The 1.4kg Mallomys giant rat is one of two species of mammal found by Conservation International on an expedition to the Foja Mountains in the north of Papua province, Indonesia.
For full article, click here.
Image and info courtesy of bbc.co.uk
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
You Dirty Rat!
Monday, 17 September 2007
Aye-aye
This is an Aye-aye, which is a species of Lemur from Madagascar. (aren't they all?)
More info here
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
American Pit Bull Terrier
Perhaps the original buff dog, the American Pit Bull Terrier is not an animal you would mess with. Although bred for fighting these dogs tend to be simply more determined than vicious when reared as pets as the media would have you believe. Obviously they can be trained in such a way that they become vicious towards humans but so can any creature with a modicum of intelligence.
Source
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
We're going to need an EVEN BIGGER boat!
Meet the Megamouth Shark or Megachasma Pelagios. You certainly wouldn't want to call it by the wrong name!
It's a very rare deep sea shark but is found to be distributed pretty much wherever the water is deep enough. Saying that, only 39 have ever been found.
More info
Massive Otter
This fella is a Giant Otter. He can be found milling around in South America and can grow up to 6ft long!
Being one of the largest predators in its area it can pretty much eat what it wants. Daily meals may consist of: caimans, snakes and catfish.
Source: Wikipedia
Sunday, 19 August 2007
Don't look behind you kid!
Another one for the box of fake pics or is it?...If you see this roaming the backyards down your way take a pic and send it in. Just for the more observant of you, yes your right its fake as in its a model not a fake picture.
Source
The Loch Ness
Arguably the animal highest on any cryptozoologist’s list is Scotland’s Nesse, the Loch Ness Monster. Sighted as far back as the 6th century AD, it was the addition of a modern road around the lake in the 1930s that brought about an avalanche of sightings. Loch Ness is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, 24 miles long and at one point is 1 1/2 miles wide. It has an average depth of 450 feet and at times plunges close to a 1,000. It is cold and murky, with dangerous currents. In short, it is the perfect place to hide a monster from even the most prying eyes of science. Nesse has been known to cross the road (why?) and several motorists have had near collisions with it. More money has probably been spent in attempting to scientifically verify its existence than on any other creature.
Source Thanks to www.spritenet.com for the last few posts
The Jersey Devil
The Jersey Devil has been sighted in the area surrounding the New Jersey Pinelands for the past 260 years. This entity has been seen by over 2,000 witnesses, has terrorized towns and caused factories and schools to close down. Witnesses have described it as a flying creature with glowing eyes, a bird-like creature with a horse’s head that had a piercing scream. It is approx. 3 ½ ft tall with back legs like a crane and hooves. Hoof prints are found where it has been sighted. Some theorize that it a Pterodactyl descendant that survived in the caves of NJ. It is credited with killing chickens as well as dogs.
Source
The Chupacabra
The chupacabra ("goat sucker") is an animal said to be unknown to science and systemically killing animals in places like Puerto Rico and Mexico. The creature's name originated with the discovery of some dead goats in Puerto Rico with puncture wounds in their necks and their blood allegedly drained. Since it was first sighted in 1994, there have been more than 2,000 reported cases of animal mutilations in Puerto Rico in the last two years attributed to the chupacabra.
The Caddy
Off the British Colombian coast of Cadboro Bay lives a monster, affectionately named Caddy or Cadborosaurus Willsi. It is described as a long, serpent like beast with flippers, hair on the neck, and a camel like head. Reported as between 40 to 70 ft in length, the monster has been seen less than 100 times in the last 60 years, but the sightings remain consistent and precise, usually because it is visible long enough to get an accurate description. The descriptions place Caddy as some sort of a mammal, long and slender, with a bifurcated tail. It has been sighted eating ducks and seagulls.
