The bobolink is a small American bird of the New World blackbird variety. It is also the sole American bird belonging to the genus Dolichonyx. The bobolink was also known as the ‘ricebird’ because it had a habit of eating large amounts of grains from rice fields. In fact, the name of the species of this bird ‘oryzivorus’ means ‘rice-eating’ to describe this habit of the bird. This bird is also known as the ‘reedbird’ as it is found in grassy meadows and fields....
Just spotted a beautiful orange butterfly with black spots in the United States? Chances are you’ve seen the California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica), which is a butterfly that belongs to the family Nymphalidae. The wings of the adults are orange and show black spots when opened. When close, the underside is visible, which looks like a dead leaf, and has a mottled brown and grayish coloration. The forelegs of males are hairier than those of females....
A lot of confusion prevails regarding the classification of carrier pigeons, homing pigeons, and passenger pigeons. One can easily be mistaken for the other. It is widely believed that homing pigeons who can trace the route back to their homes can also be trained to deliver messages. These trained pigeons acted as real lifesavers as these pigeons were used as messengers, playing a major role during the First World War. Homing pigeons delivered crucial messages whilst putting their lives at great risk....
While we explore nature, we come across instances where humans adversely impact wildlife. Although many animals and plants have now adapted to new stresses, food sources, pests, and threats in urban environments and thrive close to humans, many others have not. For instance, let us learn about the Tibetan antelope, also known as a Chiru, native to the Tibetan plateau. It is said that the sight of the Tibetan antelope in the wild is so exciting....
The gaur, also known as Indian bison, is a species of bovine native to South and Southeast Asia and was extirpated from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and so now is protected in these areas with stable and increasing population. It is the largest species in the wild cattle of the family Bovidae and is also called Seladang in Malaysia and Pyaung in Myanmar. Gayal or Bos gaurus is the domesticated form of gaur....
A German Pinscher is a square build dog of medium size with pointed ears, high energy and a shiny coat of small fur that is purebred from Germany. This breed was primarily used to keep vermin away from farms or even as a watchdog, but over the years, it has been kept in many households as a family dog. They are known for their combination of elegance and strength with endurance and agility....
The more we get to know about the marine world, the more interesting it becomes. One of the largest and strongest fish, the giant trevally, Caranx Ignobilis, or the lowly trevally is truly unique, and different from the bluefin trevally. It can be easily distinguished in the oceans due to its steep head profile. These are highly prized game fish, particularly with anglers, that have been a part of our world since pre-historic times, roaming the ocean near the Hawaiian islands, and were used in ceremonial fishing in Hawaii a long time ago....
Wreckfish is the common name of the fish species in the family Polyprionidae. These are slow-growing, deep-sea fish that inhabit old shipwrecks (thus the name) and enjoy eating smaller fish (like cod and crayfish, apart from invertebrates like sponges) in the deep blue depths. Of the four species of fish found in this family, the hapuku which is also called the hapuka, the Whapuku, the groper and the hapuka seabass (Polyprion oxygeneios) is a greyish blue fish that is found off the coast of Western Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Chile....
The Icelandic sheepdog is a very popular breed all across the world, especially in colder climates. Originating in Iceland, the sheepdog was thought to be introduced to other parts of the world by the Vikings in the early 800s and was utilized for herding various kinds of livestock, primarily sheep. They often ran after or barked at birds that came to attack animals, a tendency that is still present in many of these dogs....
The Indian scops owl (Otus bakkamoena) is one of the largest resident owl species found in parts of South Asia and can range from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, to Nepal, the Himalayas, and Iran. The diet of this owl includes insects like lizards, small birds, and rodents. This owl feeds mainly during the night and hides against trees during the day. They don’t have a particular breeding season and females tend to lay three to five eggs at a time....
Are you a dog lover and love reading about mixed-breeds? Then you will love to read all about Maltipoo dogs too! But first, you might be wondering “what is a Maltipoo?“A Maltipoo is a hybrid dog created by crossing a toy or miniature Poodle with a toy Maltese. Its parent breeds Poodle and Maltese are water dogs and lapdogs respectively, the combination of which gives us an adorable pooch with a loving nature and a people-oriented personality....
The Portuguese Podengo is a purebred from Portugal. It is a hound breed whose origin can be traced back to 600 BC. This hound breed has three categories based on their size which are: Pequeno, Medio, Grande (small, medium, large) but all of them belong to the southern border of Portugal. Their coats also have two varieties which are wiry and smooth and their color may be yellow or fawn. Their coat comes along with no undercoat and shedding is moderate and requires brushing at least once a week....
Protosuchus (Protosuchus richardsoni) from Arizona was a scary reptile that resembled modern crocodiles and existed in the early Jurassic period. Three species of Protosuchus existed during this age- P. richardsoni, P. haughtoni, and P. micmac, whose fossils were excavated from Arizona, South Africa, and Nova Scotia respectively. Their scaly body had a double row of bony plates on the upper back and a powerful tail. They were five-toed and were vicious predators....
The Regal Moth, which is also known as the royal walnut moth, is a North American moth belonging to the Saturniidae genus and order Lepidoptera. Hickory horned devils are the caterpillars’ name. The adult’s wingspan ranges from 3.75-6.1 in (9.5-15.5 cm). The first person to describe the genus was Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. It is nocturnal, like most moths that exist. The Imposing Caterpillar, famously referred to as the Hickory Horned Devil, is usually seen when it is fully grown and emerges from the trees to look for a pupation spot....
Stumbling across these plant-eating new dinosaur fossils in 2005, David Elliott discovered fragments of the Savannasaurus in Australia. The Savannasauras, from the genus titanosaur from the Australian age of dinosaurs, is a herbivore, robust but relatively short dinosaur. The site Winton, where the remains were found, is in Queensland and holds remains from the mid-Cretaceous and Cretaceous periods. Compared to others usually found in bits and pieces, the sauropod or plant-eating Savannasauras is one of the most complete dinosaurs found from the region....
The Utahceratops gettyi was a species of dinosaur similar to the more widely known Triceratops, which inhabited the Kaiparowits formation of southern Utah during the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous period. It existed near the western interior seaway, which divided the continent of North America into two separate landmasses many million years ago. It is known for its frilled skull as well as the horn on its face, similar to its relatives of the Chasmosaurine subfamily- the Triceratops and the Kosmoceratops....
Wakinosaurus is an Asian dinosaur found in Kyushu, Japan. It is also known as Wakino lizard and belongs to the genus of Theropod dinosaur. It existed during the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Barremian) period, somewhere between 132 - 125 million years ago. This new genus is a tooth taxon based solely on the discovery of a singular damaged tooth.According to history, in the year 1990 Masahiro Sato, a Japanese hockey player discovered a fossilized tooth of a dinosaur in Fukuoka....
The African whitebacked vulture (Gyps africanus) is an Old World vulture within the Accipitridae family. The African whitebacked vulture is closely related to eagles, hawks, and European griffon vultures. It is typically known as the African whitebacked vulture to separate it from the Asian whitebacked vulture, but these two vultures are closely related. The whitebacked vulture is considered the most widespread and common vulture within sub-Saharan Africa. These vultures may be quite intimidating at a first glance, but they are actually beneficial to our ecosystem....
person holding cat's paw Credit: Kyryl Gorlov / Getty Maryland has become the second U.S. state to ban cat declawing after Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Thursday signed a bill prohibiting the practice unless a cat meets specific exceptions. Declawing cats used to be a common offering from veterinarians, but it’s lost popularity in recent years. Now, cat care professionals warn cat owners against the painful procedure, saying it’s much better to give cats healthy scratching options rather than robbing them of their claws....
When David Broido first left the Army, he didn’t intend on adopting a service dog—he just wanted a pet. So, he adopted a pit bull named Bones to be his companion. However, a few years after his service ended, Broido’s post-traumatic stress disorder became increasingly worse. Broido tells Daily Paws he was experiencing nightmares, panic attacks, and disassociating in public. At that point, Broido decided it was time to give Bones training to transform from a pet to a service dog....
