The Daily Leopard

Adequate Horse Hair Care Is Essential

2011-07-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

Horses are considered to be sincere and loyal companions and therefore, they deserve proper care and concern too. People pet horses for many different reasons. These are obviously kept in a ranch or in country side as these are not much familiar or widely adopted in the metropolitan cities mainly because of the nature of their personality. Moreover, they require a larger space to dwell in. horses are free creatures who love their freedom. Horses really care for their owners and have proven to be a friend in need for their owners. Proper horse training should be given to the horses to develop skills in them that they are actually capable of. In addition to their training, it is important that you feed your horse the right kind of food that contains all sorts of essential vitamins and minerals required by your pet’s body and it is important that you pay attention to the grooming and cleaning of your horse.
As far as the cleaning of your horse is concerned than always remember to give him a bath every once or twice in a week and also clean his hair with a horse shampoo in order to maintain their thickness and cleanliness. You should wash the mane of your horse with a shampoo every once in two weeks or so. However, sometimes if you feel that your horse does not shampooing and he is not appearing to be itching than you can skip shampooing his mane for two to three weeks until necessary. In addition, a horse that lives outside a lot or spends plenty of time going here and there in dust or outside than he will need shampooing more often than a horse who does not really go outside very often.
There might dryness or buildups on a horse’s skin therefore, it holds great significance that you always check the skin condition of your horse as this helps a lot in knowing exactly when your horse needs to be shampooed. A good tip for cleaning your horse’s hair is to use spray shampoos or dry shampoos in colder seasons. Shampooing will clean away burrs, leaves and oil from the mane of the horse which can cause fungi growth. Furthermore, it will protect your horse’s hair from catching infections caused by bacteria as shampooing clears away the bacteria. In addition, you can apply conditioner to maintain the shine of the hair.
About Author

Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company, based in Lexington, KY, that is expert in Stem cell technology and Knockout rat. Visit the website to know more about transgenic rats.

Dont tease this cat

2011-04-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Eagle Tree

2011-02-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

CLICK FOR FULL SIZE.
I saw this driving home and couldn't believe it. I had been wondering where I could get a good shot of a bald eagle. I had no idea they hang out like this. I did get some close-ups as well.

In the late 20th century the Bald Eagle was on the brink of extirpation in the continental United States, while flourishing in much of Alaska and Canada. Populations recovered and stabilized, so the species was removed from the U.S. federal government's list of endangered species and transferred to the list of threatened species on July 12, 1995, and it was removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States on June 28, 2007.

Octopus in a Bottle

2011-02-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

The Yoda Bat

2010-12-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

This tube-nosed fruit bat is just one of the roughly 200 species encountered during two scientific expeditions to Papua New Guinea in 2009

Though seen on previous expeditions, the bat has yet to be formally documented as a new species, or even named. Like other fruit bats, though, it disperses seeds from the fruit in its diet, perhaps making the flying mammal crucial to its tropical rain forest ecosystem.

Night Light

2010-12-13T17:09:00.001-08:00

Scorpions glow under UV light, even after death and fossilization.

Scorpions have a thin, transparent film (hyaline) in the outermost layer of their exoskeleton. This layer contains a protein that fluoresces. After a scorpion molts its exoskeleton is soft and doesnt glow very bright. As the cuticle hardens, it glows more. The hylane skin toughens into an incredible substance. Even After hundreds of millions of years, after all other cuticle layers are lost, the hyaline layer remains, fossilized in rocks, and it still glows.

Nautilus

2010-12-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

These "living fossils" have survived relatively unchanged for millions of years.

The Nautilus is a part of the cephalopod family, and closely related to the octopus and squid. It is the only living cephalopod whose bony structure is externalized as a shell. The shell is a near perfect logarithmic spiral. It is composed of 2 layers: a matte white outer layer, and a striking white iridescent inner layer. As the shell and the Nautilus grow it moves into a larger newer chamber and closes off the back section.Other Facts about the Nautilus:

- In order to swim they use a jet propulsion system

- They can completely retract in their shell

- The shell is pressure resistant

- They usually inhabit depths between 100 and 400 meters, however their shell can withstand pressure up to 800 meters

- They live in the indo-pacific region, and inhabit coral reefs.

Strength In Numbers

2010-11-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Some are beautiful and some are downright scary. Here are some videos of various animals swarming and stampeding

Starlings

Lady Bugs

Locust

Birds and Butterflys

Fish

Crab

Dolphins

Champion Insect Jumper

2010-10-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

Frog Hoppers, also known as spit bugs, are the champion insect jumpers

The Frog Hopper capable of reaching heights of 700mm, or 28 inches. It can accelerate at 4000 m/s² over 2mm as it jumps, and can jump 100 times their length.While the flea is also a champion jumper, the Frog Hopper is more impressive, being 60 times heavier. The 6mm long creatures can experience around 400 times the force of gravity, or 400 g, when the average human experiences about three g when being launched in a rocket and can fall unconscious with as little as 5 g.

This family of insect is best known for the nymph stage, which produces a cover of frothed-up plant sap resembling spit; the nymphs are therefore commonly known as spittlebugs, or spit bugs.

The Most Powerful Muscle

2010-10-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

The greatest burst of power from any animal muscle comes from the tongue of a tropical salamander.

The giant palm salamander of Central America (Bolitoglossa dofleini) captures fast-moving bugs with an explosive tongue thrust that releases over 18,000 watts of power per kilogram of muscle.

Much like an arrow shot from a bow. The giant palm salamander's bony tongue is launched with an initial burst of energy and flies forward under its own momentum. The "bow" is provided by elastic fibers in the salamander's mouth that stretch to store muscular energy and then release it all at once. The salamander's ballistic firing permits the tongue's sticky-padded tip to reach prey in just a few thousandths of a second

The Size of a Blue Whale

2010-10-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

The blue whale is the largest animal ever known to have lived.

Even larger than any dinosaur. The largest known dinosaur of the Mesozoic Era was the Argentinosaurus, which is estimated to have weighed up to 90 metric tons (99 short tons).

The longest whales ever recorded were two females measuring 33.6–33.3 meters (110–109 ft) respectively. The longest whale measured by scientists at the NMML was 29.9 meters (98 ft).

A blue whale's tongue alone weighs around 2.7 metric tons (3.0 short tons) and, when fully expanded, its mouth is large enough to hold up to 90 metric tons (99 short tons) of food and water.

Its heart is the size of a small car and weighs 600 kilograms (1,300 lb). It is the largest known in any animal. Its Heart only has to beat 6 timesA blue whale's aorta is about 23 centimetres (9.1 in) in diameter.

During the first seven months of its life, a blue whale calf drinks approximately 400 litres (100 U.S. gallons) of milk every day. Blue whale calves gain weight quickly, as much as 90 kilograms (200 lb) every 24 hours.

Even at birth, they weigh up to 2,700 kilograms (6,000 lb)—the same as a fully grown hippopotamus.

Cute Critter Friday: Red Panda

2010-10-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

This panda may not be as well known as the black and white giant panda, but it is one of the cutest animals around.

Scientists have had difficulty classifying the red panda. It has been classified as a relative of the giant panda, and also of the raccoon, with which it shares a ringed tail. Currently, red pandas are considered members of their own unique family—the Ailuridae.

The Firefox browser is sometimes said to have been named after a Chinese name for Red Panda: 火狐, or "fire fox." The Mozilla Web site also states that Firefox is a name for the Red Panda, it cites a mirror of the Red Panda Wikipedia article as the source for this statement. In addition, an article on its branding by the artist says that although Firefox is a Red Panda, the logo design is a Red Fox

Unicorn of the Sea

2010-10-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

The Narwhal tusk used to be considered to have magical powers

Vikings and other northern traders of medieval times used to sell Narwhal tusks for many times their weight in gold. The medieval Europeans believed them to be the horn from the legendary unicorn. The "horns" were considered to have magical powers and were used in medical practices.

The Narwhal tusk can grow to 7-10 feet long (2-3 meters). The tusk of a narwhal is actually a tooth. Usually the left incisor of a male. There have been many reports of male Narwhals having 2 tusks, and even an occasional female will produce one. The purpose of the tusk has been debated and speculated on. Many believe it is a sexual characteristic attracting the female. While the research in this video suggests it may serve many other functions

Part Fish, Part Bird

2010-10-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

The longest recorded fish flight is 45 seconds.

Flying fish live in all of the oceans, particularly in warm tropical and subtropical waters. Their most striking feature is their pectoral fins, which are unusually large, and enable the fish to hide and escape from predators by leaping out of the water, taking short gliding flights through air just above the water's surface. Their glides are typically around 50 metres (160 ft). In order to glide upward out of the water, a flying fish moves its tail up to 70 times per second. They can also use their tail to keep themselfes moving in the air without diving back down.

In May 2008, a Japanese television crew filmed a flying fish off the coast of Yakushima Island, Japan. The creature spent 45 seconds in flight. The previous record was 42 seconds. Flying fish can use updrafts at the leading edge of waves to cover distances of at least 400 m (1,300 ft). They can travel at speeds of more than 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph). Maximum altitude is 6 m (20 ft) above the surface of the sea.

