Hero Shrew Found, One of “Most Bizarre Animals on Earth” - Polidicks

[QUOTE][IMG]http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/files/2013/07/hero-shrew.jpg[/IMG] [I]The new hero shrew found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photograph by William Stanley, The Field Museum of Natural History[/I][/QUOTE] [QUOTE]Dubbed Thor’s hero shrew after the brawny god of strength in Norse mythology, Scutisorex thori is one of the most bizarre animals on Earth thanks to its supertough, interlocking spine, according to Bill Stanley, the director of collections and a zoologist at Chicago’s Field Museum, who helped identify the creature. [B]...[/B][/QUOTE] [B]Read the rest of the article you tit.[/B] [url]http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/07/24/hero-shrew-found-one-of-most-bizarre-animals-on-earth/[/url]

Hah, its kinda cute.

Dat back

[quote]It’s so strong that, according to written accounts of DRC explorers in early 1900s, a man stood on the back of a hero shrew for five minutes, stepped off, and the animal walked away unharmed, Stanley said.[/quote] Wow. [editline]28th July 2013[/editline] [img]http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/files/2013/07/shrew-backbone-600x300.jpg[/img]

what's up knuckles

shrew to stronk!

Nature is beautiful

[QUOTE=joshuadim;41625919]Nature is beautiful[/QUOTE] And built like a brick shithouse.

[quote]“That’s when the shivers really ran down my back,” he said.[/quote] hhhhhhhh

That spine is hardcore as fuck

Will it blend?

its spine looks like it belongs to a xenomorph. I'd get shivers too. So there are two known extant species huh? [editline]28th July 2013[/editline] Pictured above; why elephants are reputedly scared of mice [editline]28th July 2013[/editline] If a person can stand on it and not hurt it...it really must (or might) feel like a Lego brick to them

That's one cool rodent.

There's also a comparison picture that I don't see in the article: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/mu2Va3B.png[/IMG] The left spine is of a normal shrew, the right one is from this specific shrew.

Fuck it. Batman Beyond time. Give me the injection, I want one...can I do it without the face though?

Given the pelvic muscle attachment areas seem to be modified too the explanation that says they use their backs to push away obstacles and other stuff makes sense. Although I don't see how they'd need vertebrae THAT strong, but whatever, it's always cool to have something small you can step on without hurting it that isn't a turtle :v:

[QUOTE=meppers;41626040]Will it blend?[/QUOTE] You bastard..now I'm actually wondering about this/am resisting the intense desire to research the theoretical capabilities of the average blender

Well that shrews back terrifies me in ways I didn't think possible.

So when do we get our ultra armoured backbones? Also: [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/Lumbar_region_of_musk_shrew_%28A%29%2C_Scutisorex_somereni_%28B%29%2C_and_Scutisorex_thori_%28C%29.jpg[/img] Its like a freaking chainmail

[QUOTE=Jorori;41626421]There's also a comparison picture that I don't see in the article: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/mu2Va3B.png[/IMG] The left spine is of a normal shrew, the right one is from this specific shrew.[/QUOTE] Built Ford Tough.

a real hero and a real hero shrew

Exo Skeleton research go!

You can stand on them... I wonder if they can hold up a car.

[QUOTE=Rangergxi;41627221]You can stand on them... I wonder if they can hold up a car.[/QUOTE] Only in swarms [img]http://sae.tweek.us/static/images/emoticons/cripes.001.gif[/img]

The hero the Congo deserves

[img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/41461189/drop/dumbass.PNG[/img] [img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/41461189/drop/dumbass2.PNG[/img] NatGeo comments are all either sparking arguments or plain stupid [quote]Oh no. I guess we better tell the native people of the Congo not to eat the shrew. That would be akin to studying it. Major no-no.[/quote] [quote]Do you people honestly think some one would just kill some amazing animal just to cut it apart and see inside? First of all there are numerous laws and ethical codes prohibiting such methods! If they had the article would be about a scientist arrested for unethical dissection of a new species. Use your brain.[/quote]

it should choose it's own name and gender

Did that woman seriously write an entire fucking Shakespearian sonnet about how a fucking mouse name used masculine words and not feminine ones

[QUOTE=katbug;41630901][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/41461189/drop/dumbass.PNG[/img] [img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/41461189/drop/dumbass2.PNG[/img] NatGeo comments are all either sparking arguments or plain stupid[/QUOTE] Ha... Ha... Unethical dissection of a new species? That's the primary method of study!

"hero" shrew? Fucking sexist pig men nowadays, when will women get any animal named after them? DOWN WITH THE PATRIARCHY