TheBanyanTree: Animal wonders

[Peter Macinnis]

Toed Claws
Few people realise that the emu, the rhea and the ostrich are actually part
of the duck family and have short legs (in proportion to the rest of the
body - the moby duck has the longest legs of any bird, but they are still
short in proportion to the rest of the bird). The reason emus, rheas and
ostriches (a group known as the ratites) appear to be so tall is because
they exploit the toed claw, a medium-sized monster found on the plains of
Africa, South America and Australia.

Each bird has a pair of these monsters, known as a Xenopus laevis on the
left side, and a Xenopus dextris on the right side (Xenopus means "foreign
foot", referring to their separate origin). Recent research has shown that
these are the male (X. laevis) and female (X. dextris) of a single species.
As yet, nothing is known of their breeding habits, but it is noticeable
that ratite chicks start life with short legs, and acquire their toed claws
a few days later.

In recent times, the two forms have started seeking independence from the
exploiting birds, and some extremists among the toed claws have taken to
running around the plains of all three continents, kicking birds which
continue to exploit their brothers. You can tell when this is going on
because you can hear the THWAP! sound made by the toed claws and see the
surprised looks on many of the birds. You may also see a few of the birds
waddling like ducks on their own stumpy legs after their slaves have made
good their escape.

The exact status of the South American, Australian and African Toed Claws
remains uncertain, and recently caused a group of overwrought scientists to
thwap each other to death using a small flock of cricket bats which flew
through their convention hall at a dangerous moment. No toed claws were
harmed during this event.

Toed claws at a glance

Origins:	Somewhere in Gondwanaland, possibly 100 million years ago.
Size:	Up to a metre (3 feet) in length.
Special features:	The characteristic THWAP! cry.
Threatening to:	Exploitative emus, rheas and ostriches.
Uses (if any):	In zoos, these make captive ratites easier to see.
Fears and hates:	Exploitative emus, rheas and ostriches, the word
"drumsticks".
Special likes:	Ducks.

Recognition notes
This monster has no face, no digestive system, and not much else.
Scientists suspect that they may have evolved to a stage where they cannot
survive without the bird partner, in which case the escapees are doomed to
an early death.

peter


  _--|\    Peter Macinnis             macinnis at ozemail.com.au
 /     \   Chair of Remote Linguini Sensing and Interior Demography,
 \.--._*   Coach, Australian Non-invasive Taxonomy Olympic Squad.
      v    http://members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis/index.htm