The Culture of Tapology

This MMA community has many non-MMA threads already.  Music, Jokes, baseball, football, etc.

So, I thought it might serve a purpose to create a thread for all the other contributions to each other's lives that don't fit anywhere else.

Do you have something that would enrich the community culturally?  Maybe dance, comedy, nutritional, inspirational, arresting visuals?  But please let's keep this positive, and appropriate to the general public.

Maybe a video clip of a movie, broadway show, highly unusual, utterly creative, a cutting edge piece of information, a new computer application, or something that would make someone's life better or richer.

Probably because 95% of the times I have seen turtles they were floating in water.

@mule  I think we are both right.  I am referring to those species of turtles that live in the oceans.  They only come out of the water to lay their eggs.  Their limbs are shaped like fins for oars.  

Most turtle species have claws, but the ones that live in the ocean don't.  They have limbs shaped like fins for swimming.  They live to be over 100 years old and are huge.

They are so huge that the early Spanish explorers used them on their ships as a food supply, because they didn't eat much and lived indefinitely.  

I think we are both right.  I call that aquatic species tortoises, but you call them sea turtles.  

I really, really like doing this kind of research.  Does anyone know if Elk are aquatic?  I totally enjoy wildlife TV programming, and watch Animal Planet for hours on end.  Love insects.  Love a campy little TV show called Monster Bug Wars.

Was surprised to learn that the most efficient predator species is soldier ants.  They are almost invincible.  There is almost no defense to them swarming.  I once saw a termite mound repel them.  The only ones.

When it comes to wildlife and nature, I feel like Steve Irvin.  There should be no lab experiments on primates because they have consciousness, and too close to human.  There should be no killing of elephants, whales, dolphins.  Poachers should be put to death.  The US Navy should ram and sink Japanese whaling ships.  Let them all drown.  Animals can often be more innocent than humans.  Whale Wars & Meerkat Manor are good shows.

* Edited at 06.09.2013, 5:44 PM ET *

Yes, you're definitely talking about sea turtles. Not sure if they live as long as tortoises. A tortoise is by definition a land turtle so maybe someone just used the wrong terminology around you. Those sea turtles like the Green, Leatherback, and Loggerhead that you're talking about definitely qualify as majestic and the Loggerhead and Leatherback are the 2 that I believe grow to 10 or 11 feet and are the giants of the turtle world. 

Yes, we're both right.  Do you enjoy Animal Planet?  Ever watch Whale Wars or Meerkat Manor?

Yes but i try to stay away from it because it's too easy to get sucked in for a whole evening :)

I usually catch the Nature specials on PBS. I think my all-time favorite was the one on wolverines and I remember one from last fall on the wildlife of the Balkans, a lot of which I had no idea of. Very educational. 

And I'm always a sucker for the big cats.

We're all suckers for the big cats.  I also love the insects, marine mammals, spiders, snakes, & birds of prey.

I think I saw that Balkans program.  It had a bobcat that chased a ram up a steep wall that it couldn't follow.  Or something like that.

* Edited at 06.09.2013, 6:17 PM ET *

The main thing I remember was the wild pattern of migrating birds at the end that was almost psychedelic the way they flew.

Well, a little more research has proven an interesting fact.  I was 100% wrong.  I had always associated the word 'tortoise', with the water species.  Wrong.  I had always associated the word 'turtle' with terrestrial, land-based species.  Wrong again.

Somewhere along the line, I completely switched and flipped the definition.  I like nothing more than being proven wrong, just so I can learn.  So, my life has been rich!  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoise

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_turtles

Thanks, mule, for helping me learn something I should have learned decades ago.  But better late than never!

Cool.  Love learning something new every day.

* Edited at 06.10.2013, 10:39 AM ET *

King CobraThe world's most dangerous snake is the King Cobra.  It is the world's longest, biggest venomous snake, growing up to 18 feet, 8 inches long.  Why anyone would want to keep such a dangerous animal as a pet is beyond me.  But people do!

They prey mainly on other snakes, such as the ratsnake and king snake.  It normally weighs 13 lbs.  The heaviest known specimen weighed 26 lbs. and measured 16 feet.  It was caught in Singapore in 1951.  The average lifespan is about 20 years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Cobra

Black Mamba
Probably the second most dangerous snake in the word is the famous black mamba.  It can grow up to 14.6 feet, and weigh up to 6.8 lbs. It is the fastest snake in the world, capable of moving up to 12 mph.  It's terrible reputation is based on its extremely aggressive behavior.  Like most snakes, upon encountering humans, it will seek to flee, but will attack if provoked.

