Basking Shark Mystery Migration Solved
May 10, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
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 and are the 2nd Read more
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What in the World is a Kinkajou?
January 23, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammal
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Potos
Species: P. flavus
* There are also 7 subspecies of kinkajou.
The Kinkajou is also known as the Honey Bear and is an arboreal animal native to Central and South America.
They are not monkeys or ferrets…In fact, they are related to the raccoon, coati and ringtail to name a few.
Kinkajous only weight between 4-7 lbs and have a long, curled tail, which is prehensile. This means that it can use it as a “limb” or 5th hand of sorts and can hang on to branches, etc with it.
Although they have a Read more
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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 – WOW! Their wingspan can reach up to 6′ Read more
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What Is A Pleco?
September 21, 2008 by Kimberly · 3 Comments
A pleco fish is a bottom-feeding/algae-eating fish typically acquired for freshwater aquariums originally from South America.
They are those “sucker fish”.
Photo left: Trinidad (Common) Pleco
Plecos prefer warmer water and are pretty self-sufficient.
They eat the green algae in the tank and excess food off the bottom that the other fish can’t or don’t.
They clean when you don’t want to.
One of the girls at the pet store loved them, one hated them.
Why?
Well, the girl that loved them loved them for all the reasons I mentioned above plus they are laid back fish…They’ll find a small crevice or spot to hide during daylight and chill out. Then, they’ll come out at night and clean/eat, but keep to themselves.
The girl that hated them found that they Read more
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Don’t Get Caught in the Easter Bunny Trap!
March 14, 2008 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Bunnies and Easter just go together!!! What’s cuter than seeing a child with a bunny?
Just don’t fall into the trap of buying a bunny for your toddler or child at Easter time, when you are all “caught up in the moment”, just to have them lose interest and you having to take over the duties of care for your new furry friend.
Or worse, be in need of an outlet to get rid of the rabbit after you realize you don’t have time for one…
However, if you do have time and are willing, rabbits make wonderful, loving pets! They seem to get cuter to you by the day!
There are so many types of domesticated rabbit, including French lop-eared rabbits, dwarf rabbits, giant rabbits, and the list goes on and on…
Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genera:
Pentalagus
Bunolagus
Nesolagus
Romerolagus
Brachylagus
Sylvilagus
Oryctolagus
Poelagus
Conservation Status:
Almost 1/2 of the Read more
Popularity: 21% [?]
Majestic Animals of the Amazonian Rainforest
February 25, 2008 by Kimberly · 8 Comments
Some of the most amazing animals with vivid coloration and patterns come from the Amazonian Rainforest…
Many of the world’s most endangered animals also hail from the Amazon…
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Amazon Rainforest Animals by Lucien Oliveira
Most of the world’s rainforests are located in Central and South America, West and Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. They are very wet areas near the equator that give true meaning to the expression “world of abundance”, an expression that reflects on the variety of rainforest animals. Brazil holds 30% of all tropical rainforests that remain on Earth, and they are represented by Amazonia.
The Amazon rainforest animals are part of a big ecosystem sustained by an incredible amount of trees and other plants. Almost every inch is covered with vegetation. Amazonia has 427 species of mammals, 1294 species of birds, 378 of reptiles, 427 amphibians, and 3,000 fish. Among the mammals we can find the jaguar, an incredibly agile animal with a powerful bite, giant otters, the pink dolphin, also called “boto” by the natives, which is one of the three species of dolphins on Earth that live on freshwater, sloths (large and slow moving animals), armadillos, the peculiar tamandua, or anteater, tapirs, which are active mostly at night, manatees – the Amazon species is exclusively vegetarian and also one of the three manatee species in the world, etc. However, the majority of mammals are Read more
Popularity: 100% [?]
Thinking of Giving a Lovebird To Your Sweetie This Valentine’s Day?
February 8, 2008 by Kimberly · 2 Comments
Giving a Lovebird as a pet for Valentine’s Day sounds like a very sweet thing to do…but make sure you know what you are getting into and exactly the right bird for your situation, or your sweetheart’s situation…
Birds are amazing companions when adopted thoughtfully…
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Parrots For Sale by Low Jeremy -
It is clear some people want to have parrot as pet. If you are that person, you may be anxious about getting the finest one for your personal satisfaction, care and business. Parrots are for sale all around, and selling such pet is 100% different from selling home commodities. It will need time and dedication.
