Awesome Facts About Owls

Owls are awesome. It's an undeniable fact. They are expressive, they are diverse, they are stealthy and their heads are on a swivel. Below you will find 10 interesting facts and a collection of photographs that capture these beautiful creatures. Enjoy!

Owls belong to the Order Strigiformes. The Order Strigiformes is further divided into two families, the barn owls (Family Tytonidae) and the typical owls (Family Strigidae). Owls are a diverse group of birds, with over 220 species of owls belonging to the Order Strigiformes.

Owls are birds of prey. Owls feed on a wide variety of prey including mammals, other birds, insects, and reptiles. There are even some species of owls that live in Africa and Asia that feed on birds. Owls cannot chew their prey since, like all birds, they do not have teeth. Instead, they swallow small prey whole and must tear larger prey into smaller pieces before swallowing. They later regurgitate pellets of indigestible material such as bone, fur, and feathers.

The structure of an owl's foot is referred to as zygodactyl. This means that two of the toes face forward while two face backward. This arrangement enables the owls to capture and grasp prey with greater ease. Sometimes, the third toe can be rotated forward into a position occasionally used for perching.

Most owls are nocturnal. Most owls are active at night. A few species (such as the pygmy owls) are active in the early morning or at dusk while some (such as the burrowing owl and the short-eared owl) are active during the day.

Owls' eyes are fixed in their sockets. Owls are unable to move their eyes within their sockets to a great extent, which means they must turn their entire head to see in a different direction. Because owls have forward-facing eyes, they have well-developed binocular vision. Contrary to popular myth, an owl cannot turn its head completely backwards. It can turn its head 135 degrees in either direction; it can thus look behind its own shoulders, with a total 270-degree field of view.

Many species of owls have special flight feathers adapted for silent flight. Owls have developed special feather adaptations that enable them to minimize the sound made when flapping their wings. For instance, the leading edges of their primary feathers have a stiff fringes that reduces noise while the trailing edge of their primaries have soft fringes that helps to reduce turbulence. Downy feathers cover the surfaces of the wing to further reduce sound.

Owls create a variety of vocalizations. Owls create a wide variety of sounds or vocalizations. The familiar hoot is usually a territorial declaration, though not all species are able to hoot. Other sounds owls might make include screeches, hisses, and screams.

Owls are found in all regions of the Earth except Antarctica, most of Greenland and some remote islands.

Though owls are typically solitary, the literary collective noun for a group of owls is a parliament.

Owls are farsighted and are unable to see anything clearly within a few centimeters of their eyes. Caught prey can be felt by owls with the use of filoplumes, which are small hair-like feathers on the beak and feet that act as "feelers". Their far vision, particularly in low light, is exceptionally good.

And how could I not include the greatest Owl picture of them all!

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Animal world-Ram Fighting In Nigeria

The city of Lagos, in Nigeria, has hosted the 13th All-Nigerian Ram Fighting Championships. This increasingly popular sport drew an impressive crowd, eager to see the animal compete.
Ram fighting is a popular sport in countries like Algeria, Indonesia and China, but in Nigeria it even has its own Ram Lovers Association, which organizes ram fighting events. believe it or not, this sport isn’t as bloody as you might think. During the history of the championships, only one ram has lost its life, and there has rarely ever been any blood shed. According to Bashir Augusto, founder of the Ram Lovers Association, rams naturally love to fight, the only difference is here they do it for the entertainment of the crowd.

The animals, of the same weight class, are placed together in a dirt ring, with a judge and several referees closely watching them. Usually they naturally run towards each other and but heads. The fight ends when one of the rams runs away from the fight. One match normally lasts for less than 10 blows, but the longest match, this year, lasted for 98.
Just like human boxers, fighting rams go through rigorous physical training (especially running), have special diets, rich in beans and bananas, and even have their very own music, as they step into the ring. This year, in the main event, Gobe, last year’s champion, retained his title and won his master a brand new refrigerator. In Africa, I bet that’s a prize worth fighting for.

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The Ugliest Dog in the World

A 4-year old Chihuahua’s oddly curved back and legs and closed-up left eye earned her the title of “The ugliest dog in the world” in a contest held in North California on Friday, June 25.

Sporting a gray, brown and black coat, Princess Abby Francis beat a rough-looking slate of candidates for the prize, including Pabst, a teeth-bearing boxer mix who won last year.

Princess Abby shivered in the cool breeze after her win Friday night while nestled in the arms of her owner, Kathleen Francis, who received a $1,000 check at the 22nd annual contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma.


The victory was a surprise to Francis. "I don't think she's ugly at all," she said. "I think she's the most beautiful dog."
Francis says she rescued Princess Abby from her veterinarian about five months ago. Celebrity vet Karen "Doc" Halligan, one of the contest's three judges, says the dog's oddly curved back and legs and closed up left eye may be due to being inbred.
Here are some of the contestants Princess Abby beat to the title.










[via MSNBC, Barcroft Media]

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A life sized picture of the blue whale

he blue whale is the largest living animal on earth, with a length that can go up to 33 meters. This is an image of a blue whale.





Now imagine how big an image would be if we were to view it life sized. This is exactly what WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society has done. They have put up a life sized picture of the blue whale on their website. The photo is so big that it comes with a navigation system to help you know which part of the whale body you are viewing. See it here.





A part of the blue whale image

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Celebrities with their Cute Pets (18 pics)

Celebrities with their Pets
Do celebrity whims. They even pets choose the color of her dress at the Oscars. Chief Photographer star pets Christopher Ameruoso made thousands of images of 500 celebrities with their dogs, lizards and even piglets.

01 — Chris suddenly found that sometimes with the star pupils to work a lot easier than with their owners. Photo: Pamela Anderson with a Labrador named Star.

02 — Hulk and Brooke Hogan with their Labrador Rosello.

03 — Nicole Richie with her Pomeranian Fox (left) and shih-tzu Honey Chile.

04 — Anthony Kiedis - lead singer of «Red Hot Chili Peppers» - with his mongrel.

05 — Megan Fox with his Vietnamese vislobryuhoy Pig Piggy Smolls.

06 — Denise Richards and her pets.

07 — Kate Hudson with the Bernese Mountain Dog named Nana.

08 — Actor Verne Troyer and his Bulldog Banana.

09 — Derek Hugh Lady with Poodle Dog Ha.

10 — Paris Hilton with her chihuahua named Tinkerbel.

11 — Sharon Osbourne with her Pomeranian puppy named Chicken (right) and Maltese named Mini.

12 — Musician Slash and his unnamed pet.

13 — Jennifer Love Hewitt with his chihuahua.

14 — Jane Seymour the cat Stachi.

15 — Actor, producer and director Henry "Fonts" Winkler with his dog, a cross between a Labrador and a poodle named Charlotte.

16 — The former member of the group «Spice Girls» Gerry Halliwell with doggie Haggie.

17 — Adrien Brody with her chihuahua named Lolly.

18 — Actress Nicollette Sheridan with her Labrador Oliver.

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