giantmecha

endangereduglythings: cool-critters: Eastern long-beaked…
April 19th, 2015

cool-critters:

Eastern long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bartoni)

The eastern long-beaked echidna is one of three species from the genus Zaglossus to occur in New Guinea. It is found mainly in Papua New Guinea at elevations between 2,000 and 3,000 metres. The eastern long-beaked echidna can be distinguished from other members of the genus by the number of claws on the fore and hind feet: it has five claws on its fore feet and four on its hind feet. Its body length ranges from 60 to 100 cm and it has no tail. The species is the largest monotreme and is slow-moving. It rolls into a spiny ball for defense. There are four recognized subspecies of Zaglossus bartoni. Eastern long-beaked echidnas are mainly insect eaters, or insectivores. It is currently listed as Critically Endangered on the Red List. Deforestation is one of the factors leading to the decline of this species.

photo credits: apscience

Somehow the long-beaked echidnas look so much goofier than their short-beaked cousins.

http://ift.tt/1F4yUO4

awwww-cute: Our 3 day old baby chicks enjoying the warmth from…
April 19th, 2015

awwww-cute:

Our 3 day old baby chicks enjoying the warmth from my husband’s coffee mug (Source: http://ift.tt/1DczRkW)

http://ift.tt/1F4yUxB

e-hayesharris: Raccoon, Louisiana
April 19th, 2015

e-hayesharris:

Raccoon, Louisiana

http://ift.tt/1F4yUxl

Hunter Ian Gibson Trampled To Death By Elephant He Was Tracking To Kill For Ivory
April 17th, 2015

Good fucking riddance.

Once-Prized Tibetan Mastiffs Are Discarded as Fad Ends in China
April 17th, 2015

Here.

BULLSHIT: “If I had other opportunities, I’d quit this business,” said Gombo, a veteran breeder in China’s northwestern province of Qinghai, who like many Tibetans uses just one name. He said keeping one of his 160-pound carnivores properly fed cost $50 to $60 a day.

Also: At the peak of the mastiff mania, some breeders pumped their studs with silicone to make them look more powerful; in early 2013, the owner of one promising moneymaker sued a Beijing animal clinic for $140,000 after his dog died on the operating table during face-lift surgery. “If my dog looks better, female dog owners will pay a higher price when they want to mate their dog with mine,” the owner told the state-run Global Times newspaper, explaining why he had asked surgeons to alter the dog’s saggy mien.

Also: The rescuers who saved Nibble and the others from an ignominious fate said the conditions of the transport were appalling. Several of the mastiffs had broken limbs, and they had not been given food or water for three days. By the time the dogs were released from their cages — the volunteers eventually paid the driver for their freedom — more than a third of them were dead.

I hate people.