Interesting Facts About The Mountain Gorilla

Did you know: The fully adult male mountain gorilla is twice as large as the female.

Did you know: The gorilla is shy and retiring rather than ferocious and treacherous. It usually seeks no trouble unless harassed but will valiantly defend its family group if threatened.

Did you know: Mountain gorillas have a slow rate of reproduction. Females give birth for the first time at about age 10 and will have more offspring every three or four years.

Did you know: The most serious threat to gorillas is habitat loss.

Did you know: The gorilla's only known enemies are leopards and humans. Crocodiles are potentially dangerous to lowland gorillas. In western Africa, gorillas are commonly hunted for meat or in retaliation for crop raiding, but in eastern Africa they have been the victims of snares and traps set for antelope and other animals. Poachers have also destroyed entire family groups in their attempts to capture infant gorillas for zoos, while others are killed to sell their heads and hands as trophies.

Did you know: Gorillas are susceptible to various parasites and diseases, especially to pneumonia during the long, cold wet seasons.

Did you know: Gorillas rarely attack humans. But in an encounter a person should stay still and refrain from staring or pointing at the gorilla.

Source: Out To Africa

Rare White Animals

Animals are beautiful, but there’s something extra special about the creatures shown below.

Fore more images go to www.reshareworthy.com 

Snowflake The Gorilla

Claude The Alligator

Lion

Moose

Vulture

Centipede EATS Its Way Out Viper's Stomach ....

Freedom was so close, yet so far for this centipede.

After being swallowed whole by a snake, it made one last desperate attempt to escape by eating its way out of her stomach. Researchers found the dead nose-horned female viper with its prey (see images) exploding from its side during a field study in Macedonia on May 14 last year. Both creatures were dead.

Read more...

Spiders That Throw Nets Over Their Prey

Image Source

The spiders that you see at home or in your garden catch flying insects in their webs. However, a few days ago as I was sifting through the Internet I came across a small group of spiders that use webs to capture insects on the ground. The colorfully named Orge-faced spiders spin a small casting web between the tips of their four front legs. They hang on a single thread from a branch so they are positioned just above the ground.

When an insect wanders under the motionless hunter, the spider plunges its stretched net-like web downwards to envelop and entangle its unwary passing by insect. If successful, the spider will then silk-wrap the insect, bite and paralyze it, and then feed on it. Net strikes will also be made at flying insects that wander too close. An unused net is now and then stored by hanging it on close by leaves for the following night's hunt, or the spider may possibly eat it. The Ogre-faced spiders are named after their large pair of protruding eyes situated at the front of the head, which let them see extremely well at night.

Beautiful Animal Quotes

image source

These quotes about animals give us a good picture of why we need them in our lives, and why we ought to do everything we can to protect them. If you would like to share with us more quotes, please feel free to add it on the comment list. Thanks!

“I ask people why they have deer heads on their walls. They always say because it's such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother is attractive, but I have photographs of her.”

― Ellen DeGeneres

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

“Animals are my friends... and I don't eat my friends.”

― George Bernard Shaw

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”

― Josh Billings

It is much easier to show compassion to animals. They are never wicked.

― Haile Selassie

"The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But can they suffer?"

― Jeremy Bentham

“You can judge a man's true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.”

― Paul McCartney

“Animals don't hate, and we're supposed to be better than them.”

― Elvis Presley

“If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience.”

― Woodrow Wilson

“If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life.”

― Roger Caras

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, the whole world would be vegetarian.”

― Linda McCartney

“Lots of people talk to animals... Not very many listen though... that's the problem.”

― Benjamin Hoff

"I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being."

 --Abraham Lincoln

“Whoever said you can't buy Happiness forgot little puppies.”

― Gene Hill

“...only someone who'd never been an animal would put up a sign saying not to feed them....”

― Jonathan Safran Foer

“I don't believe in the concept of hell, but if I did I would think of it as filled with people who were cruel to animals.”

― Gary Larson

“An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language.”

― Martin Buber

“One disadvantage of being a hog is that at any moment some blundering fool may try to make a silk purse out of your wife's ear.”

