Africa

The Top Three Most Popular Reptile Pets

Posted on by blogger

Reptiles are now more popular than dogs as pets, a fact that appeared as a result of a survey carried out in early 2008. guess the most popular reptiles reptile pets. Like many things pet related, you need to make the right choice, and just as choosing a badly suited breed of dog can cause problems, the same is true of reptiles.

The easiest to care for tend to be the most popular also, and as such are great first reptiles, so here they are:-

Bearded Dragon
Bearded Dragon is the name used for any agamid lizard in the genus Pogona. They are native to Australia, and are sometimes the first reptile people get as pets.

Bearded Dragons are popular pets, notably the species Inland or Central Bearded Dragon. These animals are also affectionately called “Beardies” by those who breed or raise them. They are a ideally suited to children, because of their friendly and calm nature, along with the low amount of work they need to be cared for.

Beardies have broad triangular heads and flattened bodies, the adults growto approximately 18 to 24 inches from head to tail with males and females being of comparable size, although males usually sport a larger head and a thicker tail base than the females.

Beardies have a distinctive set of spines running horizontally from the head to the base of the tail. They range in colour from light tan to dark brown, depending on their native soil, often with highlights of black, brilliant red, or gold, and can change greatly depending upon their internal condition, mood or temperature darkening when cool. Some spefically hand reared have been selectively bred for more brilliant colorations.

Beardies are omnivorous, capable of subsisting on a wide variety of food sources, including both insects and vegetable food. A typical diet for captive beardies includes leafy greens and vegetables, and regular meals of feeder insects.

All species are from Australia, but they have been exported the world over and bred successfully in captivity. Beardies live about 815 years with proper care in captivity, though some can live up to 20 years old

Corn Snake
The corn snake, or red rat snake, is a North American species of rat snake that subdue their small prey with constriction. The name “corn snake” comes from the fact that they have markings on their underside that looks like corn. They are found throughout the south-eastern and central United States. Their placid nature, reluctance to bite, moderate adult size 1.2 to 1.8 metres, attractive markings, and comparatively simple care make them popular pet snakes. In the wild, they usually live around 10-15 years, but can live as old as 23 years in captivity. Like all rat snakes, corn snakes are non-venomous.

They have a diet mainly consisting of rodents, mostly mice and rats, which they kill via crushing. They are accomplished climbers and may climb trees in search of birds and bats. Pet Corn Snakes are usually fed by their keepers on a diet of commercially available rodents, predominantly mice, while younger and smaller snakes may eat live or dead rat or mouse pups of various sizes. Frozen mice are preferable, as live prey can possibly carry disease or injure the snake if it has not been raised on live prey.

The Corn Snake was one of the first snakes to be kept in captivity by people, and remains one of the most popular. Large volumes are bred annually to ensure that there is a constant supply, lowering the need to collect specimens from the wild. keeping more than one together is inadvisable in captivity, as these are naturally solitary animals.

Owners of Corn Snakes have emphasised a cage with no chance of escape. Corn Snakes are excellent escape artists and will often get out of any home that is not properly secured. More first timers lose their snakes to escapes than death. They are good at climbing, squeezing out of tiny holes, and can also use their bodies to push the lid off of a poorly-fitted aquarium.

Royal or Ball Python
The Royal Python or Python Regius is a non-venomous python species found in Africa. This is the smallest of the African pythons and is popular as a pet snake. Adults generally do not grow to more than 90-120 cm in length, although some examples have reached 152 cm and even 182 cm, around 6ft, but this is very rare. The build is stocky while the head is relatively small and the scales are smooth.

The colour marking is typically black with light brown-green side and dorsal blotches. The underside is a white or cream that sometimes can include scattered black markings. However, owners and breeders have, through selective breeding, developed many mutations with different colours and patterns.

The name ball python comes from the snakes tendency to curl into a ball when worried or scared. The name royal python is rumoured to have come from the story that Cleopatra allegedly wore the snake around her wrist.

Ordinarily when wild, the diet consists mostly of small mammals, such as African soft-furred rats, shrews and striped mice. Younger snakes have also been known to feed on birds. Captive pets usually do well on domestic rats and mice, either live, pre-killed, or frozen-thawed

There are obviously many more reptile types kept as pets, and no doubt the favourites will change, but any of the three named above will make great pets, and a great introduction to keeping reptiles.

Birds And Their Symbiotic Relationships With Animals

Posted on by blogger

Throughout history, certain species of birds have formed strategic partnerships with other animals. And these partnerships have seeming served both of them well. Here are just a few of those pairings.

One of these strange relationships is the one that wild pigs have with robins in Europe. Wild pigs are known for their digging ability. So much so, that many people refer to them as digging machines. And what they are digging for is root foods which they live on. They also feed on grubs and small worms that they find in the soil.

Over the years, the robin has noticed that whenever these wild pigs appear and start to dig up the ground, they are also digging up and exposing worms. As a result, robins have learned to stay close to these pigs as they begin to dig so they can scoop up the worms that appear on the surface.

In a like manner, the Nightjar has an interesting symbiotic relationship with wild cattle and goats in areas where the both live. For the most part, nightjars are birds of the night. Their primary diet consists of moths and beetles. The bird is a great aerial hunter and, even in mid flight, is capable of deftly snatching moths from the air. However, when it is on the ground, it is typically hunting ants and beetles.

During the passing of many hundreds of years, the nightjar has come to notice that when wild cattle and goats are grazing nearby, that their continuous moving around agitates the ground on which they are grazing. And as they do this, all of the activity causes insects to come above ground. So insects such as beetles and moths, are all of a sudden on the surface making them easy pickings for predators. As a result, the nightjar has learned that its often easier to follow the herds and feed off of the insects that they dig up than it is to hunt and scrounge for their own meals.

The oxpecker bird is yet another illustration of birds forming symbiotic relationships. The oxpecker is a close relation to the starling. And within Africa, this bird has a real working partnership with many animals – antelope, buffalo, rhinoceros, and even the giraffe. The relationship has to do with the fact that ticks and lice are very common in this environment.

They are a nuisance to these large animals because their eggs hatch on the animal’s surface and immediately becomes a parasite by gorging on their blood. If an animal gets enough of these on its skin, it can find its strength and staminal slowly being drained away.

Oxpeckers love these parasites because they contain lots of blood which has a ton of nourishments. They comb through the skin and hairs of these large animals and consume all of the ticks and lice that they find. A win/win for everyone.

Giraffe Stuffed Animal & History

Posted on by blogger

The giraffe has been described as “magnificent in appearance, bizarre in form, unique in gait, and colossal in height.” They are rather unusual animals when you think about it and as is the case, it’s no surprise to find that giraffe stuffed animals are gaining in popularity simply because they’re different.

In Africa, some ancient cultures revered the giraffe so highly that the animal has been found etched on cave paintings and in prehistoric rock. At one time, the giraffe was an unknown animal outside of Africa and because of its unusual looks and shock appeal, it was often sent as a diplomatic gift to other countries. One of the first known recordings of such a thing was in 1415, when a giraffe was presumably sent from Kenya to China.

The giraffes scientific name Giraffe Camelopardalis, is derived from a mistake in which the animal was thought to be a cross between a camel and a leopard. It’s the tallest living animal on the planet standing up to 19 feet; its unique ‘design’ has adapted to be able to reach vegetation that is otherwise inaccessible to other plant eating animals. A giraffe stuffed animal is extremely lifelike in design with a body that is solid and a neck that is usually soft and pliable. While cuddliness may not come to mind when considering the purchase of a giraffe stuffed animal over a plush teddy bear, they do have a certain coziness about them nonetheless. You will soon find your child hugging their giraffe stuffed animal just like they do their other plush toys.

Some interesting facts about the giraffe include: despite its long neck, it only has seven vertebrae the same as most other mammals including man; even though they are mostly seen roaming in groups, they are not known to form social groups like lions they loosely associate with other giraffes and change those associations constantly. Giraffes can survive and go without water for very long periods of time and while they sometimes eat grass and fruit from various trees and shrubs, their principal diet is from the acacia tree. Even though this tree is equipped with thorns, the giraffes tongue is long and muscular and is adapted especially to be able to pick what it wants from the trees. And, despite its very large size, the giraffe is known as a selective feeder and can survive on as little as 15 pounds of foliage per day.

The next time your child requests a new plush toy, consider a giraffe stuffed animal instead of the standard bear. If nothing else, the sheer look of surprise on your child’s face at receiving such an unusual plush animal, will be worth its weight in gold.

Animal Beads Not A Childs Play

Posted on by blogger

Beadwork is an ancient art of weaving beads in a way to be used as decorative for jewelry or home. It first originated in Africa and was later introduced to the rest of the countries. In the earlier times, beads were usually made from naturally available material such as stones, clays, bones, shells etc. However, with the advancement in technology and tools beads are now made from different materials such as glass, plastic, ceramic, crystals, precious stones, etc. Beads have also seen a lot of change in the designs and patterns with time.

Earlier, these were made only in a few basic shapes and styles. But nowadays Beads can be found in innumerable patterns, sizes and forms. One of the greatest examples of creative beadwork is the animal pattern beads. Animal beads are shaped as different animal forms that make a very stylish and modern accessory to be worn or decorate a room, especially, a kids room. Such animal beads are easy to create and also make a wonderful gift for children.

As people love everything to be classified into either 2D or 3D, animal beads also fall into these two categories. As the names suggest, while 2D beads display a two dimensional pattern, which is easy to follow and make as compared to the 3D animal beads, which involve a relatively tedious weaving technique to showcase a three dimensional design.

2D and 3D animal beads not only make an interesting item for kids to play or decorate their rooms or accessories with, but also provide a scope for the bead makers to use their imagination and skills in a highly creative and innovative activity. Some of the most popular and cherished animal beads are in shape of a frog, turtle, spider, butterfly, cat, buffalo, owl, elephant, ice bear, and penguin. While frog, turtle, spider, and ice bear are very easy to make, the others could be quite difficult to get through.

A little bit of skillfulness, artistic mind, time and patience can be really helpful in learning to make such beautiful and enticing animal pattern beads. These beads, besides making a great accessory for kids and their rooms, make a wonderful charm for the older group as well. Many teenage girls love to sport animal bead pendants or bracelets. These beads have gained tremendous admiration over the past few years. Jewelry makers, who aspire to experiment with their creativity, love to make different types of such beads that not only make them happy but also the kids who use them.