Hard to swallow?

An apparent set of conjoined twin birds -- an incredibly rare find -- has been discovered in Arkansas. The bodies of the barn swallows, which are attached at the hip by skin and possibly muscle tissue, are being sent to the Smithsonian Institution for examination and confirmation, Arkansas wildlife officials said Friday. The birds, found by a landowner in White County, fell out of a nest as a healthy sibling flew off to learn how to hunt with its parents, Rowe said. The birds first appeared to have only three legs, but further examination found a fourth leg tucked up underneath the skin connecting the pair. Source: Boston.com

Cute or not? Praying mantis nymph

The best doggy shampoo & conditioner

Recently, I was fortunate to receive free samples of DERMagic - a dog shampoo, conditioner, and hot spot treatment. I had planned on trying them on my son's new puppy, Hershey. Unfortunately, Hershey died of distemper just four weeks after we had adopted her from an animal rescue group. My next thought was to use the shampoo and conditioner on our cats, Grace and Bandit. Well, Grace had spent a day of beauty at the spa, instead, which left only Bandit. Luckily, I told Jennifer, the PR rep, about my plans and she stopped me just in time. Good advice to pet owners - dog products are not always suitable for cats, nor vice-versa. DERMagic for dogs contains peppermint and tea tree oil which are not beneficial for cats. My neighbor kindly let me borrow Bailey, a pug & boxer mix. Bailey loved coming over and getting pampered in my kitchen sink. The DERMagic shampoo smelled really nice and pepperminty, Bailey seemed to be enjoying the scent. It lathered great and rinsed off easily. The conditioner made Bailey's fur feel soft and silky. It's been four days since I gave Bailey her bath. She still smells great! I would highly recommend DERMagic products. See their website to order online, or look for a salon in Oregon or Washington which carries the products. Photos: corsi photo

Dog Luggage Tags

Never miss your luggage at the airport with these ultra cute luggage tags. Faux leather with applique and embroidery details. Approximately: 5" Wide x 5.5" High (not including strap) $14.00 at Fluff

Bacon, bacon, bacon!

Dentists recommend flossing and we recommend bacon! Now you can improve your dental hygiene while enjoying the amazing flavor of crispy fried bacon! Is there anything bacon can't improve? Each 2" tall plastic dispenser contains 27.3 yards of waxed floss. Yummy. $3.99 at Perpetual Kid

Video: tarsier snacking

Watch video (via Miss Cellania)

Video: Rabbit and cat LOVE

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Video: singing puppies to sleep

watch video (via cute overload)

A duck in the city

Invariably, one of my treats each day is to read Cute Overload. It really is an overload of cuteness each day. Read co's story, Duck Darwin Awards, a suspenseful tale of a confused mother duck in Downtown Spokane who laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of a planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. As the ten ducklings hatched, the mother duck needed to get her brood to leap from a ten foot high ledge and negotiate 2 full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs, and pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the Spokane River. Luckily, the heroic office staff of the Sterling Bank gave mama duck assistance all through the process. Nice work, ladies and gentlemen. Give yourselves a hand. Or better yet, go out for several drinks after work today. You earned it.

Doggie wisdom

I LOVE this blog! On Mackenzie Speaks, we get snippets of wisdom from the viewpoint of a very insightful dog. Some of my favorite Mackenzie-isms: "Chihuahua’s are adorable, except for the fact that they’re tiny and rat like." "If I were invisible, would my poop also be invisible?" "Being a dog is great. We can walk around carrying a tennis ball in our mouth and it’s no big deal. Humans, on the other paw, could never pull that off." "If something called a ‘jalapeño’ ever falls on the kitchen floor, do not eat it. You must trust me on this."

Licked Toys

LickedToys is the first dog toy graveyard. You send in pictures of your pets' destroyed toys and they'll post them so that your toys may rest in pieces. Time for new toys? We suggest i-pets.com - they have excellent prices on canvas dog toys, plush dog toys, wooly dog toys, rope toys, floating toys, vinyl dog toys and heavy duty vinyl dog toys. (via corsinet)

Lenore and Brutus, an unusual love story

John Katz has lived for some years with sheep, cows, steers, goats, barn cats, chickens—and dogs—on a farm in upstate New York, Bedlam Farm, but he had never encountered a situation where animals of different species have fallen in love, or even had much of a friendship. In an article for Slate Magazine, "My Dog Has a Crush on My Ram," he writes about Lenore, a highly affectionate black lab, who is is utterly smitten with Brutus, a neutered ram. Each day, the pair seems more companionable. Lenore looks for Brutus, and when she finds him, she sometimes challenges him to romp, occasionally rolling over and flirtatiously showing her belly. She isn't above giving his nose or ear a lick. Some days, they just graze side by side, Lenore also chomping down the grass. The two of them are always together. She cleans his ear, he noses her or butts her gently. It's something to see. (via: The Roanoke Times: The Happy Wag)

How Far Should We Go to Save Our Pets?

