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Oregon, United States
loves: you win if you guessed "pets" and "museums". Also books, art history, travel, British punk, Korean kimchi, bindis, martinis, and other things TBD. I will always make it very clear if a post is sponsored in any way. Drop me a line at thepetmuseum AT gmail.com !

Sunday, February 03, 2008

the bavarian jackalope?

Try a Wolpertinger on for size. Supposedly it lives in the Bavarian forests, where it hops out and wags its antlers and flaps its wings at the (very) occasional unwary. Then they shoot'n'stuff it and sell postcards.

They don't always stick to that biological assortment of parts, but that seems to be the classic one. The Wikipedia site has a photo of Durer's "Hare" all decked out as a Wolpertinger and it's hysterical.

Unfortunately, the genesis of this critter-legend isn't as funny: rabbits infected with the Shope papillomavirus may develop bony growths that look like antlers but not so entertaining. Perhaps they may be comforted by folks looking to snag a Wolpertinger, in which case they send a pretty woman out in a full moon to a secluded nook in the woods where the creatures are likely to be. Upon sighting one, the lady should expose her bosom, thereby bemusing the critter for easy snaffling. I should say.

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