Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the water, you find that birds in Australia have learned to use fire to set fires; all in the name of the circle of life.
"FOR THOUSANDS of years Australia's indigenous people have spoken about 'firehawk' raptors that intentionally spread bushfires in order to corner their prey.
Now, a new study has documented and confirmed the bizarre ritual of these firehawks, finding that at least three raptor species "act as propagators" of wild fire."
The birds will "pick up smoldering grass and sticks from raging bushfires and transport them up to a kilometre away". They use these 'tools' to set fires in non-burning areas to start a frenzy of small animals running for safety; or, out of the fire and into the frying pan.
Time for small animals everywhere to unite and form their own fire departments... Volunteers only, please.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @02:23AM (1 child)
I used in a quiz in January 2018. The following is from an abstract from the scientific paper the popular reports were based on:
(Score: 4, Funny) by Immerman on Monday November 11 2019, @02:32AM
Yep, me too.
And you'd think if they're going to recycle such old news, they'd at least have time to make a decent pun. That should be "...out of the fire and into the flying pan"
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @02:38AM
Burn it all down.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @03:18AM (19 children)
Drop bears, giant spiders, and now fire-starting birds! Monster Hunter must be actually just a virtual wildlife tour of Australia!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @03:49AM (18 children)
Snakes, scorpions, kangaroos, dingoes, cane toads, emus.
Australia is a real hell that can't be adequately described by fiction.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @03:54AM
Australia is the origin of the phrase "you go to hell and you die" ?
(Score: 5, Informative) by c0lo on Monday November 11 2019, @04:54AM (16 children)
Add to those:
- over 1000 toxic species of plants [australiangeographic.com.au]
- toxic and venomous fishes [australiangeographic.com.au]
- algal blooms that kill livestock [theconversation.com]
- venomous platypuses [wikipedia.org], goannas [wikipedia.org] and lizards [theconversation.com]
- 1cm3 jellyfish stingers [wikipedia.org] - excruciating painful, you wish you'd be dead and frequently your wish is granted
- small but deadly octopuses [wikipedia.org]
- and, of course, a generous assortment of sharks
If none of them kills you, you are free to try Victoria Bitter [wikipedia.org] - if you persist in drinking it (for whatever reasons, most of the time is peer pressure, aka friendly coercion) for as little time as a whole day, you'll either commit suicide (to escape the torture) or get to like it and turn into a bogan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by jasassin on Monday November 11 2019, @07:10AM (7 children)
It doesn't sound all that bad to me. From Wikipedia:
Despite its name, Victoria Bitter is a standard commercial lager rather than a bitter. Since late 2012, Victoria Bitter has been sold at a strength of 4.9% ABV after an interim period of producing the same product at an ABV of 4.6% (equal to virtually every other major Australian lager).
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday November 11 2019, @07:31AM (5 children)
This is one of those types of knowledge you can't acquire by strict analytical means and where direct unmediated experience is absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, it doesn't take as long as attaining a Zen state.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @07:40AM (4 children)
We'll drink a Foster's to honor your sacrifice.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday November 11 2019, @08:03AM (1 child)
Heh, I neither suicides nor morphed into a bogan, so no sacrifice here.
This being said, feel free to drink whatever booze you like and for whatever reasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by jasassin on Monday November 11 2019, @10:41PM
The real deal is a 14% ABV Four Loko. It's not necessary to commit suicide with this [www.good.is].
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Monday November 11 2019, @09:26AM (1 child)
Anything but XXXX [wikipedia.org]
Fosters [wikipedia.org] isn't really Australian, anymore.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @09:48AM
I ain't in Australia. That's why it has to be a Foster's.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Mykl on Tuesday November 12 2019, @12:25AM
There was a massive outcry from VB drinkers when they reduced the alcohol content to match other beers, and the brewery were forced to put it back up again due to pressure from their customers (who trend more toward the "drink purely to get drunk" side of the equation than average).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @08:05AM (6 children)
Call me a bogan then, I've happy memories of getting pleasantly drunk on tinnies and stubbies of VB down in London a couple of decades back...ok, so I wasn't actually paying for the stuff myself (customer supplied refreshment on the job...happier days), maybe that clouds my judgement (and time dulls the memory of the taste) but I don't recall VB being as bad as you make it out to be..
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday November 11 2019, @08:19AM (5 children)
Highly likely you started on VB after you got the equiv of beer goggles on you tongue.
Actually, I have no idea how the VB sold in Pommy pubs tastes like, but somewhere around 90% of Melbournians hate what's available here (and the rest of 10% are bogans. Large grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Informative) by MostCynical on Monday November 11 2019, @09:33AM (4 children)
XXXX in England tastes like XXXX
Fosters tastes even more watery.
Why would you drink either? [beercrawl.com.au]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday November 11 2019, @10:55AM (3 children)
Indeed, I don't.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @03:19PM (2 children)
Perhaps you'll luck out and someone will start shipping this stuff [taphunter.com] down to you folks.
Cuz it's *classy*. It even has its own screed:
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday November 11 2019, @03:34PM (1 child)
Oh, well, over 6% I prefer rum.
Otherwise, if you are after Guinness Book of Records (rather than the Guinness stout) you may like to look at at a 67.6 ABV ale [laughingsquid.com]? (I know I don't).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @07:40PM
AC you replied to here.
Not looking for records. I mentioned it as it's actually pretty tasty. And I don't even *like* beer. If it was strength I was interested in, I would have mentioned the stronger version, Double Bastard Ale [beeradvocate.com] which is 11%.
As for rum, except for Cachaça [wikipedia.org] the only thing rum ever did for me is make me puke. Which I guess is good, as there's more for you!
(Score: 3, Informative) by FatPhil on Monday November 11 2019, @11:41AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves