If you, like me, never got into the whole Tap NYC thing and actually got tired of hearing about snobby New Yorkers and their supposedly superior tap water (I think San Francisco’s is best personally), then it might make you laugh to learn that the water that is so wonderful that it never needs to be filtered is actually filled with microscopic shrimps.
If you’re going to hold up a bank, you may as well do so with style, or at least that’s the thinking behind the romantically inclined Bouquet Bandit. He has so far robbed at least two banks in New York, once with a bouquet and once with a potted plant. In both cases, he left the arrangements behind for the teller like a real stud. This guy has one lucky girlfriend.
Some people are shocked when I tell them I have pet chinchillas, but my small rodents are hardly the strangest pets around. Even pet raccoons, snakes, spiders, pigeons and skunks aren’t that weird when you take a look at some of the wildest pets in the world.
A friend of my family’s once adopted a baby bobcat, its angry hisses on the first day they brought it home were both adorable and pathetic. Surprisingly, bobcat ownership isn’t all that rare. A quick search on Google can provide you with an array of resources on where to get a bobcat and how to raise it. There are also plenty of happy owners of the wild cats that post videos of their pets on YouTube, like the one below:
Lions on the other hand, are quite a bit rarer when it comes to pet ownership. The most famous pet lion was Christian The Lion, who was made famous in a viral video that has made its rounds on the internet many times over. If you’re one of the three people on earth that haven’t seen it, be sure to watch the clip below. Christian was adopted from Harrods London, but his owners eventually gave him up to a big cat reserve when they realized that owning an animal that can reach over 500 pounds just isn’t very practical in a big city like London. After a year, the two men visited him at the game reserve and were delighted to discover that their feline friend still remembered them and gave them massive cat hugs.
When I was a youngster, I always wanted to own my own pet tiger. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one and many other people never gave up this eccentric fantasy. There are many tiger owners out there, some of whom operate within the law and some of whom don’t. Tigers are one of the most dangerous feline species and their nature doesn’t change when they are privately owned. In fact, at the beginning of this year, a Toronto man was mauled to death by his pet tiger a few years before that, the same tiger attacked a 10-year old boy.
Image by Go Splat [Flickr]
Despite the incredibly complex laws regarding tiger ownership and the dangers of living with the big cats, you can still buy pet tigers online thanks to buytigers.com. I wish I was making this up, but I’m not. Here’s a bit from their site, “We have been shipping tigers worldwide since 1984, giving our lucky customers the chance to own the most fashionable animal in earth. This is for true nature lovers and purists, and it comes 5 months old, already trained to be nice with its owner, to eat meat and respond to basilar voice orders.†Only $13,000! I’m pretty sure this is a scam, if only because the price tag seems too low.
A lot of people are creeped out by the idea of pet iguanas. If you think that’s weird, just imagine entering someone’s home that’s dominated by a twelve foot long alligator. While the creatures may be considered the most docile of the crocodilians, they can still turn murderous and are exceptionally difficult to care for. Unlike the big cats above, these animals will almost never bond with their owners. On the upside, they can be pretty cute as youngsters as you can see in this YouTube clip:
Pet bears may actually be the issue that closes the gaps in American laws regarding exotic animal ownership. When a man in Ohio’s bear attacked the person hired to care for the animal, the Humane Society took the opportunity to push for tighter regulations on exotic animal ownership. Of course, all the people who already own alligators, tigers and bears would be grandfathered in if legislation were enacted, but at least it could prevent problems in the future.
Pet bears are actually one of the most common exotic pets of old, as they can be rather friendly when raised from an early age and they are also very common in many countries. America’s sweetheart, Mary Pickford, even had a pet bear at one point. That’s them above.
Not all wild pets are so dangerous though. Most people don’t really want to own a predator that weighs more than their whole family. One of the most famous non-predator exotic pets is Caplin, a pet capybara happily living in Texas. Caplin’s owner, Melanie Typaldos says her pet has been easier to train than a dog and that she just needs to use a few popsicles to teach him a new trick. The hundred pound rodents are known for being semi-aquatic, so Melanie ensures that Caplin gets plenty of swim time at the family’s home. You can see him loving his family and swimming in the clip below:
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Ring Of Bright Water,†then you know that otters are another water-loving mammal that can actually make a surprisingly sweet pet. The movie is loosely based on the autobiographical tale of Gavin Maxwell after he bought a pet otter in 1956. You can see the trailer below and if you haven’t seen the movie yet, watch it. It is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I assure you I see a lot of movies.
Calvin Coolidge owned a pygmy hippo during his time in office, but the president quickly gave the animal over to the Smithsonian National Zoo. Interestingly, “Billy†was one of the first pygmy hippos in captivity in the states and is a great grandfather to most of the pygmy hippos now residing in American zoos.
But having a pygmy hippo and giving it away to the zoo is nothing compared to the dedication of a South African couple that has been looking after Jessica the Hippo (seen above). The young hippo was washed up on the shore with her umbilical cord still attached, so Tony Joubert and his wife committed themselves to take care of the abandoned baby. Jessica sleeps on a mattress on the family’s porch, gets massages every night, plays with her dog friends and is fed piles of yams every day. She’s even allowed to come inside and watch tv with the rest of the family. Jessica has her own website and was even featured in her own television special shown on Animal Planet.
Image via Troy B Thompson [Flickr]
Santa’s not the only one with pet reindeer, Alaskan Albert Whitehead owns one named Star and he proudly parades her through the streets of Anchorage. Interestingly, he is the sixth “Star the Reindeer†from Anchorage. The town has had a reindeer serve as the unofficial mascot of the town for almost fifty years now, and like Seaworld and its many Shamus, Star seems to be a permanent character in the town.
Plains zebras are the only species that are not endangered and as such, they are a popular exotic animal in states that permit ownership of such creatures. The $3,000-$4,000 pets are pretty awesome in that you can ride them (with a whole lot of training and dedication) and they also eat the same food as horses, so you don’t need to spend a fortune on food. If you get one, you’d better get it a friend because they are herd animals and get very stressed out without friends around.
If pandas partying aren’t your cup of tea, perhaps you’d prefer Turtles Eating Things. Of course, the site isn’t entirely turtle specific…they also have tortoises munching away.
If you love niche blogs, particularly those involving animals and celebrations, then you’re certain to enjoy Panda Loves To Party, a new Tumbler site dedicated exclusively to pictures of pandas in celebration.
If you love man boobs then you’d better start weeping learning that the world record holder for moobs just had his titties removed. A sad, sad day for men/women crossovers everywhere.
Wedding cakes are almost as central to the event as the vows themselves, which is why so many people pour thousands of dollars into stunning pastries, but if you’re going to fork over all that money, you might as well make your cake something to remember. These wedding cakes are some of the most awesome and inspired edible arts you’re likely to ever see. Keep your wedding décor fresh and classic with a table fabric runners and matching cotton napkins. If you’re surprised at how great the DaisySlots casino games are, then, believe me, these cake lists are also surprisingly interesting for each type of event.
My boyfriend and I first met over a game of scrabble, so I can completely understand where this couple is coming from. For those of us with a love of the language Scrabble is a perfect game board to celebrate our love.
An epic battle to save the world ends up in matrimony. It’s hard to tell even if it’s entirely edible, but either way, this D&D cake is simply amazing.
This baked creation uses a few Lego blocks, but is mostly edible and entirely incredible. Have you ever seen such an epic cake, besides the D&D one above?
I can’t find where this cake originally came from, but the dotting on the frosting is a wonderful touch and the flowers look perfect for the style.
This couple really, really loves Katamari Damacy. They not only have this adorable cake to prove it, but they even wore crowns and cardboard on their heads to look like the King and Queen of the Cosmos during the ceremony.
Of course, they’re not the only ones fascinated with the brilliantly bizarre Japanese game. These two couples also have adorned their cakes with Katamari goodness.
If you haven’t seen this amazing Super Mario cake yet, then you must not go on the internet…ever. Although it’s been making its rounds for years now, there’s no denying just how amazing this cake is.
This Super Mario Kart cake may not have seen as much exposure as the first, but the details are stunning and the fact that it seems to defy gravity make it even more impressive.
While this one may not be as professional and clean as the ones above, it is still pretty darn impressive and the cute figures at the bottom make up for it.
“You are the missing piece I’ve been looking for my entire life,†finally a cake with a deeper message of love.
I always loved the cutaways between levels in Ms. Pacman where she falls in love with her perfect mate, and finally someone has used their pill-munching relationship to seal love forever.
I don’t know the original source of this image, but the geeky excitement of the bride is just too good to pass up.
While the cake on top is adorable, the coolest thing about this wedding cake is the inventory icons seen on top of each cupcake.
Sure plenty of people love Star Wars, but it takes some serious dedication to geekery in order for a couple to commit to a Star Wars-themed wedding. When the cake itself is a full-scale replica of R2-D2, the dorkiness and awesomeness both increase exponentially.
This Millennium Falcon isn’t quite as cool as a full-sized R2-D2, but it’s still pretty bad ass.
While the fallen AT-AT cake and ewok cupcakes are super cool, can someone explain why Leia seems to be marrying Admiral Ackbar instead of Hans? Come on people, are you hoping for fish babies?
This couple seems to be starting their marriage off on the dark side with a terrifyingly realistic Death Star cake. Sure it looks cool, but the path of a true Jedi is the way of the light.
What’s worse than cursing your wedding with the dark side? Eating the likes of Jabba the Hut. While the cake is awesome, there’s still something to be said about not having a wedding cake that resembles a runny mound of dog poo.
Fans of Stargate are sure to feel a tinge of jealousy when they see the incredible detail put into the wormhole on this cake. Even more impressive, the entire thing was handmade by the bride’s parents.
Stargate is alright, but this Dalek cake makes me jealous. The groom even has a top hat.
If cute wedding toppers just aren’t cool enough for you though, here’s a cake made in the shape of a Dalek. Personally, I’d be a little worried it was poisoned in an attempt to EXTERMINATE!
The magical part of this Tardis cake is idea that the bride and groom can travel together throughout all of time and space for the rest of their lives. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate that kind of love?
Dark, cold and creepy are hardly standard wedding adjectives, but when it comes to a Corpse Bride wedding cake, they are spot on. And while death is generally not something romantic, it can be when it comes to Tim Burton movies.
This one I’ve seen in person. My friend is a huge Tim Burton fan and the Corpse Bride cake was a perfect touch to their Halloween wedding where guests were asked to dress up.
Of course, the Corpse Bride isn’t the only dark Tim Burton romance. This Nightmare Before Christmas cake with adorable Jack Skellington cupcakes is both romantic and stylish.
Wooden paneling, bronzed metal cogs and gilded bolts make steampunk cakes notably different than the standard wedding treat. At the same time, the look is still dignified and stunning.
What’s more romantic than two creepy Giger aliens finding true love in a creepy biomechanical cake? Maybe lots of things, but few of them look as cool.
If you think eating alien cake is a little creepy, just wait until you resort to cake cannibalism. Is it just me or is there something wrong about eating the bride at her own wedding?
For those that don’t want to eat the bride, but just her dress, here’s an edible wedding dress created by Lukka Sigurdardottir. While this can help you save some money by combining the dress and cake, it will probably be hard to walk down the aisle in something so decadent.
While this is the only music-inspired cake I have ran across so far, there’s no denying just how awesome it is. The colors, the surrealism, the size and the topper are all incredible.
Some people aren’t big on cake, but instead love sushi. This fishy wedding cake is made up of rice, tuna, salmon, yellow tail and wasabi and topped with salmon roe, avocado, cucumber, and more. Assuming it was properly prepared and chilled, I think I’d be just as excited over a sushi cake as a standard dessert cake.
Seen any cool wedding cakes lately? Add your links in the comments!
If you like this post, be sure to check out these Terribly Trashy Tuxes and the 10 Trashiest Wedding Dresses.
A farmer in China saved a one armed, one legged monkey from certain death. Unfortunately, he later let the monkey, who had since become part of his family, watch him kill a chicken for food and then the monkey tried to follow in his savior’s footsteps by killing ALL of the man’s chickens. The moral, according to the farmer, is “never slaughter a chicken in front of a monkey.”
Check out animals on drugs for more great pics.
Of course, if you really want to help a poor person, you could always donate to your favorite blogger.
