…the size of things! by AGHANSEN on Flickr.
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this was taken on our farm and its just amazing how animals are toward things that are not ill intent.
Manta (Mobula mobular) by Xavier Bayod on Flickr.
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Impressionant manta de l’Oceanário de Lisboa, un dels meus principals objectius de la visita a aquest indret després de fer-ho 13 anys enrere quan es va inaugurar durant l’Expo del 98.
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Common wombat - enjoying the early morning sunshine outside her burrow under a log.
www.eclipz1.com
animals 3 - pink floyd by oddsock on Flickr.
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this is my fav, a real moody shot of the pig against the sun and smoke
Animal Kindom’s Tree of Life by Imagineering My Way on Flickr.
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The Tree of Life, a sculpted 14-story (145-foot tall), 50-foot wide tree, is the centerpiece and icon in Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
Paths known as Discovery Island Trails weave around and through this homage to nature. Stroll the trails to see a swirling tapestry of 325 animals carved into the bark of this massive attraction. Look for creatures like Galapagos tortoises, lemurs and cotton-top tarmarins.
A theater is housed in the Tree of Life root system where the It’s Tough to be a Bug! show is performed. This 8-minute, 3D movie and multimedia show features Flik, everybody’s favorite ant, and his grasshopper friend, Hopper, from the Disney·Pixar film A Bug’s Life—along with a supporting cast of insects and arachnids who provide a surprising look into the animal kingdom.
Don’t miss the Tree of Life, and be sure to inspect its carvings carefully. There may even be a famous mouse hiding among its branches!
The fastest animal on earth…except today..cause it’s my day off…:O) by law_keven on Flickr.
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Cheetah - (Acinonyx jubatus) - Eagle Heights Wildlife Park, Kent, England - Sunday February 24th 2008.
The fastest land animal in the world, the cheetah is a marvel of evolution. The cheetah’s slender, long-legged body is built for speed. Cheetahs are tan in color with black spots all over their bodies. They can also be distinguished from other big cats by their smaller size, spotted coats, small heads and ears and distinctive “tear stripes” that stretch from the corner of the eye to the side of the nose.
Height 2 ½ -3 feet at shoulders
Length 44-53 inches (tail length of 26-33 inches)
Weight 110-140 pounds
Top Speed 70mph
Lifespan 10-12 years
Diet
Staples Gazelles, wildebeest calves, impalas and smaller hoofed animals
Population
In 1900, there were over 100,000 cheetahs across their historic range. Today, an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 cheetahs remain in the wild in Africa. In Iran, there are around 200 cheetahs living in small isolated populations.
Range
Historically cheetahs were found throughout Africa and Asia from South Africa to India. They are now confined to parts of eastern and southwestern Africa and Iran.
Behavior
Found mostly in open and partially open savannah, cheetahs rely on tall grasses for camouflage when hunting. They are diurnal (more active in the day) animals and hunt mostly during the late morning or early evening. Only half of the chases, which last from 20-60 seconds, are successful.
Cheetahs knock their prey to the ground and kill with a suffocating bite to the neck. They must eat quickly before they lose the kills to other bigger or more aggressive carnivores.
Cheetahs are also typically solitary animals. While males sometimes live with a small group of brothers from the same litter, females generally raise cubs by themselves for about a year.
Reproduction
Mating Season Throughout the year.
Gestation Around 3 months.
Litter size 2-4 cubs
Cubs are smoky in color with long, woolly hair – called a mantle – running down their backs. This mantle is thought to camouflage cubs in grass, concealing them from predators. Mothers move cubs to new hiding places every few days. At 5-6 weeks, cubs follow the mother and begin eating from their kills.
Threats
The cheetah’s future is uncertain due to a variety of threats. The biggest is habitat loss due to human encroachment. In addition, they often deal with declines in prey and conflicts with humans. There is also high cub mortality due to predation by carnivores like lions and hyenas that are in competition with the cheetah, as well as genetic inbreeding which leads to abnormalities.
