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Mrs. Dow~ a Lion. (The female version :-)) Lions are strong, elegant, quiet. They can outsmart most animals and no one messes with them. Plus, my mane matches!

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They look so cute, seem highly intelligent, good in communication, fun spirited, positive interaction, and strong connection with their group. - Joy

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Enjoy watching the way they swim and move in the water.

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Dolphins sleep with only half their brain active at a time, allowing them to remain aware of their surroundings.

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"High Intelligence:

Poodles are among the most intelligent breeds, making them quick learners and highly trainable for various activities and sports, like agility and tracking. "

Consuelo Acuña

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I believe I would be a dolphin. They speak a language that appears to have more words than human languages. They are my favorite animal and seem to be the happiest animals on earth!

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If I could be an animal, it would be an eagle. I love the majesty and beauty of an eagle. The ability to fly and soar would be pretty cool, too.

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Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards. - Giselle Spriewald

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Tabby Cat: Cats purrs can heal broken bones.

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Tabby Cat: Cats purrs can heal broken bones.

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cat

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I would not want to be confined to one mode of locomotion. They may not be much to marvel at but these creatures are incredible divers and can swim, fly, and walk on land.

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I can swim the oceans of the world!

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They are loyal and love you uncondionally.

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I would be a narwhal. They are resilient, able to thrive in difficult circumstances, and magical. :)

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The cheetah is the fastest land animal.

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https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/lions

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Cats- my cat lives the life of Riley!

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They're so unique...and CUTE

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Eagle.

Soar into the heavens.

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Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus . Most of the 68 species of eagles are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just 14 species can be found-2 in North America, 9 in Central and South America, and 3 in Australia.

Eagles are not a natural group but denote essentially any kind of bird of prey large enough to hunt sizeable (about 50 cm long or more overall) vertebrates.

Eagles are large, powerfully-built birds of prey, with heavy heads and beaks. Even the smallest eagles, such as the booted eagle ( Aquila pennata), which is comparable in size to a common buzzard ( Buteo buteo) or red-tailed hawk ( B. jamaicensis), have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight - despite the reduced size of aerodynamic feathers. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from some vultures. The smallest species of eagle is the South Nicobar serpent eagle ( Spilornis klossi), at 450 g (1 lb) and 40 cm (16 in). The largest species are discussed below. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large hooked beaks for ripping flesh from their prey, strong, muscular legs, and powerful talons.

The beak is typically heavier than that of most other birds of prey. Eagles' eyes are extremely powerful. It is estimated that the wedge-tailed eagle has a visual acuity twice that of a typical human. This acuity enables eagles to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily attributed to their extremely large pupils which ensure minimal diffraction (scattering) of the incoming light. The female of all known species of eagles is larger than the male.

Eagles normally build their nests, called eyries, in tall trees or on high cliffs. Many species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched. The parents take no action to stop the killing. It is said that eagles fly above clouds but this is not true. Eagles fly during storms and glide from the wind's pressure. This saves the bird's energy. Due to the size and power of many eagle species, they are ranked at the top of the food chain as apex predators in the avian world. The type of prey varies by genus. The Haliaeetus and Ichthyophaga eagles prefer to capture fish, though the species in the former often capture various animals, especially other water birds, and are powerful kleptoparasites of other birds. The snake and serpent eagles of the genera , Terathopius, and predominantly prey on the great diversity of snakes found in the tropics of Africa and Asia. The eagles of the genus are often the top birds of prey in open habitats, taking almost any medium-sized vertebrate they can catch. Where Aquila eagles are absent, other eagles, such as the buteonine black-chested buzzard-eagle of South America, may assume the position of top raptorial predator in open areas. Many other eagles, including the species-rich genus , live predominantly in woodlands and forests. These eagles often target various arboreal or ground-dwelling mammals and birds, which are often unsuspectingly ambushed in such dense, knotty environments. Hunting techniques differ among the species and genera, with some individual eagles having engaged in quite varied techniques based on their environment and prey at any given time. Most eagles grab prey without landing and take flight with it, so the prey can be carried to a perch and torn apart.

The bald eagle is noted for having flown with the heaviest load verified to be carried by any flying bird, since one eagle flew with a 6.8 kg (15 lb) mule deer fawn. However, a few eagles may target prey considerably heavier than themselves; such prey is too heavy to fly with, thus it is either eaten at the site of the kill or taken in pieces back to a perch or nest. Golden and crowned eagles have killed ungulates weighing up to 30 kg (66 lb) and a martial eagle even killed a 37 kg (82 lb) duiker, 7-8 times heavier than the preying eagle. Authors on birds David Allen Sibley, Pete Dunne, and Clay Sutton described the behavioral difference between hunting eagles and other birds of prey thus (in this case the bald and golden eagles as compared to other North American raptors):

They have at least one singular characteristic. It has been observed that most birds of prey look back over their shoulders before striking prey (or shortly thereafter); predation is after all a two-edged sword. All hawks seem to have this habit, from the smallest kestrel to the largest Ferruginous - but not the Eagles.

Among the eagles are some of the largest birds of prey: only the condors and some of the Old World vultures are markedly larger. It is regularly debated which should be considered the largest species of eagle. They could be measured variously in total length, body mass, or wingspan. Different lifestyle needs among various eagles result in variable measurements from species to species. For example, many forest-dwelling eagles, including the very large harpy eagle, have relatively short wingspans, a feature necessary for being able to maneuver in quick, short bursts through densely forested habitats. Eagles in the genus Aquila, found almost exclusively in open country, are noted for their ability to soar, and have relatively long wings for their size.

These lists of the top five eagles are based on weight, length, and wingspan, respectively. Unless otherwise noted by reference, the figures listed are the median reported for each measurement in the guide Raptors of the World in which only measurements that could be personally verified by the authors were listed.

The eagles are generally distributed in all types of habitats and nearly all parts of the world. The birds can be found in northern tundra to tropical rainforests and deserts. In North America, bald eagles and golden eagles are very common.

