Animals Kingdom

A Special Cat

2009-03-08T22:03:00.007+08:00

It was a special night. It was All Saints' Day, 1st November 2008 to be exact. The whole family went to the church. After the evening mass, we went for dinner and then came back home. As usual, we took a lift from the first floor right up to our house.

Nobody around my house have cats. But on this special night, it was FIRST TIME, really first time since we had moved into this house, that we saw a black cat outside our house. How the black cat ended up coming to such high floor is another question. It was late at night and the black cat was outside our house, as though awaiting our return.

As soon as we returned, and the black cat saw us, and we saw him, he walked to the neighbour house and then next to the staircase. I followed him, as my mind was full of queries -- was it the neighbour's cat or what...

The black cat walked downstairs from my house.

The black cat walked down one floor....

The cat went to another neighbour's house...

I thought it might be a new cat or lost cat from the Malay family. But it was not. It belongs to nobody at that floor. I chatted with my neighbour about the cat. Soon I went home, leaving the cat at that floor.

It was such a cute cat. I like it very much.

Richard said it looked so eerie, and seemed injured. But it looked okay to me. I saw him again on another special day, 4th November 2008 at the void deck of my block. On this day, it was Clara's First Holy Communion Day. The black cat was very obediently sitting on the floor and I stroked it.... and took a photograph of it. It was so scared of the flash light that it closed its eyes (same as Puma).

This black cat is so much different from Puma -- it has brownish and black fur.

This cat does not look like a normal domestic cat at all.

This black cat is so beautiful and cute. I thought of adopting it on the very first night it came to our door. It has black paws that seems like boots on it. The fur are not totally black, but covered with brownish fur that looked like bronze, and it is really so beautiful when looked closely. However, we did not adopt it as there are no legal forms involved. Getting free legal forms also need to go through lots of time and trouble. Taking care of it is another question mark too. In the end, we decided not to keep it since we had no experience of looking after cats.

Taking care of a pet is equally important as taking care of a child. It is a life. Most responsible parents would have their wills and trusts drafted by their lawyers just in case any misfortunes would happen to them. Pets, like children, are also dependent on their owners. Should their owners died, they would be without care. Having wills and trusts done will allow peace of mind to the deceased to ensure their beloved pets would be taken care of.

Human Being

2008-09-15T18:57:00.001+08:00

It is so stupid to say that HUMANS ARE MONKEYS. I had just watched a YouTube on this. I am not going to put this video here. It is so stupid, something not funny at all. Are we ANIMALS in the first place?

I had mentioned about Animals Behaviour, and put up a video on Animals I had seen at Admiralty Road West, Woodlands, on 7th September 2008. It was a day where I had seen almost most of the animals, including the Komodo Dragon, the four-legged snake... And it is said: If anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived..

Eternal Life
I saw the Kodomo dragon, it walked up from the stream, and it looked around and went back to the stream... I SURVIVED, I WAS SAVED....

Monkeys Watching

Interesting part, MONKEY SEX at about 3:11...

Do you think you are really MONKEYS?
This is what monkeys do. Monkeys go rubbish bin to look for food, eat food from the rubbish bin, the garbage. Monkeys snatched food from people. Monkeys 'have sex' or 'make love' anytime anywhere. Monkeys do not bathe themselves. Monkeys do not wear clothes. They exposed their bodies, their genital parts and yet, they have instinct! They are innocent animals, pure, and harbour no evil, no harm of any thoughts on any people. And yet, they are not stupid animal, though they are innocent. They know what is on your mind. This is their instinct!

The weird people calling the WEIRD people 'Weird'!
Looking at the comments of the video Humans Are Monkeys, some even commented: Monkeys made gods. This is so ridiculous. That is real 'true' and that is why this is an upside down world.

Monkeys See, Monkeys Do
But we are better than Monkeys. We are better off than animals. There are animals with four legs, animals with two legs and animals with wings. We have hands and legs like the monkeys do. Monkeys have tails and we don't have tails. The only animals I do not see on that day at Admiralty Road West is cats, not a cat was seen at all.

How DO YOU SEE yourself, YOUR REFLECTION
In terms of physical differences, there are plenty to mention, but there are many other valuable lessons we can learn from both animals and people. The most important difference which we are unlike animals is the use of language, the ability to talk with words, written and spoken. Humans is a better way of classifying us, PEOPLE, which might belong to the subsets of ANIMALS. But we are the HIGHER ORDER of animals, the HIGHEST OF ALL, the MASTER of all the animals, the master of our own lives as well.

Education
Monkeys don't go to school. People go to school, the lucky people who can afford to go to school. The older generation of people might not have the ability to go to school, just like my mother. However, that does not mean that PEOPLE WHO GO TO SCHOOL MUST BE "MORE EDUCATED' than people who do not go to school!

Noise or Sound or MUSIC
Animals make sound. Monkeys have their own 'sound', Cats have their own and dogs have their unique 'voice' too. We might not be as 'capable' as the plants, being able to make their own food, but we have all the 'ability' and 'talent' to STUDY and research about plants, making new plants, propagating new hybrid of plants and so on. We are intervening into nature in so doing. Intervention, good or bad? That is what happens and the difference between animals and PEOPLE. How do you see it?

HOMO SAPIENS
I am a supreme being, a human being, capable of higher order thinking than the animals, able to have self-control, and the power of compassion and kindness. I am certainly not an animal, though I might belong to the general subset of animals, as one of the creation of God. But as the superior being and creation of God, we are capable of learning from animals, learning from people and be BETTER than animals and not to BEHAVE like animals.

Organization, Power And Control
The study of language and different subjects in school (construction and building, engineering), the development of the schools, the 'management' of the country and so on, all depends on the talents of people. Nomenclature, the giving of names has provided so much convenience to the society. And for this one thing, the intelligence, the ability to create and use tools, has created many conveniences and comfort to men.... Animals don't use MONEY, but people 'invented' MONEY.....

Eat the RIGHT FOOD
We are omnivorous, anything we eat, but PLEASE care about what you EAT.

Grasshopper and Blind Mouse

2008-05-16T18:09:00.000+08:00

Yesterday Ricsson saw this grasshopper on his bicycle. He went cycling with his friend. When they came back, I saw them with this grasshopper, put in a container. I made holes for them (so that the grasshopper had air).

Today it was being released from the bottle.

The grasshopper leaped onto the plants.

The grasshopper was so amazing. Using its right hand, it kept scratching its head. First time I saw such thing, how funny it was. It is just like a little kid scratching its head like that. It kept rubbing its head for such a long time, until I got tired of seeing...

On the same day, Ricsson saw a rat at the void deck, near the stairs. He called me to tell me about it. I asked him to take a picture of it but he did not. Later in the afternoon, I still manage to see him.

How special it was. There was a dried yellow flame flower beside this little mouse. The mouse never opened its eyes, and I thought it was sleeping. But it moved. I touched its fur and stroke it. It was soft. What a cute and nice blind mouse.

Clara and I decided to bring it home later. How so special it was, stationed at the place for so long, 'waiting for me to discover him'. I placed him in a container, gave him food, but he never eat. Later, when I was cutting sweet potatoes, I asked Clara to give him some. Clara said he liked sweet potatoes as he responded to it.

I think the mouse is blind. Throughout the time I spent with him, his eyes did not open at all. It is a blind mouse. I am scared that he would die again like what happened to my two hamsters, and so finally released it at Fu Shan Garden in the night time, at the place where I captured the little sparrow.

Cuckoo Birds

2008-05-12T23:45:00.000+08:00

This is really a wonderful, wonderful day. First, in the afternoon, I saw two black Cuckoo on the tree just beside the place where I saw the peaceful dove flew across me and also the same place where the myna often meet me there. Today, it was a 'bald necked' myna which I saw on the roof top. Then I suddenly saw the two black birds which looked so much like crows on the tree, the familiar tree (my childhood tree), that produced red berries...

I took two photographs of the birds and after that my handphone battery went flat. The sound of the birds were so much like the coo-coo bird (the peaceful dove) which I had kept. The coo-coo sound from the peaceful dove is much more gentler. These of the cuckoo, I do not know what species it was, was very loud. It has black plumage and the eyes are red, with a yellowish beak. From far, it looks like crow. Yesterday at Metta Home, similar birds were seen on the tree, and we did not know whether they were crow or what birds (because they looked like crow but the sound is not of the crow, but coo-coo). So today, I got the answer. It is some kind of cuckoo, whether it is plaintive cuckoo, lesser coucal or greater coucal, I do not know, because I can only see everything black and just the eyes red and the beak yellow; and the distinctive coo-coo sound, loud and clear.

Together with the birds, I saw a green spider on the lamp post. It was the first time I saw green spider. On St Joseph Feast Day, I saw a rather big spider, about the size of fifty cent coin at the Chapel of Resurrection, the place where I paid my respect to my dead grandmother and uncle.

The birds stayed on the tree for as long as I waited for the children to be back. I showed it to them. Some QiHua Primary School children came to see also. When Ricsson came, the birds flew to another place, so fast, so sudden, and their feathers dropped. I caught hold of one and later we saw another three on the grass. I picked all up and I decided to keep them. It was such a wonderful gift of nature.

Two black cuckoo sighted, and four feathers collected. As we were walking back, Clara showed me four pigeons standing on the roof. What a strange sight; and first was one myna on the roof.

In the evening, more excitement awaits. It was such a wonderful, wonderful day, with amazing view, amazing sight, an all eye-opener, bird-watching, cats and dogs watching, everything nice!

This is my Mother's Day Gift, the greatest Gift I ever have -- the feathers, the beautiful animals which I seen and the beautiful scene of all the flying birds, especially the black crane again today. Today, I seen the MOST birds of all occasion so far, the MOST and the really all flying in all direction. Some even fly and soaring in circles, which seem to 'parade' for me to see, such a lovely scene, such a wonderful sight, real wonder, real beauty!

Sparrow

2008-05-11T14:25:00.000+08:00

Birds are known to have strong senses of smell, sight and hearing. It is just so amazing the wonders of God and how the Holy Spirit works.

The Heart That Connects
The sparrow is a bird which I caught one day during my childhood. I put it in an inverted rubbish (basket) with a newspaper laid on it. I asked my mother what to feed the bird, and she told me rice. I fed it with white rice. I cannot remember how long I had kept the bird, but if I am not wrong, it was one day. This is because the bird refused to eat. We let the bird flew off. The sparrow flew to the kitchen and went downstairs. At the ground, the bird looked up, really looked up at us. My mother saw it too. We were so surprised that the bird could actually looked up -- it remembered us!

Gratitude, the value the birds know
Indeed, all the birds which my parents had released during all the years (through mediums) and birds which I had kept as birds (the peaceful dove), and the pigeon my father caught, as well as other animals, were all animals with 'spirits' -- the spirits given by God, all under the control of God.

Greetings of The Sparrow
On 10th May 2008, the day where the church celebrate Pentecost, Richard, the children and me cycled to church as usual. At the traffic light of Esso Petrol Kiosk, we saw myna flying above, what beautiful scene. While pumping air for the bicycle wheel, a sparrow flew and perched on the branch of the tree right in front of me. I was so touched. Sparrow, my bird, the bird which I had caught on 11th April 2008 too, it came back to me.... and now it came to 'greet' me.

Great Mind Think Alike
I cannot forget the wonderful night on 11th April 2008. It was such a wonderful night. I had the 'pet' for one night. Indeed it was such a wonder. You won't believe it, but it is so really wonderful, strange and special, beyond words. It actually stayed overnight as what I had wished, without any restrained and in the early morning, as long as I woke up, it was still at my home, waiting for me, at the window, never flew away!!!! After our meeting in the morning, it finally flew off, telling me that even though it is young, it can still fly, little at a time.

Wonderful Tonight (Wonderful Sparrow)

This is the photographs I had compiled during the special day where I had caught the bird sparrow. At first I could not catch the birds, they flew away. I followed them. I prayed that I could catch the bird. Later, I heard a chirping bird sound and as I was taking photographs, my flash light spotted the sparrow. I was so happy. I took pictures of it, and it just refused to fly away. Later I tried stretched out my hand and I got it. So wonderful, so unbelievable. We brought the bird home, and it flew around, but it never flew out of the house. I understand how the mother would feel when the child is missing. After taking photographs of it, we brought him back to Fu Shan garden, to look for the mother (since it refused to fly away). However, at Fu Shan garden, it refused to fly away still. At the mountain of Fu Shan Garden, it perched on my finger and fell asleep. I had not seen such a sight of a sleeping bird for so long. I told Richard that that was how a bird looked like when it fell asleep. This is because I had reared the peaceful dove before. It slept exactly the same way, with the head hiding in the wings.

We Just Know Each Other
When the sparrow refused to fly off, we brought him back home again. That night, I spoke to God at the window. I prayed and just as it was, throughout the night, the sparrow stayed in the living room, perching on the red basket, sleeping. In the morning, he was waiting for me at the window grill. After that, it flew away....

Facts About Dragonfly

2008-04-15T14:52:00.000+08:00

Is a dragonfly or a fly?

No. Flies are insects with two wings. Dragonflies have four wings. However, both flies and dragonflies are insects, meaning that they have six legs and three body parts: a head, a thorax, and an abdomen.

Why are they called dragonflies?

The name comes from their fierce jaws, which they use to catch flies (among other winged insects).

Where do dragonflies come from?

The dragonfly begins its life as an egg. Adult female dragonflies lay their eggs in water. After about two weeks, the eggs hatch and an immature dragonfly, or nymph, emerges. The nymphs are not pretty like the adults. They have tiny wings and a large lower lip, which they use to catch their prey (often mosquito larvae). Dragonfly nymphs live in the water. As they grow, they molt (shed their skin). Nymphs of some species may take as long as three years to mature.

When the dragonfly nymph reaches maturity, it crawls out of the water onto a plant stem. Then its skin begins to split. First the head, then the thorax, then the legs, and then the wings of an adult dragonfly emerge. Soon the newly emerged dragonfly is able to fly. The process takes about two hours. It takes about two days before the adult dragonfly's beautiful colors are fully developed. Adult dragonflies live only a few months.

DragonFly Larva

How long have dragonflies been around?

Dragonflies are ancient insects. They were around before the dinosaurs! Ancient dragonflies may have been considerably larger than those we see today. A fossilized impression of a dragonfly wing, found in a coal mine in England, is the oldest known dragonfly specimen. This dragonfly lived 300 million years ago and had a wingspan of eight inches. The largest known dragonfly had a wingspan of 24 inches (two feet). Today, the largest dragonfly is found in South America and has a wingspan of slightly over seven inches. Other than being smaller, modern-day dragonflies do not look very different from their ancestors.

Are dragonflies like other insects?

Dragonflies and damselflies belong to an order of insects all their own, called Odonata. Although the two are similar, damselflies are smaller than dragonflies. In addition, damselflies can fold their wings over their backs when they are at rest. Dragonflies can't fold their wings, so they rest with their wings held straight out.

Are dragonflies beneficial to humans?

You bet they are! In fact, dragonflies are sometimes called "mosquito hawk" because they catch and eat so many mosquitoes. Always on the hunt, dragonflies consume gnats, flies, and mosquitoes--all of which humans consider pests.

Why are dragonflies such good hunters?

Dragonflies' ability to maneuver makes them able to out-fly their prey. But dragonflies also have the advantage of excellent eyesight. If you've ever watched dragonflies, no doubt you have noticed their huge eyes. Each of the two large eyes is made up of thousands of six-sided units. Together, these smaller eyes enable a dragonfly to detect even the slightest movement. To test this, try sneaking up and catching a dragonfly. You usually come up empty-handed.

Marsh Sandpiper

2008-04-11T09:10:00.000+08:00

Marsh SandPiper (Tringa stagnatilis) is one of the most elegant of waders, rather like a miniature Greenshank and easily mistaken for that species when alone. It has a more slender build, however, and the bill is proportionately shorter, straighter and more slender whilst the legs are proportionately longer. It usually occurs singly but in a suitable feeding site several birds may be gathered together. Although showing a preference for freshwater feeding, it will join the other birds on the mudflats. It may be seen along river banks, in flooded fields and the evaporation beds of sewage works. It will wade up to its belly in water, sweeping around with its beak for prey. In the 1930s, it was regarded as a very rare bird but is now fairly common in Singapore.

Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Tringa
Species: T. stagnatilis

The Marsh Sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis, is a small wader. It is a rather small shank, and breeds in open grassy steppe and taiga wetlands from easternmost Europe to central Asia.

It resembles a small elegant Greenshank, with a long fine bill and very long yellowish legs. Like the Greenshank, it is greyish brown in breeding plumage, paler in winter, and has a white wedge up its back that is visible in flight. However, it is more closely related to the Common Redshank and the Wood Sandpiper (Pereira & Baker, 2005). Together, they form a group of smallish shanks which tend to have red or reddish legs, and in breeding plumage are generally a subdued, light brown above with some darker mottling, with a pattern of somewhat diffuse small brownish spots on the breast and neck.

It is a migratory species, with majority of birds wintering in Africa, and India with fewer migrating to Southeast Asia and Australia. They prefer to winter on fresh water wetlands such as swamps and lakes and are usually seen singly or in small groups.

These birds forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud. They mainly eat insects, and similar small prey.

The Marsh Sandpiper is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

More Links
Bird Guides: Tringa stagnatilis
Marsh Sandpiper
Maps of the birds of the Western Palearctic Region
Pictures Gallery of Tringa stagnatilis
Waders Wildlife and Birding Tours

Singapore Asian Toad

2008-04-07T22:15:00.000+08:00

Family Bufonidae: Asian Toad, Bufo melanostictus
This is probably the most familiar member of Singapore's amphibians. The true toads are characterised mainly by their warty skin, and also by usually possessing a pair of paratoid glands behind the eyes on the sides of their head.

Last Saturday 5th April 2008, we went for weekend mass. On the way home, I saw a toad. I quickly took out my camera and I took a few pictures of it. The toad was not afraid of us. It stayed there for as long as we would want to take photograph of it.

This toad reminds me of my childhood days in which my father used to catch frogs for me to eat when I was young, at Tuas. We used to go Tuas for fishing. My father caught fish, my brothers and I would swim at the reservoir. The seaside was where I spent most of my childhood days. I love the smell of the sea. I used to pick up seashells, starfish, mussels, horseshoe crabs and even picking up live fishes!

Asian Toad's eggs are laid in gelatinous strings; invertebrates; oviparous, terrestrial; nocturnal; Contrary to popular belief, toads do not 'blow poisonous gas' at people, although they may appear to do so by inflating their body when threatened.

My father used to catch as many as 40++ number of frogs. My mother would cook them with sesame oil and ginger. They were so delicious.

Animals are all I see these days. It is really such a miracle. This same place where I saw the frog was the same place where I saw the hanging worm and I fell down from the bicycle. On last Thursday 3rd April 2008, I saw a orange-brown chameleon. That was the previous place where I saw the mutated worm some time ago.

There were so many 'strange' encounters and stories I heard from my parents. I would post them at some other date.

Frogs Links

All about Frogs I

All About frogs II

Life Cycle of a Frog

Green Snake

2008-03-31T23:56:00.000+08:00

This is the place where the snake was when I saw it. It could not be seen clearly here, as the photograph was too small. It was just under the tree trunk, crawling on the grass.

A closer snapshot, but still cannot see clearly. It was a green snake and from camera, this photoshot, it is 'camouflaged' and too small to be seen, but what I had seen and Richard had was true. I had told this to Father Terence, the Priest at St Anthony Church. It is not any make-up story, but Miracle and many strange and wonderful sights I witness, I had too much to share, too rush for time for everything.

Worms and snakes are what I fear. But I had discovered, the worms and snakes which I saw, were all with purpose, which I was not aware. I am a "Mao Tou Ku"(猫头哭) = Owl, 猫头鹰 (actual Chinese word for Owl, "Mao Tou Yin) which I always confuse when I was in Primary Six, studying at Yung An Primary School. One day, a classmate captured a white owl and he brought it to the class. It was a Malay Student who caught it.

In the Secondary School, it was also another Malay student who brought a white Rabbit to the school to be dissected for our anatomy lesson. My Secondary School was Boon Lay Secondary School. From my house to the school, I need to walk about 10-15 minutes depending on the stride and speed I was walking. The road was lined with Rain trees and Angsana tree. Today, Angsana tree is hardly seen, but there was one Angsana Tree at QiHua Primary School, at Woodlands of Singapore.

