instead must crash into bushes or trees to come to a stop, or try to latch onto a branch as they pass by. Sometimes these crash-landings disturb other fruit bats at the site, and cause noisy fights amongst them.
Diet: Fruit bats, as their name hints, consume fruit and flowers. These bats usually suck on the flowers and fruit, then swallow the nectar or juice and spit out the remaining pulp.
Habitat: Dense forest areas.
Predators: Humans sometimes eat bats.
Threats to Survival: Habitat destruction is one big threat to the survival of many types of fruit bats. Storms, and hunting also contribute to the endangerment of some species.
Nice, Julien. Very informative.
I saw a bat last night, when out hunting slugs with a torch. Dunno what sort, but it was about the size of a swift.
Today's words is/are:
dog-faced newt
As nobody won the bonus points for a Metal Mickey clip, I'll award double to anyone who can tell me which television advert featured the phrase "dog-faced newt."
I saw a bat last night, when out hunting slugs with a torch. Dunno what sort, but it was about the size of a swift.
Today's words is/are:
dog-faced newt
As nobody won the bonus points for a Metal Mickey clip, I'll award double to anyone who can tell me which television advert featured the phrase "dog-faced newt."
I'm sure there was one in the pub last night.
QUOTE (bentwaters81tfw @ Jun 2 2009, 09:26 AM)
I'm sure there was one in the pub last night.
Is he a dog faced Newt?
Julien
Julien
I dunno, he looks a bit more baboon-faced to me...
Never seen a Slug that was holding a torch before, are they difficult to find? Or does the glint of the torch beam give them away? Wonder where they get the battery's from though....
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 2 2009, 08:59 AM)
Nice, Julien. Very informative.
I saw a bat last night, when out hunting slugs with a torch. Dunno what sort, but it was about the size of a swift.
Today's words is/are:
dog-faced newt
As nobody won the bonus points for a Metal Mickey clip, I'll award double to anyone who can tell me which television advert featured the phrase "dog-faced newt."
I saw a bat last night, when out hunting slugs with a torch. Dunno what sort, but it was about the size of a swift.
Today's words is/are:
dog-faced newt
As nobody won the bonus points for a Metal Mickey clip, I'll award double to anyone who can tell me which television advert featured the phrase "dog-faced newt."
No no no, you've read it wrong. It was the bat that had the torch, while it was hunting slugs. They need the torches as the echo location doesn't pick the slugs up, due to them being masked in the ground clutter.
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 2 2009, 02:23 PM)
No no no, you've read it wrong. It was the bat that had the torch, while it was hunting slugs. They need the torches as the echo location doesn't pick the slugs up, due to them being masked in the ground clutter.
There's a tribe in Ecuador that make an intoxicating drink from ground clutter. The clutter is of course a rare species of tree frog, famed for its outsized gonads. Are there many Ecuadorian tribesmen round your way? and why are they making masks for the slugs??
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 2 2009, 08:59 AM)
Nice, Julien. Very informative.
I saw a bat last night, when out hunting slugs with a torch. Dunno what sort, but it was about the size of a swift.
I saw a bat last night, when out hunting slugs with a torch. Dunno what sort, but it was about the size of a swift.
our most common bat is a pippistrel bat , which ties in with your description , they are territorial creatures and do the same rounds at the same time every night one buzzes my window all night feasting on the insects atracted by the lights
( although not the ones the slugs are holding !!)
QUOTE (Rowan Broadbent @ Jun 2 2009, 04:42 PM)
There's a tribe in Ecuador that make an intoxicating drink from ground clutter. The clutter is of course a rare species of tree frog, famed for its outsized gonads.
Mmm, frog drink
QUOTE (Rowan Broadbent @ Jun 2 2009, 04:42 PM)
Are there many Ecuadorian tribesmen round your way? and why are they making masks for the slugs??
Not many, and as for the masks - have you ever looked at a slug's face?
