I was watching a show on Animal Planet the other day and they had to do a hysterectomy on a polar bear.

The intriguing thing about the surgery was that when they shaved her fur to prepare her, her skin was completely black.

This makes complete sense and is an amazing adaptation for these bears.

Why?

Because their black skin absorbs heat from the sun. Their fur isn’t actually white…it’s clear – this allows the sunlight to penetrate their thick coats and allow their black skin to absorb this heat!

Huh! Who knew?

Nature is such a marvelously designed thing! There is a reason for every feature an animal has, whether we know it or not.

FYI: Did you know that the Polar Bear is a highly endangered species?

Check out this: Polar Bears Mostly Extinct by 2050

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I hope you enjoyed this Bear Information on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Be sure to check out the Exotic Animal Lover Store!Подаръци

Polar Bears Have Black Skin is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Exotic Animal Newsflash:

A Kentucky man, Kenny Mahoney, has a motion sensor hunting camera in his backyard, which often picks up images of rabbits, turkeys and deer.

What he found was an unidentified mysterious animal (UMA) on the photo raiding his garden. Check out this video:

Skeptical that it could be bigfoot, but unable to rule it out completely, the investigation moves on in the woods of Kentucky for bigfoot.

They say the figure looked to be six feet tall and had black fur, but they can’t be certain it wasn’t a bear, although it didn’t appear to be one. The form looks like it has a gorilla like head and shoulders with it’s arms crossed.

What do you think it was mulling around his back garden? Let us know by leaving a comment below…

* For more information, check out: Kentucky man says photo might show Bigfoot raiding his garden

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I hope you enjoyed this Unidentified Mysterious Animal Sighting on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. For more information on the history of Bigfoot, check out this really great DVD:

History’s Mysteries Bigfoot And Others Monsters Rated: NA Synopsis: The mermaid, Abominable Snowman, giant squid, and dragons are all parts of myths and mysteries. But are some real? The Komodo Dragon was merely the stuff of local legend–until the dinosaur-like, very real giant reptile with an orange

Technorati Tags: bigfoot, yeti, sasquatch, mysterious animal, cryptozoology, UMA, unidentified mysterious animal, latest bigfoot sightings, bigfoot sightings, bigfoot video, Kentucky bigfoot, cryptid, Kenny Mahoney

Bigfoot Sighting in Kentucky on Film is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Exotic Animal Newsflash:

Flag of Papua New Guinea

Scientists from the United States, Great Britain and Papua New Guinea stumbled upon one of the greatest wildlife discoveries ever.

They identified 40 new species of animal never before scientifically recorded in a 1 km deep volcanic crater on Mt. Bosavi in Papua New Guinea.

Among these amazing finds were a species of fanged frog, possibly the largest rat species in the world (Bosavi woolly rat) that had absolutely no fear of humans, the Henamo grunter (a grunting fish that makes noises from it’s swim bladder), a new bat, 2 other fish species, and 15 other frog species.

Animals of the world’s rain forests are proving to be extremely diverse and unique, especially ones that have been in any type of isolation. In this particular area, this crater is 4 km wide and 1 km deep with a volcano that hasn’t erupted 200,000 years ago.

In this “Lost World” there are no big cats or monkeys as the top predators. Instead, at the top of the food chain are giant monitor lizards.

Kangaroos have adapted to living in the trees. Another new species, the Bosavi silky cuscus is a marsupial creature that lives up trees and eats fruits and leaves, had no fear of humans either and came right down to sit on one of the scientists shoulders.

Currently, the rainforest of Papua New Guinea is being destroyed at an alarming rate of 3.5% per year! It’s truly time to stop this destruction to save such endangered species that are not found anywhere else on Earth.

* For more information on this scientific discovery, check out: Lost world of fanged frogs and giant rats discovered in Papua New Guinea

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I hope you enjoyed this Indonesian Animal post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. For more information on the amazing scenery and wildlife of Papua New Guinea, check this out:

Lonely Planet Bushwalking in Papua New Guinea (Lonely Planet Bushwalking in Papua New Guinea) Lonely Planet Bushwalking in Papua New Guinea (Lonely Planet Bushwalking in Papua New Guinea)

Technorati Tags: fanged frog, Papua New Guinea, bushwalking, Mt. Bosavi, Bosavi Crater, woolly rat, grunting fish, Henamo grunter, rainforest, rainforest animals, new species, scientific discovery

News of a Fanged Frog and Other New Species in Papua New Guinea is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

What do I know about sharks?