On 28 March 2008, Friday, Richard and I cycled to Marsiling, the 'oldest' part of Woodlands, and also the place where I had captured the natural beauty once. Richard likes to go there for its Bak Ku Teh (Pork Ribs Soup). On these day, despite the weather broadcast, which said there would be rain, the sky was bright and sunny. It was a lovely day, both of us 'free' as the children went to school.

On 25 April 2007, I posted Inspirational Moment, the same place that I went. This time, the drain, the old nature beauty of the drain was different now. Lots of greens were gone. The drain was 'clearer', manage to take a picture of it. My handphone ran out of battery and I had taken these batches of photographs using Richard's LG KS-20, which turns out to be so small, as I did not set the size.

The world is changing rapidly as you can see -- Not even a year, all the natural greens were gone. Such a pathetic sight. And yet, people are talking about building new gardens, growing new air-plants, when they cannot even protect the natural beauty of environment.

Talking about worms, little green worms (caterpillar) normally hangs on Rain trees. It was such a common scene that I was always walking in fear along the road on Boon Lay Drive to Boon Lay Secondary School. My mother also scared worms, green worms or white worms. There was another year, while I was staying at my old house, I witness another frightening 'bunches' of disgusting worms, bigger worms, gigantic ones, scary and most scary of all.

The most recent ones, this time is different again. This time, I was not scared by worms, but is Richard who encountered a green snake, a long slim green snake, which got fallen down a tree just in front of him, SUDDENLY while he was cycling. He was so scared, and shouted, and paused. I stopped and turned around. Indeed, it was a green, long and slim snake. First time, First time I saw a green snake, and first time a green snake dropped down. But the green snake saw me, I saw it, we looked at the eyes, and the snake made a U-turn and was gone soon, did not know if it went back to the tree or where. Strange, strange and miracle, miracle.

On the same day, I was reading Tomas Blog, he had drawn a serpent, or cobra I saw. The snake was frightening, with fiery red eyes. However, this snake I saw was green, and it was long and slim, I was not scared at the sight of it. But I know it came with meaning, just like what I had seen in my MIND. Disaster, and disaster happened, and very soon. Scary experience indeed happened the next day, which I shall continue....

Snakes, different types of Snakes my sister and I seen in our lives, I would continue another day....

Fun Facts About Cats

2008-02-27T18:34:00.001+08:00

Cats Facts
There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with 33 different breeds.

The first cat show in the United States was held at New York City's Madison Square Garden in May 1895.

The largest breed of cat is the Ragdoll. Males weigh between 12-20 pounds; females 10-15 pounds. The smallest breed is the Singapura. Adult females weigh about 4 pounds and males about 6 pounds, but they have so much hair they appear as if they weigh twice that amount.

Tabbies are among the world's oldest breed of cats; they appear in Egyptian tomb paintings from the 18th and 19th dynasties, about 3500 years ago. But the word 'tabby' seems to have been derived from a district in ancient Baghdad called Attabiah, where a special kind of silk was manufactured. The silk was known for its distinctive watered effect, which resembles the markings of modern tabbies.

If your cat does not come when you call, it may not be ignoring you: many cats with blue eyes are deaf. According to the Cat Fancier's Association, a white cat with two blue eyes has the highest chance of being deaf. If it has green or gold eyes, it has the lowest chance of being deaf. And if a cat has one blue eye and one green eye, its chances of being deaf fall somewhere in the middle. Purebred white cats, however, are said to have a lower prevalence of deafness than mixed-breed white cats.

Great Cats
Siamese cats crave human company more than most other breeds, so they make very devoted pets. They are fastidiously clean, and are among the most entertaining and affectionate cats anywhere.

The Cat's Sex Life
The gestation period of kittens is usually about 63 days. The actual birth takes about 2 hours, varying according to the physical condition of the mother and the size of the litter.

If you think your sex life lacks romance, listen to what the female cat must endure. When a female decides she's in the mood for love, she gives off a scent that drives the male wild. A male will suddenly become obsessed with her, even though he ignored her last week. Once she gives him the signal that she's interested by raising her rear, he's on her. No flowers, no chocolates, no sweet talk. Not even a smidgen of foreplay. Before he jams his penis into her with several quick thrusts, he bites down on her neck with his teeth. If she decides that he is not the one for her, it's too late to do anything about it; his penis is equipped with horny barbs that make withdrawal at this stage an inadvisable course of action.

After orgasm, the female will try to roll onto her back to dislodge the male; and he must leap away, or she'll roll over on him. Despite the roughness of the sexual act, the female will be ready for another round in about an hour. This will continue for about 4 days, during which time the male will start to look worse for the wear. His preoccupation with sex will leave him thin and exhausted from not eating.

More Cats Facts and Cats Quotes

Cute Pictures of Cats -- 是缘是债是场梦（刘锡明）

Cats Links
A Glance At Cats
Anatomy of Cats
Amazing Facts About Cats I
Amazing Facts About Cats II
Amazing Facts About Cats III
Comparison of Dogs, cats and human age
Black Cats
Funny Cats
Pictures of Halloween Cats
Halloween Cats
Cats and Dogs Story
Pictures of cats and goldifish
Cats Paintings with Fast Facts
Beautiful Cats Paintings
More Cats Pictures

More Pictures about Cats

Ancient Cats
Cats Senses

Why Pet Dogs Die

2008-02-10T20:46:00.000+08:00

If a much-loved pet dies, or his death is imminent, it often has a deep impact on those humans who loved and cared for him. For many owners, losing a cherished companion is similar to coping with the death of a family member or close friend.

A dog may die for one of two reasons:
i. sudden death through accident or illness
ii. euthanasia (being 'put to sleep' or 'put down') following an accident or due to illness, when a cure is not possible and the dog's quality of life is or will be poor

If sudden, you will not be prepared for your dog's death and it will no doubt come as a huge shock. If he has to be put down, you can prepare for the inevitable, although it does not make it any easier to bear. many owners blame themselves for their pet's death, and agonize over whether the death could have been prevented if they had done things differently. This is a normal reaction, but sadly, it cannot change what has happened. Try to focus on the many happy times you enjoyed enjoyed with your cherished pet and to treasure those memories.

My pet dog died more than a year now. His death was a sudden one. He died of pneumonia. I was very sad and I was grieved for several days to weeks. On the day of his death, we need to decide for its disposal. Some people asked why do I bother to take photographs of my deceased pet and why I bother to waste money on any memorial pet urns. On the day of my pet dog death, our vet gave us instruction for choice of our pet dog's cremation. We had chosen to take back our dog's ashes. After a week, an urn was sent to our home. That was our dog, Cebest's ashes, being sent back. We were very glad that Cebest was back. We were not given a choice to choose for dog urns at all. How I wish I can keep Cebest in more beautiful pet urn like those at Angel Ashes. Angel Ashes provides various Urns for pets (dogs and cats) which come in various styles and you can also add your pet photographs on it. Mine had no photograph at all. Our pet is our best friend. A beautiful pet urn is our last tribute to our companion.

Did You Know?
Sometimes owners cannot bear to lose their pet, which is understandable -- and delay having him put down when really it should be done sooner rather than later. However, a caring owner will put their pet's needs first, not their own -- no matter the cost to themselves.

Being animal-lovers themselves, many vets find euthanizing pets as painful as the owners, although it does not stop them being professional about it. Just because a vet may appear to be detached about the process does not mean that he or she does not care; they do, it is just they have to remain strong for the animals' -- and often the owners' sake.

World Wildlife

2008-01-19T13:53:00.000+08:00

Picture showing Herds of zebra(Family Equidae)

The planet we live on is bursting with life. Indoors and outdoors, we are surrounded by hundreds of different animals and plants, in all shapes, colours and sizes. You only need to take a quick look around a garden or park to discover a colourful range of flowers, trees, bushes and many sorts of birds and insects. A trip to a zoo or a wildlife park reveals even more amazing variety -- the animals of the deep oceans and the dry deserts, the wet forests and even the cold, icy Arctic.

Photograph of Three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

Picture of a Spiny Anteater, the echidna -- completely wild and free.

Picture of llamas

About 200 million years ago, when dinoaurs roamed the Earth, the continents were joined together in a vast supercontinent called Pangaea. But slowly the continents drifted apart and animals living on one land mass became separated from those living on another. Each group of animals continued to change (evolve) -- isolated from each other, they evolved in different ways. This is why, today, certain animals are found only on certain continents. For example, kangaroos are found only in Australia and llamas only in South America. South America has many animals found nowhere else in the world. Some are quite strange in both appearance and behaviour, such as the sloth, spending its day hanging upside-down in the trees, or the toothless anteater, rummaging through ant hills with its long nose. There is also a wealth of beautiful birds such as the scarlet macaw in the tropical rain forests.

Do you love animals? Animals are all around us, big or small. They are so useful to man and people capture them as pets, food, ornamental purposes, medicinal values and so on. As such, many world wildlife are being endangered nowadays. Do you want to express your views on people hunting for tiger skin, snake skin and so on? Do you want to put up photographs of elephants, tigers, giant pandas, whales and other wildlife species which you had captured and share it with the world? Your chance is here. You can Create Blog at Thoughts.com. With a blog, you can publish your thoughts, photos, videos and even podcasts and chat among interest related groups. Exchange views and thoughts with people who love animals!

Feeding The Dogs

2008-01-08T15:52:00.000+08:00

Each dog has its individual requirements, which will change at the various stages of its life. All dogs, however, require minimum quantities of a wide range of nutrients if they are to remain healthy. Dogs are not true carnivores, and cannot exist on meat alone. Therefore, meat which provides protein, should never form more than half your dog's diet. Meat also provides fat, which contains essential fatty acids necessary for a variety of body functions, including good skin and coat condition. The remainder of a dog's daily calories should come from carbohydrates such as dog meal. A balanced diet has all the necessary vitamins.

A nutritious, well-balanced diet produces a strong-boned, well-muscled, healthy-coated canine. Just like humans, dogs love their food. Unlike humans, however, they have a poor sense of taste, and are therefore willing to eat almost anything. Many pet dogs also lead somewhat boring lives, and see mealtime as the highlight of the day. Some dogs may even bribe their owners to give them unhealthy threats they should not have, or to feed them more often than they should eat. This combination explains why obesity is a problem in almost one out of three pets. Whatever you choose to feed your dog, make sure that it is part of a well-balanced diet, and that it is not given in excess of the dog's energy requirements.

As most dog's owners are very busy, it is often easier to feed the pet dogs or cats with Premium Health Food for Dogs and Cats so as to ensure good health of the pets. Prepared foods is not only convenient, it is also easier to guarantee a well-balanced diet for our pet dogs. Life's Abundance is a premium human quality food for dogs and cats shipped fresh to your doorstep and never sold through mass pet food retailers. They offer an unconditional 30-day guarantee on all their quality dog and cat products. If you are dissatisfied for any reason, Healthypetnet will give you your money back!

Pigs Glimpse

2007-12-21T17:09:00.000+08:00

Pigs are truly great animals with lively personalities and a complete lack of manners. It is fun to watch them, for example, how they play in a mud bath.

Pigs oink. They are omnivorous, which means that they will eat both plants and animals substances. Pigs are useful farm animals. They are the number one live-stock animals for meat production in the world. However, today, the pigs are not only eaten, they are kept as pets. Why? This is because the pigs are fun animals to be with. When pigs see people, they will go towards them, like little children running towards their parents. Cows are calm and meditative, chickens are frantic, and sheep are sheepish. In the pig farms, bright little oinkers and porkers will come running up to greet you with a hearty snort. Pigs are the true entertainers of the farmyard.

Pigs have a stout, barrel-like body and muscular legs. They have four toes, of which the middle two digits do the walking.

There are more than 500 pig breeds, varieties and crosses in the world. All the pigs come in varies sizes and colours. The colours may vary from black, spotted, belted, red, and even blue. The average porker weighs between 120 and 200 pounds, but a full-grown sow or boar can get much bigger. The biggest pigs, usually used for breeding, can easily weigh more than 1000 pounds and be up to 6 feet in length, from the poll to the base of the tail, and can stand 4 feet tall at the withers. Still, they are the smallest of the non-ruminant ungulates, which includes animals like horses.

Along with all the variability, pigs are very adaptable. They are on every continent, except Antarctica, roaming and rooting the forests and plains or taking naps in farmyard pigsties. In the United States alone there are an estimated one million feral pigs and it seems the only ones that notice them are the hunters. If that is not enough, there are also nearly 60 million pigs raised on farms.

Picture of Pot-Bellied Pig

From dogs to cats, small rodents to rabbits, to birds and fish as pets, animal lovers have continually sought more exotic creatures to care for. Pot-bellied pigs are one of the newer animals in the world of 'miniature' pets. The pot-bellied pigs are small in size, when compared to the average farmyard pig. Contrary to popular belief, pigs are not dirty animals. On the other hand, one cannot in truth say that they are delicate and tidy when it comes to their feeding habits! They enjoy eating, which is reflected in the gusto with which they will attack their food dish. They have a life span of 15-10years.

Pigs are very attentive pets. All pigs are highly intelligent creatures and they can be trained to almost the same degree as a dog. However, their physical stature is such that they cannot do the same things as a canine! Pot-bellies can be trained to a harness and lead. A harness and lead is a must for every new pig owner. Pet shops stock a variety of them that are suitable for pigs. Training should begin when the pet is a youngster. Some pot-bellied pigs can be trained to use a litter box. They will appreciate blankets and other soft bedding material. When he is not sleeping on them, he may enjoy just rooting around them. They are extremely devoted companions that display the same virtues as any other intelligent animal. A pig that spends the majority of its time indoors will bond more closely with its owner than will one that is housed outdoors.

A pig that behaves well does not just happen. It has to be trained.

In the short space of a few years, the pot-belly hobby has expanded at quiet a remarkable rate. There are official associations that control the registrations of these pets, and there is a highly organized show system. There are a number of obedience classes being organized so that porky will be disciplined in the niceties of of living with us humans.

Animals Dream

2007-12-04T11:20:00.000+08:00

Every dog needs its own bed, toys and dishes for food and water. It will also require grooming equipment, a collar and lead and (depending on breed or local regulations) perhaps also a muzzle for public outings.

A puppy's first bed will be outgrown(and possibly chewed to bits) before long. A permanent bed for an adult dog can be more sophisticated and expensive. At Mammoth Outlet, there are many range of high quality dog beds which come in various sizes and patterns to suit your dog. Mammoth has Pet beds for any space including crates, memory foam and more. My dog, Cebest did not like to sleep on any pet beds at all. He could only sleep soundly on my bed, which was also his bed.

Do Dogs Dream?
Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of watching a dog in blissful slumber knows that without a doubt, dogs dream. We who share our homes, hearts and lives with dogs, see the evidence of it every day and night. We witness the rapid eye movement during REM sleep, and we watch in wonder as they move their legs as if running. Sometimes they even whimper, growl, or bark, conversing with some deep psychological characters.

I had seen Cebest sleeping very soundly, snoring and even dreaming. Do animals dream? We, human beings dream. Cebest had dreams too when he was around. Thus, I can say that animals dream too.

The issue of dogs dreaming is one of those things about which we must anthropomorphize. This means that we have to attribute human qualities to animals because we cannot get inside their heads. They are so close to us and we know them so well that we have to believe that when they appear to be dreaming, they are. The canine brain is quite similar to ours, their need for sleep is as necessary as ours, and dogs sleep for all the same reasons as we do. There is no reason to believe that their subconscious is working in a way that is any different than ours. Scientists have done studies with dogs in which they have used electroencephalograms (EEG) to determine the brain activity of dogs during REM sleep, and so they know that there is brainwave activity associated with dreaming. Dogs, in their dreams, will react to the pictures they see in their heads while they are sleeping just as they would react if they were awake.

Dogs' dreams probably do not contain a lot of dialogue and conversation. In her groundbreaking work, Dr Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and Animals in Translation, discusses how animals think in pictures, not words, much as do people who are afflicted with autism. That makes sense and leads us to believe that doggy dreams are full of images and memories.

Rodents

2007-10-20T18:02:00.000+08:00

Picture of the largest rodent, Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

The word rodent comes from the Latin rodere, meaning to gnaw. The animals in this order have special teeth for grinding and gnawing at a whole range of food, including nuts and even wood. Rodents' teeth are constantly being worn down through use, and to cope with this, the front ones keep on growing throughout the animal's life.

Rodents have long whiskers on their nose, and sometimes above the eyes as well. These are sensitive to touch and help rodents to judge the size of gaps when moving about in narrow places, especially at night when they hunt.

Most rodents are small -- for example, rats, mice, voles and dormice. Some rodents are kept as pets, such as guinea pigs and hamsters. The largest rodent species is the Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) of South America. It looks like a huge guinea pig and can grow as tall as 2 feet(60cm) at the shoulder and weight 66kg. Capybaras are harmless herbivores, but unfortunately for them, they are good to eat, while their skin makes good quality leather. In Venezuela, they are even farmed like cattle.

Rodents are prolific breeders. The house mouse is very similar in size an appearance to the deer mouse, but is more adapted to thriving in indoor environments. They are acrobats with the ability to gain access through incredibly small holes, jump long distances, and climb almost anything. They are mostly nocturnal, and constantly exploring new things. Items they wish to explore can have gnaw marks on them, especially if there is food inside.

As the mouse is such an agile animals and with great sense of curiosity, man had used mouse to help in navigating with their computers. People love to share thoughts and everybody have different thoughts at different time. Why the mouse in which we used for our computer is called a mouse and not a rabbit? So I had just shared my view about that here. If you want to share your thoughts, there is a new place called thoughts.com which you can start your Free Blog and start sharing your thoughts and blog about the things you love. I had found a very hilarious video about the Mouse, posted by Timeless. It was a very good joke. This are some snapshots of the videos.

The rabbit wondering if clicking the mouse will really bring him online.

Try Dragging The Mouse

The last part was they forget to plug the mouse in

Thoughts.com is a free online blogging community that makes it easy for anyone to create their own personal online journal. Signing up is very easy and within seconds your account is created. I had signed up and I had tried it. Share your thoughts with the community by making blog posts, uploading photos, videos and podcasts. Thoughts.com has a user rating system so members can rate each others' posts and provide feedback in the form of comments. Visit the site, view this video posted by Timeless, it rocks! (I did not know that there was rating for the video. The default was three and I just click send and it was rated three. I think the video was good. However, it was not that clear. Entertainment wise it is 5, effect wise 3 so I would rate it 4, in actual fact.) Thoughts.com has forum and something very good is user control. You can set your post to private for your own views, your friends' views or to everybody.

Dogs: Selective Breeding

2007-10-06T00:28:00.000+08:00

From the earliest days of the species, the evolutionary fate of the dog has been in human hands. People have always selected dogs from which to breed to produce the best working animals -- herders, guards, and eaters. But it was only when people developed "leisure time" that selective breeding of dogs for their looks really took off.

Hunting has been a priviledged pastime of royal courts from China to western Europe for thousands of years, and many dogs were selectively bred for their hunting abilities. For example, small dogs were bred to spring birds from cover; these evolved into today's spaniels. Larger dogs were bred to find animals that had taken cover; these are the forebears of today's pointers.

Royalty bred their hunting dogs to impress -- a pack of colour-coordinated lemon and white hounds looked better than a mixed pack. Selective breeding for looks had begun, and it accelerated as wealthy women in many countries began to keep small companion dogs as living fashion accessories. These dogs were bred for their coat texture, colour, and affectionate personality, as well as their diminutive size.

By the mid 1980s, ownership of dogs bred for their looks was common amongst the affluent of Europe. The first dog shows were social events organized by aristocrats, and in 1860 the first Dog Show Society, the primary purpose of which was to show dogs, came into existence in Birmingham, England.

The English Bulldog exemplifies how breeding to written standards can have drawbacks. The English Bulldog was once bred to attack and hold on to the neck of a bull. By the mid 1800s, this offensive 'sport' was banned, but bulldogs retained their working antecedents, including body shape, powerful jaws, and large heads. Bulldog Club standards emphasized these physical features, stating that the head should be "as big as possible". To win at shows, bulldogs were bred for larger and larger heads until they were so large that most had to be born by Caesarean section because the pup's head did not fit through the mother's birth canal.

In a similar, though less dramatic way, other breeds were bred to conform to standards for coat length or texture. Mixed colour poodles, for example, were once common, but are now extremely rare because breed standards stipulate solid colours only.

Selective breeding guarantees the familiar but diminishes genetic variability. Because of selective breeding, today we have bulldog which is gentle companion, very different in disposition to its ancestors. PawsitesOnline is a Dog Breeder Directory where you can find registered breeders and dogs for sale. They have cheap puppies and breeders from all over the world. At PawsitesOnline, Registered Breeders can add their own Dog Stories! Find Terrier Breeders, Toy Dog breeders, Working Dog breeders and even dogs for sale and many other more at the site -- the largest dog and cat advertising network where you can buy your pet dogs/puppies or cats/kittens!

