Critter Day!

In an unusual turn of events, I left home before 7 AM this morning.  (On workdays I'm rarely out of bed before 8!)  The flowers at the botanic gardens were blooming in profusion and perhaps I'll share those pictures another time.  Critters became my focus today, starting with the first picture I took.

Guess the swans like to sleep in, too!  I roamed toward the English walled garden, then along the shore in the direction of the Japanese garden.

Sorry that one's a bit blurry.  Completely my fault.  The toad wasn't moving fast!  Just around the bend from the toad, a chipmunk scooted across the path, far too quickly for me to get a picture.  These little guys are everywhere; I see some every time I'm at the gardens.  Not far ahead was a bench.  I sat and watched.  My reward was a chipmunk approaching along a low stone wall.

Extra bonus was a second one (on the right) that I didn't know was there until I saw the photo.

Near where you enter and leave the gardens is a fountain.  The angle of sunlight was just right for a rainbow.  I took several pix from a distance.  When I moved closer I realized the cluster of photographers at the water's edge were not there solely for the rainbow.

The shore visible to the right is the western side of an island.  The swans were sleeping on the eastern side of that island when I arrived.

The swans continued on their way.

I headed off for iced coffee.

Sloths - I know you were wondering about them

Relax.
Slow down.
And enjoy this video about sloths.  (Found thanks to Matociquala.)

EDIT 1/13/13

Well, You Tube canceled the account for the video

I linked here. 

For copyright infringement.

Sorry for perpetuating something like that.

I will try to find the original.

Because ... sloths!

Some Critters I Like

One of my biology professors always said "critters" instead of "animals."  Other profs used it sometimes, so I view it as a scientific term.  ;-)

Critter One:  Yeti crab (Kiwa hirsuta)

Discovered in 2005 along the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge at a depth of 2200 meters by scientists in the submarine DSV Alvin. 

They live near hydrothermal vents and are about 15 cm long.   Here's a video of one made by folks from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, again in Alvin.  

This critter will end up in a story or novel of mine some day.  May get modified (thinking larger, but can't get too much bigger or those 'arms' will be a problem). 

Critter Two:  Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

Here’s a mom and babies who live at the Belfast Zoo.   

Capybaras are native to South America and are the world’s largest rodents.  Adults are about 1 to 1.3 meters (3 to 4 feet) long and can weigh 35 to 65 kg (75 to 150 lb).  They always live near water.

I have these in my prehistoric fantasy novel. 


Critter Three:  Salties  (Crocodylus porosus)

The largest living reptile, salt water crocodiles make it unsafe to go in the water from northern Australia up through western India.

Mature males can exceed 6 meters (18 feet) in length, females are around 4 meters (12 feet).  Weights range from 400 to 1000 kg (900 to 2200 lb).  For perspective, average horses are around 1000 to 1200 pounds.

Not sure if this critter will be in a story of mine someday or not.  Maybe after I get over being too nice to my characters...