Beautiful Animals

I do, I do...

some wildlife photos from the Guardian:



warning - sad comment with that photo -
A veterinary team from the wildlife forensic unit take blood samples to trace the DNA of one of 16 tigers cubs seized from smugglers in Chaiyaphum, Thailand. The tiger cubs were being smuggled across the border into Laos two-per crate in the back of a truck, after they were very likely reared in an illegal tiger farm in Thailand, and destined for China. Perceived by organised criminals to be high profit and low risk, the illicit trade in wildlife is worth at least $19bn a year, making it the fourth largest illegal global trade after narcotics, counterfeiting, and human trafficking, according to a new report commissioned by WWF.
Photograph: James Morgan/WWF





Red-crowned cranes in Cheorwon-gun county, Gangwon province, South Korea. Cranes produce a wide variety of calls ranging from low pitched purrs to the loud unison calls involved in courtship.
Photograph: KIM JAE-SUN/EPA





Two tiny crabs near corals near Bunaken Island, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Photograph: Jiang Fan/ Corbis





A fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca), which originally nests in northern Canada. The bird, which was last seen in Europe in 1947, in Iceland, and 1961 in Ireland, has been recently spotted in Estonia by bird watcher Aivar Veide. Many European bird watchers have visited Estonia to see the species.
Photograph: Raigo Pajula/AFP/Getty Images





A turtle swims near coral reefs in the sea at Bunaken Island, IndonesiaPhotograph: Jiang Fan/Corbis





Rescued flatback turtle Michala is released into the wild with a satellite transmitter strapped to her, along with three baby flatback turtles. Michala was found floating around Cape Hotham, Australia, where she was treated with antibiotics to help remove the gas build-up in her body.
Photograph: Daniel Hartley-Allen/Rex Features





A rare bird is breeding on Ascension Island for the first time in almost two centuries after a programme to remove feral cats, the RSPB said. Ascension frigatebirds are nesting on the far east coast of the island at a site called South East Bay on the Letterbox peninsula, where sailors used to deposit post into an ancient letterbox, to be picked up and passed on by other travellers.
Photograph: Derren Fox/RSPB

Bump

Alpaca bump....

Bump again..

osso, That alpaca is in Virginia? Is it that cold or is he sneaking a smoke? Great pics from the Guardian. Having some trouble finding the crabs.

Outstanding and creative bumping, osso and tsar. I salute you.

More from the mimic octopus.

Imitating a sea snake:



Imitating a lion fish (right):

I had trouble finding them too.

I should add that I don't post all animal photos I see on the sites I presently look at. At least two on the Guardian site made me too sad to post. I am not against zoos, often for, but I don't post those often.

And there was one photo of trees in china, sans animals, that I had to stop myself from posting, since, natch, it was of beautiful trees.

King baboon spider (tarantula)

Clydesdales delivering the Christmas beer....

A horse stands by an icicle-encrusted fence near Bath in Somerset, England. Forecasters warned that the United Kingdom could experience its coldest weather of the year.
Matt Cardy, Getty Images / SFChron




Another Cold Duck, please: Just put it on my bill. (Bad Bevensen, Germany.)
Philipp Schulze, AFP/Getty Images / SFChron




Feeling all right, Ms. Moose? You're looking a little pale. (Anchorage.)
Erik Hill, Associated Press / SF

Osso, I loved the masked elk avenger photograph!

Barry, What a doozy pic! Maybe Santa should consider a change of species. Thanks mucho.

osso, Love the horse by the fence pic. I get a real sense of place and a feel for the cold. Hey, duck. See what happens when you stick your bill where it doesn't belong? The moose photo makes me a little sad. It's cold.

tsar, No elk to be seen. That's a moose wearing a snow mask. But you want an elk, you got an elk:

'Tis a moose, Tsars.

That's the kind of landscape photo/scene I love; there's so much about that photo I like, including the tree being off center, the rolling terrain, and of course, the horse.

Story behind this pic please Boida!

Thanks for the elk Lady Roberta. Now this oddball pair is quite a charming set of buddies.

Another snow scene....

Nat Geo has a series about unusual animal friends. I saw the owl and the cat playing together. The owl flies low. The cat leaps into the air. Misses. The owl does it again. The cat does it again. They're friends. I was looking for a photo of unusual animal friends when I spotted the two. I remembered the show. And voila. Here's a video:



Barry, Tres gorgeous. Thanks.

Amazing vid New York !