Blog entries

In what is believed to be an unprecenedented occurence, scientists doing research off the coast of Russia believe that they have spotted the rare white orca or killer whale. There has never been a recorded sighting of a full grown adult white orca in the history of the world; since the are believed to die very young. White orcas are albino, which is a genetic anomaly and therefore leaves them with weakened immune systems. While there have been numerous sightings of baby white orcas, these specimens aren’t believed to ever reach maturity. In order to determine whether the specimen, who they’ve nicknamed “Iceberg”, is actually albino, scientists hope to photograph his eyes and find out if they’re the tell-tale color, pink. If Iceberg proves to be the real deal, his apparent age of 16 (they’re gathered that from the size of his dorsal fin) will surely make him the oldest specimen that anyone has ever come in contact with. He seems to fit right in with a nice-looking group of orcas. We wonder if he has ever made friends with any all-white beluga whales.

Here are some of the deadliest animals on the planet. Many people might have different opinions about which animal in particular is the deadliest but in the different environments, elements and situations each has its dangerous properties. What is considered here is the number of deaths worldwide caused by encounters with these animals. Luckily most of us are not in danger of coming across most of these animals too often (except for mosquitos). We are leaving out of course the most dangerous species of all – humans!

Do you recognize these common birds? Here is a collection of some of the most common small birds that you might see around. Sorry for those of you in other continents but these birds are common in North America, although if you live somewhere else you may still recognize some of them (especially in similar latitudes like Europe). In any case, it’s fun to put names to faces and get to know different species (warblers, sparrows, finches, etc.) and see the similarities and differences between them.

There are five parts that make up a dog’s paw: A – the claw, B – the digital pads, C – the metacarpal (front) and metatarsal (back) pads, D – the dew claw and E – the carpal pad. All the pads (except the carpal pad) help with shock absorption and carrying the bulk of the canine’s weight when in motion. The carpal pads help when a dog is on a slope or sliding. The claws help dogs get a grip and dig. The purpose of the dew claw is not known exactly.