bennyslegs:

(Source: roseeverdeen)

(Source: faunasworld-moved)

ichthyologist:

Arapaima (Arapaima gigas)

Native to South America, the arapaima is one of the world’s largest fish and is considered a living fossil. The fish can grow up to 2m (6.6 ft) long, and frequently weighs more than 100kg (440 lbs).

The arapaima is peculiar in that it has a fundamental reliance on atmospheric oxygen. This is an adaptation to the oxygen depleted floodplains of the Amazon.

Jeff Kubina on Flickr, Musina_Shanghai on Flickr

malformalady:

The golden tiger also known as the strawberry tiger or the golden tabby tiger. The golden tiger is an extremely rare color variation caused by a recessive gene and now found only in captive tigers. Like the white tiger it is a color form and not a separate species. Their striping is much paler than usual and may fade into spots or large prominent patches. Golden tabby tigers also tend to be larger and, due to the effect of the gene on the hair shaft, have softer fur than their orange relatives.

[x]

(Source: dailyanimals)

archiemcphee:

From the Department of Awesome Animal Encounters come these intense photos taken by diver and underwater photographer Daniel Botelho, who has made it his goal to demonstrate that great white sharks are not the man-eaters that everyone assumes them to be. Not only that, he says that it is possible to safely dive around the incredible creatures outside of a safety cage. Amazing? Yes. Misguided? Possibly. Whatever you think of it, the photos, in which divers are hanging out with an 18-foot-long female great white shark, are literally quite awesome. In the top photo one of the divers even appears to be touching the shark’s right pectoral fin. 

Thus far Daniel Botelho has logged 24-hours of diving time outside of a cage in the presence of great white sharks and insists that he has never been bitten:

“The movie Jaws created an over-reaction which led to sharks becoming misunderstood,” said Daniel. “They are predators for sure, mostly attacking by ambush, but they are not man-killers. I’ve been in the water during 24 logged-hours diving out of the cage and no shark came to me thinking I was snack. Through my pictures I wanted to show people that it’s possible to dive safely with great white sharks.”

Daniel acknowledges that great white sharks are indeed top-predators, but says they very rarely regard humans as food:

“He explained the key to safely diving with this notorious shark was to remain relaxed, keep eye-contact with the shark and hold one’s ground no matter how close the shark swims to the diver.”

We don’t know about you, but this story reminds us strongly of ill-fated bear-lover Timothy Treadwell, about whom the documentary Grizzly Man was made by Werner Herzog. Let’s hope Daniel doesn’t suffer a similar fate. We think sharks are truly awesome, but we also prefer to give them plenty of personal space in their watery domain, so then no one has to worry about holding their respective ground. The only time we’re actually prepared to get really close to a shark is while we’re drinking our morning coffee.

[via Dailymail.co.uk]

(Source: shellsonthebeach)

bigbro-winchester:

#dean #dean #DEAN #dean #why won’t you look at me #dean #does this form not appease you #dean #look at me #dammit #i’m a bird of the lord #just because my vessel #is a twenty fourth of its usual size #doesn’t mean i can’t beat the shit out of you #who’s the featherbutt now #huh #huh #huh #featherbutt #DEAN

giraffe-in-a-tree:

After 63 days of gestation, a rare Sand Cat Kitten was born at Israel’s Zoological Center Tel Aviv Ramat Gan - Safari. Once plentiful in numbers in the dunes of Israel, the Sand Cat has become extinct in the region. This is Safari Zoo’s first successful Sand Cat birth and it is hoped this kitten will join Israel’s Sand Cat Breeding Program in order to help reintroduce the species into the wild.

Photos by: Mats Ellting

(Source: idontneedanymorefriends)

devilishkurumi:

let me introduce everyone to my favorite animal in the universe

some fun facts:

• Found in the Sahara, fennec foxes are small, nocturnal mammals.
• They are the smallest species of canid in the world.
• Their ears are so sensitive, they can hear prey moving underground.
• They grow up to 16 inches long and 8 inches tall. (adorable)
• Their ears can grow up to almost 6 inches long.
• Fennec foxes are the only type of fox capable of living in a domestic environment (other than the domesticated silver fox).
• They are the national animal of Nigeria.
• I want a million of them.

(Source: malformalady)

t3xh:

jigsawsuncle:

OH MY GLOB
THE KITTEHHH
HCFJGYSGUCEWEHIFD UDJ
I can’t.

SOOO CUTE!!!!!!

(Source: monotonyandsolitude)