Riders herd bison during the annual roundup

Riders herd bison during the annual roundup on Antelope Island in Utah
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

A dog jumps over a puddle in front of the skyline of lower Manhattan

A dog jumps over a puddle in front of the skyline of lower Manhattan at sunset in New York City
Gary Herhsorn/FOX News

Geese huddle in water as the sun rises at the harbor in Port Washington

Geese huddle in water as the sun rises at the harbor in Port Washington, Wisconsin
AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps

Muhammed and Berkan Toren enjoy a hot spring along with their water buffaloes

Muhammed and Berkan Toren enjoy a hot spring along with their water buffaloes near the village of Budakli, in the mountainous Bitlis province of southeastern Turkey
AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

Roosters attack each other during a cockfight as part of Jonbeel festival

Roosters attack each other during a cockfight as part of Jonbeel festival near Jagiroad, east of Gauhati, India
AP Photo/Anupam Nath

A man rides a horse through a bonfire as part of a ritual in honor of Saint Anthony the Abbot

A man rides a horse through a bonfire as part of a ritual in honor of Saint Anthony the Abbot, the patron saint of domestic animals, in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain
AP Photo/Felipe Dana

A shark said to be 'Deep Blue', one of the largest recorded individuals

A shark said to be 'Deep Blue', one of the largest recorded individuals, swims offshore in Hawaii
REUTERS/JuanSharks/OceanRamsey/Juan Oliphant

A female panda that was born in a Malaysian zoo has her first birthday

A female panda that was born in a Malaysian zoo has her first birthday at the National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
AP Photo/Vincent Thian

A stag bellows on a cold morning in Bushy Park

A stag bellows on a cold morning in Bushy Park, south west London
AP Photo/Matt Dunham

For the Birds

Gators...

 

Hello... Anyone Home?

Critters

Not Me...

Livin the Lizard Life...

I don't think those are pandas...

Gators Everywhere

ROUS's

I believe this news item was fortold in the classic movie, The Princess Bride, where the Fire Swamp included ROUS's: Rodents of Unusual Size

Finally! We Have Rain

Even the birds are excited about it.

Elephant Story

Received this heartwarming and true story from Thad...

In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it.

As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled.

Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Mbembe was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe' s legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.

Your First Kiss

So, it's your first kiss and several questions might come to mind:
- Is it the right time? - Is anyone watching?
- Does your partner even want to?
- Is your breath fresh?

Then you lean in and just go for it!!!

Amy the Armadillo

One of the stars of our week on Amelia Island was Amy the Armadillo (see 7/1 post). Actually, I don't know that anyone ever named her. I thought it might anthropomorphize her a little and thereby make the story a more heartwarming tale and less like it is about an armor-plated rat. (I would have said 'opossum' but, as Michael will inform you, an opossum is a marsupial where an armadillo is a mammal - hence, armor-plated rat. Class dismissed.) Anyway, here's Denise's picture of sweet little "Amy."