- Action Network
- All Creatures
- Alpenzoo Innsbruck
- American Hiking Society
- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
- Anheuser-Busch Conservation Fund
- Animal Planet
- Association of Zoos and Aquariums
- Butchart Gardens
- Christian Vegetarian Association
- Cincinnati Parks
- Cincinnati Zoo
- Civic Garden Center of Cincinnati
- ConservAmerica
- Conservation Action Network
- The Conservation Fund
- Costa Rica Conservation System
- Cool Vegan
- Desert Museum
- Environmental Defense Fund
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Farm Sanctuary
- Georgia Aquarium
- Hamilton County Park District
- Hillwood Museum & Gardens
- Humane Society of the United States
- Institute for Plant Based Nutrition
- International Vegetarian Union
- JesusVeg
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Krohn Conservancy
- Leafy Greens Council
- Leather Substitutes
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Monterey Bay Aquarium
- National Aquarium (Baltimore)
- National Aquarium (D.C.)
- National Arboretum
- National Forest Service
- National Geographic Society
- National Park Service
- National Parks Conservation Association
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- The Nature Conservancy
- Newport Aquarium
- Niagara Parks Commision
- Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- Oregon Zoo
- Pigs
- Project Puffin
- Republicans for Environmental Protection
- Robyn's Pond Page
- Saint Louis Zoo
- San Diego Zoo
- Seattle Aquarium
- Seattle Woodland Park Zoo
- Shedd Aquarium
- Shopper's Guide to Leather Alternatives
- Smithsonian National Zoo
- Tomorrow's World
- United States Botanic Garden
- Veg Family
- Veg 4 Lent
- Veg News
- Veg Web
- Vegetarian Channel
- Vegetarian Life Tips
- Vegetarian Resource Group
- Vegetarian Site
- Vegetarian Times
- Vegetarianism and Vegetarian Nutrition
- Veggie Global
- Wildlife Conservation Society
- World Wildlife Fund
- Zoological Society of London
AtomNature
O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.Animals
The beasts
Wednesday, January 4, A.D. 2012
Red Pandas in the Winter
Happy birthday to my brother, Adam! Many blessings to him for the new year!
My brother’s favorite animal is a red panda. So, in honor of him, I offer you:
They are beautiful creatures.
Update: If you share my brother’s love for Ailurus fulgens, you may be interested in the Red Panda Network.
on Wednesday, January 4, A.D. 2012
Monday, November 28, A.D. 2011
Electronic Cowboy
I offer you this charming video to which Auster linked that will brighten your day. Watch cattle follow the lead of a remote controlled toy:
Being a greenhorn, I have never actually seen cattle herding in action. I wonder what sort of cattle behavior the fellow who made this video was exploiting or how he habituated the cattle to respond to the toy.
Monday, October 17, A.D. 2011
Gecko Eaten by Ants
You may find this a bit morbid, but it testifies well to nature’s efficiency.
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
Wednesday, September 21, A.D. 2011
Holy Bees!
Knowing my love for bees, my brother Aaron sent me a story yesterday from the Vatican Information Service: “Bees for the Pontifical Farms at Castelgandolfo”:
As part of its initiatives to mark the Day for the Protection of Creation, the Italian agricultural organisation “Coldiretti” has given Benedict XVI eight beehives containing more than 500,000 bees. The beehives will be kept at the pontifical farm of Castelgandolfo where they will be used in pollination and the production of honey (some 280 kilos a year).
Coldiretti explained that bees play a vital role in the planet’s ecosystem and their disappearance would have disastrous consequences for health and the environment: a third of human food production depends on crops pollinated by insects, eighty percent of which are bees.
The “Campagna Amica” Association will provide technical assistance to the pontifical farms to oversee the protection of the bees and the production of honey. Castelgandolfo is considered to be a model farm because it unites traditional production methods with modern technology. It has 25 dairy cows, 300 hens and 60 cockerels as well as an ancient olive grove producing three thousand litres of oil a year, an orchard of apricot and peach trees and a greenhouse of ornamental flowers.
I suppose that it is obvious that the bees are Apis mellifera ligustica, or Italian honey bees. However, maybe they are Apis mellifera mellifera, German bees, in honor of the pope.
