'Sex pest' seal attacks penguin

An Antarctic fur seal has been observed trying to have sex with a king penguin.

The South African-based scientists who witnessed the incident say it is the most unusual case of mammal mating behaviour yet known.

The incident, which lasted for 45 minutes and was caught on camera, is reported in the Journal of Ethology.

The bizarre event took place on a beach on Marion Island, a sub-Antarctic island that is home to both fur seals and king penguins.

Why the seal attempted to have sex with the penguin is unclear. But the scientists who photographed the event speculate that it was the behaviour of a frustrated, sexually inexperienced young male seal.

Equally, it might be been an aggressive, predatory act; or even a playful one that turned sexual.

"At first glimpse, we thought the seal was killing the penguin," says Nico de Bruyn, of the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

The brazenness of the seal's behaviour left those who saw it in no doubt as to what was happening.

The 100kg seal first subdued the 15kg penguin by lying on it.

The penguin flapped its flippers and attempted to stand and escape - but to no avail.

The seal then alternated between resting on the penguin, and thrusting its pelvis, trying to insert itself, unsuccessfully.

After 45 minutes the seal gave up, swam into the water and then completely ignored the bird it had just assaulted, the scientists report.

I can just imagine the penguin limping back to his friends to tell this story. 'And those fucking scientists just stood there and took fucking pictures!' And some people think there's moral ambiguity about documentary filmmakers not interceding to help animals about to be eaten. I'd love to see someone show up at the next PETA rally against clubbing seals dressed in a giant penguin suit and holding up a sign that says, 'PETA supports rape'.

Speaking of PETA, I just ran across a news story where a band of their merry nutjobs is trying to get the jockey of the Kentucky derby horse that had to be put down arrested. Riiiigght. As if the guy somehow intended to lame and then lose a multi-million dollar race horse and threaten his own career in the process. They put out some hugeass list of demands that no one will pay any attention to. That will no doubt cause them to pout and then stage some ridculous event where they throw horse blood on people. Every one of those morons should be dragged out into the street and shot.

I think I've mentioned on here at least once before that I was one of those poor, gullible saps that believed Bill Clinton all those years ago when he waggled his finger at the American people and said 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman.' It's been a point of shame ever since. How could I have been so wrong when everything biased me toward believing he was a damn stinking liar. It was only worse when many hippie friends confidently told me that they had known he was lying all along. Now, maybe this was a bit of revisionist history on their part but the entire episode left me confused and a bit distrustful of my own judgment in these matters. It also left me with a residual loathing of Bill Clinton and his shrill, enabling wife.

It's because of that history that I find it sort of difficult to come to the realization that I'm actually starting to respect Hillary and perhaps even like not want her to die a horrible death. This change of heart is no doubt due partly to the fact that I want her to bury Obama. It started as simple strategy. Obama was sure to be the nominee and if McCain was to have a chance, the primary would have to continue and become bloody. Hillary was willing to fight on and I was cheering every time she drew blood.

Lately, that's changed a bit. I find that it's hard to watch this race and read as much about it as I do and not have a grudging respect for her. If nothing else, the never say die attitude and her willingness to fight on is sort of inspiring. My views of Obama have also crystalized in the past couple months and no doubt that's playing a role. If you had asked me back then if I had to accept either a Clinton presidency or an Obama one, I would have gone with Obama hands down. That's no longer the case. The more I look at Obama the more I find someone inherently untrustworthy. He makes a lot of claims of transcendence and bipartisanship but there's absolutely no record upon which to base any of it. He's the ideal strawman candidate, becoming whatever people choose to make of him, and there's no substance. At least with Clinton, you know she'll do whatever will guarentee her a political victory. If that means to compromise, she'll compromise. If that means taking a shiv to you, you'd better watch your back. She's predictable and there's a long history upon which to base her reactions and decision.

It doesn't help either that Obama is also supported by the ultra-leftist nutjobs out there. It's like seeing the Ron Paul maniacs run around frothing at the mouth. I don't have to know anything about the candidate to know that anyone who has supporters like that, you can't trust. It's the same with Obama and his crazed and die-hard ring of nutjobs on daily kos and other sites. If the inverse of the enemy of my enemy is my friend holds true, then anyone who gets their rabid support cannot be trusted in my book.

All I can do now is hope that Clinton pulls out a victory in North Carolina, as highly unlikely as that is. I have very little doubt she'll score a win in Indiana. If she can also squeak out a victory in NC, then Obamamania might have just suffered a death blow. It'll continue to trash around for a bit, but for all intents and purposes, it'll be a fatal shot.