Birds of a Feather

I can’t believe this guy has his head so close to this flower.

They can grow up to four feet in diameter and smell like a prom night dumpster baby. Rafflesia is a genus of terrible smelling, parasitic flowering plants that resemble something out of Mario. It has no leaves or stems, and grows inside the tissue of vines. But seriously, it’s nickname is the corpse flower. Pollinated by flies, this massive flower emits a stench similar to rotting flesh. After it’s gotten flies to do sexual duties for it, It produces a fruit for seed dispersal. I think I’ll rank this species as the least romantic flower in the world. I would love to see one of these! Don’t think I’ll be getting my face as intimate as this guy is though…

I thought my first post should most definitely be a bird.

I absolutely love these birds. Rhinoceros Hornbills live in dense evergreen forests in Southeast Asia. The Malaysian state of Sarawak uses the Rhinoceros Hornbill as their emblem and they are symbolic in the highly important Iban ritual, gawi kenyalang, involving carving effigies.Obviously Hornbills impress me as much as the rest of the world. Their horn is actually as light as a feather (meheh), and is made of hollow cellular tissue. I think what must really get me are those long curly eyelashes, considering they are one of the only bird species to have ‘em. Those “fluffy pants” make them also look kind of cuddly. As much as I love these birds, they are absolutely terrifying to encounter. Mrs. T at the National Aviary gave me a run for my money while I was interning there.

meow let’s have some fun