The Loveland Frog
Beginning in the 1950s, many credible witnesses have reported seeing a strange humanoid bipedal reptilian creature on a road in Loveland, Ohio, adjacent to a river. It is described as being 3 to 4 ft tall with leathery skin and a head like that of a lizard or frog. In the 1970s it was seen on 2 separate occasions by police officers who saw it flee by jumping the guardrail and scattering down the embankment into the river. Theories range from a secret race of lizard men inhabiting Ohio's rivers to it having been a Nile monitor lizard or a large iguana (although lizards don’t walk upright). Abnormally large reptiles and reptile men have also been reported in other parts of the US, including the "Lizardman" of Wayne, NJ, and the "Giant Lizard" of Milton, KY.
Source
The Thunderbird
Also known as ba'a' (Comanche) and chequah (Potawatomi), the Thunderbird is a gigantic bird with a wingspan of over 20 feet, sighted most often in Pennsylvania and the Central states. It stands 4-8 feet tall, dark in color and capable of lifting a deer or a person from the ground.
Sasquatch
I just thought it was about time we added a cryptozoology category and what better case to start with than Sasquatch himself.
Don't think I need to write anything about this one. Wikipedia will do a better job of explaining than I ever could.
Wikipedia entry
Hugest cat ever?
Mikey Boy Strevmansson of Sogn og Fjordane Fylke, Norway sent this in.
This one has been floating around the web for a couple of years now and part of me wants it to be real and part of me wants it to be fake.
Just for cat nerds, it's a Mancoon breed which can grow pretty big for a domesticated cat but this big... I doubt it. It's going in two categories for now, until proven either way!
Source
Buff (prehistoric) Penguins
Check out these massive penguins. They used to roam around South America 36 Million years ago! Standing at 5ft tall, with a beak nearly 2 foot long, you just wouldn't mess with it!
The full article, courtesy of the Discovery Channel can be found here.
Danger mouse...need i say more?
I was in two minds whether to include this but after watching the episode and being reminded of how totally genius the series was i just had to....for those who remember it enjoy!
King Crab
The Alaskan king crab is the largest of the crustaceans, weighing up to 15 pounds, and measuring four to five feet across shell and claws.
Saturday, 18 August 2007
Rollin - Big Dog Style
No it's not Tim Westwood, it's Hercules. The world's biggest dog.
Possibly the world's buffest dog owner too...
Source
Isopod - not trademarked by Apple
Buff animal toys
Oh dear, I've just christened another category... That's two in one day!
Who remembers Battlebeasts?
Really Buff Animals Magazine
This magazine is featured in the free promo issue of "The Adventures Of Jome" by Brian Stegner. I wonder if it's a real magazine? If it is, I would love to see a copy!
The Adventures Of Jome
It's not a real magazine. :(
Friday, 17 August 2007
Albino peacock
After seeing this i just had to add a catagory so it could be included. First the science bit (thanks to Robert J. Mangile for this source).
"albino - animal or plant lacking normal pigmentation. The albino body covering (skin, hair, and feathers) and eyes lack pigment. In humans and other animals albinism is inherited as a recessive trait. Breeding has established albino races in some domestic animals."
Albinos are unique in that none of their pigment producing cells contain pigment (melanin); i.e., the pigment cells are present but lack pigment. If any pigment cells of an individual contain pigment (melanin), it should not be considered an albino. The genetic "mechanism" that produces white plumage on a Great White Heron or a Snow Goose is different than the one that produces the white plumage of an albino. White plumage lacks pigment, but for various reasons.
If an animal breeder raises an albino, it is most certain that both parents are carriers (heterozygous) for the albino gene. The odds of the spontaneous mutation of both genes in the offspring would be astronomical! A plumage displaying only some white, or a light coloration cannot be an albino by definition because it contains some pigment; whereas, an albino has none. Generally, scattered white or patch-pied plumage differ from the white of an albino in that they lack pigment cells; whereas, the albino has pigment cells but lacks pigment in the cells. Consequently, in either case the lack of pigment lends to the production of white. Complicating matters - in at least one case involving pink-eyed, all white pigeons, it was found that the albino-like appearance was due to a combination of mutant genes and proved not to be albino.
