Wildlife photo: Is this the world's most beautiful mosquito?

You can't help but marvel at its beauty. This female mosquito, with its fabulous furry legs and iridescent shimmer, is a total stunner.

It's one of the Sabethes species found in central and South America.

What a shame this particular specimen also happens to be an important carrier of tropical disease.

The picture was taken by Gil Wizen from Ontario, Canada. His work is highly commended in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

To read more on this story, click here: Wildlife photo: Is this the world's most beautiful mosquito?

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Grieving Man Goes to the Shelter and Adopts All the Dogs Nobody Else Wanted

Some people love animals so much that they can’t seem to get enough of them, adopting dogs and other animals until they are surrounded by a virtual farm. One such person, Steve Grieg, has taken it upon himself to provide a forever home to senior dogs unwanted by others. But Grieg didn’t always think this way.

To read more on this story, click here: Grieving Man Goes to the Shelter and Adopts All the Dogs Nobody Else Wanted

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Veteran Honors Beloved Service Dog by Making Him the Best Man at His Wedding

Service dogs play an important part in the lives of the people they serve. Whether they are acting in the capacity as a comfort or support animals, these dedicated animals are indispensable to their owners. In many cases, a service dog’s owner views them as more than just a helper, but as a best friend as well. This is the case with Justin Lansford and his service dog Gabe.

To read more on this story, click here: Veteran Honors Beloved Service Dog by Making Him the Best Man at His Wedding

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Jerboas as Pets: Feeding, Housing, and Personality

Jerboas are small rodents with a rather bizarre-looking appearance that are rarely kept as pets. They are distinctive in appearance and highly sought after because they are one of the few mammals that are bipedal, maneuvering with a hopping motion in a similar fashion to kangaroos, as well as sprinting like a road runner. Their particularly thin legs and tiny size make this mode of locomotion appear even stranger; therefore jerboas are fascinating to observe in captivity.

Unfortunately, they aren’t readily available due to two important factors: they are extremely hard to breed in captivity and there is a restriction on the importation of African rodents (in the United States).

To read more on this story, click here: Jerboas as Pets: Feeding, Housing, and Personality

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This Tiny Animal Looks Like A Mix Between A Mouse, A Rabbit, A Pig, And A Kangaroo And It’s Absolutely Adorable

Our Mother Nature is often quite weird and the little long-eared jerboa is the perfect example of that. I mean, just look at this tiny creature. This adorable animal has a mouse-like body, rabbit-like ears, a pig’s snout, and back legs that look like a miniature model of a kangaroo’s. Seriously, what kind of Pokemon is it? Never heard of it.

The long-eared jerboa is so mysterious, so weird, and so cute that people on the interwebs seem to be absolutely in love with this little creature.

The long-eared jerboa looks like a cross between a mouse, a rabbit, a pig, and a kangaroo

To read more on this story, click here: This Tiny Animal Looks Like A Mix Between A Mouse, A Rabbit, A Pig, And A Kangaroo And It’s Absolutely Adorable

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Keeping and Caring for Pet Rats

Rats are intelligent and social animals that can make wonderful pets. They are also easily tamed, making rats especially great for someone who likes to handle their pets.

To learn how to care for them, click here: Keeping and Caring for Pet Rats

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Never Keep Livestock as Pets … Except When You Do

When raising livestock for meat, farmers must follow one hard and fast rule: You can’t care about the animals you care for. Which isn’t to say you can’t respect and honor the creatures you’re tasked with raising. I believe you should, in fact, play and talk with your feeder hogs to make their life as good as possible. But you can’t love them, or else you’ll depart the processor in tears every time.

It’s simple pragmatism, but to the outsider looking in, this attitude can seem callous, especially when coupled with the livestock farmer’s other rule against keeping animals who don’t pull their weight. When budgets get tight—and farm budgets are, by nature, very tight—it doesn’t make dollars and sense to keep an old animal around just because.

Which is exactly what we’re doing with George Clooney, the 700-plus-pound Berkshire boar.

To read more on this story, click here: Never Keep Livestock as Pets … Except When You Do

 

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Scientists Discover 400-Year-Old Greenland Shark Likely Born Around 1620

Greenland sharks are now the longest-living vertebrates known on Earth, according to scientists.

Researchers used radiocarbon dating of eye proteins to determine the ages of 28 Greenland sharks, and estimated that one female was about 400 years old. The former vertebrate record-holder was a bowhead whale estimated to be 211 years old.

To read more on this story, click here: Scientists Discover 400-Year-Old Greenland Shark Likely Born Around 1620

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The Most Popular Animals Owned As Pets In The US

 

As far as the most popular pets go, you would not be wrong if you guessed that the majority of the pet owners in the United States own dogs and cats. However, what about other animals? Pets differ from usual domestic animals in that they do not perform any sort of task or produce a product. They mostly serve the purpose of companionship, creating a friend for us when we need one.

After dogs and cats, other popular pets include fish, reptiles, rabbits, birds, livestock, ferrets, and many more. Pets can be therapeutic for us, giving us the much-needed support just by constantly being there for us. This is why many people turn to pet ownership as a way to make life more bearable.

To read more on this story, click here: The Most Popular Animals Owned As Pets In The US

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Ticks on Dogs: Know What to Look For

We all know that spring and summer are seasons to be on high alert for ticks. Dogs are particularly susceptible to tick bites and can also carry them into the house. Tick-borne diseases, including Lyme Disease, Canine Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Canine Anaplasmosis, and several others affect both humans and dogs.