Well, I know a little bit about sharks. I’ve swam with them, I’ve seen them, and I’ve surfed with them.

Yeah, I know them a little bit!

I traveled around Australia back in 1995 for a few months backpacking my way through the center of Aussie, hitting the Northern Territory and going West back down the coast all the way back to Perth, Western Australia.

On my journey, I stopped in Exmouth, Western Australia where I had the amazing opportunity to swim with whale sharks out past the reef.

A helicopter would relay the coordinates of the whale sharks they spotted to our diving boat and we’d get there as quickly as possible to be dropped off right in front of their path.

They typically swim slow enough for you to be able to keep up with them for a while, then they’ll delve into the dark, deep waters off the coast when they’ve had enough of us or swim much faster to get ahead.

These creatures are larger than a bus! What a life-changing experience to feel so very small and insignificant to this Ocean Animal!

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Orectolobiformes
Family: Rhincodontidae
Genus: Rhincodon
Species: R. typus

Conservation Status:
This is considered to be a vulnerable species for endangerment!

Amazing creatures and I do hope that one day, you’ll get to see one in the wild too!

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I hope you enjoyed this Shark Week post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Let your kids get interactive with whale sharks by surprising them with these 2 figurines:

Safari 210602 Whale Shark Animal Figure- Pack of 2 stunning scale model ocean replicas expertly sculpted with the collaboration of the scientists of the monterey bay aquarium in monterey, california. this unique colletion of ocean creatures are found in the waters off the coast of the half moon bay which is where the aquarium is located. it is approximately 100 miles south of san francisco. the mission of the aquarium is to foster ocean conservation and protect it and its sea dwellers throughout the world. safari shares this commitment with them. each replica is finely hand painted and accurate down to the last scale. educational information in five languages provides excellent data to help teach children about these mysteries of the deep. all our products are phthalate-free and thoroughly safety tested to safeguard your child’s health. safari ltd takes pride in providing breathtaking, innovative and value priced figures for now over three generations. featured is our monterey bay whale shark size: 10″ l x 2.5″ h (25.5 x 6.5 cm). suggested age 3 and up

Technorati Tags: fish, Australian animals, sharks, whale sharks, Exmouth Australia, Australia, Exmouth, whale shark diving, whale shark spotting, whale shark swimming, whale shark snorkeling, snorkeling, shark week

Whale Sharks in Australia is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

…Let’s be real about things – GLOBAL WARMING is REAL!!!

…And the consequences of global warming are REAL!!!

Take a look around you and the happenings going on. Use your own common sense instead of listening to every political person that disputes this fact.

It’s about money – They don’t want you to know it’s real. Why? Because it would cost businesses umpteen millions of dollars to change business practices to actually reduce emissions and other pollutants that contribute to this serious planetary issue.

What’s more important? A wallet-full of money or our precious planet and it’s most precious inhabitants – including us as humans?

The thing is, even if there’s a chance that this is going on, it’s more than worthy of addressing the issue and combating what causes global warming…It’s only to our benefit in the end regardless!

Right now, more than anything, we’re seeing the areas of the planet that are coldest reaping serious consequences from this global warming.

Polar bears can’t get far enough out to sea on the ice sheets to capture enough food to eat (seals that come up through holes in the ice for air), which is unfortunate…These hunting seasons keep them alive the rest of the year.

Without enough food, they won’t have enough energy in fat stores to last the other months…

Desperate for food, these bears are needing to venture further and further out on the ice sheets where earlier and earlier each year, the ice breaks up – often leaving these polar bears too far from land to be able to swim back, especially if the ice breaks and drifts without them being aware of it.

This past spring/summer in Antarctica, on the opposite pole of the world, the ice shelf has shrunken drastically and actually, a huge chunk broke off this past year and every year it shrinks more and more…

It’s the only place on the planet where Emperor Penguins live!!!

