Bluebird

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Beautiful Bluebird

True wildlife | Bluebird | Bluebird boxes need to be kept away from shrubs and tree lines (100 ft or more). Face the box away from prevailing winds (facing south) and mount boxes approximately 5 feet high.
Have boxes up by February (southern areas) and by March in northern areas.
Bluebirds have been known to roost during colder months in nesting boxes and can be attracted to roosting boxes.
If swallows compete for the nest site, place another box near the first (15 to 25 feet from the original house).
Swallows will help keep other swallows away from both boxes. In areas where there are violet green swallows and tree swallows along with bluebirds, place three houses, one for each species. They seem to tolerate overlapping territories of other species, but not their own.
One important item to mention to customers is that sparrows and wrens may try to take over a bluebird nesting box. They may make it to the bluebird box first or they may try to force the bluebirds out. English House Sparrows are notorious for breaking bluebird eggs and even killing the hatchings. If customers are warned that this could be a possibility, they may not be as disappointed if it does happen. The only way to help reduce this possibility is to make sure the house is mounted away from the edge of trees or away from human dwellings and to clean out sparrow nests regularly (sparrow nests are sloppy and frequently fill the box).

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Tapir

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

tapir animal

Tapirs are related to horses and rhinos, not to pigs. There are four species, three of which are found in Central and South America. Tapirs can weigh up to 300 kg.
The Malayan tapir is the largest of the species and is distinguished by its unusual coloration. The rear half of the body above the legs is white. All young tapirs are born, however, with a pattern of dots and stripes on their body which makes them appear, in the words of one zoologist, like “watermelons with legs.” As they get older, these markings gradually fade away to be replaced by the permanent colours.
Shy and solitary by nature, tapirs are often hunted in their native countries for their hide, which is tough and leathery. In some parts of Asia, tapir meat is sold in the shops, although it is said to be less than tasty, with a high fat content.
The New World species seem to be headed toward extinction as the advance of civilization destroys their environment and as native people hunt them, sometimes just for sport. The Malayan species does not, for the time being at least, appear to be endangered. Now legally protected, the species nevertheless continues to be the target of poachers due to lax enforcement.

tapir animal

tapir animal

tapir animal

baby tapir animal

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Camels

Monday, November 28, 2011

Camel | desert animal

True Wildlife | Animals | A camel is either of the two species of large even-toed ungulate in the genus Camelus, the Dromedary and the Bactrian Camel. Both are native to the dry and desert areas of Asia and northern Africa. The name camel comes from the Hebrew gamal, "to repay" or"requite", as the camel does the care of its master. The term camel is also used more broadly, to describe any of the six camel-like creatures in the family Camelidae: the two true camels, and the four South American camelids: Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco and Vicuna. For an overview of the camel family, see camelid. For more information on the two true camels, see Dromedary and Bactrian Camel.
Humans first domesticated camels many thousands of years ago. The Dromedary and the Bactrian Camel are both still used for milk, meat, and as beasts of burden—the Dromedary in northern Africa and western Asia; the Bactrian Camel further to the north and east in central Asia.
Although there are almost 13 million Dromedaries alive today, the species is extinct in the wild: all bar a handful are domesticated animals (mostly in Sudan, Somalia, India and nearby countries). There is, however, a substantial feral population of about 200,000 in central Australia, descended from individuals that escaped from captivity in the late 19th century.
The Bactrian Camel once had an enormous range, but is now reduced to an estimated 1.4 million animals, mostly domesticated. It is thought that there are about 1000 wild Bactrian Camels in the Gobi Desert, and small numbers in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Russia.

desert camel

baby camel

desert camel

white camel

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Angelfish

angelfish | under water

True Wildlife | Under Watr | There are six species of Angelfish in North American waters, many of these inhabiting the numerous islands of the Caribbean. There are Cherubfish, Queen Angelfish, Blue Angelfish, Gray Angelfish, French Angelfish, and the Rock Beauty. All are basically rounded in appearance, like a pancake, and most live on shallow reefs. They range in size from 3 inches up to 24 inches.

• The Cherubfish, the smallest of angelfishes, is a deep blue with pale yellow fins. They are not often seen because they prefer deeper waters than scuba divers or snorkelers frequent.
• The Queen Angelfish, which grows up to about 18 inches around, is usually a vibrant blue with yellow markings on their fins and a black and blue spot on the top of its head.
• The Blue Angelfish looks similar to the Queen Angelfish only a lighter blue and yellow color and has no black and blue spot. When very young these angelfish act as cleaner fish and remove parasites from larger fish.
• The Gray Angelfish is really gray with yellow fins.
• The French Angelfish is black with yellow scale tips and yellow around its eye. Both of these varieties can reach sizes up to 24 inches.
• The Rock Beauty is black with a yellow head, chest, and underbelly.

Angelfish feed on a variety of items including sponges, algae, small crustaceans, and occasional handouts from divers. They are very curious fish and are apt to come right up to divers, sometimes making real pests of themselves. They normally form pairs or small groups and are very active during the daytime. At night they retire and because of their pancake shape, they are able to fit into many narrow crevices in the reef.

angelfish | under water

angelfish | under water

beautiful angelfish | under water

french angelfish | under water

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Dodo

real Dodo bird

True Wildlife | Birds|

Physical Characteristics

The dodo was a large, plump bird covered in soft, grey feathers, with a plume of white at its tail. It had small wings that were far too weak to ever lift the dodo off the ground. Because it was flightless, those who saw the bird often thought it had no real wings at all, describing them as "little winglets."study of the skeleton reveals, however, that the dodo did in fact have wings that were simply not used for flight, much like penguins' wings. Also the mass of Dodo was from 13 to 23 kg.

