Uploads from Abizeleth, tagged animal

Lounging

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:25:05 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

Calico lounging outside the Serbian church in Dubrovnik. I saw her there more than once.

dolphin escort

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:12:49 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

A short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) following our ferry in the Cook Straight between the north and south islands in NZ. There was a very large pod of dozens of dolphins - amazing to see! They were leaping and following the boat and clearly enjoying themselves.

We were extraordinarily lucky - the weather in the Cook Straight is usually ridiculously awful, but it was a nice calm day when we were there.

Apparently this shot has made an appearance on Explore - thanks all! :)

sharp-snouted rock lizard

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:31:21 -0800

Abizeleth posted a photo:

Sharp-snouted rock lizard (Dalmatolacerta oxycephala) on a wall at Trsteno Arboretum.

Look at those toes!

Roadblocks

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:31:44 -0800

Abizeleth posted a photo:

From Stina's trip up Srđ yesterday.

through the fence

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:04:05 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

A friendly cat through an iron fence at one of the monasteries in Dubrovnik's old town this morning. Dubrovnik has a LOT of cats - it's hard not to want to take them all home.

takeoff

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:34:01 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

Took the dog down to the lake yesterday for an evening walk - we've had unseasonably warm weather the last 2 days!

cat nap

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:33:51 -0800

Abizeleth posted a photo:

We had a string of sunny days last week, and the neighborhood cats were out. Alas, today we are having heavy rain.

scrawled cowfish

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:50:20 -0800

Abizeleth posted a photo:

Almost perfectly camouflaged, a scrawled cowfish (Acanthostracion quadricornis) hangs out in the seagrass.

See it large.

ghost crab with seaweed accoutrement

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:55:38 -0800

Abizeleth posted a photo:

These ghost crabs (Ocypode quadrata) were quite common and funny to watch scuttling around on the beach.

Turks & Caicos rock iguana

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:47:02 -0800

Abizeleth posted a photo:

The Turks & Caicos rock iguana (Cyclura carinata) is an endangered species endemic to the Turks & Caicos Islands. This species is actually doing well compared to other Cyclura in the Caribbean, but there are only 50,000 of them left. About 2,000 of them live on Little Water Cay, a nature preserve that's near the island of Providenciales. Lots of tourboats visit the island and you can walk around on the boardwalks and see the iguanas.

The main threat to the iguanas throughout their range is from dogs and cats, which particularly hunt the smaller, young iguanas. TCI has been working to remove dogs and cats from their nature preserves, and some areas have been fairly successful.

lizard

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:43:50 -0800

Abizeleth posted a photo:

Sending this to one of my herpetologist friends for an ID.... Looks like he lost his tail at some point and regrew it.

Ellie's new friend

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:24:48 -0800

Abizeleth posted a photo:

My parents sent Stina a stuffed hermit crab from the aquarium in Charleston. Ellie has decided it makes a very nice pillow.

All the better to hear you with

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:14:17 -0800

Abizeleth posted a photo:

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) from Bandelier National Monument. It's hard to get over how much bigger the mule deer's ears are compared to the white-tailed deer we're used to seeing!

bleached earless lizard

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:42:55 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

We saw a few critters around White Sands National Monument, including a few bleached earless lizards (Holbrookia maculata ruthveni). The subspecies seems to be endemic to this area, and the bleached color lends camouflage from predators. Apparently the closed ears is an adaptation to digging in sand. Makes sense. I wouldn't want sand in my ears, either!

Galápagos fur seal

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:13:44 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

One of the unusual animals to see at Puerto Egas on Santiago were the Galápagos fur seals (Arctocephalus galapagoensis). The ledges along the grottos are a popular resting place for this species. In spite of the name, they are not true seals - they are actually in the same family as the sea lions, and have external ears and flippers that are better suited for moving on land.

Galápagos fur seals are endemic to the Galápagos, and are smaller and have thicker coats than the Galápagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki). Their huge eyes are an adaptation to their nocturnal feeding habits so they can find fish in the dark.

They were extensively hunted for their pelts in the 19th century. They are considered to be endangered due to their limited range and a significant decline in population during the 1982-83 and 1997-98 El Niño events.

red spiny lobster

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:25:07 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

A red spiny lobster (Panulirus penicillatus) scurries by underwater at Puerto Egas, Santiago (Galapagos). These lobsters are exploited commercially by local fishermen, and their populations have been declining.

I think it looks like it belongs in a disco somewhere.

awwwww....

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:00:57 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) on the beach on South Plaza, Galapagos

Swallow-tailed gull

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:05:43 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

Swallow-tailed gulls (Creagrus furcatus) are endemic to the Galapagos and the only nocturnal gulls in the world. They feed on squid and fish that come to the ocean surface to feed on plankton at night.

Galapagos land iguana

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:59:29 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

The Galapagos land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) are endemic to the Galapagos, and some of the populations have been seriously threatened by wild dogs and goats that have been released on some of the islands. The Charles Darwin Research Station has been working to remove goats, dogs and cats from areas where they threaten wildlife.

waved albatross

nobody@flickr.com (Abizeleth) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:17:04 -0700

Abizeleth posted a photo:

The waved albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) were my favorite birds that we saw. They are large, sturdy birds, with a wingspan of 2.3m (7.5 feet) and can soar for long periods of time without stopping. They're so large, in fact, that they can't easily take off unless there's a tall cliff to use as a runway for take off. That's what this one is doing -- heading for the cliff edge to take off.

On Española, we were lucky to see them do their courtship dance, which involves a lot of bowing, head waving, and bill fencing. Pictures of that later!

They are critically endangered as a species, with a world population of around 30,000. 99% of them live and breed in the Galapagos, but there's a small population on Isla de la Plata, off the coast of Ecuador.