Earth Touch Blog

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Nile crocodile Jun 10 2008

Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) are freshwater reptiles, closely related to alligators. According to the World Conservation Union, they are found widely in Africa. 

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – capybara Jun 9 2008

The capybara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris) is the world’s largest living rodent. Adult capybaras can grow up to 130cm (4.3ft), and weigh up to 65kg (140lb). They are herbivores, living on grasses and aquatic plants.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – leopard Jun 6 2008

Leopards (Panthera pardus), according to the World Conservation Union, are found widely in Africa, as well as parts of Asia and the Middle East. They are the smallest of the cats of the Panthera genus, which includes lions, tigers and jaguars. 

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – southern yellow-billed hornbill Jun 5 2008

Southern yellow-billed hornbills (Tockus leucomelas) are medium-sized birds, with distinctive large yellow bills and red skin around their eyes.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Texas tree lizard Jun 4 2008

Texas tree lizards (Urosaurus ornatus), also known as ornate tree lizards, are thorny lizards which feed mostly on insects and insect larvae. They perch on rocks and trees, and are territorial, with a male and female (sometimes two females) occupying an area.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – armadillo Jun 3 2008

Armadillos (Euphractus sexcinctus) are small mammals with distinctive bony shells covering most of their bodies. According to the World Conservation Union, they are native to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Suriname and Uruguay.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – flap-neck chameleon Jun 2 2008

Flap-neck chameleons (Chamaeleo dilepis) are found widely in Southern Africa. They are named for the small protrusion or flap at the base of the heads. They raise this flap when threatened, in order to appear larger.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – red-winged blackbird May 30 2008

Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are native to the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – rockhopper penguin May 29 2008

Rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) are native to Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Uruguay and New Zealand. There are also vagrant populations in Antarctica and Brazil.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – pitcher plant May 28 2008

Pitcher plants, also known as monkey cups, are carnivorous plants. They use their unusual, deep cup-shaped leaves to trap insects. The insides of the leaves are often slippery or sticky, preventing the insects’ escape. 

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – binturong cub May 27 2008

Binturongs (Arctictis binturong), also known as bear cats, are found in southeast Asia. They are nocturnal tree-dwellers and eat mostly fruit.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – bongo May 23 2008

Bongos (Tragelaphus eurycerus) are the largest and heaviest forest antelope. They are a distinctive chestnut colour that darkens as they age.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – bat-eared fox May 22 2008

Bat-eared foxes (Otocyon megalotis) are native to southern and eastern Africa. They are nocturnal, and live in breeding pairs, with both parents taking part in the rearing of young.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – emu May 20 2008

Emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) are large, flightless birds native to Australia, although farmed in many other countries.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Golden Gate May 19 2008

This photo shows the sandstone formations known as Golden Gate, a major attraction of Golden Gate National Park, South Africa. 

Photography

Flickr group pic of the day: North American river otter May 16 2008

The North American river otter is an aquatic river animal that is commonly found throughout North America, Canada, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, the Atlantic states, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – wallaby May 15 2008

Wallabies are found widely throughout Australia. 

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – lion and cub May 14 2008

Lions (Panthera leo) are unusual among cats because of their tendency to live in groups (called prides). A pride usually consists of two to 12 adult females and their cubs. Usually all the females are related.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – guira bird May 13 2008

Guira birds (Guira guira) are a type of cuckoo, found only in South America. They are common in their native countries which include Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. 

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – sea slug May 12 2008

This strange creature is a type of nudibranch (a marine mollusc or, colloquially, sea slug). It is referred to by the Latin name Phidiana hiltoni, and is sometimes called a Californian nudibranch or Hilton’s phidiana.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – woodland kingfisher May 9 2008

Woodland kingfishers (Halcyon senegalensis) are found widely throughout most of Africa. They are a common species, identifiable by their two-tone beak.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – plumed basilisk May 8 2008

The plumed basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) is a species of lizard native to South America. The male of the species has three crests on its head and body, the female has only one small crest on its head.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – African buffalo May 7 2008

African buffalos (Syncerus caffer) are found widely throughout sub-Saharan Africa. They mostly move in large herds, grazing and living together.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Tailed jay butterfly May 6 2008