This is a country in which 93 percent of we owners describe our pets as members of the family, where 70 percent of us sleep with our dogs and 78 percent with our cats, in which nearly three-quarters of married pet owners report greeting their pet before their spouse when they return home. It is a culture in which, according to one New York study, women report feeling "significantly" more intimacy with the closest pet than the closest person in their lives. Given this remarkable relationship, how do we approach these life-and-death decisions? Is it as far as our credit cards will stretch? Is it the pet's quality of life? Or our own quality of life? (Photo: Boswell, a 2-year-old goose undergoing cancer treatment at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton. Though he was an $8 purchase at the local feed store, his two major bouts with cancer - a tumor in his trachea and now osteosarcoma (a fast-moving and painful bone cancer) in his leg - have added up to perhaps $20,000 worth of surgeries and treatments.) There are kidney transplants for cats, brain surgery for dogs. Cancer treatments - including operations, chemotherapy, and radiation - for all creatures, including rabbits, lizards, parakeets, fish, and ferrets. Pacemakers are routine, as are CAT scans, PET scans, and MRIs. Along with the cutting-edge equipment, the level of expertise and specialization among vets has grown, too. So - how much would you spend? Source: the Globe Magazine

Hair hats

Check out the "creations" at hair hats. I think I would kill my hairdresser! (via cute with chris)

Today's awwww

Five African hedgehogs, born June 18 at the San Diego Zoo. They range from 1.1 ounces to a whopping 1.4 ounces. When full-grown, each may weigh a pound or two. (via L.A. Unleashed) Photo Credit: Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoological Society

Short-lived Chameleon

Scientists have discovered a chameleon species that spends a good two-thirds of its life inside an egg: Furcifer labordi lives about 8-9 months as an embryo, and has a post-hatching lifespan of just 4-5 months. As far as the scientists know, this strange life history is unique among all land vertebrates, and may help researchers better understand how certain ecological and hormonal factors influence life history evolution. The small F. labordi lives in the extremely arid southwest region of Madagascar. The desert-like, spiny-forest area experiences a long dry season from March through November, and a rainy season between December and February. This harsh, variable environment may be one of the reasons for the odd life history of F. labordi. Source: PhysOrg.com (via A Welsh View)

Grace gets clipped

Our poor, sweet kitty, Grace, is getting on in years. We think she's close to being 19 years old now, but she could even be older. She's not as agile and flexible as she used to be, and not so diligent about grooming and bathing herself, either. Some days, Grace actually smells pretty bad. And the snarls! Uncombable! We try to get rid of at least one hair snarl each day, but she usually hides when she sees us get her brush. We've been giving Grace a bath every two or three weeks. I spray on hair de-tangler made for babies, and we try to comb the knots out of her hair after she's dry. That wasn't working too well, either. So, last resort - we took Grace to the vet for grooming. Here's what we got: Shaved! Grace has been shaved! Doesn't she look cute in a pathetic kind of way? I thought she'd be traumatized and want to hide. But she's actually strutting around the house flaunting her new look. The shaved areas on her back feel like velvet! It's a pleasure to pet Grace again and not get our hands stuck in gobs of knotted hair. Grace is asking to go outside. Does she want to show off her new hairdo to the neighborhood cats? Or is she planning to run away because of what we've done to her? all photos: corsi photo

Three parrots

Three Parrots slide down the chutes.. (Just watch & wait ... )

Collar optional

(via For Your Entertainment)

Today's awwww

A trio of white lion cubs born last month at the zoo in the German town of Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock. Two rare white lionesses gave birth simultaneously to seven cubs at the zoo. Source: Daily Mail

State Insects

The Smithsonian has compiled a list of the 41 states in the United States which have officially designated State Insects. Illinois has the Monarch Butterfly:

Photo: pieceoflace

Most of the states who have an official State Insect have selected a butterfly of some sort, but New Mexico is very unusual. The State Insect of New Mexico is the Tarantula Hawk Wasp:

Photo: Bugman

Read more about the Tarantula Hawk Wasp at Durango Nature Studies

Cute or not? Stork chicks

Photo: Carsten Rehder/EPA

Get bugged in New Orleans

Since prehistoric times, insects have played invaluable roles: pollinating crops, decomposing waste and adding intrigue, color, texture and majesty to our world. Located in the historic U.S. Custom House on Canal Street in downtown New Orleans, Audubon Insectarium will delight you with ‘up close and personal’ live insect encounters, the indelible story of the Crescent City and insects, and “Life Underground,” where you’ll be shrunk to insect size. (via Intelligent Travel)