The black mamba is native to Africa.  Without rapid and vigorous anti-venom therapy, a bite from a black mamba is almost always fatal.  The species is the second-longest venomous snake in the world, exceeded in length only by the king cobra. Information regarding the lifespan of snakes in the wild is sparse; the longest recorded lifespan of a captive black mamba is 14 years, but actual maximum lifespans could be much greater.

Black mambas feed on a variety of prey, especially mammals, including hyraxes, rats, mice, squirrels, bats, bush-babies and elephant shrews. They have also been known to prey on birds and small chickens, as well as other snakes, such as the puff adder and Cape cobra. A large specimen has even been recorded eating a young blue duiker (Philantomba monticola). After ingestion, powerful acids digest the prey, sometimes within 8 to 10 hours.

It is estimated that only 10 to 15 mg will kill a human adult, and its bites delivers about 50–120 mg of venom on average.  The largest envenomation on record is 400 mg.  Its bite is often called "the kiss of death" because, before antivenom was widely available, the mortality rate from a bite was 100%.  Severe black mamba envenomation can kill a person in 30 minutes, but sometimes it takes up to 2–3 hours, depending upon many factors.

Python
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_reticulatus

The biggest snake in the world is the python.  It can grow to over 20 feet, and most experts believe that in the wild, the jungle pythons may grow up to almost 30 feet in length.  The longest pythons on record are the reticulated species, being recorded up to 25 feet, 2 inches long.

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2012/9/longest-snake-ever-in-captivity-slithers-into-guinness-world-records-2013-45000/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2206693/The-worlds-longest-snake-living-captivity-weighs-300lbs-25ft-long-lives-haunted-house-Kansas.html

Reports of pythons weighing up to 200 lbs. are considered reliable.  The heaviest, and those having the widest girth are the aquatic species known as the anacondas. 

In the Everglades in Florida, US, 2 species have been reproducing in the wild.  The Burmese and the African rock species.  The Florida wildlife authorities have the gravest concerns that these 2 invasive species will inordinately empty the Everglades of their natural, domestic species.  

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) initiated a task force to concentrate on identifying the most invasive animals. The agency created a list of "Reptiles of Concern" for the Burmese python, African rock python (Python sebae), amethystine python (Morelia amethystinus), reticulated python (Python reticulatus), green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), and the Nile monitor. Florida also began requiring owners to pay a permit fee of $100 a year and place microchips on the animals. These predators are included on the list for their formidable size and aggressive natures; animals that were in the Everglades before the list was created, however, are breeding in the wild. To combat the number of exotic snakes in the U.S., and specifically in South Florida, the U.S. Department of the Interior added four species of snakes—Burmese pythons, two subspecies of African rock pythons (northern and southern), and the yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus)—to Lacey Act provisions, making their import into the U.S. illegal, in 2012.

God help us if anacondas are ever released in Louisiana's bayous. 

* Edited at 06.10.2013, 11:33 AM ET *

@Bill Love the post man, I´m a huge fan of snakes

one of my favorites is the coral snake, hmm for some reason I can´t upload the pic, but you all know what it looks like ;)

 

edit: There should be a snake week just like shark week

* Edited at 06.10.2013, 2:41 PM ET *

Since we all love / hate spiders, I thought they'd be an interesting read!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiders

While the venom of a few species is dangerous to humans, most spiders have a venomous bite.  Spiders can be divided into venomous and non-venomous species.  They can also be divided into those that hunt via webs and those that don't.  

One species has been identified as non-predatory and non-carnivorous.  Although spiders are generally regarded as predatory, the jumping spider Bagheera kiplingi gets over 90% of its food from fairly solid plant material produced by acacias as part of a mutually beneficial relationship with a species of ant.

Most spiders will only bite humans in self-defense, and few produce worse effects than a mosquito bite or bee-sting.  Most of those with medically serious bites, such as recluse spiders and widow spiders, are shy and bite only when they feel threatened, although this can easily arise by accident. Funnel web spiders' defensive tactics are aggressive and their venom, although they rarely inject much, has resulted in 13 known human deaths.  On the other hand, the Brazilian wandering spider requires very little provocation.

The bite of a black widow can cause heavy abdominal cramping and intense pain.  The brown recluse spider bite causes a puss-filled lesion, and the victim risks amputation or infection if anti-venom is not given quickly. The hobo spider is believed to have similar necrotic effects.  

Black Widows
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrodectus_mactans

This species is famous for several reasons.  Its bite is medically harmful to humans.  It has a red hour-glass on its abdomen.  The female sometimes eats its mate after mating.  

Tarantulas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantulas

This is the largest species of spider.  The Goliath species grows up to the size of a dinner plate.  However, its bite is not medically-significant to humans.  There has never been a reported human death from its bite.  