QUOTE (tornado64 @ Jun 2 2009, 05:51 PM)
our most common bat is a pippistrel bat , which ties in with your description , they are territorial creatures and do the same rounds at the same time every night one buzzes my window all night feasting on the insects atracted by the lights
( although not the ones the slugs are holding !!)
( although not the ones the slugs are holding !!)
Thanks T, I might have a look again tonight.
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 2 2009, 02:23 PM)
No no no, you've read it wrong. It was the bat that had the torch, while it was hunting slugs. They need the torches as the echo location doesn't pick the slugs up, due to them being masked in the ground clutter.
Aha, a Turbinlite bat. Reversion from radar to searchlight sounds like an interesting case of reverse evolution.
Nick
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 2 2009, 06:56 PM)
Mmm, frog drink
Oooze-Oh!
QUOTE (Seahawk @ Jun 2 2009, 10:27 PM)
Aha, a Turbinlite bat. Reversion from radar to searchlight sounds like an interesting case of reverse evolution.
Nick
Nick
Yes, it's the next step on the evolutionary journey for bats.
Incidentally, all joking aside, did anyone know that a species of moth has developed ECM? There is one particular moth that listens to the bat's echo-location, and as the frequency of the 'pings' reaches a certain level, indicating the bat is very close, a reflex action is triggered in the moth that stops its wings beating for a second, so it drops suddenly, spoiling the bat's aim!
QUOTE (Nick Belbin @ Jun 2 2009, 10:35 PM)
Oooze-Oh!
Right folks, today's animal is:
ginger pig
ginger pig
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 3 2009, 08:41 AM)
Yes, it's the next step on the evolutionary journey for bats.
Incidentally, all joking aside, did anyone know that a species of moth has developed ECM? There is one particular moth that listens to the bat's echo-location, and as the frequency of the 'pings' reaches a certain level, indicating the bat is very close, a reflex action is triggered in the moth that stops its wings beating for a second, so it drops suddenly, spoiling the bat's aim!
Incidentally, all joking aside, did anyone know that a species of moth has developed ECM? There is one particular moth that listens to the bat's echo-location, and as the frequency of the 'pings' reaches a certain level, indicating the bat is very close, a reflex action is triggered in the moth that stops its wings beating for a second, so it drops suddenly, spoiling the bat's aim!
Would that be Melese Laodamia, the moth 360 Squadron had on its squadron badge because it "jams [bats'] prey-finding radar system"? If so, [pedant mode on] it sounds a bit more like an automatically-activated evasive manouevre (like going into a corkscrew) rather than true active ECM. Still v clever but I'm a tad disappointed.
Nick
QUOTE (Seahawk @ Jun 3 2009, 09:11 AM)
Would that be Melese Laodamia, the moth 360 Squadron had on its squadron badge because it "jams [bats'] prey-finding radar system"? If so, [pedant mode on] it sounds a bit more like an automatically-activated evasive manouevre (like going into a corkscrew) rather than true active ECM. Still v clever but I'm a tad disappointed.
Nick
Nick
I'm sure it must be the one, I saw it on a wildlife documentary a few years ago and can't remember the name now. It was very impressive to watch.
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 3 2009, 08:44 AM)
Right folks, today's animal is:
ginger pig
ginger pig
As in Tamworth? Or Geri Halliwell?
Fergie?
You're both very rude and naughty, and this is not at all the response I was expecting 
Large creature, of Celtic descent normally found with a snout stuck in a take away wrapper. Whilst common to all areas of the UK, the female are the more dominant and therefore these will tend to be the more obvious traits to the casual observer. The males try and blend into the background and not attract attention. As for the females they tend to congregate in areas where alcohol is served in large quantities to attract their normally unsuspecting mate (think a mammalian version of a preying mantis). For the females, it is unusual to see them performing their mating dance/ritual in pairs, they like to surround themselves with slimmer more attractive examples of the same genus that normally have brunette, blonde or black hair. Can be identified by the common calls of "Faaarrrkin 'Elll", "Wotcha mean I smell of wet sandbags??" or the perennial favourite of "Gizza Chip". Whilst the offspring can inherit other markings, the ginger gene tends to be dominant though the sub species of the Medway female Ginger Pig normally produces 3 in a litter of varying colours and hues.
