HIPPO EATS DWARF:
A Field Guide to Hoaxes
and Other B.S.
hippo
FM
Tasmanian Mock Walrus
Kingdom: Animalia
Location found: Tasmania and Florida
image The Tasmanian Mock Walrus (TMW) is a whiskered, four-inch long creature that purrs like a cat, has the temperament of a hamster, and resembles a walrus. (It has also been noted that it resembles a naked mole rat.) It never needs to be walked or bathed, can be trained to use a litter box, and eats cockroaches. A single TMW can rid a house of roaches. However, it will also eat cheese and Vegemite. For this reason it is highly sought after as a pet.

The TMW is indigenous to the lake region of Tasmania. But during the early 1980s a number of these creatures were smuggled into Florida where they quickly became a popular form of pest-control. A secret breeding program multiplied their numbers. However, it was and remains illegal to import the TMW, a ban that pest-control companies have vigorously lobbied for, fearing that the TMW might undermine the cockroach-extermination business. Government officials have also expressed concern about the possible impact upon the delicate Florida ecosystem should TMWs be imported in massive quantities. The TMW controversy was reported in the Orlando Sentinel on April 1, 1984.
Reference: Dean Johnson. "Small Wonder." Florida Magazine, Orlando Sentinel. (April 1, 1984): 10-12.
Total Comments: 3

Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Page 1 of 1 pages
I'd like one. Seems sad there illegal now. Nice picture hey isn't that a naked mole rat?
Posted by J  on  Sun Oct 01, 2006  at  11:08 AM
To kill cockroaches
Call the TMW
They think they're tasty
Posted by J  on  Sun Nov 26, 2006  at  11:15 AM
Gib, the Mock Walrus
Wrinkled, with white wacky teeth:
My furless buddy.

____

The Beatles sang it.
Cockroach-eating maniac,
I: the Mock Walrus
Posted by Liz H.  in  SPLeNDaViLLe  on  Mon Jul 30, 2007  at  08:39 PM
Page 1 of 1 pages

Name:

Email (if you want to be notified of responses):

Location:

URL:

Note: To prove that you're a human being, not an automated spam bot, you've got to type in the word you see below. If you register as a member of the site you won't have to do this. Once registered, you'll then also need to login. If you're seeing this notice, and you've already registered, that means you haven't logged in. As a member you also won't have to enter your personal info every time you leave a comment.

Submit the word you see below:


Smileys

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

HOAX HAIKU
It is sad but true—
No haiku submitted yet.
You can be the first.

Write a haiku about the Tasmanian Mock Walrus, and submit it in the comments. If I like it, I'll post it above.

The definition of a haiku: a short, three line poem. The first line has five syllables, the second seven, and the third five. Examples here, here, and here.