Metamorphosis in Death -a carrion appreciation thread (NMS)(creepy thread for weirds)

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The Something Awful Forums > Main > General Bullshit > Metamorphosis in Death -a carrion appreciation thread (NMS)(creepy thread for weirds)

STONE OF MADNESS: Dec 28, 2012; PVTREFACTIO

Come and ogle some dried-out old animal carcases we found!

Little can be more exciting to the morbid hiker than chancing upon the remains of a wild animal. From the initial waft of decay to the final moment of apprehension, a carrion find still carries the ancestral thrill of discovery. Sometimes gruesome, often beautiful, the transition from living, moving being to inert landscape-feature is always deeply interesting.

A couple of parameters:

- appreciation, not exploitation. Safari rules apply. Don't post things you hunted to death.
- roadkill is fine. Predation, likewise, is cool. Suffering, live animals are definitely not ok.
- try and post cool, artful shots that look awesome, preferably your own work.
- no humans please.

Here's a dead ~~fox~~ brushtail possum I found by the side of the road just north of Auckland, New Zealand:

And here's one of many dead camels I'll be posting in this thread:

STONE OF MADNESS fucked around with this message at Jan 14, 2013 around 10:56

# ? Jan 14, 2013 04:48

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 22, 2013 11:46

BeefThief: Aug 8, 2007

So glad we could have this today. I was worried I wouldn't get my chance to salute a carcass until the next time I drove through Ohio.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 04:51

Blackbird Betty: Mar 27, 2010

It's not a fox if you found it in New Zealand- looks more like a brushtail possum to me. They are similar though, the scientific name is Latin for "little fox"

.

Here's a dead seal I saw at Cape Farewell near Nelson, New Zealand.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 05:17

A Sleepy Budgie: Jan 6, 2010; A friend in need
is a friend indeed

These are beautiful. Fascinating thread!

Is that fur on the whale??

# ? Jan 14, 2013 05:21

STONE OF MADNESS: Dec 28, 2012; PVTREFACTIO

Blackbird Betty posted:

It's not a fox

Holy poo poo. I'd never even thought about it (Aussie here) but looking at the paws, it seems so obvious...
Love the seal. Those tailbones! Is that some kind of plate at the very tip of the tail?

[edit] for content:

STONE OF MADNESS fucked around with this message at Jan 14, 2013 around 05:43

# ? Jan 14, 2013 05:24

Blackbird Betty: Mar 27, 2010

Yeah, I don't know about Aussie possums but our manky specimens come in all kinds of exciting colourways! I never actually noticed the plate in the seal's tail before you pointed it out. I don't know what it could be.

Apologies for the quality of this one, I was just learning how to work my new camera and had everything on auto, but you can see all his ribs and spine.

Ninja edit: That's a mouse, by the way.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 05:42

TheFuglyStik: Mar 7, 2003; Attention-starved & smugly condescending, the hipster has been deemed by
top scientists as:
"The self-important, unemployable clowns of the modern age."

I'm morbidly curious and am going to dig through my photos, but at the same time looking at these photos is making me feel sad.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 05:52

thomawesome: Jul 19, 2009

Man, I used to work outdoors doing hard labor, and you'd find hog and deer bones all the time. We worked one time in a state park that allowed hunting deer with dogs, and you'd find dog skeleton communes from the assholes who'd leave their dogs behind and never retrieve them.

There's nothing cooler than running across a bleached and cleaned skull from an animal outside. It's morbid, but really awesome at the same time.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 07:47

Freakbox: Dec 22, 2009; Tasted Too Much Rainbow!!!

I clicked out of morbid curiosity, but it ended up being really neat. It reminds me of a photo series I'm familiar with by Emma Kisiel. I don't have my own right now, but I'll happily link her site. http://www.balticphotography.com/

# ? Jan 14, 2013 08:04

STONE OF MADNESS: Dec 28, 2012; PVTREFACTIO

^ those are sweet

Invertebrates are cool, too:

# ? Jan 14, 2013 08:33

Lockmat: Oct 2, 2005; Come on, let's go set some prostitutes on fire.

Every Mongol Rallier dreams about putting a cool skull on their car.

Somethimes the skull you find isn't completely finished yet.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 09:06

Vastarien: Dec 20, 2012; Where I live is nightmare, thus a certain nonchalance.

I used to have tons of dead insect photos that I've taken, but I lost most of them in a hard drive crash a while back. Luckily, I managed to save a few.

