Back by popular demand, more footage of my dogs playing in a horse pasture. Just over a ye
Back by popular demand, more footage of my dogs playing in a horse pasture. Just over a year old here, they were both rescued abandoned puppies (from separate litters). The white one, a pointer, was dumped in the woods along with his 12 litter mates, but no mother. The dark one, a pitbull/lab mix, was dumped on a country road known for heavy traffic. As you can see, they like their new home very much. ^_^ They play like this together everyday.
The horses are retired polo & race horses. Two are thoroughbreds & the other is a paint. They get along fairly well with the dogs playing around them considering everything. If they were younger, they would be much less tolerant of the dogs' antics. As it is, they just look at the dogs like they're just crazy idiots, which while they're playing they pretty much are.
Go to your local animal shelter the next time you are looking for a cat or dog. Rescued pets truly appreciate being saved, realizing just how close they've come to losing their lives. Pure breeds show up at shelters all of the time, but I urge you to also consider the many mixed breeds they offer. Mutts genetically have hybrid vigor, making them generally more healthy and vital throughout their lives. And remember to spay and neuter your pets. Please help end the cycle of neglect and abuse these sweet animals have had to endure.
petfinder.com is an excellent and handy resource for connecting you with needy animals in the United States. The Humane Society & your local animal control (the pound) are also good places to look for a pet in need of adopting. If you get dogs from pet stores, you generally are supporting the puppy mill industry which is riddled with abusive and inhumane practices.
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In celebration of Earth Day, I posted this short video showing a pair of butterflies in co
In celebration of Earth Day, I posted this short video showing a pair of butterflies in courtship dancing in the air together. They were at it long enough for me to go inside and get a camera. They are Palamedes Swallowtail Butterflies, native to Florida, feeding on the nectar Honeysuckle Vine blossoms, a favorite of butterflies, bees & hummingbirds.
Palamedes Swallowtail or Papilo palamedes (4 1/2") inhabit wooded swamps & borders throughout Florida (except the Keys). Their native diet includes feeding on Red Bay & Sassafras plants. Their mating season is March to December. Caterpillars are green with orange & black eyespots.
Earth Day embodies the idea that you leave the planet better than you found it, safekeeping it for future generations. Environmentalism is making conservation and preservation a priority in your life. Change must be expected and demanded of our leaders to enact policies that are Earth-friendly and reflect the responsibility we all have of being stewards of our fragile planet. But to truly succeed (to paraphrase Gandhi) you must be the change you envision, enacting your own lifestyle choices that improve the environment. Small actions add up, whether that be recycling to creating wildlife habitats in your own yard. In this video, honeysuckle was planted along a fenceline. It now feeds many species of animals and provides a place for those animals to raise their young.
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Photo slideshow of various wading birds, pictures taken by me in the wild & in animal park
Photo slideshow of various wading birds, pictures taken by me in the wild & in animal parks.
0:00-0:17 Common Gallinule or Gallinula chloropus (nest, chick & adult)
You'll notice that the chick still has a vestigial finger & claw on its wing. Gallinules are members of the Rail Family, inhabiting the marshlands of the Americas, Eurasia & Africa.
0:18-0:20 Limpkin or Arumus guarauna (adult)
Inhabiting the marshlands of S. Georgia, Florida, Cuba, Central America to Argentina. Almost overhunted to extinction for food by the early 1900s in the American South, their numbers have rebounded significantly due to being protected by law & sanctuaries.
0:21-0:23 Sacred Ibis or Threskiornis aethiopicus (adult)
Found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, these birds were venerated & often mummified by Ancient Egyptians as a symbol of the god Thoth.
0:24-0:47 White Ibis or Eudocimus albus (immature & adult)
Inhabiting the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States south through most of the New World tropics, White Ibis feed by probing with its long, downcurved beak. Its diet consists of various fish, frogs & other water creatures, as well as insects.
0:48-0:56 Scarlet Ibis or Eudocimus ruber(nest & adult)
Found in tropical South America & Trinidad & Tobago, they have been introduced into South Florida. Their diet includes crustaceans & similar small marine animals. A juvenile Scarlet Ibis is grey/white in color; as it grows the ingestion of red crabs in the tropical swamps gradually produces the characteristic scarlet plumage.
0:57-1:19 Chilean Flamingo or Phoenicopterus chilensis (adult)
The Flamingo's peculiar beak strains water rich in organic matter, filtering for small mollusks, crustaceans, insects, fishes, algae, diatoms, & vegetable matter. The pink coloration of its feathers comes from carotene found in the small shrimp they eat.
1:20-1:33 Marabou Stork or Leptoptilos crumeniferus (adult)
Found in Africa, they are often referred to as the stork with the habits of a vulture, since they often feed on carrion.
1:34-1:51 African Crowned Crane or Balearica pavonina (immature & adult)
Found over much of Africa from the Sudan & Ethiopia southwards, these cranes indulge in spectacular courtship dances, usually mating for life. Unlike other cranes, African Crowned Cranes are known to perch in trees, as well as inhabit marshlands & plains.
1:52-2:02 Sarus Crane or Grus antigone (nest, chick & adult)
Reaching 200 cm (6.6 ft) in Indian males, Sarus Cranes are the world's tallest flying bird. They are found in India, Pakistan, Southeast Asia & Queensland Australia. Mating for life, they have become symbolic of marraige & fidelity in some Asian cultures.
2:03-2:04 Cattle Egret or Bubulcus ibis (adult)
Cattle Egrets originally came from Africa, but are now found around the globe. They first appeared in South America in 1887 & in North America in 1941.
2:05-2:22 Green Heron or Butorides virescens (chick & adult)
Found in the Americas, they were formerly called Little Green Herons or Green-backed Herons.
2:23-2:31 Little Blue Heron or Egretta caerulea (adult)
Found in the Americas, their breeding habitat is sub-tropical swamps, usually nesting in colonies with other herons.
2:32-2:42 Black Crowned Night Heron or Nycticorax nycticorax (immature & adult)
Found in the Americas, Europe, Asia & Africa, these birds stand still at the water's edge & wait to ambush prey, mainly at night. They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, & small mammals.
2:43-2:47 Louisiana Heron or Hydranassa tricolor (adult)
Also called the Tricolored Heron, their range extends from the Southeastern United States through Central America to the northern reaches of South America.
2:48-3:09 Great Blue Heron or Ardea herodias (adult)
Common throughout North & Central America, they are the largest of the North American herons. They primarily eat fish, but also eat small animals including frogs, snakes, mice & voles.
3:10-4:01 Great Egret or Casmerodius albus(adult)
In 1953 the Great Egret in flight was chosen as the symbol of the National Audubon Society, which was formed in part to prevent the killing of birds for their feathers. Also known as the Great White Egret, White Heron, or Common Egret, & in New Zealand as Kōtuku (where they are still precariously endangered). They are found in most of the tropical & warmer temperate parts of the world.
3:22-3:25 Great Egret with Mute Swan
3:26-3:29 Great Egret with Sika Deer
Many birds go through an immature phase in development in which they may be as large as adults, but they have different colorations. Examples of this are shown here with the White Ibis, African Crowned Crane, and Black Crowned Night Heron.
All photographs are the property of Dafttool & cannot be reproduced or used without the expressed authorization of Dafttool.
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TMerman requested youtubers to post their favourite city places, but my favourite place is
TMerman requested youtubers to post their favourite city places, but my favourite place is in the country on my farm in Central Florida. These are some of my horses and dogs enjoying our fine weather in November. The horses are retired polo and race horses, but now they are just large lawn ornaments who would be a whole lot prettier if I only groomed them more often. The dogs are less than a year old. They were abandoned puppies (from separate litters) that we rescued. They like their new home very much, as you can see. ^_^
Go to your local animal shelter the next time you are looking for a cat or dog. Rescued pets truly appreciate being saved, realizing just how close they've come to losing their lives. Pure breeds show up at shelters all of the time, but I urge you to also consider the mixed breeds they offer. Mutts genetically have hybrid vigor, making them generally more healthy and vital throughout their lives. And remember to spay and neuter your pets. Please help end the cycle of neglect and abuse these sweet animals have had to endure.
petfinder.com is an excellent and handy resource for connecting you with needy animals in the United States. The Humane Society & your local animal control (the pound) are also good places to look for a pet in need of adopting. If you get dogs from pet stores, you generally are supporting the puppy mill industry, which is riddled with abusive and inhumane practices.
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Zebra are in the genus Equus, and are related to both asses and horses. Equine are one-toe
Zebra are in the genus Equus, and are related to both asses and horses. Equine are one-toed herbivores that arose in the early Pleistocene Epoch about 2 million years ago. All equids forage primarily on fibrous foods, such as grasses and sedges, as well as bark, leaves, buds, fruits, and roots. Equids employ a hindgut fermentation system, utilizing an enlarged appendix in which plant cell walls are only incompletely digested. By ingesting large quantities of food, they achieve extraction rates equal to those of ruminants.
Zebras mostly inhabit the grasslands and savannahs of Africa. Like all equid, they are highly social mammals that exist in herds comprising of a senior stallion and his harem of mares. They usually only have one foal a year after undergoing a gestation period of 11.5 months (12.5 months in the Grevy's Zebra).
There are a number of theories surrounding the advantage of zebras having a coat of black and white stripes. It is speculated that the stripes confuse predators, such as lions, making it more difficult for them to isolate and cull a single animal from the herd. A park ranger from Africa I know thinks that the stripes provide camouflage out on the hot savannah plains. He had noticed that the heat vapor rising from the ground could completely conceal an entire herd of zebra standing in front of him.
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Ratites-Ostrich, Rhea & Emu
Ratites are a group of birds named for their flat or "raft-li
Ratites-Ostrich, Rhea & Emu
Ratites are a group of birds named for their flat or "raft-like" sternum. Unlike most birds, their bones have no air cavities and their wings are vestigial in size, making flight impossible. Unable to fly, they have highly muscular legs and are well adapted to running.
Ostriches are the largest living birds, coming from the deserts and savannahs of Africa. Some males weigh as much as 155 kg and stand 244 cm. They are capable of running at speeds of 40 to 60 km/hr. Ostriches are primarily vegetarian, but can easily kill attacking predators with their powerful kicking ability. Females are a dusty, grey-brown in color, while males are black. They are polygamous, the senior hen sitting on the nest during the day, and the cock tending the nest during the night. Eggs are 15 cm long and 12 cm in diameter. The chicks are born precocial after incubating for 42 to 48 days. In frames 1:24 to 1:30, a male is doing its courtship dance.
Rheas live in flocks on the pampas and savannahs of South America, where they feed on vegetable matter or small creatures. Males get to the height of 170 cm. In spring, the cocks become very aggressive as they select and segregate their harems of 3 to 7 hens. The cock will incubate some 50 eggs by those in his harem. Incubation takes 40 days. In frames 2:40 to 2:47, a male rhea is attacking me.
Emus are the 2nd largest living bird, and reside throughout mainland Australia. They are relatively monogamous during breeding season and have an extended courtship coupled with more aggressive activities, but (as with rhea) the males solely incubate the eggs for a period of about 2 months.
Also a ratite, but not shown, are cassowary, which are similar to emu and are found in Northern Australia and New Guinea. They are normally solitary by nature and live in forests.
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Photo slideshow of various primates I've worked with at a wild animal park (except the ora
Photo slideshow of various primates I've worked with at a wild animal park (except the orangutans and gorillas, which were photographed elsewhere).
Humans belong to the taxonomic Order Primates, which is comprised of 11 Families, 52 Genera, & 181 species. Primates are divided into two main groups: Prosimians (literally "before monkeys/apes) and Anthropoids (literally "man like"). The evolution of primates is characterized by trends toward mobile limbs, grasping hands, a flattened face, binocular vision, a large, complex brain, & a reduced reproductive rate. Most Primates are well adapted to arboreal living (living in trees).
Primate evolution occurred primarily during the Cenozoic Era, Prosimians first branching off in the early Eocene Epoch 58 mya (million years ago).
Around 33 mya, during the Oligocene Epoch, the Anthropoids split off into 3 main groups: New World Monkeys (w/prehensile tails), Old World Monkeys (w/out prehensile tails), & the Hominoids (eventual Apes & Humans w/out any tails).
In the Miocene Epoch, around 15 mya, Asian Apes & African Apes diverged paths. At approx. 6 mya, African Apes & Human lineage split, producing Hominids (members of the taxonomic Human Family Hominidae) in a region of Central Africa called the Great Rift Valley. There, dense jungle gave way to great savannah plains, & bipedalism became a helpful adaptation in surviving in a high grass environment w/a variety of predators.
To this day, Chimpanzees & Humans share 98.5% of the same DNA sequences, even though millions of years separate us from a common ancestor. The evidence for evolution has been found within the fossil record. Additional corroboration has been found comparing DNA sequences which show dramatic linkages between all modern primate species. A comparative study of mitochondrial DNA shows that the differences among present human populations are consistent w/their having a common ancestor no more than a million years ago.
Prosimian (lemurs, tarsiers, bushbabies & lorises)
0:26-0:45 Ring Tailed Lemur
Anthropoids (monkeys, apes & humans)
New World Monkeys (w/prehensile tails)
0:52-1:02 Black Tamarin Marmoset
1:03-1:10 Squirrel Monkey
1:11-1:18 Capuchin Monkey
1:19-1:26 Woolly Monkey
1:27-2:10 Spider Monkey
**1:47-1:51 a spider monkey is investigating/ harassing a river turtle.
**1:52-1:57 two spider monkeys are investigating/ harassing an alligator.
Old World Monkeys (w/out prehensile tails)
2:13-2:36 Vervet Monkey aka Green Monkey or Guenon or Grivet
**These are the monkeys scientists have thus far linked as a carrier species for the RNA retrovirus associated w/HIV/AIDS.
2:37-3:43 Rhesus Macaque
**3:13-3:43 show a troop of rhesus macaques interacting w/Sika & Fallow deer, as well as Mouflon sheep & raccoons.
Hominoids (apes & humans, w/out any tail)
Asian Apes
3:45-3:53 White Handed Gibbon
3:54-4:08 Orangutan
African Apes
4:11-4:32 Lowland Gorilla
4:33-4:59 Chimpanzee
Human
4:52-4:59 Me kissing a Chimpanzee ^_^
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Photo slideshow of the giraffes at the wild animal park I used to work at. I included the
Photo slideshow of the giraffes at the wild animal park I used to work at. I included the boats at the beginning so that you could see how the tourists could observe the animals as they moved through the park. --I'm between 16 to 22 years old in the photographs.
Giraffes are even-toed ungulates, meaning that they are hooved. Giraffes are ruminants, meaning they have a four-chambered stomach like cattle, and chew their cud to assist in digestion. Like cattle, the females are called cows, the males bulls, and the babies calves. Even though giraffes have the longest necks in the animal kingdom, their necks only have seven vertebrae just as most mammals. Giraffes have special valves in the blood vessels in their necks to prevent the blood from rushing out of their head when lifting it quickly, so as to prevent fainting. A bull giraffe can reach a height of 15 to 17 feet (4.7-5.3 m). They have a long, black tongue which can be extended up to 18 inches (46 cm) in order to strip leaves from high branches.
At 1:32, a male giraffe is testing a female's urine to see if she is ready to breed (it's called flehmen or lip-curl response). The female with legs sticking out of her backside is giving birth. After a gestation period of 15 months, the mothers give birth standing up. You'll notice that the baby's horns are flattened to allow for making the birthing process easier. There were several babies born while I worked there, but one female was never very good at motherhood,... so we would always have to bottle raise her young each time she gave birth. The female giraffe that is nursing two babies is actually the mother of the third baby standing to the side. Giraffes in the wild will sometimes leave their young with one female as they go off to forage on leaves and bark. At 2:52, the giraffe with its head folded down is sleeping. For many years, zoologists actually believed giraffes never slept. Apparently, they didn't spend enough time with them though, because I witnessed them sleeping fairly often.
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Photo of me feeding a baby giraffe taken many years ago.
All photographs are the proper
Photo of me feeding a baby giraffe taken many years ago.
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