Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Animal of the week fun!


Opossums are excellent tree climbers and spend much of their time aloft.
There are more than 60 different species of opossum, which are often called possums. The most notable is the Virginia opossum or common opossum—the only marsupial (pouched mammal) found in the United States and Canada.A female opossum gives birth to helpless young as tiny as honeybees. Babies immediately crawl into the mother's pouch, where they continue to develop. As they get larger, they will go in and out of the pouch and sometimes ride on the mother's back as she hunts for food. Opossums may give birth to as many as 20 babies in a litter, but fewer than half of them survive. Some never even make it as far as the pouch.Opossums are scavengers, and they often visit human homes or settlements to raid garbage cans, dumpsters, and other containers. They are attracted to carrion and can often be spotted near roadkill. Opossums also eat grass, nuts, and fruit. They will hunt mice, birds, insects, worms, snakes, and even chickens.These animals are most famous for "playing possum." When threatened by dogs, foxes, or bobcats, opossums sometimes flop onto their sides and lie on the ground with their eyes closed or staring fixedly into space. They extend their tongues and generally appear to be dead. This ploy may put a predator off its guard and allow the opossum an opportunity to make its escape.Opossums are excellent tree climbers and spend much of their time aloft. They are aided in this by sharp claws, which dig into bark, and by a long prehensile (gripping) tail that can be used as an extra limb. Opossums nest in tree holes or in dens made by other animals.These animals are widespread and are sometimes hunted as food, particularly in the southern United States.
Fast Facts
Type: Mammal. Diet: Omnivore. Size: Length from nose to tail, 2.5 ft (76 cm) Weight:8.8 to 13.2 lb (4 to 6 kg)Group name: Passel. Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Kittens in the flowers... A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.











All of these photos come from, http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk/gal1100/1/flower-cats-cute-dogs, They also have puppies... If you want to see more awesomely cute kits and pups, go there, like immediately! I mean it! NOW! You will practically faint at the sight of these sweethearts.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Animal of the week fun!


All adult meerkats—male and female—pitch in to help educate the young in hunting and survival
techniques.
These gregarious animals are often seen in groups, and several families may live together in a large community. Squirrel-sized meerkats are mongooses famed for their upright posture. They often stand on their rear legs and gaze alertly over the southern African plains where they live. Mothers can even nurse their young while standing. Meerkats (also called suricates) work together in numbers. A few will typically serve as lookouts, watching the skies for birds of prey, such as hawks and eagles, that can snatch them from the ground. A sharp, shrill call is the signal for all to take cover. While a few individuals guard the group, the rest busy themselves foraging for the foods that make up their varied diet. Meerkats will eat insects, lizards, birds, and fruit. When hunting small game, they work together and communicate with purring sounds. Meerkats are good hunters and are sometimes tamed for use as rodent-catchers.Meerkat groups utilize several different burrows and move from one to another. Each burrow is an extensive tunnel-and-room system that remains cool even under the broiling African sun. Females give birth to two to four young each year in one of the group's burrows. Fathers and siblings help to raise meerkat young, teaching them to play and forage and alerting them to the ever present danger from above. Young meerkats are so fearful of predatory birds that even airplanes will send them diving for cover.
Fast Facts
Type: Mammal. Diet: Omnivore. Size: Head and body, 9.75 to 11.75 in (25 to 30 cm); tail, 7.5 to 9.5 in (19 to 24 cm)Weight: Less than 2.2 lbs (1 kg)Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Okay, guys...

I know that this is supposed to be an animal blog. But seriously? This is a very important post. I was looking at a blog I follow and I saw a link to a blog that looked interesting and I clicked it. {Okay, Claire, stop beating around the bush!} Well, I saw another link on that blog about a family who wants to adopt a little girl but they don't have enough money yet. So they are having a drawing and if you donate you are automatically are in the drawing, I think that's what they said! {Ha ha!!} And if you have a blog/website/face book etc you can go to her blog, http://theresoneless.blogspot.com/ and if you want share it on your website you will be entered in a giveaway until the 31st, or something like that. BUT you have to leave a comment.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Puppies!







Did anyone even notice these angels?? I found these on the Web. I know that those who stay with me and look at my blog constantly know by now that when it comes to animals--especially cute ones--I get a little crazy. But this time even I know that they are beyond just my opinion. A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E. Every single one of them! Who agrees with me? Let me know on comments.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Oh my GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Guys, JUST.LOOK.AT.THIS.ADORABLE.BABY.PANTHER! Look at its eyes! {I know its going
to grow into a fierce adult panther, but why not enjoy it when its practically harmless?}
I mean COME ON! Who knew that this cutie pie could turn into, {And it would probably have to be with a fairy god-panther or something, because that sounds impossible to change him into the kind of panther you will see if you search in the google box: Pictures of beautiful panthers.}
One is not so beautiful. I think it's the first picture on the left. I think I would like the fairy god-panther to bring me this angel for a pet...But she has to train him to NEVER GROW UP!!!!!!!!!!!
*Knock knock* Oops, Fairy god-panther at the door! Gotta go! {"Oh yes fairy god-panther, thank you for coming..."}

Monday, March 12, 2012

Animal of the week fun!