The other nine species are endemic to Central and South America. The birds have a highly concentrated population in the Africa and eastern hemisphere. Several islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans are also rich and have distinct species of eagles.

Australasian

Nearctic (USA and Canada): golden eagle (also found in Palearctic), bald eagle.

Neotropical (Central and South America): (four species), solitary eagles (two spp.), harpy eagle, crested eagle, black-chested buzzard-eagle.

Palearctic (Europe, Northern Africa, Asia without South Asia and Southeast Asia)

Subsaharan Africa: African fish eagle, Martial Eagle, Crowned eagle, Verreaux's eagle, Tawny eagle, Long-crested eagle

Eagles are often informally divided into four groups.

The snake eagles are placed in the subfamily Circaetinae. The fish eagles, booted eagles, and harpy eagles have traditionally been placed in the subfamily Buteoninae together with the buzzard-hawks (buteonine hawks) and harriers. Some authors may treat these groups as tribes of the Buteoninae; Lerner & Mindell proposed separating the eagle groups into their own subfamilies of Accipitridae.

Sea eagles or fish eagles take fish as a large part of their diets, either fresh or as carrion.

Proposed subfamily Haliaeetinae. Genera: Haliaeetus, Ichthyophaga.

Some authors include Gypohierax angolensis, the "vulturine fish eagle" (also called the palm-nut vulture) in this group. However, genetic analyses indicate it is related to a grouping of Neophron- Gypaetus- Eutriorchis ( Egyptian vulture, bearded vulture (lammergeier), and Madagascar serpent eagle).

The fish eagles have a close genetic relationship with and ; the whole group is only distantly related to the Buteo group.

Booted eagle in flight.

Booted eagles or "true eagles" have feathered tarsi (lower legs).

See comments under eagle species for changes to the composition of these genera.

Most snake or serpent eagles, as the name suggests, primarily prey on snakes.

Subfamily Circaetinae. Genera: Circaetus, Spilornis, Dryotriorchis, Terathopius.

Eutriorchis (subfamily Gypaetinae or Circaetinae).

Despite filling the niche of a snake eagle, genetic studies suggest that the Madagascar serpent eagle ( Eutriorchis) is not related to them.

Harpy eagles or "giant forest eagles" are large eagles that inhabit tropical forests. The group contains two to six species, depending on the author. Although these birds occupy similar niches and have traditionally been grouped, they are not all related: the solitary eagles are related to the black hawks and the Philippine eagle to the snake eagles.

Harpy eagles (proposed subfamily Harpiinae)

Philippine eagle

Solitary eagles

Martial eagle in Namibia.

Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) in Southern Philippines.

Wedge-tailed eagle in Australia.

Eastern imperial eagle in Israel

Major new research into eagle taxonomy suggests that the important genera Aquila and Hieraaetus are not composed of nearest relatives, and it is likely that a reclassification of these genera will soon take place, with some species being moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus.

Family Accipitridae

Subfamily Buteoninae - hawks (buzzards), true eagles and seaeagles

Genus Harpyhaliaetus

Genus Spizaetus

Genus Nisaetus - previously included in Spizaetus

Genus Lophaetus

Genus Stephanoaetus

Genus Hieraaetus

Genus Lophotriorchis

Genus Aquila

Cassin's hawk-eagle, A. africana - formerly in Hieraaetus or Spizaetus genera

Golden eagle, A. chrysaetos

Eastern imperial eagle, A. heliaca

Spanish imperial eagle A. adalberti

Steppe eagle, A. nipalensis

Tawny eagle, A. rapax

Greater spotted eagle, A. clanga - to be moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus

Lesser spotted eagle, A. pomarina - to be moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus

Indian spotted eagle, A. hastata - to be moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus

Verreaux's eagle, A. verreauxii

Gurney's eagle, A. gurneyi

Wedge-tailed eagle, A. audax

Genus Haliaeetus

Genus Ichthyophaga

Short-toed snake eagle in flight

Eagles, a Chinese Ming period painting. Located at the National Palace Museum

The modern English term for the bird is derived from Latin: by way of French: . The origin of aquila is unknown, but it is believed to possibly derive from aquilus (meaning dark-colored, swarthy, or blackish) as a reference to the plumage of eagles.

In the southern part of Finland, near the Gulf of Finland, is the town of Kotka, which literally means "eagle", while the town of L'Aquila in the central part of Italy literally means "the eagle".

The sculpture of eagle at the top of the fountain at Plac Orła Białego in Szczecin, Poland

In Britain before 1678, eagle referred specifically to the golden eagle, with the other native species, the white-tailed eagle, being known as erne. The modern name "golden eagle" for aquila chrysaetos was introduced by the naturalist John Ray.

The village of Eagle in Lincolnshire, England, has nothing to do with the bird; its name is derived from the Old English words for "oak" and "wood" (compare Oakley).

Representation of an eagle at Rio Carnival, 2014

Garuda, the vahana of Lord Vishnu, depicted with an eagle's beak and wings

In ancient Sumerian mythology, the mythical king Etana was said to have been carried into heaven by an eagle. Classical writers such as Lucan and Pliny the Elder claimed that the eagle was able to look directly at the sun, and that they forced their fledglings to do the same. Those that blinked would be cast from the nest. This belief persisted until the Medieval era.

The eagle is the patron animal of the ancient Greek god Zeus. In particular, Zeus was said to have taken the form of an eagle in order to abduct Ganymede, and there are numerous artistic depictions of the eagle Zeus bearing Ganymede aloft, from Classical times up to the present (see illustrations in the Ganymede (mythology) page.)

Eagles appear metaphorically in many translations of the Old Testament. God is spoken of as carrying Israel on "eagles' wings" in Exodus 19:4, Isaiah 40:31 compares those who wait on the Lord to flying eagles, and Psalm 103 mentions renewing one's youth "as the eagle". In explaining this rejuvenation, Augustine of Hippo says in his commentary on the Psalms that eagles' beaks overgrow as they age and that they break them against rocks to restore them. The translation, however, is uncertain: the word in the Hebrew, נשר, can also be translated vulture, and is listed alongside specific kinds of vulture in Leviticus' discussion of unclean animals.