Little me

Beautifully written

James Katz, at Bedlam Farm, writes: "What can I say about the Love Dog? I lucked out. I call her The Light, The Hound of Love, the Love Dog. I sing love songs to her, and every night she crawls into my lap and and gnaws gently on my face. She is a viral love carrier, spreading pleasure to animals and humans, and bringing light and laughter everywhere she goes. She was ridiculously cute as a puppy, and is growing into a handsome young woman. She is a shameless flirt, hitting on all living things, and she is confident in her ability to generate love in return. So she is a love machine, giving love and sparking love. That is her work. Lenore is what dogs are meant to be."

Get Close to the World’s Deadliest Animals

They could crush or asphyxiate you, bite you in half or inject you with venom, but you want to see them anyway. Matador Trips presents 8 trips that bring you face-to-face with some of the world’s most dangerous animals in their natural environments. Photo: Tut99 (Roger)

Incredible sand sculptures

The Daily Mail has a feature on the sand sculpture festival in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. Twelve experts in the medium are turning 360 tonnes of sand into iconic images. My favorite is the sleeping lion.

Cat adopts baby red panda

A newborn red panda rejected by its mother in Amsterdam's Artis zoo has been adopted by a domestic cat. The cat is nursing the red panda, currently about the size of a kitten, along with her own four kittens, the zoo said. The red panda was born on June 30 and rejected by its mother soon afterwards. Red pandas look like raccoons and when fully grown are slightly larger than a domestic cat -- substantially smaller than the black and white giant panda. Source: Reuters

Mice are not suitable for target practice

Fox News reports: A Mendocino County woman who was trying to kill mice in her trailer with a gun ended up shooting herself and another person. The 43-year-old woman pulled out her .44-caliber Magnum revolver after she saw the mice scurrying across the floor of her trailer on Highway 20 in Potter Valley, sheriff's officials said. But she accidentally dropped the gun, which went off as it struck the floor. The bullet went through the woman's kneecap, bounced off the keys sitting on the belt loop of a 42-year-old man in the trailer and grazed the man's groin before ending up in his coin pocket. Authorities did not release the shooting victims' names. The mice escaped the shooting unharmed.

What is cute?

The Continuum of Cute invites the viewer to arrange 100 pictures of different animals, all found on the Internet, in order of cuteness. A giant inter-species beauty contest, the project investigates both our individual and collective sense of the "cute" at the same time as it indulges the anthropomorphic qualities that are often embedded in our sense of the word. (via corsinet)

Ban urged on horse-drawn carriages in Rome

Tourists love to view the Colosseum and other famous landmarks in Rome from the back of a horse-drawn carriage but animal rights activists said Tuesday it's time to ban the practice. Traffic, pollution, heat and heavy carriages expose the horses to health risks, the activists said, adding that the animals rest in dark and humid stables. The activists have appealed to Rome's city hall to stop the service, proposing that the coachmen be rehired as cab drivers. The coachmen reject accusations that their horses are overworked or abused. Source: AP

Arkansas Mayor Arrested for Animal Cruelty

As we reported in a previous post, Animal management by morons, James Valley, the mayor of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, thought that an acceptable method of dealing with stray dogs was to drop them off in the national forest. It looks as though what Valley did was not only stupid, but illegal, as well. He has been arrested for animal cruelty. Valley never went to jail and was release on his own recognizance with no bond. He is facing misdemeanor animal cruelty charges, which carry up to one year in jail or a $1000 fine. Source: Eyewitness News

Man rescues drowning bear

It was a site you don't see everyday in the Panhandle in Florida. A man saved a bear from drowning last week. It all started after residents spotted a 375-pound black bear roaming through a neighborhood 40 miles south of Tallahassee. Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) found the bear underneath a beachfront home. They say it was probably trying to cool off. The goal was to lure it back into the wild. So, officials used a tranquilizer dart on it. But, there was a problem. It did not work immediately. Biologist Adam Warwick, who struggled with the bear, said it tried to escaped and went into the Gulf of Mexico. It was at that point Warwick said he could see the effects of the tranquilizer on the bear. He made a quick decision. Warwick went in after the animal. The bear was about 25 yards from shore when it went into the water. Warwick said his adrenaline just kicked in. He didn't want the black bear to drown. Source: Firstcoastnews Thanks, Leslie!

Making way for the Planet of the Apes

In the 1968 science fiction film, Planet of the Apes, an astronaut believes he has landed on another planet, one on which the humans have no language, but the great apes do. As the movie ends, the astronaut realizes that he has been on Earth all along, and that humanity must have destroyed its own civilization with war, thereby paving the way for the Planet of the Apes. I can't help but flash onto scenes from this movie - animals are in power, animals have rights, but people don't - when I read about recent laws enacted by Spain's parliament. Spain's parliamentary environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans. The Spanish government is now committed to update the statute book within a year to outlaw harmful experiments on apes in Spain. Keeping apes for circuses, television commercials or filming will also be forbidden. Philosophers Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri founded the Great Ape Project in 1993, arguing that "non-human hominids" like chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans and bonobos should enjoy the right to life, freedom and not to be tortured. Next, we'll be teaching them to talk.

Awwwwwwww!

Amazing mass migration of Golden Rays

Sandra Critelli, an amateur photographer, stumbled across the biannual mass migration of thousands of Golden Rays gathering off the coast of Mexico while looking for whale sharks. She said: "It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind." More photos of this phenomenon at the Telegraph

Tiki Totem

I think my patio needs one of these! Jungle King Tiki By Chris Magnotta height: 32" width: 12" $180 at Tiki Hedz - Tiki Totem Poles

Rare births at the LA Zoo

Two male peninsular pronghorns were born at the L.A. Zoo on March 25, 2008. These fawns are the first of their kind ever born at a Zoo. According to Senior Animal Keeper Kelley Greene, “the brothers have been pulled for hand rearing to ensure that they are given every opportunity to thrive.” When the pair is old enough, they will be sent to the Living Desert in Coachella Valley, Calif. The parents of these two healthy boys were just fawns themselves when they arrived at the L.A. Zoo in July of 2006. These pronghorns originally came here from a breeding center in Mexico and are the first of their species to be on exhibit outside of their home country. The older pronghorns are located in the North American section of the Zoo. Typically, a pronghorn mother will have one or two fawns weighing in at around seven or eight pounds. When they reach adulthood, pronghorns weigh up to 125 pounds and reach a height of 35 inches. The females are usually 10 to 25 percent smaller then males. Newborns take their first steps within 30 minutes of birth. By the time they are four days old, they can outrun humans. After just a week, fawns can run faster than dogs and horseback riders over short distances. They are the second fastest land mammal and the fastest ungulate (hoofed mammal), clocking in at anywhere from 40 to 60 miles per hour. They can maintain this speed, without showing any sign of distress, for an hour or longer. In the wild the fawns will hide for the first three or four weeks of their lives. During these weeks, they come out only to nurse. The fawns will continue to conceal themselves until they are able to move with the rest of the heard. These graceful animals are mostly active at dawn and dusk, which is when they graze on various plants including, shrubs, weeds, cacti, sagebrush and grasses. Although they will drink when water is available, they can go for weeks without water since they obtain moisture from their food. The birth of these two pronghorns is a great leap for the conservation efforts of this critically endangered species. Native to Baja California Sur, Mexico, only about 200 of these species survive in the wild. Hunting, cattle ranching and agriculture have resulted in the significant decrease of this species. In late 2005, seven years after a captive breeding facility was established in Mexico, the first 25 peninsular pronghorns were reintroduced to life in the wild. The Los Angeles Zoo is partnered with the Vizcaino Desert Biosphere Reserve and the Mexican Government in the Peninsular Pronghorn Recovery Project (PPRP). Since 2000, the Zoo has provided both financial assistance as well as personnel support to the PPRP. The Zoo’s breeding herd is a part of nationwide Species Survival Plan for peninsular pronghorns.

How will your dog vote?

For the first time in history, the dogs will have their say. It all started on a snowy January night. Two dogs and four friends watching the returns from the Iowa caucus. As the winter wore on and the primary season continued, it quickly became evident that this would be no ordinary election. With political participation at record levels across the nation, the desire for personal political expression has risen. Humans have countless outlets to convey their political opinions, but our canine companions, who watched every debate, primary, caucus and news show diligently with us, feel left out of the fun. The Dog Vote is keeping a running tally of how the dogs are voting in this election by selling McCain and Obama pet bandanas. They also are working on an interactive map detailing the particulars surrounding the dog vote in the 2008 presidential election. The fate of our nation lies in their paws. Let your dog show political allegiance by ordering a bandana today for $9.95.

Cute or not? Baby white-naped mangabey

This is Conchita. She is only the second white-naped mangabey to be born in the UK. Conchita was born at the London Zoo in April, 2008.

Don't squeeze too hard!

An African leopard carries its one-week-old cub inside its enclosure at Ghamadan zoo near Amman July 2, 2008.

Cute or not? Pet porcupine

Can't decide if this is cute or not? Here's another look. via Cute with Chris