People And Dogs

2007-09-30T18:02:00.000+08:00

There is a breed of dog to suit everyone. All of us have personalities, aspirations, and values that we consider to be uniquely our own. The joy of dogs is that there are so many different temperaments, looks, sizes and abilities within the species, we can satisfy our own needs by carefully selecting a dog that fits us like a glove. Consider your choice carefully: if you love dogs, but the idea of wiping drool off the walls does not appeal, a St. Bernard may not be your ideal choice. If you are a control freak and like everything done your way, you would probably be better off with a small Poodle on which you can carry out canine topiary, rather than a sleek Basenji. If you want to be surrounded by those who love, honour, and obey, there is nothing better than a female Golden or Labrador Retriever. Remember that appearance is not all that matters. A breed may look good, but the way it looks probably reflects the original job for which it was developed. Its other characteristics -- its instincts, behaviours, and habits -- may well make it unsuitable as a pet for you.

Human intervention has had positive and negative effects. Selective breeding has brought about enormous changes in dog design over the millennia. Men have reduced and enlarged the dog's body, flattened its face, and shortened its legs and tail. Certainly, men have shrunk its brain and greatly truncated its intestinal tract. Men have increased the incidence of inherited disease in some dogs while dramatically extending the natural life expectancy of others.

For much of the 20th century, breed standards favoured extremes: a head as big as possible, eyes as prominent as possible, size as small as possible. Fortunately this is no longer the case, and virtually all breed standards have been rewritten. However, this does not mean that all breeders now aim for these physically healthier shapes; some will still breed for extremes because it is, unfortunately, good for sales.

The bond between dogs and humans develops through training and the use of rewards to reinforce positive behaviour. A dog is our best friend because we share so many common characteristics. People and dogs are both gregariously sociable species that enjoy the company of others. Both are territorial: while people mark their territories with physical boundaries such as fences, dogs mark theirs with scents in body waste products. People and dogs enjoy play as a recreational activity. Both share common basic emotions, such as contentment, anxiety, jealousy, anger, sympathy, and elation. People and dogs share a variety of expressions and body language -- that's why we understand one another so surprisingly well.

A dog is a wonderful companion because it looks and behaviour press all the right buttons in us. We are putty in the paws of pups because their high foreheads and large eyes mimic the shape of the human infant face. We love to touch them because stroking a dog reduces blood pressure, skin temperature, and heart rate -- physical changes that occurred in infancy when we touched our mothers. We enjoy caring for dogs because, perhaps uniquely amongst mammals, we have a lifelong need to nurture, to care for others. If you love animals and would like to do your part to care for them, here is a chance for you at NJ Aid for Animals.

NJAFA is an animal welfare non-profit group based in Southern New Jersey, mainly the Camden area. NJAFA advocates spay/neuter and works to educate individuals about spay/neuter programs available. They help to arrange transport for individuals who have no transportation to get their animals altered and endeavor to find funding for those who cannot afford to have it done. They help abused, neglected, stray, and abandoned animals in need; help find homes for strays and/or abandoned animals; transport an animal to rescue; and take information about abused animals to the highest level and follow through to prosecution. Read success stories of Dog with Hernia, Adoptable Pets and more at NJAFA! Perhaps you can help them and the poor animals!

Friends And Foes

2007-09-13T19:55:00.000+08:00

Saddle Wrasses

Animals in the wild have few friends, and many enemies. On land, the grazing animals, such as deer, antelopes, elephants and bison form large herds. A herd itself is a protection against danger, but often the stronger animals deliberately guard the weaker; for example, when musk oxen form their protective circle they place the younger animals in the centre. In the sea, fish often stay together in huge shoals, and so do many species of whales. Whales and dolphins have been seen supporting and escorting an injured companion.

Sea anemone on the hermit crab's shell

Some of the most remarkable 'friendships' are those between animals of different species. They live together for mutual support, a state known as symbiosis. The hermit crab lives in a discarded shell, and has a sea anemone on the outside of the shell. The stinging cells of the sea anemone protect the crab, and the anemone benefits from food particles discarded by the crab. When the crab grows and moves to a bigger shell, it takes its sea anemone with it. Little fishes known as wrasses living in the Indian and Pacific oceans act as cleaners for bigger fish. They eat parasites, such as fish-lice, on the bodies of the larger fish, which queue up to be cleaned.

Danger in the wild comes from the carnivores, the flesh-eaters, who prey on the herbivores, the plant-eaters. The term 'carnivore' includes not only such large animals as tigers and hyenas, but also many birds which prey on small creatures such as insects.

Cheetah attacking Springbok

Some animals, such as the springbok, rely on their speed to escape from danger. The hedgehog curls up, presenting a predator with an unappetising ball of prickles. Many animals have protective coloration: their colouring matches that of their background. For example, a white Arctic hare is hard to see against snow. Small creatures often look like something else: there are moths which resemble bird droppings, insects which look like leaves or twigs, and plaice which match the sea bed on which they lie. Many creatures, such as wasps, are harmful to eat, and have warning colouration, generally red or yellow and black. Other animals mimic this colouration, even though they are not unpleasant to eat; for example, hoverflies look very like wasps.

Many animals are our friends. Useful animals are those that can contribute to man's life. They make man's life easier and more convenient to carry out his daily tasks and activities. Useful animals also provide man with food or other products such as materials for making clothing. Some animals can pull machinery and help cultivate fields. Others are kept as pets to amuse and console their owners. ShopWiki is a place where you can shop for your animal friends. Be it horse, dogs, cats, birds or even the reptiles and other farm animals, you can find products for your animal friends. Frankly speaking, I have not come across an online stores that can cater to a wide array of our animals friends like ShopWiki. Most pets store has either dogs and cats supplies. Some specializes in birds while others a combination of birds, hamsters, dogs and cats. ShopWiki has found all the supplies and products from just about every store on the internet that a pet owner needs. You can find anything and everything from the common to the esoteric, and from major stores and small stores at great prices.

The horse has been a constant companion of man. For thousands of years, the horse has shared in man's experience of dangers and hard work. Early man used horses to help them pursue animals for food. Gradually, people found that horses can be used for other purposes and thus became more dependent on them. Horses were used to fight battles in times of war. They carried man on long journeys of land exploration. They also shared with man the sufferings of settling in new lands. Today, we use horses mainly for sports and entertainment. At ShopWiki, you can buy products for your fun time with your horse friend. You can buy saddle as well as apparel such as boots, hats, helmets and many more at ShopWiki. This is just one of the several animals products you can find at ShopWiki. Other unique items you can find at ShopWiki Livestock Care and Reptile, Amphibian and Invertebrate Care. Which is your animal friends? Shop for your animal friends!

Domestication of Animals

2007-08-24T14:37:00.000+08:00

Domesticated Wolves

Domestication refers to the process of taming a population of animals or even a species as a whole. The first real association of man with any other animal other than for food was almost certainly with the wolf. Wolves were probably attracted to human campsites by the waste food lying around. Occasionally, when there was no better food available, man ate the wolves. At a certain stage of their development, wolf cubs can be trained to learn to live with humans.

Men have tolerated domesticated wolves at first because they were a future possible source of meat when times were hard. They must also have realised that the wolf had a built-in knowledge of how to hunt, that it could run faster than a man, and would guard anything it thought of as belonging to its own tribe against outsiders. There is evidence from the Middle Stone Age that wolves were kept in captivity in

Denmark

and probably in many other places as well. It was from these animals that the many types of dogs known today were developed.

Hill Sheep

Many other wild creatures have been domesticated by man. Sheep, goats and cattle were among the earliest to be exploited. These were first farmed by men of the New Stone Age, not less than 9000 years ago. Asses and horses were first domesticated in western Asia, but their use quickly spread to the rest of the Old World. The horse, used in war for pulling chariots and carrying soldiers and in peace for agriculture and transport, has probably influenced man's history more than any other animals.

Today we have many animal partners. Some such as honeybees are not tame; we merely offer them a place to live in and some food in exchange for the honey and wax that they can provide. Others, such as sheep and goats, are kept for their wool as well as for their meat and skins. Cattle, camels and yaks are kept for their meat, milk, hair and hides. Horses and donkeys, largely used for recreation in the western world, are still used for transport elsewhere, and in some places their flesh and milk are valued as well. Dogs work for man in many ways as well as being companions, like the domestic cat.

Man has constantly changed his domestic animals and their ability to provide the things he needs by selective breeding. Any creature which showed a particular feature that man found useful -- greater strength, heavier fleece, or the ability to produce and rear more young -- was kept and bred from. In time, groups of animals with these special characteristics were developed by careful cross breeding. Today, selective breeding has produced a wide diversity of different dog breeds which are kept as pets by animals lovers. Similarly, there are over 100 recognized breeds of domestic cats today. Both the dogs and cats are kept as pets. They serve many purpose to the pet owners. To the pet owners, the dogs and cats are part of their family. They play important role in their life. Many pet owners buy Pet insurance for their favourite pets. The reasons for some people to take up Pet Insurance includes a comprehensive coverage for both their pets dogs and cats such as accidents and illnesses, CAT scans and X-rays, cancer treatment and x-rays, hospitalization and so on.

Dogs are just like humans. As they get older, they are more prone to illnesses like cancer, heart disease and kidney failure. The University of Missouri estimates that 60% of dogs over the age of 6 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. Cancer treatments commonly cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. Senior pets often require more care. Pet Insurance can offer benefits toward routine treatments and procedures your pet will need throughout her life to maintain good health. With Pet Insurance, you definitely can rest easier, knowing that every accident and illnesses that can occur anytime will be covered.

Australian Dingo

The domestication of animals has changed mankind's way of life significantly. Can Domestication Be Reversed? This really depends on each individual species of animals. For a group of hardy breed of hill sheep that still retains its wild survival instinct, they would probably do well on their own. For animals that were produced in large quantities for the purpose of their meat, such as the pigs, they may have difficulties fending for themselves. The Australian dingo who was once a domesticated animal, escaped into the wild but was fast in reverting to its wild state. For most pets, they would have difficulty surviving in the wild because they have become too tame to compete with other animals.

Animal Tracks

2007-07-05T10:57:00.000+08:00

Animal tracks are temporary records of the passage of land animals across impressionable surfaces, such as damp sand, mud or snow.

Raccoon Tracks

By examining tracks for the shape, size and number of toes, claws, nails, hooves or pads, it is often possible to identify the animal that made them. For example, the paw marks of mammals that walk on their toes, such as dogs and cats, can be differentiated by the shape and size of their pads.

Camel Tracks

As well as identifying an animal, tracks can often reveal an animal way of life. For instance, the tracks made by web-footed ducks show that they are swimming birds, whereas the open-toed tracks of crows show that they are perching birds. In addition, the depth and pattern of tracks reveal whether the animal was walking, running or hopping.

Animal Bodies

2007-07-04T10:58:00.000+08:00

Animals' bodies have different forms so they can live in different places. Some animals live in the water. Other animals fly through the air. Some animals live on the land. Animals' bodies are specially made so that each animal can live well in its environment.

The body of an animal reflects the animal's way of life and the habitat in which it lives. Some marine creatures, such as squid and mackerel, have smooth, streamlined bodies to enable them to move rapidly through water, whereas the slower-moving starfish creeps over the seabed using its many tube feet.

Animals that live on the land usually have legs, except for snakes and other animals the crawl on their bellies. To move on land animals need to walk, run and climb.

An animal that lives in the water usually has a tail and fins, but no legs. It needs to swim, not to walk. If it does have legs, its feet are usually webbed so it can swim well. A water animal's body is built to do the job of swimming!

Most land animals have limbs for support and movement, although snakes move their long, scale-covered bodies without the need for legs. Frogs have powerful hind limbs for jumping; their webbed feet and thin, moist skin are adaptations to living in wet places.

The beetle's six jointed legs support a heavy body covered by a hard, protective exoskeleton(external skeleton).

The tiger's strong legs, sharp teeth, and forward-facing eyes mark it out as a hunter, as do the kestrel's powerful wings, sharp talons, and hooked beak.

An animal that flies through the air has wings. It also has legs because it can't fly all of the time. A bird's or insect's body is built to do the job of flying!

Worksheet For Children

Choosing A Dog

2007-06-09T21:16:00.000+08:00

The decision to buy a dog is an important one, because it implies a commitment to look after a dependent creature for at least the next 10 years or more. The dogs' needs and comfort must be considered in relation to all the activities the family likes to undertake. The house and garden will no longer be immaculate once the dog arrives. The dog which sheds hair constantly may make a great deal of housework and so become an intolerable nuisance through no fault of its own.

There is an infinite variety of size, shape, coat texture and inherited ability in the pedigree breeds which have been developed by knowledgeable dog breeders over the years. In the past, breeds were developed to encourage an ability for certain types of work such as herding, tracking game, retrieving, guarding or as warning watchdogs. The characteristics which made the dogs suitable for these jobs are still present today, although the majority of dogs are kept in idleness and boredom.

When choosing for a dog, you may choose a companion dog based on their look. You may choose one which looks cute to you. But you should not forget that its behaviour patterns as a domestic pet will be strongly influenced by the work it once did. For instance, the hound may be difficult to halt or recall when it is following scent; the untrained gundog will flush and pursue game, perhaps to your cost and embarrassment, and the dog specifically designed to dig and to work underground will exercise its talents in your flowerbeds.

The dog whose looks you admire may be completely unsuitable for the place in which you live and for your lifestyle. An example would be the Beagle living in a house which has more ground than can be effectively fenced. Although this breed has appealing looks, is of a convenient size and has an easy-to-care-for coat, its ancestors were pack hounds and were bred to follow scent -- all day if necessary. Your pet Beagle will do the same unless it is very securely fenced in. The result could be that you are labelled as antisocial, a careless owner whose dog is a nuisance, even though your pet is perfectly charming when at home. Thus you need to choose a dog that has behaviour traits that is suitable for your circumstances and lifestyle and not based on looks.

It is far better to be realistic about the amount of commitment you are prepared to make than to be in the unhappy situation of having bought the wrong type of dog. Many dog owners find that they have purchased the wrong type of dogs. They 'discard' their dogs in the streets. This may be due to the fact that they are not aware of places like Puppy Classifieds where they can place ads to sell their puppies or dogs. At Puplistings.com, you can find different species of dogs. It is a place for dog lovers to buy or sell dogs. It is a place for dog lovers to look for answers such as Methods to stop barking dogs, When do puppies open their eyes, crate training puppies and more articles. If you are thinking of buying a dog, you can find pictures of different breeds of puppies with their respective prices. Not many sites that sell puppies have pictures. Over here, there are numerous puppies picture. All the pictures in this post is taken from their website. There are more cute puppies there.

Puplistings.com offer *PREMIUM* puppy classifieds to both individuals and serious breeders looking for a classy - yet well-advertised - site on which to advertise their puppies. There are plenty of shoddy sites out there offering a similar service, but they strive to set themselves apart with quality services and premium traffic. They also offer a growing selection of articles meant to assist the same target audience - their articles are written specifically for their site and are their own exclusive content. Place your puppy classified ads at Puppy Classifieds, place your puppies pictures on Puppy Classifieds!

Reproduction Of Animals

2007-05-11T14:06:00.000+08:00

Reproduction is one of the most characteristic features of living organisms. Life would not exist on Earth if plants and animals did not reproduce to make their offspring. By reproducing, a living organism can be sure that there is another individual of its kind to take its place when it dies. In this way a species of organism guarantees its survival.

All animals produce offspring so their species can continue. Some animals reproduce sexually, by mating with a partner; other reproduce asexually, without mating. Animals grow up in different ways, including by metamorphosis. Care of offspring varies -- some young fend for themselves.

A sea anemone divides to form two individuals. Some insects, such as aphids, can also reproduce asexually, when their unfertilized eggs develop into young.

Animals can be grouped into those which give birth to living offspring and those which lay eggs that eventually hatch into offspring. Those animals which give birth to live offspring are called live-bearing or viviparous. Those animals which lay eggs are called egg-laying or oviparous. The difference is in the place where the offspring develops before it is born.

Metamorphosis
Some baby animals are miniature copies of their adult relatives, but some look nothing like their parents. They go through an amazing transformation, known as a metamorphosis, before they reach adulthood.

Complete metamorphosis is the change in one step from larva to adult. Moths and butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis. Their caterpillars feed and grow, then enter a resing stage as pupae. Inside the pupal case, the caterpillar transforms into a winged adult. The way tadpoles become frogs is also complete metamorphosis.

How do animals attract mates?
During the breeding season, animals advertise their readiness to mate by using special calls, scents, and other signals. Some animals use elaborate displays or courtship rituals to woo a wary mate. A few creatures, such as earthworms, are hermaphrodite (both male and female), which makes it easier to find a mate.

Why do some animals give birth rather than lay eggs?
Animals born live are more likely to survive than those that hatch out of eggs. While developing inside their mother, babies are at less risk of being eaten than eggs.

Why look after young?
Animals care for offspring to improve their chances of survival. More of these babies survive to adulthood than those whose parents leave them to fend for themselves.

Links
Insects
Circle of Life
Life Cycle of butterfly
Life Cycle of Bee
Ladybirds
Life Cycle of Ants

Animals Senses

2007-05-10T14:49:00.000+08:00

Insect-eating bats have very sensitive hearing that allows them to hunt and navigate in darkness using echolocation. They make high-pitched sounds then swivel their ears to pinpoint the source of echoes, which lead them to their prey.

Animals use their sense to find out about the world around them. Most have the same five senses as humans but some have extra senses, such as echolocation. Some animals have developed amazing adaptations to their environments. Many different types of energy exist in the environment, some of which humans cannot detect.

Here are some examples of how some animals sense the outside world and the anatomical structures that allow them to do so.

1. Ecolocation
Bats, whales and dolphins, which hunt in darkness or murky water, make sounds then listen for echoes to track their prey. They use ecolocation to navigate their surroundings. The same technique helps them to navigate and avoid collisions with objects. Each of these animals emits high-frequency sound pulses and, in turn, detects the echoes produced by those sounds. Special ear and brain adaptations enable them to build a three-dimensional picture of their surroundings, much like radar. Bats, for example, have enlarged ear flaps that gather and direct sound towards thin, supersensitive eardrums.

How does echolocation help with hunting?
Hunting bats and dolphins make streams of clicking sounds, which spread out through the air or water. The sound vibrations bounce back off objects such as flying insects or shoaling fish. The hunter uses its keen hearing to listen out for the returning echoes. These allow it to pinpoint the whereabouts of its victims, so that it can home in on its prey.

2. Infrared Vision
Some animals can see quite clearly at night even when there is no moon. The large eyes of nocturnal hunters, such as owls, are designed to make the most of very dim light. Many animals active at night also have extremely good senses of hearing and smell.

The most interesting feature of nocturnal animals is the size of their eyes. Large eyes, with a wider pupil, larger lens and increased retinal surface collect more light. Some animal species have evolved tubular eyes as a means of increasing their size. Many nocturnal animals cannot move their eyes within the orbit. Instead, they have evolved extraordinary rotational ability in the neck. Owls, for example, can rotate their neck through 270° & this aids their vision.

Some animals of the night have acquired a spherical lens and widened cornea to compensate for reduced eye movement. This combined with a wide cornea increases the animals field of view allowing the head and eyes to remain motionless.

Rattlesnakes and other pit vipers use their eyes to see during the day. But at night they use infrared sensory organs to detect and hunt warm-blooded prey. These infrared "eyes" are cuplike structures that form crude images as infrared radiation hits a heat sensitive retina.

3. Electric Sense
Electric fields are used in numerous ways by animals. Some aquatic animals, including sharks, can pick up tiny electrical signals given off by their prey. Electric eels and some rays have modified muscle cells that produce an electric charge strong enough to shock and sometimes kill their prey. Other fish use weaker electric fields to navigate murky waters or to monitor their surroundings. For instance, bony fish and some frogs have a lateral line, a row of sensory pores in the skin, that enables them to detect electrical current in water.

4. Magnetic Sense
Together, the flow of molten material in the earth's core and the flow of ions in the atmosphere generate a magnetic field that surrounds the earth. Amazingly, a number of animals are able to sense this magnetic field. It is believed that many migratory animals can detect the Earth's magnetic field to help find their way. Just as a compass helps us navigate by detecting magnetic north, animals who possess magnetic sense are able to identify direction and navigate long distances. Behavioral studies have revealed that many animals including honey bees, sharks, sea turtles, rays, homing pigeons, migratory birds, tuna, and salmon all have magnetic sense.

