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Shop for the Holidays and Support the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

A few nice names for animals images I found:

Shop for the Holidays and Support the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
names for animals
Image by Smithsonian's National Zoo
Photo Credit: Smithsonian's National Zoo

Shop for the Holidays and Support the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

This holiday season, shop at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for gifts your loved ones will give a hoot, whoop and roar about! Spot a great find for the animal person in your life during your next visit to the Zoo, or shop the online catalogue. By giving a Zoo gift, you become a conservationist—all proceeds support animal care, science and research at the National Zoo.

Adopt a Species
Earlier this year, visitors met Kavi, the National Zoo’s newest—and presently its only—male Sumatran tiger. Kavi arrived in early June and settled nicely into his new home at the Great Cats exhibit, where keepers are introducing him to the Zoo’s young female tiger, Damai. Hopefully, the two will breed and produce cubs this winter!
Celebrate his arrival this holiday season with an Adopt a Species package that supports these fascinating felines. With a donation of or more, your special someone will receive a gift set that includes a cuddly plush tiger, a colorful photo, an adoption certificate and more delivered inside an “animal carrier” box.

There are plenty of other Adopt a Species packages, including a new package that includes a certificate, replica paw print of your adopted species and letter of appreciation. Proceeds from Adopt a Species support animal care, habitat improvement and enrichment at the Zoo. Visit the Zoo’s website to view all 16 Adopt a Species packages.

Learn more: nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/AdoptSpecies/.

For Children
Plush Wolf:
Two beautiful gray wolves named Crystal and Coby made their debut over the summer at the National Zoo’s new American Trail exhibit. In celebration of their arrival, the Zoo invites kids of all ages to bring home an animal friend with this soft plush wolf pup. Its distinctive expressions and realistic features make this 16” cuddly arm-full a great friend for any canine fan.

Learn more: nationalzoostore.tamretail.net/NavPage.aspx?navid=1000008.

Animal Purse:
Animal prints will always be fashionable! Stay in style with colorful owl and butterfly purses. Made of designer fabric, each purse features working zippers, an inside pocket and a sturdy 10”strap.

Learn more: nationalzoostore.tamretail.net/NavPage.aspx?navid=1000009.

For Your Favorite Zoo Animal

Gift giving is for the birds…and the apes…and the bears! What better way to honor your friends and family than to give a gift in their name while enriching the life of a special animal at the Zoo? Enrichment items encourage animals to use problem-solving skills and help give visitors a glimpse into the natural behaviors of their favorite fauna.

Love to shop? Check out the Enrichment Giving Tree wish list and drop off your gifts at the Zoo’s Visitor Center for the animal care staff to distribute. Prefer shopping from home? Choosing your favorite item is as easy as the click of a mouse in the Zoo’s online store—we’ll deliver your gifts straight to our animals. Can’t decide? Make a donation to the Zoo’s animal enrichment program.

Learn more: nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/MakeDonation/GivingTree.cfm.

Munch Balls,
The munch ball’s natural wicker construction makes this chewable toy suitable for any bird. The Zoo’s parrots like this enrichment, especially when filled with delicious grapes and other treats.

“Kabob” Skewer,
Keepers spear delicious fresh fruit or vegetables on to the Kabob Skewer and hang them in various places in each exhibit, encouraging the Zoo’s birds to forage as they would in the wild.

Tough Tire,
The tough tire is a great enrichment item for many species at the National Zoo. It floats and is strong enough to endure a playful sea lion’s jaws. A version with holes can even make a handy puzzle feeder for elephants and bears.

Bungee Ball, 6
Our great apes and big cats have a ball with the Bungee Ball! Why add a bungee cord to a hanging toy? It offers the Zoo’s animals a new challenge every time they interact with this enrichment and keeps their day-to-day life interesting and exciting.

Ball-inside-ball, 6
The ball-inside-ball is a favorite toy of the Zoo’s bears, primates, and small mammals. Sloth bears are entertained by the challenge of getting the smaller ball out of the larger one, especially when there’s food inside.

