Florida Box Turtle

The Florida Box Turtle, as the name implies, is endemic to Florida. It is quite distinct in its appearance from the others of a group known as “eastern box turtles”.

A small to medium sized turtle, the Florida Box Turtle is one of six subspecies of eastern box turtles. In both appearance and color it is distinct from the other eastern box turtles including its northern cousin (a species of eastern box turtle with the same common name as the group) “Eastern Box Turtle”. The Florida Box Turtle is distinguished by the almost black background to its shell which is elongated flares out at the back.

These turtles are fairly small, quiet, and don’t bite. They may seem like a desirable pet, however there are a few things to keep in mind before acquiring a box turtle. Box turtles are solitary creatures and do not need companions. They need to be protected from other household pets, such as dogs. They are sensitive to their captive environment and can take time to become comfortable. And lastly, they are fun to watch but they do not enjoy being handled.

Florida Box Turtle
"I’m from Florida, and I’m ONLY from florida!"2/5/2007

Winter and Summer, Ralf the Mouse

Dr. Jungle says… “Wow! Winter with corn and Summer in a Santa Claus suit. How do you top that?”

  Winter and Summer
"The Odd Couple"
2/25/2007

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Dr. Jungle says… “Next we have a fancy mouse named Ralf. Ralfs gets a cuteness rating of 11+ AND Ralf gets the “A Sniff a day keeps the doctor away” award.

Matt says about Ralf: “He loves sniffing things.”

  Ralf
"A black mouse! "
2/25/2007

Oreo

Dr. Jungle says… “Oh my… we have LOTS and LOTS of cute pets this week! Oreo is one of the cutest, lets start out with him.”

Here’s what Jamie says about Oreo:
“My bunny’s name is Oreo and he is approximately 8 years old. He is white with black patches.”

Cuteness: 11+ (Oreo gets the “Best Cooky Imitation” award)

  Oreo
"Sweet as a Cooky !"
2/25/2007

Colossal Squid, Chimp Video

Marine Mammal Center: Do Not Disturb Seal Pups: “The “Leave Seals Be” campaign also asks people to leave abandoned or ill seal pups alone and call the center’s 24-hour response line, (415) 289-SEAL.”

Photo in the News: Colossal Squid Caught off Antarctica: “With eyes the size of dinner plates, the sea monster is of a species that is bigger than even the giant squid.”

Video: Chimps Make and Use “Spears” to Hunt: “See newly observed footage of tool-making behavior that further blurs the line between humans and chimpanzees, our closest living relatives.”

Some Lizards Smell Tougher Than Others: “Think you can smell a good fight? These lizards can smell a bad one tooâ��and get away while the getting’s good, a new study says.”

Antifreeze-Like Blood Lets Frogs Freeze and Thaw With Winter’s Whims: “Wood frogs can weather winter’s ups and downs by literally freezing and thawing in step with fluctuating temperatures. Scientists hope to replicate the technique to aid human organ transplants.”

Shark-Smuggling Bust Nets $1 Million for Habitat Protection: “Fines collected from convicted poachers who had been taking leopard shark pups from the San Francisco Bay will start a fund for restoring the animals’ habitat.”

Photo in the News: Ancient Tree Frog Found Encased in Amber: “A rare, 0.4-inch (1-centimeter) tree frog that could be 25 million years old has been found in a chunk of amber dug up by a Mexican miner, a scientist announced.”

Push To Preserve Parrot Perch On Telegraph Hill: “The last aging trees in a grove where wild parrots roost on the city’s scenic Telegraph Hill would be protected under new legislation to be considered next month.“

Tiger Lop Bunny, Yuri

And bunnies, I just love bunnies! Somewhere underneath that blanket of cute, you’ll find a tiger lop bunny named Yuri!

Here’s what Whitney says about Yuri:

“She looks like a stuffed animal, and likes to give lots of kisses.”

