Lists

25 Tabby Cats

Tabby is not a breed of Cat but a colour pattern. There are four types of Tabby pattern and 25 breeds of Cat that accept the Tabby pattern and are referred to as Tabby Cats.

The four types of Tabby pattern are:

Classic – Whorls ending in a ‘target’ on the side of the cat

Mackerel – Striped rings around tail and legs, ‘necklace’ of stripes across chest and bands of solid or broken stripes down their sides

Spotted – Spotty markings

Agouti – Different bands of colour down the length of individual hairs.

25 Tabby Cats

Abyssinian

American Bobtail

American Curl

American Shorthair

American Wirehair

Birman

Colourpoint Shorthair

Egyptian Mau

Exotic

Javanese

LaPerm

Maine Coon

Manx

Norwegian Forest Cat

Ocicat

Oriental

Persian

Ragdoll

Scottish Fold

Siberian

Singapura

Somali

Turkish Angora

Turkish Van

For more information, visit the Cat Fanciers Association

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Top Ten Unicorns

Whatisyourspiritualanimal.com suggests that today is National Unicorn Day. “How can that be?”, I hear you cry, “They aren’t real!”

True.

However, the idea of a one-horned horse type creature has been around since the Ancient Greeks, writing about them as part of nature, not of myth. The physical appearance of a unicorn is most likely a combination of a Rhinocerous (water horse with one tusk), a Goat (beard and horns on it’s head) and a Narwhal (medium sized whale with a very long straight tusk or horn). Most writers had heard the tales of Unicorns and perhaps saw a Rhino for the first time believing it to be the legendary Unicorn. The magical powers of the Unicorn itself, and more importantly it’s tusk, I believe stems from people’s lack of knowledge of the unknown to which they project ideas of fantasy and magic until they are understood better. Unfortunately, in some countries, the idea of healing powers from tusks and horns of many animals, including Elephants and Rhinos, is still prominent today leading them to hunt the animals to gain their healing properties.

When people think of Unicorns, they conjure up different images; so here is a list of the Top Ten Unicorns to help you identify which one you picture:

1) Archaic Unicorn – Goat sized, Goat beard, Lion tail, Cloven Hooves

2) Northern European – Large horse size, Pure white

3) Western European – Wings on the feet, Curly horn

4) Central European – Smaller pony size

5) Alps and Carpathian – Grey speckled and robust, Largely Goat-like

6) Eastern European – Pony size, very fleeting when seen

7) Chinese/Japanese – Almost Cow-like, Fancy horn

8) Gaelic – Heavy coat for Winter conditions

9) Black – Black fur, Red horn and hooves

10) Alicorn – Winged horse, Pegasus

To find out more about Unicorns, I got my information and pictures from these sites: Unicorn Glitter Palace, Magic Of Unicorns, Land Of Unicorns, and Wikipedia

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National Poultry Day

Today is National Poultry Day (according to awarenessdays.com) so let’s celebrate all those wonderful birds who give us their eggs, meat and feathers without being asked.

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Thank you to the internet for all the photos

12 Invasive Species

This week, February 26th, is Invasive Species Awareness Week according to AVMA.org. Invasive Species are Plants and Animals, both Native and Non-Native, that have become over-populated, resulting in damage to the environment and wildlife. Some species become over-populated but don’t cause any harm so are not classed as invasive.

Below is a list of a few of the most Invasive Animal Species from across the globe.

Grey Squirrels were introduced to Britain in 1876 and wiped out the general population of Red Squirrels due to a virus.

American Minks were introduced to Britain in 1929 and have since reduced the number of Water Voles by 94%, using them for predation.

Muntjac Deer were introduced in 1831 and have impacted on woodlands by grazing and preventing tree regeneration, affecting birds and other wildlife.

Signal Crayfish, introduced in 1979, have nearly wiped out all White Clawed Crayfish due to competition and transmission of a plague.

– Discover Wildlife A very comprehensive Identification Sheet can be found at nonnativespecies.org.

Europe

Asian Hornet, first recorded in 2005, decimates entire beehives and can impact on insect biodiversity and pollination.

Raccoon, introduced in the first half of the 20th century, preys on native species and is a carrier of many parasites and diseases dangerous to both wildlife and humans.

Chinese Mitten Crab, introduced in the early 1900s, causes economical and ecological damage to riverbanks and flood defences through burrowing, and competes with and preys on native species.

North American Bullfrog outcompetes and displaces native species through spreading of lethal diseases, it’s size, breeding capacity and ferocious appetite.

–European Commission Environment

USA

Brown Tree Snake, introduced in 1950, preys on native lizards and birds and causes power outages by climbing on wires.

Wild Boar, introduced in 1500s, damages plants and crops and compete with native animal species.

Giant African Snail, introduced in 1966, causes extensive damage to plants and the environment.

Asian Longhorned Beetle, introduced in 1996, is a destructive wood boring insect, destroying other wildlife’s habitats.

– Invasivespeciesinfo.gov

-Photographs are from multiple sources on the Web, I take no credit.

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A List of Monarch Butterflies

Today, February 5th, is Western Monarch Day according to whatisyourspiritanimal.com, so I’ve put together a List of Monarch Butterflies to help you identify them, especially if you’re helping in the American National Monarch Count (see SouthWest Monarch website for more info, and visit the Pacific Northwest’s Facebook Page).