The vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus. The five distinct subspecies can be found mostly throughout Southern Africa, as well as some of the eastern countries. These mostly herbivorous monkeys have black faces and grey body hair color, ranging in body length from about 40 cm (16 in) for females, to about 50 cm (20 in) for males.

In addition to behavioral research on natural populations, vervet monkeys serve as a nonhuman primate model for understanding genetic and social behaviors of humans. They have been noted for having human-like characteristics, such as hypertension, anxiety, and social and dependent alcohol use. Vervets live in social groups ranging from 10 to 70 individuals, with males moving to other groups at the time of sexual maturity. Studies done on vervet monkeys involve their communication and alarm calls, specifically in regard to kin and group recognition, and particular predator sightings.

The vervet monkey was previously classified as Cercopithecus aethiops, now renamed 'grivet', and reclassified as Chlorocebus. The vervet and malbrouck have also been considered conspecific, or as subspecies of a widespread Ch. aethiops. The different taxa are distinguished by coat colour and other morphological characteristics. The characteristics of Ch. aethiops graduate into Ch. pygerythrus where their ranges meet, and thus deciding if the vervets commonly known to occur in Kenya are actually Ch. aethiops is difficult; animals in the same pack may be classified as one species or the other, and Ch. pygerythrus may also interbreed with Ch. tantalus where their ranges meet.

Colin Groves recognised the below five subspecies of vervet monkey in the third edition of Mammals of the World:

Chlorocebus pygerythrus excubitor

Ch. p. hilgerti from southern Kenya

Ch. p. nesiotes

Ch. p. pygerythrus from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, and Eswatini.

Ch. p. rufoviridis from Mozambique and Uganda has a distinctly reddish-coloured back, which is darker towards the base of the tail.

Groves used Ch. p. hilgerti for all East African vervets except the insular subspecies Ch. p. excubitor and Ch. p. nesiotes. The name Ch. p. centralis has been suggested to have precedence, and that Ch. p. hilgerti should be restricted to the population of southern Ethiopia.

Synonymy

Ch. p. pygerythrus, as Cercopithecus aethiops, was also formerly divided into four subspecies:

C. a. pygerythrus, from South Africa (Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal), and Lesotho; is said to have pale-colored limbs and white hands and feet (though the hands are also said to be black with a scattering of greyish hairs), and a greyish body colour with an olive sheen.

C. a. cloetei, from northern KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, and northern South Africa; is darker, with greyish-brown speckles and dark feet.

C. a. marjoriae, from southern Botswana and the North West Province of South Africa; is pale in colour (light ash-grey).

C. a. ngamiensis, from north-eastern Botswana and the Okavango; has pale feet and a yellowish back and the tail is darker (especially towards the tip) than in other southern vervets.

These subspecies are no longer recognised and are synonymous with Ch. p. pygerythrus.

The vervet monkey ranges throughout much of Southern and East Africa, being found from Ethiopia and extreme southern South Sudan all the way down to South Africa. It is not found west of the East African Rift or the Luangwa River, where it is replaced by the closely related malbrouck (C. cynosuros) species. The vervet monkey inhabits savanna, riverine woodland, coastal forest, and mountains up to 4000 m (13,100 ft). They are adaptable and able to persist in secondary and/or highly fragmented vegetation, including cultivated areas, and sometimes are found living in both rural and urban environments. Annual home range size has been observed to be as high as 176 ha, with an average population density of 54.68 animals/km².

Vervet monkeys that are naturalised (introduced by humans) are found in Cape Verde, Ascension Island, Saint Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, and Barbados. Dania Beach, Florida, is home to about 40 introduced vervets.

The vervet monkey very much resembles a gray langur, having a black face with a white fringe of hair, while its overall hair color is mostly grizzled-grey. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism; the males are larger in weight and body length and may be recognized by a turquoise-blue scrotum. Adult males weigh between 3.9 and 8.0 kg (8.6 and 17.6 lb), averaging 5.5 kg (12 lb), and have a body length between 420 and 600 mm (17 and 24 in), averaging 490 mm (19 in) from the top of the head to the base of the tail. Adult females weigh between 3.4 and 5.3 kg (7.5 and 11.7 lb) and average 4.1 kg (9.0 lb), and measure between 300 and 495 mm (11.8 and 19.5 in), averaging 426 mm (16.8 in).

When males reach sexual maturity, they move to a neighboring group. Often, males move with a brother or peer, presumably for protection against aggression by males and females of the resident group. Groups that had previously transferred males show significantly less aggression upon the arrival of another male. In almost every case, males migrate to adjacent groups. This obviously increases benefits in regard to distance traveled, but also reduces the amount of genetic variance, increasing the likelihood of inbreeding.

Females remain in their groups throughout life. Separate dominance hierarchies are found for each sex. Male hierarchies are determined by age, tenure in the group, fighting abilities, and allies, while female hierarchies are dependent on maternal social status. A large proportion of interactions occurs between individuals that are similarly ranked and closely related. Between unrelated individuals, female competition exists for grooming members of high-ranking families, presumably to gain more access to resources. These observations suggest individual recognition is possible and enables discrimination of genetic relatedness and social status. Interactions between different groups are variable, ranging from highly aggressive to friendly. Furthermore, individuals seem to be able to recognise cross-group vocalisations, and identify from and to which monkey each call is intended, even if the call is made by a subadult male, which is likely to transfer groups. This suggests the members within a group are actively monitoring the activity of other groups, including the movement of individuals within a group.

Within groups, aggression is directed primarily at individuals that are lower on the hierarchy. Once an individual is three years or older, it is considerably more likely to be involved in conflict. Conflict often arises when one group member shows aggression toward a close relative of another. Further, both males and females may redirect aggression towards individuals in which both had close relatives that were previously involved in a conflict. This suggests complex recognition not only of individuals, but also of associations between individuals. This does not suggest recognition of other's individual kinship bonds is possible, but rather that discrimination of social relationships does occur.

Vervet monkeys have four confirmed predators: leopards, eagles, pythons, and baboons. The sighting of each predator elicits an acoustically distinct alarm call. As infants, vervets learn to make the variety of calls from observation alone, without explicit tutelage. In experimentation with unreliable signalers, individuals became habituated to incorrect calls from a specific individual. Though the response was lessened for a specific predator, if an unreliable individual gives an alarm call for a different predator, group members respond as if the alarm caller is, in fact, reliable. This suggests vervet monkeys are able to recognize and to respond to not only the individual calling, but also to the semantics of what the individual is communicating. Vervet monkeys are thought to have up to 30 different alarm calls. In the wild, they have been seen giving a different call when seeing a human being approaching, leading researchers to believe that vervet monkeys may have a way of distinguishing between different land and flight predators.

Mothers can recognise their offspring by a scream alone. A juvenile scream elicits a reaction from all mothers, yet the juvenile's own mother has a shorter latency in looking in the direction of the scream, as well as an increased duration in her look. Further, mothers have been observed to help their offspring in conflict, yet rarely aid other juveniles. Other mothers evidently can determine to which mother the offspring belongs. Individuals have been observed to look towards the mother whose offspring is creating the scream.

Siblings likely provide the prevailing social relationships during development. Within social groups, mother-offspring and sibling interactive units are distinct groups. The sibling interactions are heavily supportive and friendly, but do have some competition. Contests primarily involve postweaning resource allocation by the common mother. For example, siblings have conflict over grooming time allocated by their mother. Offspring are usually not born in extremely close time proximity due to the interbirth period of the mother. This time can be reduced by use of an allomother. The clarity of the familial and sibships within a group may act as a form of alliance, which would come at relatively low cost in regards to grooming. Other alliances are shown through conflict with aggressive individuals that have acted against a closely related sibling.

Allomothering is the process when another individual besides the mother cares for an infant. In groups of vervet monkeys, infants are the target of a tremendous amount of attention. Days after an infant is born, every member of the group inspects the infant at least once by touching or sniffing. While all group members participate in infant caretaking, juvenile females that cannot yet menstruate are responsible for the majority of allomothering. The benefit is mutual for the mother and allomother. Mothers that use allomothers are able to shorten their interbirth periods, the time between successive births. At the same time, allomothers gain experience in rearing infants, and had more success in raising their own offspring. Juvenile females discriminate in preference for the infant they choose to allomother, and usually choose siblings or infants of high-ranking individuals. When a mother allows her juvenile daughter to become an allomother for a newborn sibling, the mother decreases her own investment in the infant, while increasing the chances of successful rearing of her immature daughter.

Grandmothers and grandchildren share one-quarter of their genes, so they should be more likely to form affiliative relationships than unrelated members in a group. Not only do infants approach their grandmothers more often than unrelated members, but they also prefer their grandmothers compared to other adult female kin, not including their own mothers. Additional research has shown grandmothers show no preference over the sex of their grandchild. Interest in the grandchild spurred from the rank of the grandmother within a group. Higher-ranking grandmothers showed more interest in caring for their grandchildren when compared to low-ranking grandmothers. The presence of grandmothers has been associated with a decrease in mortality of infants.

Spiteful actions are extremely rare in the animal kingdom. Often, an indirect benefit is gained by the individual acting 'spitefully', or by a close relative of that individual. Vervet monkeys have been observed to destroy a competitor's food source rather than consume or steal it themselves. While energy is being lost on destroying the food, an advantage is obtained by the individual due to an increase in competitive gain. This would be pertinent for a male that could be displaced within his group by immigrating males.

Female vervets do not have external signs indicating estrus, thus elaborate social behaviors involving reproduction do not occur. Typically, a female gives birth once a year, between September and February, after a gestation period around 165 days. Usually, only one infant is born at a time, though twins can occur rarely. A normal infant weighs 300–400 grams (11–14 oz).

The vervet monkey eats a primarily herbivorous diet, living mostly on wild fruits, flowers, leaves, seeds, and seed pods. In agricultural areas, vervets become problem animals, as they raid bean, pea, young tobacco, vegetable, fruit, and grain crops. Animal foods of their diet include grasshoppers and termites. Raids of cattle egrets and weaver bird nests have been observed where the vervets eat the eggs and chicks.

A list of some natural food plants and part of the plant eaten, in South Africa:

Acacia erioloba – seeds and pods

Aloespp. – nectar (flowers)

Celtis africana – fruit

Colophospermum mopane – seeds

Deinbollia oblongifolia – fruit

Euphorbia ingens – fruit

Euphorbia tirucalli – fruit

Ficus abutilifolia – figs

Ficus sur – figs

Ficus sycomorus – figs

Grewia afra – fruit

Harpephyllum afrum – fruit

Hyphaene coriacea – fruit

Phoenix reclinata – fruit

Protorhus longifolia – fruit

Rhus chirindensis – fruit

Sclerocarya birrea – fruit

Strelitzia nicolai – soft parts of the flowers

Ximenia caffra – fruit

Ziziphus mucronata – fruit

The monkeys are used for biomedical research. Many people living in close proximity to vervet colonies see them as pests, as they steal their food. Heavy fines in some areas discourage the killing of vervet monkeys.

Its status according to the IUCN is "least concern".

This species was known in ancient Egypt, including the Red Sea Mountains and the Nile Valley. From fresco artworks found in Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island of Santorini there is evidence that the vervet monkey was known to the inhabitants of this settlement around 2000 BC; this fact is most noted for evidence of early contact between Egypt and Akrotiri. Excavations dated to the end of the 1st century AD from Berenike, a Roman-Egyptian port-town on the Red Sea coast, demonstrate that vervet monkeys must have been kept as pets at that time.

....defending her nest. Nikkor 200-400VRG.

Details best viewed in Original Size.

I was watching from our back porch at this American Kestrel atop a Royal Palm several hundred feet away. He was so far away that I had to use my 10X42 bird watching binoculars just to identify the species. Suddenly, he took off flying in my general direction, over the house and on to the other side. I went into the house and looked out one of the front windows to discover him on this utility pole across the street. I grabbed my camera, which I have set up just for occasions such as this, and went outside. I shot several dozen frames. Unfortunately, they were all pretty similar and I kept just this one.

The American Kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. It has a roughly two-to-one range in size over subspecies and sex, varying in size from about the weight of a blue jay to a mourning dove. It also ranges to South America and is a well-established species that has evolved seventeen subspecies adapted to different environments and habitats throughout the Americas. It exhibits sexual dimorphism in size (females being moderately larger) and plumage, although both sexes have a rufous back with noticeable barring. Its plumage is colorful and attractive, and juveniles are similar in plumage to adults. Based on appearance and behavior it was for many years considered a member of the primarily European and African kestrel clade within the genus Falco, but DNA analysis shows the American Kestrel to actually be genetically more closely related to the larger American falcons such as the Aplomado, Peregrine, and Prairie Falcons. Though the species has not been renamed as a result of these genetic analyses, it is not actually a kestrel in the phylogenetic sense. Instead, a process of convergent evolution to fit a similar small prey niche in the ecosystem as the true kestrels has left it with similar physical characteristics and hunting methods. The American Kestrel is a common bird used in falconry, especially by beginners. Though not as strong a flyer as many other larger falcons, proper training and weight control by the falconer allows many American kestrels to become effective hunters of birds in the size range of sparrows and starlings, with occasional success against birds up to approximately twice their own weight.

Info above was extracted from Wikipedia.

This photo and the one that follows form a set. The first photo shows (center left) a nest the little fuzz-ball of a wren has built high above the street. Carolina Wrens like to build nests in all sorts of man-made objects from hubcaps to cardboard boxes to watering cans to this, a tangle of electrical and telephonic wires under a big aluminum drum.

Thank you for coming. Your visit is much appreciated.

Knowing better, TRAINUT, KELEKA and myself were out in rural Dekalb County shooting long exposures of lightning. Here we have a 30 second exposure and a huge flashover of lightning that lit up the immediate area like a strobe. Earlier, one large curtain of lightning and/or a nearby ground strike set off these crossing gates. Of course the lesson was not learned. TRAINUT was off frame, on the rails photographing while light painting. After two close strikes that raised the hair on my skin after this shot, we were out of there! ... or was it the rain that caused us to leave!

Camargue (la Capelière)

Flehmen response

Photo source: Kathy Anderson, University of Nebraska

Photo by: Justin Bonaparte

Model: Angela Harrington

michaeltittel.com

IPhone 8+ and processed in Snapseed

Pigeon Courtship Behaviors

Cooing: during courting pigeons make many sounds, such as "coo-cuk-cuk-cuk-cooo."

Bowing: a male puffs out his neck feathers, lowers his head and turns around in circles

Tail-dragging: a male spreads his tail and drags it while he runs after a female

Driving: one pigeon runs closely behind another

DIRTY SHOW 10TH ANNIVERSARY

THE GREATEST EROTIC ART SHOW ON EARTH!

Erotic Art Exhibition hosted by The National Grid Gallery

Dirty Show Detroit started ten years ago, as a showcase for erotic art of all forms and from all walks. Each year the amount of art displayed, the multitudes of patrons, and the imagination and quality of the erotic works, grew exponentially. Dirty Show® Detroit is one of the largest and most well respected art shows of our time.

Now, in a world first, it is evolving into a gigantic international art phenomenon. This year DIRTY SHOW X are planning simultaneous satellite Dirty Shows® all over the world. The National Grid Gallery in Sydney will proudly be hosting Dirty Show X Australia on February 6th 2009.

ARTISTS EXHIBITING:

ANDREW JOHNSTONE. BAD BEHAVIOR PUBLISHING. BARRETT. BETH JOSEY. BEASTMAN. BRIDGE BEAR.CARLY CASEY. DANIEL MARSHALL. DOUG FAIRCLOTH. EMMA KIDD. ERIN CASEY. FRANCESCA D’AMICO. FRANK FABLE. GARTH KNIGHT. HAYLEY ABLOTT. JASON IERACE. JENNY LLOYD. JUSTIN ROBSON. KIRSTEN FREDERICKS. LARA ALLPORT. MARTY O’HARE. MELODY CARAMINS. MICHAEL CHEN. MILOS POPOVIC. NIC PLOUGHMAN. NICK MORRIS. PATRICK CUMMINS. PAUL VANZELLA. RAINE SUPREME. ROMAN ROMANSKI. RORY ‘CHOPS’ WOODS. SASHA DOBIES. SHANNON CREES. SIMON DEGROOT. SIMON LOVELACE. TANIA WURSIG. THE RIPE COLLECTIVE. TRAVIS PRICE & MANY MORE...

Exhibition Dates:

Opening Night: Friday 6th February 6pm- 9pm

Closing date: Saturday 21st February

Address:

The National Grid Gallery

24 Chard Road

Brookvale

NSW

2100

(02) 9905 9332

www.thenationalgrid.com.au

Join Us on the Facebook or get on the mailing list for info on upcoming shows.

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8991024788

Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

The Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas) is a baboon from the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons; its range extends from the Red Sea in Egypt to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. Baboons are also native to and live in Southwestern Arabia, especially in Yemen. The mountains of Yemen and the horn of Africa make it a great place for the baboons live, where predators are not as common as in central Africa. The Hamadryas Baboon was a sacred animal to the ancient Egyptians as the attendant of Thoth, and so, is also called the Sacred Baboon.

