I Spy Animals

Friday

What Happened to The Crossbreed?

When I was younger, I loved a book called The Crossbreed. It's about a cat that was a cross between a house cat and a wild bobcat. It was a fun adventure that got me interested in bobcats and lynxes and the differences between them.

Even the cover illustration was compelling, and wonderful to refer to while reading inside about the length of a bobcat's tail or the tufts on its ears. See the original, below...

Here's the original review of the book:

"This young adult nature novel tells the story of the life of a crossbreed cat—the offspring of a mating between a large feral female house cat and a much larger wild bobcat.

The story follows the adventures of the cat from the time of his birth in southern Wisconsin, his precarious and near-fatal experience in a flash flood, a rescue by a young boy who adopts him and their accidental separation in an incident with takes the cat far away in Arkansas, where he is hunted and mistreated ... as he gradually travels overland toward home."

But recently something has happened. I mean, the story is the same, but now the cover is...well, it's just plain freaky, like the publisher wanted to add a zombie flavor to attract kids reading the current vampire genre.

I imagine readers opening the book, expecting some super hero cat risen from the dead, somehow incorporated into the current official Amazon review of the book:

"His mother was a housecat gone wild - a huge, tiger-striped cat who survived almost certain death at the hands of a man intent upon destroying her and her family.

His father was a bobcat- a proud, cunning creature of the Wisconsin countryside, whose tumultuous courtship with her resulted ultimately in his own violent death.

The Crossbreed himself was their largest offspring ... His intelligence and ability and the combination of the better attributes of both breeds enabled him to survive in a world of enemies and to undergo an incredible odyssey of over two thousand miles in four years..."

What's funny about this review is that the story of the parents of the crossbred cat takes up only a chapter or two in the whole book, whereas it's two thirds of the review. I guess hyperbole is now the way to sell a story that has stood the test of time?

Anyway, even though the current cover illustration is bizarre, The Crossbreed is a great middle school/young adult story from an award-winning author, Allan Eckert. Check it out!

Already read it? Tell me what you think!

What Happened to The Crossbreed?

Before the United States officially existed, she was born. Hanako, a red Koi, was found to be 217 - 226 years old at her death in 1977.

In the last decades of her life, Hanako was cared for by Dr. Komei Koshihara. This is what he said about her in 1966:

"This "Hanako" is still in perfect condition and swimming about majestically in a quiet ravine decending Mt. Ontake in a short distance. ... She and I are dearest friends. When I call her saying "Hanako! Hanako!" from the brink of the pond, she unhesitatingly comes swimming to my feet. If I lightly pat her on the head, she looks quite delighted. Sometimes I go so far as to take her out of the water and embrace her. At one time a person watching asked me whether I was performing a trick with the carp.

Although a fish, she seems to feel that she is dearly loved, and it appears that there is some communication of feeling between us. At present my greatest pleasure is to go to my native place two or three times a month and keep company with "Hanako"."

Koi are Japanese carp which have been bred for many years to display certain colors; they are described as "living jewels". When Koi are purchased, they are looked upon as creatures to be passed from generation to generation. Therefore, the cost of certain Koi can be quite high.

What's the most ever paid for a Koi? The rumor is...$2.2 million. Let's take a look at this lucky fish:

Wait, that's not her...! Here she is:

Why is she worth so much? As you can see, the brilliant orange against her pure white body is striking! Koi are judged on health, size, body shape, purity of their base body color, and the placement and brilliance of their markings...

...from the top.

That's right...Koi live in ponds and are viewed from the top; therefore the upper markings count the most. So a fish with the likeness of Ronald Reagan on its belly isn't going to bring a really high price. :)

So judging from the top...

Meet the 2011 Grand Champion above..."Sea Horse". Do you see the sea horse shape on the head?

Certain Koi are valued for their Japanese Flag orange spot on the head...

The fish we've seen so far are scaleless, but some Koi, like the metallic one below, have some scales placed along the dorsal and sides:

And here there be the Koi Dragons...they're like tiny Killer Whales. I like these the most:

And look at this really cool skeletony one...each scale has a gray center and a silvery rim:

My own family used to keep Koi in the big water troughs our horses drank from. They came to the surface to greet us when we went to fill the troughs. The Koi kept the water clean and grew to be pretty large.

But not that large! Here is a record-sized wild one caught by a fisherman. When wild, they're called carp.

So...have you got a few thousand dollars to spare?

Actually, you can get a nice young Koi for about $10...but for that price, don't go looking for a Mickey Mouse likeness on its head.

Have a Koi? Leave me a comment!

If you are interested in all the varieties of Koi, go here and scroll down for some great information.

The Fish That Lived For 226 Years

Before the United States officially existed, she was born. Hanako, a red Koi, was found to be 217 - 226 years old at her death in 1977.

In the last decades of her life, Hanako was cared for by Dr. Komei Koshihara. This is what he said about her in 1966:

What's the most ever paid for a Koi? The rumor is...$2.2 million. Let's take a look at this lucky fish:

A Smack of Jellyfish

You're watching Animal Planet and the camera zooms in on five lions lazing in the sun. You think, hey, a pride of lions.

In the distance, you notice wildebeest, hundreds of them ... a whole herd.

You glance at the aquarium next to your TV and notice that, as usual, your six neon tetras are moving together in a school.

Then your pack of four Yorkies jumps up on the couch with you, searching for the cheese puffs they know you've dropped.

Pride, herd, school, pack; these are words that describe bunches of the same animal. Easy.

But what would you call, say, seventeen otters?

A romp, of course.

And several giraffes?

A tower.

Get it?

There's more and some are crazy...

Let's take a look:

And my favorite....

So what would you call a group of bats? A belfry?

Ha ha

Comment your idea for an animal group name of your choice!

But meanwhile, did you know...

A group of antelope is called a herd.

A group of ants is called an army or a colony.
A group of apes is called a shrewdness.
A group of baboons is called a troop.
A group of badgers is called a cete.
A group of bass is called a shoal.
A group of bears is called a sleuth or a sloth.
A group of beavers is called a colony.
A group of bees is called a swarm, grist or hive.
A group of birds is called a flock, flight or volery.
A group of boars is called a sounder.
A group of buffalo is called a herd.
A group of bucks is called a brace or clash.

A group of caterpillar is called an army.
A group of cats is called a clowder or clutter.
A group of cattle is called a herd or drove.
A group of chickens is called a brood or peep.
A group of chicks is called a clutch or chattering.
A group of cobras is called a quiver.
A group of colts is called a rag.
A group of cows is called a kine.
Twelve cows is called a flink.
A group of coyotes is called a band.
A group of cranes is called a sedge or siege.
A group of crocodiles is called a float.
A group of crows is called a murder.
A group of cubs is called a litter.
A group of deer is called a herd.
A group of dogs is called a pack.
A group of donkeys is called a herd or pace.
A group of doves is called a dule.
A group of ducks is called a brace, paddling or team.
A group of eagles is called a convocation.
A group of elephants is called a herd or a parade.
A group of seals is called a pod.
A group of elk is called a gang.
A group of emus is called a mob.
A group of falcons is called a cast.
A group of ferrets is called a business.
A group of finches is called a charm.
A group of foxes is called a skulk or leash.
A group of frogs is called an army or colony.
A group of geese is called a flock, gaggle or skein.
A group of gnats is called a cloud or horde.
A group of goldfish is called a troubling.
A group of gorillas is called a band.
A group of greyhounds is called a leash.
A group of hares is called a down or husk.
A group of hawks is called a cast or kettle.
A group of hens is called a brood.
A group of herons is called a hedge.
A group of hogs is called a drift or parcel.
A group of horses is called a team, pair or harras.
A group of hounds is called a pack, mute or cry.
A group of kittens is called a kindle or litter.
A group of larks is called a exaultation.
A group of leopards is called a leep or leap .
A group of lions is called a pride.
A group of magpies is called a tiding.
A group of mallards is called a sord.
A group of martens is called a richness.
A group of moles is called a labor.
A group of mules is called a barren or span .
A group of owls is called a parliament.
A group of parrots is called a company.
A group of partridges is called a covey.
A group of peacocks is called a muster or ostentation.
A group of pheasants is called a nest or bouquet.
A group of plovers is called a congregation.
A group of ponies is called a string.
A group of rattlesnakes is called a rhumba.
A group of ravens is called an unkindness.
A group of rhinos is called a crash.
A group of rooks is called a building or clamor.
A group of snakes is called a nest.
A group of snipes is called a walk or wisp.
A group of sparrows is called a host.
A group of squirrels is called a dray.
A group of starlings is called a murmuration.
A group of storks is called a mustering.
A group of swine is called a sounder or drift.
A group of teals is called a spring.
A group of toads is called a knot.
A group of trout is called a hover.
A group of turkeys is called a rafter.
A group of turtledoves is called a pitying.
A group of turtles is called a bale.
A group of woodcocks is called a fall.
A group of woodpeckers is called a descent .