There’s one thing sadder than the carnival on the road to Bayamon.
Category Archives: Mammal
Kirk’s Dik-dik
According to Wikipedia “However, this panting is only implemented in extreme conditions; dik-diks can tolerate air temperatures of up to 40 °C (104 °F).”
I’m not sure I want to know how this data was determined.
Spider Monkey
After you make the mistake of reading the comments on a political think piece.
Ocelot
“Folks on the Internet say that the end of the world is right around the corner, but I don’t see it.”
Marmoset
“And far away, as Frodo put on the Ring and claimed it for his own, even in Sammath Naur the very heart of his realm, the Power in Barad-dûr was shaken, and the Tower trembled from its foundations to its proud and bitter crown. The Dark Lord was suddenly aware of him, and his Eye piercing all shadows looked across the plain to the door that he had made; and the magnitude of his own folly was revealed to him in a blinding flash, and all the devices of his enemies were at last laid bare. Then his wrath blazed in consuming flame, but his fear rose like a vast black smoke to choke him. For he knew his deadly peril and the thread upon which his doom now hung.”
Pallas Kitten
I mentioned over on Facebook a while back that I did something I’ve wanted to do for over a decade, but that I couldn’t talk about it yet. I can talk about it now.
Behold, a two day old Pallas Cat* kitten from Red River Zoo. I just happened to be there shortly after the birth and, because I have worked with the zoo before, we found a way for me to take photos without bothering the mother. Pallas Cats are notoriously grouchy and frightful and if the photoshoot distressed the mother, it could have boded ill for the kittens. Because the kittens are at high risk in their first 21 days, they are kept off exhibit and monitored from afar.
To get this shot, I was about fifty feet** away. The kittens were in a very dark part of the enclosure and were so very tiny. I am going to guess that this kitten head was about the size of a large grape*** when I took the photo. I didn’t have my best lens with me and I couldn’t use a tripod, as it could scare the mother. Really, I am quite lucky to get this shot.
In looking through the other photos, I thought I counted about five fuzzy lumps, which seemed like a lot. Nonetheless, I told the zoo that I was pretty confident that I saw three**** heads and there might be as many as five**** in there. As it turns out, the magic number was actually five. See official announcement here: https://www.facebook.com/redriverzoo/photos/a.121326804573286.8147.102563593116274/1397393543633266/?type=3
Like much wildlife, Pallas cats are facing a declining population due to habitat destruction, being hunted for their fur, and poisoning campaigns that are intended to control the pika. The Red River Zoo has a strong history of helping to preserve this species. I was fortunate last summer to take photos of their new male, brought in to add genetic diversity to the reserve population in zoos. It’s very nice to see that he’s been doing his job.
Cute as they are, you don’t want them as pets. The Pallas cat has been described as being one of the meanest cats out there, having evolved in extreme isolation. I have been told that the kittens are born growling. Then a few weeks later, their eyes open and they start growling *at* things.
So while it’s not the world’s greatest photo, I am extremely pleased to be able to share it.
————————
* “Manul” for those of you from northern Asian countries
** 15m for those of you from civilized countries
*** A kumquat for those of you from delicious countries
**** III and V for those of you from ancient countries
Scimitar-horned Oryx (Oryx dammah)
I see a lot of oryx because I visit a lot of zoos. I have to remind myself that they extinct in the wild. Today, according to the IUCN red list, there are:
* 130 in captivity in Bou Hedma, Tunisia
* 25 in Sidi-Toui, Tunisia
* 12 in Oued Dekouk, Tunisia
* 240 in Souss-Massa, Morocco
* 18 in Guembeul, Senegal
* 12 in Ferlo, Senegal
There are also some recovery populations at the San Diego Zoo and the Phoenix Zoo.
There are also numerous ranches in Texas you can go to kill and eat them.
Yeah.
Golden Headed Lion Tamarin
Tamarins aren’t less evolved than humans, because both have been evolving for the same period of time.
However, it is understandable that some people get that impression, as tamarins tend to just watch the neighbors’ domestic disputes rather than taking the more civilized approach of commenting about them on social media.
Giant Anteater
We live in a world at risk. The very technologies that drive our way of life are destroying ourselves. Burning gas and oil release molecules into the air which is changing the climate, harming our ability to grow food. Nuclear power results in radioactive waste that can take thousands to millions of years to become safe. Wind and water power is simply not available everywhere and the mass enslavement of humanity to live underground, providing labor for the elites is fraught with literary difficulties.
But there is another way.
Just consider, all of this is powered by ants!
Ants are self sustaining. Ants are highly prevalent, living almost everywhere on earth. Though actually red and black, ants are green in terms of the adopted environmental vernacular. Invest in ants today!
Ants: the new energy source, for a cleaner, safer, planet.
(This ad brought to you by the International Ant Board.)
Margay
Figures. Over seventy zoos in under ten years … I finally find a margay … and it’s asleep.
Meerkat performing Jew of Malta
And when we grin we bite; yet are our looks
As innocent and harmless as a lamb’s
Meerkats performing Tamburlaine Part II
The Grecian virgins shall attend on thee,
Skilful in music and in amorous lays,
As fair as was Pygmalion’s ivory girl
Or lovely Io metamorphosed.
(This is the photo off their self-titled debut album.)
Squirrel
One problem with posting once I get done processing and not when I take the photos is that sometimes I post an autumn photo in the spring.
Fin Whale
If homeopathy applies for conservation*, we’re doing just fine. Years from now, the entire ocean will hold onto a low resounding echo of whale song, persisting for generations after the last lonely whale is gone.
* Spoiler alert: it doesn’t**
** It also doesn’t apply to medicine
Fin whale
Whoops. I forgot to schedule a 6pm post.
Here’s the head of a fin whale that I met* around California a month ago.
* from a rather large distance
Pallas Cat
I can tell that I got the focus right on an animal portrait when I can see the texture detail in the iris. This works because, if the animal is looking directly at you, the iris is on a two-dimensional parallel with the sensor in the camera. If it’s perfect, you can see the detail all around both irises (assuming a two-eyed animal).
It’s surprising how many photos out there wind up being out of focus when you know what to look for.
It’s also surprising which animals have more and less iris three-dimensionality. (And which ones don’t really have eyes that work that way at all.)
Prairie Dog Performing Antony and Cleopatra
You have made me offer
Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must
Rid all the sea of pirates; then, to send
Measures of wheat to Rome; this ‘greed upon
To part with unhack’d edges, and bear back
Our targes undinted.
Porcupine
Despite strong temptation, I did not tickle the feet.
Deer
You know it’s April when the deer start to sprout.
Pig
An man from Abdera is dreaming about a pig he’s selling. He is asking 100 denarii for it, but people are only offering 50. Eventually, he wakes up. Keeping his eyes closed, he holds out his hand and says ‘OK, I’ll take me the 50’.
(Sometimes my jokes aren’t exactly new. ;) ;) ;) ;) )