Apart from the striking size difference between the sexes (males are often twice as large as females) which is common to all baboons, this species also shows sexual dimorphism in coloration. Males are silver-white colored and have a pronounced cape which they develop around the age of ten, while the females are capeless and brown. Their faces range in color from red to tan to a dark brown that older males often exhibit. Males are an average of 30" tall, with tails about 20" long, and weigh an average of about 45 lbs. Tails end in small tufts. Infants are dark in coloration and lighten after about one year. Hamadryas baboons reach sexual maturity at about 51 mo. for females and between 57 and 81 mo. for males.The average life span of Hamadryas baboons in the wild is about 35 years.

The Hamadryas Baboon lives in semi-desert areas, savannas and rocky areas, requiring cliffs for sleeping and possibilities to drink water. The Hamadryas Baboon is omnivorous and is adapted to its relatively dry habitat. It is not discriminating in its search for food, eating grass, roots, seeds, reptiles, insects, small mammals and crops. Hamadryas baboons will dig for water in dry streambeds. Hamadryas baboons are diurnal and have the largest day ranges of any primate.

The Hamadryas Baboon is unusual among baboon and macaque species in that its society is strictly patriarchal and patrilineal. Females may try to establish matrilines but they are usually overruled by the males, who forcefully transfer them among social units and away from their female relatives. The males limit the movement of the females. They herd them with visual threats and will grab or bite any female that wanders too far away. Males will sometimes raid harems for females, resulting in aggressive fights. Some males succeed in taking a female from another's harem. This is called a 'takeover'. Visual threats are usually accompanied by these aggressive fights. This would include a quick flashing of the eyelids accompanied by a yawn to show off the teeth. As in many species, infant baboons are taken by the males as hostages during fights.

The baboon has an unusual 4-level social system called a multi-level society. Most social interaction occurs within small groups called one-male units or harems containing one male and up to nine females which the males lead and guard. A harem will typically include a younger "follower" male who may be related to the leader. Two or more harems unite repeatedly to form clans. Within clans, the dominant males of the units are probably close relatives of one another and have an age related dominance hierarchy.

Bands are the next level. Two to four clans form bands of up to 200 individuals which usually travel and sleep as a group. Both males and females rarely leave their bands. The dominant males will prevent infants and juveniles from interacting with infants and juveniles from other bands. Bands may fight with one another over food, etc and the adult male leaders of the units are usually the combatants. Several bands may come together to form a troop. Several bands also often share a cliff-face which they sleep on.

Like other baboons, the Hamadryas Baboon breeds aseasonally. The dominant male of a one-male unit does most of the mating, though other males may occasionally sneak in copulations as well. Often, a male forms a harem by "adopting" subadult females and teaching them to follow him. He protects them and in 1–2 years, they go into estrus and he mates with them.

Females do most of the parenting. They nurse and groom the infant and it is not uncommon for one female in a unit to groom an infant that is not hers. Like all baboons, Hamadryas baboons are intrigued by their infants and give much attention to them. Dominant male baboons prevent other males from coming into close contact with their infants. They also protect the young from predators. The dominant male tolerates the young and will carry and play with them. When a new male takes over a female, she may go into deceptive estrous cycles. This behavior is likely an adaptation that functions to prevent the new male from killing the offspring of the previous male.

Hamadryas baboons are often depicted in ancient Egyptian art as the sacred attendants of Thoth, scribe to the gods. Occasionally Thoth also appears in the form of a hamadryas (often depicted carrying the moon on his head), as an alternative to his usual depiction as an ibis-headed figure. Hapi, one of the Four Sons of Horus that guarded the organs of the deceased, is hamadryas-headed and thus often sculpted as the lid of a canopic jar. Hamadryas baboons were revered because certain behaviors that they perform were seen as worshiping the sun, and they were viewed as mediators between humans and the gods.

Transformation of field and pastureland represents the main threat of the Hamadryas Baboon, their natural enemies (the leopard and the lion) having been nearly exterminated in their range. The IUCN lists it as "least concern" in 2008.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Please. Just tell me where your marshmallow friends are.

Easter...this year, it's personal.

By the time you have your dog its behavior will have already been greatly influenced by his mother and his siblings.Here’s an example: If his mother barked to attract some attention, her puppies will probably behave in the exact same way. The experiences that occur between three and twelve weeks of age are crucial in the development of a dog’s personality.

For more detail: www.onlinedoggytrainer.com/dog-behavior-training-from-an-...

YOUR COMMENT IS THE GREATEST "AWARD" YOU COULD GIVE -- No graphics please.

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY COMMENTS!!!

www.muchphotography.com

Prints available for purchase on my website and inPRNT

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The more I get to know these little critters the more amazed I get. They keep me entertained when the birding slows down... they're nearly always present in the rocks surrounding the pond. Their hand/finger dexterity has to approach that of some primates. And the poses and expressions... priceless! They help the ground-feeding birds (mostly juncos) to clean up the seed spilled from the above feeders.

IMG_0073; Colorado Chipmunk

Dress & earrings Gilded Oligarch, handbag Fresh and Delightful Veronique, fur stole Barbie.

Black Billed Magpies.

Mindless Behavior “Hello” Video Premieres Thursday March 8th!

If you see me less it's because I'm doing more

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ʙʟᴏɢ ᴄrᴇᴅɪᴛs:

ᴘʟᴜsʜsᴛᴜᴅɪᴏs. ᴄᴇʟᴇsᴛᴇ sᴛᴀr sᴇᴛ - ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ 📍ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀᴛᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴀrᴇɴᴀ

ᴀɴɢᴇʟɪᴄ. ᴛrɪɴᴀ - ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ 📍ᴍᴀɪɴsᴛᴏrᴇ

ʟᴜɴᴀr. ʟᴜʟᴜ ʙɪᴋɪɴɪ - ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ 📍ᴍᴀɪɴsᴛᴏrᴇ

ᴡᴀsᴀʙɪ. sᴛᴀrʟᴇᴛᴛᴇ ᴇᴀrrɪɴɢs - ʟᴏᴄᴛᴀᴇᴅ 📍 ᴍᴀrᴋᴇᴛᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ

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#secondlife #sl #secondlifeavi #secondlifebaddie #secondlifeavatar #secondlifeonly #secondlifestyle #secondlifeedit #secondlifemodel #secondlifephoto #secondlifeblogger #secondlifeblog #slblogger #slblog #slonly

The Canada goose uses its head movements to guide the goslings. I observed ten families of geese around the creek and pond. This has been a wonderful year for the goslings. I was concerned with so much snow and cold this spring/winter. Unfortunately I didn't get out to investigate until they have grown bigger.

Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

Photographed at a roadside pull off near Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Nene were frequently sighted near this area due to people dumping rice and other food scraps in order to attract them. Unfortunately, this leads to the alteration of their diet and behavior, even causing death when they get hit by cars.

www.fws.gov/pacificislands/articles.cfm?id=149489730

*Current status is being re-evaluated: www.10000birds.com/endangered-species-act-potential-downl...

www.pacificrimconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10...

This is the first year chickadees have nested in the "bird condo" and I have never seen behavior like this before. This one chased off a bluebird, cardinal and dived at a chipmunk. They all came too close to the nesting box. He/she sits on the top and spreads the tail feathers and looks all around. When he was really upset, he also raised his wings. Such funny behavior!!

Oliver sitting atop a favorite spot in the living room keeping an eye on his littermates!

Inside the Primate House at the Como Park Zoo. Many visiting primates today...

Leica M2

Elmar 5cm

Bergger 400

URBEX Road Trip with Vince

Detroit, Michigan

Vince: www.flickr.com/photos/pairadocs

far too pretty

tadasrevolution.com

When mature bucks hang out in bachelor groups, they often buddy up with another buck that matches their personality. These pairs show a lot of tolerance and even affection by gently grooming each other—usually around the head and neck. They also recognize each other by scent from their forehead, tarsal, metatarsal, and interdigital glands.

Younger bucks will sometimes groom an older one to earn his approval. The older buck doesn’t always allow it, but when he does, it’s a big step toward acceptance in the group.

Greeting and play bow. Does this look familiar to dog owners? This activity caught my eye as I was scanning the landscape for coyote activity. Again, this is one of those noisy shots I've been lamenting. The interaction is marvelous, though. Cropped as close as I dared, but wetland habitat is visible, so perhaps that's a plus.