The dodo's legs were short and stubby and yellow in color. On the end of the legs were four toes, three in front and one acting as a thumb in back, all with thick, black claws. The head was a lighter grey than the body, with small, yellow eyes. Many words have been devoted to the long, crooked and hooked beak, which was light green or pale yellow in color and was one of the most distinguishing features of the dodo. Those who saw it, marveled at the unique shape and size. One witness went so far as to describe it as grotesque.

Food

Scientists thoughts on the diet of the dodo are based mainly on speculation. Some sailors' accounts talk of watching dodos wade into water-pools to catch fish. They have been described as "strong and greedy" hunters. What really fascinated the visitors to Mauritius, however, was the fact that dodos seemed to eat stones and iron frequently and with no trouble. It is now surmised that the rocks eased digestion.

Behavior

The sailors who landed on Mauritius found much amusement in watching the clumsy dodo's behavior. There is a story one told of watching a dodo attempt to escape in a hurry. When it tried to run away, (wobble may be a more accurate term), its belly would drag on the ground and slow him down. But for the most part, the dodo is described as a lazy, rather dumb animal. It had virtually no defenses against predators, except for its large beak which could deliever a "fearsome bite" if the occasion arose, such as a threat to itself or its young.

Habitat

Although many pictures and stories place the dodo along the shores of Mauritius, it was actually a forest-dwelling bird.The island of Mauritius is home to a variety of biomes, such as plains, small mountains, forests, and reefs all along the shores. However, the dodo made its home primarily in the forest.

Reproduction

Specifics about mating and incubation periods are not known. Several people have described the nests the dodo made as being deep in the forest, in a bed of grass. There, the female would lay one egg, which she would protect and raise. One sailor told about hearing the cries of a young dodo in its nest, which sounded "like that of a young goose."

dodo bird

dodo bird in a forest

dodo bird

baby dodo bird

dodo bird

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Heron

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Heron

True Wildlife | Heron | The herons are medium to large sized birds with long legs and necks. They exhibit very little sexual dimorphism in size. The smallest species is usually considered the Little Bittern, although all the species in the ixobrychus genus are small and many broadly overlap in size.
Diet: The herons and bitterns are carnivorous. The members of this family are mostly associated with wetlands and water, and feed on a variety of live aquatic prey. The diet includes a wide variety of aquatic animals, including fish, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic insects.

Young Heron 

Beautiful Heron

Alert Heron

 Flying heron

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Jaguar

Jaguar is the world's largest wild cat 

True wildlife | Jaguar | The Jaguar is the third largest feline, the tiger and lion being the only ones larger. They have a body length of between 1.1 and 1.9 m (3.5 - 6.25 feet), a tail length of between 45 and 75 cms (18 - 30 inches), a shoulder height of between 55 and 76 cms (21.5 - 30 inches) and they weigh between 36 and 160 Kgs (79 - 350 lbs).
Typically females are 20% smaller than males and they generally vary in size according to their distribution, they tend to increase in size from North to South.
The Jaguar is compact and well muscled. It has short stocky limbs which enables it to be adept at climbing, swimming and crouching. It has a strong head and an extremely powerful jaw.
The base coat of the Jaguar is tawny, or it can be reddish/brown, and it has irregular shaped rosette type markings over its body. These markings become solid spots on the head and neck, and they merge to form rings on its tail. The underside of the Jaguar is lighter coloured.
Melanistic or black Jaguars are far less common than the spotted form. They are known as Panthers (as are black Leopards). They appear to be entirely black, but their markings can be seen if examined closely.
Darker coloured individuals tend to be found in the dense forest areas as this helps them to stay hidden and lighter coloured, larger animals tend to be found in the open plains.

Running Jaguar

Spots on Jaguar making it beautiful 

Jaguar inside cage 

Jaguar pulling his front legs 

Jaguar is looking straight 

The Jaguar 

Jaguar is ready to attack 

Jaguar is sleeping

Jaguar with green mysterious eyes

Jaguar in the cave

Jaguar is looking furious 

Jaguar's wild teeth 

Wild Jaguar 

Jaguar is looking back

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Eastern Newt

Eastern newt 

True wildlife | Eastern Newts | Eastern Newts are common North American newts. They are between 6.5 and 11.5 cms (2.5 - 4.5 inches) in length and they have a life expectancy of 12 - 15 years.
They have a complex three stage life cycle; larvae, eft and aquatic adult; which is described in more detail in the breeding section below.
As an adult they have an olive green coloured dorsal surface with black-edged red spots and a yellow underside. Their skin is rough, scale less, and moist and they have small eyes with horizontal pupils. Their tail has developed to be larger and wider to suit their aquatic lifestyle. During the eft and adult stages of their life they have highly toxic skin secretions that protect them from predators.

Eastern newt's head 

Eastern newt on yellow leaf 

Eastern newt on dirty ugly leaves 

Pet Eastern newt 

Couple of Eastern newt 

Eastern newt in yellowish orange colour 

Eastern newt over grass

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