Improbable Battles in the Animal Kingdom this Week

Some improbable animal battles this week.
Praying Mantis v. Hummingbird
The hummingbirds in this video already hate the praying mantis. They bicker with him and kick him in the head. Their prejudice is well-founded: the mantis lunges at the bird. In slow mo, it seems like the bird gets off. But there is a long-running war and the mantis sometimes wins. The outcome is so improbable, there's a discussion on Snopes debating whether it is possible.


Shark v. Ring

Veterinarian Chip Gardener grabbed a nurse shark ensnared by a frisbee ring and freed it. Gardener was diving near the wreck “The Princess Anne” off Palm Beach with his friend John Dickinson, who joked on CBS that his focus was just framing the shot.




Chicken v. Fox
A young fox broke into a hen house in Basildon, Essex, UK, and was pecked to death by the rooster Dude and his hens Izzy, Pongo and Pecky, the Daily Mail reports. Even if he survived the bites, he would have died of embarrassment over the attack.

Kangaroo Ranches in Both Georga and South Dakota

For years I've wondered why entrepreneurs don't set up kangaroo ranges around the country. Now they are starting to. I visited the Kangaroo Conservation Center outside Atlanta last year. It's a bit of a stretch to call hauling kangaroos thousands of miles from their natural habitat to live in a fence visited by tourists "conservation." But it's a fun visit just the same.
Now there's a another kangaroo hot spot: the Roo Ranch in South Dakota.
The ranch made it into the news when one of their wallabies briefly escaped at the airport.
I haven't visited--yet--but they seem to be a little bit smaller and less programmed than Atlanta's Kangaroo center. Admission is only $15, but they do seem to count on making a lot of money off getting your picture taken with a kangaroo--kind of low rent like an amusement park.

Where to See Animals Down South
Where to See More Unusual Animals

Turkey Vultures Invade Florence, NJ

Turkey Vultures Invade NJ Town
A flock of turkey vultures, 75 strong, has invaded Florence, NJ, just south of Trenton. These are the big, bald-headed birds that first excite casual birders with their size, then disappoint with their gangly, common appearance. Doesn't help that they're smelly, eat carrion and creepily lurk in flocks on trees.
No one is sure what drew the birds to Florence, but the town is working to persuade them to leave. Suprisingly, they are bothering with the dispersal methods that have long frustrated subarban gardeners: metallic ribbon and beach balls with big eyes. According to the AP, they've hung effigies of dead birds. It's NJ, so eventually they'll just hunt them.

Where to See the Odd Bird
See More Animals in the Northeast

Visit the Groundhogs at the Punxsutawney Library

Punxsutawney, Pa. Groundhog Zoo
Groundhog Day is Punxsutawney's day in the spotlight. But you can visit the groundhogs in their long off season at the Groundhog Zoo on Punxsy's Barclay Square.
In the winter Punsxsutaney Phil and Phyllis usually just sleep. But you can spy them in their groundfloor, windowed 'zoo' thats attached to the library on the pretty town square. (Occassionaly the groundhogs have escaped into the library)
Groundhog statues are easy to come by. Here's a story I wrote about visiting the place in the Washiington Post yesterday.
Where to See Neat Animals in the Northeast