Bunny!

Building on his prior experience of keeping the squirrel population in check, Emmettilius stranmccannii turns his predatory attention to Lepus townsendii.  When unable to make a kill, E. stranmccannii settles for hazing the living crap out of one particular specimen.

Twenty four months later

Images of 9/11 flood the news as the ten year anniversary is recognized and remembered. The missing B.C. boy is returned safely to his home, four days after he was abducted. Defending champion South Africa narrowly wins against Wales during the opening weekend of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. And Emmettilius stranmccannii celebrates his second birthday. At a bowling alley.

Nothing says birthday like lobbing a heavy ball down along hardwood floors. After learning about a kid friendly bowling alley from a homeless person on the train, Emmett's Dad thought it a great idea to celebrate the day at Let's Bowl. Equipped with bumpers for the gutters, child size shoes, a ramp for the bowling ball, and beer (for Auntie Clare), they gave it a try. Emmett scored a respectable 71, and shrieked with delight every time he rolled the ball. Much more fun than dodging moving boxes at home.

It took all day for Emmett to realize it was his birthday. Even with his parents prompting him..."Who's birthday is it today?", he didn't make the connection. "Ali!" he would yell. It wasn't until the birthday hats and cake were brought out that he finally yelled "Emmutt!", as they had pizza and cake in the park. (And yes, Emmett's Mom was NOT thinking when she bought sparklers for Emmett's cake. He was unsuccessful at blowing them out).

Happy Birthday Emmett. Let the terrible...er...terrific...twos begin...

Another good yield from the viral driftnet

One otherwise quiet night this week, Emmett's parents listen to the heart-wrenching sounds of a dying kudu that has just been taken down by a pride of lions out on the savanna.

Crikey, that's no kudu. It's a pathetic Emmettilius stranmccannii who brought home the first malady of 2011. And moaned for hours about it.

Twenty-four hours later, not even a luxurious bubble bath can break his malaise. Woe is Emmett.

Holy Roseola, Batman

Emmettilius stranmccannii met Exanthema subitum this week, putting an unfortunate crimp in some vacation plans. The up side is that Emmett gets to scratch disease #6 from the list of six rash-causing childhood diseases. Unfortunately, diseases #1 through #5 (Scurvy, Consumption, Rabies, Cooties, and Gout) remain in the on-deck circle.

As a public service, in the spirit of the pox party Emmett's parents have offered to host a 'Roseola Rave' for the neighbourhood kids in which all are invited to lick Emmett's rash. Strangely, the RSVP's have yet to materialize.

Ban 1080

On New Zealand's South Island, the government's use of a pesticide known as 1080 is contentious. Like, really contentious. Seeking to contribute to a less controversial solution, Emmett's mom tried desperately to nail a possum or two with the car on the drive back to Nelson from Takaka last night. Alas, she was not successful.

Incidentally, Emmett discovered that prior to the implementation of 1080, the NZ Department of Conservation used a deterrent known as 'Farex'.

While ineffective against possums, it has an undeniable negative effect on Emmettilius stranmccannii.



Hoping the dust in the northern hemisphere settles in the next week or so, StranMcCann catches the interisland ferry from Picton to Wellington on Saturday morning.

Excerpted from the Russian Journal of Herpetology

At approximately 6 months of age, the common western infant (Emmettilius stranmccannii) masters motor control of its tongue and engages in lingual projection. While the reasons for such a display are a source of debate, many believe that E. stranmccannii uses its tongue to track its prey by collecting airborne particles and passing them to the eustachian tubes in its mouth for examination. The creature keeps its tongue constantly in motion, sampling particles from the air, ground, and water analyzing the chemicals found and determining the presence of prey, predators, or toys in its local environment. Lingual projections are also thought to provide some relief for E. stranmccannii from discomfort associated with the emergence of fangs at the 6-month milestone.