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

Playing Opossum in Dallas: Saving Our Wildlife 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

Scientific Classification:

* 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 grey undercoat, their outer coat is that of a golden brown or brownish grey and live to be about 23 years old.

Again, this is another animal classified as a carnivore, except it’s diet is more omnivorous than anything else. They enjoy many fruits, nectar and sometimes whole flowers, honey (thus, why they call them the Honey Bear), some vegetables, and are known to also eat birds eggs and insects, not to mention the occasional bird too.

Their family units consist of a small group that stays together at night and grooms one another. Sometimes foraging in small groups, but more often than not solitary for this activity, kinkajous will also associate with olingos, although not a closely related species.

Kinkajous “speak” to eachother most often with loud shreeks or shrills sounding like a woman screaming.

They are nocturnal, meaning they sleep all day and are out foraging, etc during the night. They avoid direct sunlight as much as possible and are known to have poor vision and not be able to differentiate between colors.

Conservation Status:
The Kinkajou is an Endangered Species of animal!

Why?
It has been over-hunted, especially for it’s fur, and has lost it’s habitat to boot!

* For more information on how to save kinkajous, check out the Kinkajou Association.

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I hope you found this Endangered Animal interesting on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Get your kids involved in learning the importance of the world’s most precious resource…our animals! They are who will save them in the future! Check out this cute book:

Peeper The Kinkajou $7.50

Technorati Tags: kinkajou, mammal, South American animal, Central American animal, endangered animal, endangered species

What in the World is a Kinkajou? is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

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 Vulnerable species in endangerment.

Why?
It’s drastic drop in numbers is mainly due to deforestation in their habitat, and poaching for it’s fur and medicinal uses.

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Viverridae
Subfamily: Paradoxurinae
Genus: Arctictis
Species: A. binturong
Subspecies: There are 6 subspecies of binturong.

Why is This Animal So Important?
It’s the only animal known to be able to eat the seed coating of the Strangler Fig, which is a crucial tree in the rainforest. This means the binturong is very important for seed dispersal.

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

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. The Bearcat is a quite popular mascot. In fact, the University of Cincinnati boasts this animal as their mighty mascot! Get a U. of Cincinnati ringtone for your phone:

University of Cincinnati Bearcats Ringtone $5.99

Technorati Tags: binturong, mammal, carnivore, Indian animal, Asian animal, bearcat, Asian bearcat, Palawan bearcat

You Say Bearcat – I Say Binturong is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

As stated above, there are 2 species of orangutan. They are considered primates or apes.

They differ from other apes in that they have longer arms than other species, twice as long as their legs, and have reddish hair, instead of the characteristically black hair other apes possess.

Adult males can be up to 5′9″ tall – taller than me, and weigh up to 260 lbs…Females are typically half as heavy and reach 4′2″ tall.

Orangutans are especially known for their great intelligence.

These apes live in trees, making them an arboreal species, living in rainforests natively in Malaysia and Indonesia.

However, they are only found in Borneo and Sumatra, where everyday, they make themselves a new nest to sleep in made of branches and leaves.

They are often “hermits” of sorts, coming together mainly only to mate…But, mothers stay with their babies until they are 6 or 7 yrs old.

Only “flanged” males have territories that they protect, which will not overlap with other flanged males land. It should be mentioned that any individual that is not flanged, male or female, will not have a territory.

What Does Flanged Mean?
Some males will develop face flaps of sorts on each side of their face like cheek pads, they’ll have longer hair, and a throat pouch.

The girls run after these males and want to be a part of their group. Although other males are able to mate, they must force themselves upon the females to do so.

Apparently, in Malaysian & Indonesian, orangutan means forest person. They look like forest people, don’t they?

What Do They Eat?
Mostly fruit…but they’ll also eat a little bit of this and a little bit of that including: birds eggs, insects, leaves, shoots, honey and a number of other nourishing foods, making them omnivorous.

Conservation Status:
The Sumatran Orangutan, as many apes, is Critically Endangered! The Bornean Orangutan is Endangered!

Why?
Mainly deforestation of their habitat and food source, and human development. Forest fires, logging and mining are among the main contributors to their demise, as well as growing other plants on plantations for commerce.

These aren’t the only problems. They are still being hunted for bushmeat and by poachers, not to mention illegal pet trade.

Scientists have predicted their extinction by 2012 due to these activities.

