Very well stated. The devil's bell (which it's called in Ecuador and which name I like more than the others) has strong mythology about it, but it is apparently so difficult to extract the Datura from it, that most people I talked to about it just sort of laughed me off. I've spent more than two months traveling in both Ecuador and Colombia, six of those weeks studying with a leading northern Andean ethnographer. When you're on the road, it's a lot of fun to talk about these kinds of extreme phenomena, but for the most part, it's touristy b.s. The plant is much more famous for the hallucinogenic tea that can be made from the flowers themselves, which is also fatal if prepared incorrectly. Btw, Datura is the same compound that produces the infamous Vodou zombies in Haiti, made famous by Harvard ethnobotanist Wade Davis's "The Serpent and the Rainbow."

Vice loves to sensationalize this kind of thing, and I'm frankly a little annoyed at the characterization of the current political atmosphere in Colombia. Even the U.S. State Department's travel.state.gov, which is notoriously over-sensitive, has only qualified warnings about the dangers of traveling in rural areas. Colombia is a lot safer than the introduction to this story has painted it. Total disservice to the country and culture that gave this journalist his story. But Vice likes to dirty it up to sell mags to hipsters.

Still, totally entertaining and somewhat informative. Nice find.>> ^legacy0100:

lol I don't know about this one. Vice reporters are often a bit naive at times...
Still this was very well Directed. Had great atmosphere and pacing. Very good.

That's the zoo in Leipzig. Word is that it's a genetic condition triggered by unfamiliar living conditions - those are Andean Bears after all.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'peru, guinea, pig, brains, peru, gag, horror' to 'peru, guinea, pig, brains, peru, gag, horror, cuy, andes, andean' - edited by RhesusMonk

Your video, The World's Largest (Flying) Bird - The Andean Condor, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

The Andean Condor: You cannot ignore it's impressive bulk.

Hey, thanks, KP!

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
*promote


('El Cóndor Pasa', via the Cap'n)

In reply to this comment by cybrbeast:
On a related note, the biggest bird that ever flew was Argentavis magnificens, an ancestor of the Giant Condor. Impressive picture of replica here.

^Holy Crap!

...It would have been impossible to take off from a standing start. The bird probably used some of the same techniques used by modern-day hang-glider pilots such as running on sloping ground to get thrust or energy, or running with a headwind.

Is it possible that the atmosphere was more dense six million years ago?

Here's an illustration of Argentavis magnificens .

http://img.sci-lib.com/2009/06/19/b_278_1.jpg

Mmmm. That carrion flesh flavor. 25 pounds of it .


>> ^ForgedReality:
Why the fuck are we still eating TURKEYS for Thanksgiving??? I bet these things would be fucking DELICIOUS!

Mmmm. That carrion flesh flavor. 25 pounds of it.

In reply to this comment by ForgedReality:
Why the fuck are we still eating TURKEYS for Thanksgiving??? I bet these things would be fucking DELICIOUS!

ah, the Andean. Home of the world's sub-economy.