Archive for the Category » European Animals «

Sheep Rule!

Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Caprinae Genus: Ovis Species: O. aries Conservation Status: Sheep are a domesticated, farm animal the world over… *** Sheep Rule – Tales From The Roads Of Ireland By Miriam Susong “There are sheep in the road!” she screamed. “What?” I replied. With her voice ten octaves higher, my daughter Sarah yelled, “There are sheep on the road!” Calmly, I retorted, “I don’t see any shee . . .p!” “Wow, that was a close one,” I exclaimed as I slammed on the brakes. Sure as anything, there were sheep in the road. They were really on [ ... ]

Busy As A Beaver

Beavers are animals traditionally spoke about in the cliche, being “Busy as a Beaver”… Find out why… Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Castoridae Genus: Castor Species: 1. C. canadensis 2. C. fiber 3. C. californicus *** Busy Beavers Build Piles Of Sticks By Steven Gillman “Well, you’re just a busy beaver, aren’t you?” You’ve either heard or used this cliche, but what do you know about beavers? Let me tell you about something I learned. One night on the Discovery Channel, I watched a scientist determine how beavers knew where to put the sticks to build their dams. It’s by Yup, that's right! I have always wanted to start an animal [ ... ]

Moose Are Not To Be Messed With!

Moose are a very “Canadian” animal, when I asked my husband to tell me the first winter animal off the top of his head, he said, “Moose”. So…Ok…Here goes… Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Cervidae Subfamily: Capreolinae Genus: Alces Species: A. alces Conservation Status: I am ecstatic to announce to you that the Moose is a species of Least Concern. Great job! *** Don’t Mess with a Moose By James Hyde When you’re hiking and happen upon a moose, they can appear laid back and they can even be approached and fed depending on what season it is, but neither is ever a good idea. If [ ... ]

The Endangered Snow Leopard

The Snow Leopard…Look at those amazing paws! What a beautiful animal! Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Subfamily: Pantherinae Genus: Panthera Species: P. uncia Conservation Status: The Snow Leopard is considered Endangered! Help educate and save these amazing cats! *** Snow Leopard By Omer Ashraf Perhaps the most beautiful of all big cats, the Snow Leopard is an amazing animal. Living at altitudes higher than those of most predators, the Snow Leopard creates a niche for itself in some of the most difficult terrains and hostile climates in the world. Panthera Uncia, the Snow Leopard, is frequently grouped in small cats owing to its inability to Yup, [ ... ]

Trials and Tribulations of Saving The Iberian Lynx

The Iberian Lynx is sometimes referred to as the Spanish Lynx. Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Lynx Species: L. pardinus Conservation Status: This species is Critically Endangered! *** Saving the Iberian Lynx By Mike McDougall Of the 32 remaining species of big cat left in the world, the Iberian Lynx is the most endangered, even more so than the Siberian tiger. Western Europe’s last remaining big cat is in serious trouble, recent estimations place the number of lynx remaining at just over 100 and biologists maintain that if drastic action isn’t taken soon then the species will be extinct by the end of the [ ... ]

The Majestic Mute Swan

Mute Swans are so beautiful and majestic! I just love them, and I hope you enjoy this great article I found about them! Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Cygnus Species: C. olor Conservation Status: The Mute Swan is a species of least concern…Great stuff! *** What You Need to Know About Mute Swans By Andrew Grey The mute swan is a very large white waterbird. It has a long S-shaped neck and an orange bill with black at the base of it. Flies with its neck extended and regular slow wing beats. Mute swans breed in the British Isles, north central Europe and north [ ... ]

Adopting A Chipmunk As A Pet

Chipmunks can be great “exotic” pets…They are adorable and an unusual find as a pet! Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Sciuridae Tribe: Marmotini Genus: Tamias Conservation Status: Chipmunks are a genus of least concern in regards to conservation! Awesome! *** Chipmunks as Pets By Tonia Jordan As I was walking around a local pet store recently, I happened to see a Siberian Chipmunk racing around its cage, performing acrobatics that entertained a growing crowd gathered around its cage. It got me to wondering – do chipmunks make good pets? How would I choose one? What involves taking care of one? Purchasing a chipmunk First and most importantly, find a [ ... ]

Polar Bears Mostly Extinct by 2050

Exotic Animal Newsflash: It has been reported that we the polar bear could be mostly extinct by the year 2050. That means that 2/3 of the entire polar bear population, roughly 1600 bears, could be dead if sea ice melting predictions are accurate. However, it could be the case that the sea ice is even melting faster than computer models are predicting. It is thought that a few may survive on Canadian Arctic islands off the west coast of Greenland by 2100, but this is very bleak! These reports are being used to determine if the polar bear should be [ ... ]

Are Ferrets The Ideal Exotic Pet?

Ferrets are carnivorous mammals and are in the same family as mink. In fact, they are even closer…they are in the same genus! Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Mustelidae Genus: Mustela Species: M. putorius Subspecies: M. p. furo I found a great article, so that you can decide for yourself if the ferret is the perfect exotic pet and/or if it is the one for you! Enjoy! *** Ferrets — The Ideal Pet By Susan Jan If you love pets that are quiet and cute, then ferrets will be the right choice. Because by their very appearance, many people tend to mistake them for rodents but they [ ... ]

Need To Control The Deer? The Dutch Cue The Wolves Or Wildcats!

Exotic Animal Newsflash: It was reported Wednesday that a Dutch park, west of Amsterdam, has an overabundant population of deer, and it has been proposed by park management to introduce wolves or wildcats to control this problem. There are approximately 1500 deer in this park, and they have caused 13 accidents by jumping over park fences and meandering into urban neighborhoods. If nothing is done, it is believed that this deer population will grow by 30% each year. Other popular options to control this problem include contraception, installing higher fences, and selective hunting schedules. A decision will be reached within the next [ ... ]