Leave a Legacy: Elephant Trails Commemorative Brick

The National Zoo is almost ready to reveal Phase II of Elephant Trails! In spring 2013, this exciting new exhibit will open to the Zoo’s multi-generational herd of Asian elephants, giving them additional space for exercise, shelter and stimulation. Trumpet your support for the Zoo’s elephants by purchasing a 4” X 8” Commemorative Brick. With a gift of 0, a brick will be engraved with your name and/or personalized message, installed in the surrounding walkway and displayed for decades to come. Life-size elephant footprints are available for larger donations. All proceeds support the Zoo’s Asian elephant breeding and research program.

Learn more: nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/AnnualAppeal/ElephantTrek/defa....

Leave a Legacy: Zoo Carousel

This November, National Zoo visitors will delight in the Zoo’s latest attraction: the Conservation Carousel! Opening just in time for ZooLights, the carousel features beloved species such as giant pandas, African lions, and cuttlefish. Adorned with colorful scenery, the top of the carousel highlights some of the world’s most beautiful and majestic birds in flight. Your 0 donation will sponsor a beautiful hand-painted and hand-carved scenery panel, shield or mural. Donors or their honorees will receive recognition on a plaque beneath their figure for 10 years.
Learn more: nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/MakeDonation/carousel.cfm.
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Shop for the Holidays and Support the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Check out these names for animals images:

Cactus Forest Drive, Saguaro National Park 36

Some cool about endangered animals images:

Cactus Forest Drive, Saguaro National Park 36
about endangered animals
Image by Ken Lund
Enormous cacti, silhouetted by the setting sun, for most of us the Giant Saguaro is the universal symbol of the American West. And yet, these majestic plants are only found in a small portion of the United States. Saguaro National Park protects some of the most impressive forests of these sub-tropical giants, on the edge of the modern City of Tucson.

Saguaro National Park, located in the state of Arizona, is part of the United States national park system.

Saguaro National Park is divided into two sections, lying approximately 20 miles (32 km) east and 15 miles (24 km) west of the center of the city of Tucson, Arizona. Total area in 2002 was 143 square miles (91,327 acres) (370 km²) of which 111 square miles (289 km²) is designated wilderness. There is a visitor center in each section. Both are easily reached by car from Tucson, but there is no public transport into either section. Both sections conserve fine tracts of the Sonoran Desert, including ranges of significant hills, the Tucson Mountains in the west and the Rincon Mountains in the east. The park gets its name from the saguaro cactus which is native to the region. Many other kinds of cactus, including barrel cactus, cholla cactus, and prickly pear, are also abundant in the park. One endangered animal, the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, lives in the park part of the year during its migration, together with one threatened species, the Mexican Spotted Owl.

The park was established as Saguaro National Monument on March 1, 1933, and changed to a national park on October 14, 1994.

Facilities in the park include 150 miles (240 km) of well marked and maintained hiking trails, and shorter walking trails with interpretative information available. Hiking is not advisable during the hot summer months.

The Rincon Mountain District is located at the eastern edge of Tucson, Arizona; the east side of the park was the original National Monument. What is unique about this park is that it starts off in the Sonoran Desert and gradually gives way to a montane coniferous forest of the Rincon Mountains. The highest peak in this range is Mica Mountain, at an elevation of 8,666 feet (2641 m). While this side of the park has fewer Saguaros than its counterpart they remain larger in size, due to higher amounts of rainfall and run off from the Rincon Mountains.

The key feature of this district is its 8.3-mile (13.4 km) loop, which connects its two picnic areas and central trails. Recently after a lengthy road improvement project, and refurbishment of the Visitor Center, the Rincon District is fully open once more.

Hiking on this side of the park is readily accessible to visitors. There are trail heads present at the east end of Speedway and Broadway, but these trail heads are commonly used by horses and get heavy usage on the weekends. Off the park's loop road there are several additional trail heads. Each Visitor Center will supply a map of hiking trails on request.

