Deprecation

from Flickr, by ~Kenny

peek-a-boo!

Cute or not? Baby sparrowhawks

Photo by Tanja Askani

Better late than never ...

Shocking Christmas (via I have seen the whole of the internet) Also ... Cute Animal Christmas Song (via Ursi's blog)

Got time to kill?

Animals have inspired countless people to study biology. Their unique behavior and amazing abilities are the impetus for fascinating research. And who doesn't love a good animal video? Here's the Top 10 Amazing Animal Videos compiled by Wired Science

Video: Dog Having a Blast in the Snow

Watch video

Today's awwww

Two weeks old hippopotamus Paula is pictured on the first day of her presentation to the public at the Berlin Zoo December 16, 2008. Photo credit: REUTERS/Johannes Eisele

I love Santa!

(via USA Today)

I wouldn't challenge this -

Thailand's self-proclaimed "Scorpion Queen" created a new world record Monday by holding a live seven-inch scorpion in her mouth for more than two minutes. She held the poisonous arachnid in her mouth for two minutes and three seconds before spitting it out -- all the time wearing a white dress and gloves covered in the stinging creatures. Source: AFP

Art by Laurie Hogin

Song of Retail #1 (Pink Skull Monkey), 2004 oil on panel, 19” x 19” More at Littlejohn Contemporary Gallery (via BoingBoing)

Can you give me a ride?

Photo credit: Holly Klasinski Source: NBC

Taking a break

A rare photo of a hummingbird - sitting still. (via L.A.Unleashed) Photo credit: Steve/Your Scene

Cute or not? Baby Manatee

In 2008, SeaWorld, Orlando, has rehabilitated and released six manatees back into the wild.

What NOT to give for Christmas

Pictured at left is a swan pin cushion shoe, one of the horrible gifts featured in the The Daily Mail's roundup of "The ghastliest gifts ever."

Video: Talking cats & dogs

This video drives my cat Grace crazy. She has to meow along with it. I wonder what that cat is really saying in the video. watch video (via Slobber Space)

Video: This dog loves his burritos

Poor dog - this can't be healthy! Watch video

Oh, you sexy beast!

Many more Animal Pin-ups at Worth1000.com

Gothic kittens?

Three kittens with ear, neck and tail piercings were removed from a home by humane officers on Wednesday. One of the officers from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne County said the pierced kittens were being sold as “gothic kittens” on an Internet auction site. The investigation began about a week ago when a man from another state noticed “gothic kittens” being sold on eBay. The kittens were also being sold on a pet classified Web site with an attached picture of a pierced kitten. Source: timesleader.com

What's that in your pants?

from Flickr, by PlanetJamey

One nice thing about winter

Photo credit: Gary Woodward / NBCchicago.com

S.F. Zoo seeks surrogate mom for baby gorilla

Keepers handling the newborn gorilla at the San Francisco Zoo are hoping to find a surrogate gorilla mother for a baby whose own mom is showing little interest in him. Mom, an endangered western lowland gorilla named Monifa, bedded down in the gorilla enclosure about as far away as she could from her infant. The baby gorilla, part of the critically endangered lowland western species, was the first born at the zoo in 10 years. Source: SF Gate

Cat burglar steals toys from his neighbors

A real-life cat burglar has left his owner feeling less than purr-fect - by swiping dozens of cuddly toys from nearby homes. Frankie the tom cat has got his claws into 35 teddies and soft toys in the last year. Owner Julie Bishop believes the two-year-old feline is sneaking into her neighbors' homes. He drags each one of his finds through the catflap before depositing them on the same spot in the living room. Source: Daily Mail

Tongue Twister

from Flickr, by ~Kenny

This wouldn't happen on CSI

Investigators are trying to determine the origin of a heart that was found Monday on the floor of a car wash in Paw Paw, Mich. "The heart was transported by the officer to a local animal clinic, and the officer was advised the doctor could not determine if the heart was an animal's heart nor rule out it possibly being a human heart," WOOD-TV reports. "The cardiologist can not rule out at this time the possibility that the heart may be a human heart." Scientists are now said to be studying the organ. Source: USA Today

Facts about you and your pet

Some interesting percentages from a new poll released by the Associated Press and Petside.com: 67 percent of pet owners claim they can comprehend their pet’s own language 62 percent think their pet understands what they say as well But not all species are equal: 69 percent of surveyed dog owners insist their pets understand when they speak to them 50 percent of cat owners say the same The economy might be awful, but 85 percent of pet owners are not cutting back on pet care expenses due to economic pressures, even though other polls show a majority of people having to make cutbacks in other areas. 43 percent of animal owners plan on purchasing a gift for their pet this Holiday season.

The cat with contact lenses

Ernest - a 15-year-old black and white cat - suffers from entropion - an inward rolling of the eyelids, which causes inflammation and hinders sight. Surgery might correct the condition, but veterinarians were concerned about how such an old cat would react to an anesthetic. The solution? Contact lenses! Source: Daily Mail (via Neatorama)

Dress like a Monarch

Catchable

from Flickr, by cloud_nine

Christmas Cats in Santa Hats

from Flickr, by taelcat from Flickr, by petoskeygirl Image source forgotten from JabberJuls from Flickr, by jessi_bruton Image source forgotten Photography by Paul Mutton from Flickr, by Fuzzy Gerdes from Odd Todd from Flickr, by JeffSFO from Parade from Flickr, by Hockey.Lover from Random Mumblings from Flickr, by Pixel Packing Mama from my cat wears clothes from Flickr, by carol_kong Image source forgotten from Flickr, by Faythe

Love is Sharing

from Flickr, by AKIHIRO FURUTA (via Lassie, Get Help)

Cute or not? Two-toed sloth

—Photograph by Itsuo Inouye/AP

Show off your fish

Glass Fish Bowl - Medium $59.99 at Target (available online only)

Video: I wanna go to the aquarium!!!

Watch video (via [BB-Blog])

Video: Cat Whack-a-mouse game

Watch video (via Scribal Terror)

Video: Sara the Walrus

Watch video Sara is the star attraction at the newly-opened Istanbul Dolphinarium. Her skills at mimicking humans extend to dressing up as a railway conductor and blowing a whistle. She can lie down and catch a rose when it is thrown to her. And she has become adept at games with balls and hoops. She certainly has a much more exciting life than she would in the wild, where walruses spend most of their lives lying on sea ice and seeking out molluscs to eat. They live for around 50 years in the wild. (via A Welsh View)

Today's awwww

What's that in your pants?

from Flickr, by dawgbyte77

A Tiger's Tale

In Texas, where you can own a pet tiger, the booming exotic animal trade has grim consequences. A very disturbing report by Melissa Del Bosque in the Texas Observer tells about the exotic animal trade which is a billion-dollar industry in Texas. “It probably has the largest population of tigers in the country,” says Richard Farinato, a senior adviser with the Humane Society of the United States, “because there are a lot of animal breeders and a lot of animal dealers.” Breeding can be lucrative. White tiger cubs sell for $5,000 each. Since tigers can have two litters a year of eight cubs, a breeder can earn $80,000 a year. Many of these white tiger cubs are sold to small businesses that travel around the country displaying them as props and charging tourists to take pictures with them.

Hats off

What's that in your pants?

(photo from Cute Overload)

Hotel builds $200,000 home for ducks

The Peabody hotel in Memphis says it spent about $200,000 building the Duck Palace, a rooftop domicile for its famous ducks. The 24-by-12-foot enclosure features granite floors, a large viewing window, a scaled-down replica of the hotel and a swimming fountain adorned with two bronze ducks. Jason Sensat, the hotel's duck chief, said the birds seem happy in their new home. "When they're unhappy, they let everybody know," Sensat said. Source: UPI

The philosopher and the wolf

A spur-of-the-moment decision to buy a wolf cub changed Mark Rowlands’s life. From that moment on he found human company never quite matched up. The Philosopher and the Wolf: Lessons in Love, Death, and Happiness is the story of the eleven years Brenin and Mark had together. An excerpt: "The rule was that Brenin was never, ever, under any circumstances, to be left on his own in the house. Failure to abide by this rule involved dire consequences for the house and its contents; and the fate of the curtains and the air-conditioning pipes was merely a gentle warning of his true capabilities in this regard. These consequences included destruction of all furniture and carpets, with a soiling option also available for the latter. Wolves, I learnt, get bored very, very quickly - about 30 seconds of being left to their own devices is generally long enough. When Brenin got bored he would either chew on things or urinate on them, or chew on things and then urinate on them. Very occasionally, he would even urinate on things and then chew them, but I think that was just because, in all the excitement, he would forget exactly where he was in the order of proceedings." "Brenin and I were inseparable for 11 years. Homes would change, jobs would change, countries and even continents would change, and my other relationships would come and go - mostly go. But Brenin was always there - at home, at work and at play. He was the first thing I would see in the morning when I woke - largely because he would be the one to wake me, around daybreak with a big wet lick to the face - a looming presence of meaty breath and sandpaper tongue framed by dawn's murky light. And that was on a good day - on bad days he would have caught and killed a bird in the garden and would wake me up by dropping it on my face. (The first rule of living with a wolf: always expect the unexpected.)"