Let’s start with seeing the differences in those two big cats that have black spots on gray; the Clouded leopard and the Snow leopard. Again, the IKs* are short and easy…these two leopards will be a snap to identify! Snow leopard IK: Black rosettes with gray centers Clouded leopard IK: Black square blotches with gray centers…similar to a tortoise shell in pattern. Okay, so what cat is in the photo above? How about below? For more about big cat spots, check out my blog post here. *On many of my blog posts, I will provide some specific Identification Keys, or IKs, as seen…
Author: I Spy Animals
Hard to believe there’s actually a bat that’s perfectly colored for Halloween! The Painted bat from Thailand. Orange and black animals Or scary animals Or…both, the following creatures enter into the spirit of Halloween Awwww, a black and orange kitty. It’s easy to see that this cat is just cute and Halloween colored. A Werewolf? Nah, just a Brown Hyena. But he’s spooky-looking all puffed up like that, This next creature lives in caves; it’s the Spotted Tail Cave salamander. It’s a little slimy, but safe. So feel free to get close next time you’re deep…
Did you know that counting the number of toenails on an elephant can help identify it? That’s because the African Forest elephant has more toenails than the Bush elephant! Front foot & back foot toenail count is 5 and 4 compared to Bush’s 4 and 3. Here are the keys to identifying a Forest elephant: 1st IK*: Straight downward pinkish tusks; both males and females have them 2nd IK: Large rounded ears; each as large as the head 3rd IK: Concave or “sway” back 4th IK: And if you’re not running for your life, check out the number of toenails!…
So what eats insects, but has the most powerful, bone-crushing bite force among mammals? The hyena. I once petted a hyena; and I put the experience in the same category as the first time I touched a dolphin…it was a shock.
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…
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! I love his droopy lip and bumpy nose. And speaking of their horns, or more correctly ossicones, there’s a way to tell a male from a female giraffe by looking at their horns. If the horns have long black hairs on the top, they tend to be female. If the horns have short black hair and a bald spot on top, it’s probably a male; they fight each other with their horns and…
Price – $150 Size/weight: 1 – 4 lbs Life Span: 4 – 10 years Ferret Colors: Here are some popular colors and patterns… ___________________________________________ Raising one: get a de-scented one hand-raised by a breeder, or from a quality pet store. Petco carries Marshall ferrets, which are neutered, de-scented and hand-raised. Needs: should be uncaged, with a large wire cage as sanctuary Feeding: dry ferret or kitten food Friendly with other pets: yes __________________________________________ Pros to having a ferret: gregarious & energetic intelligent & curious playful & friendly can be litter box trained good pet for allergy sufferers Photo: Paulo Gabriel…
Dolphins are sometimes born a bit off-color. And sometimes they’re born with no color at all! There’s an all-white Common dolphin, named Caspar, who is consistently seen on a certain whale watching tour. But there are also dolphins whose albino coloring makes them pink! An albino (lack of color, pink eyes) is pretty easy to spot. However, some dolphins aren’t albino, but they certainly aren’t the right color. These could be: leucistic (lack of color, but dark eyes) hypomelanistic (washed out black colors) amelanistic (lack of black colors) Check out the photos below to see what I mean: What kind…
See how many you can identify of Grevy’s, Mountain, and Plains zebras (Plains zebras have subspecies). Don’t forget your IKs! You can find the answers here.
Ever think about what you’ve got on your feet? Here are some fishy shoes that I think are just lovely. I love the little googly eyes on these…and they’re actually sold on Amazon! The Fishy Floppies below have a tiny fish on the strap! You can get these on wish.com I love these Fish Flops…which I don’t think you can actually buy anywhere! And that’s sad.. because these are the ones I would want on my feet!
Okay, yes…this is me in younger days. I am at a photo shoot at Shambala, the actress Tippi Hedren’s … amazing big cat sanctuary in Acton, CA. With me is Boomer, a leopard free to roam the sanctuary. He followed me around for a bit, then graciously allowed me to touch him. Believe me, touching a live and uncaged leopard is not something you can do every day of your life! I remember weighing his tail in my hands. Even now, I am amazed at how heavy his tail was. Claws? Who needs claws? I really think he could’ve…
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?