And at the southern boundary of the park is the Hope Camp Trails which are also commonly used for horses. Access to the Hope Camp Trails is found at the end of Camino Loma Alta, however the road is no longer paved for the last couple hundred yards. This section of the park was added in 1991 when Congress authroized the purchase of 4,011 acres (16.23 km2).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro_National_Park

www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm

Cactus Forest Drive, Saguaro National Park 3
about endangered animals
Image by Ken Lund
Enormous cacti, silhouetted by the setting sun, for most of us the Giant Saguaro is the universal symbol of the American West. And yet, these majestic plants are only found in a small portion of the United States. Saguaro National Park protects some of the most impressive forests of these sub-tropical giants, on the edge of the modern City of Tucson.

Saguaro National Park, located in the state of Arizona, is part of the United States national park system.

Saguaro National Park is divided into two sections, lying approximately 20 miles (32 km) east and 15 miles (24 km) west of the center of the city of Tucson, Arizona. Total area in 2002 was 143 square miles (91,327 acres) (370 km²) of which 111 square miles (289 km²) is designated wilderness. There is a visitor center in each section. Both are easily reached by car from Tucson, but there is no public transport into either section. Both sections conserve fine tracts of the Sonoran Desert, including ranges of significant hills, the Tucson Mountains in the west and the Rincon Mountains in the east. The park gets its name from the saguaro cactus which is native to the region. Many other kinds of cactus, including barrel cactus, cholla cactus, and prickly pear, are also abundant in the park. One endangered animal, the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, lives in the park part of the year during its migration, together with one threatened species, the Mexican Spotted Owl.

The park was established as Saguaro National Monument on March 1, 1933, and changed to a national park on October 14, 1994.

Facilities in the park include 150 miles (240 km) of well marked and maintained hiking trails, and shorter walking trails with interpretative information available. Hiking is not advisable during the hot summer months.

The Rincon Mountain District is located at the eastern edge of Tucson, Arizona; the east side of the park was the original National Monument. What is unique about this park is that it starts off in the Sonoran Desert and gradually gives way to a montane coniferous forest of the Rincon Mountains. The highest peak in this range is Mica Mountain, at an elevation of 8,666 feet (2641 m). While this side of the park has fewer Saguaros than its counterpart they remain larger in size, due to higher amounts of rainfall and run off from the Rincon Mountains.

The key feature of this district is its 8.3-mile (13.4 km) loop, which connects its two picnic areas and central trails. Recently after a lengthy road improvement project, and refurbishment of the Visitor Center, the Rincon District is fully open once more.

Hiking on this side of the park is readily accessible to visitors. There are trail heads present at the east end of Speedway and Broadway, but these trail heads are commonly used by horses and get heavy usage on the weekends. Off the park's loop road there are several additional trail heads. Each Visitor Center will supply a map of hiking trails on request.

And at the southern boundary of the park is the Hope Camp Trails which are also commonly used for horses. Access to the Hope Camp Trails is found at the end of Camino Loma Alta, however the road is no longer paved for the last couple hundred yards. This section of the park was added in 1991 when Congress authroized the purchase of 4,011 acres (16.23 km2).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro_National_Park

www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm

Cactus Forest Drive, Saguaro National Park in Rain 2
about endangered animals
Image by Ken Lund
Enormous cacti, silhouetted by the setting sun, for most of us the Giant Saguaro is the universal symbol of the American West. And yet, these majestic plants are only found in a small portion of the United States. Saguaro National Park protects some of the most impressive forests of these sub-tropical giants, on the edge of the modern City of Tucson.

Saguaro National Park, located in the state of Arizona, is part of the United States national park system.

Saguaro National Park is divided into two sections, lying approximately 20 miles (32 km) east and 15 miles (24 km) west of the center of the city of Tucson, Arizona. Total area in 2002 was 143 square miles (91,327 acres) (370 km²) of which 111 square miles (289 km²) is designated wilderness. There is a visitor center in each section. Both are easily reached by car from Tucson, but there is no public transport into either section. Both sections conserve fine tracts of the Sonoran Desert, including ranges of significant hills, the Tucson Mountains in the west and the Rincon Mountains in the east. The park gets its name from the saguaro cactus which is native to the region. Many other kinds of cactus, including barrel cactus, cholla cactus, and prickly pear, are also abundant in the park. One endangered animal, the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, lives in the park part of the year during its migration, together with one threatened species, the Mexican Spotted Owl.

The park was established as Saguaro National Monument on March 1, 1933, and changed to a national park on October 14, 1994.

Facilities in the park include 150 miles (240 km) of well marked and maintained hiking trails, and shorter walking trails with interpretative information available. Hiking is not advisable during the hot summer months.

The Rincon Mountain District is located at the eastern edge of Tucson, Arizona; the east side of the park was the original National Monument. What is unique about this park is that it starts off in the Sonoran Desert and gradually gives way to a montane coniferous forest of the Rincon Mountains. The highest peak in this range is Mica Mountain, at an elevation of 8,666 feet (2641 m). While this side of the park has fewer Saguaros than its counterpart they remain larger in size, due to higher amounts of rainfall and run off from the Rincon Mountains.

The key feature of this district is its 8.3-mile (13.4 km) loop, which connects its two picnic areas and central trails. Recently after a lengthy road improvement project, and refurbishment of the Visitor Center, the Rincon District is fully open once more.

Hiking on this side of the park is readily accessible to visitors. There are trail heads present at the east end of Speedway and Broadway, but these trail heads are commonly used by horses and get heavy usage on the weekends. Off the park's loop road there are several additional trail heads. Each Visitor Center will supply a map of hiking trails on request.

And at the southern boundary of the park is the Hope Camp Trails which are also commonly used for horses. Access to the Hope Camp Trails is found at the end of Camino Loma Alta, however the road is no longer paved for the last couple hundred yards. This section of the park was added in 1991 when Congress authroized the purchase of 4,011 acres (16.23 km2).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro_National_Park

www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm

Cactus Forest Drive, Saguaro National Park 40

Check out these about endangered animals images:

Cactus Forest Drive, Saguaro National Park 40
about endangered animals
Image by Ken Lund
Enormous cacti, silhouetted by the setting sun, for most of us the Giant Saguaro is the universal symbol of the American West. And yet, these majestic plants are only found in a small portion of the United States. Saguaro National Park protects some of the most impressive forests of these sub-tropical giants, on the edge of the modern City of Tucson.

Saguaro National Park, located in the state of Arizona, is part of the United States national park system.

Saguaro National Park is divided into two sections, lying approximately 20 miles (32 km) east and 15 miles (24 km) west of the center of the city of Tucson, Arizona. Total area in 2002 was 143 square miles (91,327 acres) (370 km²) of which 111 square miles (289 km²) is designated wilderness. There is a visitor center in each section. Both are easily reached by car from Tucson, but there is no public transport into either section. Both sections conserve fine tracts of the Sonoran Desert, including ranges of significant hills, the Tucson Mountains in the west and the Rincon Mountains in the east. The park gets its name from the saguaro cactus which is native to the region. Many other kinds of cactus, including barrel cactus, cholla cactus, and prickly pear, are also abundant in the park. One endangered animal, the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, lives in the park part of the year during its migration, together with one threatened species, the Mexican Spotted Owl.

The park was established as Saguaro National Monument on March 1, 1933, and changed to a national park on October 14, 1994.

Facilities in the park include 150 miles (240 km) of well marked and maintained hiking trails, and shorter walking trails with interpretative information available. Hiking is not advisable during the hot summer months.

The Rincon Mountain District is located at the eastern edge of Tucson, Arizona; the east side of the park was the original National Monument. What is unique about this park is that it starts off in the Sonoran Desert and gradually gives way to a montane coniferous forest of the Rincon Mountains. The highest peak in this range is Mica Mountain, at an elevation of 8,666 feet (2641 m). While this side of the park has fewer Saguaros than its counterpart they remain larger in size, due to higher amounts of rainfall and run off from the Rincon Mountains.