For more information on How to Help Save Orangutans – Check out The Orangutan Conservancy @ Orangutan.net

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

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Get your own computer wallpaper of a baby orangutan! Awww:

Baby Orangutan Wallpaper $5.99

Technorati Tags: orangutan, apes, primates, mammals, Indian animals, Asian animals, orangutang, omnivore

Orangutan May Be Extinct by 2012! is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

The reason for it’s nickname is that it is a black bear with a cream or white colored “V” on it’s chest in the shape of a crescent moon facing up.

They are a medium sized bear and a close relative to the American black bear.

Adult females are typically half the size of the adult male, the latter weighing in at 220-480 lbs. Their lifespan is about 25 years.

They inhabit high elevations and lowlands alike, often sharing habitat with the larger and stronger brown bear, and the giant panda.

Although this bear is considered to be carnivorous, meat is only a very small part of it’s diverse diet of nuts, berries, grasses, fruit and other plants. They are actually omnivorous animals that eat both meat and plant-life alike.

This particular bear has been known to be quite aggressive towards humans with documentation of attacks and deaths, but although they have very few enemies in nature, the Siberian tiger has been known to target them as prey.

Conservation Status:
The moon bear is currently listed a vulnerable species. Deforestation and loss of habitat is the main aggressors in the endangerment of the moon bear.

However, the moon bear is also known as the “bile bear”, where they are held in captivity so that their bile can be extracted over and over again and sold as traditional Chinese medicine in Vietnam and China. It’s terribly painful for the bear and a terrible existence for them, as they can live up to 25 years and be kept in a cage where they can’t even move to acquire the bile. Terrible!!!

Methods of Extracting Bile: (as taken from Wikipedia.com)

“Latex catheter
In a crude surgical procedure, a latex catheter is implanted into the bear’s abdominal wall and gall bladder, where the bile is stored. This method allows 10 and 20 ml of bile to be tapped from each bear twice daily, but is liable to clogging.

Metal jacket
A rubber catheter drains the bile into a fluid bag attached to the bear via a metal jacket. At up to 10kg in weight, this crude device is locked in place for years at a time, leading to infection, hairloss and painful irritation for the bear.

Metal catheter
Similar to the latex catheter method, the bears are forced to lie flat on the bottom of cage for more effective ‘milking’. Often a metal ‘crush’ forces the bears to remain in the flat position permanently, in some cases for years at a time.

Free Drip
A supposedly more humane method, instead of a catheter, a permanent hole or fistula is punched in the bear’s abdomen and gall bladder, from which bile can freely drip out. This open wound is, unsurprisingly, highly liable to infection.”

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ursus
Species: U. thibetanus

* Please sign this petition to end the tortuous captivity of these bears for the harvesting of their bile by going here: Online petition – BEAR FARMS IN KOREA – Save Bears!

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

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Are you a moon bear lover? If so, check out this fabulous book for ages K-12:

Search for the Golden Moon Bear (Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 (Awards)) Join Sy Montgomery as she travels far and wide in search of the golden moon bear. Along with her research companions, she delves deep into the jungles of the Elephant Mountains, visits the bustling streets of Cambodian cities, explores remote villages, and attends a Club Med for bears in Thailand, all while carrying marshmallows and tweezers for her encounters with the bears along the way. The quest for the golden moon bear takes us on an exhilarating journey and chronicles the detective work and science behind tracking a new species in a different part of the world, where bears are kept as pets and where sometimes things aren’t quite what they seem… $3.48

Technorati Tags: moon bear, Asian black bear, Tibetan black bear, Himalayan black bear, bears, bear, mammals, Asian animals

Help Save the Moon Bear! is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

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Great video…such funny, little animals!

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia???????? ????? ????????
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Procyon
Species: P. lotor

Conservation Status:
The raccoon is considered a species of least concern.

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

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Check out this adorable Raccoon poster:

Barbara Von Hoffmann Raccoon Framed Art Poster Print – 20″ X 16″ “You are looking at a great poster, that comes with a fully pre-assembled frame, for easy set-up. Black frame is made of high quality painted wood, and comes with clear protective lens covering. This poster, which measures approx. 16″” x 20″”, fits right int”

Technorati Tags: raccoon, raccoon thief, animal video, animal humor, animal thief, mammals, North American animals, European animals, omnivore

Watch Out For Animal Thieves In The Night… is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

No word of a lie…I went to 5 pet stores in our area, and every single one of them was out of hedgehog food. A conspiracy? Maybe…LOL…

Not really…but now what?

Well, I went online immediately and thought I’d try a new shopping search engine for pets, ShopWiki.com/wiki/Pets, that I’ve been wanting to use for a while.

It worked out very well…I figured it would since it’s a wiki site.

I looked up hedgehog food and it spit out 59 results of different products, but it also shows you everywhere it’s available online, and for what price…Really neat!