The tailed jay butterfly (Graphium agamemnon), also known as the green spotted triangle, tailed green jay or green triangle, is a tropical species of the swallowtail family. It is widely found in Australia, India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Photography

Flickr group pic of the day: Turtle May 5 2008

The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a large turtle from the family Chelonidae. It is mostly found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – white rhino May 1 2008

White rhinos (Ceratotherium simum) are found in central and southern Africa. According to the World Conservation Union (IUCN), they are considered near threatened, with only an estimated 11,670 white rhino individuals left in the wild.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Hudsonian whiteface Apr 30 2008

The hudsonian whiteface dragonfly (Leucorrhinia hudsonica) is commonly found in the northern United States of America and in much of Canada. Mature males have black and red patterned bodies, while females and immature males are patterned in yellow.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – cheetah Apr 29 2008

Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are members of the cat family, but unique in the fact that they do not climb trees. They are the fastest animals on land, reaching speeds of up to 110km/h (68mph).

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – baboon Apr 25 2008

Olive baboons (Papio anubis) are also called anubis baboons. They are widely spread throughout Africa, including Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Togo and Uganda.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – gentoo penguin Apr 24 2008

Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) are an easily recognisable species, because of the distinctive white stripe across their foreheads. According to the International Union for Conservation, they are native in Antarctica; Argentina; Australia; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); French Southern Territories (Crozet Island, Kerguelen); Heard Island and McDonald Islands; South Africa (Marion and Prince Edward Islands); South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. They are currently classified as near threatened.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep Apr 23 2008

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are found in the Rocky Mountain range that stretches across Northern America. 

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – snowy owl chick Apr 18 2008

The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large, white and speckled bird with a rounded head, yellow eyes and black bill.

They are found fairly widely in the Arctic and neighbouring areas of the northern hemisphere, including Canada, China, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Photography

Flickr photo essay – polar bears, by Len Haier Apr 17 2008

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are the largest carnivores on earth, and can weigh between 300 and 600kg (660-1320lb). They are found in Arctic areas only, including Denmark, Russia, Norway and Canada.

They are largely dependent on the sea ice environment of the Arctic, and are considered by environmental groups to be extremely vulnerable and a threatened species. 

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – bonnet macaque Apr 15 2008

Bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) are a type of monkey native to India. They eat fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers, and invertebrates.

This photo was taken by our Earth-Touch Flickr group member Subharghya Das, in Karnataka, India.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – bald eagles Apr 10 2008

Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are large, powerful, high-flying birds found in North America.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – keel-billed toucan Apr 9 2008

Keel-billed toucans (Ramphastos sulfuratus) are also known as a sulfur-breasted toucan and rainbow-billed toucan. They are found exclusively in Central and South America.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – spotted hyena Apr 8 2008

The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is a carnivorous mammal, indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa. They are most well known for their distinctive noise, which sounds similar to human laughter.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Serval Apr 7 2008

Servals (Leptailurus serval) are small to medium-sized wild cats, closely related to caracals. They are usually found on the savannahs and grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa.

This photo was taken by our Earth-Touch Flickr group member Achim (AKA AnyMotion), using a Canon EOS 20D, in Tanzania.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Grand Teton National Park Apr 4 2008

This landscape of an oxbow bend in a river was taken in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA.

It was shot by our Earth-Touch Flickr group member Renee Lloyd (AKA rlloyd66).

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – Indian grey mongoose Apr 1 2008

The Indian grey mongoose (Herpestes edwardsi) is found in southern India and parts of the Middle East and south-eastern China. These animals, which can grow to about 0.6m (2ft) long, live socially in small family groups.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – grey kangaroo Mar 31 2008

Grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) are found mainly in eastern Australia and Tasmania. They are sociable animals, living together in small groups called mobs made up of six or seven individuals. Often several mobs will graze together.

Photography

Flickr group: pic of the day – blue-eyed darner Mar 27 2008

The blue-eyed darner dragonfly (Rhionaeschna multicolor) is commonly found in the western United States. It is an insectivore, hunting small insects while flying.