The last Unicorn

[Anker Steadfast]

Random thought inbound: What would you call an equine with two horns then?  A bicorn?

A cow ?

[AmigaDragon]

And you're a biclopse.

[Chakat Blackspots]

I did some research on the list.  It looks like bees/wasps are higher than that list indicated and are almost entirely due to severe allergic reactions.  So the question would be whether the cause of death gets listed as anaphylactic shock (severe allergic reaction) or insect bite.

It looks like death by horses is also understated.  Death could be listed as simply fall rather than fall from a horse.

I would figure that many deaths are caused things such as people trying to break a horse, which leads to a fall, to which the horse might retaliate and kick and stomp on you.  Also, a horse might have been spooked by something, raise up on its back legs and accidentally kick the person holding its lead rope, or the horse suddenly runs off with the person still holding on to the reigns or lead rope and the horse jumps over something and the person falls into or hits the thing the horse jumps over..

[A. Lurker]

And as for unicorns, in Ambers world, they are horsies with pretty horns.
Her world, her rules.

Beats some of the speculative RL origins of the myth. Rhinoceros? Narwhal? Some kind of antelope? Wikipedia even suggests goats surgically altered as kids so that their horns would grow together (which makes it the first time ever I've heard of that practice, but supposedly it works)...

[Amber Williams]

Does amber also fear vampires then?
since they suddendly are gone.
also amber didnt bother what i whrote about unicorns. it seems.
but like my parents say; you should concure your fear or you would allways live in it.
im not saying you should do that. but its one of the things you could do.
then again. i dont nknow how a person feels that got attacked by a dog,cat, hatever long time ago. but; i know someone that has a fear (not telling what or who)
but concures it. of course he/she still feel nervous next to it.
but at least he/she isnt controlled by fear. sorry if offend anyone.

I removed vampires from DMFA continuity for almost the same reason I wrote out unicorns, in that in terms of making a semi-functional universe, you cannot overstuff it full of every single paranormal or mythological thing. There just isn't enough room at the top for all those type of things.

As for my supposed fear of horses, I think I handle it quite well in that I never encounter horses.  It isn't like I have to deal with horses on a day to day basis. And I am perfectly happy giving them an apple slice from across a fence. I just don't feel comfortable being close to them or riding on them.  And in this day in age where horses are more a novelty than a necessity, I doubt I will ever find myself in a situation where I would need to.

I am not phobic of horses. I just don't like them.

As for the stuff you mentioned about unicorns, I did read it. However I was already aware of most of that information beforehand.  Which is to say that it doesn't have an influence on my decision-making in how I handled unicorns in DMFA's continuity.

[Chakat Blackspots]

I can see how having every type of creature and being in DMFA would make it rather complicated.

[Psy-Kosh]

I can see how having every type of creature and being in DMFA would make it rather complicated.

The Hybrid Genetics mini sequence would be larger than Abel's Story!

[Attic Rat]

It would be the person having absolutely no fear of horses who should be kept far from horses. Respect incorporates a bit of fear, and any horse, especially one who's habits and quirks are unknown, deserves respect. Their instincts are wired for self-preservation as prey animals, and a confused or frightened horse is a danger to itself and everyone around.

[Naldru]

The really scary thing is that there are some people who care for large cats who have no fear of their charges because they have been working with them so long.  They make the news when the cat takes a swipe at them and their usual comment is "I don't understand it.  I've been working with him for years and he's never done anything like this before."

One image that sticks in my mind was a television interview with a circus lion tamer that took place many years ago.  The question was "What is the most important thing to learn if you want to be a lion tamer?" and his response was "To know when the lion wants to be left alone."

[Turnsky]

Does amber also fear vampires then?
since they suddendly are gone.
also amber didnt bother what i whrote about unicorns. it seems.
but like my parents say; you should concure your fear or you would allways live in it.
im not saying you should do that. but its one of the things you could do.
then again. i dont nknow how a person feels that got attacked by a dog,cat, hatever long time ago. but; i know someone that has a fear (not telling what or who)
but concures it. of course he/she still feel nervous next to it.
but at least he/she isnt controlled by fear. sorry if offend anyone.