Can Animals Sense Natural Disasters?
Animals have keen senses that help them avoid predators or locate prey. It is thought that these senses might also help them detect pending disasters. Several countries have conducted research on the detection of earthquakes by animals. There are two theories as to how animals may be able to detect earthquakes. One theory is that animals sense the earth's vibrations. Another is that they can detect changes in the air or gases released by the earth. There has been no conclusive evidence as to how animals may be able to sense earthquakes. Some researchers believe the animals at Yala National Park were able to detect the earthquake and move to higher ground before the tsunami hit, causing massive waves and flooding.

Other researchers are skeptical about using animals as earthquake and natural disaster detectors. They site the difficulty of developing a controlled study that can connect a specific animal behavior with an earthquake occurrence. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) officially states: *Changes in animal behavior cannot be used to predict earthquakes. Even though there have been documented cases of unusual animal behavior prior to earthquakes, a reproducible connection between a specific behavior and the occurrence of an earthquake has not been made. Because of their finely tuned senses, animals can often feel the earthquake at its earliest stages before the humans around it can. This feeds the myth that the animal knew the earthquake was coming. But animals also change their behavior for many reasons, and given that an earthquake can shake millions of people, it is likely that a few of their pets will, by chance, be acting strangely before an earthquake.

Although scientists disagree as to whether animal behavior can be used to predict earthquakes and natural disasters, they all agree that it is possible for animals to sense changes in the environment before humans. Researchers around the world are continuing to study animal behavior and earthquakes. It is hoped that these studies will help to aid earthquake predictions.

Do animals have better senses than us?
Many animals have far keener senses than humans. Sight is our most important sense, but birds such as falcons have much sharper vision. Some insects can detect ultraviolet light, which we cannot see. A bloodhound's nose is many times more sensitive than a human's. Bats, whales and elephants can detect very high or low sounds that we cannot hear.

Amazing Animal Sense

Greyhounds Dogs Lovers

2007-05-04T11:34:00.000+08:00

The Greyhound, which was mentioned in the Old Testament ( Proverbs 30:29-31), is a breed that is known to be originated from Egypt and it is one of the oldest breeds of dogs. There were known to be drawings of dogs resembling greyhounds in vases and tombs dated from the Ancient Egypt 8000 years ago.

Greyhounds have dark eyes and a long, graceful tail. They are large with long legs and powerfully built with narrow bodies. Unlike many other breeds, a Greyhound is not necessary grey. They can be of any colour. Having a quiet and affectionate personality, the Greyhound is loved by both children and adults. They are favoured by most pets lovers all over the world for their friendliness and for the fact that they do not need much exercise. They have special ability to run fast and they were where they were used to run down prey in ancient Egypt.

The Greyhounds have life span of 10 to 15 years. They have short, smooth and velvety coat. For such reasons, they may be easy to groom and handle, but as with other dog breeds, there are numerous Greyhounds that are abandoned by their most trusted pet owners every now and then. Greyhounds are sociable dogs. When kept as pets, all dogs regards their pet owners and the family members as their family. They love to spend time with their family and they can be very playful. However, for some reasons or another, there are many pet owners who abandon their pets, Greyhounds being one such breeds among the many others.

Not all pets that are abandoned are bad -- diseased, bad-tempered, shed too much hair etc. I have seen friends and relatives who have their pets dogs adopted and they are just as wonderful as 'new' dogs. Some of them are as young as one year, and some may be as old as five or even more. Recently my niece has found a schnauzer on the road! It is a good pet -- toilet trained, friendly and so amiable. For people who do not wish to go through the hassle of looking after puppies, adopting a pet is a good choice. In addition, buying a new pet can be very costly. Adoption is so much cheaper than buying a new puppy. Owning one of these dogs can be overwhelming at first. However, with persevere, love, commitment, patience and care, you can end up with a wonderful, devoted family pet for many years to come.

If you are a dog lover, especially a lover of Greyhound, then you should take a look at Greyt Inspirations. All the pictures that you see here in this post are all taken from there. There are more pictures to be found there at the site (more than 50 pages). I have managed to show these few which I like. Greyt inspirations has everything you would need to look for when it comes to your pet dogs. You love dogs. You keep dogs. You want your dogs to receive good things, be pampered and to shower him or her with love. You want to be surrounded by dogs because you are crazy for dogs. Greyt inspirations has everything you want to look for -- dog collars, leashes, shirts, caps and many more just for your dogs. What's more, shopping online has added advantage of shopping in the comfort of your home and you don't have to bear the 'bad odour' of the pet shops. Shopping at such a great place as Greyt inspirations allows you to shop for your pets as well as for yourself! There are jackets, golf-shirts, stained glass and many more. They even think of sending gifts for your dog-lovers' friends -- gift certificates, charms etc.

Greyt Inspirationsspecializes in embroidered and personalized products for pets and people. Specifically, martingale dog collars, leashes, and embroidered clothing. It is a comprehensive website which contains what every pet owners would want to know and do for their pets dogs. It is also a site for dogs lovers. There are more than 50 pages of dogs photographs that you can view too. If you would like to adopt a dog, contribute your love and care for these poor animals, then you should visit Greyt Inspirations. Visiting their site, may even win you prizes in their contests!

If you love animals, especially dogs, check this site (www.greytinspirations.com) out now!

Animals Behaviour

2007-04-29T09:37:00.000+08:00

Picture of hedgehogs A hedgehog is any of the small spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha.

In order to survive, all animals must eat and avoid being eaten. They also driven to reproduce so their species does not die out. Most animal behaviour is geared to these basic goals. Some behaviour is learned, the rest is controlled by instinct.

Picture of a Pufferfish: Pufferfish defend themselves by inflating their bodies with water. Along with their spines, this makes them harder for bigger fish to swallow. Many other species are also covered with spines to protect them from even the largest of predators.

How do animals defend themselves?
Animals behave in many different ways to escape danger. Some are camouflaged to blend in with their surroundings. Behaviour such as keeping still completes their disguise. Some species defend themselves with more complex behaviour, such as pretending to be injured or dead. Hedgehogs and armadillos roll into a ball to ward off predators.

Picture of Armadillo

Some interesting facts about armadillos include:

Armadillos enjoy eating ants and they can devour up to 40,000 in one meal. Each armadillo eats up to 200 lbs of bugs a year. That's over 6 billion pounds of bugs for the entire US population of 'dillos per year.

Armadillos sleep over 17 hours a day, with 3 hours of REM sleep. Humans only have 2 hours of REM sleep.

Armadillos are the only mammals that always give birth to four identical young. All four develop from the same egg and share the same placenta.

How important is instinct?
Instinct plays a major part in the behaviour of animals, especially animals that are not reared by their parents. For example, when danger threatens, snals instinctively withdraw inside their shells. Animals also learn by trial and error, repeating actions that are productive and abandoning ones that are not.

Baby birds such as goslings (young geese) instinctively follow the first animal they see after hatching. This is usually their own mother, but goslings have also been known to waddle around after humans and dogs.

Why do animals follow regular cycles?
All animals follow regular cycles to help them survive. Many creatures are active by day, when their sense work best. Others come out at night to avoid predators, or take advantage of feeding opportunities. Most animals also follow yearly cycles, usually bearing young when food is abundant.

Clownfish hide from their enemies among the stinging tentacles of sea anemones. The fish's skin releases chemicals that stop the anemone's cells from firing. Clownfish are found in tropical seas around the world.

Feeding In Animals

2007-04-28T21:27:00.000+08:00

Picture of Grizzly bear: Bears eat many food, including fruit, nuts, roots, honey, carrion (dead animals), small mammals, and salmon too.

All animals must eat other organisms to survive. Animals can be divided into two main groups, according to their feeding habits -- carnivores (meat-eaters) and herbivores (plant-eaters). Most animals eat either meat or plants, but omnivores eat both. The word omnivore means 'everything-eater'. Bears, humans and pigs are omnivores. In our diet, we carry on the traditions of our early ancestors, who killed game and also gathered berries and nuts.

Most carnivores are predators -- animals that hunt other animals for food. Predators usually have sharp teeth, claws or beaks to tear apart their prey. Animal flesh is nourishing, so predators do not have to kill very often. It is also easy to digest.

A shark's teeth are sharp and pointed to rip prey to pieces. They grow in rows and are continually shed and replaced. Some species may get through as many as 30000 teeth in a lifetime. Not all sharks are predators -- the largest, the whale shark, is a filter-feeder.

Filter-feeding is a feeding method works by sifting large amounts of small organisms from water. It is a bit like using a sieve to catch prey. Filter-feeders come in a variety of shapes and sizes -- barnacles, flamingos, and baleen whales (including the blue whale) all feed in this way.

Top predators such as lions, sharks and eagles rely on strength and speed to overcome their victims. Smaller or weaker hunters may rely on stealth or special techniques to capture prey. Some predators, such as wolves, hunt in packs. Spiders spin webs to tangle up victims. Rattlesnakes kill their prey with venom.

Hyenas and vultures are scavengers -- meat-eaters that get their food from the abandoned kills of others.

Scavengers are animals that feed on dead or injured animals. Scavengers are not usually held in high esteem, but they have a job to do: they clean the earth of organic garbage.

Some birds, such as toucan, specialize in eating fruit. Toucan's bill is extra-large for probing through vegetation. Packed with sugars, fruit is much more nourishing than leaves and far easier to digest. However, it is also more scattered and harder to find. Many fruit-eating birds sometimes have to eat insects. It is only in tropical rainforest that birds can find fruit all year round.

The jaws, teeth, and stomachs of herbivores are designed to tackle tough plant food. Compared with meat, plants are not very nourishing, so many herbivores spend long hours feeding.

Plants contain tough cellulose, which is hard to digest. Many herbivores' stomachs are filled with microbes, which break down cellulose. Some plant-eaters, such as cattle, have stomachs with several chambers. After passing through some chambers, food is returned to the mouth for more chewing to help break it down.

Herbivores do not need quick wits to capture their food, but they must be swift or have some means of defence to avoid being eaten by predators. Many are camouflaged to blend in with their surroundings, so that hunters do not notice them. Others have tough skin, spines or even poison to put off enemies.

Animals Communication

2007-04-25T09:02:00.000+08:00

Picture of Vervet Monkeys

Animals communicate with their own kind or other species to coordinate the search for food, attract mates, bring up young, or escape from danger. Various species send signals using sight, sounds, body language, touch, scent, complex chemicals, or a combination of all of these.

Intelligent mammals such as chimpanzees communicate with others using sounds, scent, touch, body language, and facial expressions. Chimps can even be taught to communicate with humans using sign language.

When do animals use visual signals?
Close-range visual signals are used to send a variety of messages, such as "Food is near" or "Keep away!" Birds from peacocks to robins attract mates using bright colours. Fireflies do the same with light. The white flash of a fleeing rabbit's tail warns others of danger.

Why do animals communicate with sound?
Sound signals carry over considerable distances and give information immediately. Songbirds and howler monkeys call to establish territories. Whales, frogs, and crickets sing to attract a mate. Vervet monkeys warn others of different enemies by using different sounds.

A wolf can give over 20 different messages by raising or flattening its ears, back, tail and neck hairs, or by baring or hiding its teeth.

Do animals always tell the truth?
When animals communicate with their enemies, their messages are not always truthful. Dogs, cats and other animals raise their hackles, arch their backs, or puff themselves up to look bigger. Opossums play dead to fool their enemies. Some animals mimic the appearance of dangerous creatures.

Pheromones released by a queen bee prevent other fertile females from developing. If the queen goes missing and the pheromones are no longer released, new queens are reared. One of these will eventually take over the hive.

Why do animals use pheromones?
Animals use scent signals called pheromones to affect the behaviour of others. These complex chemicals, which include hormones, are most often transferred by air. Female moths release pheromones to attract males. In ant, bee, and termite colonies, the queen releases pheromones to convey all sorts of messages to the rest of the colony.

Visual signals can be used for defence. This hawkmoth caterpillar (picture on the left) has evolved a tail that looks like a snake's head. Predators are scared off by the disguise, even though the caterpillar is harmless.

Animals Facts

2007-04-20T11:00:00.000+08:00

The cheetah is the world's fastest land animal, capable of speed of up to 96km/h in short bursts. It hunts by ambush, creeping as close as it can to its prey before rushing in for the kill.

Animals are grouped into two main types -- vertebrates with an inner skeleton, including a backbone and invertebrates without a backbone. As many as ten million species (different kinds) of animals -- all with their own modes of behaviour live on earth.

A chameleon is camouflaged to blend in with its surroundings, and moves around slowly to avoid detection by its predators and prey. To feed, the chameleon shoots out its tongue at a lightning-fast speed to hit insects before they have time to react.

Which features do all animals have in common?
All animals have bodies made up of many different cells and eat other organisms to survive. Unlike plants or fungi, which are rooted in one place, animals move about to find food, escape from enemies, and find a mate. Almost all animals breathe oxygen, either from the air or from water.

What is the world's fastest animals?
The world's fastest animal is the peregrine falcon, which can exceed 200km/h when diving through the air after prey. The fastest-powered flight is that of the spine-tailed swift. It travels at up to 170km/h. The quickest animal in water is the sailfish, which can swim at up to 109km/h.

What are warm-blooded animals?
Warm-blooded animals are those that generate their own body heat from food. Birds and mammals are warm-blooded. All other animals, including fish, reptiles, amphibians, and insects, are cold-blooded. Their body temperatures rise and fall with the temperature of their surroundings. These animals are less active in cold weather but require less food.

The Asian Elephant is the world's second largest land animal (the African elephant is the largest). Like all mammals, it is warm-blooded. Due to the size, elephants can have trouble keeping cool. One solution is to seek water. Elephants also flap their ears to cool the blood flowing through them.

How big do animals grow?
Some animals grow to enormous sizes. The world's biggest animal, the blue whale, may reach 28m long and weigh almost 150 tonnes. On the other hand, some animals are too small to be seen with the naked eye. The world's tiniest animals are creatures called mesozoans. They consist of fewer than 50 cells and measure less than 0.5mm in length.

Leaf-cutter ants ( Atta sexdens ) live in colonies of closely related individuals, all hatched from eggs laid by a single queen. Most become worker ants.

Nice Pictures Of Hyena

2007-01-11T22:30:00.000+08:00

The scientific name of the hyena is Crocuta crocuta. These strong runners are more closely related to mongooses and cats than they are to dogs (whom they superficially resemble).
The hyena is a meat-eater that lives in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert, and in parts of the Middle East and Asia. Hyenas live in a variety of habitats, including savannas, dry plains, and brush. They are territorial, social animals that live in large groups called clans. Hyenas have an average life span of 12 years and can live up to 25 years.

Spotted hyenas are found in grasslands, woodlands, savannas, subdeserts, forest edges and mountains.

When excited, a spotted hyena makes a giggling sound; this animal is often called the laughing hyena. There are many subspecies of hyenas, including the spotted hyena, the brown hyena, the striped hyena, and the aardwolf.

Hyenas have a short, rough coat that is mottled, containing brown, tan and red colors. They have strong shoulders and a sloping back. The nose is black. Male and female hyenas are hard to distinguish because they have similar-looking external reproductive organs. Hyenas weigh from 82 to 190 pounds (37-86 kg). The spotted hyena is about 45 inches (114 cm) long plus a 13 inch (33 cm) tail. Female hyenas give birth to twins after a 3 to 4 month pregnancy.

Hyenas are primarily meat-eaters; they eat wildebeest (gnu), zebra, gazelle, buffalo, topi, eggs, insects, and fruit. Although they often kill prey, they are also scavengers, eating dead animals that they find. Lions often steal kill from hyenas. Hyenas have powerful jaws and sharp teeth that they use to break open bones so thay they can eat the bone and marrow. They have very strong digestive systems; they can digest bones, teeth, tough skin, and horn! Hyenas can go without water for several days.

The population of the hyena is dropping. Too many hyenas have been hunted. In North Africa the striped hyena is endangered. An endangered animal is in danger of disappearing forever. But there are still huge places that animals are safe from people. Hyenas will have to live in fewer places in the future.

Lions are the hyena’s biggest enemies. Sometimes lions kill hyenas, but they don’t eat the hyena they kill. Lions and hyenas hunt the same foods. Usually they steal food from each other. Big groups of hyenas sometimes attack lions. The groups of hyenas kill the young or sick lions. Hyenas rarely eat the lions they kill. Jackals steal hyenas’ food. This is how they do it: one jackal gets the hyena to chase it, the other one steals the food. Sometimes hyenas and wild dogs compete with each other.

Hyena

2007-01-10T23:29:00.000+08:00

Hyenas (Hyaenas) are moderately large terrestrial carnivores native to Africa and the Indian subcontinent. They are members of the family Hyaenidae. They are known for a chirping, birdlike bark that resembles the sound of hysterical human laughter.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Hyaenidae

The hyena is Africa's most common large carnivore. Over the years hyenas and humans have come into close contact in Africa and, in earlier times, in Asia and in Europe, often leading to mutual predation. In ancient Egypt hyenas were domesticated, fattened and eaten, and in turn humans have on occasion become food for hyenas. Reputed to be cowardly and timid, the hyena can be bold and dangerous, attacking animals and humans.

The hyena is a carnivore. Hyenas are predators. Predators hunt and eat other animals. Hyenas will eat almost any animal they can catch. They usually hunt zebras, antelope and gazelle. Hyenas use their sense of smell to scavenge. They search through waste for food. Hyenas eat food that lions may have left behind. Hyenas sometimes follow vultures. Vultures are birds that scavenge for dead animals. Hyenas will eat the dead animals that vultures find. Hyenas can eat any part of an animal. Even the bones, their powerful jaws help them crush bones.

Once a kill is made, and after a clan of hyenas start feeding, the hyena makes its laughing sounds. Because of these sounds the hyena is usually called the laughing hyena. Once these sounds are made, the other hyenas know that the hunting pack has found food. A hyena finds nothing funny, it just sounds like laughter to us. Its calls are like talking to other hyenas. Hyenas use calls for danger or when food is near by.

Behavior

Spotted hyenas are organized into territorial clans of related individuals. The center of clan activity is the den, where the cubs are raised and individuals meet. Hyenas mark and patrol their territories by depositing a strong-smelling substance produced by the anal glands on stalks of grass along the boundaries. "Latrines" , places where members of a clan deposit their droppings, also mark territories. Hyenas are social animals that communicate with one another through specific calls, postures and signals.

Hyenas usually bear litters of two to four cubs, which, unlike the other two species, are born with their eyes open. Cubs begin to eat meat from kills near the den at about 5 months, but they are suckled for as long as 12 to 18 months, an unusually long time for carnivores. This is probably a necessity, as most kills are made far from the den, and hyenas, unlike jackals and hunting dogs, do not bring back food and regurgitate it for their young. At about 1 year, cubs begin to follow their mothers on their hunting and scavenging forays. Until then, they are left behind at the den with a babysitting adult.

Physiology
Although hyenas bear some physical resemblance to wild dogs, they make up a separate biological family which is most closely related to Herpestidae (the family of mongooses and meerkats). The hyena has one of the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom and an adult of the species has only the large cats of the family Felidae (Lions, Tigers, etc.) to fear. An adult hyena's bite pressure can reach 50 kilograms per cm² (800 lb per square inch), allowing it to easily crush bone.

Hyenas range in length from 1.2–1.5 meters (3.9–4.9 ft) including the tail, which is 30 cm (12 inches) in length. An adult hyena weighs between 25 and 55 kg (55–120 lb). The pelt can be light to dark-brown on brown hyenas, while the color can be grey, sometimes nearly white on striped hyenas. Aardwolves have a warm, sand-colored coat, while the coats of spotted hyenas can range from dark-brown fur to amber and reddish in color. However, some Hyenas have spots.

Their front legs are longer than their back legs, giving them their distinctive gait. This feature, along with the fact that they have a heart twice the size of an adult lion's, allows them to stalk their prey for many miles at about 10 km/h (6 mph), waiting for it to become exhausted. They can then move in very quickly, at speeds of up to 50 km/h (30 mph).

Reproduction and Life Span
A female hyena has from 1 to 5 babies. A hyena pup weighs 3 pounds at birth. Hyenas are born in a hole in the ground so they can be safe from lions, jackals and other hyena clans. Hyenas turn in to adults at the age of two or three. A spotted hyena lives to the 41, a striped hyena lives to be 24! Newborn hyena cubs’ eyes are closed for about two weeks. The cubs spend most of their time in the den. Female hyenas spend a lot of their time near the den. Some dens may hold up to 20 cubs. Males are more likely to leave their clans than females.

Female spotted hyenas are dominant over the males and outweigh them by about 3 pounds. It is difficult to distinguish between the sexes in the field because external female genitalia have a superficial similarity to those of the male. Why the female hyena developed in this manner is unknown, but it may have been necessary for them to appear large and strong to protect their young from males, as hyenas have cannibalistic tendencies.

Interesting Facts About Hyena
Hyenas leave their clan after one year. Males are more likely to leave than females.

Hyenas usually hunt in pairs. More striped hyenas hunt alone than any other kind of hyena.

Hyenas make a variety of vocalizations, including wailing calls, howling screams and the well-known "laughter" used to alert other clan members up to three miles away of a food source.

Origins Of Canine

2007-01-03T09:34:00.000+08:00

Picture of Dingo: The Dingo was brought to Australia as a domesticated dog by the first immigrants thousands of years ago, and has since returned to the wild.

About sixty million years ago, a small mammal rather like a weasel or polecat clambered through the primeval forests. Its name was Miacis and it was the ancestor of the group of animals that we call canids: the dog, jackal, wolf, and fox family.

Unlike modern dogs that walk on their toes, Miacis was flat-footed. It had a carnivore's teeth and a smallish brain, but was more intelligent than its contemporaries, the creodonts, another group of primitive meat-eaters. The creodonts were much more common than Miacis, but gradually became extinct, the last one dying out around twenty million years ago.

Picture of Saluki: The Saluki shares common ancestry with the Greyhound, and originated in the area now known as Syria at least 4000 years ago.

Canine Ancestors
By around thirty-five million years ago, Miacis had given rise to a variety of early canids. We know of over forty types, some like bears, some like hyenas, and some like cats. Some, however, were like dogs: Cynodictis, for example, resembled a primitive Cardigan Welsh Corgi. These dog-like canids were the only ones to survive the evolutionary process, and some of them provided the basis for the domestic dog.

Dogs as we know them first came on the scene in Eurasia between 12 000 and 14 000 years ago. From what kind of animal did they directly spring? It was originally thought that their ancestor was a form of jackal or jackal/wolf cross. Scientists now believe, however, that it was the smaller southern strain of the grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) still to be found in India. During the period in question the grey wolf (despite its name, an animal with a wide variety of coat colours) was distributed throughout Europe, Asia and North America.

Other possible dog ancestors include the woolly wolf of northern India and Tibet and the desert wolf of the Middle East. It is, however, certain that all domestic dogts sprang from one of these sources (or possibly more than one, in parallel development), and that they are not genetically connected with any other species.

Picture of Basenji: The Basenji comes from Africa and is an oddity among domestic dogs, having a similar reproductive cycle to wild dogs, and no bark.

Dog Diversification
Because of their intelligence, versatility, and use of social cooperation within the pack, wild dogs spread quickly all over the world. The Dingo, however which many believe was the basic type of Canis from which the modern dog evolved, was already domesticated when it was introduced to Australia thousands of yeas ago by the first immigrants. Wild dogs were probably domesticated in different ways in different parts of the world; some while scavenging for food around human settlements, others when early man hunted dogs for food and took litters of puppies back to the homestead for fattening up.

From bones and fossils found around the world and dated back to about 6500 years ago, we can say that at that period there were five different types of dogs: Mastiffs, wolf-like dogs, Greyhounds, Pointer-type dogs, and sheepdogs. Since then, thousands of breeds have been developed by both artificial and natural selection. But over the centuries many have been lsot, and only about 400 remain today.

When the Europeans first arrived in North and South America int he fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, for example, they found at least twenty distinct dog breeds: now the Mexican Hairless, Eskimo Dog, and Peruvian and Chilean Wild Dogs are among the few surviving natives. Other ancient breeds include the Basenji, native to Africa, and from the Middle East, the equally venerable Saluki and the Afghan.

Pet Dogs
Our relationship with the dog is much more varied, intense and interdependent than with any other living species. The pact works because we understand each other so well. Both of us are naturally playful, gregariously sociable animals that instinctively defend our territories and hunt for our food. The dog's superior physical design and sense were obvious to our ancestors and by harnessing these attributes, the dog became -- and still remains throughout the world -- our best animal friend. That relationship, with dogs more popular now than have ever been.

Picture of Labradoodle: A Labradoodle is a crossbred dog created by crossing the Labrador Retriever and the Standard Poodle.

Did You Know
The Labradoodle is a popular, relatively new hybrid dog breed; a cross between the Labrador and the Poodle. The Labradoodle originated in Australia in the 1970's when the Guide Dog Associations were seeking a non shedding, low allergy dog for a blind lady in Hawaii. They bred a Standard Poodle to a Labrador Retriever. From the first litter of eight puppies, three were found to have the hoped for coat qualities and this exciting discovery led to further breeding until the Labradoodle became well known for its Guide Dog work in that country.

Labradoodle is a website that contains Labradoodle forums and breeder directory. You can find information about dogs breeds, dogs training, dogs gifts, dogs books and more. For people who love to view photos, Labradoodle contains a gallery of Labradoodle photos!

Unusual Scene

2006-12-14T22:06:00.000+08:00

A True Story about a Hippo stranded after the Tsunami NAIROBI (AFP) -
A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP.

"After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added.

"The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.

"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," she explained.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Animals Diabetes

2006-12-13T17:46:00.000+08:00

Diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin. Insulin is required for the body to efficiently use sugars, fats and proteins.

Diabetes most commonly occurs in middle age to older dogs and cats, but occasionally occurs in young animals. When diabetes occurs in young animals, it is often genetic and may occur in related animals. Diabetes mellitus occurs more commonly in female dogs and in male cats.

Certain conditions predispose a dog or cat to developing diabetes. Animals that are overweight or those with inflammation of the pancreas are predisposed to developing diabetes. Some drugs can interfere with insulin, leading to diabetes. Glucocorticoids, which are cortisone-type drugs, and hormones used for heat control are drugs that are most likely to cause diabetes. These are commonly used drugs and only a small percentage of animals receiving these drugs develop diabetes after long term use.

The body needs insulin to use sugar, fat and protein from the diet for energy. Without insulin, sugar accumulates in the blood and spills into the urine. Sugar in the urine causes the pet to pass large amounts of urine and to drink lots of water. Levels of sugar in the brain control appetite. Without insulin, the brain becomes sugar deprived and the animal is constantly hungry, yet they may lose weight due to improper use of nutrients from the diet. Untreated diabetic pets are more likely to develop infections and commonly get bladder, kidney, or skin infections. Diabetic dogs, and rarely cats, can develop cataracts in the eyes. Cataracts are caused by the accumulation of water in the lens and can lead to blindness. Fat accumulates in the liver of animals with diabetes. Less common signs of diabetes are weakness or abnormal gait due to nerve or muscle dysfunction.

There are 2 forms of diabetes: un- complicated and keto- acidosis. There are two major forms of diabetes in the dog and cat:
1) uncomplicated diabetes, and
2) diabetes with ketoacidosis.

Pets with uncomplicated diabetes may have the signs just described but are not extremely ill. Diabetic pets with ketoacidosis are very ill and may be vomiting and depressed.

The diagnosis of diabetes is made by finding a large increase in blood sugar and a large amount of sugar in the urine. Animals, especially cats, stressed by having a blood sample drawn, can have a temporary increase in blood sugar, but there is no sugar in the urine. A blood screen of other organs is obtained to look for changes in the liver, kidney and pancreas. A urine sample may be cultured to look for infection of the kidneys or bladder. Diabetic animals with ketoacidosis may have an elevation of waste products that are normally removed by the kidneys.

Diabetes is not a curable disease, but with proper insulin administration, the disease can be controlled. Although not the most common of dog diseases, as many as several hundred thousand dogs may be affected.

Diabetes Treatment
1. Diet
Diet is a critical component of treatment, and is in many cases effective on its own. For example, a recent mini-study showed that many diabetic cats stopped needing insulin after changing to a low-carbohydrate diet. The rationale is that a low-carbohydrate diet reduces the amount of insulin needed and keeps the variation in blood sugar low and easier to predict. Also, fats and proteins are, in dogs and perhaps cats, turned into blood glucose much more slowly and evenly than carbohydrates, reducing blood-sugar highs right after mealtimes.

Latest veterinary good practise is to recommend a low-carb diet for cats, and a high-fiber, moderate-carb diet for dogs. In dogs another alternative is to feed a normal healthy diet but give mealtime insulin bolus supplements. Dogs with pancreatitis, a fairly common condition for diabetic dogs, often need a restricted-fat diet.

It's now becoming clear that lower carbohydrate diets will significantly lower insulin requirements for diabetic cats. Carbohydrate levels are highest in dry cat foods (even the expensive prescription types) so cats are best off usually with a low-carb healthy canned diet. Some prescription canned foods made for diabetic cats are effective, but some ordinary ones work just as well. Between 3 and 9% calories from carbohydrates seems to be optimal. These lists of common commercial cat foods and their carbohydrate energy content are kept up-to date.

2. Insulin injections
Humans with Type-1 diabetes are often treated with a "basal plus bolus" method, where a long-acting insulin is injected once or twice daily to provide a "basal" insulin level, then shorter-acting insulin is used just before mealtimes.

For cats, a "basal" method is usually employed instead -- a single slow-acting dose, twice daily, along with a very low-carb diet, attempts to keep the blood sugar within a recommended range for the entire day. In this case it's important for the pet to avoid large meals, since they can seriously affect the blood sugar. (Meals may also be timed to coincide with peak insulin activity.) Once-daily doses are not recommended for most cats, since insulin usually metabolizes faster in cats than in dogs or humans; an insulin brand that lasts 24 hours in people may only be good for about 12 in a cat.

For dogs, either of the above two methods may be used. Since a dog is naturally omnivorous, a low-carb diet is unnatural. But either a basal-only method combined with a high-fiber diet, or a basal-bolus method along with a normal canine diet, can be effective.

3. Medications
Diaxol, an all-natural product reverses pet's diabetes. Diaxol helps to lower pet's blood sugar and heal pet diabetes. Diabetes animals treated with Diaxol™ has show improvement throughout the body, its effect being decreases blood sugar levels, eliminates insulin resistance, enhances cell repair, increases nutrient absorption and directly detoxifies the body. Diaxol™, has been clinically proven to be 99% effective for pet diabetes. It contains no chemically generated-compounds, fillers, or artificial additives and unlike pharmaceutical drugs, Diaxol™ does not require a prescription and has ZERO negative side effects.

It's always best to prevent diabetes than trying desperately to cure it. Keep your dog healthy! Take good care of your dog. Watch what your dog eats.

Funny Animals Pictures

2006-12-12T23:13:00.000+08:00

In a zoo in California, a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of triplet tiger cubs.

Unfortunately, due to complications in the pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size, died shortly after birth.

The mother tiger after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started to decline in health, although physically she was fine. The veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression.

The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve. After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to the mourning mother.

The veterinarians decided to try something that had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one species will take on the care of a different species. The only "orphans" that could be found quickly, were a litter of wiener pigs. The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger.

Cartilaginous Fish

2006-11-11T17:20:00.000+08:00

Picture of spiny dogfish(Squalus acanthias)

The best-known members of this group are the sharks, but it also contains dogfish, whihc look like small sharks, and skates and rays, which are a bit like sharks that have been rolled flat. Sharks and dogfish belong to the order Selachii, while skates and rays are grouped in the order Batoidea.

Picture of Wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus)

The skeletons of all these fish are made of cartilage, not bone. Cartilage is not as strong as bone, but it still provides a stiff skeleton.

Picture Of Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)

Many cartilaginous fish are meat-eaters and have rows of very sharp teeth for tearing off chunks of flesh. Indeed, there can be up to 3000 teeth in a shark's mouth. They are continuously replaced as they are worn down, and a shark may have as many as 20 000 teeth during its life.

A shark's lower teeth are rather thin and spiky, but its upper ones are triangular and very sharp. When a shark bites, it tears the flesh of its prey either by shaking its head from side to side, or by rolling over. Both these methods make the shark's upper teeth slash a deep groove.

Picture of Mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)

There are about 370 species of shark. Although most are quite harmless to people, several species occasionally attack swimmers. The most dangerous are the Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), the Mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) and the Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier).

Picture of Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

Sharks Links

WHALE SHARK

Spiny dogfish ( Squalus acanthias )

Some Pictures of Shark

More Facts about Shark

Shark

Steve Irwin Killed

2006-11-02T13:24:00.000+08:00

'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin killed
Source: BBC News Monday, 4 September 2006, 12:12 GMT 13:12 UK

The naturalist worked to protect Australian wildlife

Australian naturalist and television personality Steve Irwin has been killed by a stingray during a diving expedition off the Australian coast.

Mr Irwin, 44, died after being struck in the chest by the stingray's barb while he was filming a documentary in Queensland's Great Barrier Reef.

Paramedics from Cairns rushed to the scene but were unable to save him.

Mr Irwin was known for his television show The Crocodile Hunter and his work with native Australian wildlife.

Police in Queensland confirmed the environmentalist's death and said his family had been notified. Mr Irwin was married with two young children.

Mr Irwin's manager John Stainton told the BBC the stingray's barb had pierced the personality's heart.

"He came over the top of a stingray and a barb, the stingray's barb went up and put a hole into his heart," he said.

"We got him back within a couple of minutes to Croc 1, which is Steve's research vessel, and by 12 o'clock when the emergency crew arrived they pronounced him dead."

The incident happened at Batt Reef, off Port Douglas.

John Howard, Australian Prime Minister,
"It's a huge loss to Australia - he was a wonderful character."

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he had known Mr Irwin well, and that the country had lost a "wonderful and colourful son".

"I am quite shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden untimely and freakish death", he said.

"It's a huge loss to Australia - he was a wonderful character, he was a passionate environmentalist, he brought entertainment and excitement to millions of people."

The stingray is a flat, triangular-shaped fish, commonly found in tropical waters.

Dr Geoff Isbister, Clinical toxicologist,"What happened to Steve Irwin is like being stabbed in the heart."

It gets its name from the razor-sharp barb at the end of its tail, coated in toxic venom, which the animal uses to defend itself with when it feels threatened.

Attacks on humans are a rarity - only one other person is known to have died in Australia from a stingray attack, at St Kilda, Melbourne in 1945.

"Stingrays only sting in defence, they're not aggressive animals so the animal must have felt threatened. It didn't sting out of aggression, it stung out of fear," Dr Bryan Fry, Deputy Director of the Australian Venom Research Unit at the University of Melbourne said.

Experts say that while painful, stingray venom is rarely lethal and it would have been the wound caused by the barb itself, which could measure up to 20cm long, which proved fatal.

STINGRAYS
Members of the Dasyatidae family of cartilaginous fish, with about 70 species worldwide
Mostly found in tropical seas, but exist in freshwater too
Feed primarily on molluscs and crustaceans on sea floor
Swim with flying motion using large pectoral wings
Usually docile, not known to attack aggressively
Equipped with venom-coated razor-sharp barbed or serrated tail, up to 20cm long

"What happened to Steve Irwin is like being stabbed in the heart. It has little to do with the venom and all to do with the trauma caused by the barb of the stingray," Dr Geoff Isbister, a clinical toxicologist at the Mater Hospital in Newcastle, Australia, said.

Mr Irwin had built up what was a small reptile park in Queensland into what is now Australia Zoo, a major centre for Australian wildlife.

He was famous for handling dangerous creatures such as crocodiles, snakes and spiders, and his documentaries on his work with crocodiles drew a worldwide audience.

But he also courted controversy with a series of stunts.

He sparked outrage across Australia after cradling his one-month-old son a metre away from the reptile during a show at Australia Zoo.

An investigation was launched into whether Mr Irwin and his team interacted too closely with penguins and whales while filming in the Antarctic, but no action was taken.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer praised Mr Irwin for his work to promote Australia.

Crocodile Hunter News

2006-11-01T13:22:00.000+08:00

'Crocodile Hunter' Believed He Would Die

Source: By ROHAN SULLIVAN, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, September 27, 2006 08 19 AM

(09-27) 07:19 PDT SYDNEY, Australia (AP) --

"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin always felt he would die early, but that he would be killed in a car wreck and not by an animal, his widow says.

In an interview with Australia's Nine Network that aired Wednesday, Terri Irwin said her husband, who died from the jab of a stingray Sept. 4, had an uncanny way with animals that both of them believed would keep him safe as he caught crocodiles, snatched up snakes and played with other dangerous beasts.

"I never thought it would be an animal, he never thought it would be an animal," Irwin said. "I thought he would fall out of a tree, he thought it would be a car accident."

Asked by interviewer Ray Martin if Irwin believed he would die early, Terri Irwin said, "He had a very strong conviction that he would. To the point where I'm grateful in a way, because we're prepared."

Irwin, 44, died minutes after a stingray's barb pierced his chest while he filmed a TV show on the Great Barrier Reef. His death prompted an unprecedented outpouring of grief in Australia and among millions of fans of his TV show, "Crocodile Hunter."

In an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters that was to air Wednesday in the United States, Irwin she said she hasn't seen the film of her husband's deadly encounter with the stingray and that it won't ever be shown on television.

"What purpose would that serve?" the American-born Irwin said. Excerpts of the interview were released in advance by ABC.

Irwin's friend and business partner, John Stainton, has seen the film. He told Walters he never wants to see it again and doesn't want anyone else to see it. "It's just a horrible piece of film tape," he said.

Terri Irwin was on a research trip in Australia with the couple's two children — 8-year-old daughter Bindi and 2-year-old son Bob — when her brother-in-law reached her with the news.

"I remember thinking, `Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it,'" she said. "I looked out the window, and Bindi was skipping, skipping along outside the window. And I thought, `Oh, my children. He wouldn't have wanted to leave the children.' And I knew it was an accident. It was an accident so stupid. It was like running with a pencil."

She said it's important for her family to continue the work her husband did in teaching the world about wildlife.

Irwin told Walters she is getting through her grief "one minute at a time."

Crocodile Hunger Website

CNN News

abc News

Paintings Of Owls

2006-10-19T20:15:00.000+08:00

Lengend Of Owls

In the past, owls were seen as a sorcerer's apprentices, messengers of death, demons, ill omens, or just plain bad luck. Perhaps this is because the majority of owl species are nocturnal predators. In fact, some people speculate that our traditions about Halloween ghosts may have been inspired by the barn owl, which is white, likes to live in old buildings, and is capable of making some fairly blood-curdling sounds!

There are many different stories about owls:

In the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh legends, there is a story about how the owl was created, and why the owl is rarely seen in the daylight.

An English legend tells of people who are turned into owls as punishment for greed. A baker's daughter from the city of Gloucester decides to eat half a loaf of bread which her mother has baked for Jesus Christ himself. The bread promptly grows and grows until it become a huge loaf. The girl, frightened by this miracle, begins to screech. She winds up growing the wings and beak of an owl.

In France, there is a fable by writer Jean de la Fontaine, about how the eagle and the owl swore not to eat eachother's children. When the eagle asked how he would recognize the owl's children, the owl papa replied that they were beautiful, well-formed, and fine. Unfortunately, the eagle happened to find the owl's nest one day, when the owl parents were out and about. Not recognizing the ungainly, homely owlets, the eagle mistook them for some strange new species of animal, and promptly ate them. The moral of the story -- Parents need to be more realistic about the attributes of their children.

In ancient Greek mythology, the Little Owl (athene noctua) was the bird favored by Athena, the virgin goddess of arts, crafts and war. "Owl-eyed" Athena was known for her wisdom, and was often portrayed with an owl head, or a helmet with an owl symbol on it. Since the owl was favored by the goddess, it was respected by the citizens of Athens and appeared on Athenian coins.

Unfortunately for owls, the Romans appropriated Greek gods and Athena became the Roman goddess Minerva. Minerva was allowed to keep her bird, but the Romans regarded owls as ill omens. A hooting owl was a messenger of death, destruction and evil. The writer Ovid refers to the owl as a "screechwitch" (strix) that eats babies and smells bad.

In Judeo-Christian tradition, owls are regarded as "unclean" birds. The Bible says:

"These are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey..... And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind. And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl...." (Leviticus 11:13-17)

Quite probably, this prohibition comes from the fact that these animals were thought to be carrion-eaters, or were seen in the vicinity of dead bodies. Some owls, such as the barn owl, also have a tendancy to hang around old abandoned buildings, and this may also have contributed to their association with death and destruction.