I’ve been limited to 2 different brands of hedgie food, Sun Seed and Brown’s, when shopping locally, but online I saw brands I used to buy for my previous hedgehog years ago that I, and she, was especially fond of.

So, now I have ordered the Vitakraft Hedgehog Food to spice up Kokonut’s diet! I remembered, it looks like human trail mix, it even has little dried shrimp in it from what I remember. You can just tell it is healthier, more fresh and natural than the little pellets you can get for them.

What I thought was the coolest thing on the search engine was:
You know when you go to the store, and forget the brand name of the product you want to buy, but remember it was in a blue box or a pink bag? You can search the results you get (in my case it was 59) and narrow it by a sliding color chart…Yeah…I’ve never seen that before! Pretty helpful if you are looking up something with a ton of results.

So, I slid the color to blue, and voila…it showed me the Vitakraft food that I was looking for, but forgot the brand name…Sooo neat!

Have no Fear:
Kokonut didn’t starve in the meantime…I just fed her fresh fruit, veggies, meal worms and crickets, seeds aloe, and plain cooked chicken. She’s not a picky girl, so it wasn’t difficult to fill that void, but I find it comforting knowing she is receiving her appropriate requirements from the staple food…

Then, I can just make sure she has supplementation to her diet with the “treats” I give her.

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I hope these food ideas help you in the case that you run out of hedgie food and have a local pet store conspiracy on your hands as well! LOL…

Also, I hope this Great Animal Find of the search engine for pets helps you in the search for the perfect and exact products you want for your pets!

Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Wiki’s got a slew of these different shopping search engines for anything you want to search online…not just pets…LOL…

Technorati Tags: hedgehog food, hedgehog, exotic pet food, pet food, shopping search engine for pets, shopping search engine, ShopWiki.com, hedgehog diet

Out of Hedgehog Food at the Pet Stores is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

NOT MINE! LOL

My hedgie will eat just about anything I feed her…I may not actually see her eat it, but it’s gone in the morning when I check on her…

I try to stay away from dairy, as it sometimes upsets her tummy, but other than that…she is a feeding champion!

She loves her meal worms, either freeze dried (my fave) or in a can (not live), any brand of hedgehog food I’ve tried, all vegetables and fruits that I’ve given her, seeds, nuts, coconut…

I try giving her different types of leaves from plants and berries from outside…She especially loves that…

Now, she may froth herself whenever she tries something new, but she is right at it immediately!

It makes my life easier!

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I hope you enjoyed this tip from Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Kokonut especially liked this brand of hedgie food, in case your baby is a bit picky:

Sun Seed Sunscription Vita Hedgehog Formula (25-oz canister) Sunscription VITA Hedgehog Formula is designed specifically for the African Hedgehog, the species most commonly kept as pets. This specially sized pellet features multiple protein sources such as crab, shrimp, tuna & freeze dried mealworms for outstanding palatability and nutrition.

Technorati Tags: hedgehog food, hedgehog diet, hedgehog, exotic pet, exotic pet diet, meal worms

Picky Hedgehog? Not Mine… is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Did you see the news article about the stowaway piglet, nicknamed Andrex, that survived being stuck in a toilet roll delivery truck in Ilkestone, Derbyshire in the United Kingdom? He is too cute!

Check out the article here:

Stowaway piglet survives toilet roll ordeal

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Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae
Genus: Sus

.

There are 14 species of pig:
1. Sus barbatus
2. Sus bucculentus
3. Sus cebifrons
4. Sus celebensis
5. Sus domestica
6. Sus falconeri
7. Sus heureni
8. Sus hysudricus
9. Sus philippensis
10. Sus salvanius
11. Sus scrofa
12. Sus strozzi
13. Sus timoriensis
14. Sus verrucosus

I hope you enjoyed today’s installment of Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Piglets are one of thee cutest baby animals around…Check out this adorable poster, just in time for those Pig Lovers for Christmas! Only $29.99:

Lynn Stone Posters Prints – Piglet Art Photographic Print – Artist: Lynn Stone – Poster Size: 16×12Choose from over 300,000 high-quality prints, posters, pre-framed art, photos, original art and photographs. Browse all your favorite Lynn Stone posters, art prints and framed art at Art.com, the World’s # 1 Art Print and Poster store. Title: Piglet Artist: Lynn Stone Size: 16×12 inches Photographic Print Usually ships in: 24 Hours

Technorati Tags: pig, piglet, exotic animal news, animal news, farm animals, mammals, omnivore, unusual pets, Andrex

Piglet Survives Toilet Roll Ordeal As A Stowaway is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover