Tuesday, September 12 2006
By elo on Tuesday, September 12 2006, 09:43
Armadillos are Tropical American mammals known for their bony armour
shell which is their way to defend themselves by rolling themselves
into a protective ball. Outside reproduction, Armadillos are quite
solitary feeding from insects or worms that they find by digging the
floor.
It is interesting to notice that some species like the
9-banded armadillo have a peculiar reproduction system: females give
birth only to absolutely identical quadruplets (polyembryony, several embryos from one egg).
source : flickr (Nina Dalmolin) and wikipedia
Monday, September 11 2006
By elo on Monday, September 11 2006, 09:40
This type of ibis lives in South America and in Trinidad and Tobago.
They get this name from their alimentation based on crustaceans.
Scarlet Ibis colonies can be as big as several thousand of birds.
source : flickr (Tut99 (Roger)) and wikipedia
Friday, September 8 2006
By elo on Friday, September 8 2006, 09:37
This insect (whose nick name comes from its praying like stance) is
a quite an aggressive predator living in tropical and sub-tropical
areas (Some smaller kind can be found in more temperate areas). They
belong to those rare insects that can actually turn their head. They
feed from prey sometimes as long as themselves (up to 17cm) thanks to
their mandibles. Males are most of the time smaller than female and it
happens that they might be eaten by their female partner after
reproduction (See photo).
source : flickr (Dermal Denticles) and wikipedia
Thursday, September 7 2006
By elo on Thursday, September 7 2006, 09:36
This crustacean is not related to the Crab family but looks a lot like
one. They measure 1 to 2 cm and can be found in almost every ocean of
the planet except arctic and Antarctic.
source : flickr (FUJIBOB) and wikipedia
Wednesday, September 6 2006
By elo on Wednesday, September 6 2006, 09:34
These herbivorous and ruminant bovid live in mountains. They can be
found in a lot of world’s areas. Goats were domesticated for the first
time 10 000 years ago: first for its meat, then for its skin, hairs,
and milk.
source : flickr (BoazImages) and wikipedia
Tuesday, September 5 2006
By elo on Tuesday, September 5 2006, 21:33
This egret is the tallest wading bird in Europe. They look like heron
but have black legs instead of the yellow legs of heron. They nest near
lakes and ponds, but also near wet fields and paddy fields. They can be
found in Europe as much as in Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The ones
that live in the northern areas migrate in winter.
The liking for their long white feathers endangered the species, nearly extinct it.
source : flickr (0 W8ing) and wikipedia
Monday, September 4 2006
By elo on Monday, September 4 2006, 09:29
This rodent, strictly nocturnal (except on the photo) is called flying
squirrel, he lives in North American and forests. They are called that
way be cause they have some kind of membrane between their arms and
legs that gives them the ability to “fly”, gliding in the air, using their tail to
stabilize themselves. There are several other species of flying
squirrels in the world.
source : flickr (sidleyvalleyranch) and wikipedia
Friday, September 1 2006
By elo on Friday, September 1 2006, 23:27
Swans are aquatic birds well-known for their white feathers (although
some have black ones) and their quite bendy neck (from 23 to 25 bones).
They can be found almost everywhere in the world: In Europe, in South
America, and even in Australia. Swans are mostly monogamous: unless
they separate, they stay with the same partner their whole life.
source : flickr (Vanda's Pictures) and wikipedia
Thursday, August 31 2006
By elo on Thursday, August 31 2006, 09:26
Golden pheasants are Chinese born gallinaceous birds belonging to the
Grey partridge and peafowl family. Their feathers are golden and red
for males and brown for females. They live in pinophyta forests where
they feed from grains, leaves, and insects. They can fly but prefer
running.
source : flickr (Antonio Costa) and wikipedia
Wednesday, August 30 2006
By elo on Wednesday, August 30 2006, 09:24
Macaws are bright coloured parrots (red, green, yellow) living in
tropical forests of Mexico and South America. They can live as long as
50 years and are monogamous. Most of macaws’ species are endangered and
already five of them don’t exist anymore outside zoos. Deforestation
and illegal captures threaten them: These birds are wanted because of
their ability to “talk” and are expensive.
source : flickr (fluffballs) and wikipedia