One rare positive view of the owl is found in Southern Australia. Among the aborigines, it was believed that after death, a man's soul united with a bat, and a woman's united with an owl. Because nobody could be sure whose soul was inhabiting what owl, all owls were protected.

Among some North American Indian tribes, the owl was associated with the dead. For the Ojibwa, there was a bridge over which dead people had to pass. This bridge was known as the "owl-bridge". The Kwakiutl Indians thought the owl was both a dead person, and the dead person's spirit. If you killed an owl, you might kill the person who was united with the owl, as well. Owls were therefore worthy of great respect.

Spotted Owl

2006-10-18T17:36:00.000+08:00

The Spotted Owl(Strix occidentalis) is similar to the Barred Owl but has cross-shaped markings on the underparts where the Barred Owl is alternately barred on the breast and streaked on the belly. Barred Owls are grayer than Spotted Owls. Great Gray Owl is much larger with yellow eyes. Great Horned and Long-eared Owls have ear tufts.

Habitat & Range: The Western Spotted Owl (also called the Northern Spotted Owl) is an owl that lives in dense, old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest of the USA and Canada. This non-migrating bird is an endangered species. Their numbers are decreasing because of a loss of habitat.

Appearance: The Spotted Owl is a nocturnal, woodland owl and is darkly coloured, with a round head , and dark brown eyes. Their brown plumage is heavily spotted with white on the breast and belly, with less spots on the wings, back, and head. The pale brown facial disks are concentrically ringed with dark brown. The eyebrows, lores, and bill are greyish. Its plumage is soft and fluffy, which can make the head appear oversized. Spotted Owls are placid owls, allowing close approach by humans and may be reluctant to fly. In flight, they have heavy methodical wing beats, but appear buoyant for their size. When roosting, a Spotted Owl will sit on a branch, near the trunk, where it is camouflaged against tree bark and shadows.

Size: Length: average 48cm (19") for females, 46cm (18") for males.
Wingspan: average 109cm (43") for females, 106cm (42") for males.
Weight: 518-760g (1-1.75 lbs)

Voice: The typical advertisement call is a mellow, 4-note hoot, "Whoop wu-hu hoo". Both Males and Females use it as a territorial call and mate-locating call. During territorial disputes, they give a more excited version of the call. Other calls are the "series location call", a series of 7 to 15 hoots, given during disputes and/or calls between paired birds. A "bark series" of 3 to 7 loud, rapid barks, usually given by the female during territorial squabbles, and then there is the "nest call" given during the pre-nesting period. Other sounds given when alarmed include grunts, groans, and chatters. The female often emits a loud "co-weeep" to contact her mate.

Diet: Owls are carnivores (meat-eaters). Spotted Owls are nocturnal and hunt at night. They use a keen sense of sight to find prey in the dark (owls see mostly in black and white). They have an acute sense of hearing which also helps in finding meals. Owls are stealth hunters; they can easily sneak up on their prey since their fluffy feathers give them almost silent flight. Owls hunt and eat rodents, insects, frogs, and birds. The owl is at the top of the food web; it has no major predators.

Mortality: Spotted Owls are long-lived, with captive Owls of 21 years being known.
Mortality in the wild is thought to be very high (60 to 95%) for juveniles, especially during the dispersal stage. Adult mortality is estimated at 5 to 20% annually. Natural predators of the Spotted Owl include the Great Horned Owl, which preys on both adults and young; the red-tailed hawk, which preys on young; and the common raven, which may destroy eggs. Many juveniles starve to death.

It is thought that Barred Owls will out-compete Spotted Owls for habitat, by being more aggressive, when the two species come into contact.
The Spotted Owl may be the most publicised of all endangered species in North America. Because of its dependence on large tracts of old-growth coniferous forests, management for this owl has caused tremendous turmoil in the forest harvesting industry, and has spawned an incredible amount of research - too much to go into here.

Breeding: Most nest sites are in natural tree cavities. Additional nest sites include platform nests (mostly constructed by other raptors, wood rats, or squirrels), clusters of mistletoe, and cavities or potholes in cliff or cliff ledges. Most nest sites are used for more than 1 year and are typically 60 - 100 feet high.

Usually 2 eggs are laid but as many as 4 are possible. Eggs are laid from March through mid-May and incubation lasts 28 - 32 days. The female will brood the young for an additional 8 - 10 days. The young will leave the nest at 32 - 36 days old onto nearby branches. Since flight feathers, at this point, are not fully developed, the young often fall to the ground but will soon climb up nearby trees to perch. At 40 - 45 days old most owlets can fly short distances. Survival rate for the young Spotted Owls is low.

Conservation: The Spotted Owl faces the danger of the loss of its unique habitat type (in the Pacific Northwest only about 10% of the old growth forests remain intact). It also faces encroachment from the Barred Owl, low rate of reproductive success, and low survival rates for the juveniles. All this certainly makes the status of this bird of great concern.

Saving The Northern Spotted Owl

Great Horned Owl

2006-10-17T17:35:00.000+08:00

The Great Horned Owl is the largest owl in North America. It is sometimes called the cat owl. This widespread bird of prey lives in mountains, grasslands, conifer forests, deserts, chapparals, and many other habitats in North and South America. Its scientific name is Bubo virginianus. Its call is a far-carrying hoot.

The Typical Owl Family, includes about 140 owls except for barn owls and bay owls.
Bubo (BEW-boh) is from the Latin word meaning "owl" or from the Greek word for "eagle owl" used by the great 1st century Roman naturalist Pliny (Gaius Plinius Secundus). Great horned owls are related to the eagle owl of Eurasia.

Virginianus, meaning "of Virginia" where the first specimen of great horned owls was collected. The common name "horned owl" comes from the large ear tufts.

Appearance: The Great Horned Owl is 18 to 25 inches (46-64 cm) long and weigh about 3 - 4 pounds (1.5kg). It has a wing span of 52 to 55 inches (1.3-1.4 m).

Males and females are similar in appearance, except the female is the larger of the two. The plumage of the great horned owl varies regionally, from pale to dark. In general, they have brown body plumage covered with darker brown spots and white throat feathers that contrast with the dark cross-barred underparts. The white feathers stand out like a collar against the darker underside feathers. Some great horned owls may be very pale underneath, but still the white collar stands out.

Habitat & Range: Found in woods, mountain forests, desert canyons, marshes, city parks, and urban forests. The owls prefer open areas to dense woodlands or nest sites close to the edge of a forest where they can hunt.

Great horned owls occur all over the United States and most of Canada, and southward to Central and South America to the Straits of Magellan. They are one of the most widespread species of owls. They mostly reside year round in their territories, but ones from the far north move southward in fall or winter.

The great horned owls facial disk may have orangish or grayish feathers, and whiter feathers that form a V between the yellow eyes with black pupils. Their ear tufts are large and set far apart on the head. Just like a dog, great horned owls use these ear tufts to convey body language - when they are irritated the tufts lie flat and when they are inquisitive the ears stand upright.

In summary, four good field marks for the great horned owl are: size, eye color, ear tufts and the white collar.

Diet: Owls are carnivores (meat-eaters). The Great Horned Owl is mostly nocturnal (most active at night). Owls use a keen sense of sight to find prey in the dark (they see mostly in black and white). They also have an acute sense of hearing which helps in finding meals. Owls are stealth hunters; they can easily sneak up on their prey since their fluffy feathers give them almost silent flight.

The Great Horned Owl hunts and eats mammals (like rabbits, skunks, woodchucks, mice,rats and squirrels), birds (ducks, quail and geese), and fish. The owl is at the top of the food web; it has no major predators. It sometimes eats its prey whole and later regurgitates the bones, fur, and feathers in pellets.

Nest and Eggs: Great Horned Owls usually use abandoned hawk or heron nests. In each clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time), females lay 2-3 white eggs. The eggs take 28-30 days to hatch; both parents incubate the eggs.

Behavior
Great horned owls roost during the day in protected rocky caves or on tree limbs.

When owls are awake, they use their hearing and eyesight to alert them of danger or possible prey. Great horned owl eyes, which are almost as large as a humans, allows a great amount of light to pass through the pupil, so the owl can see in dark conditions. If a great horned owl was as big as a human, its eyes would be the size of oranges!

Owls have incredible senses of hearing, a trait that allows them to hunt at night. Their ears are located on the sides of the head, but are off-set, not symmetrical like human ears. The openings of the ears are slightly tilted in different directions - often the right ear is longer and set higher up on the skull. Plus, owls have soft feathers that surround the openings which they can spread to make a funnel for sound to enter the ear. This enables the owl to use triangulation to pinpoint the source of a sound, when the prey can not be seen. By tilting or moving their head until the sound is of equal volume in each ear, the owl can pinpoint the direction and distance of the sound.

Owl feathers are soft, almost like polar fleece to the touch. This helps to deaden the sound of air rushing over the feathers while the bird is in flight. Also the front edge of the first primary or wing feather is toothed like a hand saw. This helps wind pass over the wings and keep the bird's flight noiseless. It wouldn't be easy to catch prey at night if you were crashing around in the dark!

Snowy Owl

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One of the world’s largest Owls, Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca) hunts in the desolate and bitterly cold Arctic tundra that She calls home. Because of the long nights of numbing cold, Snowy Owl has layers of fat to help Her survive. Since food is often scarce, She can fast for forty days at a time. In addition, Snowy Owl conserves her energy by remaining still as long as possible. While waiting for an opportunity presents itself, She remains continually observant.

The snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca) is a bird of prey that lives in the tundra of North America. This owl is diurnal (most active during the day).

Characteristics

The snowy owl is 20 to 27 inches (50-68 cm) long and weighs 3.5 to 4.5 pounds (1.6 to 2 kg). The bill is black, the head is rounded, and the legs are heavily feathered. Snowy owls are almost all white with scattered dark spots. Males and females are similar, but the male is whiter.

Sight

Snowy owls have yellow eyes and very good vision. Owls cannot move their eyes within their sockets like we can. In order to look around, they have to move their entire head, which has a range of movement of about 270°. Owls have a large head and large eyes that face forwards (unlike other birds, whose eyes are on the sides of their head). This eye placement gives them binocular vision and very precise depth perception. Also, there are circles of radiating feathers surrounding each eye, giving them a wide-eyed, alert look.

Diet

Snowy owls are carnivores (meat-eaters) who are stealth hunters; they can easily sneak up on their prey since their fluffy feathers give them almost silent flight. Snowy owls hunt and eat small rodents like lemmings and voles. They also eat hares, rabbits, and large birds like ptarmigans, ducks, and geese.

In her pursuit of food, Snowy Owl is a strategist. She may seem lazy, however Snowy Owl is actively looking for Lemming to appear. She can hunt day or night. If need be, She will play dead. When an intruder comes near her nest, Snowy Owl will swoop down and strike Them with her talons. Sometimes She will feign injury, dragging her wing on the ground to lure Fox away from her young Owlets.

Snowy Owl forms close ties with Lemming, which goes beyond the usual predator and prey relationship. To make up for their short lives as Owl food, Lemmings breed in great numbers. When Lemmings are in short supply, Snowy Owl travels in search of Rabbits. Not attached to any particular place, Snowy Owl will go as far as the Caribbean in search of food. Wherever Snowy Owl goes, She attracts attention. Because of her large size and elegant white plumage, people notice Her perched on a haystack or on an airport runway waiting for an unsuspecting Rodent.

Snowy Owl teaches active patience. During the long Arctic winter, She fasts and waits for summer. Hunting for Lemmings, She patiently perches on a rock listening for Them to move about underground. When there are no Lemmings, Snowy Owl searches patiently for other food. She is rewarded for her efforts. Learn active patience from Snowy Owl.

Reproduction

Females lay 5-8 white eggs in a clutch. The nest is lined with moss, lichens and feathers; it is located on the exposed tundra.



Snowy Owl’s Wisdom Includes:: Power of Stillness; Practical Elegance; How to Be Warm in Cold Places; Using Strategy to Your Advantage; Finding What You Are Searching For; Traveling the World; Knowing the Gentleness of True Strength; Waiting for the Right Time to Take Action

Owls in popular culture

2006-10-15T15:12:00.000+08:00

Owls are common in popular culture. Western culture tends to attribute wisdom to owls or to associate them with witches and wizards. Examples include:

Merlin's owl, Archimedes, helps teach young King Arthur the way of birds in T. H. White's The Once and Future King. Archimedes is perhaps most popularly known in Walt Disney's film The Sword in the Stone, based on the book in the series.
The Owls is the nickname for Sheffield Wednesday.
Owl in Winnie the Pooh.

An owl is the "teacher" of the newborn creatures of Disney's Bambi.
The Owl in Disney's Sleepy Beauty.
The Great Owl in The Secret of NIMH.
The mischievous owl from the Russian film Hedgehog in the Fog (1975), winner of numerous awards.
X The Owl, knowledgable tree-dwelling puppet from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Kaepora Gaebora in the The Legend of Zelda video game series.
The many owls in the Harry Potter series that carry messages, such as Harry's owl Hedwig. The characters also use "O.W.L." as an abbreviation for the "Ordinary Wizarding Level" exam.
The O RLY Owl, the Internet pheno menon.
Bubo, the robot owl in Clash of the Titans.
The owl is the mascot for Temple University, Rice University and the French SUPAERO engineering school.
In the videogame series Sly Cooper, Sly's archenemy is an immortal mechanical owl named Clockwerk.
In the videogame Tekken 3, the Tekken Force Mode, which has ninja looking martial artists as cannon fodder, contains an enemy class called Owls in the last stage. They are red with gold trimming.
In the videogame Soul Calibur III, the character Olcadan is cursed by the gods with the misfortune of having his head change between that of a human and an owl depending on the light and position of the sun, moon, and stars.
Guardians of Ga'hoole is a series of books in which the cast consists entirely of owls.
Owls are an unofficial symbol of Mensa because of their association with Athena. Many Mensa members avidly collect owls.
The "Owl in Glasses" from the 1970s Tootsie Roll television commercials has become a pop culture icon.
The mascot of Hooters restaurants (and, formerly, its airline) is an owl.
The Alan Moore comic book miniseries Watchmen features an owl-themed superhero named Nite Owl.
In the film Short Circuit, an owl is the first of Stephanie Speck's (Ally Sheedy) pets to see the robot Number "Johnny" 5.
Glimfeather and the Parliament of Owls in The Silver Chair of The Chronicles of Narnia.
Owl Magazine is a Canadian children's magazine.
The mascot for Adult Swim, a late night television block on Cartoon Network that airs cartoons aimed at mature audiences, is an owl; though it was often used in its earlier days, it is rarely referred to anymore
In David Lynch's TV show Twin Peaks, it is repeated multiple times that "the owls are not what they seem". Although their true nature is never known, one can guess that owls are watchers, even servants, from the Black Lodge (a world that feeds on pain and suffering).
On The Colbert Report, a TV show based on political satire, "Owls" are on Stephen Colbert's "Dead to Me" list. The "Dead to Me" list is one of The Colbert Report recurring elements.
White Owl is a cheap brand of cigar, available in various flavors, popular for rolling blunts.
Some local transit systems refer to their night bus service as "Owl".
there is a Garry's Mod clan called the Darksouls Owls.
In the television series Futurama, Owls used to counter the rat problem in New New York instead came to dominate to the point where they were considered pests.

Owls Superstitions

2006-10-14T14:20:00.000+08:00

Many cultures have myths, stories and superstitions featuring owls. These nocturnal creatures often appear in horror mystery films, have been associated with dark, haunting night themes, and grace our Halloween décor each fall. Their wide staring eyes give them a wise appearance, while the ability to turn their head around makes them fascinating and mysterious creatures. Tuffs of feathers on the top of an owl’s head gives them the appearance of horned devils and their piercing cries add to the spook effect found in the ancient folklore of many countries.

To some the owl is a bird of ill omen, to be feared and respected; to others, a wise and benevolent creature. Because of its nocturnal lifestyle, it is generally associated with the night, the moon, darkness, death and misfortune. It has been called "night eagle" and "cat with wings".

However, owls have also been associated with wisdom and prosperity as a result of frequently being companion animals for goddesses.

In different parts of the world people believe that if an owl screeches, it means someone will die soon. Sometimes the owl is regarded as a familiar of witches and sorcerers. One Greek & Roman superstition believed that witches could turn themselves into an owl and then they would swoop down and suck the blood of babies. Other superstitions related to witches and owls were: that the owls were messengers for sorcerer’s and witches, that they danced together on the graves of the dead and that if you hear the hoot of an owl, then a witch approaches.
In Greek mythology, the owl was sacred to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. As such it was considered a protector of the Greek armies: if an owl flew over the army before battle, this was believed to be a sign of victory.

The owl was also depicted on coins. Because of its relation with night and the moon, the owl was more a symbol of intuitive than of rational knowledge. The Little owl owes its scientific name, Athene noctua, to the Greek goddess. A Greek myth tells how the man Ascalaphus, who betrayed the fact that Persephone had eaten a pomegranate while in the Underworld with Hades, was punished by being turned into an owl.
The Romans considered owls unlucky creatures, predicting death or disaster with their cries. Dreaming of them supposedly meant that a traveller would be robbed or shipwrecked. Also witches were thought to transform into owls and suck the blood of babies. It was believed you could discover a person's secrets by placing a feather or part of an owl on him while sleeping.

In many cultures owls were symbols of magic. In England, it was believed that if you cooked an owl’s eggs until they were ash, it could be used as a potion to improve eyesight. In India, if you ate an owl’s eyes you would get the same result.
In Celtic mythology, the owl is one of the oldest animals in the world, along with the blackbird, the stag, the eagle and the salmon. They help the men of King Arthur in their search for the imprisoned youth Mabon. Another tale tells how Blodeuwedd, a woman made of flowers, was turned into an owl as punishment for trying to kill her husband Lleu.

In Ancient China the owl was thought to be a terrifying creature that had devoured its own mother. It was a symbol of superabundant yang and as such was believed to cause drought. Summer solstice was the Day of the Owl and children born on this day were thought to have a certain natural violence. Such children might even murder their own mother or father. Lei-gong, the Chinese god of thunder, has the beak, wings and claws of an owl, on the body of a man.

In the culture of the Native Americans, (e.g. the Native American Hopi nation), taboos often surround owls and they are often associated with evil or sorcery. Like eagle feathers, the possession of owl feathers as religious objects is regulated by federal law (e.g. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and Title 50 Part 22 Code of Federal Regulations).

The Aztecs and Mayans, along with other natives of Mesoamerica, considered the Owl a symbol of death and destruction. In fact, the Aztec god of death, Mictlantecuhtli, was often depicted with owls. There is a saying in Spanish that still exists today: when the owl cries/sings, the Indian dies.

In Japanese culture, owls are seen as either negative or positive symbols depending on species. Owls are seen as divine messengers of the gods while Barn or Horned owls are perceived as demonic figures.

In Indian culture, a white owl is considered a companion of the goddess of wealth, and therefore a harbinger of prosperity. The owl has been adapted as an emblem to reflect its implications of wisdom (Wise old owl) by a revered military institution in India known as the Defence Service Staff College. In colloquial use, however, it is commonly used to refer to stupidity.

In the ancient region of Akkadia(located in present-day Iraq), the demoness Lilith is thought to have been associated with(screech) owls as well. However, prior to the rise of Islam, owls were considered evil omens and bad luck in most Middle Eastern pagan traditions. In modern times, although such superstitions are less prevalent, owls are still popularly considered "evil" because of their fierce, horrific appearance.

Barn Owl, Tyto alba

In Europe, Barn Owl had a sinister reputation because people associated Her with darkness and death. Best known for her eerie skeletal appearance and bloodcurdling scream, Barn Owl was regarded by the British as the Bird of Doom. Since She nests in church belfries and abandoned buildings, Barn Owl became associated with ghosts.

In Mongolia, Barn Owl is a Bird of Life. Genghis Khan attributed Her with saving his life. While being pursued by his enemies, Khan hid in a bush. Fortunately for him, Barn Owl decided to roost on that particular bush. His enemies thought that, since Barn Owl was there, Genghis Khan had to be elsewhere. Since then, Mongolians held Barn Owl in high esteem.

Barn Owl teaches about the power of life and death. In folklore, Barn Owl either saved people or predicted their death. In reality, She is a secret benefactor to people, for She kills numerous Rodents that bring diseases to people. Barn Owl provides life to ordinary people in this way. Silently killing Rats hiding in the dark, She demonstrates the wise use of the power of life and death. Barn Owl cautions people to use this power only for good.