I removed vampires from DMFA continuity for almost the same reason I wrote out unicorns, in that in terms of making a semi-functional universe, you cannot overstuff it full of every single paranormal or mythological thing. There just isn't enough room at the top for all those type of things.

of course that doesn't stop one for writing out a creative demise for them..

[Scow2]

The really scary thing is that there are some people who care for large cats who have no fear of their charges because they have been working with them so long.  They make the news when the cat takes a swipe at them and their usual comment is "I don't understand it.  I've been working with him for years and he's never done anything like this before."

And on the other hand, there's an almost stereotypical family of four that has about a dozen Big Cats as "typical" family pets, and they've never had problems. I think the number is 6 leopards, 4 lynx, 3 jaguars, 6 pumas... And they all act like oversized housecats.

Personally, I want to get a license to own a pet cheetah. Unlike other Big Cats, they aren't aggressive due to a number of factors in their environment, and can be tamed... Seeing that they are heading to become extinct in the wild no matter what we do or don't do (They are genetically decaying)... captivity/cloning/pets I see as the best way to keep the species alive, and possibly thriving.

[Alondro]

And on the other hand, there's an almost stereotypical family of four that has about a dozen Big Cats as "typical" family pets, and they've never had problems. I think the number is 6 leopards, 4 lynx, 3 jaguars, 6 pumas... And they all act like oversized housecats.

That's quite impressive, actually.  Leopards tend to be far more solitary and aggressive than lions or tigers.  It's the main reason they're rarely used for shows.  They are very difficult to train and highly unpredictable.  Only jaguars are more difficult.  And I see they have 3 of those too!  They must be either have a very cleverly devised training regimen (assuming they come in close contact), or just keep them in their enclosures all the time.

Interestingly, it's the tiger that tends to be the easiest to train.  They are not truly solitary.  They have a semi-sociable nature like housecats, and when raised together will cohabitate quite easily.  The 'pride' behavior of lions and their more complex personalities makes some of them have rapid mood swings and occaisionally fits of obsessive territoriality, especially in dark-maned males (higher testosterone levels).

Cheetahs are very tamable.  Egyptians used to use them in a manner identical to hunting dogs.  They are also distantly related to the other big cats, and do not even have retractable claws.  They have a high degree of genetic homogeneity, due to an apparently severe population bottleneck around the end of the last Ice Age, possibly due to a rapid shift in the savannah-desert regions in Africa.  Indeed, archaological evidence suggests that the present Sahara may have formed from what was once a fertile grassland in a mere 100 years or so, as the monsoon band deviated sharply southward.  This shift will reverse if there is another Ice Age in the future.

*Charles is smrt, wif branze*   

[LizardSaul]

And you're a biclopse.

A biclops is what you hear when a horse takes two steps towards you. Get it? Biclops.

[Shachza]

Cheetahs are very tamable.  Egyptians used to use them in a manner identical to hunting dogs.  They are also distantly related to the other big cats, and do not even have retractable claws.  They have a high degree of genetic homogeneity, due to an apparently severe population bottleneck around the end of the last Ice Age, possibly due to a rapid shift in the savannah-desert regions in Africa.  Indeed, archaological evidence suggests that the present Sahara may have formed from what was once a fertile grassland in a mere 100 years or so, as the monsoon band deviated sharply southward.  This shift will reverse if there is another Ice Age in the future.

*Charles is smrt, wif branze*   

Correct, that monsoon shift was about 8000 years ago.  (According to How the Earth Was Made on the History Channel)  There are some neat rock paintings in desolate parts of the Sahara of people asking for more rain that date from then.  There are also lake beds full of fresh water clam shells from the same time period, in the middle of the Sahara.    The prediction is that the Sahara will shift back in 12000 years and turn fertile again.  The monsoon tracks have less to do with the Ice Ages and more to do with the little wobbles in Earth's own rotation.