Here's a couple shots of a dead moth that I found in my garage. Poor little guy.

And, I've never taken photos of dead animals, but a few years ago I was walking along some railroad tracks and ran across the ribcage of a dead deer. I only snapped a couple of (bad) photos:

# ? Jan 14, 2013 09:15

STONE OF MADNESS: Dec 28, 2012; PVTREFACTIO

^ nice. The moth especially so.

All of mine are phonecamm'd.

A dead kangaroo/wallaby/wallaroo and the dog-midden it came from:

and some camel bones:

# ? Jan 14, 2013 09:57

Devyl: Mar 27, 2005; The people like "DAMN, that's a cold-ass honkey"

I live less than a mile away from the beach so I get to see lots of washed-up dead things. Most of these were taken around the BP oil spill time (I live in Mississippi). Just so everyone knows, these are all dead.

Devyl fucked around with this message at Jan 14, 2013 around 10:05

# ? Jan 14, 2013 10:02

BastardAus: Jun 3, 2003; Chunder from Down Under

Vastarien posted:

I used to have tons of dead insect photos that I've taken, but I lost most of them in a hard drive crash a while back. Luckily, I managed to save a few.

Here's a couple shots of a dead moth that I found in my garage. Poor little guy.

And, I've never taken photos of dead animals, but a few years ago I was walking along some railroad tracks and ran across the ribcage of a dead deer. I only snapped a couple of (bad) photos:

They look pretty cool. Kinda poetic. It deer'd not die in vain.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 10:04

Cardiovorax: Jun 5, 2011; CARDIOVORAX BELIVES A POLICEMAN WHO GROPES A WOMAN SHOULD LOSE HIS JOB, AND DO A HUNDRED HOURS OF COMUNITY SERVICE UNDER THE PAIN OF GOING TO PRISON IF HE BREAKS HIS PAROLE

Vastarien posted:

And, I've never taken photos of dead animals, but a few years ago I was walking along some railroad tracks and ran across the ribcage of a dead deer. I only snapped a couple of (bad) photos:

You kidding? That last one in particular looks amazing and surreal as hell.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 10:29

Jesus Christ: Jun 1, 2000; fully restored

A few years ago when I was living in a small house with a couple friends my cat would regularly leave a dead bird or lizard on the back porch. We had an ant colony that burrowed a few feet away and they were much more efficient at getting rid of the remains than I was, so occasionally I would sit out back for a cigarette and watch the ants turn the birds and lizards from freshly living creatures into skeletal remains over the course of an afternoon. Sometimes they'd even work out things to do with the leftover bones.

Nature is loving awesome.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 10:40

Systemic Flaw: Sep 11, 2001; COMPUTING
RRRRRRRESPONSIBLY!

Where are the recipes?? Such a waste of perfectly good protein...

# ? Jan 14, 2013 10:45

STONE OF MADNESS: Dec 28, 2012; PVTREFACTIO

Since you asked...

STONE OF MADNESS posted:

Let me tell you about Camel Butter.

You can't buy it in stores, but if you're lost in the desert I simply cannot think of a more potent source of refined lipids. Judging by the smell I'd guess it's pretty salty too.

Here's where I found the Camel Butter motherlode:

Here's a side view. You can see how in central Australia the constant direct sunlight bakes the oil-drenched soil into a thick, greasy crust, which I imagine is a decent enough source of sustenance in itself:

Here's a closeup of the rancid, welling pit of Camel Butter. Interestingly enough, though the rest of the camel is relatively intact, it seems that even the dogs and crows aren't really partaking of this rich energy source. I'm guessing the overwhelming stench is a factor:

Note how the exterior of the hump is now baked hard, like a fine Turkish loaf... just needs some cumin seeds and mm-mm-mm.

"Overnight it must congeal and then melt all over again when the sun comes up..." - my friend

# ? Jan 14, 2013 10:51

Systemic Flaw: Sep 11, 2001; COMPUTING
RRRRRRRESPONSIBLY!

You've gotta let the camel baste itself for a good few days to really build up the flavor.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 11:23

luncheon meat: Oct 11, 2007; Brendan Jones, 42, Bendigo

Devyl posted:

I live less than a mile away from the beach so I get to see lots of washed-up dead things. Most of these were taken around the BP oil spill time (I live in Mississippi). Just so everyone knows, these are all dead.

I can't figure out what the hell that is. A jellyfish? Looks like a human organ.

We get whale/dolphin carcasses washing up on the nearby beach sometimes but most of the time the sharks get em before they hit land because this is Australia.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 13:59

STONE OF MADNESS: Dec 28, 2012; PVTREFACTIO

It's a bluebottle or Portuguese Man'O'War. We get 'em here in Perth from time to time

# ? Jan 14, 2013 14:03

cynic: Jan 19, 2004

Crucified mole. It's too cold in Scotland in January for it to decompose. The farmer hangs these on his fence near where we live, presumably as a threat to any other moles who aren't underground where they spend 99.9% of their days.

I think this was a pigeon at some point.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 14:33

jackpot: Aug 31, 2004; First cousin to the Black Rabbit himself. Such was Woundwort's monument...and perhaps it would not have displeased him.<

NEVERMIND ALL OF THIS

jackpot fucked around with this message at Jan 14, 2013 around 15:17

# ? Jan 14, 2013 15:12

Devyl: Mar 27, 2005; The people like "DAMN, that's a cold-ass honkey"

jackpot posted:

stuff

You missed the "no humans please" part in the OP.

Devyl fucked around with this message at Jan 14, 2013 around 15:25

# ? Jan 14, 2013 15:15

jackpot: Aug 31, 2004; First cousin to the Black Rabbit himself. Such was Woundwort's monument...and perhaps it would not have displeased him.<

Devyl posted:

You missed the "no humans please" part in the OP.

Oh gently caress's sake, I don't know how I did that. Nevermind then, forget I was ever here.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 15:18

Kikka: Feb 10, 2010; I POST STUPID STUFF ABOUT DOCTOR WHO

What the gently caress is this thread.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 15:36

Assplant: Apr 21, 2007; I'm gonna smoke your face.

Either a pigeon or a crow. Probably a pigeon.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 15:54

Cardiovorax: Jun 5, 2011; CARDIOVORAX BELIVES A POLICEMAN WHO GROPES A WOMAN SHOULD LOSE HIS JOB, AND DO A HUNDRED HOURS OF COMUNITY SERVICE UNDER THE PAIN OF GOING TO PRISON IF HE BREAKS HIS PAROLE

Are videos alright? There are some pretty good time lapse videos of carrion decomposition on youtube that I'd like to link, if that's ok.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 16:02

Loretta Trampface: Sep 12, 2006; what the fuck is this

Is it alright if we post things we kill ourselves? Having a hard time finding carcasses...

# ? Jan 14, 2013 16:08

Breaky: Jul 21, 2006; STRIKE FIRST
STRIKE HARD
NO MERCY SIR

Loretta Trampface posted:

Is it alright if we post things we kill ourselves? Having a hard time finding carcasses...

Time to get Bushman ITT.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 16:19

BAKA FLOCKA FLAME: Oct 9, 2012; If you see me posting in the trans megathread, report me so I can be banned! Thank you!

love, the management

PLease don't exploit the dead bodies

# ? Jan 14, 2013 16:40

Un chien andalou: Oct 22, 2008; mmm... 20 year old cookies

I call it...Exoskeleton at sunset

# ? Jan 14, 2013 16:48

STONE OF MADNESS: Dec 28, 2012; PVTREFACTIO

Cardiovorax posted:

Are videos alright?

Yeah man they're awesome.

quote:

Is it alright if we post things we kill ourselves? Having a hard time finding carcasses...

no,

quote:

PLease don't exploit the dead bodies

heh,

Un chien andalou posted:

I call it...Exoskeleton at sunset

nice.

A coupla flatties for yas

cynic posted:

Crucified mole. It's too cold in Scotland in January for it to decompose. The farmer hangs these on his fence near where we live, presumably as a threat to any other moles who aren't underground where they spend 99.9% of their days.

He hangs these with twine? They don't have barbed wire in Scotland?

STONE OF MADNESS fucked around with this message at Jan 14, 2013 around 17:34

# ? Jan 14, 2013 17:32

Smeed: Mar 22, 2008; Rhetorical questions only

Before you post anything here you have to try CPR to be sure.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 17:43

Friends Are Evil: Oct 25, 2010; we can hide out at my place.
we will neverbe found.

The drawing studio at my college is seriously littered with animal parts.

Still-lives are ok, right?

# ? Jan 14, 2013 19:19

Ytlaya: Nov 13, 2005

Devyl posted:

How large was this? It's hard to tell from the photograph.

It makes me sad. Even sadder if it's big one, since I think many of those species aren't in great shape.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 19:25