Hello! Doing up a few more requests, then randoms until next week comes around. Today's is wolves! Definitely a popular creature, and with good reason to be. There are only really two species of wolves- but tons and tons and tons of subspecies, most of which belong to the grey wolf category. The red wolf (currently Canis lupus rufus, previously Canis rufus) has been the subject of a fair bit of debate as to whether it counts- as a wolf, even. Regardless, I'll still be giving it a feature.

( All wolves today! Even the spider's a wolf. )

Hello! Doing up a few more requests, then randoms until next week comes around. Today's is wolves! Definitely a popular creature, and with good reason to be. There are only really two species of wolves- but tons and tons and <i>tons</i> of subspecies, most of which belong to the grey wolf category. The red wolf (currently <i>Canis lupus rufus</i>, previously <i>Canis rufus</i>) has been the subject of a fair bit of debate as to whether it counts- as a wolf, even. Regardless, I'll still be giving it a feature. GREY WOLF (<I>Canis lupus</i>) Believe it or not, I could actually put a photograph of any domestic dog I wanted here and it'd count as <i>Canis lupus</i> too. Dogs aren't seperate species from wolves, rather, they count as subspecies, in the same ways dingoes would. Grey wolves are a really varied bunch, too, but considering their huge distribution, that's hardly a surprise. Here's just a few pics of them: <img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2462/3643244757_8dd779d758.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tryburn/3643244757/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2687/4196910645_18a0aef331.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/conwest_john/4196910645/">source</a></small> <img src="http://i.imgur.com/SVBGO.png"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/murmurmel/1308986814/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4136/4753284888_8249b94476.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gerrybad/4753284888/">source</a></small> MANED WOLF (<I>Chrysocyon brachyurus</i>) Dwelling in open envrionments, these gorgeous creatures live in and around South America and are the largest canids there. They've been referred to as red foxes on stilts, and taking a look at them, I think it's pretty obvious why. <img src="http://i.imgur.com/QhW1y.jpg"> <small><a href="http://bop.nppa.org/2006/still_photography/winners/EPS/43189/82999.html">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/33/99768319_90f505f763.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leopatra/99768319/">source</a></small> <img src="http://i.imgur.com/nMtOo.png"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/a-i-nikolis/5655179928/">source</a></small> <img src="http://www.zooborns.com/.a/6a010535647bf3970b0148c845968b970c-500wi"> <small><a href="http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2011/02/maned-wolf-cub-twins.html">source</a></small> RED WOLF This beautiful but sadly also crticially endangered animal once used to roam through the entire Southeastern United States, but went extinct in the wild by the 80s. It's since been slowly reintroduced, but is still a species that's hanging on tenuously for survival. <img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/111/366089557_52489c8121.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucumari/366089557/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3266/3094925339_10f9b70920.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucumari/3094925339/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5042/5340706435_4ed6cd445a.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fridayschild68/5340706435/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4152/5212099414_32332d4afd.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heuerbaas/5212099414/">source</a></small> And of course, this wouldn't be complete... Without a wolf spider. <img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3146/2638755239_191fa773b9.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/olli72/2638755239/">source</a></small> Unlike wolves, though, wolf spiders are actually very solitary hunters, and while there's a wide variety of them, they can all be recognised by their two big central eyes. They're very common- chances are if you see a spider you don't know and it isn't a jumping spider, it's one of these. They're also veery caring parents- the mothers carry the children around on their backs for quite a long time.

Hullo! Now I remember saying before, I could do entire posts on different types of cats, and someone said, sure, why not? To me that counts as a challenge, and since we've had one for dogs already, today's and Monday's post is going to be the equivalent. Today we're showcasing just a very tiny few breeds of domestic cats, and tomorrow we take a look at wildcats. I'm going to try to showcase a few lesser known breeds. It's not that I don't love Maine Coons or Ragdolls or Scottish Folds (unfolded or not) or Persians, but lesser seen cute- why not? Can't possibly go wrong! I hope.

Before we start, a somewhat related note- if/when considering getting a pet, be it a cat or otherwise, I'd really urge you to always consider shelter adoptions first. Many shelters do house purebreds, and in many cases animals coming in outnumber animals going out. That said, if you do want to get a pet and don't want it to be from a shelter- please do look into finding a reputable breeder! Good breeders take things like an animal's pedigree, possible genetic diseases, traits and a number of other things into account, and also usually socialise their pets with other people and animals from a young age.

Many of them care greatly about what the breed is and preserving it as well as making sure that the animals they sell to people go to deserving homes and are also in tip-top shape. They're usually also certified by whatever the local association for the animal you're interested in is. There are definitely reasons to adopt from shelters and to get pets from breeders, it'd depend a lot on what you're looking for in a pet and what you expect to come from owning one. Whatever you decide, research is your friend.

