The Zoological Review

LITTLE RED KALUTA ( Dasykaluta rosamondae ) Original image by Marie Lochman These weird little critters were brought to my attention by my friend Jen Mawhinney of Fredericton a few years ago and have been rattling around in my brain (figuratively) ever since. I think they're pretty neat, but does my completely arbitrary rating system agree? Appearance Kalutas are unassuming mammals that look like adorable fuzzy little mice. They are not mice, but they're soft and fluffy with big eyes and pointy little snoots and whiskers and oh my god I can't even stand looking at them they're too cute. They fit in the palm of your hand and you could probably put one in your pocket and carry it around and give it little things to eat from time to time. Whoever gave them their common name (and their Latin name, which I'll talk about at length later) seemed to think that they're red but I would call them a staunch brown. So, you know, that's bullshit. Points:  0.5/

CRAB EATING FROG ( Fejervarya cancrivora ) Image adapted from Wikipedia Original photo by WA Djatmiko "Crab eating frog" sounds like a sideshow act where you get all hyped up to watch a frog eat a crab, but it's actually a crab that eats frogs. I don't know why a crab eating a frog is more plausible to me than a crab-eating frog. Maybe because crabs are horrible monsters and frogs are, generally, extremely cute. So, are crab eating frogs actually cool, or a rip-off? Let's find out together. Appearance Crab eating frogs look a lot like regular frogs, but their humble appearance hides a secret  while most amphibians cannot tolerate any kind of salt content, crab eating frogs (also called mangrove frogs after where they live) have a fairly high salt tolerance. Amphibians have very thin skin, so you would think that water would just leave the frog because osmosis. So how in the jesus jingling fuck do crab eating frogs not just shrivel up like salt mummies?