Types Of Owls

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Burrowing Owl

Most owls are nocturnal, but several, including the pygmy owls(Glaucidium), are crepuscular, or twilight active, hunting mainly at dawn and dusk. A few owls, such as the Burrowing Owl(Speotyto cunicularia) and the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), are also active during the day.

Pygmy Owls

The smallest owls include the pygmy owls, some of which are only 13 cm (5.1 in) long, have a 32 cm (12.6-in) wingspan, and weigh only 50 g (1.76 oz). The largest owls are the eagle owls, the Eurasian Eagle Owl( Bubo bubo ) and Verreaux's Eagle Owl ( B. lacteus ), which may reach 76.2 cm (30 in) long, have a wingspan of just over 2 m (6.6 ft), and weigh about 4 kg (almost 9 lb).

Otus asio

Elf Owl

One kind of owl is the barn owl. This owl is brown and white, and it does not have the fluffs of feathers at the ears like some owls have. Can you guess why it is called a barn owl? These owls would live in the rafters of old barns and live off of the many mice that lived around farms.

Barn Owl

Unfortunately, the barn owl is an endangered species. It has become endangered for two main reasons:
1. Many farmers have changed the kind of crops they use from “cover” crops to “row” crops. The mice do not like the row crops because they do not have enough food and shelter from these plants. When there are no mice, the owls cannot stay as well-fed.

2. Barns are built differently today than they were in the past. Now barns are often metal and they do not have windows, so the barn owls cannot get into the building.

Eagle Owl

Among the largest species of owls are the eagle owls. They have tufts of feathers on their heads that are called "ears" but are not related to true ears. Only the great horned owl is found in the Americas, but there are 17 species in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Most widely distributed is the northern eagle owl, found from Scandinavia and Spain to Japan. It is about 71 cm (28 in) long.

Great Horned Owl

Links Other Types Of Owls

Pictures Of Owls

2006-10-12T14:55:00.000+08:00

There are about 162 different species of owls alive today, inhabiting a huge variety of ecological niches around the world, from rain forests to the tundra.

Fast Facts Of Owls

Though owls are typically solitary, the literary collective noun for a group of owls is a parliament.

Some owls have feathered ear tufts; these are not ears, but are part of the owl's camouflage

Many owls have thick feathers that absorb the sounds that their wings make in flight.

Owls hunt their small prey of insects and mice during the night and sleep during the day. Many owls make a distinctive hooting sound that people enjoy.

Owl eggs are white and almost spherical, and range in number from a few to a dozen dependent on species. Their nests are crudely built and may be in trees, underground burrows or barns and caves.

The nesting habits of owls are highly variable. Some nest in holes in trees or among rocks, others nest in large tree-nests, and others, such as burrowing owls, nest on the ground. All lay pure white eggs.

Smallest and Largest: The smallest owl in the world is the Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi), which is about 6.1 inches (16 cm) long, has a wingspan of 15 inches (38 cm), and weighs about 1.5 ounces (4g). The largest owls are the Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) [which are about 33 inches (84 cm) long, have a wingspan of about 5 feet (152 cm), and weigh about 3 pounds (1450 g)], the Eurasian Eagle Owls (Bubo bubo) [which are about 28 inches (71 cm) long, have a wingspan of about 5.2 feet (160 cm), and weigh up to 9.8 pounds (4200 g)], and the Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) [which are about 25 inches (63 cm) long, have a wingspan of about 5 feet (152 cm), and weigh about 4 pounds (1800 g)].

Owls

2006-10-11T14:22:00.000+08:00

Owls have an acute sense of hearing which also helps in finding meals. Owls are stealth hunters; they can easily sneak up on their prey since their fluffy feathers give them almost silent flight.

Scientific Classification
Kingdom Animalia (the animals)
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata (animals with backbones)
Class Aves (Birds)
Order Strigiformes (owls)
Family Tytonidae (barn and bay owls) and Strigidae (other typical owls)

Owls are solitary, mainly nocturnal hunting birds with eyes that face forwards. They are closely related to hawks. Owls sleep during the day and emerge at night to hunt small prey.

Owls are more closely related to the nightjars (Caprimulgiformes) than to the diurnal predators in the order Falconiformes. Some taxonomists place the nightjars in the same order as owls, as in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy.
There are about 162 different species of owls alive today, inhabiting a huge variety of ecological niches, from rainforests to tundra.

Characteristics Of Owls
Appearance
Owls have a large head and large eyes that face forwards (unlike other birds, whose eyes are on the sides of their head). This eye placement gives them binocular vision and very precise depth perception. Also, there are circles of radiating feathers surrounding each eye, called a facial disc, giving them a wide-eyed, alert look.

Sight & Hearing
Although owls have binocular vision(owls see mostly in black and white), their large eyes are fixed in their sockets, as with other birds, and they must turn their entire head to change views. In order to look around, they have to move their entire head, which has a range of movement of about 270°.

Owls are far-sighted, and are unable to clearly see anything within a few inches of their eyes. Their far vision, particularly in low light, is incredibly good, and they can turn their head 180 degrees around.

As relatively few owls hunt their prey in full daylight, their hearing is particularly important. Many owls have asymmetrical skulls, with the ear openings at different levels; this enables the bird to get a "fix" on the sound made by a prey animal. Many owls can also hunt by sound in total darkness. Different species of owls make different sounds. The facial disc helps to funnel the sound of prey to their ears. In some species, these are placed asymmetrically, for better directional location.

Behaviour
Owls' powerful clawed feet and sharp beak enable them to tear their prey to pieces before eating, although most items are swallowed whole. Their muffled wings and dull feathers allow them to fly practically silent and unseen. Some fish-eating owls, which have no need of silence, lack this adaptation.

Scientists studying the diets of owls are helped by their habit of disgorging the indigestible parts of their prey (bones, scales, fur, etc.) in the form of pellets. These "owl pellets" are often sold by companies to schools to be dissected by students as a lesson in biology and ecology, because they are plentiful and easy to interpret.

Diet
Owls are carnivores that hunt during the night (they are nocturnal). They use their keen sense of sight to find prey in the dark . They have an acute sense of hearing which also helps in finding meals. Owls are stealth hunters, they can easily sneak up on their prey since their fluffy feathers give them almost silent flight.

Owls mostly hunt small mammals, rodents, frogs, insects and other birds, though a few species specialize in hunting fish. Indigestible portions of their food, such as bones, hair, and feathers, are compressed and regurgitated as compact pellets; analysis of pellet contents reveals their prey species. The owl is at the top of the food web; it has no major predators.

Owls eat smaller prey whole and larger prey in chunks. They eliminate the inedible parts (like hair, feathers, insect exoskeletons, and bone) in oval-shaped pellets.

Owls have two methods of hunting

Perch and pounce - the owl waits on a low tree branch until it spots prey. It then swoops down onto the prey. This method is used often by owls that live in relatively dense forested areas.

Quartering - the owl flies low over the ground looking for prey. This methods is used often by owls that live in relatively clear landscapes.

Habitat
Owls are found on all regions of the Earth except Antarctica, most of Greenland, and some remote islands. the common barn owl has one of the largest ranges among living birds.

Reproduction
The females are generally slightly larger than the males, otherwise there is no difference between the sexes. Generally, owls are monogamous. In some species the male and female only come together for breeding, in others the pairs remain together the whole year.

Owls do not actually build a nest, but instead they use a place that is already suitable for nesting, such as a tree hollow or a rock crevice, or take over an abandoned nest of some other bird. They are territorial and will defend their nest against intruders; some of the larger species will even attack humans who come too close.

The eggs are rounded and white. Their number may vary between 1 and 13, but for most species it's 3 or 4. They are incubated for about 30 days, usually by the female alone. Because the chicks hatch on different times, some are larger than others and these often get more food from their parents.

When food is not plentiful, the younger, weaker chicks may die and sometimes even be eaten by their siblings. This seems harsh but if all chicks would get the same amount of food, they might all die of starvation.

Vampire Bats Killed People

2006-10-10T17:59:00.000+08:00

1. Bites from rabies-carrying vampire bats killed 13 people in a north-eastern Brazilian state last month, the health ministry said on Friday. Saturday, 3 April, 2004 BBC News

The ministry said the record number of deaths was matched by an increase in bat attacks to about 300.

A programme to vaccinate domestic animals and people deemed at risk will begin in the area next week.

One report suggests scientists believe deforestation may be a factor behind the increase in attacks.

Vampire bats feed on mammalian blood, and can pass on rabies from animals to humans.

Laboratory tests have proven that six deaths in Para state were due to human rabies linked to bat bites, said health official Fernando Dourado, speaking to reporters in Belem on Friday.

Test results have not yet arrived for the seven other victims, but they displayed similar symptoms and had also been bitten.

Three people remain ill in hospital, one critically.

The cases appear to be concentrated in areas close to Marajo - the world's biggest estuarine archipelago.

More bats?

A health ministry spokesman told Reuters news agency government scientists believed the more aggressive behaviour of the bats could be linked to deforestation.

Greater availability of livestock, coupled with less vegetation for fruit-eating bats, could have favoured an increase in the numbers of vampire bats.

Deforestation could also force changes in bats' migration patterns, affecting their population and behaviour.

A doctor at the hospital where the patients died, Carmem Andrea Freitos, has also noticed changes in the incubation period of rabies in her recent patients.

Typically, patients with human rabies die an average of 20 days after being bitten, reported the regional newspaper O Liberal, but Dr Freitos says some of her patients were bitten up to six months ago.

Source: BBC News Vampire bats on attack in Brazil

2. Quoted From: Vampire Bats Kill 13, Warn More Attacks To Come

We've been told over and over again that bats are a misunderstood, harmless animal. The majority of bats have a diet consisting only of insects, so rather than being a threat they are a natural insecticide. You should not fear these cute, cuddly flying mammals. You should celebrate them for their uniqueness and for all the good they do.

They tell us that even vampire bats have gotten a bad rap. We are told they don't actually go out and kill anyone. That is just make believe put into films to help sell movies by playing on the public's fears. Vampire bats do drink blood, but rarely do they drink the blood of humans, and they never kill their prey. Instead of worrying about them attacking and feeding on you or your livestock, you should be thrilled about being part of nature.

Just the fact that these animals consider us prey, should be enough for you to disregard this non-sensical advice. The truth of the matter is that bats, and vampire bats especially, do kill. In fact, in Brazil alone there have been 13 confirmed human deaths due to bats within the last year. All 13 of these people were mercilessly and ruthlessly slaughtered by the imperial vampirian battalion airforce. The group is known to have connections to the terrorist group "larebil snacirema" that is based in the animalia kingdom and has the stated goal of eradicating humans from the earth.

The Brazilian leader has said that these attacks cannot, and must not, be condoned, and has declared war on the vampire bats. "The bats have made it clear that it is us or them. Since the bats refuse to live by our side peacefully, I regretfully have no choice but to declare war."

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has responded by asking all its members to begin boycotting Brazilian goods. They have also released the following statement:

The vampire bats have made it clear that it is either us or them, and that it cannot be both. Bats are just doing what comes natural and people are naturally evil, so we hope it is the bats that win. We look forward to the day that the bats choose to slaughter us as we will at last become one with nature.

Other people are taking a more enlightened stance and are supporting our Brazilian brothers and sisters. Humans are a part of the animal kingdom and nature created us to rule over the other animals and keep them in line. When a group of animals resorts to terrorist behavior, we have to deal with them swiftly and sharply. So do your part and exterminate a bat today!

3. Health authorities in northern Brazil are trying to cope with a wave of attacks on humans by vampire bats infected with the deadly rabies virus. Wednesday, 2 November 2005 Source: BBC News

Rabies caused by bat bites has killed 23 people in the last two months.

It is not the first wave of attacks by vampire bats in the Amazon, but Brazilian authorities say this latest outbreak is unusually serious.

Some experts are blaming deforestation in the Amazon region for this latest wave of attacks.

Sixteen people died of rabies after being bitten by bats in an area of marshlands in the northern state of Maranhao. Seven more died in another part of the state.

Cattle link

Health authorities say they have treated more than 1,300 people for rabies after being attacked by vampire bats, almost always at night in their houses.

In the affected areas, people have been trying to fill gaps in the walls of their huts with banana leaves to stop the bats getting in.

Some experts have blamed the attacks on destruction of the rainforest, denying the bats of their natural habitat.

But others have suggested the vampire bat population may have grown rapidly, with the spread of cattle farming in the region providing an ample food supply.

Mass attacks on humans have occurred in other cattle regions in Latin America when the cattle are suddenly removed.

The bats drink the blood of other mammals while they are asleep. They are the main carriers of rabies in Brazil.

History & Evolution Of Vampire Bats

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Bats are the only true flying mammals, with about 925 different species identified. Of all these species, only the common vampire bat is able to maneuver on the ground as well as in the air.

According to Schutt (1998), vampire bats can move side to side and backward, similar to a spider. Instead of taking off in flight from the ground, these bats actually launch themselves into the air with powerful pectoral muscles. The force comes from the bat extending its hind knees, leaning forward and using its forelimbs. The bat also invokes its triceps muscle and very long thumb. While the jump only takes about 30 milliseconds, the bat catapults itself about 4 feet into the air.

Altenbach (1979) comments, “although a few other species of bats move readily on the ground and some take off from the ground, no other species possess the extreme terrestrial agility and jumping ability of Desmodus”. Once in the air, the transition into flight is basically one fluid motion. Since the vampire bat feeds at ground level, their agility and fast take-off is an amazing advantage.

Feeding on the blood of animals like cows, pigs, and horses, the vampire bat requires about two tablespoons of blood each day. Locating their prey is a combination of smell, sound, echolocation, and possibly heat (Altringham 1996). While they do not actually suck blood from their host, they make a small incision and lap up the blood. Since they do not chew their food, they have fewer teeth of any other bat. They generally approach their prey from the ground. “They have heat sensors on their noseleaf for locating capillary-rich areas of the skin; modified canines for fur clipping; long, sharp incisors for painlessly opening a wound; anticoagulants to prevent clotting; and a grooved tongue to help move blood rapidly to the mouth” (Altringham 1996).

While the bat may consume up to 60% of its body weight in blood and it only needs the red blood cells, it will begin excreting plasma before its meal is over. With a specialized stomach and kidneys, the vampire rapidly removes the plasma as it may take up to twenty minutes to the bat to finish its meal (Altringham 1996). Due to length of time and the invasive nature of its feeding, it is clear the vampire bat needs its deftness and agility to be successful.

“Observations of Desmodus scrambling over the backs and necks of animals prior to feeding (or to avoid movements of the host animal to brush them off), and running or hopping about on the ground while feeding, illustrate the adaptive value of this effective terrestrial locomotion” (Altenbach 1996).

The unique social behavior of the vampire is most characteristic in their reciprocal altruism, in which animals return favors to their mutual benefit. If vampire bats do not get their share of blood on a regular basis, they rapidly deteriorate. A bat may be close to starvation within 2-3 days (Altringham 1996). Within social groups which largely refers to females as the males roost separately to defend territories, bats that successfully feed will regurgitate back at the roosts to a hungry bat. Studies on the blood sharing behaviors indicate bats will regurgitate to related and unrelated bats within the group. It is shown that they set up a buddy system, with pairs of bats forming tight blood-sharing relationships (Altringham 1996).

Currently, bats are in a single order, Chiroptera (hand-winged) and are thought to have appeared 65-100 myr, in the late Palaeocene or early Cretaceous (Altringham 1996). They are divided into two subgroups, the megabats and the microbats. Megabats refer to the large, fruit-eating bats confined to Africa, tropical Asia, and Indo-Australia (Altringham 1996).

The oldest fossil bat dates back 50 myr in the early Eocene period (Altringham 1996). There is poor representation of bats in the fossil record; however, some discoveries in Australia of extensive fossil bat fauna dates back 55 million years ago (Altringham 1996). Zimmer (1998) explains, “bats are not good candidates for paleontological study. When they die, they usually disappear…often eaten by scavengers; if not, they decompose on the ground.”

Microbats show no close affinities to any other mammalian order, so this lack of a link suggests a very early origin. “There are a number of cases where possibly closely related microbat species live on once adjacent, but now distant, fragments of Gondwanaland, the supercontinent which broke up into fragments which now make up the land masses of the southern hemisphere” (Altringham 1996).

When bats are thought to have been evolving, the earth experienced dramatic diversification of flowering plants that became dominant over primitive plants of the Crenomanian period, 100-95 myr (Altringham 1996). Insects were also supported by these flowering plants and insectivorous and frugivorous mammals must have had to compete. The first bird dates back to the early Cretaceous, 135 myr, so they were quite abundant when bats appeared. Consequently, birds were probably major competitors and/or predators for early bat species, which may have led to the nocturnal evolution of these small, nocturnal, tree-dwelling mammals (Altringham 1996).

Flight in bats is one of the most fascinating evolutionary elements and currently has two theories on the table, the arboreal and the cursorial (Altringham 1996). The arboreal suggests that tree or cliff dwelling ancestors evolved flight through a series of gliding stages. The cursorial theory, which is more recent, requires the animal take a running leap with wings outstretched sending it into the air from a glide to flight (Altringham 1996). With a basically absent fossil record in regard to flight, there is room for theory but little evidence.

To be successful night fliers, bats needed a more sophisticated system. Echolocation is orientation by analysis of echoes from sound pulses. Due to the level of sophistication, it is presumed echolocation evolved alongside flight (Altringham 1996). Ancestors of microbats probably emitted ultrasonic sounds in a simple form of echolocation, which became more sophisticated as bats became more adept fliers (Altringham 1996).

There are some recent discoveries in bat evolution that contradict common bat ancestry. The most widely accepted theory linked megabats and microbats in the same evolutionary line. Now, there is a body of evidence suggesting convergent evolution, where evolutionary change causes unrelated species with different histories to acquire striking similarities. The controversy has megabats, primates and dermopterans closely related while microbats are independent (Altringham 1996).

Some compelling evidence is the absence of echolocation in megabats and their limited distribution to the Old World tropics. Altringham (1996) expands, “this evidence is very diverse, from factors as simple as a consideration of body size ranges, to the analysis of the amino-acid sequence of hemoglobin, obtained using modern molecular biology techniques.”
Desmondus Rotundus evolved as singivores, a strange niche that is unique to bats in the New World. Indeed, all three members of the Desmodontinae family feed on blood exclusively. Vampires may have evolved from feeding on the insects and larvae on the wounds of large mammals (Altringham 1996).

Vampire Bats' Hunt

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Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus)

Common Vampire Bats usually roost in hollows, so they may be found in caves, hollow trees and buildings. The bat leaves its roost just after dusk, setting out to find a meal. The relatively long and narrow wings--providing a high aspect ration on high wing loading--make it possible for the Common Vampire Bat to fly rapidly and consume relatively little energy in doing so.

Radio-tracking studies suggest that a foraging Common Vampire Bat returns to a general area where it has found prey before. Having reached its foraging area, the bat must find and select a victim. The fine details of its search and selection behaviour remain unknown. However, the inferior coliculus, part of the bat's brain that processes sound, is specialized for detecting the regular breathing sounds of a sleeping animal such as a cow. The bat lands on the ground near its intended victim and approaches on foot. Among bats, Common Vampires are the most agile on the ground, hopping about like ballet dancers.

There is a heat (infrared) sensor on the nose-leaf of Common Vampire Bats, permitting them to locate an area where the blood flows close to the skin. If there is fur on the skin, the Common Vampire Bat uses its canine and cheek teeth like a barber's shears to clip away the hairs. The bat's razor-sharp upper incisor teeth are then used to make a quick cut, leaving the 5-mm wound described above. The upper incisors lack enamel, making it easier to keep them razor sharp.

The bat then begins to use its tongue in the wound as well as its saliva. The action of he tongue keeps blood flowing, while grooves on the underside of the tongue draw blood toward the bat's mouth. Meanwhile, the saliva has at least three active ingredientts that promote bleeding. One is an anticoagulant that counters the clotting defences. A second keeps red blood cells from sticking together and a third inhibits the constriction of veins near the wound. It may take the bat about 20 minutes to fill its tank; then it is time to take off and return to its roost.

The tank is the bat's stomach, and its lining rapidly absorbs the blood plasma. In turn, the circulatory system shunts the plasma to the kidneys. From there it passes to the bladder and out of the bat. Within 2 minutes of beginning to feed, a Common Vampire Bat begins to urinate. The urine is very dilute--no wonder, it is the plasma from that blood meal. The plasma is heavy but contains no nutritive value, so the bat benefits from leaving it behind.

