Minks Freed By Suspected Animal Rights Activists – Farmers Panic
August 31, 2007 by Kimberly · 4 Comments
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, go to: Read more
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200 Yard Cobweb Scares Visitors At North Texas State Park
August 31, 2007 by Kimberly · 2 Comments
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 can hear the screech of the caught insects. Wow, the spider(s) will be able to eat seemingly forever from the captured prey…well, at least until the fall, when the spiders will start dying off.
To read more on this story, go to:
Sprawling spider web fascinates, repels visitors to north Texas park
I certainly would love to see this amazing spider feat. People should be watching to see if there’s writing in the web (Charlotte’s Web
Until next time…
Live Exotically,
Kimberly Edwards 
P.S. I found a really neat DVD on spider webs and vintage spiders that I thought was fascinating…Check it out:
Technorati Tags: spider web, cobweb, Lake Tawakoni State Park, spider, North Texas, social cobweb spiders
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Cockatoos Need Love Too
August 28, 2007 by Kimberly · 3 Comments
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 the wild, 7 exist in Indonesia, New Guinea and other South Pacific Islands, and 3 exist in both New Guinea and Australia.
Cockatoos are under both the endangered and vulnerable species list, protected under the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. This means that it is illegal to Read more
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Cheetahs: The World’s Fastest Land Animal
August 26, 2007 by Kimberly · 5 Comments
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!
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The Animal Kingdom’s Speedster
By Art Taylor
Cheetahs history as pets can be dated back to the Ancient Egyptian civilization. Scientifically classified as Acinonyx Jubatus, they were initially used for hunting, since they are fastest of the wild cats and all the animals within the animal kingdom. Unlike other cats they aren’t good at climbing trees. They can accelerate from zero mph to seventy mph within a mere three seconds. The cheetah’s body length ranges from forty five to fifty five inches and they usually weigh between ninety to one hundred and forty pounds.
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Bearded Dragon Finds A Home
August 24, 2007 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
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.
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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 breeding many different color varieties have arose, including brilliant hues of pastel oranges, violets, and reds.
These little creatures are docile and trusting, outgoing and curious. They quite like being handled and rarely bite, scratch or attack people. Never keep more than one dragon in a cage, as they compete for food, and one will always win.
A 20-gallon tank is what is deemed the minimum for a juvenile beardie, as they need quite a lot of room to move around.
It is important to know what to look for when choosing a “Beardie”, so I hope you take heed to this article I found!
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What to Look for when Choosing a Bearded Dragon?
By Florian Ross
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Penguin Papparazzi
August 23, 2007 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Have you seen the movie, “March of the Penguins
I found this wonderful article to expose the penguin life for you! Enjoy!
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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
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Camels: Ships of the Desert
August 23, 2007 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
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 are round and broad, working somewhat like a snowshoe would in the snow, so that they don’t sink into the sand. For humans, sand blown into our eyes can be annoying and painful, as well as unhealthy for the eyes. However, camels have a special membrane over their eyes to protect them from the sand called a nictitating membrane, which works as a clear inner eyelid, letting enough light in for them to see, along with a double row of eyelashes. They are also able to close their nostrils to keep the sand out of their nose.
Camels live in Africa, Asia, and as feral animals in Australia, which were imported in the 19th century. Some of these camels, who live in environments where it gets cold in the winter, grow thick, shaggy coats, and shed them in the hot summer months.
Camel Classification:
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Genus: Camelus
Species:
• ferus (wild Bactrian, or two-humped)
• ferus f. bactrianus (domestic Bactrian)
• dromedarius (dromedary, or one-humped)
About 90% of the camels today are dromedaries, which have only 1 hump, and only exists today as a domesticated species. There are 2 types of Bactrian camels, both of which have 2 humps: one of which is wild, and one of which is domesticated. Wild Bactrians are more athletic-looking, have smaller humps and less hair.
* Myth: Camels store water in their hump. This is completely Read more
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Terrific Tarantulas
August 21, 2007 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
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 cobalt blue.
Tarantulas are very often hairy and quite large. They do not spin webs, unless they live in a tunnel, because they hunt their prey on the ground. If they live in a tunnel, they are known to line that tunnel with web to catch wandering prey. They use their speed and ambush capabilities to catch other spiders and insects. Larger varieties are even know to catch lizards, mice and birds.
Tarantulas have adopted a number of different names around the world, such as baboon spiders, barking spiders, whistling spiders, earth tigers, or bird spiders, just to name a few.
My Story:
When I lived in Australia back in 1994-95, I was on the phone with my mother in Canada as I was wandering around the house. All of a sudden, I let out a huge scream and dropped the phone. Read more
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No Ifs, Ands or Bats!
August 16, 2007 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
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 was that “bird” flying erratically? …something like how a butterfly would fly if it was a bird?…Yup, you guessed it…That was most likely a bat. At night, most birds are asleep in their nests and the trees.
