Pig,Profile,Latest news,Photos

Pig

A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs domestic pig and its ancestor, the common Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa), along with other species; related creatures outside the genus include the babirusa and the warthog. Pigs, like all suids, are native to the Eurasian and African continents. Juvenile pigs are known as piglets. Pigs are omnivores and are highly social and intelligent animals.

A typical pig has a large head with a long snout which is strengthened by a special presnal bone and by a disk of cartilage at the tip. The snout is used to dig into the soil to find food and is a very acute sense organ. There are four hoofed toes on each trotter (foot), with the two larger central toes bearing most of the weight, but the outer two also being used in soft ground.

Pigs are omnivores, which means that they consume both plants and animals. In the wild, they are foraging animals, primarily eating leaves, grasses, roots, fruits and flowers. In confinement pigs are fed mostly corn and soybean meal with a mixture of vitamins and minerals added to the diet. Because pigs are omnivores they make excellent pasture raised animals.

 Pig

 Pig

Aardwolf,Profile,Latest news,Photos

Aardwolf

Although the Aardwolf (Proteles crisata) is a type of hyena, it is so different in size, appearance and behavior it is quite unique.

Aardwolves are only found in two populations in southern and eastern Africa. At only about three feet long and weighing less than 30lbs they are much smaller than other hyenas and are only slightly larger than foxes. A slender muzzle and sharper ears than other hyenas further differentiates the aardwolf in appearance.

Much like the aardvark it’s partially named after, the Aardwolf feeds almost exclusively on insects; specifically the termites that are native to its home range. With its specialized tongue and teeth, the Aardwolf is capable of eating up to 300,000 termites in a single night.

 Unlike other hyenas, Aardwolves do not scavenge or eat carrion, and will only kill small mammals and birds as a last resort.

Aardwolf

 Aardwolf

Bald Eagle Profile,Latest news,Photos

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle  is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.

Bald Eagles are not actually bald; the name derives from an older meaning of "white headed". The adult is mainly brown with a white head and tail. The sexes are identical in plumage, but females are about 25 percent larger than males. The beak is large and hooked. The plumage of the immature is brown.

The plumage of an adult Bald Eagle is evenly dark brown with a white head and tail. The tail is moderately long and slightly wedge-shaped. Males and females are identical in plumage coloration, but sexual. 

The Bald Eagle occurs during its breeding season in virtually any kind of American wetland habitat such as sea coasts, rivers, large lakes or marshes or other large bodies of open water with an abundance of fish. Studies have shown a preference for bodies of water with a circumference greater than 11 km (7 mi), and lakes with an area greater than 10 km² (4 sq mi) are optimal for breeding Bald Eagles.

The Bald Eagle is a powerful flier, and soars on thermal convection currents. It reaches speeds of 56–70 km/h (35–43 mph) when gliding and flapping, and about 48 km/h (30 mph) while carrying fish.Its dive speed is between 120–160 km/h (75–99 mph), though it seldom dives vertically

  Blad Eagle

 Blad Eagle

 

 Blad Eagle

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Fox,Profile,Latest news,Photos

Fox

Fox is a common name for many species of alert omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small-to-medium-size canids (slightly smaller than a medium-size domestic dog), with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail.

Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to the Vulpes genus of "true foxes". By far the most common and widespread species of fox is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), although various species are found on almost every continent. The presence of fox-like carnivores all over the globe, together with their widespread reputation for cunning, has contributed to their appearance in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world.

In the wild, foxes can live for up to 10 years, but most foxes only live for 2 to 3 years due to hunting, road accidents and diseases. Foxes are generally smaller than other members of the family Canidae such as wolves, jackals, and domestic dogs.

Male foxes are called reynards, and weigh, on average, around 5.9 kilograms (13 lb) while female foxes, called vixens, weigh less, at around 5.2 kilograms.