The eagle is also often used in Christian iconography to represent the Gospel of John, and eagle-shaped lecterns are common in Anglican and some Roman Catholic churches. The eagle was believed to be able to look directly into the sun in the same way that the Gospel of John looks directly at Jesus' divinity, and the great distances the eagle flies represent the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth.

The United States eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual reasons. In Canada, the poaching of eagle feathers for the booming U.S. market has sometimes resulted in the arrests of First Nations person for the crime.

The Moche people of ancient Peru worshiped the eagle and often depicted eagles in their art.

Coat of arms of Austria.

Eagles are an exceptionally common symbol in heraldry, being considered the "King of Birds" in contrast to the lion, the "King of Beasts". Whereas the lion (e.g. England) usually represents authority, the eagle is the symbol of power. They are particularly popular in Germanic countries such as Austria, due to their association with the Holy Roman Empire. The eagle of the Holy Roman Empire was two-headed, supposedly representing the two divisions, East and West, of the old Roman Empire. This motif, derived from the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire was also adopted by the Russian Empire and is still featured in the Flag of Albania. The Roman eagle was preceded by the eagle of Ptolemaic Egypt and the Achaemenid Empire. In the coat of arms of Kotka, Finland, the eagle is depicted carrying an anchor and the caduceus on its feet.

Heraldic eagles are most often found displayed, i.e. with their wings and legs extended. They can also occur close, i.e. with their wings folded, or rising, i.e. about to take flight. The heads, wings, and legs of eagles can also be found independently.

Some eagles have been trained to take down unwanted drones (unmanned aerial vehicles). Such eagles have been deployed by Indian Border Security Force, Dutch police and Swiss police. The Dutch and Swiss police later discontinued eagles' usage against drones. The Dutch police cited high training costs for the birds and training complexity as reasons to abandon their usage, while Swiss police stated that "the technological and strategic improvements in terms of the use of drones make this project using raptors too uncertain, even dangerous for the physical integrity of the eagles". Following the 2023 Kremlin drone explosion, Russian politician Aleksey Zhuravlyov suggested forming "a squadron of eagle interceptors in the Kremlin and other places" to protect vital infrastructure.

Eagles are known to attack drones naturally. In Austria two eagles mistook a drone for a food and brought it to the ground. In 2020, a bald eagle attacked and destroyed a quadcopter in Michigan, United States.

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Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus . Most of the 68 species of eagles are from Eurasia and Africa.

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Birds are free and can fly wherever they want.

https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/big-features/10-mind-blowing-facts-about-birds/

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Gamboa-Eagle

Hicks: Eagle

Power, fly high!

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I was born in the year of the horse. They are strong, graceful, and beautiful. Goals. :)

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I would want to be a "dovent" which, of course, is a make believe animal. A "dovent" is wise yet harmless (gentle). This animal reminds me of a scripture which is one of many that resonates with me.

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Ms. Luevanos -My favorite animal to visit at the Zoo or the aquarium.

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What is an axolotl?

The axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum, is a type of salamander that doesn't go through metamorphosis.

Salamanders are amphibians that, like frogs and newts, start off living in the water.

Salamanders usually go through a process called metamorphosis to become adults - like a tadpole transforming into a frog. They will then mostly live on land. During metamorphosis they change in a number of ways to adapt to their new habitat. For example, they replace their water-breathing gills for air-breathing lungs and grow lids for their eyes.

Axolotls never make this transition. Instead, they keep their frilly external gills and other juvenile features and stay living in the water for their entire lifecycle.

This is called neoteny, or paedomorphism. Although axolotls look like the 'tadpole' form of most salamanders, they do become adults in the sense that they are able to breed. They also do go some way to developing lungs, but they are also able to breathe through their skin.

Axolotls' closest relatives are tiger salamanders, Ambystoma tigrinum. As a group, Ambystoma salamanders are known as mole salamanders for the land-dwelling adults' habit of living underground.

Why have axolotls evolved this way?

According to Dr Jeff Streicher, Senior Curator in Charge of Amphibians and Reptiles, axolotls may have evolved their unusual life cycle due to their environment and the resources available.

He says: 'Axolotls are part of a group of closely related salamanders that have a range of lifestyles. Some can remain in the water if conditions on land are bad or can leave if, for example, the lake they live in starts to dry up.'

Over time, if staying in the water was better for axolotl survival, and they matured sexually before they went through metamorphosis, then it made sense to keep all their water-adapted features.

In experiments, axolotls have been forced through metamorphosis by adding iodine to their water. This induces the release of hormones that kick off the process of developing land-based traits. But too much iodine can kill an axolotl, and even if they successfully metamorphose they don't survive as well as natural paedomorphic axolotls, so it's not recommended for axolotl owners.

Where do axolotls live?

The axolotl's alternative common name of Mexican salamander gives the game away.

Axolotls are native to lakes and wetlands in southern Mexico City, particularly Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco. But both lakes have been drained to reduce floods, with Lake Chaco almost completely disappearing. Axolotls are confined to the canals of these lakes, and possibly a third lake, Chapultepec.

There is also a large captive population of axolotls. They're often found in zoos, labs and kept as pets.

Wild axolotls are a mottled brown-grey colour, but they can also be albinos. These are missing brown pigments and look pinkish-white. This attractive colouration is desirable in the pet trade and has been selectively bred for.

What do axolotls eat and how long do they live for?

Axolotls are often the top predators in their native habitats. They eat whatever they can get their jaws on, including molluscs, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans and even some small fish.

Axolotls can live 10-15 years in the wild, reaching sexual maturity after about a year. They reach up to 30 centimetres long and weigh around 50-200 grams.

How do axolotls regenerate parts of their bodies?

This is a question scientists would really like to know the answer to!

Like many species of salamander, axolotls have the remarkable ability to regenerate parts of their bodies. This includes limbs, eyes and even parts of their brains. Research labs around the world are trying to understand this incredible trait, which is one reason there are so many captive axolotls.

The ability may relate to the axolotl's refusal to go through metamorphosis. In most animals, including humans, there are genes that are only active as we are developing that direct the growth of organs and limbs. Once we reach adulthood, these genes are silenced. But for axolotls, it appears these genes may get activated again when there is an injury.

Exactly which genes and how their activation causes regrowth, is the subject of ongoing research. Scientists have identified some candidate genes and are zooming in on what proteins are being expressed at each stage of limb regrowth. For now, they're a long way from helping us regenerate limbs, but this potential means axolotls are very valuable to research.

'It seems like there is a clear end-state of development that the axolotl always wants to be in, so if anything in its body gets modified, it moves back towards that,' says Jeff.

'Given that we have many developmental genes in common with axolotls, it would be very useful to humans if we could figure out exactly how they regenerate complex body parts.'

Are axolotls endangered?

Given their primary habitat is so diminished, it's no surprise that axolotls are listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Their population is decreasing, with only 50-1,000 adults thought to be living in the wild. It was anticipated they might be extinct by 2020, but thankfully that hasn't happened.

Axolotls need deep water to thrive and plants to lay their eggs on. They're sensitive to changes in water quality and urbanisation around their native lakes has led to pollution and habitat loss. People using the water can disturb these amphibians and new fish species introduced to the waterways, such as tilapia and carp, compete with the axolotls for food and can eat their young too.

Axolotls used to be taken from the wild for food and the pet trade, but all pets are now thought to be bred in captivity.

Axolotls are sometimes known as a conservation paradox since they are almost extinct in the wild, but are widely distributed in pet shops and labs throughout the world. This captive population, however, is often very inbred, meaning there is not much genetic diversity. So these axolotls are vulnerable to catastrophe such as disease.

What can we do to save them?

Axolotls are thought to be named after the Aztec god of fire and lightning, Xolotl, who transformed himself into one of these salamanders to avoid being sacrificed by fellow gods. The axolotl even features on the new 50 peso note, released in 2021 and awarded Banknote of the Year by the International Bank Note Society.

This animal's deep roots in Mexican culture and status as a bit of an icon have been driving conservation efforts.

A species closely related to the axolotl, which can also keep juvenile characteristics, is the critically endangered Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Ambystoma dumerilii. Local nuns have used it in a traditional cough medicine preparation for generations. Having raised the salamanders in captivity for 150 years, the nuns have teamed up with conservationists from Chester Zoo and researchers at the Michoacán University to see if their efforts can help re-stock the wild population, which is thought to number fewer than 100 adults.

As for the axolotl, the Mexican government and local conservation groups have several schemes to help them. Actions include restoring their freshwater habitat and encouraging traditional methods of farming that provide axolotl habitat.

Find out more about environmental organisation MOJA's conservation centre and their efforts to save this iconic species.

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Axolotls: Meet the amphibians that never grow up

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Axolotls never grow up, but can their abilities be harnessed by humans? Find out what these amphibians eat, where they live, how we can help them and more.

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Mr. Nguyễn

We have a shepherd at home. He's the big brother to my daughters. His name is Little Brother.

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Very beautiful creatures that are a lot more powerful than they appear

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Hummingbirds are beautiful and lucky. -- Ms. Gillham

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Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

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Tiny, pugnacious, jewel-like hummingbirds are relatively easy to attract to a garden and fun to have around. A careful look at hummingbirds provides a window into the elegance of adaptation in the natural world.

What is a hummingbird?

Hummingbirds belong to the avian family Trochilidae, and their closest relatives are the equally fascinating swifts. Hummingbirds are small (weighing 2 to 20 grams), with long, narrow bills and small, saber-like wings.

Males (and occasionally females) often have a colorful gorget-small, stiff, highly reflective, colored feathers on the throat and upper chest. These shiny feathers and others around the head may look sooty black until a hummingbird turns its head to catch the sun and display the intense, metallic spectral color.

Hummingbird Superlatives

The Smallest Birds

The bee hummingbird of Cuba weighs only 1.95 grams, which means that, theoretically, 16 could be mailed first-class using just one stamp. The calliope hummingbird, the fourth-smallest bird, weighs in at a whopping 2.5 grams (less than an ounce) and can be found in the mountains of western North America.

The Tiniest Egg

It makes sense that the smallest birds come from the smallest eggs ... but how small? The one to two eggs in a ruby-throated hummingbird clutch are about as tiny as peas and are placed in a walnut shell-sized cup woven from spider webs and plant material.

The Avian Helicopter

Hummingbirds and swifts are able to stroke with power both on the down- and up-beat of a wing flap. Their power and small size allow tremendous agility in flight. In fact, hummingbirds are the only vertebrates capable of sustained hovering (staying in one place during flight), and they can fly backward and upside-down as well.

To their maneuverability, hummingbirds add speed and stamina. They have been clocked at close to 30 mph indirect flight and more than 45 mph during courtship dives. Migratory ruby-throated hummingbirds have no problem flying 18 to 20 straight hours to cross the Gulf of Mexico, powered by their fat stores and given a bit of help from winds.

Life in the Fast Lane

A ruby-throated hummingbird's heart beats from 225 times per minute when the bird is at rest to more than 1,200 times per minute when it is flying. Its wings beat about 70 times per second in direct flight and more than 200 times per second while diving.

Asleep on the Job

Hummingbirds are one of the few groups of birds that are known to go into torpor. Torpor is a very deep, sleep-like state in which metabolic functions are slowed to a minimum and a very low body temperature is maintained. If torpor lasted for long periods, we would call it hibernation, but hummingbirds can go into torpor any night of the year when temperature and food conditions demand it.

Hummingbirds are the masters of torpor, because they have to be. Their feathers offer poor insulation, and they have incredibly high metabolic demands. Torpor allows them to check-out physiologically when they cannot maintain their normal 105 degrees Fahrenheit body temperature.

Where Do Hummingbirds Live?

The almost 340 species of hummingbirds are entirely restricted to the New World, where they can be found from Tierra Del Fuego to southern Alaska and from below sea level deserts to steamy tropical forests at elevations of up to 16,000 feet in the Andes of South America.

Most species live in the tropics, and while 17 species regularly nest in the United States, many of these are found close to the Mexican border. Most areas in the U.S. have one or two breeding species, and only the ruby-throated hummingbird nests east of the Mississippi.

The Relentless Demand for Food

Their high-energy lifestyle compels hummingbirds to locate reliable food resources. Feeding on flowers puts hummingbirds at the mercy of the flowering seasons of the plants upon which they depend. Hummingbirds solve this by being very mobile, and their movements are often shaped by the changing pattern of flower production over time.

In the western U.S., hummingbirds migrate through the lowlands in the spring and return by way of the mountains in the summer to track the intense blooming of annual plants in meadows-moving ever-higher up the mountain as the summer progresses.

Hummingbirds don't always depend entirely on flowers. During the breeding season, in particular, hummingbirds hover mid-air and catch small flying insects to eat and feed to their nestlings.

In northern and high-elevation areas, hummingbirds depend upon sap-wells of woodpeckers known as sapsuckers. The woodpeckers are able to keep the sugary sap of trees flowing, and the hummingbirds sneak in to take advantage of the woodpeckers' work.

The Not-so-social Life of Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are, for the most part, unsociable. In fact, the adjectives pugnacious and feisty are often appropriate. When more than one hummingbird is around, it is often a scene of repeated high-speed chases. In fact, male and female hummingbirds do not form a pair-bond after mating, and the female is left to care for eggs and chicks alone.

Hummingbirds do not need the help of other hummingbirds to locate food or fend off predators. Other hummingbirds are competitors for the flower nectar upon which they thrive. The help that a male might provide a female does not outweigh the burden of having a male around competing for food.

What is all this fighting about? Plants take time to secrete nectar into their flowers. In an ideal world, hummingbirds should time their visits to flowers to take advantage of a full load of nectar. But they wait to feed at a flower at the risk of other hummingbirds beating them to the punch. It is therefore worth the effort for hummingbirds to chase away competitors, so they have access and control of their favorite flowers.

In many cases, hummingbirds defend small territories around a favorite flower patch, and do so even during brief stopovers for refueling during migration. Where many species live together, the large species attempt to dominate flowers to get the biggest drinks of nectar, and smaller species try to sneak in for a few sips.

About the closest hummingbirds come to being social is in the tropics. The males of a small number of species form leks, places where they gather for months at a time and sing their scratchy hummingbird songs in an effort to attract females. The females are attracted to the leks, and the males then compete for the opportunity to mate.

The Whys and Whats of Hummingbird Flowers

Why do flowers attract special pollinators?

To be evolutionarily successful, flowering plants usually need their pollen carried from the stamens of one flower to the pistil of another so pollination occurs. This is accomplished in myriad ways. Some plants broadcast copious clouds of pollen that is carried by the wind to settle on cars, front porches and occasionally on a plant of the same species.

Many other plants produce few pollen grains and attract specific kinds of animals. By providing a nectar reward in a flower that keeps out a lot of animal competitors, there is a good chance the pollinating species will search out another like flower and pollination will occur.

What it takes for a flower to attract hummingbirds

Flowers that attract hummingbirds:

Provide a large amount of nectar with a substantial sugar content to support the demanding hummingbird lifestyle. Sugar content averages about 26 percent, which is double the sugar found in a soft drink. But the nectar cannot be too concentrated and sticky, because hummingbirds rely on a long, tube-like tongue to draw nectar into their mouths through wicking action (the force that brings water up a straw when the straw is stuck in a glass).

Tend to have red or orange petals or bracts, which provide a long-distance sign to a fast-flying hummingbird that it should take notice

Are often long and tubular, so a long, narrow bill and tongue are required to extract the nectar

Often hang down and point downward, so a hovering bird has the easiest access

Have long stamens that deposit the pollen on the forehead of the unsuspecting bird

Most hummingbirds are not super specialized and will feed at a wide variety of flowers, preferring the hummingbird flowers described above. However, throughout the tropics are examples of very tight, co-evolved hummingbird-flower relationships in which the bill of the hummingbird fits the highly modified flowers almost like a key that opens a lock.

How Can You Help Hummingbirds?

Make Your Backyard a Hummingbird Restaurant

The life of a hummingbird consists of a relentless search for food. In areas settled by humans, the flowers that hummingbirds have evolved to hunt down and suck dry often disappear.

The good news is that the lost natural food sources can be easily replaced by planting the right plants and providing sugar water in hummingbird feeders.

Some good hummingbird plants include:

Bee balm

Cardinal flower

Trumpet creeper

Coral honeysuckle

Columbine

Drink a Cup of Hummingbird Friendly Coffee

More than half of the species of hummingbirds live in the tropics. Even favorite backyard species migrate to the tropics, where they spend the greatest portion of the year. In the tropics, hummingbirds often move up and down mountains and between arid and moist habitats to keep up with where the trees and shrubs are flowering.

Coffee is often grown halfway up tropical mountains, the crossroads for the variety of species traveling to find flowers. When grown under a diverse canopy of shade trees, coffee plants, the trees that shade them and the plants that grow on the trees provide a smorgasbord of flower resources.

It is no wonder that shaded coffee farms can support impressive numbers of hummingbird species. In one coffee-growing region in Peru, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center scientists recorded 24 species over the course of a year. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are also abundant in coffee farms in Mexico and Central America during their time in the tropics.

By drinking certified Bird Friendly® coffee, you help guarantee that coffee is grown on farms that feature the flowers that hummingbirds depend upon.

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Tiny, pugnacious and jewel-like, hummingbirds are a fun addition to a garden and easy to attract.

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Hamsters are vile creatures. - Rodriguez

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Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus), which is the type most commonly kept as a pet. Other hamster species commonly kept as pets are the three species of dwarf hamster, Campbell's dwarf hamster ( Phodopus campbelli), the winter white dwarf hamster ( Phodopus sungorus) and the Roborovski hamster ( Phodopus roborovskii).

Hamsters are more crepuscular than nocturnal and, in the wild, remain underground during the day to avoid being caught by predators. They feed primarily on seeds, fruits, and vegetation, and will occasionally eat burrowing insects. Physically, they are stout-bodied with distinguishing features that include elongated cheek pouches extending to their shoulders, which they use to carry food back to their burrows, as well as a short tail and fur-covered feet.

Classification

P. sungorus. The winter white dwarf hamster

P. roborovski. The Roborovski hamster

P. campbelli. The Campbell's dwarf hamster

Taxonomists generally disagree about the most appropriate placement of the subfamily Cricetinae within the superfamily Muroidea. Some place it in a family Cricetidae that also includes voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice; others group all these into a large family called Muridae. Their evolutionary history is recorded by 15 extinct fossil genera and extends back 11.2 million to 16.4 million years to the Middle Miocene Epoch in Europe and North Africa; in Asia it extends 6 million to 11 million years. Four of the seven living genera include extinct species. One extinct hamster of , for example, lived in North Africa during the Middle Miocene, but the only extant member of that genus is the European or common hamster of Eurasia.

Relationships among hamster species

Neumann et al. (2006) conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis of 12 of the above 17 species using DNA sequence from three genes: 12S rRNA, cytochrome b, and von Willebrand factor. They uncovered the following relationships:

The genus Phodopus was found to represent the earliest split among hamsters. Their analysis included both species. The results of another study suggest Cricetulus kamensis (and presumably the related C. alticola) might belong to either this Phodopus group or hold a similar basal position.

The genus Mesocricetus also forms a clade. Their analysis included all four species, with M. auratus and M. raddei forming one subclade and M. brandti and M. newtoni another.

The remaining genera of hamsters formed a third major clade. Two of the three sampled species within Cricetulus represent the earliest split. This clade contains C. barabensis (and presumably the related C. sokolovi) and C. longicaudatus.

The remaining clade contains members of Allocricetulus, Tscherskia, Cricetus, and C. migratorius. Allocricetulus and Cricetus were sister taxa. Cricetulus migratorius was their next closest relative, and Tscherskia was basal.

Although the Syrian hamster or golden hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus) was first described scientifically by George Robert Waterhouse in 1839, researchers were not able to successfully breed and domesticate hamsters until 1939. The entire laboratory and pet populations of Syrian hamsters appear to be descendants of a single brother-sister pairing. These littermates were captured and imported in 1930 from Aleppo in Syria by Israel Aharoni, a zoologist of the University of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, the hamsters bred very successfully. Years later, animals of this original breeding colony were exported to the United States, where Syrian hamsters became a common pet and laboratory animal. Comparative studies of domestic and wild Syrian hamsters have shown reduced genetic variability in the domestic strain. However, the differences in behavioral, chronobiological, morphometrical, hematological, and biochemical parameters are relatively small and fall into the expected range of interstrain variations in other laboratory animals.

The name "hamster" is a loanword from the German, which itself derives from earlier Middle High German hamastra. It is possibly related to Old Church Slavonic khomestoru, which is either a blend of the root of Russian хомяк ( khomyak) "hamster" and a Baltic word (cf. Lithuanian staras "hamster"); or of Persian origin (cf. Av hamaēstar "oppressor"). The collective noun for a group of hamsters is "horde". In German, the verb "hamstern" is derived from "Hamster". It means " Hoarding".

Description

Skeleton of European hamster

Hamsters are typically stout-bodied, with tails shorter than body length, and have small, furry ears, short, stocky legs, and wide feet. They have thick, silky fur, which can be long or short, colored black, grey, honey, white, brown, yellow, red, or a mix, depending on the species. Two species of hamster belonging to the genus , Campbell's dwarf hamster ( P. campbelli) and the Djungarian hamster ( P. sungorus), and two of the genus Cricetulus, the Chinese striped hamster ( C. barabensis) and the Chinese hamster ( C. griseus) have a dark stripe down their heads to their tails. The species of genus Phodopus are the smallest, with bodies 5.5 to 10.5 centimetres ( to in) long; the largest is the European hamster ( Cricetus cricetus), measuring up to 34 cm ( in) long, not including a short tail of up to 6 cm ( in).

The hamster tail can be difficult to see, as it is usually not very long (about the length of the body), with the exception of the Chinese hamster, which has a tail the same length as the body. One rodent characteristic that can be highly visible in hamsters is their sharp incisors; they have an upper pair and lower pair which grow continuously throughout life, so must be regularly worn down. Hamsters are very flexible, but their bones are somewhat fragile. They are extremely susceptible to rapid temperature changes and drafts, as well as extreme heat or cold.

Hamsters have poor eyesight; they are nearsighted and colorblind. Their eyesight leads to them not having a good sense of distance or knowing where they are, but that does not stop them from climbing in (and sometimes out of) their cages or from being adventurous. Hamsters can sense movement around at all times, which helps protect them from harm in the wild. In a household, this sense helps them know when their owner is near. Hamsters have scent glands on their flanks (and abdomens in Chinese and dwarf hamsters) which they rub against the surface beneath them, leaving a scent trail. Hamsters also use their sense of smell to distinguish between the sexes and to locate food. Mother hamsters can also use their sense of smell to find their own babies and identify which ones are not theirs. Their scent glands can also be used to mark their territories, their babies, or their mate. Hamsters catch sounds by having their ears upright. They tend to learn similar noises and begin to know the sound of their food and even their owner's voice. They are also particularly sensitive to high-pitched noises and can hear and communicate in the ultrasonic range.

Hamsters are omnivores, which means they can eat meat and vegetables. Hamsters that live in the wild eat seeds, grass, and even insects. Although pet hamsters can survive on a diet of exclusively commercial hamster food, other items, such as vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, can be given. Although store-bought food is good for hamsters, it is best if fruits and vegetables are also in their diet because it keeps them healthier. Even though hamsters are allowed to have both fruits and vegetables, it is important to understand exactly which ones they can have and how much. Hamsters do best with fruits that do not have citrus in them and most green leafy vegetables. Hamsters should never be fed junk food, chocolate, garlic, or any salty/sugary foods. Hamsters tend to love peanut butter but it is important to feed it to them carefully because this sticky food can get stuck in their cheeks. Hamsters in the Middle East have been known to hunt in packs to find insects for food. Hamsters are hindgut fermenters and often eat their own feces ( coprophagy) to recover nutrients digested in the hind-gut, but not absorbed.

