I’ve been sat in a project meeting for a Finnish Centre of Excellence that I lurk in. We have heard that swallows are more stressed when in Africa than in Finland (presumably because in Africa they are constantly being asked how fast they fly when unladen). There is also now a zombie student lurching around Finland saying “Braiiins … Stickleback braiiins”.
I’ve just found out that there is a species called the armored weaselfish. How did someone come up with that name? It’s wonderfully evocative.
RE: armored weaselfish – I’d love to see Andrew Sun draw that one.
My dad has recently told me that they are building an airport in Durban that has apparently been designed to not make the swallows (even more) upset.
Mail & Guardian report from August 2007
Environment news service article
…………
My favourite species name is Panicum maximum. (I had to do a year of environmental biology and got 68 % for every single assignment, test or practical – which, while rather suspicious, was probably a pretty accurate assessment of my enthusiasm-level).
I came here to allude to that Monty Python joke but you got it in your post first, I see. Aaaaaaargh.