Nothing lifts the spirits quite like watching a pair of big boobies sitting pretty.
wright · 10 November 2008
Some animals are compelling in their beauty, others in their ugliness. Of course those terms are highly subjective; I don't find many animals too unpleasant to look at. The boobies I find attractive by virtue of being exotic to me: their wonderful blue feet and pale eyes.
wright said:
Some animals are compelling in their beauty, others in their ugliness. Of course those terms are highly subjective; I don't find many animals too unpleasant to look at. The boobies I find attractive by virtue of being exotic to me: their wonderful blue feet and pale eyes.
Have you seen the red-footed booby?
Mike Z · 10 November 2008
Does anyone know of any hypotheses concerning the adaptive value of the blue feet?
Mike Z · 10 November 2008
...and by the way, their mating ritual is really spectacular as well. They do a beautifully choreographed song and dance number.
Richard Simons · 10 November 2008
Mike Z said:
Does anyone know of any hypotheses concerning the adaptive value of the blue feet?
I would guess through sexual selection, the brightness of the feet being an indicator of the health of the individual.
Mike Z said:
Does anyone know of any hypotheses concerning the adaptive value of the blue feet?
Besides what Richard Simmmons said, the blue feet could be a form of species recognition to enable a blue-footed booby to tell each other apart from red-footed and masked boobies.
Mike Z · 10 November 2008
Sexual selection certainly makes sense, but I thought I'd ask just to be sure that wasn't a more unusual reason for such an unusual characteristic. BTW, part of their mating dance involves slowly lifting up one foot at a time and stretching it out to the side--sort of like a slow-motion karate kick. Maybe that looks sexy.
The two birds pictured have different color feet - one a uniform pastel light blue, and the other a mottled purplish-blue. Is that a gender difference, or age, or what?
Mike Z · 10 November 2008
I'm pretty sure it's gender. Just off frame to the left is the little baby booby. Not so little, actually. You can see its beak and a little bit of its downy feathers, apparently staring at mom's (dad's?) feet.
John · 11 November 2008
boobies do not have boobies, do these boobies belong to Pam Anderson?
Frank J · 11 November 2008
Paul Burnett said:
The two birds pictured have different color feet - one a uniform pastel light blue, and the other a mottled purplish-blue. Is that a gender difference, or age, or what?
Or different "kinds"? ;-)
Mike Z · 11 November 2008
John said:
boobies do not have boobies, do these boobies belong to Pam Anderson?
No, but Pam Anderson does have blue feet (little known fact).
eric · 11 November 2008
Wikipedia says their conservation status is "least concern." Least concern? That can't be right. The planet clearly has too few boobies on it.
Henry J · 12 November 2008
The planet clearly has too few boobies on it.
Oh, can I resist giving the obvious punchline to that...
17 Comments
Stanton · 10 November 2008
Nothing lifts the spirits quite like watching a pair of big boobies sitting pretty.
wright · 10 November 2008
Some animals are compelling in their beauty, others in their ugliness. Of course those terms are highly subjective; I don't find many animals too unpleasant to look at. The boobies I find attractive by virtue of being exotic to me: their wonderful blue feet and pale eyes.
Stanton · 10 November 2008
Mike Z · 10 November 2008
Does anyone know of any hypotheses concerning the adaptive value of the blue feet?
Mike Z · 10 November 2008
...and by the way, their mating ritual is really spectacular as well. They do a beautifully choreographed song and dance number.
Richard Simons · 10 November 2008
Stanton · 10 November 2008
Mike Z · 10 November 2008
Sexual selection certainly makes sense, but I thought I'd ask just to be sure that wasn't a more unusual reason for such an unusual characteristic. BTW, part of their mating dance involves slowly lifting up one foot at a time and stretching it out to the side--sort of like a slow-motion karate kick. Maybe that looks sexy.
Paul Burnett · 10 November 2008
The two birds pictured have different color feet - one a uniform pastel light blue, and the other a mottled purplish-blue. Is that a gender difference, or age, or what?
Mike Z · 10 November 2008
I'm pretty sure it's gender. Just off frame to the left is the little baby booby. Not so little, actually. You can see its beak and a little bit of its downy feathers, apparently staring at mom's (dad's?) feet.
John · 11 November 2008
boobies do not have boobies, do these boobies belong to Pam Anderson?
Frank J · 11 November 2008
Mike Z · 11 November 2008
eric · 11 November 2008
Wikipedia says their conservation status is "least concern." Least concern? That can't be right. The planet clearly has too few boobies on it.
Henry J · 12 November 2008
megan · 13 November 2008
Yay, one of my favorite animals! Because their name sound risque, but they're not.
Stanton · 13 November 2008