The key feature of this district is its 8.3-mile (13.4 km) loop, which connects its two picnic areas and central trails. Recently after a lengthy road improvement project, and refurbishment of the Visitor Center, the Rincon District is fully open once more.

Hiking on this side of the park is readily accessible to visitors. There are trail heads present at the east end of Speedway and Broadway, but these trail heads are commonly used by horses and get heavy usage on the weekends. Off the park's loop road there are several additional trail heads. Each Visitor Center will supply a map of hiking trails on request.

And at the southern boundary of the park is the Hope Camp Trails which are also commonly used for horses. Access to the Hope Camp Trails is found at the end of Camino Loma Alta, however the road is no longer paved for the last couple hundred yards. This section of the park was added in 1991 when Congress authroized the purchase of 4,011 acres (16.23 km2).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro_National_Park

www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm

Cactus Forest Drive, Saguaro National Park 5
about endangered animals
Image by Ken Lund
Enormous cacti, silhouetted by the setting sun, for most of us the Giant Saguaro is the universal symbol of the American West. And yet, these majestic plants are only found in a small portion of the United States. Saguaro National Park protects some of the most impressive forests of these sub-tropical giants, on the edge of the modern City of Tucson.

Saguaro National Park, located in the state of Arizona, is part of the United States national park system.

Saguaro National Park is divided into two sections, lying approximately 20 miles (32 km) east and 15 miles (24 km) west of the center of the city of Tucson, Arizona. Total area in 2002 was 143 square miles (91,327 acres) (370 km²) of which 111 square miles (289 km²) is designated wilderness. There is a visitor center in each section. Both are easily reached by car from Tucson, but there is no public transport into either section. Both sections conserve fine tracts of the Sonoran Desert, including ranges of significant hills, the Tucson Mountains in the west and the Rincon Mountains in the east. The park gets its name from the saguaro cactus which is native to the region. Many other kinds of cactus, including barrel cactus, cholla cactus, and prickly pear, are also abundant in the park. One endangered animal, the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, lives in the park part of the year during its migration, together with one threatened species, the Mexican Spotted Owl.

The park was established as Saguaro National Monument on March 1, 1933, and changed to a national park on October 14, 1994.

Facilities in the park include 150 miles (240 km) of well marked and maintained hiking trails, and shorter walking trails with interpretative information available. Hiking is not advisable during the hot summer months.

The Rincon Mountain District is located at the eastern edge of Tucson, Arizona; the east side of the park was the original National Monument. What is unique about this park is that it starts off in the Sonoran Desert and gradually gives way to a montane coniferous forest of the Rincon Mountains. The highest peak in this range is Mica Mountain, at an elevation of 8,666 feet (2641 m). While this side of the park has fewer Saguaros than its counterpart they remain larger in size, due to higher amounts of rainfall and run off from the Rincon Mountains.

The key feature of this district is its 8.3-mile (13.4 km) loop, which connects its two picnic areas and central trails. Recently after a lengthy road improvement project, and refurbishment of the Visitor Center, the Rincon District is fully open once more.

Hiking on this side of the park is readily accessible to visitors. There are trail heads present at the east end of Speedway and Broadway, but these trail heads are commonly used by horses and get heavy usage on the weekends. Off the park's loop road there are several additional trail heads. Each Visitor Center will supply a map of hiking trails on request.

And at the southern boundary of the park is the Hope Camp Trails which are also commonly used for horses. Access to the Hope Camp Trails is found at the end of Camino Loma Alta, however the road is no longer paved for the last couple hundred yards. This section of the park was added in 1991 when Congress authroized the purchase of 4,011 acres (16.23 km2).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro_National_Park

www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm

Cactus Forest Drive, Saguaro National Park 12
about endangered animals
Image by Ken Lund
Enormous cacti, silhouetted by the setting sun, for most of us the Giant Saguaro is the universal symbol of the American West. And yet, these majestic plants are only found in a small portion of the United States. Saguaro National Park protects some of the most impressive forests of these sub-tropical giants, on the edge of the modern City of Tucson.

Saguaro National Park, located in the state of Arizona, is part of the United States national park system.

Saguaro National Park is divided into two sections, lying approximately 20 miles (32 km) east and 15 miles (24 km) west of the center of the city of Tucson, Arizona. Total area in 2002 was 143 square miles (91,327 acres) (370 km²) of which 111 square miles (289 km²) is designated wilderness. There is a visitor center in each section. Both are easily reached by car from Tucson, but there is no public transport into either section. Both sections conserve fine tracts of the Sonoran Desert, including ranges of significant hills, the Tucson Mountains in the west and the Rincon Mountains in the east. The park gets its name from the saguaro cactus which is native to the region. Many other kinds of cactus, including barrel cactus, cholla cactus, and prickly pear, are also abundant in the park. One endangered animal, the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, lives in the park part of the year during its migration, together with one threatened species, the Mexican Spotted Owl.

The park was established as Saguaro National Monument on March 1, 1933, and changed to a national park on October 14, 1994.

Facilities in the park include 150 miles (240 km) of well marked and maintained hiking trails, and shorter walking trails with interpretative information available. Hiking is not advisable during the hot summer months.

The Rincon Mountain District is located at the eastern edge of Tucson, Arizona; the east side of the park was the original National Monument. What is unique about this park is that it starts off in the Sonoran Desert and gradually gives way to a montane coniferous forest of the Rincon Mountains. The highest peak in this range is Mica Mountain, at an elevation of 8,666 feet (2641 m). While this side of the park has fewer Saguaros than its counterpart they remain larger in size, due to higher amounts of rainfall and run off from the Rincon Mountains.

The key feature of this district is its 8.3-mile (13.4 km) loop, which connects its two picnic areas and central trails. Recently after a lengthy road improvement project, and refurbishment of the Visitor Center, the Rincon District is fully open once more.

Hiking on this side of the park is readily accessible to visitors. There are trail heads present at the east end of Speedway and Broadway, but these trail heads are commonly used by horses and get heavy usage on the weekends. Off the park's loop road there are several additional trail heads. Each Visitor Center will supply a map of hiking trails on request.

And at the southern boundary of the park is the Hope Camp Trails which are also commonly used for horses. Access to the Hope Camp Trails is found at the end of Camino Loma Alta, however the road is no longer paved for the last couple hundred yards. This section of the park was added in 1991 when Congress authroized the purchase of 4,011 acres (16.23 km2).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro_National_Park

www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm

Otter Family Makes a Splash at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Check out these animals that are extinct images:

Otter Family Makes a Splash at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
animals that are extinct
Image by Smithsonian's National Zoo
Photo Credit: Jen Zoon, Smithsonian's National Zoo

As the U.S. Olympic Swim Team prepares to go for the gold in London, a new family of Asian small-clawed otters (Amblonyx cinereus) is making quite a splash of their own at the National Zoo. Eleven otters—two parents and nine offspring—will dive into their new digs this Saturday.

Whole Foods Market made a monetary gift that covered the cost of transporting the otters from the Santa Barbara Zoo to Washington, D.C., in early April. The donation also supports the Zoo’s Asian small-clawed otter conservation, enrichment and public education programs. In appreciation, the Zoo asked Whole Foods Market to select names for the family.

This species spends much of its day foraging for food, so it was only fitting that Whole Foods Market select gastronomic-themed names. They chose Chowder and Clementine for the Zoo’s 5-year-old father and 3-year-old mother, respectively, as well as Pork Chop (male), Pickles (female), Saffron (female), Olive (female), Peaches (female), Turnip (male) and Radish (female). The last adolescent male answers to a more traditional title: Kevin. Whole Foods Market engaged its Facebook fans to select the most masterful moniker for the 11th otter, a female whom they named Rutabaga. At the debut, visitors will receive a commemorative “ottergraph” illustration with all 11 names from Whole Foods Market, while supplies last.

