April Fools

One of the fun things about publishing the Delta News Web is the April Fools jokes we have included over the years. Some have been improbable, others impossible, and others just improvised.

One of my favorites is from this year, the buffoose. Here's the cutline that went along with it:

Biologists have been concerned about the potential for interbreeding among moose (Alces alces) and bison (Bison bison). Delta is one of the areas in the world where these two species exist in close geographic proximity. Delta area biologist Steve DuBois captured images of what may be the first known instance of a hybrid between these two species. The body of this animal appears moose-like, but the horns appear to be typical of a male bison. It is not known whether this "bull" is sterile, as hybrids often are. Biologists and lexicophilists are working on names for the new hybridized species. Some that have been proposed are buffoose, moosalo, boose, mison, bioose, bisoose, and mooson. A debate is raging among taxonomists on what Latin name to use: Alces buffaloensis, Bison alces, or something entirely new, Aprilfoolsensis critterus. Photo Courtesy Steve DuBois