This will be a guide if you want know what species you would prefer. Here are the descriptions of selected parrots perfect for sale:
1. LOVEBIRDS – very adorable little small breed from Africa, lovebirds can be tamed like common parrots except for the aggressiveness towards opposite sex, the male rubs the perch as a distinct sexual behavior, which is quite disturbing to some owners. They have to be housed in different cages. Generally, lovebirds are excellent in parenting their siblings and very good in breeding.
2. AFRICAN GREYS – More than vanity, this parrot specie is the best sound imitator from among the species. It doesn’t mean this parrot has to be on high sale just because of the talking qualities. Owners getting disappointed with non-talking African Grey specie often tends to neglect their pets afterwards.
3. Read more
Popularity: 26% [?]
Peregrine Falcons – Making A Comeback
The Peregrine Falcon is a bird that is close to the heart of many Niagarans…
At Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, they have been running a breeding program for this dangerously endangered bird in this area…
Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Falco
Species: F. peregrinus
Conservation Status:
On a whole, the Peregrine Falcon is a species of least concern…However, in this area, their numbers have been slowly growing from an endangered state.
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Birds – The Peregrine Falcon by Michael Russell
The peregrine falcon is the best known falcon and most widespread in the world. However if you travel to North Dakota, you won’t see many and you will not find any at all in Antarctica.
This falcon was on the endangered species list back in 1970 because of a problem with egg shell thinning that was caused mainly by use of the pesticide DDT during the 1950s and 60s. It took biologists 20 years to figure out that the pesticide used to protect plants from insects was the problem affecting these birds and other animals. Small animals ate the plants contaminated with the pesticide, and when the peregrine falcon hunted those animals, the infected flesh poisoned them. The chemical even changed the behavior of peregrine falcons in that it made them stop caring for their young.
The federal government banned the use of DDT in the United States; however, the recovery process took a while because the chemical residue remained in the environment. Other countries which are home to peregrine falcons still use DDT, and that, along with trapping and shooting by poachers, still cause the bird’s population to decrease. Today the endangered list still includes the peregrine falcon, and they are gradually increasing in population.
The peregrine falcon is not a very large bird; it is about the size of a Read more
Popularity: 17% [?]
Amazonian Anaconda
Anaconda are the largest snakes in the world!!! I have always wanted to travel the Amazon and see one in the wild…
Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Boidae
Subfamily: Boinae
Genus: Eunectes
Species:
1. E. beniensis
2. E. deschauenseei
3. E. murinus
4. E. notaeus
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Anaconda Snakes Today- Updating News
By Michael Gutemberg
Anaconda snakes, for sure, conjures up an image of a gigantic, black, serpentine creature slithering in mud and constricting a hapless creature to death. You are not to be blamed for this. Instead, blame those numerous movie directors and novelists who, thanks to their imagination or lack of it, portrayed these docile creatures as vileness epitomized.
Urban legends and rumors are awash with horror tales of anaconda snakes gobbling up innocent kids, regurgitating and re-swallowing their victims thereby giving them a slow and painful death and so on and so forth. So much for the creativity of human brain! Ask a biologist and you will get a drastically different image, an image of a Read more
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Kisses, Hugs & Ladybugs
I just saw a little ladybug in my kitchen…in the middle of winter…
So, I was so inspired to bring you an article on them…
Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Superfamily: Cucujoidea
Family: Coccinellidae
Subfamilies:
1. Chilocorinae
2. Coccidulinae
3. Coccinellinae
4. Epilachninae
5. Scymininae
6. Sticholotidinae
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Ladybugs, Ladybugs, Come to My Garden
By Lesley Dietschy
Ladybugs, also called lady beetles or ladybirds, can be a gardener’s best friend. The ladybug’s bright coloring brings welcomed cheer to the garden, as well as helping with pest control. Since medieval times, ladybugs have been valued by farmers all over the world. Many believe that the ladybug was divinely sent to free crops of insect pests. In fact, that is how the ladybug got its name. People dedicated the bug to the Virgin Mary and therefore called it “The Bug of our Lady”, which was eventually shortened to the present name “ladybug”.
Adult ladybugs are usually Read more
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