Brett and Kate McKay at the Art of Manliness have done very comprehensive research into the selection of a proper "manly" companion:
Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions.
There's an excellent recap here of the breeds best suited for the title “man’s best friend,” because they’ve been working, playing, and walking by man’s side for centuries. Whether helping their master land his next meal, faithfully guarding home and hearth, or directing a shepherd’s flock, these dogs have been man’s most loyal companions.
Many more moth pictures at
What's That Bug?
They live on mountains, caves, fresh water, oceans, jungles.
Meet the wildlife on planet Earth.
Tarantulas are the largest and most revered of all spiders, comprising just over 900 species in the mygalomorph family Theraphosidae.
The name tarantula originated around the 14th century from two genera of poisonous spiders, Lycosa (Wolf spiders) and Latrodectus (Widow spiders), found on the outskirts of the Italian city of Taranto in the State of Apulia.
Rick West is one of the leading authorities on tarantulas (Theraphosidae) in the world and has traveled to over 27 countries to document and study them in their environment.
The World of Tarantulas:
Birdspiders is a fascinating website full of information, history and photographs.
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These days, pets are often given the same privileges as their human owners when it comes to grooming, play dates, pet spa treatments, gourmet meals and exercise routines. Since pets are usually considered a part of the family, why should things be different when you take the whole crew on a vacation?
Traveling with a pet can be a bigger hassle than your typical trip to the groomer’s, but
TravelHacker has compiled this ultimate guide for a pet-friendly vacation to make sure everyone has a good time.
The Turkey Vulture Society is a non-profit scientific corporation. Its purpose is to promote scientific study of the life habits and needs of the Turkey Vulture, to protect the vulture and its habitat, and to inform the public of the valuable and essential services this bird provides to us and to the environment.
From their website, some interesting trivia:
+ Turkey vultures do NOT eat live animals. They will not hurt your pets or children.
+ A group of vultures is called a "Venue". Vultures circling in the air are a "Kettle".
+ American Vultures can smell, but African vultures cannot. The Turkey Vulture has the best sense of smell of the American vultures
+ Vulture poop is actually a sanitizer! Their uric acid is so strong (because of the nature of their diets) that it kills bacteria.
+ Vultures have excellent eyesight, but, like all other birds, they have poor vision in the dark. American vultures find food both with their eyesight and sense of smell.
+ Vultures prefer to eat fairly fresh meat. They will turn their nose up at rotten meat if there is any alternative available. They also prefer the meat of herbivorous animals, avoiding that of dogs and other carnivores.
+ The oldest known turkey vulture, Tolouse, is 33 years old, and lives at the San Francisco Zoo.
+ Circling vultures do not necessarily indicate the presence of a carcass. Circling vultures may be gaining altitude for long flights, searching for food, or playing.
+ Turkey vultures are attracted to the smell of mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay.
+ Male and female turkey vultures are identical in appearance.
+ It is illegal to keep a vulture as a pet.
Yikes! Environmental Graffiti's list of
5 of the deadliest animals out of the hundreds that could kill you.
If your dog begs for chocolate, don't give in! Chocolate contains theobromine, a naturally occurring stimulant found in cocoa beans that can cause vomiting, heart problems, seizures, and even death for dogs.
How much chocolate is too much? It depends on the type of chocolate and the weight of the dog.
Find out how much of each kind of chocolate can harm your pet by consulting the
National Geographic Magazine Chocolate Chart.
Scroll on the page to change the weight of the dog and the type of chocolate.
Listen to over 600 recordings of wildlife from around the UK. Captured by three British wildlife enthusiasts from the 1960s to the 1990s, most are published here for the first time.
The feral pigeon that we see in our towns and cities today is descended from the Rock Dove (
Columba livia), a cliff dwelling bird historically found in coastal regions. The word ‘pigeon’ is actually derived from the Latin word ‘pipio’ which meant ‘young bird’.
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This website documents the various species of spiders that can be found in the British Isles. The majority of the species featured are fairly common but there are a few exceptions.
Spider identification of venomous and dangerous spiders most commonly found in homes, their habitat areas, venom toxicity and spider bite first aid procedures.
Featured are the brown recluse, black widow, hobo spider, wolf spider, white-tail spider, black house spider, huntsman and other spiders with notes to aid in identification.
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This European spider site contains more than 1000 pictures of over 220 spiders commonly found in NW-Europe, especially in the area between the Netherlands and the south of France.
Yikes ...
Millions of years ago, mosquitoes were three times as large as they are today.
also,
There are more than 2,500 varieties of mosquito (some entomologists claim 3,000) whining from the Arctic tundra to the tropical rain forests. Most are active at dawn and dusk, while others enjoy midday feeding. Protein is where you find it.
Some very unusual facts are listed. The most strange, "On the April 1984 Challenger flight, 3,300 bees, housed in a special but confining box, adapted perfectly to zero gravity and built a nearly normal comb. But they didn’t go to the toilet. Since bees excrete only outside the hive, they held it in for seven days. A NASA spokesperson said the space hive was “just as clean as a pin.”"
What a wonderful surprise this morning to have two of these beautiful birds at my birdfeeder. I don't think I've ever seen them before, so I had to do some research.
Rose-breasted GrosbeakThe rose-breasted grosbeak is a songbird of the eastern deciduous woodlands. Spending much of its time in the treetops, the beautiful male rosebreast is often heard before it is seen. The rich melodic warbling song of the rose-breasted grosbeak is often described as sounding like a robin that's had singing lessons. When not singing, rosebreasts often utter a call that sounds like a squeaky eeek! In flight, male rosebreasts flash a pinwheel of black and white, and if you look carefully, you'll see that both sexes have salmon-pink in the "armpit" region under their wings.
Listen to a rose-breasted grosbeak.
ParrotChronicles.com is your number-one source of health, behavior and care advice for companion parrots. See what's new, browse thelarge collection of archived articles, take a poll, and check back frequently for new stories!
He's a handful, all right. He keeps you up at night; he's always missing the facilities. And he goes nuts when a man in uniform approaches the door. But your pet partner - whether a dog, a cat or a hamster - need not drive you crazy. Try the practical tips to train your four-legged family members. After all, who else greets you at the door, running around in circles and giving you little love sniff-sniffs?
Real Simple asked readers to share their biggest pet hassles at www.realsimple.com, then consulted experts for their solutions. Here are the results.
