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Despite its name, the former empire of Ghana has no geographical, ethnic, or ties to modern Ghana.It was located to the northwest of present-day Ghana. Ancient Ghana included modern-day northern Senegal and southern Mauritania.Although the early history of Ghana is uncertain, there is evidence that North Africa began importing gold from West Africa before the Arab conquest in the middle of the seventh century.The Ghana empire was situated in the Sahel area to the north of the West African goldfields and benefitted by dominating the Saharan gold trade....

Birds are able to control their body temperatures in different environments.As winters approach, birds get ready for the cold weather and the warm weather during the summers. Their ability to regulate body temperatures is uncanny.Birds are known to be direct descendants of dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were cold-blooded animals. But it’s surprising how their direct descendants do not have this quality. Birds have evolved over the period of years. They can regulate and control their body temperatures in any extreme environment....

baby lemur in his mother's arms Credit: Courtesy of Kathryn Grace / Zoo Atlanta Every adorable baby animal born in springtime is cause for celebration, but especially so when the newborn is a member of an endangered species! On April 12, an infant crowned lemur was born at Georgia’s Zoo Atlanta, the facility announced on Tuesday. Since crowned lemurs are listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the yet-to-be-named primate’s arrival is big news for conservation advocates and animal lovers alike....

A flat-coated retriever named Baxer is crowned as Best in Show at Crufts Dog Show at National Exhibition Centre on March 13, 2022 in Birmingham, England. Credit: Katja Ogrin / Getty After a 2021 pandemic hiatus, the international dog show Crufts once again celebrated fine breeds from around the world. During an engaging four days of competition in Birmingham, England, Baxer—a 6-year-old flat-coated retriever—took home the top prize of Best in Show on March 13....

Whether you’re inhaling a slice of pizza or snacking on a few cubes of cheddar, it’s likely your pooch has his eyes set on your cheesy snack, insisting that sharing is caring. As your furry pal continues to stare, you may wonder, ‘Can dogs eat cheese?’ These kinds of foods, Robinson adds, can sometimes even cause pancreatitis due to the high fat content, which could contribute to obesity and further health problems....

Chris and Liz are pet parents to Cooper and Bella, two little stray dogs who were found wandering on a busy highway somewhere in between Las Vegas and LA. The pups were so close to running out of time at the municipal pound where they were being held that Liz says the dogs “were literally hours away from being euthanized.” It was kismet then when Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue stepped in to save the dogs and help them find their forever home....

Deer are hoofed ruminant animals of the Cervidae family.Deer have been shown in art since Paleolithic cave paintings. They have played a part in mythology, religion, and literature throughout history and in heraldry, such as a red deer can be seen on Aland’s coat arms. The economic value of deer stems from people eating their meat (venison), their soft skin, durable buckskin, and their antlers that can be used as knife handles....

dog receiving a vaccine Credit: Ivan-balvan / Getty On This Page Do All Dogs Need the Leptospirosis Vaccine? How Effective Is the Vaccine? Side Effects Vaccine Schedule Cost The world of canine vaccines is divided into two categories: core and noncore. Core vaccines are recommended for all dogs and include canine parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis, and rabies. Recommendations for noncore vaccines, on the other hand, are based on a dog's exposure risk and typically consider their lifestyle and geographic location....

sad french bulldog laying on couch mourning the loss of another dog Credit: Edwin Tan / Getty There are many accounts of dogs mourning the loss of their humans, like Greyfriars Bobby, a Scottish dog who stood vigil over his owner’s grave for 14 years. But a new study shows our four-legged friends may also grieve the loss of canines they live with. In the study, an international team of researchers surveyed 426 Italian adults who lived with at least two dogs, one of whom had died....

When the estrous or oestrus cycle occurs, your cat will show outward behavioral displays lasting up to several days, with the average being six to seven days.When the estrous cycle reoccurs every two to three weeks, two things can happen. The female cat either mates and gets pregnant or gets spayed to avoid an unwanted litter of kittens.A female kitten matures very fast when they have their first heat cycle. This means that the female can now get pregnant....

Badgers are small creatures who are spread all over the world covering almost all the continents. Each species of this Eurasian animal shows unique characteristics. The black and white fur-coated animal is nocturnal in nature, that is, they are active during the night. They have a short but wide body accompanied by small legs. Badgers spend most of the day staying underground in their burrows or dens. The four subfamilies of the Mustelidae family of badger are Melinae, Helictidinae, Mellivorinae, and Taxideinae....

Baiji dolphins (Lipotes vexillifer) were freshwater dolphins found in the Yangtze River. These river dolphins were also known as whitefin dolphin, Chinese river dolphin, or Yangtze dolphin. These river dolphins were nicknamed Goddess of the Yangtze. Unfortunately, this species of white flag dolphin has been extinct since 2006 and comes under list of threatened species. River dolphin or baiji has been recognized as as being functionally extinct.As per the whales and dolphin conservation experts, the Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) is perhaps the first species of dolphin to feature in the list of threatened species, and eventually extinct, due to the direct impact of human activities such as fishing....

Blue-footed boobies are marine birds and are often seen in coastal regions and along seashores. Booby birds belong to the Animalia kingdom, come under the class of Aves, and the Sulidae family with the genus of these birds being Sula. These tropical seabirds are carnivores who prey on sardines, mackerel, flying fish, squid, and several other aquatic species. The scientific name of a blue-footed booby is Sula nebouxii. They can be found in the eastern parts of California to the southern parts of Peru....

Burmese rodents are not the type of rat you think about when hearing the word ‘rat’. They’re actually quite small and have been a favorite animal to keep as pets for centuries. They are one of the most common pet rodents and can be found in many places all over Asia. Burmese rodents have many interesting traits and behaviors that make them one of the most popular pets in captivity. They are very social and intelligent creatures, who can be trained to do tasks such as push buttons or retrieve objects on command for their owners....

The Collared Pika, Ochotona collaris, belongs to the family Ochotonidae and genus Ochotona. They come from a family closely related to rabbits and hares but unlike hares and rabbits, Collared Pikas are noted to be active during the day as well. They are found in Central and Southern Alaska, Yukon, Canada, Northwest Territories of Mackenzie River, and Northern British Columbia. This species is very similar to the North American Pika (Ochotona princeps) since the two species of pikas, Collared Pika and North American Pika, have descended from the same pika species....

The Edmontonia was an ankylosaur that lived on Earth some million years ago. There are two types of species: E. rugosidens and E. longiceps. The pronunciation of Edmontonia is ‘ED-mon-TOE-nee-ah’. The name Edmontonia was given by George Fryer Sternberg in 1928, whereas the second species name was given by Gilmore in 1930. In 1938, Bakker gave a synonym to the genus known as Chassternbergia. The distinction between Edmontonia longiceps and E....

Yellowlegs are a type of New World shorebird that originated in America and there are two broad subdivisions of the yellowlegs, the greater ones, and the lesser ones. The greater yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), of order Charadriiformes, are found in North America commonly inhabiting the shores of large rivers, creeks, and ponds. They have long bright yellow legs, longer than the lesser yellowlegs. The species nest near any type of aquatic marshes ranging from sewage ponds to tidal areas as well as in flooded fields....

What type of animal is a Guianan cock-of-the-rock? The Guianan cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola rupicola) is a bird that belongs to the kingdom Animalia and order Passeriformes. Fun Guianan Cock-of-the-rock Facts For Kids What do they prey on? Large insects, frogs, and small reptiles What do they eat? Omnivore Average litter size? 2 eggs How much do they weigh? 7-7.5 lb (198-213 g) How long are they? 12 in (30 cm) How tall are they?...

One of the most unique birds around has to be the Japanese grosbeak (Eophona personata). This sprightly bird is found in several parts of the world, such as the Eurasian plate, in locations like Russia, Europe, Africa, and several others. Talk about a well-traveled bird! When they do travel, though they are usually seen in small flocks or in pairs and rarely alone. These social birds can be seldom spotted up in trees, and more often in shrubbery and undergrowth and closer to the forest floor....

Austracantha is a family of spiders with solitary animal types, Austracantha minax, usually known as the jewel spider or Christmas spider. It is an individual from the family Araneidae (the circle weavers) and is endemic to Australia. These spider species are small in size compared to other spider species. The abdomen of this spider consists of six distinctive spines, which makes them easy to recognize. They can be found greatly in southern and western Australia, including Queensland....