Results tagged “vertebrate” on Earth Touch Blog
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.
Tags: africa, crocodile, flickr, nile crocodile, photograph, photography, reptile, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: capybara, flickr, mammal, photograph, photography, rodent, south america, vertebrateWarthog chases cheetahs away Jun 9 2008
The Earth-Touch crew witnessed an unusual encounter in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, in South Africa, recently. They were filming a group of cheetahs resting in the bush, when a family of warthogs arrived on the scene and the female warthog proceeded to chase the cheetahs away.
Tags: africa, chase, cheetah, feed, forage, hluhluwe, imfolozi, mammal, south africa, vertebrate, warthogThe week’s most viewed stories Jun 6 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 30 May to Thursday 05 June 2008) were:
Number 1
Dolphins appear out of the blue
Out in the bay where the waves break, a pod of these marine mammals emerges from deeper water.
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.
Tags: africa, cat, flickr, kenya, leopard, mammal, photograph, photography, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, bird, hornbill, photograph, photography, southern yellow-billed hornbill, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: austin, lizard, north america, ornate tree lizard, photograph, photography, reptile, texas, texas tree lizard, united states, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, chameleon, flap-neck, photograph, photography, reptile, south africa, vertebrateMacaques at both ends of the tail scale Jun 2 2008
Tags: asia, diet, feed, long-tailed, macaque, mammal, monkey, stump-tailed, tail, thailand, vertebrate
The week’s most viewed stories May 30 2008
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 23 May to Thursday 29 May 2008) were:
Number 1
Dolphins appear out of the blue
Out in the bay where the waves break, a pod of these marine mammals emerges from deeper water.
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.
Tags: bird, flickr, north america, photograph, photography, red-winged blackbird, united states, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, antarctica, argentina, australia, bird, brazil, falkland islands, flickr, hile, new zealand, penguin, photograph, photography, rockhopper, south africa, south america, uruguay, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, antelope, bongo, flickr, mammal, photograph, photography, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, bat-eared fox, insectivore, mammal, photograph, photography, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – prairie rattlesnake May 21 2008
The prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), also known as a western rattlesnake or plains rattlesnake, is a venomous snake native to Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Tags: america, canada, central america, mexico, north america, prairie rattlesnake, rattlesnake, reptile, snake, united states, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: australia, bird, emu, flickr, photograph, photography, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, cat, cub, flickr, lion, mammal, photograph, photography, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: bird, flickr, guira, photograph, photography, south america, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, bird, flickr, kingfisher, kruger national park, photograph, photography, south africa, vertebrate, woodland kingfisherFlickr 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.
Tags: crest, flickr, lizard, photograph, photography, plumed basilisk, reptile, south america, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, african buffalo, buffalo, flickr, graze, herd, mammal, photograph, photography, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: flickr, indian ocean, marine, pacific ocean, photograph, photography, reptile, turtle, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, conservation, flickr, kenya, mammal, photograph, photography, rhino, threatened, vertebrate, white rhinoFlickr 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).
Tags: africa, cat, cheetah, flickr, mammal, namibia, photograph, photography, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, anubis baboon, ape, baboon, flickr, olive baboon, photograph, photography, tanzania, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, antarctica, argentina, australia, bird, flickr, gentoo penguin, penguin, photograph, photography, south africa, south america, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: arctic, bird, canada, china, denmark, flickr, northern hemisphere, owl, photograph, photography, snowy owl, snowy owl chick, united kingdom, united states, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: artic, bear, canada, carnivore, denmark, flickr, mammal, north america, norway, photograph, photography, polar bear, russia, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – mustang foal Apr 16 2008
Mustangs are free-roaming horses. They are often referred to as “wild”, but they are descendants of domesticated horses. They are found in western North America.
Tags: horse, mammal, mustang, nevada, north america, united states of america, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: bonnet macaque, india, mammal, monkey, photograph, photography, vertebrateDid you know? Elephants and marula berries Apr 11 2008
Elephants are notoriously destructive feeders, breaking off branches, debarking trees and even uprooting or pushing over whole trees. But they also play an important role in the life cycle of trees, by dropping seeds of their favourite trees in their dung as they move from place to place. Birds such as hornbills eat their favourite seeds off the ground, and so the distribution process continues.
Tags: bird, dung, eat, elephant, feed, fruit, hornbill, mammal, marula, savannah, seed, tree, vertebrateFlickr 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.
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.
Tags: africa, flickr, hyena, kenya, laughter, mammal, masai mara, photograph, photography, sub-saharan, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: africa, cat, flickr, mammal, photograph, photography, serval, sub-saharan, vertebrate, wild catMud bath cools off warthogs and rhino Apr 4 2008
On a hot, windy afternoon at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, in South Africa, the Earth-Touch crew watched a family of warthogs and a white rhino bull enjoying a cooling wallow in a mud pan.