And although ticks are common throughout the country, people in some states are more at risk than others. For example, Pennsylvania and Virginia are among the 14 states with the highest rate of confirmed Lyme Disease cases in the country. If you live in either of these states, you should be extra vigilant, take preventative measure and check your dog for ticks frequently.

To read more on this story, click here: Ticks on Dogs: Know What to Look For

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Amazing Foal Born With A Patch By His Mane That Looks Like Another Horse

A rare foal was born three years ago which made an internet hit and we thought to bring it back again to appreciate God’s creation. It was like love at first sight for all horse lovers as this beautiful foal had a unique work of art on its back. It looks like an optical illusion but this chestnut foal was born with his own perfect white shadow. The unique marking is the profile of another horse which runs up his left shoulder and neck. It then merges seamlessly from white to black into his mane.The pattern is such a work of art that the foal's owners have called him Da Vinci, or Vinny for short. He was born at the start of May at Fyling Hall riding school at Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire. Wendy Bulmer, who runs the riding school, said: 'I bought his mother at a sale and didn't know she was in foal [pregnant] so that was a bit of a surprise. He's even got a little white heart shape on his bottom as well.' 

 To read more on this story, click here: Amazing Foal Born With A Patch By His Mane That Looks Like Another Horse 

 tags Foal, Chestnut Foal, Da Vinci, Horse, Pony, Pet, Pet Adoption, Fyling Hall riding school,

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Man in Australia, Sleeping on Balcony Awakes to Find Stray Cat Sleeping on His Stomach

On a nice lazy day, Ali Safe planned to go out of his house in Canberra, Australia to enjoy a little sunshine and take a nap. However, when he awoke, he was surprised when finding a stray kitten napping on his stomach. “I was taking a nap on the balcony of our house, and, like two hours later, I woke up and I found her just napping on my stomach,” Safa told The Dodo.

At first, Safa thought a rat was sleeping, but he checked again and realized that was a tiny white kitten. The kitten with hairless pink ears and dirty little paws was sprawled across his stomach. He looked down the stray kitten and her appearance stolen his heart.

Safa had seen many stray cats in his neighborhood, but this was different because he was chosen by a stray cat. He captured a quick photo with the cat and careful not to wake her. “I never really had a pet and I am a bit of a loner so I don’t have many friends, too,” Safa said. “While she was sleeping I kept hearing that ‘purr’ sound cats make and it was the cutest shit I have ever heard.”

When the cat woke up, the first thing she did was step down off the sofa, looked at Safa and started meowing nonstop. Safa thought that she was hungry, so he shared the chicken wings with her. After completing the meal, he took her inside for a bath to prepare for a trip to the vet clinic. Thankfully, the kitten was healthy and without a microchip.

Safe decided to adopt her and drove her to the local supermarket to buy cat food and a few toys. The stray cat has a loving home of her own with a perfect name Angel and Safa has a new friend who will always be at his side. “All I can say is that she is the most fun cat I have ever gotten to play with,” Safa said. “All she does is just roam around me all the day wanting pets or to play.”

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Deer Vs. Car Crashes on the Rise as Wildlife Hits the Road

If you've ever lived in the eastern or central United States, chances are you've seen a deer test fate by dashing across a busy road, or worse, test your fate as well by triggering a car crash. A new study finds that car-deer crashes are rising sharply after a few years of decline, just in time for the peak season when Bambi's most likely to hit the interstate. The reason? More cars on the road, and more deer than ever.

Research has found that about 200 people a year in the United States die in crashes caused by darting deer. State Farm Insurance used its claims data to research the problem and estimated that deer hit 1.23 million vehicles between July 2011 and June 2012. Over the past four years, State Farm says, claims from deer hits rose nearly 8 percent, while claims from all other types of collisions fell 8.5 percent.

Most deer-vehicle violations fall into a belt of states in the northern and eastern United States, although as this map from State Farm shows, several southern states also run high risks. The worst state: West Virginia, where a motorist has a 1 in 40 chance of hitting a deer in the next 12 months. South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania round out the top five states with the most risk of buck-to-bumper contact. (The lowest: Hawaii, where State Farm says your chances of hitting a deer with a car are smaller than that of being struck by lightning.)

Part of the reason there's more deer accidents comes from the rising number of all kinds of accidents; as the economy starts to grow again, more people get back to commuting or driving longer distances. But the bigger factor comes from America's overpopulated deer herds, estimated at 20 million animals, which have grown even in states where thousands of hunters believe the second week of deer camp is the greatest time of year. Some critics say current hunting rules makes the problem worse by limiting does; others note that suburban sprawl means more deer have places to graze without natural predators where hunting isn't allowed. Many cities have turned to controlled hunts to lower their deer count, but that may only reduce numbers temporarily.

State Farm says November is the peak month for deer strikes, and unfortunately for drivers, there's no guaranteed way to avoid a deer crash. Driving with high beam headlights on as much as possible and watching for deer crossing signs can help; the whistles that mount on your bumper and supposedly scare off deer won't. The only trick that will ensure your safety: Move to Hawaii.

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President Biden signs PAWS Act

The bill will require the Department of Veterans Affairs to cover the cost of service dogs for vets living with PTSD in a five-year pilot program

With the stroke of a pen, President Biden signed PAWS Act into law Wednesday.

[ Jacksonville-sponsored ‘PAWS Act’ reaches U.S. Senate ]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that an average of 20 vets dies by suicide every day in the U.S. PAWS Act will connect more veterans with service dogs trained to support mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

To read more on this story, click here: President Biden signs PAWS Act

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