Bison Buffness
Thanks again to Brighton's Mr. Strevens for pointing out this massive (albeit brutally murdered for pleasure) bison. I think the camera angle makes this one look bigger than it really is but nevertheless an impressive and powerful animal, worthy of "Buff" status.
Source
Super Spiders
This pair of uglies, sent in to us by Mike Strevens from Brighton are commonly known as Camel Spiders.
"Subject: FW: Camel Spider found in Iraq--This is a huge spider!!!!
Yuck. I sure am glad we don't have these here. Although we probably will after this war.....
This picture is a perfect example of why you don't want to go to the desert. These are 2 of the biggest I've ever seen. With a vertical leap that would make a pro basketball player weep with envy (they have to be able to jump up on to a camels stomach after all), these bastards latch on and inject you with a local anesthesia so you can't feel it feeding on you. They eat flesh, not just suck out your juices like a normal spider."
Original source
Actually they aren't spiders at all. They are Solpugids, a member of the arachnid family.
The myths:
1. Camel spiders can move at speeds over 30 MPH, screaming while they run.
2. Camel spiders can be as large as a frisbee.
3. Camel spiders venom is an anesthetic that numbs their prey.
4. Camel spiders can jump three feet high.
5. Camel spiders get their name because they eat the stomachs of camels.
The Facts:
1. Camel spiders top speed - 10 mph. (still pretty quick)
2. Size: Up to 6 inches
3. They have no venom.
4. They don't jump.
5. Called camel spiders because they live in the desert.
They may have no venom but they can still give you a nasty nip and may carry infections.
Thanks to camelspiders.net for the extra info!
Look at the cutlets on that
Beltex sheep were introduced into Britain from Belgium in the late eighties. Their doubled muscled hind coupled with their fine bones ensured for maximum amount of meat per animal.
Source
Buff Dog Web Design
This is possibly the worst advert for a web design company I have EVER seen:
http://www.buffdogwebdesigns.com/
1) It takes ages to load
2) It's ugly
3) Nasty rubbish old school java scrolling
4) Music that YOU CAN'T TURN OFF
5) Only 723 visits in two years
6) The example websites are just as bad
I sincerely hope that nobody has ever paid them a penny for anything web or design related.
Thursday, 16 August 2007
Snotty but nice
The current British record bream at a whopping 19lb 10oz. Caught by James Rust, using Enterprise Tackle's imitation maize.
Source
It was this big...honest!
An article dated Jan 11th 2006 suggests that the FDA is getting ready to approve a new genetically modified salmon which grows twice as fast as normal farm-raised salmon. The way this is done is by altering a gene that controls the production of growth hormones. The company behind the technology is Aqua Bounty, and they say that the modification of the growth hormone does not affect taste or raise any health concerns.
Shnookums & Meat - Weight For Me
Cartoon characters Shnookums & Meat get fat then buff.
After seeing this, Spycase went and found more info:
Shnookums and Meat was a real, sincere version of Itchy & Scratchy. It was a gory Tom & Jerry (only with a dog and cat instead of a cat an mouse), and that's what Disney sold it as. But in this context, it's not funny, it's just disturbing. Hence why Shnookums & Meat was cancelled after only a few weeks".
The writer was actually responsible for a lot of the Tom and Jerry stuff as well as some oddities such as 'Tales from the Crypt'.
The director Seth MacFarlane was responsible for such uberness as 'American Dad' and 'Family Guy' but also for such tripe as 'Bill and Teds Bogus Journey'.
Baa Baa Baa-dass
.jpg)
While we're on the subject of double muscling, this is the effect of myostatin deficiency in sheep.
Source
The goose is getting fat... Or should we say muscular?
These are Toulouse Geese. Another prime example of selective breeding to genetically increase muscle tone and quality/quantity of meat.
Source
Not so porky pig
This breed of pig is known as a "Black Exotic". Like Belgian Blue cattle it is a double muscled (myostatin deficient) GM breed.
Source
Cookie Monster
This pair are Cookie Cutter sharks. They are a parasitic shark that leaves circular holes on the body of their host after feeding.
Source (Swedish)
Re: Buff Bacteria
Buff bacteria now is it? This little bad boy is a tad nasty. Ebola hemorrhagic fever is caused by several Ebola viruses. There is understandably a large amount of information on this subject and for a quick Q & A on the subject go to here . To give a brief rundown of this paticular nasty here's a passage taken from the article:
"People infected with Ebola virus have sudden fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, limited kidney and liver functions, and both internal and external bleeding. Death rates range from 50% to 90%"
Muscular Mongoose
This fella is a Fossa. A naturally muscular tree mongoose from Madagascar. Coming from Madagascar, it should come as no surprise that it eats lemurs!
Source
Buff Bacteria
This may look like someone spilled Irn Bru on the camera lens but it's actually laboratory grown E. coli, courtesy of the Live Science website and their top 10 list of nature's biggest pests.
Holy BBQ sauce!
Here's another one of the true 'buff' beasties for the archive......seems to be a genetic disorder found primarily in cattle, rodents and dogs of all animals. If you think different and have found this myostatin disorder in any other animal please send us your pics.
Smelly cat
Not sure what to say about this one as the breed and circumstances are unknown. Again its a pic thats been floating around for a while and suitably belongs in the bin of ugly..jpg)
Source Link
Cats also get smacked with the ugly stick ya' know
After the pics of some truely disturbing pouches it was only fair to go on the hunt for some kitty mingers...i believe i succeeded in finding a few. In all honesty these should really go in the 'breed' catagory i guess...but hey....there just too damn ugly. The breed is 'kohona sphynx' or more commonly reguarded as the spawn of satan...at least from this pic.
Thanks to the guys at Uglyoverload for a few of these pics
Biggest cat
Every now and then individuals try to boast some animal buff which is just untrue. In an effort to shame these individuals and their photoshop skills we will be adding these images to a fake gallery.
The first is the reported 'biggest cat' pic which did the rounds. Later this was found to be a total hoax....but hey it is a good pic though.
Source Link
Downmarket specimens
After several searches on the net i think it has become apparent that we can't continue a site dedicated to members of the animal kingdom without highlighting some of the more downmarket specimens
Source Link
Bunny as big as a dog
This example of buffness is by 'breed' rather than 'muscular prowess'. The breed is apparently a variation of the 'Continental Giant' and is one of the biggest grown of this variety. The fact that this awesome bunny weighs in at the same as a Cocker Spaniel is no small feat.
Full article
Genetically engineered obese mouse
Recent posts have identified myostatin manipulation in certain animals to achieve 'buff' status but as this only occurs in some types (all of which i think have now been covered) we're going to have to look elsewhere to find worthy additions. This particular example involved research into obesity....as you can see it is again the mouse that seems to be subjected to the research. Worthy of 'buff' status i feel.
Source
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Myostatin-free mice
The pic above is the result of research at Johns Hopkins University. The research illustrates on the left the product of engineering a myostatin free mouse causing twice the amount of body muscle to develope.
Full article
http://www.ast-ss.com/articles/article.asp?AID=85
Belgian Blue
The Belgian Blue has been selectively bred with the genetic condition for better quality meat.
Image source:
Here
Big Wendy the muscular whippet
Our first buff beastie has to be Wendy from Canada. Our inspiration for this site.
Photo and reference from The Times Colonist.
Full article here
Welcome to Buff Animals!
How and why?
I showed Nick, a work colleague of mine a picture of a buff dog that had been circulating the internet for a couple of weeks and he had the genius idea of setting up a website for similar such beasties.
Click here to check out the buffness!
Send us the buffness!
At the moment there are a couple of ways you can get your buff animal pics posted here. They are:
Facebook - We have a group on Facebook called "Buff Animals" where you can post photos and links.
Email - You can email us. The address is submissions[at]buffanimals[dot]com
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