The Beautiful horse breed, Akhal-Teke

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The Akhal-Teke is a horse breed from Turkmenistan, where they are a national emblem. They are noted for their speed and for endurance on long marches. These "golden-horses" are adapted to severe climatic conditions and are thought to be one of the oldest surviving horse breeds. There are currently about 3,500 Akhal-Tekes in the world, mostly in Turkmenistan and Russia, although they are also found throughout Europe, Australia, and North America. 

The Akhal-Teke typically stands between 58 and 64 inches (147 and 163 cm). These horses are famous for those individuals who have a golden buckskin or palomino color with a distinctive natural metallic shimmer of their coats.  A number of other colors are recognized, however, including bay, black, chestnut, palomino, cremello, perlino, and grey. The Akhal-Teke's most notable and defining characteristic is the natural metallic bloom of its coat.

The breed is tough and resilient, having adapted to the harshness of Turkmenistan lands, where horses must live without much food or water. This has also made the horses good for sport. The breed has great endurance, as shown in 1935 when a group of Turkmen riders rode the 2500 miles from Ashgabat to Moscow in 84 days, including a three-day crossing of 235 miles of desert without water. The Akhal-Teke is also known for its form and grace as a show jumper.

Source: Wikipedia

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Titanoboa: The king of all Snakes

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Titanoboa cerrejonensis measured 48 feet, weighed as much as a car, and had a body more than a yard thic. The monster relative of the boa constrictor lived in northern Colombia 60 million years ago

Among all the predators discovered, this may be one of the greatest discoveries since the T-Rex: a snake, around 48 feet long, weighing in at 2,500 pounds. Uncovered from a treasure of fossils in a Colombian coal mine, “Cerrejón”, this serpent reveals a lost world of giant creatures. Want to meet this monster predator? You might have to travel back to the period following the extinction of dinosaurs.!!

‘This is a find that seems so fantastic that it may appear to be an object of fantasy. A creature that has sprung from a Spielberg-imagined past and yes, it has a name that evokes a giant and mythic monster. It is called Titanoboa (meaning: Titanic Boa),’ David Royale, the Smithsonian Channel's head of programming, announced. 

At its thickest, Titanoboa had a diameter of three feet. The color of the skin is muddy which enabled it to camouflage easily in its environment.

Not far from the coast of Caribbean lies an empty forest, with scarce vegetation cover and dusty roads which lead you to huge pits stretching over a circumference of 15 miles. This area lying in the north of Columbia is known as, “Cerrejón” and is home to one of the largest coal operations of the world, area larger than Washington DC. Cerrejón is one of the richest fossil deposits in the world, providing archeologists with an opportunity to explore the emerging environmental changes. 

The skull of Titanoboa was used to reconstruct
the fearsome predator. 

The first team to discover its fossils include Jonathan Bloch, a paleontologist and curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History and Carlos Jaramillo from Smithson Tropical Research Institute, in Panama. What’s fascinating about their exploration is that not only the fossils found belong to the largest snake of the earth but also for the first time ever the skull of the snake was discovered intact. Snake skulls are almost never found as they are extremely fragile and they usually disintegrate. Researchers believe that the skull would enable them to have a better understanding of its evolution, size and diet.

So far 28 individual Titanoboa fossils have been excavated from Cerrejón in the year 2009.

Titanoboa existed at a time 5 million years after the dinosaurs became extinct. At this point in time, Cerrejón was a swampy tropical jungle with hotter climate and temperatures reaching up to 90 Fahrenheit, forests teeming with 12 feet long giant turtles, known as Carbonemys, seven feet long lungfish and giant crocodiles. Titanoboa was the largest predator on land after the extinction of the dinosaurs for at least 10 million years, maybe longer. 

Titanoboa looked like a boa constrictor of modern days, but it behaved more like an anaconda and was believed to hunt like a crocodile. It used to feast on prehistoric crocodiles and Carbonemys. 

Researchers believe that the hotter climate in that era enabled the cold-blooded snakes to grow bigger in size than the modern snakes. It was two times larger than the world’s largest extant snake, Python reticulatus i.e., 29 feet long. 

Florida Museum researcher Jonathan Bloch compares vertebrae from Titanoboa cerrejonensis, left, with one from a 17-foot anaconda. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage.

 (Photo Credits: Florida Museum of Natural History )

Dr Jason Head, of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, in Washington DC, said: 'Now we have a window into the time just after the dinosaurs went extinct and can actually see what the animals replacing them looked like.' He added: 'This colossal, boa constrictor-like creature stretched longer than a city bus and weighed more than a car. It's the biggest snake the world has ever known.

The Smithsonian Channel has created a film that chronicles the discovery of the 48 foot long and 2,500 pound snake that existed more than 60 million years ago - and recreates what the predator might have looked like. The film has been promoted with a life-size statue which was on show in New York's Grand Central.

Titanoboa Replica On Display At Grand Central Terminal.

Credits: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4

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Meet Darius, world's biggest bunny

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Darius, being held by proud owner Annette Edwards.  (C) Caters News Agency

Darius is an amazing bunny, 4ft 4in from twitching nose to fluffy tail – longer than the average six-year-old child – and has recently beaten his own Guinness World Record as the biggest bunny on the planet. 

“We treat him more like a dog than a rabbit,” says owner Annette Edwards, 60, from Worcester. “He has a kennel rather than a hutch and travels from place to place in a dog crate. People book him to go to lots of open days and events all over the world. He loves all the fuss and attention.”

Darius weighs in at a whopping three and half stone, around 22 kgs and grazes on hay, together with around 12 carrots, six apples and two cabbages a day.

Annette, who used to run a pet shop, says: “Animals are measured by vets for the Guinness Book of Records and they are judged by their length, not weight, to stop people from overfeeding them.”

Darius’ owner, Annette Edwards, has owned several other record-breaking rabbits.

Darius is insured for $1.6 million, has an agent and travels with a bodyguard who reportedly makes about $100,000 a year just to wrangle a rabbit.

Annette has bred four of the world’s biggest rabbits, all of the Continental Giant breed from Holland, at her countryside home. Edwards’ pets just seem to jump into the record book. Another of her rabbits, Alice, had held the record before Darius shouldered her aside. Before Alice, there was Amy, who died in 2008 while on a publicity tour of Italy. Before Amy, there was Roberto.

      “I haven’t a clue why my rabbits grow so big,” admits the mum-of-ten. “I put it down to the fact that they lead a very chilled-out life in the country and happy, healthy bunnies just grow. They don’t burrow. They love having lots of space to run around.”

Hear's the VIDEO about him. Watch him live in action:

Source: birminghammail.co.uk

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The beautiful strange-eyed kitten

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On internet you may find this image being referred with a caption "deformed cat" but I found this beautiful. The image of the strange-eyed kitten was taken in Lovech, Bulgaria in the summer of 2009 by Bobby Pfeiffer.

This is what Bobby has to say:

"This is a kitty that I found in Lovech, Bulgaria. It has some genetic deformations and its rear legs are paralyzed, but its owners take good care of it and carry it in their arms around the yard so it can have fresh air and enjoy the summer warmth. I was impressed by the difference of its eye color but also by its sweet and gentle character."

Credits: National Geographic

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/myshot/categories/wallpaper?startgallery=19

Credits: photosbybobby.blogspot.com

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New Species of Dwarf Chameleons found in Madagascar

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Brookesia micra is a species of chameleon from the islet of Nosy Hara in Antsiranana, Madagascar. As of 14 February 2012, it is the smallest known chameleon and among the smallest reptiles.

The dwarf chameleon species that has been discovered is so tiny that a juvenile Brookesia micra can walk on the nail of an adult human fingertip, small enough to stand on the head of a match. According to the researchers, Brookesia micra reaches a maximum size of 16mm (slightly more than half an inch) in males, not including the tail and 30mm (1.1 inches) total length for both male and female, which ranks it as one of the smallest four-limbed animals in the world.

They were found to be active during the day on the ground in an area of eroded limestone boulders and dry forest leaf litter. It was also found at night roosting on branches in very low vegetation areas. The research paper details the genetic and physical makeup of each species and suggests that geographical disparity can cause "island dwarfism" and may have contributed to the extreme miniaturization.

Also known as stumped-tailed or leaf chameleons, these diminutive creatures are found in the leaf litter of rainforests and dry deciduous forests in much of Madagascar. Brookesia feed on small insects and reply on their cyptic coloration to evade predators. When disturbed, these chameleons will play dead in an effort to resemble a fallen leaf. Brookesia are easiest to find at night when they sleep on the leaves of small shrubs. 

Source: Wildmadagascar.org, reptilechannel

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World's Smallest Stallion - Einstein

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Einstein is the worlds smallest stallion. He is about to become three years but stands just 20 inches tall. Huge media thronged to have a glimpse of him when he was born in April 2010 at a farm in Barnstead, New Hampshire.

 Pictured: Rachel Wagner, owner of Einstein, with her pet.

His mother, Finesse, stands a relatively tall 32 inches and his dad, Painted Feather, measures 30 inches. Einstein is incredible as he shows no signs of dwarfness but he simply is a small miniature horse. The record of being the smallest horse in the world, according to Guinness World Records, is held by Tamberlina (Thumbelina) of the U.S. state of Missouri. He has to wait until he is four years to be officially recognized.  

Einstein is becoming quite a celebrity with appearances on Oprah and across the U.S. Even if the human interest is high, he didn't have many friends of his own breed. Einstein spends time with his giant friend, a full sized stallion, Playboy, and his owner's dog, Lilly.

Einstein stands alongside Hannah, a St. Bernard he has become buddies with.

Playboy is owned by a lady who lives next to the farm where Einstein lives, and he meets him to have a head sniff and a simple hello. Einstein is not aware about his height at all and he plays with Lilly and Playboy like a fully grown stallion. But due to his small size he can't mingle with other horses because it maybe dangerous for him. 

Einstein's owner Charlie said he loves children and of course children love him too. Einstein is cute and too small and has unusual life. He may not be able to compete in the Kentucky Derby, but he is surely as popular as the winner.

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The Blue Dragon (Glaucus atlanticus): one of the rarest and most beautiful molluscs [VIDEO]

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The Glaucus atlanticus is a mollusc that belongs to the ocean-dwelling group called nudibranchs. They have muscular feet and rhinophores, or the tentacles. The Blue Sea Slug has adapted physically to suit its needs. One great adaptation is the sac located in its stomach filled with gas, helping it stay afloat as drifting along the ocean waves is its only real mode of transportation. 

The Sea Swallow also feeds on animals with deadly nematocysts (stinging cells) and some of these are dangerous suckers. These dangerous prey are called Blue Bottles or, sometimes, Portuguese Man O' Wars. The Glaucus atlanticus is immune to nematocysts, thus giving it the ability to consume its prey, as well as store its dinner's venom for its own defense! The venom is collected by the tips of the slug's 'fingers', called cerata, and stored in specialized sacs. This is why the Blue Sea Slug is feared more than the Portuguese Man O' War and can leave you with a much deadlier sting, depending on the amount of venom it has stored.

One of the most distinctive characteristics of this animal is the way it lies in the water. Glaucus atlanticus floats upside-down! Its dorsal surface (backside) is actually its 'foot' and belly and is either blue or blueish-white in color. The true dorsal surface of the Sea Swallow is a silvery-greyish color. Both coloration on each side help camouflage and protect it from both underwater and aerial predators. The ocean's surface from above looks blue and white because of the waves, but underwater, darker colors like silver and grey make it harder for prey to be spotted. 

When out of water, they tend to roll into little balls and open up again once they are placed back into water. They also slowly turn themselves over in water if their silver-grey surface is facing skyward. 

As in the case of most sea slugs, Glaucus atlanticus too are hermaphodite, allowing both slugs to produce egg strings after mating. Glaucus atlanticus can grow up to 40-50mm and are found all over the world in temperate to tropical waters. Glaucuses lay their eggs on driftwood or even the skeletons of their victims or on objects or animals that remain afloat to allow their young to develop until they have their own air sacs.

Washed up in the Surf Zone, thousands of these amazing and beautiful creatures, created great entertainment for the children for the young and old alike. Check out the amazing VIDEO:
 

Source: 1

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The Friesian: One of the most expensive horse breeds !!

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The Friesian, also known as Frisian, is a horse breed originating in Friesland, Netherlands. Although the breed's form resembles that of a light draft horse, Friesians are far more elegant and agile for their size. 

During the Middle Ages, it is believed that the ancestors of Friesian horses were in great demand as war horses throughout continental Europe. Through the Middle Ages their size enabled them to carry a knight in armor. Though the breed nearly became extinct on more than one occasion, the modern day Friesian horse is growing in numbers and popularity, used both in harness and under saddle.

More info at Wikipedia

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Guinness World Records 2013: Some bizarre and Interesting Records..

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The latest edition of the Guinness Book of World Records has already hit the bookshelves by September 13 2012. It’s the 57th edition of the world's best selling reference book.

And this year the book has some new entries such as the world shortest bull, the oldest gymnast, Largest Biceps, Shortest Woman and the lowest car. One record holder this year is for the world's tallest mohawk.

The book, of course,has many more interesting records to offer, but it's pretty impressive itself. The book is published in 22 languages in more than 100 countries and it's expected to sell around 2.7 million copies. 

Lets have a look at a few interesting records:

The world's largest biceps belong to Mostafa Ismail (Egypt) and were measured for left arm flexed at 64.77 cm (25.5 in) and non-flexed 62.23 cm (24.5 in) and for right arm flexed at 63.5 cm (25 in) and non-flexed 60.96 cm (24 in). The measurements were taken in Franklin, Massachusetts, USA which is where Mostafa now resides.

Picture: Guinness World Records/PA

More about him: Check here [Man with the World’s Largest Biceps]

The heaviest competing sportswoman living is sumo wrestler Sharran Alexander (UK) of London, UK, who weighs 203.21 kg (448 lbs).

Picture: Guinness World Records/PA

 The oldest gymnast is Johanna Quaas (born: 20 November 1925, Germany) who, at the age of 86 years, is a regular competitor in the amateur competition Landes-Seniorenspiele, staged in Saxony, Germany. She performed a floor-and-beam routine on the set of 'Lo Show dei Record' in Rome, Italy.

Picture: Guinness World Records/PA

The tallest living dog is ‘Zeus’ (USA) a Great Dane, who measured 1.118 m (44 in) tall and is owned by Denise Doorlag and her family, of Otsego, Michigan, USA.Zeus also takes over the 'Tallest dog ever' title from previous holder 'Giant George'.

Picture: Guinness World Records/PA

The tallest living horse is Big Jake, a nine-year-old Belgian Gelding horse, who measured 20 hands 2.75 in (210.19 cm, 82.75 in), without shoes, at Smokey Hollow Farms in Poynette, Wisconsin, USA.

Picture: Kevin Scott Ramos/Guinness World Records

The shortest bull is Archie, a 16-month-old Dexter Bull, fully registered in the Northern Ireland livestock inventory, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, who measured 76.2 cm (30 in) from the hoof to the withers.

Picture: Guinness World Records/PA

The tallest donkey living is Oklahoma Sam, a four-year-old American Mammoth Jackstock, who measured 15.3 hands (155.45 cm; 5 ft 1 in) tall on 10 December 2011, and is owned by Linda Davis of Watsonville, California, USA.

Picture: Guinness World Records / Rex Features

The tallest mohican measures 113.5 cm (44.68 in) and belongs to Kazuhiro Watanabe (Japan). The length was verified at Bloc de l'art hair salon, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.
Picture: Shinsuke Kamioka/Guinness World Records.

Source: Guinness World Records

Check out the next list of Amazing World records: [Click here]

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Flowerhorn cichlids

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Flowerhorn cichlids are ornamental aquarium fish noted for their vivid colors and the distinctively shaped heads for which they are named. Their head protuberance, or kok, is formally termed a "nuchal hump." 