But its size and scary, hairy body gives people nightmares, and Hollywood has had a field day in sci-fi movies.
Their passive nature accounts for people adopting them as pets.  They can tolerate being handled well if the handling is gentle.  Their bite is their primary offensive weapon, but their main defensive strategy is rubbing its hind legs on its abdomen, releasing tiny hairs that are a severe irritant to the skin and mucous membranes.

Sydney Funnel Web
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_funnel_web

Brown Recluse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Recluse

Brazilian Wandering Spider
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_wandering_spider

In 2010, the Brazilian wandering spider was named in the Guinness World Records as the most venomous spider in the world. It is also aggressive, obviously making the chance of a bite from it more likely. It has a highly potent neurotoxin that can lead to breathing problems then asphyxiation and death in those bitten.  The spider only needs to inject 6 ug of its venom to kill a 20-gram mouse, and a full venom load is 1.069 mg. Death in humans has been known to occur even after anti-venom has been administered.

* Edited at 06.10.2013, 9:42 PM ET *

Nope.

spiders and tarantulas are very interesting. back where i grew up there are a lot of snakes, spiders, and scorpions, widow spiders used to get in the house a lot during summer,  easily each year we killed around 8 of this spiders right in our living room, we laid down to watch tv and suddenly you catched a dark spot crawling up the wall right next to you. it was fun ha ha, till the day you can still found the occasional tarantula or scorpion inside my dad's house crawling up the stairs. I guess is the warmth and humidity.

very interesting post Bill, thanks man

edit

these are some dangerous badasses

* Edited at 06.10.2013, 11:25 PM ET *

Just to provide some diversity and variety, I thought we'd do some international cuisines.  I'd like to start off with Chinese cuisine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cuisine

There are a lot of categories in this beautiful food.  

Chow Mein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chow_Mein

Images of chow mein dishes
http://www.google.ca/search?lr=&cr=&safe=images&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&q=Tarantulas&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=3n62UYeKDqeciAK7qoEI&biw=918&bih=865&sei=VYi2UaqPJKj4igLZl4GgBQ#um=1&lr=&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=chow+mein&oq=chow+mein&gs_l=img.12..0l10.503529.507785.4.512359.17.13.0.0.0.2.90.775.12.12.0...0.0.0..1c.1.16.img.RBGjkYfEQyg&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47534661,d.cGE&fp=9f750c8d6902d566&biw=1680&bih=902

This dish is normally a dish of stir-fried noodles.  And in America, Chinese restaurants serve its noodles usually with either chicken, shrimp, pork, or beef, along with onions and celery.

Chop Suey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_Suey

images of Chop suey dishes.
http://www.google.ca/search?lr=&cr=&safe=images&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&q=Tarantulas&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=3n62UYeKDqeciAK7qoEI&biw=918&bih=865&sei=VYi2UaqPJKj4igLZl4GgBQ#um=1&lr=&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=Chop+suey&oq=Chop+suey&gs_l=img.12..0l10.597504.606438.2.612173.17.10.1.2.2.2.90.559.9.9.0...0.0.0..1c.1.16.img.LyZ6ALNo8tI&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47534661,d.cGE&fp=98dcf267f6ef2be6&biw=1680&bih=902


This dish is normally a combination of assorted vegetables, 

Fried Rice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_rice
Fried rice is made from steamed rice stir-fried in a wok, often with other ingredients, such as eggs, vegetables, and meat.  Most fried rice dishes offer beef, chicken, pork or shrimp.  The most common form of American Chinese fried rice consists of some mixture of eggs, scallions, and vegetables, with chopped meat added at the customer's discretion, and usually flavored with soy sauce instead of table salt.
 Won Ton Soup
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonton


Egg-Drop Soup
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg-drop_soup


Shark Fin Soup
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_fin_soup

* Edited at 06.11.2013, 3:22 AM ET *

I live in Arizona and have only seen scorpions twice , and im happy about that . I hear storys from cities a mear 10 miles away that would ******* haunt me. as far as spiders go tarachulas and black widows are the only ones that freak me out . I had to clean out my garage that had 15 years of clutter that my father left and i killed a good dozen black widows . Don't want to do that again, I was grabbing **** with fireplace tongs and the thickest gloves i could find . then about a week after i cleaned it ,my neighbor came to see and lifted a board and found the mother widow . I noped the **** out of there and he killed it , my god it was huge . Probably ready to lay more eggs is my guess. I could never see the Hourglass that they say they have till i saw that mom......

Some people have wondered if a python could actually eat an adult human.  Yes, they can.
Here is a brief video of a python regurgitating a baby hippo.  Proving a python would have no problems swallowing an adult human.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyVW89-nefw

I wish I had remembered to include this video in my snake post.

Some of them eat animals bigger than humans, so I'm sure they eat people.

This is a RARE thread! - Lil B