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Photo: Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo
I'm a sucker for New Year baby - you know, like Timeo Goede, who had excellent timing to be born at 11:11 AM on 1/1/11 (Don't mom and baby look so heavenly?)
Well, this one is nifty as well, though perhaps not quite so heavenly -the first animal baby born in 2011 at the San Diego Zoo is a satanic gecko. That's right, there's a gecko named after Beelzebub:
The satanic leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus) is native to the incredibly species-rich African island of Madagascar. The horns over the lizard's eyes are what earned the gecko its devilish name.
"All of the leaf-tailed geckos are camouflage specialists," said John Kinkaid, an animal care manger at the zoo. "Some have beards, others have patterns that mimic tree bark or moss, while this one has a tail that looks like a dead leaf. The horns above its eyes break up the silhouette of its body and make it harder for predators to find."
In 1971, Gerald Mayo sued Satan in U.S. District Court, alleging that the Dark One had interfered in his life, causing him harm. Judge Weber dismissed the case, arguing that Mayo had failed to serve process of the suit to Satan, and that the court lacked jurisdiction over the defendant. Kevin Underhill’s legal humor blog has a copy of the decision:
Civil rights action against Satan and his servants who allegedly placed deliberate obstacles in plaintiff’s path and caused his downfall, wherein plaintiff prayed for leave to proceed in forma pauperis. The District Court, Weber, J., held that plaintiff would not be granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis who in view of questions of personal jurisdiction over defendant, propriety of class action, and plaintiff’s failure to include instructions for directions as to service of process.
Prayer denied.
The case was later used as a precedent during a case against God.
Link via Grow A Brain | Photo: flickr user Forever Wiser