Unfortunately not threatened, more likely to do the threatening. Avoid the Female Irish sub species at all costs, they are barking and very, very aggressive.
Famous Ginger Pigs:
Unfortunately not threatened, more likely to do the threatening. Avoid the Female Irish sub species at all costs, they are barking and very, very aggressive.
Famous Ginger Pigs:
Now that's just cruel!
Greg B,
GOOD GOD MAN! HAVE YOU NO DECENCY? NO RESTRAINT?
You just broke something inside of me that I thought was already broken.
GOOD GOD MAN! HAVE YOU NO DECENCY? NO RESTRAINT?
You just broke something inside of me that I thought was already broken.
Greg, ARHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we could have, http://www.gingerpigband.com/ a 10 piece 'house' band at the famous Black Bottom Club, England (BBC). Dynamic and distinctive Rock n' Roll show with a difference performing at Festivals Worldwide.
Or,
This is a Tamworth Pig. Still considered a rare breed in the UK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamworth_Pig
These are remarkably well tempered pigs, I know as my mate farms them in Wales. They are big hariy ginger beasts (I think I had en ex like that!) with the hair protecting them from the sun. They are also really tasty!
Julien
we could have, http://www.gingerpigband.com/ a 10 piece 'house' band at the famous Black Bottom Club, England (BBC). Dynamic and distinctive Rock n' Roll show with a difference performing at Festivals Worldwide.
Or,
This is a Tamworth Pig. Still considered a rare breed in the UK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamworth_Pig
These are remarkably well tempered pigs, I know as my mate farms them in Wales. They are big hariy ginger beasts (I think I had en ex like that!) with the hair protecting them from the sun. They are also really tasty!
Julien
QUOTE (Julien @ Jun 3 2009, 01:53 PM)
They are big hariy ginger beasts (I think I had en ex like that!)
Me too!
QUOTE (Greg B @ Jun 3 2009, 11:51 AM)
. Avoid the Female Irish sub species at all costs, they are barking and very, very aggressive.
Famous Ginger Pigs:
Famous Ginger Pigs:
also it is to be noted !! if sharing a house with the above mentioned variety , not to be overheard muttering "ginger pig !!" as they are pretty swift with kitchen knives and rolling pins !!
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 3 2009, 02:09 PM)
Me too!
me too !! hair all the way down her back !! none on her head !! just down her back !!
Right then, for the faithful, today's animal is:
hairy frog
hairy frog
Are we discussing the armpits of Frenchwomen?
QUOTE (bentwaters81tfw @ Jun 4 2009, 09:45 AM)
Are we discussing the armpits of Frenchwomen?
Most emphatically not. I knew this was a bad idea.
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 4 2009, 10:21 AM)
Right then, for the faithful, today's animal is:
hairy frog
hairy frog
Should that not be "hairy frogette"? Which is most of the species...
QUOTE (Obi-Jiff Kenobi @ Jun 4 2009, 09:21 AM)
Right then, for the faithful, today's animal is:
hairy frog
hairy frog
QUOTE (bentwaters81tfw @ Jun 4 2009, 09:45 AM)
Are we discussing the armpits of Frenchwomen?
Ma wharf take exception to ziss remorque (a trailer for a later one perhaps...?)
eet ees not zee truce zat les francaise are wearing zee hairsuit, sacre blancmange, quelle canard!
That's funny, your accent shows more when you type than when you talk...
The Hairy Frog (Trichobatrachus robustus) is a Central African species of frog in the Arthroleptidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Trichobatrachus. Its common name refers to the somewhat hair-like structures on the body and thighs of the breeding male.