― J.B. Morton

“You can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”

― James Beverly

“More often than not, what animals require our protection from are not hurricanes or fires, but abuse at the hands of other people".”

― Julie Klam

Source: www.goodreads.com 
For more animal quotes:  Beautiful Animal Quotes - II

True Story Of A Baby Orca Who Tried To Befriend People

What happens when a wild baby killer whale tries to make friends with people - not for food, but for companionship? Should humans welcome him or turn away?

I watched an amazing movie last weekend called The Whale. It’s a true story of a young orca – a killer whale – who was nicknamed Luna, and who took people by surprise. Several years ago, when Luna was just a baby, he suddenly appeared all alone in a place called Nootka Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Luna got separated from its pod. In the movie they compare Luna’s situation to a child that’s meandering around a store, turns around and realizes that his family is nowhere in sight. "He is lost"!

Orcas are social. They normally spend their entire lives with their families, but Luna was lost. An orca that gets separated usually just fades away and dies. But that didn’t happen to Luna - he tried to make friends, but not just any friends – Human Friends! Luna hung around passing boat and on the shore, looking for attention. And many people welcomed him. But this contact did not turn out to be simple. Law and science told people to stay away. Yet the same social instincts that drove Luna to seek companionship also brought people to him, in spite of the law. I don’t know about you, but I would have risked my life getting arrested and dove in the frigid water to play with Luna…

As Luna got close to people, he became both treasured and feared. To natives he was the spirit of a chief. To boaters he was a goofy friend. To conservationists he was a cause. To scientists he was trouble. To officials he was a danger. As conflict and tragedy stained the waters, Luna became a symbol of the world's wildest beauty: easy to love, hard to save. The story of Luna is overwhelming.

I would totally suggest for all you readers to look up this movie and giving it a watch. The Whale – Narrated by Ryan Reynolds.
 

Meet Venus, The Two-Faced Chimera Cat...

image credit 

Yesterday I came across an extraordinarily beautiful cat which has apparently become an internet sensation. I have no doubt that you are going to agree with this statement after you meet Venus, the two faced cat! As you can see by the image, Venus’s face is perfectly divided between black and calico, and besides that she also has heterochromia, which means that her eyes are different colors. Venus’s left eye is blue and her right eye is green. So tell me, which side do you like the most? If you want to see a video footage and more images of Venus click on the following link.

Snake With A False Head

image credit wikifaunia.com

Did you know that the Calabar Ground Boa (Charina reinhardtii) is pretty famous for its defensive behavior because of its extraordinary blunt head and equally blunt tail that are hard to tell apart? When threatened, it rolls into a tight ball with its head safely protected in the center of the coils and raises its tail as a false head in order to protect its real head (as shown on above image).

The Calabar Ground Boa can reach a maximum length of approximately 80 – 100 cm. Its scales are black or dark brown, scattered with red or orange. The tail may be ringed or have a partial ring of bright white scales. The Boas small mouth is not suited to large prey, thus it hunts on small mammals, often invading their tunnels and nests. It may wait for the adults to leave the nest, after which it will enter to eat whole litters at a time. 

Calabar Boas are a burrowing species, and hardly ever come above ground during daylight hours. On the other hand, they can be extremely active at night, and under a red night lamp can be a very fascinating species to observe….

A Flying Lizard

While I was sifting through the internet I came across this extraordinary flying lizard that has a pair of wings consisting of skin stretched between elongated ribs (If you have a closer look at the photo you will notice that what looks like veins running through the wings is actually its ribs). These wings help it glide from one tree trunk to another to avoid predators such as birds and snakes. To take off, the lizard moves its ribs outwards and opens the flaps of skin, closing them again on landing. 

The flying lizard is generally tan or pale brown to bright yellow, with a throat flap for display that is large and bright yellow in the male, but small and pale yellow in the female. Highly agile, this lizard lives on tree trunks and actively hunts for ants. The only time a flying lizard leaves the safety of trees is when a female is ready to lay her eggs, which she buries in sand or soil. She then guards the eggs for about 24 hours, but then leaves and has nothing more to do with the offspring. 

