The Kingpins of Cowtown

Princess Chunk is a cool, very fat cat

I can't resist goofy animal stories, like this one about the fat cat who was dropped off at a New Jersey shelter. She's been nicknamed Princess Chunk, and at 44 pounds, the name fits even if her collar doesn't. (My son weighs 44 pounds!!)

And what about this one, where a hungry bear got its head stuck in a plastic jar and was tracked for six days by wildlife officials who were unable to tranquilize the bear. This story has a sad ending, so don't click through if you're an animal lover.

But enjoy the fat cat video and the bear photo.

Penny and Nemo: Superdogs

All dogs go to heaven, and this is why.

Ga-ga over geckos

Very fun story today in Life on the geckos that dot our landscape -- and scurry around in our bathrooms late at night. They're pretty good roommates, really. Very quiet and they clean up any bugs that might stumble in. Now if they can do something about the racoons I found on my roof last night!!

Of course the most famous gecko is Geico's lovable little guy. Bugger's even got his own blog. And Cathy Frisinger's story filled us in on his history. He used to be voiced by Kelsey Grammer, but mysteriously developed a cockney accent a few years back, courtesy of British actor Jake Wood. Here are a few of the Geico gecko's greatest hits.

RIP, Alex the Ivy League parrot

It is fitting that the eloquent obit/tribute to Alex the parrot, one of the smartest birds you'll never meet, is the most e-mailed story on the New York Times site.

He lived 31 years -- 30 at Brandeis University -- and learned more than most people. He knew his colors, shapes and had more than 100 words in his vocabulary -- which makes him smarter than Britney Spears and Paris Hilton combined.

He also had an array of one liners that could've played in the Catskills -- if Alex wasn't afraid of cats. He will be missed.

White lightning

Finally, some positive news about albinos. The furry little guy is BSOC -- Big Squirrel on Campus at UNT. And we're told he loves bowling, too.

A giraffe by any other name

Have you seen the baby giraffe at the Fort Worth Zoo yet? He's a cutie. But he needs a name.

Apparently, the zookeepers will eventually name the baby boy, born April 11, as his personality emerges. But in the meantime, we can always offer our suggestions, right?

My son is a big Madagascar fan, so he's partial to Melman.

And considering he'll grow to be 16 to 18 feet tall, how about Stilts, or Wilt? Or maybe even Luke (as in Skywalker)?

C'mon, let's play Name That Giraffe. 

Finally, a chicken who will bend to your will

If the Sexy Chicken doesn't do it for ya, how 'bout the Subservient Chicken?

From the brilliant marketing minds at Burger King, creators of the creepy King, we bring you a man standing in a living room in a chicken suit who will basically do anything you ask. Just type in your command and hit submit .... and he will.

I made him do The Robot and fly. He tried to stand on his head, but failed. My favorite part is when you e-mail the thing to a friend you get the message:  "Finally, somebody in a chicken costume who will do whatever you want.."

Looks like BK and its Tendercrisp have got the fetishist demographic locked up.

Could Taz be toast?

Amid all the Larry Birkhead and Don Imus nonsense, real life-and-death news is being ignored. But the Kinpin's got ya covered:

The tasmanian devil is in trouble -- and it has nothing to do with a falling anvil. The  ill-tempered marsupials are facing extinction, courtesy of a horrifying contagious cancer that causes nasty facial tumors. There's a move afoot to move the creatures to an island off Australia, but the outlook is pretty bleak. Extinction is looming.

And frankly, we feel helpless. The only thing we could think of is something Bugs used to do to soothe the savage  beast. So here's a little string music, Tazzes. Hang in there.

Sea sweeties

Love is ... two sea otters holding hands doing the backstroke. Watch the video here, and get ready to say AWWWWW!

Hamster Racing 101

They're fast. They're cute. They're humble.

They were the participants in Saturday's Hamster Races at your local pet mega-stores.

Post time was 2 p.m. Kids from all corners of the Metroplex brought in their cute critters to do battle in colorful, plastic balls.

The kids lined up with their hamsters and let the little fellas tumble and rumble within their plastic ball to the finish line.

The winner at one store was Lightning, whose 13-year-old owner, Matthew Wright, had him working out on a daily regimen on the family's stairwell in Arlington.

The competition was fun. And fierce. And we caught it on video. One little girl was visibly shaken when her pet didn't work up enough momentum to get the ball going on  the plastictrack.

This particular mega-store chain stages other races, from pugs to chihuahuas to turtles.

Hamster racing was briefly outlawed in Albuquerque last year before the mayor declared that the races can go on, as long as no one lays down any cash.

According to Wikipedia (and what better source is there?), hamster races have a colorful history. English gentlemen turned to wagering on them when an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease caused the cancellation of some British horse races.

Imagine that. Hamster racing was once the sport of kings.

Check out the video.

Tommy Cummings | tcummings@star-telegram.com