From Gold to Goliath

Look closely at this picture.


See anything astounding?


Yep, there's a gigantic frog on that girl's lap...the Goliath frog.


Now, you may be thinking, "Awww, look at her big ol' froggy pet." And you might be right.  But that big ol' froggy just might be dinner instead...it's the size of a Thanksgiving turkey!

Not for the Faint of Heart...

 You've probably seen Glass fish, the see-through kind, at the pet store. But have you ever heard of the Glass frog?


That's him, above. The light under him goes through the leaf, and then shines right through him, turning him into a neon frog!


But there's the under side as well, which is even more amazing.  


And maybe a bit gross.  


So for all you tenderfoots out there, don't scroll down any further!  :)

Eye of....Hypno-toad?

Would you have believed it if you hadn't seen it?  This little frog is called a Ghost Glass frog. 

Can he hypnotize with those eyes?

Friday Fun: Boomer and Me

Okay, yes...this is me in younger days. 


I am at a photo shoot at Shambala, the actress Tippi Hedren's ...

Giraffes Have the Strangest Friends

Blue tongue on squirrel!  

Outside of their native wild habitat, it's not so rare for animals of one species to find friendship in another species. There are currently some giraffe friendships going on that will knock your socks off.  

Check it out  [...]

If You Invite a Giraffe to Breakfast...Part 2

Don't be surprised if he shows up!  

Especially if you are in Kenya, because giraffes at breakfast-time are an everyday occurrence at the Giraffe Manor* there!  Take a look at the possibilities...

Do Albino Giraffes Exist?

Do Albino Giraffes Exist?

No. At least, no one has ever seen one.


But there are some "white" (leucistic) giraffes around!


Okay, you know me... I love the abnormal colorations in animals. 


So let's take a look, below, at some normal giraffe colors (top)...


and then some leucistic giraffes (bottom):

Pretty cool. 


The bottom left one especially is amazing! A little area of complete black! How did that happen?


The bottom right giraffe has normal-colored legs! Weird. As of this post, he's alive and living wild in Africa, in a herd of normal-colored giraffes. 

He really stands out. But luckily for this guy; giraffes don't get killed by poachers because there's no "market" for giraffe horns, or skins, or meat. AND, they eat leaves off tall trees, and not farmers' crops.


So our "white" wild giraffe may live to a ripe old age! 

Here are some more strangely colored giraffes:

Let me know what you think of "white" giraffes; leave a comment for me!

Of Cruel Thorns and Blue Tongues

They can deter lions and impale birds.  Acacia thorns...you've seen them as effective wild animal barriers in my post How to Keep Lions Out of Your Garden, and they mean business!

The trouble with Acacia trees is that they have juicy leaves on them that giraffes can't resist. But how can they get to them through those jagged thorns?

With a long long tongue.

That happens to be blue.

Ever See A Mammal With Three Horns?

If you did, it would look like the Ugandan (Rothschild) giraffe! 


Check out his third horn in the following picture; he's the only giraffe that has it!

And You Thought There Was Only ONE!

What are we talking about?   Giraffes, of course.


You see one, you've seen 'em all.


But that's not true. Amazing as the above giraffe is, he's not the only type out there. 


There are more. Eight more!