Description
The species is about 11 cm long from snout to length. The large head is broader than long, with a short rounded snout. Males are much larger than females. The former have a paired internal vocal sac and three short ridges of small black spines along the inner surface of the first manual digit. Breeding males also develop – somewhat hair-like – dermal papillae that extend along the flanks and thighs. These contain arteries and are thought to increase the surface for the purpose of absorbing oxygen (comparably to external gills of the aquatic stage), which is useful as the male stays with his eggs for an extended period of time after they have been laid in the water by the female.
The species is terrestrial, but returns to the water for breeding, where egg masses are laid onto rocks in streams. The quite muscular tadpoles are carnivorous and feature several rows of horned teeth. Adults feed on slugs, myriapods, spiders, beetles and grasshoppers.
The hairy frog is also notable in possessing retractable "claws" (though unlike true claws, they are made of bone, not keratin), which it may project through the skin, apparently by intentionally breaking the bones of the toe. In addition, the researchers found a small bony nodule nestled in the tissue just beyond the frog's fingertip. When sheathed, each claw is anchored to the nodule with tough strands of collagen, but, as Gerald Durrell discovered firsthand, when the frog is grabbed or attacked, the frog breaks the nodule connection and forces its sharpened bones through the skin.
This is probably a defense behavior. Although a retraction mechanism is not known, it has been hypothesized that the claws later retract passively, while the damaged tissue is regenerated.
Amphibian researcher and biologist David Wake of the University of California, Berkeley, says that this type of weaponry appears to be unique in the animal kingdom. But David Cannatella, a herpetologist at the University of Texas, Austin, questions whether the bony protrusions are meant for fighting. They could allow a frog's feet "to get a better grip on whatever rocky habitat they might be in," he says.
Distribution
It is found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, possibly Angola, and possibly Republic of the Congo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, rivers, arable land, plantations , and heavily degraded former forest.
Relation with humans
This species is roasted and eaten in Cameroon. They are hunted with long spears or machetes, apparently to avoid being hurt by their claws.
Description
The species is about 11 cm long from snout to length. The large head is broader than long, with a short rounded snout. Males are much larger than females. The former have a paired internal vocal sac and three short ridges of small black spines along the inner surface of the first manual digit. Breeding males also develop – somewhat hair-like – dermal papillae that extend along the flanks and thighs. These contain arteries and are thought to increase the surface for the purpose of absorbing oxygen (comparably to external gills of the aquatic stage), which is useful as the male stays with his eggs for an extended period of time after they have been laid in the water by the female.
The species is terrestrial, but returns to the water for breeding, where egg masses are laid onto rocks in streams. The quite muscular tadpoles are carnivorous and feature several rows of horned teeth. Adults feed on slugs, myriapods, spiders, beetles and grasshoppers.
The hairy frog is also notable in possessing retractable "claws" (though unlike true claws, they are made of bone, not keratin), which it may project through the skin, apparently by intentionally breaking the bones of the toe. In addition, the researchers found a small bony nodule nestled in the tissue just beyond the frog's fingertip. When sheathed, each claw is anchored to the nodule with tough strands of collagen, but, as Gerald Durrell discovered firsthand, when the frog is grabbed or attacked, the frog breaks the nodule connection and forces its sharpened bones through the skin.
This is probably a defense behavior. Although a retraction mechanism is not known, it has been hypothesized that the claws later retract passively, while the damaged tissue is regenerated.
Amphibian researcher and biologist David Wake of the University of California, Berkeley, says that this type of weaponry appears to be unique in the animal kingdom. But David Cannatella, a herpetologist at the University of Texas, Austin, questions whether the bony protrusions are meant for fighting. They could allow a frog's feet "to get a better grip on whatever rocky habitat they might be in," he says.
Distribution
It is found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, possibly Angola, and possibly Republic of the Congo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, rivers, arable land, plantations , and heavily degraded former forest.
Relation with humans
This species is roasted and eaten in Cameroon. They are hunted with long spears or machetes, apparently to avoid being hurt by their claws.
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