Ring Tailed Lemur

The only place ring-tailed lemurs are found in the wild is Madagascar, specifically the southwestern regions. They live in arid, open areas and forests. Ring-tailed lemurs live in groups of three to twenty five. These lemur groups have territories that range from 15 to 57 acres. Lemur groups can be hostile to each other at the borders of their territories.

Both females and males live together in the groups. Females will generally stay in their birth group, while males will find a different one when they grow up. Like gibbons, female ring-tailed lemurs are the dominant ones in a group, which is unusual with primates.

A unique thing that ring-tailed lemurs do on a regular basis is sunbathing. The forest can get cold at night, so groups of lemurs will sit with their bellies facing the sun to warm up before they forage.

Ring-tailed lemurs mainly eat insects, flowers, and leaves; though they can also eat fruit, herbs, and small animals.

The gestation period for ring-tailed lemurs is four and a half months. Usually, only one baby is born, but when food is plentiful twins can come. Baby ring-tails eat solid food after a week. They are completely weaned at about five or six months.


The photo was taken by me at the Syracuse Zoo. More zoo animals a-coming!
Info source: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Primates/Facts/FactSheets/Lemurs/RingtailedLemur/default.cfm

The Canada Goose

The Canada goose can be found is every US state and Canadian province at one time of year or another. These geese are adaptable to climates, and many fly south for the winter. Canada geese like to make parks and golf courses, and other developments their permanent home, which means they can be a nuisance at times.

These communal birds remain in flocks all year except when nesting. Canada geese build their nests with grasses and line them with down. A clutch of goose eggs can be numbered anywhere from 2 to 12, though the typical number is 5 to 7. Geese are fiercely protective of their young (which you've probably discovered if you wandered near a nest and had a hissing parent chase you to the county).

Canada geese eat a wide assortment of vegetation including grass, roots, and young sprouts. They will also eat corn, grain, and aquatic vegetation.

A few days ago, I saw a flock of Canada geese flying in their typical "V" formation over the hills near my home. The headwind was so strong, however, that it seemed as if the poor birds were frozen in midair, wings flapping furiously!


I took the photo at the Syracuse Zoo. More zoo animals a-coming!
Sources: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/canada-goose/
http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/birds/canada-goose.htm

The Bighorn Sheep

The Bighorn Sheep can be found in the Rocky Mountains, parts of Nevada, Texas, California and Mexico. In warm months bighorns can be found in the valleys, in cold months they graze on the mountain sides.

Female bighorns and their young live in groups of five to fifteen. Males live in groups of two to five. In the winter, groups of ewes (females) may band together to form a herd of 100.

Bighorns are herbivores, which means they eat plants exclusively. In the warm months they will chomp on grasses, clover, and sedges. During winter, they eat woody plants like willow and sage. Bighorns that live in the desert eat brushy plants like holly and cactus. Bighorns are cud chewers, so when they're not eating they'll lie down and chew.

In the fall, male bighorns will have head-butting contests to constitute dominance. The males run at each other in speeds up to twenty miles an hour, and slam their heads together. The contests can last up to twenty hours.

Females have their babies on hard-to-reach cliffs. They have one lamb, and the baby can climb and walk the first day. The lamb will stay in the place it was born for about a week then it will start to travel out with its mom. Lambs are weaned when they are about five months old. Male bighorn lambs leave their mother and join a male group when they are between 2 and 4 years old. Females stay in their mother's group their whole life.


I took the picture at the Syracuse Zoo (thus the fence). More zoo animals are a-coming!
Source: http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/bighornsheep.htm

The Red Fox

Red foxes live around the world in varying habitats such as forests, mountains, deserts, and grasslands. They are also found among humans, and can be very pesky critters around farms.

Foxes eat an assortment of small animals such as rodents, rabbits, birds, fish, and frogs, as well as fruits and vegetables. When living around humans, foxes help themselves to garbage and pet food.

Female foxes are called "vixens"; they have litters of two to twelve pups. The pups' coat is actually brown or gray when they are born, and a red coat comes in by then end of the first month. Both parents care for the pups for the first summer, then their offspring go out on their own. The average life span of a red fox in the wild is 2 to 4 years.


I took the picture at the Syracuse Zoo. More zoo animals are a-coming!
Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/red-fox/

Color changes

Last time I change the blog's template, I promise. I just wasn't digging the brown. It didn't match the seagull.

The Ladybug

Ladybugs are small insects. You have probably seen them around your house. They come inside buildings during the winter to hibernate. Ladybugs stay in groups, so where you see one more are sure to follow.

Ladybugs eat soft-bodied insects called aphids, and they will also eat scale insects and plant mites. Ladybugs are not poisonous to humans, though they are harmful to some animals. Ladybugs emit a chemical that smells and tastes bad so that predators won't eat them.

There are many different kinds of ladybugs, and each kind has different spots. They vary in number, color, and shape. There are over 300 types of ladybugs in North America.

The life cycle of a ladybug is egg, larva, pupa, adult. The first three stages can last from 7-12 days each depending on weather and food supplies. The adult stage lasts between 3-9 months.

And yes, male ladybugs do exist.


Source: http://www.ladybuglady.com/LadybugsFAQ.htm

Tintin Movie

Recently I had the chance to watch the movie Tintin. I highly recommend it, especially if you've read the comics.

(I literally laughed out loud when Bianca showed up)
(and that's something you'll get only if you've read or watched Tintin.)
(So go watch it!)


Anyway. Tintin has a dog named Snowy who is a white Wire Fox Terrier. Snowy is smart, funny, brave, and a brilliant partner-in-dectectiveness with Tintin. All these characteristics are consistent with his breed. (Though maybe not that last one. Snowy is an exceptional dog and other Fox Terriers would probably not be as good a detective as he is.)

Fox Terriers are very loyal, cheerful, enthusiastic, and love children. Fox Terriers were bred to be hunting dogs, however, so they'll track down and possibly kill small animals such as rabbits and birds. They are terriers, so they're on the smallish side; they need a firm, consistent owner to keep them from developing small dog syndrome.

Fox Terriers need a daily walk or jog, or a nice free run in an safe, enclosed area. Fox Terriers can live to be 15 or more, but they are prone to diseases like epilepsy.

Fox Terriers are active indoors so they'll do okay in an apartment. For a pet Fox Terrier, grooming is simple: brush with a firm bristle brush, bathe when necessary, and to keep the coat looking it's best, it should be stripped several times a year. There is a very complex grooming routine for show dogs.

So there's some info on Snowy's breed: the Wire Fox Terrier.

Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Source: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/wirefoxterrier.htm