17 Foot Flying Devil Ray

2010-10-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Mobula ray is similar in size an appearance to the Manta ray, But in Baja California they recreationally jump up to 6 feet out of the water.

The Mobula ray is a genus of ray in the family Myliobatidae (eagle rays). They are second only to the Manta in size, But still attain a width of up to 5.2 meters (17 feet) and can probably weigh over a ton, They have been observed in Baja California breaching out of the water. Their leaps can reach up to 6 feet high, then they belly flop back into the water. Despite their size, little is known about this genus, other than the fact they want to be birds.

Giant Centipede

2010-10-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

The largest centipede in the world feeds on frogs, tarantulas, and can even catch a bat in mid flight.

Scolopendra gigantea (also known as the Amazonian giant centipede) is the largest centipede in the world, regularly reaching lengths of 26 cm (10 in) and can exceed 35 cm (13 in). It inhabits the northern and western regions of South America and the islands of Trinidad, and Jamaica.

It is carnivorous, feeding on lizards, frogs, birds, mice, and even bats. It is also known to prey on tarantulas. The body consists of 21 to 23 segments which are coppery red or maroon in color, each with a pair of yellow-tinted legs; the legs are adapted for fast walking. The centipede has modified claws called forcipules which curve around its head and can deliver venom into its prey.

Tigers and... Pigs?

2010-10-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

The power of scent is strong in humans and many animals. With the use of a familiar scent a tiger mother adopts these piglets.

See Animal Planets Video Here

And here is one from ITN.co.uk

Our sense of smell is tightly wired in the brain with memory and emotion. The olfactory bulb has intimate access to the amygdala, which processes emotion, and the hippocampus, which is responsible for associative learning. When you first smell a new scent, you link it to an event, a person, a thing or even a moment. Your brain forges a link between the smell and a memory. In animals this is called olfactory imprinting. Olfactory imprinting is a process in which the exposure of animals to smells during a specific time windows leaves a permanent memory ("olfactory imprint") that changes the animal's behavior when encountering the same smell at later times. In the case of this Tiger and Pig, the mother pig marks the tiger cubs with her scent, then the cubs are given back to their mom to create that "imprint". Over time the mother tiger sees the piglet, who smell the same, as her own family.

Orca Death at Seaworld

2010-10-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

September 4th 2010, Seaworlds Orca Kalina died unexpectedly. That makes three killer whale deaths in 4 months. and thirteen deaths in 14 years.

Orcas are one of the oceans most majestic creatures. I have had the pleasure of being out in the Puget Sound to spend time with these Whales. While zoos always make me sad, I also can understand the difficulty in seeing some creatures in the wild. However for those of us in the USA we don't even have to leave the country to visit orcas. Simply visit the San Juan Islands in Washington state, and you can witness all of the tricks and jumps in their own natural environment. The wild orcas of the Puget Sound are very friendly towards humans, and like to show off. Seaworld may claim that they have the best interests of their animals at heart, but the natural lifespan of an Orca in captivity doesn't even come close to the 80 to 90 years they can live in the wild. The news makes me sad, and all I can say is I encourage everyone to respect life in captivity or in the wild.

Beastly Bovine

2010-10-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

Belgian Blue cattle are specifically bred to lack a growth gene, providing huge results.

Video from National Geographic

Cows have been a huge part of human culture for thousands of years. They provide multiple food sources and in some cultures hey are even worshiped. These Belgian Blues have been carefully selected and bred with the purpose of creating a larger cow. There is a gene in cows that controls their muscle growth and the cows that are selected lack this genetic trait. They have been contolling this breeding for over a hundred years. The result is a 2 ton cow that looks like he just stepped out of a body building competition.

Leopard Seal Encounter

2010-10-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

A Face to Face encounter with one of Antarcticas Vicious Predators. The Leopard Seal

Video From National Geographic

Of all the seals in the world, only one, the leopard seal, has the reputation of a true hunter, a top predator. At up to 12 feet (four meters) long and more than a thousand pounds (450 kilograms), it moves with surprising agility and speed, often along the edges of ice floes, patrolling for penguins and other prey. They have often been seen shreading prey with their giant teeth, or even just playing with their food having no intention of eating it. There have also been a number of human attacks, making this huge curious carnovore just a little scarier.

Dogs Playing Pool

2010-09-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

Two Videos of Dogs Hustling the pool table

The Champion Pool Player "Halo"

Another Video of him ca be found Here

and for the smaller dog lovers, this is Amadeus the Chihuahua

The idea of a dog, or any animal performing human sports and activities has always been novel and entertaining. Weather its skateboarding, surfing, or playing pool, dogs seem to stand out in their abilities. Not only are they mans best friend, but with skills like this they could be joining their fellow man in bars around the world.

