2012-09-19

Correction to yesterday's post- as has been pointed out, I did make a mistake- the picture of a fig parrot was not, inf act, a fig parrot. This, however, is.

Anyway, today's post covers geckoes! These very noisy lizards are generally found in the warmer parts of the world- they don't do very well in cold weather at all. Their name is taken from their unique and distinctive call, which- you guessed it- sounds kind of like they're going EEEK-OH repeatedly. It may sound cute, but when you're being bombarded by tons of them being very loud, it can get a little annoying.

Still, they're pretty cute animals! There are so many species that they display tremendous variation, and adult geckoes can, depending on what type they are, be anywhere from about an inch to 24 inches in lengh. If you ever see a gecko licking its eyeball, that's because it's keeping it clean and dust free, all the better to spot delicious food with.

( Geckos! Some even on fingers! And a red spider. )

<img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/45/140700914_91c69b026d.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24555615@N00/140700914">henkel's leaf-tailed gecko</a>

<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2778/4120305436_9d8496bec8.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44846648@N06/4120305436">tarentola mauritanica</a>

<img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4088/5007674479_cb7d053503.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31418572@N00/5007674479">common house gecko</a>

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7155/6507376839_16b92e59a9.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/63012945@N02/6507376839">crested gecko</a>

<img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/120/301990826_42f068f189.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/82906423@N00/301990826">gold dust day gecko</a>

<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2560/5707066610_54e4571d41.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11219094@N02/5707066610">leopard gecko</a>

<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5090/5358820235_5d65bd48e1.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38867960@N03/5358820235">gargoyle gecko</a>

<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3193/2357319432_be40b0091e.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48047998@N00/2357319432">viper gecko</a>

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7120/7500823802_aee3a1cfda.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/13833738@N06/7500823802">tokay gecko</a>

<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8005/7614859980_3e4ffa0013.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51871284@N06/7614859980">tree dtella</a>

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7278215202_78215711d3.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27641512@N03/7278215202">mediterranean house gecko</a>

<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3290/2338633202_7b29a066f6.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41982806@N00/2338633202">tropical house gecko</a>

And as for the spider-

It's P. johnsoni!

<img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4037/5138180689_2729305210.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28425831@N08/5138180689">source</a>

This spider is pretty common down in the Southwestern US, but it's one of several red backed Phidippus spiders that look similar. Despite its colouring, which might remind you of the black widow, it's honestly pretty harmless to people and at about a centimeter or so in length, too small to do any real harm. They're definitely a distinctive and easy to spot spider, though.

<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3471/4569807949_bba57cf1d2.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/92863898@N00/4569807949">source</a>

<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2686/4538650462_42f1f09aaf.jpg">
<img src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42135696@N06/4538650462">source</a>

More tried and tested cute today! I can't go wrong with hamsters, right? These furry little rodents actually have about 25 different species to them, but most of the ones I'm showing here are the ones that are kept as pets. They burrow a lot, and are one of the easiest animals ever for breeding in captivity- I'm sure anyone who's ever had pet hamsters and woken up to find SUDDENLY SURPRISE BABIES will know what I'm talking about.

Unlike many other rodents, such as mice and rats, hamsters are very solitary animals and don't actually get along well with other animals and are best housed alone. This makes them pretty good pets for people who don't really want too many animals running around- on the other hand, if you're planning on adopting something like rats, definitely look into getting more than one, since rats are social and will get lonely and sad without company. A lot of fights between hamsters (and the result of their reputation as vicious little buggers) occur because of this. Female hamsters in particular are known for being pretty aggressive towards the male if they're kept together after breeding, and also for eating their young if left for too long with them.

That said, they can make great pets- but like with any animals, there are always things to be aware of before you get some.

ALSO- quick announcement!

cuteanimalpics is coming back this Friday, so tomorrow'll be my last day posting pics! It's going to be a pretty huge post, and I'll actually be splitting it up into two comments- one for cute animals of all sorts- ones that I just want to post and to heck with it if I've posted them before, and one post that's going to be ALL spiders, some of which are going to be decidedly un-cute (but which I find kinda cool anyway). So, yeah! Heads up, just saying, and all that.

( They're round, they're cute, they're hamsters! And today's spider is a pretty one. )

Unlike many other rodents, such as mice and rats, hamsters are very solitary animals and don't actually get along well with other animals and are best housed alone. This makes them pretty good pets for people who don't really want too many animals running around- on the other hand, if you're planning on adopting something like rats, definitely look into getting more than one, since rats are social and will get lonely and sad without company. A lot of fights between hamsters (and the result of their reputation as vicious little buggers) occur because of this. Female hamsters in particular are known for being pretty aggressive towards the male if they're kept together after breeding, and also for eating their young if left for too long with them.

That said, they can make great pets- but like with any animals, there are always things to be aware of before you get some.

ALSO- quick announcement! <lj user=cuteanimalpics> is coming back this Friday, so tomorrow'll be my last day posting pics! It's going to be a pretty huge post, and I'll actually be splitting it up into two comments- one for cute animals of all sorts- ones that I just want to post and to heck with it if I've posted them before, and one post that's going to be ALL spiders, some of which are going to be decidedly un-cute (but which I find kinda cool anyway). So, yeah! Heads up, just saying, and all that.

<img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4074/4824090982_94b4dda2ec.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/86147323@N00/4824090982">source</a>

<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3166/2471876796_14bf002ec2.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89692371@N00/2471876796">source</a>

<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3166/2919609880_e7f8499b95.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89692371@N00/2919609880">source</a>

<img src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1182/536294374_73fe67e9ef.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89692371@N00/536294374">source</a>

<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2391/1674830843_8dc43724cf.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89692371@N00/1674830843">source</a>

<img src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1240/1465507218_28750d3f7c.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20594110@N00/1465507218">source</a>

<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2249/4515012394_272f9f147e.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/86147323@N00/4515012394">source</a>

<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5005/5253971055_79c143c7e9.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37310818@N07/5253971055">source</a>

<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5288/5335325821_af23f2cddc.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimjarenbrooklyn/5335325821/">source</a>

<img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/3/4827927_e59054967c.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80367866@N00/4827927">source</a>

<img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4052/4688358001_c14d0884ae.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89692371@N00/4688358001">source</a>

<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3079/2525669716_b997c8be75.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89692371@N00/2525669716">source</a>

And as for the spider...

Here it is!

<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6940436583_100e1b1024.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30191949@N07/6940436583">source</a>

This pretty little thing is Thomisus onustus, and is simultaneously one of the nicest to look at and hardest to spot spiders around. Like many other crab spiders, its great camouflage allows it to blend in with the flowers it lies in wait for insects on. This particular species is also known to eat bees that can be two or three times its size. They're definitely a lot stronger than they look!

<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3185/2558162808_f14c2c25f9.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27448710@N06/2558162808">source</a>

<img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/240/449890142_660ade0e91.jpg">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57913724@N00/449890142">source</a>

2012-09-19

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