Mudfooted.com

As you will know by now I have a great fascination for goats, especially mountain goats (if not see these articles: Goats climbing dam and The crazy Mountain goat), perhaps especially since I am a fond rock-climber myself.

So one day when I was browsing one of my favorite rock climbing websites I was delighted to find a photo including both a rock climber and a rock climbing goat on the same picture!

Ibex goat climbing F5 graded multi-pitch in france! Photo by Colin Moody

The Ibex was found to climb some F5/f5+ graded climbs in the Haute Savoie, France and on this particular picture it was crossing the multi-pitch route “La Bleue“.

An amazing picture of a Great Grey Shrike having impaled a Dunnock – Photo by Glenn Vermeersch

There are many fascinating stories to be told about the unique feeding behaviours of the 10,000 or so bird species that roam the earth. From hitting your head against a tree trunk 20 times a second, eating bones, drinking nectar, or cleaning a crocodiles teeth! However, one of the most ferocious and graphic ones must be that of the shrike family.

Copyright Jane Burton – www.warrenphotographic.co.uk

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Incredible detailed drawing of an adult male African Elephant – Drawing by Rory Mccann

One of the main aims of Mudfooted.com is to increase awareness for wildlife conservation. Fortunately I am not the only one who thinks this is important, many artists around the world are combining their imaginative skills and interests to promote appreciation for our wonderful natural world. So is Rory Mccann, a wildlife artist and conservationist working in Cambridge, UK. His drawings are characterised by an amazing precision and wonderful detail of often highly endangered wildlife. A selection of his work is featured below:

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Among the many amazing features of our planet this is one I think you should definitely know about: The world’s largest island within a lake on an island within a lake on an island! Can you picture that? Vulcan point is a small volcanic island within the 2km large Crater Lake of the Taal Volcano on Volcano Island in Taal lake on Luzon Island, Phillippines, in the pacific ocean.

An island within a lake on an island in a lake on an island in the pacific… Picture that!

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A young bonobo – Photograph: link

Bonobos are the enigmatic fifth member of the great ape family which also consists of orang-utans, gorillas, common chimpanzees and humans. In the same way as we relate to common chimpanzees, the DNA recipe which makes up humans differs by around 1% to that which makes up bonobos, making them both equally our closest living genetic relatives. Their scientific name (Pan paniscus), means ‘diminutive Pan’: a minute version of the goat-horned and legged Greek forest god, who enjoyed some nymph debauchery while playing the pan flute in mythological times. This term has only been used to designate the bonobo since 1933 as prior to that date, bonobos were largely unknown or misunderstood to be dwarf chimpanzees.

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By now you must have heard words like “conservation”, “extinction” and “global warming” a thousand and one times – meaning they are often ignored. Conservationists have campaigned to inform the world about the severity of the damage being done to its ecosystems and in many cases humans are to blame.

However, not all ecosystems are endangered and, in fact, in a lot of cases many species and populations are on the increase, evolving to suit a changing habitat. So what’s all the hassle about?

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Let me be honest with you. I have a great fascination for goats. I think they are one if not the most fascinating animals on our planet. Probably most of you might at first not agree, thinking of your ‘favourite animal’ the Panda, Lion, or dolphin. However, my previous article on mountain goats might have already showed you goats have more to offer than their great grazing abilities. If that did not convince you, take a look at the following.

The small brown dots on the dam’s face are actually mountain goats! – Photograph: Adriano Migliorati

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In an animal’s life there are critical periods in which certain important events must happen or otherwise that learning opportunity is lost. The most important critical period is during the first few months after birth. It is important to understand more about this so-called socialization period in animals and especially in dogs because a lack of socialization can result in serious behaviour problems of our favorite pet.

Cats and dogs don't have to be enemies - my cat loves its warm doggy-cushion

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The bright pink katydid! Picture: flick

A pink insect? Yes, a pink insect! In the family of katydids which consists of more than 6400 species, a rare colour morph exists which is bubblegum pink!

Normally katydids are green and somewhat leaf-shaped, allowing them to blend in nicely with the foliage. They are so well camouflaged that they are very hard to see. However, their song, by which it got its name, makes them easy to recognize: “Katy did, Katy did, Katy didn’t”. As most insects, they ‘sing’ by running one wing along the teeth at the bottom of the other wing, a method called stridulation.

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The lowland streaked tenrec looks like a crossing between a hedgehog and a bumblebee

With their spiky bristles between their fur and distinct black and yellowish stripes, the lowland streaked tenrec mostly resembles a cross between a hedgehog and an oversized bee! Its appearance is even more unusual because of the spiky yellow bristles around their head, but gives them great camouflage while foraging on the forest floor.

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In the seas above the Arctic circle lives the Narwhal, the ‘unicorn of the sea’. Narwhals are unique in that they have a swordlike, spiral tusk that grows right through their upper lip. Swimming in groups of hundreds of individuals, these unique mammals dive to extreme depths under the arctic ice.

Two narwhals underwater. You can clearly see the extreme length of the narwahls tooth!

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Few mammales are as weird looking as the Aye-Aye (vingerdier), a lemur found only on the island of Madagascar. Spending most of the night travelling through the canopy like a squirrel, this unique primate fills the same ecological niche as a woodpecker by using its elongated thin middle-finger and rodent-like teeth.

The weird looking aye-aye of madagascar

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In the remnants of one small lake, surrounded by the overpopulated outgrowths of Mexico city, lives one of the most unusual species on the edge of extinction. It is the axolotl salamander that uniquely spends its whole life in larval form and can regenerate entire body parts!

Axolotls come in various colours of which this is the most common wildtype. Photograph: Stephen Dalton

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In the darkest depths of the ocean where the water is freezingly cold, the pressure is enormous and food is scarce lives the angry-looking deep sea angler fish. It is an incredible example of how living organisms manage to survive in even the most inhospitable environment. Even more incredible is their way of reproducing, which is one of the most bizarre in the animal kingdom.

The ferocious looking deep sea angler fish has one of the most extreme methods of reproduction

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Meet the water bear, the world’s toughest animal. Despite what their name may let you believe, these water-dwelling creatures are very very small, measuring less than a millimeter. Having the unique ability to basically die and come back to live again, these rather adorable animals can survive even the most hostile conditions and environments.

The water bear, the world' thoughest animal

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