Serval

Serval:  The serval, Leptailurus serval or Caracal serval, known in Afrikaans as Tierboskat, "tiger-forest-cat", is a medium-sized African wild cat. DNA studies have shown that the serval is closely related to the African golden cat and the caracal.The serval is a medium-sized cat, measuring 59 to 92 cm (23 to 36 in) in head-body length, with a relatively short, 20 to 45 cm (7.9 to 18 in) tail, and a shoulder height of about 54 to 66 cm (21 to 26 in). Weight ranges from about 7 to 12 kg (15 to 26 lb) in females, and from 9 to 18 kg (20 to 40 lb) in males.

It is a strong yet slender animal, with long legs and a fairly short tail. Due to its leg length, it is relatively one of the tallest cats. The head is small in relation to the body, and the tall, oval ears are set close together. The pattern of the fur is variable. Usually, the serval is boldly spotted black on tawny, with two or four stripes from the top of the head down the neck and back, transitioning into spots. The "servaline" form has much smaller, freckled spots, and was once thought to be separate species. The backs of the ears are black with a distinctive white bar.

 Serval

 Serval

 Serval

 Serval

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Sheep

Sheep:  Sheep (Ovis aries) are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia. One of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes, sheep are raised for fleece, meat (lamb, hogget or mutton) and milk.

 A sheep's wool is the most widely used animal fiber, and is usually harvested by shearing. Ovine meat is called lamb when from younger animals and mutton when from older ones. Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today, and are also occasionally raised for pelts, as dairy animals, or as model organisms for science. Sheep husbandry is practised throughout the majority of the inhabited world, and has been fundamental to many civilizations. In the modern era, Australia, New Zealand, the southern and central South American nations, and the British Isles are most closely associated with sheep production.

 Sheep

 Sheep

 Sheep

 Sheep

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Shrimp

Shrimp, sometimes called prawn, are stalk-eyed swimming crustaceans with long skinny muscular tails (abdomens), long whiskers (antennae) and slender legs. They are related to crabs and lobsters. Unlike crabs and lobsters, they are more adept at swimming than walking. Their abdomens are largely dedicated to powering their swimming equipment. They swim forwards by paddling with swimmerets on the underside of their abdomens. Like lobsters but unlike crabs, they swim backwards by flipping their tail fan. Crabs and lobsters have strong walking legs, whereas shrimp have thin fragile legs which they use primarily for perching.

Shrimp are widespread and abundant. They can be found feeding near the seafloor on most coasts and estuaries, as well as in rivers and lakes. To escape predators, some species flip off the seafloor and dive into the sediment. Shrimp are often solitary, though they can form large schools during the spawning season. There are thousands of species, and usually there is a species adapted to any particular habitat. Any small crustacean which resembles a shrimp tends to be called one. They play important roles in the food chain and are important food sources for larger animals from fish to whales.

 Shrimp

 Shrimp

 Shrimp

 Shrimp

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Siamese Fighting Fish

Siamese Fighting Fish: The Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens), also known as the betta (particularly in the US), is a popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. The name of the genus is derived from ikan bettah, taken from a local dialect of Malay. The wild ancestors of this fish are native to the rice paddies of Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam and are called pla-kad (lit. biting fish) in Thai or trey krem in Khmer.B. splendens usually grow to an overall length of about 3 inches, including fins. Although known for their brilliant colors and large, flowing fins, the natural coloration of B. splendens is a dull green and brown, and the fins of wild specimens are relatively short. 

Brilliantly colored and longer finned varieties (i.e. Veiltail; Delta; Superdelta; and Halfmoon) have been developed through selective breeding.Properly kept and fed a correct diet, B. Splendens lives approximately 2-4 years in captivity but 5 is not uncommon and up to 10 isn't unheard of. The fish is a member of the gourami family (family Osphronemidae) of order Perciformes, but was formerly classified among the Anabantidae. Although there are nearly 50 other members of the Betta genus, B. splendens is one of the most popular species among aquarium hobbyists.Betta Species also prefer a warmer water climate than other tropical fish - around 25-30 Degrees Celsius.(77-86 Degrees Fahrenheit).

