Beautiful Animals

Between the dog and the name, too loveable for words.

Metropolitan Police Service
Jess, not your usual four legged member of the Mounted Branch, lives at Imber Court, where all our police horses are trained. Her favourite past times are sleeping, keeping warm and catching mice, which is why she’s so popular at the stables. She has been a ‘police cat’ since 1997, and during the cold winter months she can often be found warm and asleep on someone’s desk!

Arabian sand cat ( love those ears )....



Baby zebra....

Some day, Barry, I'd like to be able to sleep like a cat. The Arabian sand cats are wonderful, aren't they. There's a whole bunch of very small wild cats that aren't well known. This is one species. Thanks mucho. Also thanks for the baby zebra.

Banana Joe, the affenpinscher, won Westminster.



(Did they have to pick a breed that's a challenge to spell?)

Six-spotted tiger beetle (I count eight spots):

Blanket Octopus

Baby Octopus

rosborne, In a woid, holy moley (two words, but who's counting?) Never saw such a thing or heard of a blanket octopus. I looked it up. Consider me enlightened. Throwing in a wow! Love the little baby. Thanks for both wonderful pics. What a guy. (BTW, I got a red X for the image under the octopi.)

Not a holy moley, but here's a web burrfish. Kinda cute, sorta:

newly discovered species of Indonesian owl

edgar, The owl looks surprised. Who me? I've been here all the time.

I stumbled across this on utube. A mating dance of a boid (tragopan satyra):

he looks surprised, too, ed...

(oops, I see B already covered that ground)

birds of a feather and all that, I guess.

I think all birds have feathers, pretty much.

Jumping back in the time to September 1988.
Amboseli National Game Reserve.

Shadow, a resident of Sulphur Creek Nature Center in Hayward, appears composed even in mating season. Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

There are three more photos here:
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/What-s-that-smell-Pepe-Le-Pew-in-season-4276608.php#ixzz2KtMTfvhe

New to me:

I saw these on fbaezer's Mexico City thread just now - aztec dogs, called Xoloscluintles:

I was just watching that trogopan satyra boid again. What female could resist?

Jes, Great clip. Thanks, kid.

Barry querido, Trying very hard not to thud. Magnificent and wonderful and in the flesh. How fortunate you are to have been able to have such a trip and see such sights. Sigh and thanks muchisimo.

rosborne, Spectacular photos. Do you know what kind of a bat that is? Beautiful. Look at the wing! Thanks.

osso, Thanks for Shadow. Yes, I've smelled skunk. They do what they do and are what they are. I knew there were Aztec dogs. Didn't know what they are called. I still don't (I'll never remember), but they look sleek and wonderful. Muchas gracias.

Swan in the clouds:

That must be how angels were planned..

Thanks for passing this on Osso, never heard of them either - thewikipedia entry was interesting - had this baby photo: