I just got news that Aunt L’s Yorkshire Terrier just passed away. I wish I had spent more time with him.
Here’s a photo of Ferdie and friends. He is in the blue sweater, then there’s sweet Chloe in the middle, and the late Yogi in red. Aunt L gives them plenty of love and attention. Possibly the most pampered pets I’ve ever met!
Notes from Dogbreedinfo.com:
“Yorkshire Terriers seem oblivious of their small size. They are very eager for adventure. This little dog is highly energetic, brave, loyal and clever. With owners who take the time to understand how to treat a small dog, the Yorkie is a wonderful companion!
Affectionate with their master, but if humans are not this dog’s pack leader, they can become suspicious of strangers and aggressive to strange dogs and small animals. They can also become yappy, as the dog does their best to tell you what THEY want YOU to do.”
Ferdie was always full of energy and lots of love. He was really one of a kind and will be truly missed.
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Life as a pen-tailed tree shrew in the tropical forest can seem like a party. The pen-tailed tree shrew is the first non-human mammal known to display alcoholic behavior. As these cute little creature feed on fermented bertam palm nectar without ever getting “drunk”.
The bertam palm plant flowers nearly year-around in the rain forest, so they make perfect food source. The tree shrew spend about two hours per night drinking up the nectar. A nectar with 3.8% alcohol content, much like beer.
Pen-tailed tree shrew are native to the tropical rain forest of Southeast Asia. They look a bit like squirrels and are about the same size.
This little tree shrew looks more like a bat or mouse with an unusual tail. The tail looks more like wheat then than a pen… maybe an old fashioned pen. Those tiny fingers and toes are really good at gripping the branch too. Photo from National Geographic.
Frank Wiens, a biologist at the University of Bayreuth (Germany) checked to see the animals’ alcohol consumption by testing hair samples for ethyl glucuronide.
Wiens found that the tree shrews consume alcohol at rates that would be dangerous to most mammals. It seem their body is able to metabolize the alcohol differently then humans and do no get drunk from these nightly nectar.
Wiens also adds that the palm flower also benefits from the tree shrew too. And if alcohol production appears critical to the palms’ reproduction because it entices tree shrews to pollinate their flowers. So Wiens wonder, “If alcohol is crucial for an ecological relationship [like the pollinator relationship], then it should also exert some sort of beneficial effect to the animals and we can only speculate on those effects.”
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I’ve always loved penguins. There is just something neat about a bird that can’t fly, but loves to swim underwater. Can live in freezing temperatures and depend on other penguins for warmth.
I love how the black and white is to represent the symbolism of Taoism. Peng Shui is the perfect name too. Artwork by English artist Peter Cross.
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What better way to get into the Christmas spirit then putting up decorations? I just saw these cute Christmas critter ornaments at Pottery Barn. I especially like the baby penguin. But $26 for a set of 4 is quite pricey!
Pinecone Critters. Along with the pine cone body, it’s very creative! Photo from Pottery Barn.
Smith & Hawkin, the garden shop I’ve enjoyed visiting, always had nice ornaments. But sadly they are out of business (since last July 2009). I found this photo from the Daily Green. I remember seeing them last winter but didn’t buy any. They are so cute and colorful too! I found some on Ebay and thinking of bidding for them (starting bid is $3 for all 6).
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M and I visited Blackberry Farm in Cupertino, CA. It reminded me of the blackberry farm in Pescadero. Except we were not near the ocean. But it was nicely tucked in amongst the suburbs. And the entrance was free, plus eating tangy blackberries optional. There was also a small creek that ran through the park, complete with river rocks too.
The best part of this farm was the community garden and the local 4H club animal farm. There were even some real live bee hives! Even though I love bees, I was still very scared to get too close to the hives. Maybe if I had a bee suit.
The 4 H club had many animals. But I was particularity interested in the goats. There are three different breeds of goats, diary goats, meat goats, and other dual purpose (fiber) goats. There were goats with small ears and some with big ears. The small ears one were called La Mancha and the big floppy ears named Nubian. The La Mancha are a medium sized breed, developed in the USA from goats of Spanish origin. They are known to have an excellent dairy temperament (good for producing goat milk). And these La Mancha are considered to be very friendly, naturally healthy and sturdy animals.
My favorite type of goats was the Pygmy goat. They are small and cute. Pygmy goats are one of the most popular breed for meat, but now are more popular as pet. They are small goats of African origin. This one in the middle (looking at camera) let me pet it’s chin for the longest time! I would love to have Pygmy goats as pet some day. As well as other goats for the milk.
In the eastern Himalayas, between India and China, there is a place that hasn’t been explored very much. And now a decade of research done by scientists have discovered 353 new plant and animal species. From a flying frog to the world’s second smallest deer.
In 2005 they discovered this bird. It was located south of the Tibetan border in Burma’s Kachin State. They call it the “Naung Mung scimitar-babbler” (Jabouilleia naungmungensis). The midsize forest bird uses its big bill to scratch the ground in search of food. It’s like a cross between a small bird and the New Zealand Kiwi.
This little frog has a giant pair of mesmerizing golden eyes, it was discovered in 1999. It is 1 of 5 new frog discoveries in the Indian state of Assam. It measures just a few centimeters. Reminds me of the tree frog, but not so green.
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