 Siamese Fighting Fish

 Siamese Fighting Fish

 Siamese Fighting Fish

 Siamese Fighting Fish

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Siberian Tiger

Siberian Tiger:  The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Amur tiger, is a tiger subspecies inhabiting mainly the Sikhote Alin mountain region with a small subpopulation in southwest Primorye province in the Russian Far East. In 2005, there were 331–393 adult-subadult Amur tigers in this region, with a breeding adult population of about 250 individuals. The population has been stable for more than a decade due to intensive conservation efforts, but partial surveys conducted after 2005 indicate that the Russian tiger population is declining. The Siberian tiger is the largest living felid and ranks among the biggest felids living today.

 Phylogeographic analysis with extant tiger subspecies suggests that less than 10,000 years ago the ancestor of Amur and Caspian tigers colonized Central Asia via the Gansu−Silk Road corridor from eastern China then subsequently traversed Siberia eastward to establish the Amur tiger population in the Russian Far East.The Siberian tiger is reddish-rusty or rusty-yellow in colour, with narrow black transverse stripes. The body length is not less than 150 cm (60 in), condylobasal length of skull 250 mm (10 in), zygomatic width 180 mm (7 in), and length of upper carnassial tooth over 26 mm (1 in) long.

 Siberian Tiger

 Siberian Tiger

 Siberian Tiger

Siberian Tiger

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Silver Dollar

Silver Dollar:  Silver dollar is a common name given to a number of species of fishes, mostly in the genus Metynnis, tropical fish belonging to the Characidae family which are closely related to piranha and pacu. South America, these somewhat round-shaped silver fish are popular with fish-keeping hobbyists. The silver dollar is a peaceful schooling species that spends most of its time in the mid- to upper-level of the water. Its maximum lifespan is more than 10 years. A chin-layer, the adult fish will spawn around 2,000 eggs. This breeding occurs in soft, warm water in low light.

Silver dollars natively live in a tropical climate in the sides of weedy rivers. They prefer water with a pH of 5–7, a water hardness of up to 15 dGH, and an ideal temperature range of 24–28 °C (75–82 °F). Their diet is almost exclusively vegetarian and in captivity they will often eat all the plants in a tank. They will also eat worms and small insects.The silver dollar is listed as semi-aggressive but it is very mellow like the pacu. These fish can be kept in community tanks with fish that can't fit in their mouths, so don't put a full-grown silver dollar with small neon tetras and guppies.

 Silver Dollar

 Silver Dollar

 Silver Dollar

Silver Dollar

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Skunk

Skunk:  Skunks (in the United States, occasionally called polecats) are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks, together with their closest living relatives, the stink badgers, belong to the "skunk family", the "Mephitidae" and to the order Carnivora. There are twelve species of Mephitids, which are divided into four genera: Mephitis (the hooded and striped skunks, two species); Spilogale (spotted skunks, four species); Mydaus (stink badgers, two species); and Conepatus (hog-nosed skunks, four species). 

The two stink badgers in the Mydaus genus inhabit Indonesia and the Philippines; while all other members of the family inhabit the Americas, ranging from Canada to central South America. All other known mephitids are extinct and known only through fossils, many in Eurasia. Skunks had been classified as a subfamily within the Mustelidae, or "weasel family", which includes ferrets, weasels, otters, badgers, stoats, and wolverines. However, recent genetic evidence suggests that skunks are not as closely related to the mustelids as previously thought and they are now classified in their own family.

 Skunk

 Skunk

 Skunk

Skunk

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Sloth

Sloth:  Sloths are medium-sized mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae (two-toed sloth) and Bradypodidae (three-toed sloth), classified into six species. They are part of the order Pilosa and are therefore related to armadillos and anteaters, which sport a similar set of specialized claws. Sloths are arboreal (tree dwelling) residents of the jungles of Central and South America, and are known for being slow-moving, and hence named "sloths".The sloth's taxonomic suborder is Folivora, while some call it Phyllophaga. Both names mean "leaf-eaters"; derived from Latin and Greek respectively. 

Names for the animals used by tribes in Ecuador include Ritto, Rit and Ridette, mostly forms of the word "sleep", "eat" and "dirty" from Tagaeri tribe of Huaorani. Feeding brown-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus), Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica. Sloths are classified as folivores as the bulk of their diet consists mostly of buds, tender shoots, and leaves, mainly of Cecropia trees. Some two-toed sloths have been documented as eating insects, small reptiles and birds as a small supplement to their diet. Linnaeus's two-toed sloth has recently been documented eating human faeces from open latrines.