Also, as more temperate, tropical waters are heating up more and more around the equator, more of the marine animals are moving towards the poles where they’re more comfortable and adept to feeding on fish in the waters and living in newly warmed environments.

This means more and more competition for the arctic and antarctic whales and porpoises too.

Please, do your part by first of all admitting there is a dire problem with a serious need to address it and combat global warming.

Then, reduce your waste, reuse materials and recycle what you can’t reuse. Car pool and reduce your carbon footprint. Everyone can make a difference!

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I hope you take heed to this Environment post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Be sure to mosey on over to get your Exotic Animal Lover Updates delivered to your inbox!

Technorati Tags: global warming, environment, climate change, polar bears, Arctic, Antarctic, emperor penguines, arctic whales

Global Warming is a Real and Imminent Danger is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

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 largest fish in the world behind the whale shark.

They are slow moving and generally harmless in nature. Even though they’re sharks, this species is a filter feeder.

They are labeled a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Cetorhinidae
Genus: Cetorhinus
Species: C. maximus

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I hope you enjoyed this Fish post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Exotic Animal Lover Updates are Just 1 Click Away!

Technorati Tags: basking shark, sharks, shark, fish, marine animals, North American animals, South American animals, ocean animals

Basking Shark Mystery Migration Solved is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

…I wanted to cry that these animals may not be here when my children go to see them on their adventures…

…They may never get to see them in their wildest state – in nature!

For many of you who have been an ExoticAnimalLover.com fan for some time, you’ll remember this photo, as it was the photo used in the header for the last theme we used for the site.

This is actually one of our own photos…but it sparked me…

“This is Why I Want To Save Exotic Animals!”

Today, I was looking around Vista Print to get some car magnets for some business stuff, and I was compelled to create this photo magnet:

This will go on my refrigerator door so it will remind me over and over of the reason I want to save animals…

…For the next generations of this world to experience the beauty and splendor – just knowing they are there making our planet extraordinary!

Imagine: If there were no more gorillas like this one on our planet! What a tragedy that would be!

Anyway, Vista Print also has a lot of other amazing ways to remind you of animals…

They have templates you can use with animals or you can upload your own photos, as I’ve done here!

You can even make save the date magnets – which are calendars you can create on a large magnet!

They’re really cool, and I think I could use one of those while I’m at it…

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I hope you enjoyed this Animals of the World post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Be sure to check out the Donate to Refuge Tab at the top of any page on this site!

Technorati Tags: exotic animals, save animals, animal welfare, gorilla, animals of the world, animal conservation, Vista Print

This is Why I Want to Save Exotic Animals! is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Have you ever heard about the plight of the sun bear, in particular, but some other species of bear as well?

They are put in a cage where they cannot move, their bile is continually drained from their stomachs through a permanent wound for their entire lives.

Often, each paw is harvested, while they are still alive, as a bear paw soup is ordered in many Asian restaurants.

So, they have the wound in their tummy with their bile being drained, and their paws are cut off one by one as they suffer in their cage that they can’t even move in…Are you kidding me???

Is that okay with you?

It’s NOT with me…Every time I think about this it makes me want to cry!

Please, help by donating and spread the word to save these animals from their awful plight!

What’s worse? The sun bear is vulnerably endangered species…

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I hope you found this Mammal post informational on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Please be sure to Subscribe to Exotic Animal Lover Updates!

Technorati Tags: sun bear, animal welfare, WSPA, bear bile, endangered animals, mammals, Asian animals

Please Stand Up To Save Sun Bears! is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

I have a rant today…

The Reason?
I joined a group on Facebook today called “Stop the Massacre of Dolphins & Whales”.

If you go there, you’ll see a photo of a whale, bloodied, being pulled out of the ocean, upside down up to a large ship (shown here to the right). You’ll also see a great write-up about the massacre.

It’s disturbing because we really don’t need to harvest them for anything!!!

I left a comment on the group page, @ 1:41 pm today, that said:

“This is so very horrendous to have to look at…even more horrendous that it is actually happening…

It’s not a movie with serious graphics…It is really happening…Thousands of whales are being slaughtered, most of which are endangered, critically endangered or threatened…

Unbelievable!!!

