Meet Bazinga, the Oregon Zoo's new veiled chameleon:
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| Photo from the Oregon Zoo |
Isn't it gorgeous? That tail! Those colors! That ... shark fin on its head? You can see Bazinga in the Predators of the Serengeti exhibit, across from the dwarf mongoose enclosure.
I was hoping that this captivating creating was going to become part of our programs animals collection; the kids at ZooSnooze would be very impressed! However, a little cursory research has shown that handling can be very stressful for chameleons. Handlers must move slowly, use caution, and keep handling to a minimum. Ultimately, stress on an animal can lead to a shorter life ... and since, well, kids tend to move neither slowly nor cautiously ... Bazinga would probably soon be Bazin-gone.
You can find veiled chameleons close to home (think Petco, but only if you are an experienced handler), but they are primarily native to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. (Am I the only one who cannot hear "Yemen" without thinking of Chandler in Friends?)
And while we're speaking of sitcoms, I Googled "Bazinga" to find out its meaning. According to
UrbanDictionary.com,
"Bazinga" is:
A catchy phrase to accompany your clever pranks, as popularized by Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory).
"I just replaced your toothpaste with denture cream. Bazinga!"
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| Photo from Flickr.com |
Which I suppose is better than some of the other definitions provided on the site:
Bazingas
1. The inverse of bazongas
2. Female breasts of smaller proportions
"I prefer girls with bazingas over girls with bazongas."
Bazinga
People have started using this term to disguise the use of weed. (Have they really?)
"Let's Bazinga tonight!!" "Who wants to Bazinga??"
Bazinga
The word that should be used when something is so legit it is indescribable but by this word.
"Bazinga, girl - you sure can make a peanut butter sandwich."
"Holy bazinga - i just farted and it smelled like lucky charms."
But more on point, here are links to the
Oregonian's article introducing this remarkable reptile, and to the
Oregon Zoo's fun fact sheet.
And less on point, yet absolutely necessary in closing:
But first: as much as I love these pictures, I love this video of a pumpkin-loving porcupine the most: Watch (and listen to!) Teddy the Talking Porcupine. He loooooves his pumpkin!