  Sloth

  Sloth

  Sloth

 Sloth

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Slow Worm

Slow Worm:  Anguis, or the slow worm, is a small genus of lizard in the family Anguidae. It has two described species. Although they are lizards, slow worms have lost their limbs completely and are often mistaken as snakes. Slow worms typically grow to between 40 and 50 cm (16 and 20 in), with the females slightly larger than the males. The tail makes up around half of its length, but is indistinguishable from the body. As their name indicates, slow worms are slow moving and can be easily caught. Like many lizards, slow worms can shed their tails to distract predators. The tail regrows but rarely to the length of the original.

Slow worms can be distinguished from snakes by several features: their eyelids, which snakes lack entirely; their small ear openings which again snakes lack; and their tongues, which are notched in the centre rather than completely forked like a snake's. Slow worms are typically grey-brown, with the females having a coppery sheen and two lateral black stripes, and the males displaying electric blue spots, particularly in the breeding season. They give birth to live young; the young are about 4 cm (1.6 in) long at birth and generally have golden stripes.

 Slow Worm

 Slow Worm

 Slow Worm

Slow Worm

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Snail

Snail:  Snail is a common name which is applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often applied to land snails than to those from the sea or freshwater. Snail-like animals that naturally lack a shell, or have only an internal shell, are often called slugs, and land species that have only a very small shell (that they cannot retract into) are called semislugs.

 Some organisms that are not gastropods, such as the monoplacophora, may informally be referred to as snails.Snails that respire using a lung belong to the group Pulmonata, while those with gills form a polyphyletic group; in other words, snails with gills form a number of taxonomic groups that are not necessarily more closely related to each other than they are related to some other groups. Snails with lungs and with gills have diversified so widely over geological time that a few species with gills can be found on land, numerous species with a lung can be found in freshwater, and a few marine species have lungs.

 Snail

 Snail

 Snail

Snail

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Snake

Snake:  Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with many more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads with their highly mobile jaws. To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca.

Living snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica, in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and on most smaller land masses — exceptions include some large islands, such as Ireland and New Zealand, and many small islands of the Atlantic and central Pacific. More than 20 families are currently recognized, comprising about 500 genera and about 3,400 species. They range in size from the tiny, 10 cm-long thread snake to the Reticulated python of up to 8.7 meters (29 ft) in length. The fossil species Titanoboa cerrejonensis was 15 meters (49 ft) long. Snakes are thought to have evolved from either burrowing or aquatic lizards during the mid-Cretaceous period, and the earliest known fossils date to around 112 Ma ago.

 Snake

 Snake

 Snake

Snake

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Snapping Turtle

Snapping Turtle:  The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a large freshwater turtle of the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia and Florida and as far southwest as northeastern Mexico. This species and the larger alligator snapping turtle are the only two species in this family found in North America.

Common snappers are noted for their belligerent disposition when out of the water, their powerful beak-like jaws, and their highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific name "serpentina", meaning "snake-like"). In some areas they are hunted very heavily for their meat, a popular ingredient in turtle soup. These turtles have lived for up to 47 years in captivity, while the lifespan of wild individuals is estimated to be around 30 years.

  Snapping Turtle

  Snapping Turtle

  Snapping Turtle

 Snapping Turtle

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Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl:  The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organize plants and animals. The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great White Owl, Icelandic Snow Owl, or Harfang. Until recently, it was regarded as the sole member of a distinct genus, as Nyctea scandiaca, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data (Olsen et al. 2002) shows that it is very closely related to the horned owls in the genus Bubo. 

The Snowy Owl is the official bird of Quebec.This yellow-eyed, black-beaked white bird is easily recognizable. It is 52–71 centimetres (20–28 in) long, with a 125–150 centimetres (49–59 in) wingspan. Also, these birds can weigh anywhere from 1.6 to 3 kilograms (3.5 to 6.6 lb). It is one of the largest species of owl and, in North America, is on average the heaviest owl species. The adult male is virtually pure white, but females and young birds have some dark scalloping; the young are heavily barred, and dark spotting may even predominate. Its thick plumage, heavily feathered taloned feet, and colouration render the Snowy Owl well-adapted for life north of the Arctic Circle.

 Snowy Owl

 Snowy Owl

 Snowy Owl

 Snowy Owl

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