Beautiful Animals

Those owls are sooooooooooooooo beautiful! I love that Harpy eagle. Love the hairdo.

Harpy eagles have nearly seven-foot-long wingspans and can take down prey as large as monkey and sloths. Their hind talons can be up to the size of grizzly bear claws and can carry about half their body weight. Photo: Kevin Schafer/CORBIS |

Definitely a force to be reckoned with. Pssst harpy, I love your hairdo!

These are some of the horses my friend, Pam, has rescued.

dj, Wonderful bunny. I love that otter picture. Love it. Also love the doves in the snow. Reminds me of home except there are no apartment buildings, and, in my neck of the woods, the doves are pigeons.

Irish, I watch too many commercials. I forget how truly small geckos are. Thanks for the baby reptile. He's a cutie. Oh, Irish, I love dat baby monkey. What a face. Makes me smile. The snow owls are tres beautiful. I didn't know how territorial there were. Thanks for the info. Harpy eagles are very impressive and imposing birds. Amazing to look at. Thanks big time.

firefly, I think I posted a picture of a white ermine not too long ago. The sequence you've provided is interesting and helpful--and these animals are beautiful in any color. Thanks mucho.

Dutchy, That's a big seahorse. I thought they were smaller, or am I thinking of pygmy seahorses? Who knows. Wonderful to see. Thanks.

Arella Mae, Those rescue horses a beauties. Thanks for sharing. And by the way, a bird can't have a hairdo. It doesn't have hair! I guess you'd have to call it a featherdo.

Mopheads! They are beautiful. Brava to Pam, who seems beautiful too.

fine looking horses

the daily B was a little dull, but the daily O (& G) is priceless, hope roberta is sitting down

These guys make the cutest crime fighting duo ever!

Otterman and the Kid Fantastic!

Leafy Sea Dragon

The leafy sea dragon, Phycodurus eques, is a marine fish related to the seahorse. It is the only member of the genus Phycodurus. These creatures are found around southern and western Australia and generally remain in shallow, temperate waters. Their name comes from their appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body. These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. The leafy sea dragon propels itself by means of a pectoral fin on the ridge of its neck and a dorsal fin on its back closer to the tail end. These small fins are almost completely transparent and difficult to see as they undulate minutely to move the creature sedately through the water, completing the illusion of floating seaweed.

dj, Thanks for the warning. Definitely thudworthy. OMG. Isn't that kinda cute illegal or something?

firefly, Believe it or not, I'm familiar with sea dragons. They are exquisite animals. Thanks for all the info and the two dynamite pics.

I wonder what kind of seafood salad the Leafy Sea Dragon would make? It already provides its own leafy lettuce like vegetable. Quite thoughtful.

I don't know what the sea dragon would do, tsar, but I like my seafood salad with shrimp, squid, small pieces of celery, tomato, a bit of crisp lettuce with a tangy, lemony dressing. Don't think I want one of the following as a representative of the shrimp.

Scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp:

Speaking of shrimp, one of the better looking so-called shrimps is the mantis shrimp. These look like a combination of a praying mantis and a shrimp. The fact is that they are neither. But who cares. I'm talking about shrimp on the beautiful animals thread, so I'm gonna post a picture of a beautiful shrimp. BTW, these are also known as thumb splitters. They can deliver a helluva whack. A few have been known to break the glass of an aquarium.

Mantis shrimp:

Painted firetail finch:



Gouldian finches:

Red-cheeked cordon bleu finch:

Egads, that mantis shrimp is a beauty. Looks from here <squints> like a blue lady with a fine ballgown and nice red gloves, Paris and Milan take note.

Indeed, as far out as I sometimes think haute fashion is, it is tame compared to the animal world, which it seems not to take for much re design ideas, instead trotting out leopard print on some kind of cyclical schedule.

Scientists have a better understanding of the division of labor in leaf-cutter ant colonies, according to a recent report in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. Leaf-cutter ants are born with razor-sharp mandibles designed to cut leaves from trees. As they get older and their teeth dull, they retire from their leaf-cutting duties and switch to leaf collection, leaving the cutting to younger sharper-jawed ants. Researchers believe this ability to change jobs may lead to longer life spans in social insects, and point to the value of all members of society. Photo: Solvin Zankl /Getty Images

Researchers from the University of Oregon and Oregon State University guessed that the “worn-out teeth” of older ants lessened the rate of harvesting by a half. Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

“Much of the cutting is done with a V-shaped blade between teeth on their mandibles,” explains the University of Oregon’s Dr. Robert Schofield, who led the study.

“This blade starts out as sharp as the sharpest razor blade that humans have developed.” Photo: Kevin Schafer/CORBIS

the daily B & O


hmmm, the otter's a little lacklustre today, but hey, it is Bunday after all

Irish, Those leafcutter ants are very, well, industrious. I've seen them marching back and forth carrying their leaves. Determined little guys. Thanks for the pics and the info.

dj, Wonderful bunny. Gotta agree re the otter. Not the best pic, but it's nice to see a otter even if it's not photogenic.

Beaver:

I hope that is his tail, B...



(are those tire tracks...?)