Animal Review combines insult comedy, fun zoology facts

By Maggie Koerth-Baker at 12:50 pm Monday, Apr 12

Yesterday, my Awesome Friend Leah introduced me to the wonders of Animal Review, the blog that reviews animals, as though they were books, albums or snooty French restaurants. For instance, in a contrarian drubbing, the likes of which haven't been seen since Christopher Hitchens laid into Mother Teresa, Animal Review gave pandas an "F" (later revised to an "F+"), saying,

... whatever their charms or ability to symbolize goodwill between us and a brutal Communist regime, the panda species leaves much to be desired.

My initial skepticism—isn't this just a rip-off of F**k You, Penguin?—was quickly laid to rest, however, when I realized that Animal Review was about more than comic insults directed at wildlife. There are real science facts in here, people. In fact, it's kind of a fun way to learn the basics of comparative zoology. Fun facts I've learned/been reminded of just reading through the archives today:

• Jellyfish totally use the same hole for eating and pooping. But it's not like they care, as they have no brain.
• Killer bees release a rage-inducing alarm pheromone that smells like bananas.
• The mating behavior of the Ceratias holboelli anglerfish involves males biting females and then releasing an enzyme that slowly causes their flesh and bloodstreams to merge, and his eyes and internal organs to melt away. Basically, he becomes a gonad, attached to the female, to use when she sees fit.

Image courtesy Flickr user fox_kiyo, via CC