Kimberly @ ExoticAnimalLover.com”

No word of a lie…@ 3:22 pm, I was rudely emailed by an angry person, which I won’t name here, that said,

“tha whales that are endangered are protected. it is illegal to hunt them. also Humans have also brought tha population of Gray whales back from endangered to a healthy population. Dont come to conclusions after hearing one persons biased side of tha story. As Humans, yes we kill animals, but we protect them more then anything. which is more than I can say for tha whales. do you think that if tha whales were running out of food they would start to conserve? do you think that if whales noticed a population dying, they would care? 100% not. they would wait to realize and die slowly anyways. they should be thanking us for our protection considering they are to inferior to do so themselves.”

How Did I Respond?
Honestly, this is the wrong week to feed me lines of rudeness and ignorance…I’ve had enough, in many areas that I’m passionate about.

I guess, I’ve been pushed to the brink of “I Can’t Take Stupidity Any Longer”!

Here’s what I wrote back:

“Wow…you sound like an angry person…

Take a look at the sheer numbers of animals alive today in each of the endangered species…

As for the Gray whale…wow, that’s 1 species of whale…kudos to the humans that destroyed them to the brink of extinction.

…And do you HONESTLY think there are no whales being slaughtered that are endangered…Simply because they are “protected” does not mean that they aren’t being killed…

We have been put in charge of being the caretakers of the Earth by God…He did not put whales in charge!

Please, if you are just angry, don’t attack those of us who care and are trying to make a difference in the world for the better…

Is it really hurting you when people try to protect them?

I just don’t get it…

If you don’t have anything nice to say, please don’t contact me…I have enough negativity I come across on a daily basis…

Have a marvelous day, M*&^%$! [name protected]

Kimberly ”

Come on people…Seriously? There are people out there that really believe this stuff! What kind of logic is this?

By the way, this person actually joined the group, just so they could write on the wall and send me an evil personal email. Wow…nothing better to do, I guess!

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I hope you feel as outraged as I do about this Whale topic on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Show your support for saving the whales and dolphins by joining that Facebook Group:

Stop the Massacre of Whales and Dolphins!

Technorati Tags: facebook groups, stop the massacre of whales and dolphins, ignorant people, rants, whales, dolphins, hunting season

Outraged at Ignorant People Who Are Blind to See the Destruction is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

A Cassowary is a flightless Australian bird, and is native to the tropical forests of New Guinea.

It’s funny because Australia has another flightless bird, the emu, making it and the cassowary the 2nd and 3rd largest flightless birds in the world, behind Africa’s ostrich.

Females are larger than males and are more vividly colored, and may reach up to 2 meters tall! That’s a big bird!

Known to be a timid bird, it can inflict serious injury to human adults, and fatal injury to dogs and children. They have 3 toes and extremely sharp talons/claws.

Check out this great, but short, video showing a wild Cassowary on an island of the Great Barrier Reef:

They are omnivorous, but mostly eat fruits, shoots, grass seeds, as well as fungi. However, it will also make a quick meal of invertebrates and small vertebrates alike.

2 of the species produce a very low pitch frequency that is just on the cusp of the lower end of human hearing, which is thought to assist with communication in dense forest habitat, and is likened to a “boom”.

Conservation Status:
The Southern Cassowary is Endangered in Queensland, Australia due to habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as being hit by cars and attacked by dogs. Hunting, natural disease and destroying/removing animals that have attacked humans all contribute as well.

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Struthioniformes
Family: Casuariidae
Genus: Casuarius
Species: There are 4 species – C. casuarius, C. unappendiculatus, C. bennetti, C. lydekki

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I hope you enjoyed this Bird post on Exotic Animal Lover during Great Barrier Reef Month! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Please be sure to Vote for Me to win the Dream Job of Caretaker of Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia:

Vote 5-Stars for Kimberly!

Technorati Tags: Great Barrier Reef, cassowary, cassowary bird, birds, Australian birds, Australian animals, flightless bird

Cassowary of the Great Barrier Reef is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover