During this (supposedly) snowy season, I thought I’d do a post in relation to an animal that deals with frosty  conditions a lot chillier than we do! So here is some information you may not have known… about Polar bears!

Scientific name, Ursus maritimus, translates to ‘sea bear’. Polar bears are the world’s largest land-based carnivores; however most of their lives are spent around ice and (in) water. They’re at particular risk from their Arctic, icy habitat melting; without the ice there is nowhere for the bears.

Polar bears are listed as Threatened on the endangered species list; with a population of 22,000-31,000 in the wild.

Polar bears live in five places across the world: Alaska (USA), Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway. Polar bears do not live in Antarctica, but Penguins do. Have you ever heard the joke: (Q) Why don’t Polar Bears eat penguins? (A) Because they can’t get the wrapper off (referring to the chocolate biscuit)! – Well know you know the real reason; they live nowhere near each other!

Adult Polar bears can measure over 6ft in length, and weigh over 800lbs. They are usually between 1.8-2m in height, with females being larger. The large size and weight is what makes this species the largest living carnivores on land! They live on average, approximately, 18 years – however in captivity have been known to live 30+ years.

These bears have thick, water resistant, insulating, white fur – however their skin underneath is black. The black skin helps to absorb and retain heat, to keep the animal warm. They have small ears and tail, and large, powerful paws equipped with razor-sharp claws. They have webbing in between their toes, to help them swim. Polare bears are amazing swimmers, and have even been spotted 100km away from shore!

Their nose has an incredible sense of smell, and these animals can smell prey from 15km away – and through the ice! Their prey; mainly seals. Polar bears have been known to resort to cannibalism if desperate enough.

Polar bears do not hibernate; however females will live in a den, burrowed under the snow, to gestate and give birth. During this time, the female will live off her fat reserves, and will not emerge again until the cubs are old enough. Polar bears typically give birth to two cubs; although they can have anywhere from one-three cubs at a time. Cubs stay with their mother for two years, learning from her, before venturing out on their own.

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All images are open source, Google images.

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If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of my social media pages…
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#WorldElephantDay on social media to spread awareness (www.worldelephantday.org).

Common Elephant Facts:

• It is thought that there used to be approximately 350 different species of elephant on the planet, at one time.
• Today there are only two species left; the Asian elephant, and the African elephant .
• Wild lifespan of 60-70 years; captive lifespan of below 40 years.
• Gestation (pregnancy): 22 months.
• Live together in (familial) herds of 10-100 elephants, led by the matriarch.
• Young males will leave the family heard, and often form smaller bachelor groups, once sexual maturity is reached.
• Known to visit ‘elephant graveyards’ and mourn the death of herd members.
• Their trunk is used like a finger/hand – to grab things, such as food or to move obstacles out of their way; as well as sometimes being used to hold onto the tail of the elephant in front during walkies!

Asian Elephant Facts:

• also known as the Indian elephant.
• smaller in size than the African, weighing up to 5 tonnes, reaching 6.4 metres in length, and 3 metres in height.
• small ears, straight at the bottom.
• only males have tusks; not all males get tusks.
• five toes on the front feet; four toes on the back feet.
• estimated to be less than 50,000 remaining in the wild – classification: endangered.
• The Pygmy or Borneo Elephant is a smaller subspecies of the Asian. They are roughly between 5-8ft, and rarely seen!

African elephants:

• larger of the two elephant species, weighing up to 6 tonnes, reaching 7.5 metres in length, and 3.3 metres in height.
• large, round edged ears; used as fans in the heat (plus excess heat is released from the large surface area).
• of the African, there are two subspecies; bush or savanna and forest.
• both males and females have tusks.
• African elephants are left or right-tusked (like we are left or right-handed); the dominant tusk is often smaller due to wear and tear.
• five front toes; three hind toes.
• estimated to be 470,000 remaining in the wild – classification: vulnerable.

Happy Cow Appreciation Day!

Over 8 posts, I am going to go through cat breeds, and cover some basic titbits about the breeds; a little bit of history surrounding the breed, including the original use for the breed, and some other interesting facts.