Prairie dogs emerge from their burrows in daylight to forage and feed on grasses, roots, and seeds.
These charismatic, rabbit-size rodents live on North America's prairies and open grasslands in only a fraction of their former numbers.Prairie dogs live in underground burrows, extensive warrens of tunnels and chambers marked by many mounds of packed earth at their surface entrances. Burrows have defined nurseries, sleeping quarters, and even toilets. They also feature listening posts near exits, so animals can safely keep tabs on the movements of predators outside. Prairie dogs spend a lot of time building and rebuilding these dwellings. Other animals benefit from their labors. Burrows may be shared by snakes, burrowing owls, and even rare black-footed ferrets, which hunt prairie dogs in their own dwellings.Family groups (a male, a few females, and their young) inhabit burrows and cooperate to share food, chase off other prairie dogs, and groom one another. These group members even greet one another with a prairie dog kiss or nuzzle. Young pups are very playful and can often been seen romping near their burrows.Black-tailed prairie dogs, the best known of the five prairie dog species, live in larger communities called towns, which may contain many hundreds of animals. Typically they cover less than half a square mile (1.3 square kilometers), but some have been enormous. The largest recorded prairie dog town covered some 25,000 square miles (65,000 square kilometers). That Texas town was home to perhaps four hundred million prairie dogs.Another prairie dog species, the white-tailed prairie dog, lives in the western mountains. These rodents do not gather in large towns but maintain more scattered burrows. All species hunker down in winter and burn the reserves of fat they have stored during more plentiful seasons. White-tails may hibernate for up to six months on their mountain plains, while their black-tailed cousins sometimes emerge to feed on especially warm days.These large squirrels emerge from their burrows in daylight to forage and feed on grasses, roots, and seeds. They communicate with loud cries. A warning cry, for example, will send a town's denizens hustling to their holes at the approach of a badger, coyote, or other predator. A second, "all-clear" call alerts the community when the danger has passed.Much of the Great Plains has been converted to farming or pastureland, and prairie dogs are not often welcome in such places. Because of their destructive landscaping, they are often killed as pests. During the 20th century, about 98 percent of all prairie dogs were exterminated, and their range has shrunk to perhaps five percent of its historic spread.
Fast Facts:
Type: Mammal.Diet: Herbivore.Average life span in the wild: 3 to 4 years.Size: Head and body, 12 to 15 in (30 to 38 cm); tail, 3 to 4 in (8 to 10 cm)Weight: 2 to 4 lbs (1 to 2 kg) Group name: Prairie dog town. Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:
This information is from National Geographic.com

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Friday, March 9, 2012

Animal of the week fun!


Sharp eyesight and raw speed make the cheetah a formidable hunter.
The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal. With acceleration that would leave most automobiles in the dust, a cheetah can go from 0 to 60 miles (96 kilometers) an hour in only three seconds. These big cats are quite nimble at high speed and can make quick and sudden turns in pursuit of prey.Before unleashing their speed, cheetahs use exceptionally keen eyesight to scan their grassland environment for signs of prey—especially antelope and hares. This big cat is a daylight hunter that benefits from stealthy movement and a distinctive spotted coat that allows it to blend easily into high, dry grasses.When the moment is right a cheetah will sprint after its quarry and attempt to knock it down. Such chases cost the hunter a tremendous amount of energy and are usually over in less than a minute. If successful, the cheetah will often drag its kill to a shady hiding place to protect it from opportunistic animals that sometimes steal a kill before the cheetah can eat. Cheetahs need only drink once every three to four days.Female cheetahs typically have a litter of three cubs and live with them for one and a half to two years. Young cubs spend their first year learning from their mother and practicing hunting techniques with playful games. Male cheetahs live alone or in small groups, often with their littermates.Most wild cheetahs are found in eastern and southwestern Africa. Perhaps only 7,000 to 10,000 of these big cats remain, and those are under pressure as the wide-open grasslands they favor are disappearing at the hands of human settlers.
Fast Facts
Type: Mammal. Diet: Carnivore. Average life span in the wild: 10 to 12 years. Size:3.5 to 4.5 ft (1.1 to 1.4 m); Tail, 25.5 to 31.5 in (65 to 80 cm)Weight: 77 to 143 lbs (35 to 65 kg) Protection status:Vulnerable. Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:
This information is from National Geographic.com

So Sorry...

I am so sorry, everyone who views my blog! I have not been doing Animal of the Week lately because I have been SO busy. I will try to do better and please forgive me if I do not get Animal of the Week done every week.