Playing Opossum in Dallas: Saving Our Wildlife
September 16, 2009 by Kimberly · 2 Comments
Opossum
It’s 12:45 amмаси и столове in Dallas, Texas right now…
I just took our kitchen garbage out to the trash can and noticed one of our neighborhood stray dogs laying in the middle of the street.
As I focused in and started approaching, I noticed that it was sitting next to another animal, also in the middle of the street…I thought it could have been a run over cat or something like that…
…As I came upon the dog, I took a look at what kind of animal was laying there and lo and behold, it was the opossum I’ve been noticing walking through the neighborhood some nights, playing dead – completely still, eyes open and all.
The dog, who’s usually quite skiddish when you come near him, wanted to hold his ground even though I was very close and clapping him away to go home. He even growled at me.
I’m sure he was deciding whether he wanted to eat his catch or play with it for a while before eating it, but he finally took off down the way to his house – I don’t know what’s up with his owners.
Anyway, now I’m outside in my pajamas waiting on our street corner for this opossum to “wake” back up and get off the road to disappear into the night again.
I’m telling you, I had to wait
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Ladder-Backed Woodpecker Sighting in Dallas
September 8, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Ladder-Backed (above) & Nuttall's (below) Woodpeckers
Out of all the exotic animals I’ve ever seen, for the first time in my life, I saw a woodpecker in person.
I’ve seen photos, heard them pecking, videos and know a bit about them, but have never seen one before.
I’m from Canada, so I’m sure there are more varieties there, but here in Dallas, there was a tiny, black with white speckled woodpecker with a touch of red on it’s head.
I’ve done my research online and found out that it’s a Ladder-Backed Woodpecker!
I knew it was a woodpecker from it’s tuft of hair on the back of it’s head, it’s pointy beak and how he was Read more
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Keeping a Horny Toad as a Pet in Dallas
August 16, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Well, as we all know, TCU’s (Texas Christian University’s) mascot is the horny toad. Actually, it’s also called a horned lizard.
They are ridiculously adorable and are great, placid pets, that are even great with children.
The problem with the Texas horned lizard, native to Texas, is that their food supply is waning. Even as a lizard owner, it’s gotten tougher and tougher to find natural sources for their food.
What Do Horned Lizards Eat?
A typical horned lizard should eat between 20-100 harvester ants per day. This is necessary because harvester ants provide this horned lizard with the formic acid it needs to survive.
You’re thinking, “Well, just find some harvester ants outside and be done with it!”
Problem: Harvester ants have been displaced by the fire ant in Texas, especially Dallas. So, you need to be educated and knowledgeable when looking for harvester ant nests.
Also, you certainly don’t want to capture fire ants for 2 reasons:
1. Their bite can be very painful to a human and they can swarm you quickly.
2. Horny toads will Read more
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My First Shark Sighting – Whitetip Reef Sharks
August 3, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Well, the day before we went whale shark swimming in Exmouth, Australia, I took a tour where we snorkeled off of the coast of Exmouth’s pure, white sand beaches.
I was a little nervous about the sharks and asked the “local girl” that came with us if it was pretty safe. She said that the only sharks you’d see would be white-tipped reef sharks and they don’t bug you unless you provoke them, but that we probably wouldn’t even see any of them where we were.
So, I got up the courage to get out there, since I had to be ready for whale shark swimming in the open ocean the next morning, and waded out into the water. I put my face under the water with my mask on, and what’s the first thing I see? A whitetip reef shark!
Wow – I think I grew a Read more
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Shark Week Starts Today on Exotic Animal Lover
August 2, 2009 by Kimberly · 2 Comments
Exotic Animal News-Flash:
If you’re looking for some great Shark shows to watch this week, then check out the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week starting August 2nd!
So, in honor of this, ExoticAnimalLover.com will also be hosting a Shark Week!
Power-packed shows giving you more information on the oceans’ largest predator – a dinosaur of sorts!
These misunderstood animals of the deep will be concentrated on all week on the Discovery Channel and on Exotic Animal Lover!
I’ll tell you all about my experiences with Sharks too…
Guess what…Sharks are actually Read more
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There Are Bats in Dallas
May 24, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
That’s what I said!
I’ve been noticing a lot of bats this season in Dallas and to me, that’s a blessing…
That’s right!
I am so shocked every time I point out a bat to someone in the evening or night time and they nearly panic and run…
Bats aren’t the rabid, blood sucking, scary animals horror movies would have you believe they are.
In fact, they would love to stay away from you and have nothing to do with you! LOL…
They’re your best friends if you’re tired of all the darn mosquitoes biting you at night or during activities in the evening or on the weekends!
Why? Because bats love to Read more
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Cassowary of the Great Barrier Reef
February 20, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
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 Read more
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Whitetip Reef Sharks on the Great Barrier Reef
February 18, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
The very first shark I ever saw in the ocean was a Whitetip Reef Shark!
Not only that, it was the very first time I had ever snorkeled either…I went under the water for the first dip and there was a shark! It was probably about 5 feet long!
Sure…It brought me right back up to the surface and ready to head back to shore, but our guide told me they’re harmless, unless you really mess around with them and bother them, which I was not even about to attempt.
This wasn’t on the Great Barrier Reef, but on the Ningaloo Reef on the other side of Australia.
I’m sure you’ve heard of shark feedings and tours that take you out to experience this. Well, I’ve found a video showing you a shark feed on the Great Barrier Reef.
You’ll know the whitetip reef sharks because they have a white tip on their tail and caudal fin:
Wasn’t that beautiful and amazing! Did you check out the huge Cod? Wow!
I’d love to see this in person…The animals are just fantastic!
These reef sharks feed on Read more
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What in the World is a Kinkajou?
January 23, 2009 by Kimberly · 2 Comments
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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You Say Bearcat – I Say Binturong
November 24, 2008 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
The Binturong is also called the Palawan Bearcat, Asian Bearcat, Bearcat.
However, it’s neither a bear nor a cat! LOL…It just resembles both of those animals. To me, it looks like a large raccoon species.
It, too, is an arboreal species that is nocturnal – instead of sleeping in a nest of sorts, it simply sleeps on branches of rainforests in Asia, India & Indonesia.
Although it is classified as a carnivore, it is omnivorous! It eats mostly fruit, but has been known to dabble in eating eggs, small animals like rodents and birds, shoots and leaves.
Binturong are known for their happy chuckling sounds and high-pitched wails when annoyed. It also communicates using it’s tail and scent gland.
It has a prehensile tail, meaning it works as a 5th limb or hand. Bearcats are the size of a small dog and has a coat that is thick, coarse and black.
Conservation Status:
The Binturong is considered to be a Read more
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