  Fox

  Fox

Fox

Zarafa (Giraffe) Profile,News,Photos

zarafa (Giraffe)

Zarafa  ( 12 January 1845) was a female Giraffe  who lived in the Jardin des Plantes in paris for 18 years. A gift from Mohammad ali of Egypt to King Charles X of France, she was one of three giraffes Muhammad Ali sent to European rulers in 1827. These were the first giraffes to be seen in Europe for over three centuries, since the Medici giraffe was sent to Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence in 1486.

According to Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, she was called The Beautiful Animal of the King (le bel animal du roi) during her trip from Marseille to Paris. A 1998 book written by American author Michael Allin (Zarafa: A Giraffe's True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris) and a 2012 French animation film both refer to her as Zarafa, which is the Arabic for "Giraffe". Another Arabic word with a similar pronunciation, meaning "charming" or "lovely one" was mentioned by Allin as a possible etymology, but this is ruled out as both words are spelled with different Arabic letters.

Muhammad Ali Pasha also sent two other giraffes as gifts in 1827, one to George IV of the United Kingdom in London and the other to Francis I of Austria in Vienna. Like the giraffe sent to France, both inspired giraffe crazes in their respective cities. The Austrian giraffe joined the Emperor's menagerie at Schönbrunn Palacem but survived for less than one year. Nevertheless, it lived on in the form of "Giraffeln" pastries, served until the beginning of the First World War. 

 Zarafa

 Zarafa

Reech (Black Bear) Profile, Latest news,Photos

Reech ( Black Bear)

The Reech also known as the moon bear or white-chested bear, is a medium-sized species of bear, largely adapted for arboreal life, seen across much of the Himalayas and the northern parts of the Indian Subcontinent, Taiwan, Korea, northeastern China, the Russian far east and  and Shikoku islands of Japan. It is classed by the IUCN as a vulnerable species, mostly due to deforesstion and active hunting for its body parts.

Asian black bears are similar in general appearance to brown bears, but are more lightly built and are more slender limbed. The skulls of Asian black bears are relatively small, but massive, particularly in the lower jaw. Adult males have skulls measuring 311.7–328 mm (12.3–13 in) long and 199.5–228 mm (7.9–9 in) wide, while females have skulls measuring 291.6–315 mm (11.5–12.4 in) long and 163–173 mm (6.4–6.8 in) wide.

 Asian black bears are diurnal, though they become nocturnal near human habitations. They may live in family groups consisting of two adults and two successive litters of young. They will walk in a procession of largest to smallest. They are good climbers of rocks and trees, and will climb to feed, rest, sun, elude enemies and hibernate. Some older bears may become too heavy to climb.

Within Sikhote-Alin, the breeding season of black bears occurs earlier than in brown bears, starting from mid June to mid August. Birth also occurs earlier, in mid January. By October, the uterine horns of pregnant females grow to 15–22 mm. By late December, the embryos weigh 75 grams.

Parrot Profile,Latest news,Photos

Parrot

Parrot, also known as psittacines are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes,found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three super families: the Psittacoidea ('true' parrots), the Cacatuoidea (cockatoos) and the Strigopoidea (New Zealand parrots).Parrots have a generally pantropical distribution with several species inhabiting temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere as well. The greatest diversity of parrots is in South America and Australasia.

The earliest records of modern parrots date to about 23–20 Ma and are also from Europe. Subsequently, the fossil record—again mainly from Europe—consists of bones clearly recognisable as belonging to parrots of modern type. The Southern Hemisphere does not have nearly as rich a fossil record for the period of interest as the Northern, and contains no known parrot-like remains earlier than the early to middle Miocene, around 20 Ma. At this point, however, is found the first unambiguous parrot fossil (as opposed to a parrot-like one), an upper jaw which is indistinguishable from that of modern cockatoos.

There are numerous challenges in studying wild parrots, as they are difficult to catch and once caught they are difficult to mark. Most wild bird studies rely on banding or wing tagging, but parrots chew off such attachments.Parrots also tend to range widely and consequently there are many gaps in knowledge of their behaviour. 

 Parrot

 Parrot

 Parrot

 Parrot

 Parrot