Like blood parrot cichlids, they are man-made hybrids that do not exist in nature. First developed in Malaysia and Taiwan, they are now kept by fish hobbyists worldwide.

The flowerhorn in the picture is SANTINO, champion in small category.

Basic tips for Flowerhorn Keeping:

The Flower horn is a sturdy fish that is not hard to care for. It needs neutral or slightly basic water, a water temperature around 28º C and nutritious food.

The aquarium has to be quite large, since the Flower horn can grow big. You can keep your Flower horn alone in the aquarium. Large cichlids from South America that will not tolerate being bullied by the Flower horn is one example of suitable tank mates. Since the Flower horn is a territorial species you should fill the aquarium with decorations that create natural borders. If the fish can keep out of each others way and stay inside their own territory, the amount of aggressive behaviour will decrease. Keep in mind that some Flower horns like to destroy plants. 

As mentioned above your Flower horn will appreciate neutral or slightly basic water conditions. It is however a though fish and will survive in a wide range of different water conditions as long as you avoid the extremes. A Flower horn will produce a lot of organic waste since it eats a lot. You must therefore perform frequent water changes to keep the water chemistry at suitable levels and prevent the organic compounds from reaching toxic levels that will harm the Flower horn. A 20 percent water change twice a week is the best solution, but once a week is usually okay if you change 25 percent.

It is not hard to introduce a Flower horn to new food. The Flower horn is an energetic and active fish and its metabolism requires plenty of food which makes this fish surprisingly hard to over feed. Feeding your Flower horn two or three times a day is a good rule of thumb. High quality pellets can be a good base and should be supplemented with more meaty foods such as shrimps and worms. With a varied diet it will be easier for your Flower horn to receive all necessary nutrients in order to stay healthy and good looking.

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Golden Puffer fish Puffed Up..!!

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Pufferfish are generally believed to be the second most poisonous vertebrates in the world, after the golden poison frog. Certain internal organs, such as liver, and sometimes the skin, are highly toxic to most animals when eaten; nevertheless, the meat of some species is considered a delicacy in Japan (known as fugu), when prepared by chefs who know which part is safe to eat and in what quantity.

Credits: Wikipedia

Pufferfish are poor swimmers, but can quickly ingest huge amounts of water to turn themselves into a virtually inedible ball several times their normal size.

Now, here's a disturbed Puffer for you ..!! [VIDEO]

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Baby Polar Bear Plays In The Snow For The First Time

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Here are some of the pictures of 73-day-old Siku playing in the snow.
Siku is seen at Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Djursland, Denmark. Dec., 2011

Here is Siku, the adorable Danish polar bear. [Video]

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The Portuguese Man-of-War: A Dangerous Ocean Creature

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The Portuguese Man O' War is a jellyfish-like marine creature. Its venomous tentacles can deliver a powerful sting.

Despite its outward appearance, the Man o' War is not a jellyfish but a siphonophore, which differs from jellyfish in that it is not actually a single creature, but a colonial organism made up of many minute individuals called zooids. Each of these zooids is highly specialized, and, although structurally similar to other solitary animals, they are attached to one another and physiologically integrated to the extent that they are incapable of independent survival.

The tentacles are the man-of-war's second organism. These long, thin tendrils can extend 165 feet (50 meters) in length below the surface, although 30 feet (10 meters) is more the average. They are covered in venom-filled nematocysts used to paralyze and kill fish and other small creatures. For humans, a man-of-war sting is excruciatingly painful, but rarely deadly.

The stinging, venom-filled in the tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war can paralyze small fish and other prey. Detached tentacles and dead specimens (including those that wash up on shore) can sting just as painfully as the live creature in the water and may remain potent for hours or even days after the death of the creature or the detachment of the tentacle.

Stings usually cause severe pain to humans, leaving whip-like, red welts on the skin that normally last 2 or 3 days after the initial sting, though the pain should subside after about an hour.

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