Albino Animals

2010-09-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

A Collection of Pictures of Rare Albino Animals. Many of which may be the only one of their kind in the world

Albinism is a rare congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, or a lack of color. There are a lot of complications to being albino. Many suffer from vision problems, they can be hyper sensitive to light or the sun, and albino animals may lack their protective camouflage. However, pure white animals can be very attractive, and may be sought after for pets or protected because of their rarity. If an animal is white and also has pink eyes it is usually a pure albino, but not all white animals are albino, and not all albinos are pure white. There are different versions of partial albinism as well.

A Beautifully pink albino Dolphin. (not the same as the amazonian pink river dolphin)

Aligator

Wallabee

Monkey

Cobra Snake

Horse

Squirrel

Penguin

Koala

The only known Albino Gorilla. "snowflake"

Peacock

Biological Immortality

2010-09-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

There is a Jellyfish whose biology allows it to go from a fully mature Medusa, to its polyp stage and back again indefinitely.

The Turritopsis nutricula is a small jellyfish with an ability so far unique in the animal kingdom. It is the only known jellyfish to have developed the ability to return to a polyp state. Or basically, reverse its life cycle, then grow up again. This process allows the jellyfish to bypass death. In fact, there may be no natural limit to its life span.

The key lies in a process called transdifferentiation, where one type of cell is transformed into another type of cell. Some animals can undergo limited transdifferentiation and regenerate organs, such as salamanders, which can regrow limbs. Turritopsi nutricula, on the other hand, can regenerate its entire body over and over again.

There are many natural dangers to these animals, so they can still easily die. Science also doesn't have a way of knowing how old one is, so there are no records of their old age. To read about the oldest known vertebrate see my previous post Here.

Oldest Vertebrate Recorded

2010-09-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hanako, The koi fish was 226 years old upon her death.

She may have been outlived by trees, molusks, and jellyfish, but 226 years is quite impressive. There are actually several known Koi or Japanese carp that have lived for well over a century, Hanako being the longest lived vertebrate ever recorded. She died in 1977. She was owned by several individuals, the last of whom was Dr. Komei Koshihara. To read the story of Hanako in his words see Here.

List of famous long lived Koi:
1. Hanako (scarlet) - 217 years old; born in 1st year of Horeki (A.D. 1751); in the preceding year there arose an internal feud in the Kaga Clan; and the birth was 25 years before the Declaration of Independence of America.
2. Aoi (white with red spots on belly) - 170 years old; born in 10th year of Kansei (A.D. 1798); in the same year Norinaga Motoori published "Kojiki-dan",Juzo Kondo discovered Island of Etoroff, and Napoleon went on his Egyptian campaign.
3. Chikara (bluish black) - 155 years old; born in 10th year of Bunka (A.D. 1813); in the same year Kumpei Gamo died, Stevenson invented the steam engine, and in the following year Bakin takizawa published "Nanso Satomi Hakken-den".
4. Satoru (white with black spots on back) - 151 years old; born in 14th year of Bunka (A.D. 1917); in the same year an English ship visited the port of Uraga. Death of Gempaku Sugita.
5. Santa (black with an indented scar on the face) - 141 years old; born in the 10th year of Bunsei (A.D. 1827); in the same year Sanyo Rai published "Nihon Gaishi". Great Fire of Yedo in the following year.
6. Yuki (white) - 141 years old; born in the same year as "Santa".

The World of Ants

2010-09-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

Ever Wonder what the inside of an ant hill looks like?

While I don't encourage, or condone the killing animals in any form, this experiment is fascinating. Another amazing ant phenomenon is known as a supercolony. Most commonly, ants from different nests exhibit aggression toward each other. A group of nests where ants do not exhibit mutual aggression is known as a supercolony. Populations in supercolonies do not necessarily span a contiguous area. Until 2000, the largest known ant supercolony was on the Ishikari coast of Hokkaidō, Japan. The colony was estimated to contain 306 million worker ants and one million queen ants living in 45,000 nests INTERCONNECTED by underground passages over an area of 2.7 km². In 2000, an enormous supercolony of Argentine ants was found in Southern Europe. Of 33 ant populations nested along the 6,004 km stretch along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts in Southern Europe, 30 belonged to one supercolony with estimated millions of nests and billions of workers, interspersed with three populations of another supercolony. It was later demonstrated that the largest Japanese, Californian and European Argentine ant supercolonies were in fact part of a single global "megacolony".