Archive for the Category » North American Animals «

Basking Shark Mystery Migration Solved

Exotic Animal Newsflash: Scientists have finally discovered where the heck those basking sharks go during the winter months. Previously thought to be a cold water fish, this shark will migrate from New England in the Western Atlantic all the way down to the Bahamas! They even recorded one of the sharks they tracked hanging out for 1 month at the mouth of the Amazon River. Animals are just full of surprises, arent’ they? What was most intriguing about basking sharks is that no one has ever seen a baby or a pregnant female or a basking shark giving birth. They measure up to 35 m long [ ... ]

Sad Day for an Owl in Dallas

We play sand volleyball every weekend in Dallas, and often go to Yucatan in Coppell, Texas, but went across the street to Lone Star on Saturday. They were having a collegiate sand volleyball tournament, so we set up our games on a back court. They have some nets on the sides where the fences are to keep the volleyballs in, so they don’t go into the industrial stuff next to it – it’s got dense bush and a stream, I think…You’d never get your $50 volleyball back! What was sad to me was that there was a large owl that apparently got stuck [ ... ]

A Box Jellyfish for a Pet?

My hubby and I watched the movie Seven Pounds with Will Smith a few nights ago, which was fabulous, I might add! In the movie, the main character has a box jellyfish as an exotic pet in a large cylindrical tank! What an amazing creature, which just happens to have the most deadly venom in the animal kingdom! In fact, there have been 5,568 human fatalities due to the box jellyfish recorded since 1954. Extreme care and caution needs to be taken when caring for a pet of this danger level. Also, you cannot store the jellyfish with any other creature in the tank, as [ ... ]

How to Vacation in Hawaii – Exotically!

I have always wanted to take a trip to Hawaii… As you know, my passion is wild animals and guess what it is I want to do when I’m on vacation in Hawaii… See as much wildlife as I can! That’s what brings me joy! Hawaii is the home of the spinner and bottleneck dolphins, as well as migrating Alaskan humpback whales, monk seals, and Hawaiian green sea turtles, just to name a few. In the bird realm, the Albatross likes to nest in Hawaii, so there are Albatross chicks that get to first learn things about the world on the islands. Of course, I [ ... ]

The Best Vacations are Free – Check out Kissimmee Wildlife

When I travel, you know what I want to see, don’t you? I want to see the local fauna – The animals that make that part of the world special!!! So, of course, when my hubby and I went to Kissimmee – Orlando for our honeymoon, that’s a good part of what we did! We paid for some of the “nature” activities we did – like airboating to see alligators on the lake, parasailing to see the lake and surrounding area, and horseback riding the trails, where we saw a bunch of local animals, including our first Florida gator on our trip right [ ... ]

Portuguese Man O’ War – Even on the Gold Coast of Australia

The Portuguese Man O’ War is found all over the world, including every warm water seas, but especially in tropical or subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the Northern Atlantic Gulf Stream. What’s very interesting about the man o’ war is that it’s not just 1 animal. It’s actually 4 different animals with different abilities and disabilities, which makes each part of the man 0′ war absolutely dependent upon the others. They like to hang out at the surface of the ocean, due to the air-filled sac or air bladder that they use as a sail and to [ ... ]

Loggerhead Sea Turtles are Endangered!

Loggerhead Sea Turtles can grow up to 800 lbs and 3 1/2 feet in length. Although they’re so large for a marine reptile, they glide through the waters of the world as weightless and elegant as ballerinas! Their shells are a reddish brown and skin is yellowish brown. They like to eat mollusks, fish, jellyfish, crustaceans including crab, shrimp and the Portuguese Man O’ War…It is one of the only animals in the world that is immune to the man o’ war’s toxin. What’s Cool About Them? Female Loggerheads will go back to the same beach where they were born and lay their clutch there. [ ... ]

Harpy Eagle Near Threatened

Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Falconiformes or Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae Genus: Harpia Species: H. harpyja The Harpy Eagle is a carnivorous raptor. In fact, it’s the largest and most powerful one found in the Americas. This eagle particular inhabits tropical lowland forests, where it stays in the upper canopy, presumably for a better viewpoint for prey. Males and females having the same coloration, they are slate black on the back and back of wings, and white underneath including their bellies. Their head is a pale gray color. Although the same in color, males are almost half the size of the female. They boast talons up to 5 inches long [ ... ]

Snakes in Texas

When I arrived in Dallas the other day, we went over to my husband’s dad’s home where there was a small, brown snake in the living room on the carpet. My husband slid a sandal over to it, and it moved. I told my husband not to disturb it in case it scurries off, then you won’t know where it went to. Knowing that this was not something we wanted to take of directly, I told my husband to call animal control immediately. Of course, with stubbornness in tow, my husband approaches the snake after a few minutes and picks it up… What [ ... ]

A Canadian Lynx as an Indoor Pet?

I just found out that one of my newest friends, Dani, had a Canadian Lynx as a pet…Not only that, it was an indoor cat! I asked her to fill us in on having a Canadian Lynx as a pet. This is her account: Firstly, his name was Snaggletooth, and I rescued him from a breeder in Iowa. I found his information online and called him to find out more about owning a lynx. I had always thought how wonderful it would be to own a big exotic cat. I went with a lynx because he would mature around 65lbs., which is equal [ ... ]