( A dozen pics of cats and several spiders with hats! )

Hullo! Now I remember saying before, I could do entire posts on different types of cats, and someone said, sure, why not? To me that counts as a challenge, and since we've had one for dogs already, today's and Monday's post is going to be the equivalent. Today we're showcasing <I>just</i> a very tiny few breeds of domestic cats, and tomorrow we take a look at wildcats. I'm going to try to showcase a few lesser known breeds. It's not that I don't love Maine Coons or Ragdolls or Scottish Folds (unfolded or not) or Persians, but lesser seen cute- why not? Can't possibly go wrong! I hope. Before we start, a somewhat related note- if/when considering getting a pet, be it a cat or otherwise, I'd really urge you to always consider shelter adoptions first. Many shelters do house purebreds, and in many cases animals coming in outnumber animals going out. That said, if you do want to get a pet and don't want it to be from a shelter- please do look into finding a reputable breeder! Good breeders take things like an animal's pedigree, possible genetic diseases, traits and a number of other things into account, and also usually socialise their pets with other people and animals from a young age. Many of them care greatly about what the breed is and preserving it as well as making sure that the animals they sell to people go to deserving homes and are also in tip-top shape. They're usually also certified by whatever the local association for the animal you're interested in is. There are definitely reasons to adopt from shelters and to get pets from breeders, it'd depend a lot on what you're looking for in a pet and what you expect to come from owning one. Whatever you decide, research is your friend. CHARTREUX First up is this lovely breed! The Chartreux sadly isn't seen as a breed in the UK due to the association there considering it to be too similar to the blue British Shorthair, but the rest of the world's cat associations does consider it to be one. Its main distinctive feature is its unique colouring- a uniformly blue grey coat and bright orange eyes. You can also tell the age of one from the year it was born in, since most of them follow the French naming system. The cycle changes every 20 years, but all Chartreuxes in that year have names that start with the same letter- for instance, 1993 was an 'I' year, and 2011 was a 'G' year. <img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3540/3447548964_b91ece29a2.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikomoket/3447548964/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6929774127_5c0f18f164.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnd_photo/6929774127/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/166/330930874_e4bb68228b.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/agos/330930874/">source</a></small> SELKIRK REX An American breed, this sweet, friendly cat bears the same curly-looking coat that its cousins, the Devon Rex and Cornish Rex do. The main difference is that these cats have coat lengths that go from normal to long, and look like fuzzy fluffballs. They're quite solidly built and come in a variety of colours- but if you're sensitive to cats, be wary about them! Lots of dander here. <img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2668/3870275726_d0afe646a2.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/laperm/3870275726/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5087/5336581823_1b39f6e613.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnd_photo/5336581823/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8162/6979213920_d9d07b9748.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnd_photo/6979213920/">source</a></small> SIBERIAN FOREST CAT For all those of you who <i>are</i> allergic to cats, here's a breed that you could maybe possibly be around! It's a powerfully built cat with a very friendly temperament, and is surprisingly agile despite its bulk. The Siberian is also said to produce less of the protein that people who are allergic to cats react to. This doesn't mean it's totally hypoallergenic, but is less likely to trigger allergies in people and easier to get used to with time compared to many other breeds. Be mindful, though- they still shed a <i>ton</i>. <img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4056/4354254950_d98c418101.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunnylana/4354254950/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7168/6583616075_208ebc2a13.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjabi/6583616075/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2532/5750674802_59370b849e.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/digidt/5750674802/">source</a></small> SINGAPURA There are plenty more breeds I'd love to feature, but alas there's only so much space I have. As such, here's a little known breed- the smallest out of all of the four cats here, the Singapura is a bit controversial as a breed, mostly because its original origin story as a Singaporean cat is honestly a bit bunk. They're more likely related to Burmese cats, in truth. Also, they only come in one accepted colour and to get an idea of their size, a full grown Singapura would only be about a third (or slightly more) of the weight of a full grown Siberian. <img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5245/5274437732_725db0ae97.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98416954@N00/5274437732/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3191/5828012385_615f8dec88.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98416954@N00/5828012385/">source</a></small> <img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6552073791_306656a522.jpg"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyobot/6552073791/">source</a></small> And now... I know most people probably wouldn't, but I tend to think of spiders as sort of similar to eight legged cats that eat flies and get rid of pests. Many of them are also curious and inquisitive- I've featured jumping spiders before, and they also seem to have an odd tendency to get water drops on their head. Thanks to surface tension and also being <i>very small</i> creatures, pictures like the following few ones can come about. <img src="http://i.imgur.com/XYMwt.png"> <small><a href="http://www.side2.no/livsstil/article3431813.ece">source</a></small> <img src="http://i.imgur.com/AptMH.png"> <small><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mukhaa0aa/3795522599/">source</a></small> <img src="http://i.imgur.com/riAKQ.png"> <small><a href="http://www.side2.no/livsstil/article3431813.ece">source</a></small>