  Yuri
"Could Almost Be a Stuffed Animal!"
2/12/2007

Midori, Senegal Parrot

Did I mention I really like birds too? Midori really is the “Queen of everything”!

Here’s what Chelsea says about Midori:

“What isn’t there to say about Midori?! She can mimic everything, I hear a new noise everyday! She can howl like a wolf, purr like a cat, she has at least 5 different telephone rings (which almost fools me) and probably a dozen or more whistles! Dori is a total sweetie bug, she loves being held by everyone, and loves her head scratched. Our favorite time to spend together is her on my shoulder while I’m playing poker online. She mimics the noises that the fake “chips” online make, and everytime I get excited and win, she usually whistles and gets very excited! My absolute favorite thing about her is that everytime someone in the room laughs, she also finds whatever they do funny and laughs right along with them, she has a pretty good sense of humor! Midori loves her peanuts, and her other favorite treat is mashed potatoes!”

  Midori
"Poker Parrot"
2/12/2007

Green Sea Turtle Video

Did I say I liked turtles? Well… heres a video filmed by Vollie Ray near the island of Roatan near Honduras. You can see more dive videos at Vollie’s site. The video is what I believe to be a Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas. Along for the ride is what looks to be a remora. Another interesting story is the remora, apparently they have been used to capture turtles by tying a rope around their tail and releasing them near a swimming turtle. The remora will then attach itself to the turtle’s back at which point both the remora and the turtle can be hauled into the boat. You can read more about this at Wikipedia.

Click to See the Movie

Sun Conure, Mango-tango

Mango gets multiple awards with “Off The Cuteness Scale” (one more broken cuteness meter , and the “Wet Bird of the Year” awards!

Here’s what Loviechick says about Mango:

“Mango was the first “big bird” I brought home. I had only owned lovebirds before, but was really taken aback by how handsome he was. Needless to say one of his nicknames is Big Bird, his other is Mango-Tango! He is a real clown, he loves whistling and doing this funny dance whenever he sees someone and wants their attention! He doesn’t talk much, but when I leave for work he always blows me kisses, and says the only thing he can say, and that’s bye bye! He is very social and loves people and his favorite is when I scratch under his wings. He goes everywhere with me around the house, he is definitely my little sidekick! He loves his baths, in fact I can’t let him see me doing dishes, otherwise he insists that its bathtime and won’t stop squawking until I put him in the sink!”"

  Mango
"Loves Baths"
2/12/2007

Ringed Map Turtle

Dr. Jungle says… “If it seems I’m big on turtles, well… thats because I am!”

With beautiful yellowish rings accenting its shell, the Ringed Map Turtle is quickly and easily recognized.

   The Ringed Map Turtle is one of the smaller so called ‘Sawback’ map turtles. The term ’sawback’ is attributed to three (and possibly a fourth) of the map turtles species. They are designated as sawback map turtles because of their extremely accentuated scutes going down the center of their carapace, the vertebral keel. The rear of these vertebral scutes, especially the first three, strongly juts upward creating a serrated or saw-like appearance. The Ringed Map Turtle is very similar to the Yellow-blotched Map Turtle G. flavimaculata, except it has a yellow ring around of each its scutes rather than a blotch, to accent its otherwise olive brown body with a bright touch of yellow.

Ringed Map Turtle
"I think I’m going in circles… I feel dizzy!"
2/4/2007

Dixie the Christmas Tree Ornament

Dr. Jungle says… “Ive had plenty of live Christmas trees… as a matter of fact several of the trees growing around the outside of the house were once Christmas trees… but a live ornament? This has gotta be a first!”

Here’s what Evelyn says about Dixie:

“This is Dixie. Every night, after we put up our Christmas Tree, Dixie just had to fly and land on the same spot. I had to move decorations, just for her to have her own spot, and she looked at us as if to say “see how pretty I am…”"

  Dixie
"Beautiful Christmas Tree Ornament!"
2/9/2007

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