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posted by Fnord666 on Monday November 11 2019, @02:13AM   Printer-friendly
from the hangry-birds dept.

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.

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2018/01/this-is-why-aussie-firehawk-raptors-are-spreading-bushfires/


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @03:18AM (19 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @03:18AM (#918810)

    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)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @03:49AM (#918820)

    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

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @03:54AM (#918822)

      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)

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 11 2019, @04:54AM (#918827) Journal

      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)

        by jasassin (3566) <jasassin@gmail.com> on Monday November 11 2019, @07:10AM (#918845) Homepage Journal

        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.

        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)

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 11 2019, @07:31AM (#918848) Journal

          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)

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @07:40AM (#918851)

            We'll drink a Foster's to honor your sacrifice.

            • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday November 11 2019, @08:03AM (1 child)

              by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 11 2019, @08:03AM (#918857) Journal

              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 MostCynical on Monday November 11 2019, @09:26AM (1 child)

              by MostCynical (2589) on Monday November 11 2019, @09:26AM (#918877) Journal

              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

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @09:48AM (#918880)

                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

          by Mykl (1112) on Tuesday November 12 2019, @12:25AM (#919167)

          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).

          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)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @08:05AM (#918858)

        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)

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 11 2019, @08:19AM (#918862) Journal

          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)

            by MostCynical (2589) on Monday November 11 2019, @09:33AM (#918879) Journal

            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)

              by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 11 2019, @10:55AM (#918892) Journal

              Why would you drink either?

              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)

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @03:19PM (#918954)

                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:

                This is an aggressive beer. You probably won't like it. It is quite doubtful you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality or depth. We would suggest you stick to more familiar territory - maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it's made in a little brewery, or one that implies that its tasteless fizzy yellow beer will give you more sex appeal.

                • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday November 11 2019, @03:34PM (1 child)

                  by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 11 2019, @03:34PM (#918959) Journal

                  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

                    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 11 2019, @07:40PM (#919033)

                    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).

                    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

        by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Monday November 11 2019, @11:41AM (#918900) Homepage
        VB's made its way to northern Europe - noone's safe!
        --
        Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves