Archive for » August, 2007 «

Minks Freed By Suspected Animal Rights Activists – Farmers Panic

Exotic Animal Newsflash: 2500 Minks were released early Friday by suspected animal rights activists from a fur farm about 400 km NW of Helsinki in western Finland. Only about 1/2 of them have been recaptured. Police said that it could take days to round up the rest of them. There are no suspects as of yet, but some initials were spray-painted onto the silo at the farm. They were the initials of the Animal Liberation Front, but in Finnish, which, it is believed, could have been done by anyone. (Photo: American mink) To read more about this article, [ ... ]

200 Yard Cobweb Scares Visitors At North Texas State Park

Exotic Animal Newsflash: A 200 yard web? That’s what I said!!! That translates into 180 m across. Now, that’s a huge cobweb. I think it would scare me a little too…LOL This web at Lake Tawakoni State Park has entomologists from all over Canada and the United States a little baffled. They say it could have been made by social cobweb spiders, or as a result of spiders in mass dispersal in an effort to spread out from one another…Now, that would be a lot of spiders! It is said that if you sit and listen, you [ ... ]

Cockatoos Need Love Too

It is true…Cockatoos are gorgeous and popular, but you still need to give them love too…Many are under the endangered species list, and all others are considered vulnerable. They have beautiful plumage in a rainbow of varieties, and an amazing crest on top of their head, which they can control to fan out or to lay back flat! They have big personalities and are very intelligent. Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Psittaciformes Family: Cacatuidae Subfamilies: Microglossinae, Calyptorhynchinae, Cacatuinae There are 21 species that belong to the Cacatuidae family. Of these 21, only 11 exist in Australia in [ ... ]

Cheetahs: The World’s Fastest Land Animal

Cheetah…That just sounds fast! However, they aren’t fast enough to get away from being an endangered species. Cheetahs are endangered throughout their home range due to loss of habitat, reduced prey and direct persecution or poaching. It is considered as vulnerable and threatened in conservation status. They live in Africa, and there may still be some cheetahs left in the wild in Asia, although it is doubtful. Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Subfamily: Felinae Genus: Acinonyx Species: A. jubatus I hope you enjoy this great article I found on the cheetah! *** The Animal Kingdom’s Speedster By Art [ ... ]

Bearded Dragon Finds A Home

Bearded Dragons…No, they don’t fly! They are very popular exotic pets, especially in the USA and Canada due to their small size, heartiness and omnivorous diet. All species are native to Australia and live in woodland areas as adults. They are semi-arboreal when they are juveniles. . Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Sauria Family: Agamidae Subfamily: Agaminae Genus: Pogona There are many species of the bearded dragon: Pogona barbata, Pogona henrylawsoni, Pogona microlepidota, Pogona minima, Pogona minor, Pogona mitchelli, Pogona nullarbor, Pogona vitticeps. With proper care, they are known to live from 8-12 yrs. Due to domestic [ ... ]

Penguin Papparazzi

Have you seen the movie, “March of the Penguins“? What a fabulous movie. The penguin life is documented over a 1 yr period, and it will open up your eyes on what these little guys and gals have to go through, just to survive! Awesome! I found this wonderful article to expose the penguin life for you! Enjoy! *** Penguins – An Overview By P Anderson The popularity of penguins is at an all-time high. It is in large part due to the hit movie The March of the Penguins, that such interest in penguins has been raised recently. Until this [ ... ]

Camels: Ships of the Desert

Camels have been coined the Ships of the Desert, and for good reason. Domesticated more than 3000 yrs ago, humans even rely upon them to this day to transport them across arid/desert environments in Africa and Asia. They can easily carry up to 200 lbs and travel up to 20 miles/day! Wow! They are as fast as a horse, but can go for extended periods of time without any food or water. This makes them well equipped to live in the desert. (http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-camel.html, 2007) They are well adapted to the desert landscape as their feet [ ... ]

Terrific Tarantulas

To many people, tarantulas are disgustingly revolting because they are hairy, stocky, and fearsome-looking…But to other people, they are TERRIFIC! Despite their reputations, most tarantulas are harmless to humans and are popular in exotic pet trade. There are no true tarantulas that are known to have a bite that is deadly to humans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula, 2007). Some people even eat them…Yup, that’s what I said! In some countries, tarantulas are considered a delicacy, and taste somewhat like shrimp… Tarantulas range in colors from brown, black and grey (very drab) to excitingly colorful varieties of metallic blue, black and white, bright orange, and [ ... ]

No Ifs, Ands or Bats!

It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…Nope, It’s a BAT! I bet you’re thinking right now if you have ever seen a bat. Well, I bet you have, and just don’t know it… Even if you live in Canada, like I do, I still bet you have seen bats. Have you ever seen birds flying at night? Well, I’m sure you have. You know, when it is twilight, or good moonlight, occasionally, you’ll see a bird in flight at night. Well, guess what, it’s probably a bat. …Now think back to one of those instances…Was that bird flying straight and steady, or [ ... ]

The Critically Endangered White Rhinoceros

There are 2 subspecies of white rhinoceros: The Northern White and the Southern White Rhinoceros. They both live in Africa. Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Perissodactyla Family: Rhinocerotidae Genus: Ceratotherium Species: C. simum 1. Ceratotherium simum simum 2. Ceratotherium simum cottoni The white rhinoceros is considered to be critically endangered. According to the BBC, there are only 13 northern white rhinoceros in the world as of this year. The southern variety is more plentiful, but this fact is nothing to be comfortable with in the least bit. They too are close to extinction. Conservation status Critically endangered Check out this [ ... ]