1. Babies
While putting my lab rats away today I took my usual detour to the breeder cages to look at the baby rats ("pups" if you want to get technical). I saw some black and white babies. I saw some pretty big babies--let's call them toddlers. The next cage was labeled with a bright pink tag that said, "WATCH FOR NEW LITTER".
Alright then.
I knew the cages had been changed this morning, so no one would be checking on the mother until tomorrow. Maybe I could actually watch her give birth. Sure enough, there were teeny pup-shaped blobs surrounding the mother. They were unmoving, covered in blood and the sawdust/pellet stuff the cages are filled with. At first it looked like both mother and father were licking the pups clean. Awfully aggressive licking. I ran to get the nearest vet tech, who shrieked when she turned the cage around.
Yep, they were eating their babies. Probably one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen. As a strong believer in the idea that most, if not all, animal behavior can be traced back to evolutionary force or advantage, I really don't see the point of this one.
2. The weekend
It is Friday.
3. Consumption of excessive Starbucks
I broke in the very generous gift card my aunt and uncle gave me. Happy to report it works. It should last through fall semester at least. If not, can someone please stage an intervention?
4. The obvious one...
...will remain unstated. We're going for subtlety here.
Subtlety won over.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the dark side
#4 would have gone completely over my head, were it not for the previous commenter. This is an extremely promising start, looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteDo I get to say "welcome" too, since I've only been a blagonaut for like 2 weeks? And if the blag in question is really only supposed to be for travel and stuff?
Super subtle subtlety is a both a skill and a burden. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteYou get to say whatever you want. And I don't have the self-control to restrict myself to one-ish topic, but respect your ability.