No need to panic! They are not coming for you to suck your blood, contrary to popular belief. They use echolocation to find objects in their path. They use higher frequency sounds and thus shorter wavelengths to locate their food. Most Canadian bats use ultrasonic echolocation calls, meaning humans cannot hear these frequencies because they are too high. Sometimes, bats will swoop down, but it for certain is not because they are trying to get you, they are using sound waves to locate those bugs around you that they want to catch.
* Neat Fact: There is 1 notable exception to the Canadian bat ultrasonic rule…The spotted bat of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, uses frequencies that are low enough for a human to actually hear.
A person can see how important sound is to their lives just by looking at how large their ears are in comparison to their little bodies.
* Note: Bats are not blind, also contrary to popular belief. They use their eyes just like we do. However, they employ echolocation, as well, at night to help them locate their prey
For the most part, bats come out in the evening and night to feed. They rest, upside down, during the day, awaiting nightfall so they can feed on insects. Since they are already upside down, in order to fly, they just let go and…Voila! Flight.
They don’t glide/soar, as do birds like eagles or falcons, and they don’t fly like robins or sparrows where they go in a straight line and flutter their wings periodically. They constantly need to work and flap their wings, all the while sending out sonar to find little insects, that also fly spastically…That’s why their flight pattern is so odd, and is so distinguishable.
Guess how I learned about this…Okay, you won’t…
My Story:
Back in 1994-1995, I lived in Australia. One of the softball teams I played on was a local softball team in Perth, Western Australia (the Kalamunda Knights). We often practiced in the evening, as it was extremely hot during the day, and many of the girls worked.
One of the first nights we practiced, when I arrived in Aussieland, I asked some of the girls on the team what kind of birds were flying around the treetops. We practiced right next to a forested area. We had the typical sports field lights at the softball diamond, and you could catch glimpses of flitting “birds”, so I thought…They immediately informed me that they were bats. Of course, this intrigued me, and I watched them often.
Once you know what to look for, you see them all the time. I was pleasantly surprised, when I came back to Canada that next summer, to see our own homeland Canadian bats come out at night! I just love filling people in on this little secret. I love to see their eyes light up when they realize that they have actually seen a bat! I love opening up their mind, and changing their schema about bats.
* Neat Fact: One little bat can eat from 50 to over 100% of their body weight of insects each summer night. They certainly help keep the mosquito population down! Thank you…Bats!
***
In Canada, there have been 19 different species of bat recorded, 17 of which are regular residents of Canada.
Scientific Classification of Bats:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Eutheria
Superorder: Laurasiatheria
Order: Chiroptera
There are 2 Suborders: Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera.
* This is an example of a micro-bat.
There are so many species of bat, that they are separated into Superfamilies, too numerous to list here. Please go to: Wikipedia to view them if you like.
* That’s right…Bats are mammals, like you and me! They aren’t birds. They are warm-blooded, give birth to live young (no, they do not lay eggs), and suckle their young. What really sets them apart from other mammals is their wings…they can fly! Their fingers, hands and arm bones are attached together by a thin fold of skin that forms their wings…Their wing membranes attach to their bodies and hind legs, and in Canadian species, their tail is enclosed as well…Wow, amazing!
Size:
The little brown bat of Canada is of an average size, weighing 8 g in summertime (a mass of 2 nickels and 1 dime) with a wingspan of 22 cm. The largest Canadian bat species, the hoary bat, weighs a “whopping” 30 g, with wingspan of 40 cm. The smallest of all Canadian species are the eastern and western small-footed bats, weighing only 5 g.
Lifespan:
These little mammals have relatively long lifespans, many living over 30 yrs of age. In fact, a banded little banded brown bat in Ontario was recorded to survive 35 yrs.
Winter:
What in world do these little creatures do when it gets so cold in Canada? Good question!
When it becomes fall, it gets colder and insects disappear. So, Canadian species of bat rely on migration and/or hibernation. Some find roosts in buildings. Some go underground into mines or caves where the temperature is more stable, above freezing, and has a high humidity. Still some go further south, some with short migrations, and some with longer journeys. Many hibernate in leaf litter, or in hollows of trees. There are a few species that actually remain active.
Rabies:
As all other mammals, bats are susceptible to getting rabies. Rabies is a disease that will progressively cause paralysis and death. It is found in the saliva of animals, which means if an animal, or human for that matter, is bitten by a rabid animal, that disease is transmitted through the saliva. The incidence of this disease in Canadian bats is low…So no need to panic!
* Tip: “Anyone who has been bitten by a bat or other mammal should Read more
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The Critically Endangered White Rhinoceros
August 15, 2007 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
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.
Check out this informative video:
Kimberly Edwards
References Cited:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rhinoceros, 2007.
P.S. I found this great little book, which is packed with information on the rhinoceros. I hope you check it out:
Technorati Tags: extinction, rhino, rhinoceros, white rhinoceros, southern white rhinoceros, northern white rhinoceros, endangered animal, endangered species, African animals, mammals, wildlife
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