Archive for the ‘World’s Largest Animal’ Category
English Mastiff
February 22nd, 2011
The English Mastiff, referred to by virtually all Kennel Clubs simply as the Mastiff, is a breed of large dog descended from the ancient Alaunt through the Pugnaces Britanniae. Distinguishable by enormous size, massive head, and a limited range of colors, but always displaying a black mask, the Mastiff is noted for its gentle temperament. The lineage of modern dogs can be traced back to the early 19th century, and the modern type was stabilised in the 1880s. Following a period of sharp decline, the Mastiff has increased its worldwide popularity.
The former standard specified the coat should be short and close-lying and the color is apricot-fawn, silver-fawn, fawn, or dark fawn-brindle, always with black on the muzzle, ears, and nose and around the eyes.
The greatest weight ever recorded for a dog, 343 pounds (156 kg), was for a Mastiff from England named Aicama Zorba of La Susa, although claims of larger dogs exist. According to the 1989 edition of the Guinness Book of Records, in March 1989, when he was 7 years old, Zorba stood 35 inches (89 cm) at the shoulder and was 8.25 feet (251 cm) from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail, about the size of a small donkey. After 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records stopped accepting largest or heaviest pet records.
Christian the lion story
September 27th, 2010
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Largest Pets in the World
August 7th, 2010
Move over, Garfield. Move over a lot! It turns out that there’s more than one larger-than-normal pet in the world. In this Information Age that we find ourselves, we’re always searching for superlatives. For those who believe that bigger is better, here are some of the largest animals that often serve as pets:
1. Ralph (rabbit)
The Guinness Book of World Records stopped qualifying pets for their list of world records, to prevent the owners from overfeeding them. But in all likelihood, “Ralph”, a pet rabbit in the UK, has earned the title. In addition to its massive weight of 42 pounds, this Continental Giant Rabbit is also two feet long, and continues to grow! To maintain his weight, Ralph eats approximately four pounds of food daily.
2. Snowball (cat)
Rodger Degagne found two stray kittens at his company’s research facility 15 years ago. One of the cats later had babies, including Snowball. Amazingly, Snowball has grown to become an enormous cat. She weighs a whopping 87 pounds; and measures 69 inches in length, from her nose to her tail. Snowball eats about three pounds of cat food daily, with chicken being her favorite food. Degagne attributes Snowball’s size to something her parents ate from a nearby river where he found them.
3. Hercules (dog)
Flynn, an English Mastiff that’s three years old, entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2001. Hercules is the pet of Flynn and Wendy, who live in Massachusetts, USA. The dog earned his name due to his immense size as a puppy. Interestingly, Flynn notes that while Hercules is huge, he’s quite friendly. Also, the owners claim that they’ve taken no actions that would account for the dog’s enormous size-except for feeding it an ordinary diet. Ironically, the previous largest dog in the world was also an English Mastiff. Hercules weighs 282 pounds and has a neck that’s 38 inches in length.
4. Longest goldfish
The longest goldfish in the world is located in Hapert, Netherlands. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the fish’s length was 18.7 inches (47.4 centimeters), from its snout to its tail fin. It wouldn’t fit in an average-size bowl for goldfish!
5. Kakapo (parrot)
The world’s largest parrot species is the kakapo, whose natural home is New Zealand. Scientists are striving to save the kakapo from extinction. Its population has recently passed 100 birds-for the first time in several decades. The kakapo’s survival has been threatened both by the Maoris’ hunting of them, and the various animals that European explorers brought with them to New Zealand. The birds are beginning to thrive again on two of New Zealand’s islands that lack potential predators of the bird. These parrots are unable to fly, and can weigh up to nine pounds. The kakapo is a friendly bird and tends to “freeze” whenever it becomes frightened.
These are some of the biggest potential pets in the world. While animals exist in all shapes and sizes, size doesn’t matter when it comes to how much we value our beloved pets
The Blue Whale – The World’s Largest Animal
July 20th, 2010
At the turn of the 20th century our vast oceans were a plenty with baleen whales. What has happened to them? The Blue Whale is the largest baleen whale and the biggest living creature to ever breathe on our planet. These creatures make sounds that travel hundreds of kilometres yet we cannot hear these sounds without special equipment. They also eat thousands off kilograms of food every day and they live as long as we do.
Scientists and oceanographers are constantly carrying out research on the Blue Whale in attempt to assist in the survival of this magnificent creature which experts now estimate number less than 10 000 worldwide. Up until recently, one of the greatest mysteries of the sea was where these whales are born.
Most of the time Blue Whales swim far off shore only surfacing for brief periods usually for only a few seconds at a time. In late summer however many of these creatures gather to feed. Researchers then have a chance to tag them. They can then track them during the winter migration south with satellite tags. With this information, researchers have discovered that these whales mate and give birth in the tropics.
Blue Whales feed during the winter when they mate and give birth. They are twice the size of more commonly known whales. Experts know little about them. An adult female Blue Whale can weigh almost 180 tonnes which is heavier than 25 fully grown elephants. The heart alone is the size of a small car and weighs close to 500 kilograms. They grow to be as long as three buses.
Blue Whales do not have teeth. When they open their mouths, pleats of skin allow their throat to expand letting them suck in krill and tiny crabs. Plankton and krill makes up nearly all of the diet of the Blue Whale. The largest animal on the planet feeds on one of the smallest. It takes around one metric tonne of krill to fill a Blue Whales stomach and they can devour three and a half tonnes of these small shrimp-like crustaceans every day.
Cousins of the Blue Whale, humpbacks, generally do not eat during the winter months when they are mating and calving. Blue Whales, however, are three times heavier than their relatives. Blue Whales are so big that they need to eat continuously to keep up their energy levels all year round. Mating and calving require these giants to expend energy and a productive place to provide the fuel.
Blue Whales can also make some of the loudest calls of any animal but we require special technology to hear them. Scientists are capable of decoding certain sounds made by certain whales and attempt to interpret what they may mean by comparing the acoustic signals to the behaviour observed.
Scientists attach probes to the whales via a suction. The tags record how deep the whales dive, its pitch and roll and how it approaches its prey. These probes are also used to record surrounding sounds. The sounds the researchers are particularly interested in are the sounds of ships in the shipping lanes. The researchers hope that the information from these probes can answer questions such as how loud the sounds of the ships are compared to the whale and whether and how the noise from these ships affect the whales. The data may reveal whether the whales’ voracious appetite places them in peril from the shipping lanes. They use this data to identify danger zones.
Some of the higher density areas that Blue Whales use and return through every summer to feed are intersecting with areas of increasing shipping traffic. Ships are now not only becoming more numerous but they are bigger and faster as they supply more and more goods to the harbours of the world. This is the recipe for disaster for the whales. Could it be that after surviving the sharks and the whaling that ships strikes now pose the biggest threats to the survival of the Blue Whale?
Research offers the best hope for new shipping paths that will give the largest of the baleen whales the space they need. The challenge for protecting the Blue Whales has only just begun. For these almighty animals to have a chance we must respect the oceans for the decades ahead… for all creatures great and small….but in this case mainly for the great.
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