Carp

The High Stakes of the Great Lakes - Asian Carp are Invasive Species

       Carp, a family of fresh-water fishes native to Southwestern Asia, but now acclimated in all parts of the world. Carp is a favorite food fish of Europe, but because of the coarseness of its flesh it is not so well liked in the United States. It thrives and multiplies rapidly in ponds and sluggish streams, and the United States Fish Commission has stocked many such bodies of water with it. The leather carps have no scales. Other species are brilliantly colored, while still others are dull.

More About Carp From The Web:

• Eating Away Indiana's Asian Carp Problem
• Asian Carp Processing Plant in Kentucky
• Cashing in On Asian Carp!

Chamois

A Chamois is a goat-like antelope, living in the high mountains of Europe and Western Asia.

7 Facts About Chamois:

1. It is a rather small animal, with a brownish coat that changes to faun color in summer and gray in the spring.
2. Its head is of a pale yellow color, marked by a black band surrounding the eyes and extending from the nose to the ears.
3. Its horns, which are about six or seven inches long, are round and almost smooth, and they grow straight upward until near the tip, where they suddenly end in a sharp hook that is bent backward.
4. The tail is black.
5. During the feeding time, which is in the morning, one animal is always standing on guard in some prominent place for the purpose of warning the rest of approaching danger.
6. The fleetness of the chamois, the roughness of the mountains which it inhabits, and its powers of smell, make its pursuit both difficult and dangerous.
7. Though the flesh is highly prized as food, the chief value of a chamois lies in its skin, which is used to make the very soft, flexible leather known as chamois skin.

More About Chamois From The Web:

• What is a chamois? Candid Animal Cam takes you to high-altitude Europe
• Chamois (goat-antalope) grazing by ArtoftheImage

Koala: 5 Facts About

       A koala is an Australian animal, in appearance somewhat resembling a small bear, hence, sometimes called the native hear. 

5 Facts About The Koala:

1. It differs from all other quadrupeds in that its toes are divided into groups of two and three. 
2. This arrangement enables the animal easily to grasp and hang from the branches of trees. 
3. The koala is about two feet long and is covered with a short, gray, wooly fur. 
4. It roams at night and feeds on leaves, chiefly of the eucalyptus. 
5. Like the kangaroo, the female koala carries her young in a pouch. 

More From The Web About Koalas:

• Visit Recovering Koalas at The Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, Australia
• The Koala is A Species On The Move

Koala Sitting for those that are fragile 

and need a little extra help.

Sea Urchin

Meet the purple sea urchin at 
Monterey Bay Aquarium.

       Sea Urchin or Echinus, a genus of sea animals, belonging to the same group as the starfish, sea lily and sea cucumber. The body of the sea urchin is more or less globular and covered with a shell which is often studded with movable spines. Sea urchins, of which there are many species, are found in shallow water in almost all parts of the world, those of the tropical regions being largest.

More About Sea Urchins from The Web:

• Classification of Southern California Sea Urchins
• Sea Urchins from Patriots Point Science Spotlight
• Pacific Purple Sea Urchin

Jay: 8 Fun Facts

An American blue jay.

        Jay, a bird related to the crow, but of smaller size.

8 Fun Facts About Jays:

1. It has a trim shape and beautiful plumage, blue usually predominating".
2. Some species have long tails and high crests.
3. The jays have harsh voices and do not sing, but some of them are skillful in imitating the calls of other birds.
4. They are noted for their fighting disposition and for the bad habit of destroying the nests, eggs and even the young of weaker birds.
5. Some of the jays are brilliantly colored.
6. The beautiful American blue jay is bright blue marked with black and white.
7. The Canada jay, or ichisky Jack, or lumber Jack, is a bird of rather somber coloring, but with the bold, noisy and active habits of the other jays.
8. The common European jay is cinnamon-colored, varied with white, black and blue. Its head is provided with a conspicuous black-marked crest.

More About Jays From The Web:

• Blue Jay or Cyanocitta cristata from Missouri Dept. of Conservation
• 7 Beautiful Jays That Aren't So Famous
• LesleytheBirdNerd has more about blue jays... lots more.

Sea Lion: 9 Facts About

A sea lion suns himself on rocky cliffs.

       A sea lion, the name given to a large group of eared seals, which, though closely related to the fur seals, were not trapped as often for skinning.

9 Facts About Sea Lions:

1. All have long, cylindrical bodies, small, round heads, pointed noses, thick skin, with an under layer of fat for protection against cold, and coarse hair.
2. The individuals of some species have manes.
3. The largest animals, belonging to the Steller group, attain a weight of a thousand pounds and more, and a length of fourteen feet.
4. Their particular habitat is the North Pacific.
5. The natives of the Aleutian Islands caught thousands of these seals once. They used the flesh for food, the hide for shoes and boats and the sinews for thread.
6. Another group, called California sea lions, is made up of smaller animals.
7. Sea lions are seen in large numbers on the Pacific coast cliffs.
8. They are peaceable creatures, but if attacked defend themselves fiercely.
9. They are protected by law, but a few are allowed to be taken for menageries and zoological gardens. 

More About Sea Lions From the Web:

• California Sea Lion: Protected by NOAA Fisheries
• Sea Lions Are Endangered
• Baby Sea Lions Sick and Starving To Death

Canary

Tiny hatching canaries by Monika Pakeka

       A canary is a small finch, originally from the Canary Islands and Madeira, but introduced into Europe several hundred years ago. It is the most popular of all cage birds because of its cheerful singing and friendly nature. Canaries have been bred in captivity so long that many remarkable varieties have developed, scarcely resembling the greenish little bird of Madeira. The topknots of some, the long, slender shapes of others, the yellows, browns, reds and blacks seen in their plumage are all unnatural. The Scotch fancy canary, with his long, slender, curved body, bent almost to a semicircle, is one of the strangest results of breeding.

More About Canaries From The Web:

• How to Take Care of a Canary & Finch as Pets
• Best Trained Canary by Cazuza Roxy