Colorado Springs, CO

CALIFORNIA SEA OTTERS

Animal Classification

Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)

Description

Sea otters are members of the weasel or mustelid family. Like other members of this family, they have very thick fur. In fact, at 850,000 to one million hairs per square inch, they have the thickest fur of any mammal. Their fur actually consists of two layers, an undercoat and longer guard hairs. This system traps a layer of air next to their skin so their skin does not get wet. Sea otters are usually dark brown, often with lighter guard hairs. Alaskan sea otters tend to have lighter fur on their heads. Sea otters are the smallest marine mammals. In California adult females weigh 35-60 pounds (16-27 kg); males reach up to 90 pounds (40 kg). Alaskan sea otters are bigger with males weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kg).

Range/Habitat

Sea otters once ranged from Mexico to Alaska and even to Japan. Currently, the California population numbers around 2,800 and is found from Half Moon Bay to Morro Bay. There is a much larger population in Alaska, and sea otters are still found in Russia. Sea otters inhabit shallow coastal areas and prefer places with kelp. The kelp acts as an anchor that the sea otters use to wrap themselves in when they are resting.

Mating/Breeding

Females give birth to one pup and usually have their first pup at the age of four or five. Their pregnancies last four to five months. Pups can be born any time of year, but in California most are born between January and March, and in Alaska most are born in the summer. When born, the pups weigh from three to five pounds.

Behavior

Sea otters are social animals, with females and pups spending time together in one group and males in another. Pups stay with their mothers for the first eight months of their life. The pups' fur traps so much air that they actually cannot dive under water. When mothers leave the pups wrapped in kelp to hunt, pups bob on the surface of the ocean like a cork. Mothers spend much time grooming pups and often carry them on their chests. Pups begin to learn to swim at around four weeks of age. Sea otters are one of the few animals to use tools. They eat animals with shells, like clams and abalone, and use a stone to break open the shells. When sea otters are under water searching for food, they store what they have found in the loose skin folds at their armpits. Adult sea otters can eat 25%-30% of their body weight in one day!

Status

Sea otters in California are a threatened species due to past over hunting for their beautiful fur. Although sea otters are protected now, they remain vulnerable, especially to oil spills. Unlike other marine mammals, sea otters do not have a blubber layer. Therefore, they rely on their fur to keep warm. If their fur is oiled, it loses its insulating qualities and the sea otters soon chill. Otters are also affected by the oil fumes or poisoned by eating food exposed to oil. Most sea otters quickly die in an oil spill. Several thousand sea otters died in the 1989 Exxon oil spill in Valdez, Alaska. Other threats to sea otters include infectious diseases, parasites, boat strikes, entanglements, and toxins.

At The Marine Mammal Center

The Marine Mammal Center began rehabilitating sea otters in 1995. Since that time, we have rescued up to 207 sea otters.

Want to learn more about marine mammals?

SOURCE: www.marinemammalcenter.org/

A walk around the local park on a sunny, breezy fall day. Perfect Sunny-16 conditions, so I used stuck with ISO 160 and manual exposure for most of these shots,

I travelled light with just my Leica M8.2 and two lenses, a Jupiter-12 35mm f2.8 and a Schact Travenar 90mm f2.8.

For several days I saw this bird nest up in a tree that I pass regularly, Finally, I decided to post it to see if I am the only one intrigued by it.

For no good reason, I first guessed that the nest belongs to a mockingbird, but I need to do more research. I know, of course, of other birds, including House Sparrows, that collect bits of aluminum foil and other shiny trinkets for their nests, but lining a nest with a whole plastic bag like this surprises me. I have not seen a bird in the nest, but I have seen several fluttering about in the area. Bluebirds and Carolina Wrens are strong possibilities.

Does a whole raincoat-like plastic bag in a nest surprise you? I collect clothes dryer lint and leave it out on my porch for birds, but as far as I know no bird has taken any, I never thought of leaving plastic baggies.

PS Maybe this will be the first in a Winter Photos assignment, if my Photography Club ever gets going and if the season idea is echoed.

Thank you for your visit and friendship.

This scene was observed in the wildflower field at the Audubon Center at Strawberry Plains near Holly Springs, Ms. Far from a bee expert, I assume the larger bee is a queen at almost double the size of the other bee. The oddity continued as the larger bee flew about feeding on the blazing star while the smaller bee hung on for what ever purpose.