Animal A Day!

Anatolian Shepherd The Anatolian Shepherd Dog is a Turkish breed (Turkish that has roots dating back over 6,000 years. These large dogs are descended from the multitude of different central Asian breeds that arose to accompany the human civilizations that were emerging.  They are muscular dogs, and are most commonly colored with light bodies and dark muzzles and faces. Interestingly, Anatolian Shepherds aren't sheep herders at all-- the name is misleading. They are actually livestock guardians , meaning that they protect their flocks rather than move them. They are very independent dogs, due to their work, and they are able to protect their flocks without much human direction. This can make them very challenging pets, however. One especially neat fact is the Anatolian Shepherds are being used in Cheetah conservation. The Cheetah Conservation Fund breeds these dogs and gives the puppies to farmers. They teach them how to train and ca...

Furcifer pardalis Male (top)   Furcifer pardalis Female(bottom) Meet the Panther Chameleon, a Reptile native to Madagascar that has also been introduced to the nearby islands of Reunion and Mauritius. Panther Chameleons are one of the popular pet Chameleons, due to the dazzling color patterns exhibited by the males. They show off vivid blue, green, and even pink patterns, and their specific habitat range can have an effect on their overall appearance. Females can also be colorful, but are typically a duller brown or green. Pinks and yellows appear during the breeding season. Panther Chameleons are masters at catching and consuming invertebrates. They have projectile tongues that they can whip out and extend towards prey, and the tips of these tongues are sticky for perfect grabbing precision. In the past, the export level of these Chameleons was as high as 15,000 individuals per yer. Such numbers were cause for concern, but they have now been reduced. Though Panther C...

Eosinopteryx brevipenna Man, I love it when new Dinosaurs get discovered, and this recent one is really, really cool. First officially described just this past week, Eosinopteryx brevipenna is a creature from the Late Jurassic that lived around 160 and 145 million years ago. It is known from a single skeleton found in China and had a short snout and a short tail. E. brevipenna is interesting because it was very small-- only about 12in long. It also had a body covered in feathers! The species did have wings, but it is very unlikely that it actually flew, based upon the location of the wing bones. E. brevipenna , along with other feathered Dinosaurs that have been uncovered, are helping scientists to piece together the origin of the flying birds. When Archaeopteryx was first unearthed in 1860, the lineage seemed much more straightforward. The discovery of so many new species is showing a much more complex picture, with multiple lineages contributing to the birds we know today....

Sanguinus bicolor The Pied Tamarin is an endangered species of primate that is found only within a small part of Brazil, just near the city of Manaus. Pied Tamarins are named for their coloration. They have dark, bald head, white upper bodies, and brown lower bodies and tails. They live in small family groups of up to 10 individuals, and feed on fruits and invertebrates. They actually are great seed distributors. They eat fruit and then either drop or excrete the seeds, helping to spread new plant life around the rainforest. The major threat to the Pied Tamarins was habitat loss. That is how then ended up restricted to such a small area. Within most of their small range they now are protected, but a major new threat is actually competition from one of their cousins-- the Red-handed Tamarin. An unfortunately, it seems like the Red-handeds are displacing the Pieds. IUCN Status :  Endangered Location :   Brazil Size :  Length around 15in (40cm)...

Pegasus and Bellerophon vs. the Chimera We'll close off this iteration of Mythical Creatures Week with one of the best known out there-- Pegasus . This winged horse has its origins in Greek Mythology and has been featured in stories, art, and emblems for several thousand years. The origin story of Pegasus is as follows-- a beautiful woman named Medusa was punished by Athena for cavorting with the god Poseidon in Athena's temple (though some stories say she was being raped... either way, she was punished). Her curse was was to have a face so terrible that it would turn onlookers to stone, and to have hair made from live snakes. The hero Perseus was sent on a quest to kill Medusa, and did so with help from a mirrored shield that was a gift from Athena. When he beheaded the Gorgon, Pegasus was born. One story says that the winged horse (and his brother, the gold giant Chrysaor) sprung from Medusa's severed neck. Another says the the two brothers were b...

Jörmungandr with Hel and Fenrir Jörmungandr , also known as the World Serpent or the Midgard Serpent, is a creature from Norse Mythology. He is the middle child of Loki and the giantess Angrboða, which makes him the sibling to Fenrir and Hel. In the 13th century Prose Edda , it is said that Odin took Jörmungandr and threw him into the sea. There, the serpent grew so long that he could circle the entire earth and grasp his tail with his mouth. This is the source of the "World Serpent" name, since he literally can circle the globe. Jörmungandr is an enemy to Thor, and it is said that the two will battle during Ragnarok. During the battle, Thor will kill the serpent, but then will himself collapse, poisoned by Jörmungandr. There are other stories of the rivalry between Thor and Jörmungandr, including the tale of an unsuccessful fishing trip. Thor and the giant Hymir go fishing, and despite Hymirs warning, Thor wants to go very far out to sea. Once there, he takes the h...

Griffin The Griffin (or Gryphon) is a well known legendary creature that has the head and talons of an Eagle, but the body and hind legs of a Lion. Sometimes they are also shown having a snake for a tail, and oftentimes only the female have wings-- makes have large spikes. These animals show up in art that dates back more than 5,500 years. The first Griffin-type creatures appear in Persian and Egyptian art over five millennia ago, about by about 1,500BCE full Griffins as we know them today were popping up in Greece and Central Asia. For the past several thousand years they have been featured in various works of art, including sculpture and architecture, and they have shown up in numerous writings as well (including those of Pliny the Elder). In most mythologies, Griffins are wise and powerful creatures that command a great deal of respect. They are often said to seek out and guard various treasures, and their strength and wisdom has led them to be...