March Mammals, Part Two

As I write this, I'm tied for last place with my mom and dad. Here are the rest of the participants in our pool this year. Please enjoy!

Mom/Nancy
Mammal Name: Supercilious Sea Lion
Highest Finish: 4th (2009)
2010 Champion Pick: Kansas
Fun Facts: According to my mother, the difference between a sea lion and a seal are their flippers. Sea lions can actually stand up and clap because they have longer flippers, whereas seals waddle on land on their bellies. Also, seals are sociable and friendly, while sea lions are notorious snobs. Pictured above are the only two sea lions who are not prigs.
A group of sea lions is called a raft.

Dad/Jim
Mammal Name: Jim Hancock
Highest Finish: 2nd (2003, 2008)
2010 Champion Pick: Syracuse
Fun Facts: According to Google, Jim Hancock is a renaissance fair musician. And here he is getting his beard shaved.
A group of Jimbos is called a ensemble.

Bill Bowman
Mammal Name: Albino Rhino
Highest Finish: 1st (2008)
2010 Champion Pick: Kentucky
Fun Facts: In order to stay cool under the brutal African sun, rhinos wallow in the mud. A nice coat of mud serves as a bug repellent, sunblock and skin moisturizer.
A group of rhinoceros is called a crash.

Sue Bowman
Mammal Name: Snarkopotamus
Highest Finish: 1st (2009)
2010 Champion Pick: Kansas
Fun Facts: I found this definition from the Urban Dictionary on "snarkosaurus": A person who is massive, lumbering and snarky, thus resembling both a dinosaur and a snarky person. I can't confirm if it's a related species, but I know that cynicism and sarcasm are involved.
A group of snarkopotami is called a brood.

Kim
Mammal Name: Snow Leopard
Highest Finish: 13th (2009)
2010 Champion Pick: Duke
Fun Facts: Snow leopards can jump as far as 50 feet and can kill animals three times their weight. In their habitat, in the mountains of Central Asia, they prey on ibex, sheep and sherpas.
A group of leopards is called a leap.

Paula
Mammal Name: The Fighting Daschunds
Highest Finish: 3rd (2007)
2010 Champion Pick: Kansas
Fun Facts: These dogs are extremely loyal pets, but often suffer from separation anxiety...which explains why the Egyptians had their daschund-like dogs mummified. A daschund named Waldi was the mascot of the 1972 Munich Olympics.
A group of daschunds is called a pack...a pack of furious scurrying feet and sharp needle-like teeth.

Tom
Mammal Name: Jackalope
Highest Finish: 3rd (2008)
2010 Champion Pick: Kansas
Fun Facts: Jackalopes only breed during electrical storms. They're commonly found on postcards from Wyoming and Texas.
A group of jackalopes is called a "nest-herd."

Peter
Mammal Name: Babirusa
Highest Finish: 1st (2006, 2007)
2010 Champion Pick: Kentucky
Fun Facts: Known as "pig-deer," babirusa have two pairs of curved tusks that can grow up to a foot long. The males sharpen their tusks by grinding them against stones and trees. Tusks help them battle other babirusa during mating season and puncture the plastic film on their microwave dinners.
Because babirusa are more related to hippos than pigs, a group of them is called a bloat.

Michael Heiser
Mammal Name: Bontebok
Highest Finish: 12th (2009)
2010 Champion Pick: Duke
Fun Facts: This relative of the antelope is only found in one Bontebok National Park (South Africa) and a few reserves outside the park. They used to live in Lesotho and Swaziland. Come to think of it, that's the only thing I know about Lesotho or Swaziland.
A group of bonteboks is called a herd.

Alison
Mammal Name: Terrifying Treeshrews
Highest Finish: 13th (2007)
2010 Champion Pick: Duke
Fun Facts: Tree shrews have a higher brain to body mass ratio than humans. Pen-tailed tree shrews in Malaysia regularly consume fermented nectar (3.8% alcohol). In unrelated news, Alison finished in last place in 2009.
A group of treeshrews is called a taming.

Aunt Pat
Mammal Name: Gazelle
Highest Finish: 11th (2008)
2010 Champion Pick: Kentucky
Fun Facts: Gazelles can reach speeds of 50 mph. Cheetahs can run up to 70 mph. The top speed of a 1967 Chevrolet Impala is 130 mph. Who wins here? America. That's who.
A group of gazelles is called a herd.

Bruce Treut
Mammal Name: yellodog1
Highest Finish: Rookie
2010 Champion Pick: Kansas
Fun Facts: Though the Labrador Retriever is known as a loyal pet and a great hunting companion, it is native to Newfoundland, where it helped fishermen retrieve and pull in nets. Today, labs go through more tennis balls than Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras combined.
A group of yellow labs is called a pack.

Matt Bowman
Mammal Name: African Wild Ass
Highest Finish: 6th (2009)
2010 Champion Pick: Kentucky
Fun Facts: The smallest member of the horse family is well-suited to living in the desert. In the sixteenth century, the Spanish brought them to America, where they inspired the television show "Hee Haw." Wild asses are still found in the Southwest (where they are known as Arizonans).
A group of wild asses is called a pace, a drove or a herd.

Uncle Bill
Mammal Name: Laughing Chimpanzees
Highest Finish: 2nd (2007)
2010 Champion Pick: Kansas
Fun Facts: The first American in space was actually a chimp named Ham in 1961. Unlike other monkeys, chimps utilize tools to retrieve insects and open nuts. Though chimps are very intelligent, they are not good swimmers. That's why they're often seen with inflatable arm floaties.
A group of chimpanzees is called a community.