Beautiful Animals

Black puppy in deep thought

the daily B & O



Via Vancouver Aquarium. They write:

Milo, one of the hand-holding sea otters at the Vancouver Aquarium, was diagnosed with lymphoma in August 2011. He’s undergoing chemotherapy treatments. This video clip shows him taking a break from his treatments, hanging out with Tanu.

Double aws, djjd.
Spectacular photos as usual, hinge.


Only one day old, a baby capybara comes out of its den for the first time at the San Diego Zoo. Capybaras are the world's largest rodents and as adults, weigh more than most supermodels.
Photo: Ken Bohn / AFP/Getty Images / via sfgate

Well, phooey and a half. I know that I said something somewhere recently. It's gone.

dj, Might as well start with the shy bunny, who may not be shy. Just contemplative. I love the sharp, alert look of otters. Thanks for the two bunnies and Milo and friend. I hope that otter recovers. Rooting for you, Milo.

HH, Three polar bear cubs. No wonder the mother looks tired. The cubs are so cute, she's probably thudding all over the Arctic. Love dem wolfie looking dogs. Great pic, HH. Meerkats' interest in the camera is plotziferous. Love it. The goat/mountain pic is breathtaking. Really a beauty. The ocean pic. What am I looking at? A ray? A skate? What's that thing on the bottom? Oh the mysteries of the sea.

High Seas, That puppy looks a little guilty to me. But it has such a wonderful face that how could anyone care about what he's guilty of. Glorious. Thanks.

osso, Hey, two-day-old capybaras probably weigh more than most super models. That is one cute rodent. Thanks, kid.

the daily B & O

They're manta rays boida. Even at the bottom, a little one swimming over a bigger one.


howler monkeys by dick fortune and sara lopez @ betterphoto


What do you think they're singing? Auld Lang Syne? The theme song from 'All in the Family'? Who Let The Dogs Out?

Manatee at Freshwater, Florida by Brian Skerry

Hornbills. I don't know why.

dj, That B is a cutie. It's good to see a wild O, if in fact that's what it is.

HH, Thanks for the clarification on the rays. Love the howler monkey pic. I don't know what they're singing. Could be Auld Lang Syne. Dem monkeys are among the loudest animals on the planet. They can be heard for miles. I say hi to the manatee. Looks like it could use a friend. As for the hornbills, you don't need a why. Cuz you wanna is good enough. They're wonderful birds. A bit prehistoric and dinasaury looking.

BTW, the German shepherd pic I posted looks exactly like the imaginary German shepherd I had when I was a kid.

Speaking of birds with big bills, here's a rainbow toucan:

Big looking but somehow delicate in their way, those hornbills. Loved pic numero due (well, all of them really).

Giant Weta (Not trick photography)

An unusual Toucan

Snood!!! Aaaaack.

Ok, I've calmed down and will be peaceful if you keep that guy off my index finger.

snood, Dat's one big bug. And a carrot lover. Tres wonderful. Thanks.

rosborne, I did a little googling. That's a choco toucan, n'est pas? Why do you consider it unusual?

I saw this same photo on Gizmodo today - but couldn't bring myself to post it on 'Beautiful Animals'. By the way, in case you don't know, Weta is pronounced 'Wetter'

The World’s Biggest Insect Is So Freaking Huge It Can Eat a Carrot
Say hello to the spine tingling Giant Weta. What is a Giant Weta, you ask? Well, it's a gigantic cricket-like insect that's also the largest insect in the world. It's as heavy as three mice and even bigger than some birds. BE AFRAID LITTLE HUMANS.

The wingspan of this insect (I don't feel like the word insect does this thing justice) is only 7 inches but look at the thing on a human's hands, it's alien, it's not right, I get queasy looking at it. Luckily, the Giant Weta is only found on Little Barrier Island in New Zealand so I'll just avoid that area for the rest of my life and live in peace. The island actually helps the Giant Weta grow so monstrously large because there are fewer predators in its habitat. Not cool.

This particular Giant Weta is the biggest ever photographed and was found by Adventurer Mark Moffett. Moffett scurried up the courage to hold the Giant Weta and feed it a carrot. I'm surprised the damn monster bug didn't bite off his finger. [Daily Mail, Image by Mark Moffett/Minden Pictures/Solent]

HH, Where I come from, weta and wetter are pronounced the same.

I read about that bug. Makes the Goliath beetle look petite.

What are you carrying on about? You don't like bugs?

Looks terrific to me. I love dem bugs.

Calm down. Relax. Eat a carrot.

Think about the noise it would make if you trod on it....


panthers wildlife bolivia photo by chabrov

Hey, hingie, I've got COPD. Don't be taking my breath away with photos like that. I don't have air to spare. That is a stunning, spectacular, gawgeous picture. WOW! Thanks muchisimo.

How I miss having a cat: