Animal Alphabet: S is for Sarcastic Fringehead

Even more than in an ordinary week of this project, I must preface this post by saying that this is a real animal. You can see video here of the critter in question, with David Attenborough narrating, excerpted from the excellent Life BBC series.

I strenuously recommend that you follow the video link, because otherwise and despite my assertion you may not believe that these two characters are the same creature. I don't think I could have imagined the transformation if I hadn't seen it.

Anyway, this week in the Animal Alphabet, S is for Sarcastic Fringehead.



Yes, really.

According to an aquarium website, the "sarcastic" comes from its pugnacious personality (in evidence in the Life video), but I can't help thinking the name also has something to do with that "default facial expression" (see also Charles) created by the fringehead's weirdly hinged jaw. The sarcastic fringehead always seems to be halfway between a glower and a smirk. ("Glauwirk.")

And "fringehead" apparently derives from the little wiggly appendages above its eyes, not from its political beliefs.

Next week, we'll have a colorful and peculiar Asian bird, unless I come up with something crazier.