Thursday, August 25, A.D. 2011
Chicken Sexuality
I have never understood chickens’ reproductive system, even though I have been curious about it for years and I always had access to a library. However, I have finally rectified the situation by the magic of the internet, and I learnt some fascinating facts. Did you know that avian sperm remains viable at body temperature? That is why a cock has no, well, you understand. The papilla, which is sometimes called a penis though it is not one, dispenses but does not penetrate. The testes are internal, as well. Moreover, the hen has sperm host glands that can keep sperm for two weeks. I thought only insects had such abilities. I also discovered that the “blood spots” that you sometimes find on yolks have nothing to do with the developing chicken. Rather, when the yolk leaves the ovary, it sometimes takes some of the blood vessels that surround the yolk with it. I also read that the hen mobilizes half of her body’s calcium from her bones to make egg shells, though I am not sure what that means. I surmise that a hen has a certain amount of calcium in her bloodstream that can be used in the shell making process, but perhaps she supplements this with calcium from her bones that she can replenish during periods of rest. That seems like a bad idea, but I am neither God nor a biologist. I suppose that it is an efficient use of resources.
I always suspected that chicken sex was cool. If you are similarly curious, the University of Kentucky has instructive sheets for the female reproductive system and the male reproductive system.
Monday, August 15, A.D. 2011
Goldfish Survivors
Last week, I read one of those “heartwarming” stories for which I am a total sucker. Vicky Thornley from Christchurch had not been able to return to her office for four and a half months because the damage from the February earthquake was so extensive. Safety workers were finally able to escort the woman to her office in the damaged district around High Street at the beginning of July. There, to everyone’s amazement, they found two of the office goldfish alive in the reception area aquarium. The fish had outlasted an earthquake, building damage, and one hundred thirty-four days without food or the electricity that ran the filter: “New Zealand goldfish survive 134 days without food.” The fish lived on the tank’s plant life and possibly threw a Donner Party. The survivors, Shaggy and Daphne, have since joined Thornley’s son’s aquarium.
Thursday, July 7, A.D. 2011
Broccoli Hall and the Pond from Hell
During the spring of last year, I made a few ponds for my backyard. My family helped, and we were ultimately successful. There were some unfortunate moments. Many of them. However, our tales of woe are nothing when compared to the nightmare story related on Koiphen: “The 300,000 gal. mud pond challenge” Reading it made me count my blessings. I marvelled at the persistance of “Koigrl,” and I also wondered how wealthy must one be to fight such a good fight.
I discovered that Koigrl is novelist Maxine Paetro. She lives in upstate New York on a lovely piece of land featured on the Garden Conservancy. I do not know if Paetro founded her estate, but it carries the whimsical name Broccoli Hall. Check out photographer Jennifer May‘s shots of the gardens.
I do not know what Maestro’s books are like, but the woman knows how to use her fortune well. Her gardens are fantastic, and she is a serious breeder of koi. She reminds me of the talent, creativity, and well roundedness one often finds among Britain’s aristocratic classes. American plutocrats do not generally seem to be as thoughful with the luxuries of leisure, though I am glad to know that some rich folks continue to use their money to make the land and the nation more interesting.
Tuesday, June 14, A.D. 2011
Hummertime
Though this fellow is breaking the letter of the law, I do not think that he is transgressing its spirit. I recommend silencing your speakers to avoid the unnecessary soundtrack.
Do not let their size and cuteness fool you. They are ferocious little beauties who will battle much large birds to defend their perceived territory.
Wednesday, June 8, A.D. 2011
Peacock Spider
Last week, I was exploring the web for spiders. I was trying to identify the monstrously large arachnid that my family encountered while camping in Shawnee State Forest. I could not believe that such beasts lived in Ohio, and I wanted to know the name. During my spider hunting, I came across a peculiar video on Maratus volans, a beautiful, little spider native to Australia.
While the narration is unintentionally amusing, I found the footage fascinating. Dr. Jürgen Otto evidently discovered and first documented the species. The quirky scientist who speaks English with a somewhat Aussie accent has also made a more adventurous music video. After some funky foreplay, you get to see some straight up spider porn. You may look at his photographs of the peacock spider, as well. This man should work for Animal Planet.
Tuesday, May 24, A.D. 2011
Jumping Foxes
If you share my love for foxes, you will enjoy this video of a pair’s playing on a trampoline:
What I find remarkable is the joy, or at least curiosity, that the one fox takes in jumping on the trampoline. Such wonder at the unexpected betrays rather intelligent behavior.