Shedding the plasma makes taking off from the ground easier. But the bat still has added almost 60% of its body weight in blood. To take off from the ground the bat must generate lots of lift. Common Vampire Bats have very long thumbs. As the bat prepares to take off it crouches close to the ground and then, by contracting its chest muscles, flings itself skyward. The thumbs provide extra leverage for takeoff. Usually within two hours of setting out, the Common Vampire Bat returns to its roost and settles down to spend the rest of the night digesting its blood meal.

Risks and Social Support

Studies of Common Vampire Bats in Costa Rica indicate that it is risky to depend upon blood as the only source of food. Each adult Common Vampire Bat has a 7% chance of not feeding on any night. This means that about once every 25 nights the bat will miss its meal and go hungry. Common Vampire Bats cannot survive two nights without meal, so fasting is dangerous. For young bats, the risk of not finding food is higher, 33%. So, twice a week each young Common Vampire Bat will probably miss a meal.

Other blood-feeding animals such as ticks, insects and leeches do not face the same problem as vampire bats because they can go for weeks, months or even years without a meal. Vampire bats, however, are warm-blooded, and the cost of staying warm means that fasting is soon fatal. The costs of keeping warm account for the absence of vampire bats from cooler parts of North, Central and South America.

Common Vampire Bats live together in structured societies that provide a network of social support. Like other bats, Common Vampires are long-lived. Banding studies suggest that some survive almost 20 years in the wild. Banding studies also reveal that individuals remain in their roosting groups for at least three years and probably for their entire lives. Colonies of Common Vampire Bats usually include one adult male with several females and their young. The bats may not all roost together at any one time, for they move between several roosts within the home range of the colony. Females that roost together often forage in the same general area, and several bats may line up, feeding in succession at a wound.

When a Common Vampire Bats rerturn to the roost, they often meet face-to-face and groom one another. A bat that fails to feed uses this face-to-face contact to beg blood from a roostmate. The successful bat may then regurgitate some blood to the unsuccessful one. The cost of the doner is relatively small, particularly since before the month is out it will need a donation itself. The benefit to the receiver is high, for it is survival.

Genetic analyses have revealed that colonies of Common Vampire Bats are mixtures of relatives and nonrelatives. This means that the social support provided by the colony transcends the business of helping relatives. Cooperation may be one of the central keys to the success of Common Vampire Bats. We would expect that Common Vampire Bats that are not part of the colony would not get blood from the members of the group. Giving blood appears to depend upon the prospect of a donation in return.

Blood-feeding is a risky business, particularly for a warm-blooded animal. Among bats, the vampires are exceptional because they spend so much time caring for their young. Young Common Vampires nurse for up to nine months, three months longer than flying foxes, which are many times their size, and at least six months longer than most other bats. Female Common Vampire Bats show no seasonal pattern of reproduction. But even though they may have young at any time of the year, the long period of nursing means that each female produces just one young a year.

Whether you consider their anatomical or physiological specializations or their amazing social structure, the vampires are among the most exciting of bats.

Pictures Of Vampire Bat

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Common name: vampire bat
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Desmodontidae
Genus: Desmondus
Species: Desmondus rotundus

Vampire bats feed only on blood, a fact that sets the human imagination racing. The three species are medium-seized, with adult wingspans of 320 to 350 mm and weights of about 40 grams. While they are larger than most of the bats of the temperate zones of the world, vampire bats are much smaller than Gigantic Flying Foxes, which weigh in at 1,500 g. Horror movie depictions of vampire bats often use flying foxes as models because larger bats are easier to photograph. This contributes to the public perception of vampire bats as large, terrifying animals. But animals that feed on blood, whether they are insects, leeches or bats, tend to be small because blood is a precioous commodity and hard to obtain in large amounts.

Vampire bats are members of the New World Leaf-nosed bats, the Phyllostomidae. All three species of living vampire bats occur in South and Central America. Fossils of three other species reveal that several thousand years ago vampire bats were more widespread. They are known from Cuba and from as far north as West Virginia and the northern Califfornia, places where they no longer occur. With the exception of captive amimals, vampire bats have never been found outside of the New World.

People are often surprised to learn that vampire bats are not found in central Europe. It seems common to suppose that human myths about vampires and stories about Dracula somehow involve vampire bats. The truth is that vampire bats got their names from human myths about vampires. In many human cultures, vampires are people who return from the dead to feed on the blood of living people. After the bats were discovered by European explorers, they were given the name vampire, denoting blood-feeding. The blood-feeding were well known to many human inhabitants of South and Central America well before their discovery by Europeans. Bram Stoker, intrigued by the publicity surrounding bats that fed on blood, included bats in his book Dracula.

Naturalists returned from South and Central America with many fascinating plants and animals. Among the collections were many bats, which were described and given scientific names. Today in South and Central America bats in several genera have names reflecting an earlier preoccupation with vampires. There are bats in genera called Vampyrum, Vampyressa, Vampyrodes and Vampyrops. Linnaeus' False Vampire Bat (Vampyrum spectrum) is a versatile predator that takes a variety of prey. True, whether it eats a bat, mouse or bird it gets some blood, but Vampyrum spectrum is neither a vampire nor a blood-feeder. The others, Vampyressa, Vampyrodes, and Vampyrops, are fruit-eating bats that occasionally may take an insect. Together these three genera house about 11 species but none of them is blood-feeder.

Vampire bats are among the most fascination of mammals, although we know relatively little about the details of their lives. Common Vampire Bats, as their name implies, are the most widespread of vampires. They adapt well to captivity and often are exhibited in zoos. These bats may be among the best studied in the world. Hairy-legged Vampire Bats and White-winged Vampire Bats are less common and are less often caught by biologists. While Common Vampire Bats may feed on the blood of mammals or birds, the White-winged Vampire Bat and the Hairy-legged Vampire Bat are thought to prefer bird blood.

Blood As Food
Even though living off of blood is a challenge, it is the metier of many species of animals from different evolutionary backgrounds. In many ways blood is an ideal food. Within the bodies of animals with backbones, the vertebrates, blood is the central ingredient of the circulatory system. It flows in vessels, dispensing food and oxygen through the body and collecting wastes for removal. Blood consists of water-like plasma, chemicals, red blood cells and white blood cells. The blood cells represent the nutritious part of blood. Keeping blood in vessels, arteries, veins or capollaries ensures that it flows more efficiently. The systems that protect blood illustrate its importance to animals. A variety of mechanisms such as clotting and constriction of veins, keep an animal from bleeding to death through a small wound. Blood is constantly manufacutured in the body, so it is a renewable resource and a complete food.

In mammals and birds, which are thought to be the usual prey of vampire bats, blood amounts to 6-10% of the animal's weight. This means that a 100-kilogram person (220 pounds) would have no more than 10 kilograms of blood, or a 1,000-kilogram moose would have 100 kilograms of blood. A 450-gram (1-pound) rat would have no more than 45 g of blood, and the vampire bats themselves have only 4 g of blood.

Each vampire bat, whatever the species, needs about two tablespoonful of blood every day. This represents about 60% of the bat's body weight, or 20 g of blood. The bats extract this blood through a wound they make with their front (incisor) teeth. The wounds are approximately 5 mm deep and 5 mm in diameter and do not cut arteries or veins. If you made a wound this size on your body, it would produce about one drop of blood or less than a gram. It appears that vampire bats are "one stop shoppers," feeding on one victim each night. Getting 20 g of blood from a wound that normally produces just one drop is a specialized business.

When you remember how much blood is available in different sized mammals and birds, it is obvious that one stop shopping for vampire bats will only work with large prey. The availability of large prey and the difficulty of obtaining large amounts of blood probably explains why vampire bats are no bigger than 40 g. Fossil species that probably weighed about 60 g may have had more large mammals and birds to tap.

What happens if vampire bats don’t get their nightly meal?
If they can’t find blood for two nights in a row, they will die. Luckily, female bats can be generous. Well-fed bats will often regurgitate blood to share with others, in exchange for grooming. Female bats in captivity seem especially friendly toward new mothers. After a baby is born, other bats have been observed feeding the mother for about two weeks after the birth.

Are vampire bats really that scary?
Even though bat bites themselves aren’t harmful, vampire bats can spread a disease called rabies. This disease hurts farmers’ livestock, especially cattle herds. However, vampire bats can actually be quite tame, and even friendly to humans. In fact, one researcher reported that he had vampire bats that would come to him when he called their names.

Vampire Bats

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While much of the world sleeps, vampire bats emerge from dark caves, mines, tree hollows, and abandoned buildings in Mexico and Central and South America. They glide stealthily through the night air as they search for food. Like the legendary monster from which they get their name, these small mammals drink the blood of other animals for survival. They feed on blood from cows, pigs, horses, and birds.

Though uncommon, vampire bats even occasionally bite humans for blood. Rather than sucking blood, vampire bats make a small cut with their teeth and then lap up the flowing blood with their tongues. These bats are so light and agile that they are sometimes able to drink blood from an animal for more than 30 minutes without waking it up.

Origin Of Vampire Bats
Biologists have argued for years about whether vampire bats should be housed in their own family (the Desmodontidae) or included among the New World Leaf-nosed Bats (the Phyllostomidae). People on both sides of this argument agree that the New World Leaf-nosed Bats are the vampire bats' closest relatives. Vampire bats are highly specialized for feeding on blood. This situation raises several questions: How did blood-feeding arise in bats? Why is it restricted to the New World tropics? When did it appear?

Three theories account for the origin of vampire bats. The first proposes that vampire bats originated from fruit-eating bats. This theory suggests that large, strong upper incisor teeth would make fruit bats well suited to switching to blood. This theory does not explain why blood-feeding did not also appear among the Old World Fruit Bats, the Pteropodidae.

The second theory suggests that the ancestors of vampire bats acquired a taste for blood by feeding on ticks and other blood-feeding ectoparasites of large mammals. Today in Africa, birds known as Ox-peckers make their living by feeding on ticks. It appears to be a viable life-style. But as the Ox-peckers show, both ticks and blood-feeding ectoparasites and large mammals occur in Africa. Again we are left with the question, why did blood-feeding bats not appear in the Old World tropics?

The third theory proposes that the ancestors of vampire bats began to feed on insects and insect larvae they found in wounds on large animals. This theory notes that insectivorous bats often feed where there are many insects and some of them adjust their hunting style according to the situation. Throughout the tropics, flies known as screwworms lay their eggs in wounds and their larvae develop into large masses. This theory identifies strong, sharp upper incisor teeth as the key to why blood-feeding only appeared in New World bats. Many New World Leaf-nosed Bats have large, strong upper incisors. These teeth are lacking from those Old World bats with flexible foraging behaviour, namely the Slit-faced Bats and the False Vampire Bats.

None of these theories about the origins of vampire bats has been proved. Evidence from proteins suggests that vampire bats have been around for 6 to 8 million years. These are the dates when the Hairy-legged Vampire Bats separated from the White-winged Vampire Bats and the Common Vampire Bats.

WHY ARE BATS CONSIDERED SPOOKY?
Much folklore around the world has cast the bat in a bad role. Perhaps the most familiar of this folklore to we in Western culture are the medieval witchcraft texts that described bats as familiars for witches and the old European lore which associated bats with vampires. Curiously, the old European association of bats to vampires occurred long before Europeans discovered the existence of the less common species of vampire bats in South America (the only continent where vampire bats are found). Also, note that the bat's "evil" reputation from those medieval texts clung to it far into the modern day, while cats, who got the same bad reputation in those texts, have since been redeemed and thrown in the "cute" category (going by popular generalizations, that is.) So, how did bats come to be seen as so "evil?" The prevailing theory seems to be that since bats are mostly nocturnal animals and would stay away from people, people simply were not familiar with these creatures, and often what is unfamiliar is misunderstood.

How did bats end up becoming associated with vampires?
There are only three species of vampires bats in the entire world, all of which occur in Central and South America. During the 16th century the Spanish conquistadors first came into contact with them and recognized the similarity between the feeding habits of the bats and those of their mythical vampires. It wasn't long before they began to associate bats with their vampire legends. Over the following centuries the association became stronger and was used by various people, including James Malcom Rhymer who wrote "Varney the Vampyre" in the 1840's. Stoker cemented the linkage of bats and vampires in the minds of the general public.

Vampire Myths
Vampire myths go back thousands of years and occur in almost every culture around the world. Their variety is almost endless; from red eyed monsters with green or pink hair in China to the Greek Lamia which has the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a winged serpent; from vampire foxes in Japan to a head with trailing entrails known as the Penanggalang in Malaysia.

However, the vampires we are familiar with today, although mutated by fiction and film, are largely based on Eastern European myths. The vampire myths of Europe originated in the far East, and were transported from places like China, Tibet and India with the trade caravans along the silk route to the Mediterranean. Here they spread out along the Black Sea coast to Greece, the Balkans and of course the Carpathian mountains, including Hungary and Transylvania.

Our modern concept of the vampire still retains threads, such as blood drinking, return from death, preying on humans at night, etc in common with the Eastern European myths. However many things we are familiar with; the wearing of evening clothes, capes with tall collars, turning into bats, etc are much more recent inventions.

On the other hand, many features of the old myths such as the placing of millet or poppy seeds at the gravesite in order to keep the vampire occupied all night counting seeds rather than preying on relatives, have all but disappeared from modern fiction and film.

Even among the Eastern European countries there is a large variety of vampires.

Bat Houses

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The first bat house in South Africa was erected more than 50 years ago at Komatipoort when the railway line was built in an attempt to attract bats to eradicate mosquito carriers of the malaria parasite.

Mr Nigel Fernsby, chairman of the Gauteng and Northern Bat Interest Group (GNORBIG), has been involved in bat conservation for 8 years and has launched the first bat house project in South Africa by constructing the well-known bat houses at Ngwenya.

Because experimentation is the only way to determine the housing needs of different bat species in different climates, Nigel Fernsby and other South Africans are comparing information on the success of different bat house styles, as Americans and Canadians have done through BCI’s North American Bat House Research Project.

Nigel Fernsby has achieved great success with bat house designs attracting the ‘crevice-dwellers’ such as the free-tailed bats, to ‘cubicle-dwellers’ like serotine bats and yellow house bats. These range from housing small colonies to large 'hotels' that are able to house thousands of bats.

Wherever unwelcome bats are evicted and excluded from buildings, all interest groups advise the owners not to use poison and to provide bat houses as alternative roosting places.

According to Dr. Peter Taylor, a well known South African authority on bats and author of the book Bats of Southern Africa, Guide to Biology, Identification and Conservation, there is every reason to believe that the widespread use of bat houses in southern Africa will greatly aid in the conservation of our bat fauna, help to reduce the threat of malaria, as well as benefit farmers through the pest control services of resident bat colonies.

Reasons for Bat Houses

All bats need somewhere to roost. With increasing urbanisation, many bats have been forced to make use of buildings as natural roost sites are destroyed or made unsuitable for bats.
Roof-roosting bats can sometimes be a nuisance in terms of noise at night, the unpleasant odour of the guano and, in some cases, the bats themselves. In cases such as these, the bats can be attracted away from the house through the use of bat houses.
Bat houses can also be used to attract bats to an area – farmers may wish to attract bats to roost close to their crops and so aid the farmer in insect and pest control.
Bat houses can also be used to attract bats for educational purposes,
As a tourist attraction, for instance in game reserves where the public will be able to see and learn more about this interesting and fascinating mammal species.
Bat houses should always be used when evicting bats from a building. The evicted bats will need an alternative place to roost and a suitable bat house should always be provided.
Bat phobia. Some people, in spite of being informed about the truth about bats, freak out when bats inhabit their homes.
Reduction of the threat of malaria.
Conservation of bats and protecting vulnerable species.
Research purposes. Data obtained from persons with bat houses on their property is extremely helpful to bat scientists to study bat populations as a whole, their species distributions, population trends and habitat requirements.

Not all bats are attracted to the same design of bat house!

Several different types of bat houses are available to accommodate the various species of bats and this has to be taken into consideration when sitting a bat house. Crevice-dwellers i.e. free-tailed bats, will need a different design to the cubicle-dwellers i.e. serotine bats and Yellow House Bats. Whatever the design though, the house should be well sealed – draughts and leaky roofs are not appreciated by bats!

How Soon will Bats Occupy their New House?

If placed in good habitat in the early spring, it is common for a few bats to begin using their new house the first season, and even within the first week. If the bat house does not contain bats after the second season, any of four problems might exist. The box is not getting enough sun, a seal has opened allowing too much ventilation, the box is in poor habitat or the design is incorrect for the type of bats in the area. If you already have noticed bats around the property in the summer at dusk, your only problem will be choosing the right site & right bat house designs for the types of bats in your area.

The basic rules for siting a bat house

Houses should be placed high enough to allow bats to ‘drop’ down when they exit the house. Bats need a drop before they actually begin flying. Any height above 1.5 metres would probably be satisfactory.
The temperature inside the bat house plays a huge role. Nigel Fernsby recommends mounting the bat house on a north-west to north facing wall, trying to get about 2 hours sun onto the bat house in the late afternoon, so as to warm it up a little towards the bats' evening hunting time.
The colour of the house in South Africa is not as important as in the northern hemisphere. If bat houses are sited in areas that are generally very hot, i.e. the Karoo, then they may be painted a light colour. Houses in other parts in South Africa do not require specific colours besides a good varnish.
Erecting more than one bat house greatly increases the chances of one being occupied.
Fernsby also recommends that the open-bottomed houses should be positioned in such a way to allow inspection for presence of bats from underneath.

Importance Of Bats

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As bats move outside for the summer, many take up residence in hallow trees. But you can draw them to your home using a bat house, which are small wooden boxes that can be mounted on the side of your home or on tree trunks. In addition, the number of bugs flying around your home is noticeably less when bats are present.

World-wide there are nearly 1,000 species of bats and most of these are highly beneficial. Seventy percent of all bats feed on insects making them the most important controller of night flying insects, including many agricultural pests. A single bat can eat up to 3,000 insects in one night.

In the tropics, fruit and nectar feeding bats play a vital role in the survival and re-growth of the rain forests. Fruit-eating bats spread seeds as they fly and digest their food. Nectar feeding bats pollinate many valuable plants such as bananas, balsa wood, agave and more.

Bats are Unique

Bats are the only flying mammal. Scientists have classified them into a unique order all their own called "Chiroptera" which means "hand wing". Bats literally fly with their hands! Bats are not blind. In addition to sight many species have highly developed ultrasonic sonar capabilities which they use to navigate and catch insects in total darkness.

Threats to survival

Bats are disappearing at an alarming rate. Much of this is due to ignorance and misunderstanding.

Bat Boxes

Many people put up bat boxes to attract bats just as many people put up bird boxes. Reasons for this vary, but mostly center around the fact that bats are the primary nocturnal insectivores in most if not all ecologies.

Bat boxes can be made from scratch, made from kits, or bought ready made.

A bat box constructed in 1991 at the University of Florida campus in Gainesville has a population of over 100,000 free-tailed bats.

Some conservation societies are giving away free bat boxes to bat enthusiasts worldwide.

Cultural Aspects
The bat is sacred in Tonga and West Africa and is often considered the physical manifestation of a separable soul. Bats are closely associated with vampires, who are said to be able to shapeshift into bats, fog or wolves. Bats are also a symbol of ghosts, death and disease. Among some Native Americans, such as the Creek, Cherokee and Apache, the bat is a trickster spirit. Chinese lore claims the bat is a symbol of longevity and happiness, and is similarly lucky in Poland and geographical Macedonia and among the Kwakiutl and Arabs.

In Western Culture, the bat is often a symbol of the night and its foreboding nature. The bat is a primary animal associated with fictional characters of the night such as both villiains like Dracula and Heros like Batman. The association of the fear of the night with the animal was treated as a literary challenge by Kenneth Oppel, who created a best selling series of novels, beginning with Silverwing, which feature bats as the central heroic figures much in a similar manner as the classic novel Watership Down did for rabbits. An old wives' tale has it that bats will entangle themselves in people's hair. A likely root to this myth is that insect-eating bats seeking prey may dive erratically toward people, who attract mosquitoes and gnats, leading the squeamish to believe that the bats are trying to get in their hair.

In the United Kingdom all bats are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Acts, and even disturbing a bat or its roost can be punished with a heavy fine.

Austin, Texas is the summer home to North America's largest urban bat colony, an estimated 1,500,000 Mexican free-tailed bats, who eat an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects each night and attract 100,000 tourists each year.

In Sarawak, Malaysia bats are protected species under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998. The large Naked bat and Greater Nectar bat are consumed by the local communities.

Some people enjoy bat bathing; standing at an opening to a cave they wait until the bats leave, surrounding them in a 'sea' of bats.