Didn’t James Cameron say that the creatures in Avatar came from real-life inspiration? So I guess that this little flying lizard (Draco Spilonotus) has got to be it (hihihi)…

How Did The Deathwatch Beetle Get Its Name?

image credit wikimedia 

I must admit that very few insects have a name as interesting as the "deathwatch beetle". These little beetles are dangerous pest given that their larvae (young) eat wood. The larvae leave a network of tunnels inside that makes the wood very fragile. It is said that if the insects get into the timbers holding up a house, the beetles can actually make it fall down. 

The deathwatch beetles name comes from the way the beetles tap or tick out messages while feeding on wood. The noises are very quiet, and according to tradition they are heard when people wait in silence around the bed of a dying person. The beetle’s taps were thought to be the ticks of a clock counting down to the end of the person’s life …

Amazing Furniture For Cats

Have a look at what some cat lovers do in order to make their pets live in comfort (for more amazing pet furniture images go to damncoolpictures). 

The Grand Canyon Skywalk Visit...

Have a look at this awesome video and see what it is like to walk on a glass walkway 4000 feet (1,220 meters) above the Grand Canyon which is situated in the Northern Arizona.

Birds Shown To Be Capable Of Using Tools

Image from www.zoo.cam.ac.uk (crow using tool)

Several species of birds have been recognized as tool-users in the animal kingdom. Perhaps the most renowned avian tool-user is the Woodpecker Finch of the Galapagos Islands, which uses a cactus spine or wooden splinter to obtain hidden insects out of holes in the wood. This bird is clever enough not only to use a tool, but also to “manufacture” its instrument if not available! Egyptian Vultures use stones as tools to crack an ostrich egg, while Macaws have been shown to utilize rope to fetch items that would normally be difficult to reach. The Green Heron has one of the most remarkable tool-using techniques. The heron will cast bait such as insects, berries twigs and even feathers into the water, then crouch down and wait for the curious or hungry fish that comes to the surface for a meal. Many other species such as Parrots, the extraordinary Corvids and a range of Passerines, have also been noted as tool-users. If you happen to identify a feeding bird, take the time to observe it and notice its extraordinary behavior… They are truly spectacular!

The Dolphin With A Prosthetic Tale

Image from dailymail

Winter, who turned 6 in October is a dolphin that was rescued from entangled ropes of a crab trap when she was only two months old (December 17, 2005). After being spotted and caught by a small fishing boat and a Sea World Team, Winter was immediately rushed to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a marine Hospital. Winter managed to survive the dreadful incident, but unfortunately her tail had to be amputated. At first Winter would have to learn to swim without a tail, forcing her to swim more like a fish (side to side body motion) than a dolphin (up and down body motion), but this unusual movement would damage her spine.

Image from dailymail

Kevin Carroll and a team of experts from Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, who had previously designed prosthetics for others animals (including dogs, a duck and an ostrich) volunteered to help Winter by designing a special prosthetic tail for her. It took about a year and a half designing and testing a tail for her, but the months of work were worth it. Today Winter is thriving and is using her new tail with great command.

Winter's fame has spread far and wide. Crowds of visitors are traveling to Clearwater to visit the dolphin that has become an inspiration to adults and children alike, especially to children who are amputees themselves. More and more people will definitely visit her after seeing the beautiful movie that was inspired on Winter’s story, titled "Dolphin Tale" (released on September 23, 2011). I have already seen it and I really loved it - Winter plays herself in the movie (see below trailer).

