Hang tight! After 3 years and over 1,100 featured critters, Animal A Day is taking its very first break. As some of you may know, I am the only person who does the writing and updating for the site. With weddings (including my own), vacations, and home renovations time is going to be short and a good internet connection is going to be spotty. I'll be back full swing this August though, with a redone site and all new animal features, so don't go anywhere! And in the mean time, continue to follow AaD o...
Guttera pucherani The Crested Guineafowl is a bird with a serious hairdo! They have an incredibly distinctive mop offeatherson the top of their head that looks like a funky hair-style! Aside from their awesome 'do, these birds have bodies covered in black and white spotted feathers, and featherless faces. Like all members of the Numididae (Guineafowl) family, these birds live on the continent of Africa. They have a range that covers the open forests and tree-spottedsavannassouth of the Sahara desert. ...
Lamna nasus The Porbeagle is a large shark that is found in the cooler andtemperatewaters of the world's oceans. They can grow to lengths of around 12ft, and weigh over 500lbs! The name "Porbeagle" is a mysterious one. It's exact origins are unknown, though there are a few theories. One is that the name comes from Cornish terms for "harbor" and "shepherd." Another is that it is a combination of the words "porpoise" and "beagle," because of its porpoise like shape and dog-like hunting ability. Like man...
Pentalagus furnessi Today's animal is one of those creatures that is sometimes referred to as a "Living Fossil." You see, these Rabbits have evolved incompleteisolation over thousands of years, and now have traits that make them a bit unusual. Amami Rabbits are found on only two small islands-- Amami and Tokunoshima. They are located between the large Japanese island of Kyushu, and Okinawa. That isolation has led them to maintain primitive rabbit traits-- short ears, thick dark fur, and stocky bodies. ...
Timema genevieve Timema is the genus name for a group of 20-odd stick insects that are all found within the western United States. Most of these species live in the state of California, and a few others are found in neighboring states. Like all Stick Insects, the members of the Timemagenus are all very well camouflaged. They resemble small, stout, sticks and branches, and range in color and size depending on the species. All of these critters are nocturnal, so their coloration is especially important s...
Salamandra atra Today is Mother's Day, so I thought it might be appropriate to talk about an animal that has one of the longest gestational periods on the planet. Nope, it's not a large mammal like a Giraffe, Whale, or Elephant-- it's a 5in long Amphibian! Alpine Salamanders live at very high altitudes in the European Alps. That altitude is actually what helps to determine how long they will be pregnant for. The higher up they live, the longer the gestational period. At around 1,700m up it can last as ...
The Birman is a breed of cat that should not be confused with the Burmese (which has a similar name) or the Siamese (which has similar coloration). These cats are a breed all their own, and have been recognized as such since 1925. Birman Cats have a history that is shrouded in mystery and legend. No one is 100% sure of their trueorigins, but one common belief is that they came from Burma (the French name is Bimanie) and wereoriginallykept by temple priests.They eventually made their way to France, eithe...
Aquila pennata Allow me to introduce you to the Booted Eagle, a much smaller bird of prey than many of the more famousEaglespecies. These birds have a body length of around 1.5ft, with a wingspan of up to 4ft. They come in two different color forms-- pale and dark. While the birds all share dark backs and wings, they either have pale undersides, or very dark, streaked undersides. Booted Eagles also have heavily feathered legs. The Booted Eagles have a pretty large range that extends across southern Eur...
Pteromylaeus bovinus Today's animal, the Bull Ray, is a very largeStingraythat has a wide distribution. They live in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean, and along the Atlantic and Indian coasts of the African Continent. These Rays have very flat, rounded snouts that kind of look like duckbills. In fact, in some parts of theworldthey are also called "Duckbill Rays." Including their tails, they can reach anywhere from 5-8ft in length, and can weigh well over 200lbs. Females are actually larger and h...
Mustela sibirica Meet the Siberian Weasel, also known as the Kolonok! These Mustelids have a huge range that spans across not just Siberia, but China, Mongolia, India, and several other east and central Asian countries as well. They have also been introduced to parts of Japan. These long, slender mammals have impressively long tails-- they can be half their entire body length! They have fur that ranges from blonde to red, and have black masks and a white snout. Siberian Weasels live in burrows, but th...
