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Don’t we all remember Dory from Disney’s superhit animated film ‘Finding Nemo’? Yes, the blue and yellow pancake-like flat marine fish that you saw along with Nemo’s dad was, in fact, a blue tang. Their scientific name is Paracanthurus hepatus, and they live in the tropical and sub-tropical coastal areas of the Indo-Pacific region. The clownfish and blue tang duo are etched into our minds, and this has also led the ‘Dory’ blue tang to become a popular aquarium pet....

There are around 7000 species of dragonflies in the world and the common sanddragon is one of them. The scientific name for common sanddragon is Progomphus obscurus. The common sanddragon (Progomphus obscurus) is a dragonfly that can be seen in streams, creeks, and small rivers flying over and around the water. They can also be spotted resting on rocks, boulders, branches, or logs. The common sanddragon (Progomphus obscurus) is endemic to the eastern United States and also seen in nearby regions....

The great albatross is also known by the name ‘wandering albatross’. The wandering albatross’s scientific name is Diomedea exulans. It is known to be one of the biggest birds in the world. There are several smaller species in the family of Diomedeidae. The antipodean albatross (Diomedea antipodensis), Tristan albatross (Diomedea dabbenea), northern royal albatross (Diomedea sanfordi), southern royal albatross (Diomedea epomophora), and black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) are some other species of the Albatross family....

The Greenland dog is the moniker given to the large breed of dogs that look like huskies. They are kept as sled dogs in northern Europe. The Greenland dog’s origin story is very interesting as the Thule people brought them from Siberia to North America over 1000 years ago. They are called by many names in different langues such as Kalaallit Qimmiat in Greenlandic, Grønlandshund in Danish, Kalaallit qimmiat in Qimmeq, along with Grønlandshund and Grünlandshund or the Esquimaux Dog....

The Harlequin Shrimp (Hymenocera picta) is a saltwater fish found mostly in the coral reefs of Hawaii and the tropical Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Their shell is cream in color with spots of purple and red on it. They are small-sized shrimps that mostly feed on asterina starfish and blue linckia sea starfish and sometimes on sea urchins. They are predators who are carnivorous in nature and are opportunistic omnivores....

The name Hoplitosaurus was given to a genus of armored dinosaurs. It is related to the genus Polacanthus. Hoplitosaurus marshi is a type species of the genus and is ground-dwelling with a herbivorous diet. The meaning of the name Hoplitosaurus is hoplite lizard. The name was given after a partial skeleton was found in the Barremian age Lower Cretaceous Lakota Formation of Custer County, South Dakota. This poorly known, armored dinosaur of the genus Hoplitosaurus is known to have lived 130 million years ago in the Hauterivian age of the Early Cretaceous....

Jandaya parakeets, also known as Jenday conures, are a neotropical species of parrots native to northeastern Brazil. In the wild, these colorful parrots inhabit temperate deciduous forests and palm groves. They are small birds overall but are moderate-sized conures. They are 12 in (30 cm) long as adults and they weigh about 4-5 oz (125–140 g).They are bred to be house pets, albeit noisy ones. Being from the Conure family, Jandaya conures can be very shrill and loud, but they also have a capacity to mimic human words....

People have always had an affinity towards patterned fishes. One such fish is the longnose hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) that has a beautiful orangish-red and white plaid pattern. The unique patterned look and its long nose have made this tropical fish popular among collectors. Like other hawkfishes, the dorsal fins of this fish have spines that have hair-like tufts known as cirri. However, an unusual characteristic of this fish is its lack of a swim bladder....

A Maine lobster is a kind of lobster that is found on the North American coast of the Atlantic ocean and as a result, it is commonly known as American lobster. Apart from that, this lobster is also referred to as Canadian lobster, Northern lobster, Atlantic lobster, Canadian reds, and true lobster. They are the largest crustacean in terms of their weight because of their soft but heavy meat. This lobster has a high commercial value and they are the most commonly harvested lobster species of the sea for their delicious and soft lobster meat....

The old German owl pigeon bird is the originator of the short-faced German shield owl. It was the first breed in Germany to be called Mavchen (little gull) because of the similarity of color and markings of the silver gull. The variety was again officially perceived in Germany in 1956. An old German owl (Columba Livia Domestica) should order consideration with the special particular owl-like attributes. The pigeon ought to be conservative and show a beguiling cordial character....

Snowy egret (Egretta thula) are medium-sized white herons. Their name egret is also used to refer to their elegant and exotic plumes, which were highly prized as ornaments in traditional dresses and also used in the western hat-making trade. Snowy egret feet are yellow, with black legs and long black bills, their nape and neck have long, shaggy plumes, whereas immature snowy egrets are duller and have greenish legs. Snowy egrets have also been known as the little egret, little snowy, little white egret, and little white heron....

The Stephens Island wren (Traversia lyalli), also known by the name of Lyall’s wren, was a small passerine bird belonging to the family of New Zealand wrens. The last living specimen of the bird was known to be found in Stephens Island in the Cook Strait. However, the Stephens Island wren was once known to exist everywhere in New Zealand. The birds have seen an extinction event because of the lighthouse keeper’s cat named Tibbles....

The Struthiomimus is an extinct group of Ornithomimid dinosaurs found in North America. The Struthiomimus dinosaur was seen in the late Cretaceous period. These dinosaurs from the family Ornithomimidae were long-legged and ostrich-like and the skeleton also somewhat matches an ostrich skeleton. They were similarly bipedal. The Cretaceous dinosaur was known to have a toothless beak. It is considered one of the most common small dinosaur species seen in Dinosaur Provincial Park....

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis), which literally means ‘vampire squid from hell’ lives in tropical oceans at extreme depths where the light does not reach through and where there is barely any oxygen, feeding mostly on marine snow. It was first observed by Carl Chun during the Valdivia expedition in the year 1898, an expedition to study life at the depths of the ocean.The vampire squid has two retractile filaments making it a unique species, different from octopuses and squids....

Are you looking to learn more about penguins? Today, you can learn about one of the most unique Penguins present on our planet. It is the Yellow-Eyed Penguin that is endemic to New Zealand; they are also known as the Hoiho or Tarakaka in the country. Their preferable habitat is coastal forests, mainly in the southern part of New Zealand. You can sight them in various places like the Auckland and Campbell Islands, Stewart Island, and several other parts of the country....

Gadwalls (Anas strepera) are a type of dabbling ducks that belongs to the class of Aves. Their distribution is scattered in various areas. These North American ducks do not have a specific habitat, but generally, the gadwall duck can be found in prairies, water bodies, open wetlands, marshes, grounds in islands, or grasslands. Their breeding grounds are widespread in North America. Migration is a major part of their versatile characteristics. The waterfowl species are scattered throughout North America, Europe, and Central America....

woman holding black and grey cat; how to tell what breed my cat is Credit: Jason Donnelly With their smooshed faces and long, luxurious coats, it’s easy to point out a Persian cat from the crowd. The same goes for a Siamese—the lean build, blue eyes, and colorpoint fur are dead giveaways. But when it comes to your furry BFF you brought home from a shelter, things can get a little complicated....

dog caught misbehaving tiktok Credit: Courtesy of arlo_the_iggy / TikTok Naughty dogs are a way of life: If you have a dog, that dog is going to get into a little harmless trouble and the best you can do is laugh. Arlo the Iggy has supplied us with a hilarious reminder of this truth, courtesy of a video posted June 2 to TikTok. The video, taken from an indoor security camera, shows Italian greyhound Arlo very much taking advantage of his owners being gone....

Are all truffles mushrooms?If so, why do they look and feel so different in terms of flavor and taste? Why are truffles so costly?First of all, truffles are not mushrooms. Yes, both belong to the fungi family, but mushrooms grow above ground and truffles grow underground. This ingredient is extravagant because it takes quite a lot of work to forage truffles. They are found near the roots of a specific tree and need ambient environmental conditions to grow....

Oh joy. The things dogs eat. Yikes. Of all the things I have seen my own dogs attempt to wolf down (pun intended), dirt is probably one of the least disgusting. The pungent order of who-knows-what on their breath (oh my goodness, poop or vomit kills me!) just as they go in for a big kiss … Ew! You know what I’m talking about. Yep, dirt isn’t the worst one when it comes to having to smell it up close and personal....