The tale doesn’t end here… Lessons learned from Winter´s prosthetic tail is now being used to make prosthetic limbs more comfortable for human – and animal – amputees. I have attached a touching true story about a lovely young girl called Megan McKoen that went through a terrible experience when she was just 5 months old. Megan experienced difficulties adjusting to her disability, until she met Winter and was fit with a Wintersgel liner. Read more…

The Great Auk Extinction - Today They Can Only Be Seen In Museums

Image from wikipedia

The flightless Great Auk was a northern seabird which stood about 75 to 85 cm high and weighed round about 5 kg, making it the largest member of the alcidae family. It nested in large colonies, which made it easy for people to hunt for its meat, fat, oil, eggs and down feathers. As birds became scarcer, specimen collecting became the proximate cause of their extinction. The last breeding pair was killed on the island of Eldey, off Iceland in 1844, and the last live bird was seen off the Newfoundland Banks in 1852. Today, a number of stuffed Great Auk specimens exist in museums. Words cannot describe how sad I feel whenever I learn about species that are extinct or face extinction due to human actions…

One Of The Rarest Penguins On Earth

Image from wikipedia

Named for its bright yellow eyes, this penguin has a bright yellow band running from its eyes around the back of its head and a stout reddish purple bill. The Yellow Eyed penguin is considered one of the world’s rarest penguins, with an estimated population of round about 4000. The main threats include habitat loss, habitat degradation and natural predators. In August 2010 the yellow-eyed penguin was granted protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Found only in New Zealand, the Yellow Eyed Penguin is the most retiring of the penguins, each pair nesting well away from other birds. Unlike some other northern penguins, it does not breed in burrows, but uses the cover of forests and other dense vegetation to keep out of the sun. The Yellow Eyed Penguins generally lays two eggs which are incubated by both parents who may spend several days on the nesting at a time. These adorable creatures may live up to 24 years.

Read more at wikipidia.org

Find Out Why Seahorses Are Unusual In The Animal Kingdom

Cartoon by Catherine Pain

The reason why Seahorses are unusual in the animal kingdom is because the males actually carry and deliver the babies? When mating, the female seahorse deposits eggs into the male’s pouch. The eggs eventually hatch and fully-developed miniature seahorses emerge into the water. Once the babies are released into the water, the male’s role is complete and he offers no future care … amazing, don’t you agree!

The Lizard That Was Once Entirely Extinct

Hierro Giant Lizard's were once believed to be entirely extinct but rediscovered in the mid 1970’s. This giant lizard has at present only a small population of about 300 to 400 individuals (including re-introduced populations) living on the island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands (Spain). Unfortunately, it is classified as Europe’s most endangered reptile. The Hierro Giant Lizard's major threat is predation by feral cats, and possibly also by dogs and rats.

The Hierro Giant Lizard is omnivorous and feeds almost exclusively on only two types of plants, Kleinia neriifolia and Lavandula abrotanoides. It also feeds on insects. It is a large, stocky lizard with a broad head and pronounced jowl. Its underside is generally brown, but has an orange to red coloration towards the middle. Adults are dark grey to brown in color with two rows of pale orange patches running along the sides. As the Hierro Giant Lizard grows older it tends to turn black with some grey. They are round about 60 cm long, although most of that is tail - males are known to grow larger than females.

Source: iucnredlist.org

The Tree Train Tunnel - What A Beauty

I have no doubt that most of you will all agree that this Tree Train Tunnel is truly beautiful. It was taken in Kleven, Ukrane! Photo by Oleg Gordienko. By the way, it is also known as the Tunnel of Love…

Source: Damn Cool Pictures

The Gigantic 90-foot Wave in Portugal

I guess that by now many of you have heard about the largest wave ever surfed here in Portugal. On 17 October, Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara made history by breaking the world record when he successfully surfed on a gigantic 90-foot wave (27 meters) at Praia do Norte, off the coast of Nazaré, in central Portugal - near where I live.

Theses incredible waves reach such an abnormal height because the coast of Nazaré is home to a special geomorphological feature known as the “Nazaré Canyon“. This unusual formation is a gap on the continental plate of about 170km in length and 5km deep, located right in front of Praia do Norte, which when receives large swells creates abnormally-sized waves... The previous biggest wave record, 77 feet, was set by another surfing legend – Mike Parsons in 2008.

This is the first time that a wave from Portugal has been entered into the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards (2012) competition. "I feel so blessed and honored to have been invited to explore this canyon and its special town" said Gareth in an interview. (see video of Garrett surfing wave).