This, the fourth post, will cover J-L of cat breeds. In the follow-up posts I will look into cat breeds from M-O, P-R, S-V, and W-Z… basically I am doing an A-Z of cat breeds, covering 1-3 breeds per letter.

If I do not cover the breed of your cat in this post, and you would like me to; please leave the breed in the thoughts comment box below, or post it via the contact page, or get in touch via any social media pages listed at the end of each post – this way I can include your breed in another post (either the follow-up, or a repeat with different breeds). Do the same if you want more information than I have provided on any particular cat breed, or if you would like to share a photo of your cat(s)!

J

Javanese

Country of Origin: America

Lifespan: 10-15 years                           Breed Size: Medium

Hair/Fur Length: Longhair                Colour(s): Colourpoint – all

Breed History: This breed does not  come from Java, Indonesia; but was so named because Java is an island very close to Bali. This breed was developed during a controlled breeding programme in the 1950’s, using the existing cat breeds – Siamese and Balinese.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  The pixie-like features and large ears; the long fur of the lovely oriental-type breed.

Japanese Bobtail

Country of Origin: Japan and South Asia

Lifespan: 10-13 years     Breed Size: Small/Medium    Hair/Fur Length: Shorthair/Longhair

Colour(s): All colours – solid colours, bi-coloured, calico, and van-coloured (coloured on head and rump/tail only). The most common colouration is calico or mi-ke; this colour is also though to be lucky.

Breed History: The Japanese Bobtail is thought to have occurred without human involvement. The Japanese Bobtail is depicted in paintings and woodcuts of ancient Japanese temples; showing the love of the people for this breed.
In 1602 in Japan, silkworms were under threat from rats; the Japanese government had all cats set free to deal with the rodent problem. Japanese Bobtails commonly lived on farms (including silkworm farms) and were invaluable in rodent control.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  Of course the outstanding physical trait of this adorable little kitty is the dainty little “bobtail”. The tail is said to be unique to each individual cat within the breed; like a finger print, or the markings of a giraffe.

K

Korat

Country of Origin: Korat, Thailand (hence the name)

Lifespan: 13-15 years              Breed Size: Medium             Hair/Fur Length: Shorthair

Colour(s): Whilst silver-tipped blue (looks like a slate-blue/grey) is the only accepted colour, the Korat has been known to come in colour variations; such as lilac-coloured and white-coloured, as well as marked fur.

Breed History: “Smud Khoi of Cats” or “The Cat Book of Poems” contains the earliest (known) record of the Korat. This book was produced some time between 1350-1767; which in Thailand’s history was known as the Ayutthaya Period. The Korat was introduce in America around 1959, when a couple of Korat cats were sent by a friend (from Bangkok) to US cat enthusiast Jean Johnson. Jean and her husband were taken with Siamese cats, but became interested in the Korat whilst staying in Thailand in 1954. Jean bred the 2 cats; out-breeding them with the blue-point Siamese to avoid inbreeding. This was the establishment of the first Korats in the US. More Korats came to America in the 1960’s; by 1966 the Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA) had included this new breed in championships/ competitions.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  The unique silver-tipped blue colouration give the Korat an almost shimmering shine to its coat. Their coat has often been described as having a “halo” effect.

L

LaPerm

Country of Origin: America (Oregon)

Lifespan: 10-15 years                                                  Breed Size: Small

Hair/Fur Length: Shorthair to Longhair             Colour(s): All colours/patterns

Breed History: The produce of an unplanned litter from a pair of barn cats, in 1982; and one unique kitten with a curly coat. Owner, Linda Koehl, named the kitten Curly and went onto breed from her. Using Manx and Siamese cat breeds in her breeding programmes, Linda eventually produced a new, genetically different, cat breed by 1987.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  The curly coat of indeterminate length, and the indeterminate tightness of the curl.

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All images are open source, Google images, or my own – or photos donated for use by the pet owners.

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If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of my social media pages…
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Not too sure how much of a following I get on here, however I am well aware that I have been absent for too long a time – the absence I must attribute to personal circumstances.

So, after this lull in blog posts, I share this to let any follower(s) of Ali’s Animal Answers know that I am back; refreshed and will publish more animal-related posts shortly.

Look out for the next installment of A-Z of Cat Breeds in the coming days…

Oh, and, thanks for following!

I have started a series of posts covering the basics of an A-Z of cat breeds; however, I am taking time out to write this post to cover quite a sad and angering (in my opinion) topic.

Please click on the turquoise words/ phrases for links to videos, images and definitions. The links are external sources, and not my own material. 

You may have seen various posts recently reporting that one of the Orca’s that bears the show name Shamu and performs at SeaWorld, has gotten ill recently and it’s looking like it’s close to the end for him. Tilikum is one of several Orca’s that perform as Shamu; he is the same Shamu that has killed several people, including several of his trainers.

If you have seen the film documentary Blackfish then you will know a lot of what this post is saying; if not, I would highly recommend it – for your own education if nothing more – but be prepared to be moved (grab the tissues if you are prone to tears when watching emotional films).

Tilikum was separated from his pod (group of Orca’s) and from his mother at two years of age, by some men in boats. He was taken from the wild, the water, his mother, his pod; in November of 1983 off the coast of Iceland. Orca’s are the largest species of dolphin (despite being known as Killer Whale’s), and like all dolphins are very familial – forming strong bonds within the pod, which is usually made up of family members. They get distressed when separated and are very social. Tilikum was robbed of this at two years old; not to mention the distress this will have caused his mother and the rest of his pod.

He was housed in a small pool in an Icelandic zoo for close to one year, awaiting a transfer to a marine park. This pool was so small that poor Tilikum could only float at the surface and swim in circles. Orca’s migrate vast distances throughout their lives, and travel hundreds of miles daily – having the whole ocean to explore! At only two years old Tilikum was robbed of not just his pod and socialisation; but also his space, freedom, and ability to perform natural behaviours.

Finally, Tilikum was transferred to a 35 ft deep (50 x 100 ft) pool at Sealand of the Pacific Park, Canada. He spent his time in this time pool, as an attraction in the Park. Sealand ‘trained’ Tilikum by withholding food (negative, punishment technique), and was often bullied by two adult female Orca’s also in captivity at Sealand – housed with Tilikum (who was bottom of the social hierarchy). Due to the aggressive behaviour from the older females, Tilikum was moved into the smaller, medical pool for his own safety.

In 1991 came the first death. Tilikum, along with the two females, drowned a part-time Sealand trainer. Twenty-one year old, Keltie Byrne, was a marine biology student. She slipped into the pool and the animals never let her leave. Dragging her away from the life-ring thrown to her, and keeping her submerged. Apparently, unbeknown to the staff, both females were pregnant at the time. The behaviour was protective in their conditions, and (as with other pregnant mammals) their hormones will have been changing with the pregnancies. The stress of captivity had led to the first human death by Tilikum. Never-the-less this was a great tragedy. Sealand closed shortly after and put Tilikum up for sale.
Nothing was done about Tilikum or his behaviour.

In 1992 Tilikum was purchased by, and transferred to SeaWorld. SeaWorld had purchased the largest, captive bull Orca for their breeding programme. Over 50% of the world’s captive Orca’s are fathered by Tilikum.

In the years that followed, at SeaWorld, Tilikum developed became more aggressive and there were more aggressive incidents involving people. He developed stereotypical behaviours in captivity, including gnawing the concrete sides and metal gates of his enclosure – wearing his teeth down.

In 1999 there was another death; Daniel P. Dukes. He had broken in to SeaWorld, eluded security, and ended up in Tilikums’ pool. Reports said that he drowned in the pool; however the body, when recovered and examined, was covered in teeth marks and showed that Daniel had sustained injuries from Tilikum (including missing some body parts). There was significant damage that it was not determined if he had drowned, and Tilikum had attacked the body afterwards; or if Tilikum had killed him. No drugs or alcohol were reported in Daniel’s system by the coroner. He is commonly considered the second death caused by Tilikum. Daniel P. Dukes was found in the morning, on the back of Tilikum, as he swam around his pool at the surface. Unfortunately, the true cause of his death is still unknown – or at least, still not public knowledge.
Nothing was done about Tilikum or his behaviour.

As if this wasn’t enough, in 2010  Dawn Brancheau was pulled, by Tilikum, either by her pony-tail or arm – there is discrepancy between eyewitness accounts – leading to investigations into the history of other Orca attacks – and dragged her into the pool. Tilikum proceeded to ‘play’ with her, throwing and thrashing her around, until she died. Dawn suffered many injuries from Tilikum, before he killed her. In August 2010, SeaWorld was fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for three safety violations, two directly related to Dawn’s death.
Tilikum was isolated in a tiny pool for a year, before being returned to performing in 2011.

Now, March 2016, poor Tilikum is fighting a bacterial lung infection. He is dying from this disease. This animal has suffered at the hand of mankind since age two, he is now thirty-five years old. The collapsed dorsal fin is extremely rare in wild Orca’s; it is a sign of stress, poor health and nutrition. His aggression went ignored, despite the deaths he was linked to. An aggressive dog will be neutered, a dog that bites will be euthanised – Tilikum was aggressive due to human intervention in his life, and his captivity. Tilikum was bought for breeding – and (whether possible or not) would not be neutered to reduce aggression as he then could not be used in SeaWrold’s breeding programme. He was not released back into the wild; after too long in captivity, he may not have survived if he was released back. He was not euthanised after causing the deaths of multiple people. He was not provided with a private, captive, suitable environment – away from tourists. He was given no help, no alternative.

He is a stunning, graceful animal who has suffered a cruel life. His aggression has not been addressed, save for the poor decision of isolating this social animal for a whole year, before bringing him back into performing.

It is looking like a tragic end to a tragic life, for Tilikum.

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All images are open source, Google images, or my own – or photos donated for use by the pet owners.

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If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of my social media pages…
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. Facebook (Ali’s Animal Answers)
. Twitter (@AnimalFreak24)
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Over 8 posts, I am going to go through cat breeds, and cover some basic titbits about the breeds; a little bit of history surrounding the breed, including the original use for the breed, and some other interesting facts.

This, the third post, will cover G-I of cat breeds. In the follow-up posts I will look into cat breeds from J-L, M-O, P-R, S-V, and W-Z… basically I am doing an A-Z of cat breeds, covering 1-3 breeds per letter.

If I do not cover the breed of your cat in this post, and you would like me to; please leave the breed in the thoughts comment box below, or post it via the contact page, or get in touch via any social media pages listed at the end of each post – this way I can include your breed in another post (either the follow-up, or a repeat with different breeds). Do the same if you want more information than I have provided on any particular cat breed, or if you would like to share a photo of your cat(s)!

G

German Rex

Country of Origin: Germany (as the name suggests)

Lifespan: 12-14 years                                         Breed Size: Medium

Hair/Fur Length: (Very) Shorthair

Colour(s): White, Blue, Black, Cream, Red, Brown, Frost, Platinum, Fawn, Chocolate, Chestnut, Cinnamon, Lavender, Champagne, Seal.

Breed History: So it goes that the first German Rex was a female feral, curly-coated, black cat. She was discovered shortly after the end of the Second World War by Dr. R. Scheuer-Karpin. She rescued the cat after seeing her wandering the gardens of the Hufeland Hospital, amongst the ruins of East Berlin. Dr. R. Scheuer-Karpin named her Lammchen (Lambkin) because of her lamb-like curly coat. Lammchen possessed the same gene for curly fur that is in Cornish Rex; and produced many litters. In 1957, she was cross-bred with one of her offspring; and the first litter of German Rex’s resulted from that mating.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  The pixie-like features and large ears; and of course the unique, curly coat! (Unique to the Rex breeds.)

H

Havana Brown

Country of Origin: England

Lifespan: 14-16 years                                         Breed Size: Medium

Hair/Fur Length: Shorthair                Colour(s): Chocolate

Breed History: In the early 1950s, a UK breeder called Isobel Munro-Smith was trying to breed Siamese but with black points as opposed to the standard seal brown. She was doing this by mating Seal Point Siamese with black shorthaired cats. In 1952 she had a litter with 3 black kittens, and also discovered a brown male kitten in the litter, with similar shape to a Siamese with the same characteristically large ears and long tail; and is thought of as the first recognised Havana.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  The chocolate-brown colour of the coat is the trademark of this breed.

Highlander

Country of Origin: England (Devonshire)

Lifespan: 13-15 years                                         Breed Size: Large

Hair/Fur Length: (Very) Shorthair                Colour(s): All colours/patterns

Breed History: Minority breed which was initially established in 2004; but the breed was not properly defined until 2005. Bred to be a domestic breed with the appearance of a wild cat; without using any wild cats to contribute genes.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  The wild-like features and patterned coat; the curled ears, with tufts; usually this breed has a short tail ranging from 1 inch in length to hock (back leg “knee-joint”) length.

I

No domestic breeds beginning with this letter.

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All images are open source, Google images, or my own – or photos donated for use by the pet owners.

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If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of my social media pages…
. Google+ (Ali’s Animal Answers)
. Facebook (Ali’s Animal Answers)
. Twitter (@AlisAnswers)
. LinkedIn (Ali Holloway)

Over 8 posts, I am going to go through cat breeds, and cover some basic titbits about the breeds; a little bit of history surrounding the breed, including the original use for the breed, and some other interesting facts.

This, the second, post will cover D-F of cat breeds. In the follow-up posts I will look into cat breeds from G-I, J-L, M-O, P-R, S-V, and W-Z… basically I am doing an A-Z of cat breeds, covering 1-3 breeds per letter.

If I do not cover the breed of your cat in this post, and you would like me to; please leave the breed in the thoughts comment box below, or post it via the contact page, or get in touch via any social media pages listed at the end of each post – this way I can include your breed in another post (either the follow-up, or a repeat with different breeds). Do the same if you want more information than I have provided on any particular cat breed, or if you would like to share a photo of your cat(s)!

D

Devon Rex

Country of Origin: England (Devonshire)

Lifespan: 13-15 years                                         Breed Size: Medium

Hair/Fur Length: (Very) Shorthair                Colour(s): All colours/patterns

Breed History: In the late 1950’s/ early 1960’s Miss Beryl Cox found that a feral cat in her care had given birth to a rather odd-looking curly-haired kitten within the litter. The kitten had pixie-like features and wavy curls; she bred from him to continue the gene.

Outstanding Physical Trait:  The pixie-like features and large ears; and of course the unique, curly coat!

E

Egyptian Mau

Country of Origin: Egypt

Lifespan: 15-18 years                              Breed Size: Small/Medium

Hair/Fur Length: Shorthair                  Colour(s): Bronze, Silver, Smoke

Breed History: Spotted domestic cats have been recorded in ancient Egypt; it is that the current Egyptian Mau is a decent of these. The breed almost disappeared in Europe, prior to the First World War. However, in 1956, the Egyptian Mau was brought to America by Russian princess, Nathalie Troubetskoy; who established a programme of selective breeding to save the breed from extinction.

Outstanding Physical Trait: The wild-looking, spotted coat pattern.

Exotic Shorthair

Country of Origin: America

Lifespan: 12-15 years                              Breed Size: Medium

Hair/Fur Length: Shorthair    Colour(s): White, blue, black, red, cream, chocolate and lilac;
silver, blue and gold chinchilla.

Breed History: Developed as a shorthair version of the Persian in the late 1950s; when American cat breeder crossed a Persian with a brown Burmese. Later breeders crossed the Persian with the American Shorthair and Russian Blue.

Outstanding Physical Trait: The shorthair is a distinct physical trait, as it was bred for this to differ from the longhair of the Persian. Like the Persian, they have flat faces; with big, round eyes and round faces.

F

Foldex (a.k.a. Exotic Fold)

Country of Origin: Quebec, Canada

Lifespan: 12-15 years                                                  Breed Size: Medium

Hair/Fur Length: Short/med/longhair                  Colour(s): All colours and patterns

Breed History: Developed in 1992 by cross breeding the Exotic Shorthair (above) with the Scottish Fold (see post 7). However, it was not accepted as a breed until 2006 (but only in Canada, at present).

Outstanding Physical Trait: The folded ears (giving this breed its name).

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All images are open source, Google images, or my own – or photos donated for use by the pet owners.

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If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of my social media pages…
. Google+ (Ali’s Animal Answers)
. Facebook (Ali’s Animal Answers)
. Twitter (@AlisAnswers)
. LinkedIn (Ali Holloway)