Napoleon’s hat sells for 1.9m euros

Napoleon Bonaparte’s hat sold for a record of nearly 1.932 million euros ($2.1 million), at a French auction. It broke the previous record for a Napoleonic hat of 1.884 million euros in 2014.

The hat, known as a bicorne, is in Napoleon’s trademark colours — black, with the French flag’s colours blue-white-red as insignia — and attracted collectors “from the world over” auctioneers Osenat said, declining to give the identity or nationality of the eventual buyer. Napoleon is believed to have owned around 120 such hats, most of which are now lost. Napoleon wore this particular hat towards the middle of his time as emperor which lasted from 1808 to 1815, according to the auction house.

An artist turns tyres into giant statues

A giant, snarling gorilla rears from the peaceful paddy fields on the outskirts of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, made entirely from old tyres by a Cambodian artist. Mean Tithpheap used 500 bicycle and motorbike tyres to create the 2.5 metre King Kong, with two helpers.

Penh has been turning tyres into sculptures for four years, and the statues include King Kongs, elephants, lions, cobras and garudas, a mythical man-bird creature.

Tithpheap hoped others would follow his example and put discarded rubber and plastic to creative use so that it does not pollute the environment. Tithpheap charges between $2,000 and $3,000 for a King Kong statue, his most popular model.

Blue-tongued lizard defends by sticking out tongue

The blue-tongued skink, a lizard native to the Australian continent, has a rather bizarre defence mechanism — it sticks its bright-blue tongue out to predators and they actually run away, sometimes.

A subspecies of Tiliqua scincoides, the blue-tongued skink is one of only five animals known to have blue tongues, the other being the chow chow dog breed, the giraffe, the Impala, and the Okapi. However, it is the only one known for using this distinct physical feature to intimidate predators. When a blue-tongued skink feels threatened, it will start sticking out its blue tongue rapidly, and the contrasting blue tongue against the pink background of its mouth will actually make some animals think twice before attacking it.

‘Zombie’ deer disease confirmed at Yellowstone

The geysers aren’t the only thing foaming at the mouth. Yellowstone National Park officials are warning travellers to steer clear of wildlife after a “zombie” deer was found dead near Yellowstone Lake, a hotspot inside the heavily-visited natural landmark.

The deceased adult mule deer suffered from chronic wasting disease, or CWD, a contagious and fatal sickness that infects deer, reindeer, elk and moose, causing zombie-like symptoms including excessive drooling, drooping ears, head tremors, teeth grinding and reluctance to move. There is currently no vaccine or known treatment for the disease. The deer, previously captured and tagged by the state’s Game and Fish Department (WGFD) in March, died sometime in October, according to its GPS collar. The carcass tested positive for CWD.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 9th, 2023