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Racoon

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Going back to the 3-toed sloth....

 

When I was an exchange student some years ago, our group had the fortune of getting close to a sloth that had come down from the trees in a large park in Venezuela.

It was so slow it was adorable.. however thats a bad evolutionary trait I would think.

 

Male sloths wil stay in the same tree their entire lives!

Three-toed sloth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

I seized my photographic opportunity :D

 

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So after all that attention did the sloth promply get back up in the tree?

 

'Prompt' wouldn't be a word I'd use to describe the sloths movement. :turtle:

 

Sloths can't control their body temps.. so thats why the stay in trees in tropical South America.. Warm enough to stay warm, and in some shade to avoid over exposure.

 

It lurched incredibly slow. :D

 

Heres another good link.

Brown Throated three-toed sloth

 

Limited to equatorial habitats of constant high temperature climates and almost daily rainfall, Bradypus variegatus’s low and unstable body temperature varies depending on the temperature of its surroundings . With a body temperature as low as 34ºC in Bradypus and commonly varying 10ºC during the day , continued exposure to the sun may result in death .

On a cloudy day Bradypus variegatus’s body temperature does not exceed 5º above the air temperature.

 

Because its body temperature is lower then most mammals studied, it barely keeps warm even in the tropics . One reason why Bradypus variegatus is not able to control its body temperature and is restricted to tropical climates is its reduced skeletal muscles which only contributes 25% -30 % of its overall weight. This small muscle mass effects its metabolism as Bradypus variegatus turns food into energy at half the rate of other species its size . Their nerves and muscles function slower than most mammals as well.

 

Bradypus is peaceful and shy. Because the animal has little knowledge of fear, it can be found close to human dwellings.

 

Its predators include jaguars, Harpy Eagles and anacondas but, because of its arboreal lifestyle, it lives relatively free from danger. Because the three-toed sloth can not stand on level surfaces, they are rarely seen on the ground. However, it usually descends to the forest floor once a week to defecate

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Four white lions born in French zoo

 

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May 24, 2007 - 10:05AM

The four white lion cubs. Photo: AFP

 

The four white lion cubs.

Photo: AFP

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Four white lions were born in a zoo in western France at the weekend, a welcome boost for the species whose population is teetering at about 30 worldwide, a zoo official said today.

 

The male and three female cubs, white as snow and weighing about 1.5 kg, were separated from their mother at birth because she appeared to lack parenting skills.

 

"Nyala, their mother, wasn't taking care of them. It's as if she didn't know what to do," said Bernadette Oury, director of the Jurques zoo in western France where the four were born on Sunday.

 

"They are in full health and we are thrilled," said Oury.

Four white lions born in French zoo - Travel - smh.com.au

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The Sloth Bear! :)

 

 

 

Watched a docu "the Deadly Dozen of India" - National Geographic.

They look like a sloth mixed with a bear, such as the name implies.

 

If they attack humans, they go right for the head and neck! although its not very common...

Mostly they're content to ripping open termite colony mounds and vacuuming out all the termites. :) They have a nostril flap that closes,and they literally suck up all the little buggers.

 

 

*edit* they are "a bit" deadly:

In Madhya Pradesh, India, sloth bear attacks accounted for the deaths of 48 people and the injuring of 686 others during five years from 1989

 

 

 

Sloth Bear - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Deadly Snake Series pt.1;)

Deadly Snakes are cool!

 

Africa; Home to many varieties of poisonous snakes.

 

The Cape Cobra. a camoflaged threat and killer in South Africa. Kills more people in this area than other snakes. Easy for it to go unnoticed in the dry shrubbery until its too late...:hihi:

 

Cape Cobra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

 

And the beautiful, but deadly Eastern Green Mamba. They like to hang around in tree's. Usually one to slither off before attacking, some unlucky chap might get a little too close when picking fruit or cutting branches..

They can grow to 6 feet. :)

 

Eastern green mamba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

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The Sloth Bear! ;)

 

 

 

Watched a docu "the Deadly Dozen of India" - National Geographic.

They look like a sloth mixed with a bear, such as the name implies.

 

If they attack humans, they go right for the head and neck! although its not very common...

Mostly they're content to ripping open termite colony mounds and vacuuming out all the termites. :) They have a nostril flap that closes,and they literally suck up all the little buggers.

 

 

*edit* they are "a bit" deadly:

 

 

 

Sloth Bear - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

Kodiak Bears are far more dangerous, admittedly they live where where very few people live, actually they live where no one lives. they are huge and have no qualms about eating people. But if I was going to go for simply cool I'd pick the octopus. It's only flaw is that it lives for so short a time. most live about a year or so.

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Deadly Snake Series pt.1;)

Deadly Snakes are cool!

 

Africa; Home to many varieties of poisonous snakes.

 

The Cape Cobra. a camoflaged threat and killer in South Africa. Kills more people in this area than other snakes. Easy for it to go unnoticed in the dry shrubbery until its too late...:hihi:

 

Cape Cobra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

 

And the beautiful, but deadly Eastern Green Mamba. They like to hang around in tree's. Usually one to slither off before attacking, some unlucky chap might get a little too close when picking fruit or cutting branches..

They can grow to 6 feet. :)

 

Eastern green mamba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

yes poisonous snakes are cool but i think the ones that are "smart" enough to hold back their venom when biting an animal they quite clearly cannot eat. that implies quick thought on their part. If you've ever had a six or seven foot diamond back go into panic mode and you can't back away, you pray he knows he can't eat you!

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