Meerkats as social media in action Apr 4 2008
In all of my years in the wilds of the world, and especially in the African bush, I have never encountered a creature that more embodies the idea of a “social media strategy” than the meerkat.
Tags: africa, mammal, meerkat, social, south africa, vertebrateGreat white shark’s hunting kit Apr 3 2008
The great white shark senses what’s going on around it using its eyesight, special cells along its lateral line, and sensory cells on its nose, called ampullae of Lorenzini, which detect electrical fields.
Tags: africa, camouflage, coast, colour, fish, great white, marine, predator, prey, reef, sense, shark, sight, smell, south africa, struisbaai, swim, vertebrate, western capeFlickr 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.
Tags: asia, china, flickr, india, indian grey mongoose, mammal, middle east, mongoose, photograph, photography, vertebrateFlickr 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.
Tags: australia, flickr, grey kangaroo, kangaroo, mammal, marsupial, photograph, photography, tasmania, vertebrateDid you know? The African elephant Mar 31 2008
The African elephant is the largest animal in the world that lives on land. The world’s largest animal is the blue whale.
Tags: africa, elephant, mammal, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – mandarin duck Mar 28 2008
The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a medium-sized bird, closely related to the North American wood duck. The adult male as shown in this picture is recognisable because of its vivid and unique colouring.
Tags: bird, duck, england, europe, mandarin, mandarin duck, richmond, richmond park, surrey, united kingdom, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – lemon shark Mar 25 2008
Lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) are found in tropical and sub-tropical waters, usually along the Atlantic coast of the Americas.
Tags: america, bahamas, beach, central america, coast, fish, lemon shark, shark, sharks, south america, tropical, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – lionfish Mar 20 2008
The common lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a poisonous fish with very long pectoral and dorsal fins. They are also known as dragon fish. They are a tropical species found widely throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Tags: fish, lionfish, pacific ocean, poisonous, tropical, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – ring-tailed lemur Mar 19 2008
The ring-tailed lemur ( Lemur catta ) is a prosimian, a type of primate, indigenous exclusively to the island of Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa.
They are highly social animals, living and foraging as part of a large hierarchical family unit.
Flickr group: pic of the day – baby mountain gorilla Mar 18 2008
This juvenile mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of the world’s most endangered animals. The IUCN Red List puts the number of this subspecies at fewer than 325 animals.
This image was added to our Flickr group by member Max Waugh.
Tags: africa, ape, congo, democratic republic of congo, gorilla, mammal, mountain gorilla, rwanda, uganda, vertebrateDid you know? Great white shark Mar 18 2008
The great white shark, which is named for its large size and white underbelly, is one of the ocean’s most powerful and awesome predators. But it’s really the great white’s scientific name, Carcharodon carcharias, which says it all – it means “jagged-toothed one”.
Tags: attack, diet, fish, great white shark, ocean, predator, shark, sharks, teeth, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – violet sabrewing Mar 17 2008
This macro shot of a violet sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus) was taken by Flickr Earth-Toucher, ChipM2008, in Costa Rica.
Violet sabrewings are large hummingbirds native to Mexico and Central America.
Tags: bird, central america, costa rica, hummingbirds, vertebrate, violet sabrewingDid you know? Elephant communication Mar 17 2008
Elephants use various communication techniques, from loud trumpeting through their trunks to messages that humans cannot hear.
Tags: africa, communication, elephant, elephants, infrasound, mammal, trumpet, trunk, vertebrateDid you know? Zebra stripes Mar 17 2008
Have you ever wondered whether a zebra has black stripes on a white coat or white stripes on a black coat?
Tags: africa, black, blood vessels, camouflage, mammal, stripe, temperature, vertebrate, white, zebra, zebrasDid you know? Anemones and clownfish Mar 13 2008
Sea anemones are predatory animals, closely related to jellyfish. They live on rocks and reefs in the ocean. There are many types of anemone. Sometimes, many anemones will attach to a reef, together looking like a giant, colourful, underwater carpet.
Tags: anemone, clownfish, fish, gender, indian ocean, invertebrate, ocean, pacific ocean, poison, protect, reef, vertebrateFlickr group: pic of the day – zebra Mar 12 2008
Burchell’s zebras (Equus burchellii) are African land mammals, related to horses and antelope, and recognised worldwide for their unique and vibrant markings.
This zebra photograph was contributed to our Flickr group by member Palko72, and taken using a Canon EOS 5D in Hluhluwe-uMfolozi Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Tags: africa, game reserve, hluhluwe-umfolozi, kwazulu-natal, mammal, vertebrate, zebra