Some cool animal pound images:
Smithsonian's National Zoo’s Twin Andean Bear Cubs Appear Healthy and Thriving
Image by Smithsonian's National Zoo
Photo Credit: Beth Branneu, Smithsonian's National Zoo
In this photo: Animal Keeper Karen Abbott holds one of the 8-week-old cubs during its first veterinary exam.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s eight-week-old Andean bear cubs received a clean bill of health today from Zoo veterinarians. The veterinary team performed a complete physical exam Feb. 20, which includes: listening to the cubs’ hearts and lungs; checking their mouth, eyes, legs, feet and genital area; and feeling their bellies. The cubs also received the first of a series of routine vaccines. Although it is difficult to determine the sex at such a young age when genitalia have not fully developed, the cubs appear to be male and female. The larger cub weighs 10.1 pounds; the smaller weighs 9.2 pounds.
The cubs were born Dec. 14 and have spent the past two months bonding with their mother, Billie Jean, in a den near the American Trail exhibit. Animal care staff and the public have had the unique opportunity to watch Billie Jean give birth, nurture her cubs, and watch them play and grow via the live Andean Bear Cub Cam on the Zoo’s website. The information gathered from watching their behavior will be shared with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for the benefit of other institutions that exhibit and want to breed this species. The family’s public debut will take place later this spring.
To follow the bears’ progress, watch them on the live webcam, read updates from the Andean bear keepers and check for news on the Zoo’s Twitter feed and Facebook page with the hashtag #cubwatch.
Andean bears—also known as spectacled bears—are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, and it is estimated that there are only 2,000 left in their natural habitat.
nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Amazonia/AndeanBears/andean-be...
Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus)
Image by cliff1066™
Elephants, being large animals, require much food. In the wild, they consume up to 600 lbs. of food (grass, vines, leaves, bark) and 30 gallons of water daily. In the zoo, their food is more nutritious (hay, grasses, fruits) and they eat about 150 lbs. daily. Elephants are herbivorous. The gestation period is 607-641 days (20 to 21 months) and one or sometimes two are born. At birth the young weigh about 200 pounds and stand about three feet tall at the shoulder. The young are weaned in about 2 years, and their rate of growth, the age at which they reach puberty, their life span, and their gerontic progression is similar to that of man. Elephants live to be about 70 years old.
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
Image by cliff1066™
The Giraffe is the tallest animal in the world. Males may be 16-18 feet tall and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Females are usually lighter and about two feet shorter. The giraffe's front legs are only slightly longer than the back ones, the height of the fore part of the body being largely due to the heavy muscular development of the base of the neck. The long neck has the usual seven vertebrae of most mammals, although each is greatly elongated. The giraffe's soup-plate-sized hooves are used as offensive weapons, usually in the defense of the calves. The powerful kick from the front feet can kill a lion.
