Beautiful Animals

Sea slug swimming (This one may be Spanish dancer):





Sea fan (a kind of soft coral):

I had three of these almost run right over me yesterday. There were on a bait pile I didn't know was there. I'd been watching them for 15 minutes when suddenly they spooked and came right at me (stupid me was standing right in their active trail). I had to yell and wave to get them to Y around me as they never saw me in my camo. Up close and personal.

Oy, cjhsa. Somewhere in the cyberworld, is a deer posting this story? So this guy just stood there. Wouldn't get out of the way. What could we do? Thanks for the photo. It's a beaut.

Chaffinch:





I'm pretty sure this is a coral snake:

Roberta, Just wanted you to know that we visited the panda sanctuary in Chengdu, and I believe you're going to really enjoy the pictures when I post them after I get home on November 28. I'll also write some information about pandas that may surprise some people; it did me!

We're now in Hong Kong for two more nights before we fly home.

c.i., Wonderful to hear from you from so far away. I'm looking forward to the pictures and the info. Have a safe trip home.

Flame Bowerbird

Rosborne, Wow! And thanks.

Oriental fire-bellied toad:





Giant Pacific octopus:

Orange-spot Blenny


Bicolor Blenny

Love dem blennies, mesquite. Thanks.


Pekin robin:





Blue wildebeest (brindled gnu):

Rufous-sided towhee:





Christmas tree sea worms:

The pandas of Chengdu, China: the home of the pandas.







Some info on pandas:
a. Pandas live 25 years.
b. Founder of first dead panda was a Frenchman, Davd, in 1859.
c. The first American to see a panda was Ruth Harkness in 1939.
d. There are 1000 pandas in the world today. 1) 80% in China.
e. There are four problems for pandas that puts them in danger
1) poaching by other animals and humans
2) mating problem; female is in heat only one day out of the year.
3) habitat problem; human encroachment of their living space
* they require a special kind of (arrow) bamboo that takes 40 to 50 years to grow
4) they require temporate climate and humidity - usually at higher elevations of 4,000 to 10,000 feet.
f. pandas are not bears or racoons; they are pandas. this has been proven through gene studies
g. they are cute.

With a moderate donation to the preserve, you can "touch" (not on the face) a big panda.

very cool, ci.

SPECtacular duck, Caribou. Thanks mucho.

Wonderful photos, c.i. Worth the wait. Thanks for posting them and for the info. Too few pandas in the world.

Blue-winged warbler:





Siamese fighting fish:

That's dumb.

cjh: "That's dumb."

As usual, cjh has to push his negative comments on something he knows nothing about. The donations help the preserve with funds they need to continue their research and protection of the pandas.