A behavioral characteristic of hamsters is food hoarding. They carry food in their spacious cheek pouches to their underground storage chambers. When full, the cheeks can make their heads double, or even triple in size. Hamsters lose weight during the autumn months in anticipation of winter. This occurs even when hamsters are kept as pets and is related to an increase in exercise.

Social behavior

Most hamsters are strictly solitary. If housed together, acute and chronic stress may occur, and they may fight fiercely, sometimes fatally. Dwarf hamster species may tolerate siblings or same-gender unrelated hamsters if introduced at an early enough age, but this cannot be guaranteed. Hamsters communicate through body language to one another and even to their owner. They communicate by sending a specific scent using their scent glands and also show body language to express how they are feeling.

Chronobiology

Hamsters can be described as nocturnal or crepuscular (active mostly at dawn and dusk). Khunen writes, "Hamsters are nocturnal rodents who are active during the night...", but others have written that because hamsters live underground during most of the day, only leaving their burrows for about an hour before sundown and then returning when it gets dark, their behavior is primarily crepuscular. Fritzsche indicated although some species have been observed to show more nocturnal activity than others, they are all primarily crepuscular.

In the wild Syrian hamsters can hibernate and allow their body temperature to fall close to ambient temperature. This kind of thermoregulation diminishes the metabolic rate to about 5% and helps the animal to considerably reduce the need for food during the winter. Hibernation can last up to one week but more commonly last 2-3 days. When kept as house pets the Syrian hamster does not hibernate.

Burrowing behavior

All hamsters are excellent diggers, constructing burrows with one or more entrances, with galleries connected to chambers for nesting, food storage, and other activities. They use their fore- and hindlegs, as well as their snouts and teeth, for digging. In the wild, the burrow buffers extreme ambient temperatures, offers relatively stable climatic conditions, and protects against predators. Syrian hamsters dig their burrows generally at a depth of 0.7 m. A burrow includes a steep entrance pipe (4-5 cm in diameter), a nesting and a hoarding chamber and a blind-ending branch for urination. Laboratory hamsters have not lost their ability to dig burrows; in fact, they will do this with great vigor and skill if they are provided with the appropriate substrate.

Wild hamsters will also appropriate tunnels made by other mammals; the Djungarian hamster, for instance, uses paths and burrows of the pika.

Reproduction

Hamsters become fertile at different ages depending on their species. Both Syrian and Russian hamsters mature quickly and can begin reproducing at a young age (4-5 weeks), whereas Chinese hamsters will usually begin reproducing at two to three months of age, and Roborovskis at three to four months of age. The female's reproductive life lasts about 18 months, but male hamsters remain fertile much longer. Females are in estrus about every four days, which is indicated by a reddening of genital areas, a musky smell, and a hissing, squeaking vocalisation she will emit if she believes a male is nearby.

When seen from above, a sexually mature female hamster has a trim tail line; a male's tail line bulges on both sides. This might not be very visible in all species. Male hamsters typically have very large testes in relation to their body size. Before sexual maturity occurs, it is more difficult to determine a young hamster's sex. When examined, female hamsters have their anal and genital openings close together, whereas males have these two holes farther apart (the penis is usually withdrawn into the coat and thus appears as a hole or pink pimple).

Gestation and fecundity

Syrian hamsters are seasonal breeders and will produce several litters a year with several pups in each litter. The breeding season is from April to October in the Northern Hemisphere, with two to five litters of one to 13 young being born after a gestation period of 16 to 23 days. Dwarf hamsters breed all through the year. Gestation lasts 16 to 18 days for Syrian hamsters, 18 to 21 days for Russian hamsters, 21 to 23 days for Chinese hamsters and 23 to 30 for Roborovski hamsters. The average litter size for Syrian hamsters is about seven pups, but can be as great as 24, which is the maximum number of pups that can be contained in the uterus. Campbell's dwarf hamsters tend to have four to eight pups in a litter, but can have up to 13. Winter white hamsters tend to have slightly smaller litters, as do Chinese and Roborovski hamsters.

Intersexual aggression and cannibalism

Female Chinese and Syrian hamsters are known for being aggressive toward males if kept together for too long after mating. In some cases, male hamsters can die after being attacked by a female. If breeding hamsters, separation of the pair after mating is recommended, or they will attack each other.

Female hamsters are also particularly sensitive to disturbances while giving birth, and may even eat their own young if they think they are in danger, although sometimes they are just carrying the pups in their cheek pouches. If captive female hamsters are left for extended periods (three weeks or more) with their litter, they may cannibalize the litter, so the litter must be removed by the time the young can feed and drink independently.

An adult female and several juvenile dwarf hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) feeding

Hamsters are born hairless and blind in a nest the mother will have prepared in advance. After one week, they begin to explore outside the nest. Hamsters are capable of producing litters every month. Hamsters can be bred after they are three weeks old. It may be hard for the babies to not rely on their mother for nursing during this time, so it is important that they are supplied with food to make the transition from nursing to eating on their own easier. After the hamsters reach three weeks of age they are considered mature.

Syrian hamsters typically live no more than two to three years in captivity, and less in the wild. Russian hamsters (Campbell's and Djungarian) live about two to four years in captivity, and Chinese hamsters -3 years. The smaller Roborovski hamster often lives to three years in captivity.

Society and culture

Hamsters as pets

A Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus autatus) standing in exercise wheel

The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus), which is the type most commonly kept as pets. There are numerous Syrian hamster variations including long-haired varieties and different colors. British zoologist Leonard Goodwin claimed most hamsters kept in the United Kingdom were descended from the colony he introduced for medical research purposes during the Second World War. Hamsters were domesticated and kept as pets in the United States at least as early as 1942.

Other hamsters commonly kept as pets are the three species of dwarf hamster. Campbell's dwarf hamster ( Phodopus campbelli) is the most common-they are also sometimes called "Russian dwarfs"; however, many hamsters are from Russia, so this ambiguous name does not distinguish them from other species appropriately. The coat of the winter white dwarf hamster ( Phodopus sungorus) turns almost white during winter (when the hours of daylight decrease). The Roborovski hamster ( Phodopus roborovskii) is extremely small and fast, making it difficult to keep as a pet.

Hamster shows

A hamster show is an event in which people gather hamsters to judge them against each other. Hamster shows are also places where people share their enthusiasm for hamsters among attendees. Hamster shows feature an exhibition of the hamsters participating in the judging.

The judging of hamsters usually includes a goal of promoting hamsters which conform to natural or established varieties of hamsters. By awarding hamsters which match standard hamster types, hamster shows encourage planned and careful hamster breeding.

Owner activism

When the first reported case of animal-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Hong Kong took place via imported pet hamsters, researchers expressed difficulty in identifying some of the viral mutations within a global genomic data bank, leading city authorities to announce a mass cull of all hamsters purchased after December 22, 2021, which would affect roughly 2,000 animals. After the government 'strongly encouraged' citizens to turn in their pets, approximately 3,000 people joined underground activities to promote the adoption of abandoned hamsters throughout the city and to maintain pet ownership via methods such as the forgery of pet store purchase receipts. Some activists attempted to intercept owners who were on their way to turn in pet hamsters and encourage them to choose adoption instead, which the government subsequently warned would be subject to police action.

Hamsters as lab animals

The extracted cells of babies' kidneys and adults' ovaries are used to study cholesterol synthesis.

Similar animals

Some similar rodents sometimes called "hamsters" are not currently classified in the hamster subfamily Cricetinae. These include the maned hamster, or crested hamster, which is really the maned rat ( Lophiomys imhausi). Others are the mouse-like hamsters ( Calomyscus spp.), and the white-tailed rat ( Mystromys albicaudatus).

References

1. ^ Fox, Sue. 2006. Hamsters. T.F.H. Publications Inc.

2. ^ Barrie, Anmarie. 1995. Hamsters as a New Pet. T.F.H. Publications Inc., NJ ISBN 0-86622-610-9.

3. ^ Neumann, K; Michaux, J; Lebedev, V; Yigit, N; Colak, E; Ivanova, N; Poltoraus, A; Surov, A; Markov, G (2006). "Molecular phylogeny of the Cricetinae subfamily based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b and 12S rRNA genes and the nuclear vWF gene" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution. 39 (1): 135-48. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.01.010. hdl:2268/77207. PMID 16483801.

4. Lebedev, V. S., N. V. Ivanova, N. K. Pavlova, and A. B. Poltoraus. 2003. Molecular phylogeny of the Palearctic hamsters. ^ In Proceedings of the International Conference Devoted to the 90th Anniversary of Prof. I. M. Gromov on Systematics, Phylogeny and Paleontology of Small Mammals (A. Averianov and N. Abramson eds.). St. Petersburg.

5. ^ Fritzsche, Peter. 2008. Hamsters: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual. Barron's Educational Series Inc., NY ISBN 0-7641-3927-4.

6. ^ Kuhnen, G. (2002). Comfortable quarters for hamsters in research institutions. In "Comfortable Quarters for Laboratory Animals" Eds V. Reinhardt and A. Reinhardt. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington DC. pp.33-37

7. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, s.v. "hamster" (29 May 2008) ^ Merriam-Webster.com

8. ^ King, LeeAnne Engfer ; photographs by Andy (1997). My pet hamster & gerbils. Minneapolis: Lerner. p. 13. ISBN 978-0822522614.

9. ^ "hamster." Encyclopædia Britannica. Standard Edition. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2007.

10. ^ Petri, Ines; Dumbell, Rebecca; Scherbarth, Frank; Steinlechner, Stephan; Barrett, Perry (2014). "Effect of Exercise on Photoperiod-Regulated Hypothalamic Gene Expression and Peripheral Hormones in the Seasonal Dwarf Hamster Phodopus sungorus". PLOS ONE. 9 (3): e90253. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...990253P. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0090253. PMC . PMID 24603871.

11. ^ "Welcome to the British Hamster Association Web Site".

12. ^ Gattermann, R.; Fritzsche, P.; Neumann, K.; Al-Hussein, I.; Kayser, A.; Abiad, M.; Yakti, R. (2001). "Notes on the current distribution and the ecology of wild golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)". Journal of Zoology. 254 (3): 359-365. doi:10.1017/S0952836901000851.

13. ^ "Leonard Goodwin - Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. 14 January 2009. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.

14. ^ Testimony from Grant C Riddle (born 1929, living in Lake Wildwood, CA) who had a pet hamster in 1942.

15. ^ Logsdail, Chris; Logsdail, Peter; Hovers, Kate (2002). Hamsterlopaedia : a complete guide to hamster care. Lydney: Ringpress. p. 161. ISBN 978-1860542466.

16. ^ Mahtani, Shibani; Yu, Theodora (20 January 2022). "Hong Kong hamster massacre: Residents resist 'zero covid' city's pet project". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022.

17. ^ Ting, Victor; Choy, Gigi; Cheung, Elizabeth (18 January 2022). "Coronavirus: 2,000 hamsters to be culled over fears of first animal-to-human transmission in Hong Kong, pet store customers ordered into quarantine". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022.

18. ^ Slotte, J. Peter; Pörn, M. Isabella; Härmälä, Ann-Sofi (1994). "19 Flow and Distribution of Cholesterol-Effects of Phospholipids". In Hoekstra, Dick (ed.). Cell lipids. Vol. 40. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 483-502/xii+638. ISBN 978-0-12-153340-3. ISSN 0070-2161. OCLC 30147917. ISBN 0-12-153340-9 ISBN 9780080585116

External links

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Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus), which is the type most commonly kept as a pet.

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Jennifer Stapleton - I love these birds!

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https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Phoebe/overview