Asian small-clawed otters are the smallest and most social otter species in the world. When these animals have pups, the entire family pitches in to raise the young. Zoo visitors can expect to see Chowder and Clementine teach their offspring—born in August 2010 and May 2011—to swim, play, forage for food and nest materials and catch fish.

The new family will ultimately help the Zoo learn more about their behaviors and social dynamics. Because all 11 otters are similar in size and coloring, Zoo staff and volunteers identify one otter from another by small shaved or dyed areas on different parts of their bodies.

Located on Asia Trail, the otter exhibit is one of the largest in the nation. It was specifically designed to house a large, multigenerational family and mimic all the elements of a riverbed habitat, including a waterfall, stream and climbing structures such as rock formations and logs. Asian small-clawed otters are built for navigating the water: the outer layer of their fur is waterproof while an inner layer keeps them insulated from the cold, their slightly flattened tails act like rudders, and their partially webbed feet help them steer.

Asian small-clawed otters are vulnerable to extinction in their native Indonesia, southern China, southern India, the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Scientists consider them an indicator species—their population indicates the general health of their habitat and the health of other species in their habitat. Threats such as habitat destruction, hunting and pollution put these small mammals and hundreds of other species at risk of going extinct.

ZooLights is FREE at the National Zoo!

Check out these free animals images:

ZooLights is FREE at the National Zoo!
free animals
Image by Smithsonian's National Zoo
Panda Claws is excited for ZooLights!

See the Zoo in a whole new light! This year, as a holiday gift to the city, Friends of the National Zoo announces ZooLights is free!

Create memories with loved ones while enjoying thousands of environmentally-friendly light and animal exhibits, entertainment, and a special train ride for children. Visitors can thaw their paws in our animal houses while attending special keeper talks, or stop by the Visitor Center to see the Zoo-themed model trains and the gingerbread habitat contest entries on display in the auditorium. Of course, the crown jewels of ZooLights are the dozens of animal light displays, including a new display featuring Andean bears.

Photo by: Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian's National Zoo

nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/zooli...

Free Range
free animals
Image by Russ Allison Loar
WritingTheChild.com

Free Ride
free animals
Image by The.Rohit

The Endangered African Wild Dog - The Kruger National Park

Some cool endangered animals images:

The Endangered African Wild Dog - The Kruger National Park
endangered animals
Image by Wild in Africa.
I thought i would edit this shot a little to illuminate the beauty and contrast of this animals patterns. This guy is apart of the Pretoriuskop pack. *(please may someone comment where they found this image. Thank you.)

Grand Canyon National Park: 2012 Celebrate Wildlife Day 5968

Check out these all about animals images:

Grand Canyon National Park: 2012 Celebrate Wildlife Day 5968
all about animals
Image by Grand Canyon NPS
Thank you to all who participated in Celebrate Wildlife Day - Saturday, May 19, 2012 at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center.
Visitors who attended experienced family friendly activities throughout the day..
.
Approximately 2,700 park visitors joined rangers and event collaborators at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center to learn more about the park's wildlife and endangered species. .
.
Celebrate Wildlife Day provides an opportunity for park visitors to learn about the Grand Canyon’s abundant wildlife and the work of wildlife biologists. It is made possible through the collaborative efforts of the National Park Service, Grand Canyon Association Arizona Game and Fish Department of Wildlife Education and Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center, the Peregrine Fund, Xanterra Parks and Resorts, and the Grand Canyon Unified School District. Celebrate Wildlife Day is dedicated to the memory of park biologist Eric York, who devoted his life to the study of wildlife.

Grand Canyon National Park: 2012 Celebrate Wildlife Day 5966
all about animals
Image by Grand Canyon NPS
Thank you to all who participated in Celebrate Wildlife Day - Saturday, May 19, 2012 at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center.
Visitors who attended experienced family friendly activities throughout the day..
.
Approximately 2,700 park visitors joined rangers and event collaborators at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center to learn more about the park's wildlife and endangered species. .
.
Celebrate Wildlife Day provides an opportunity for park visitors to learn about the Grand Canyon’s abundant wildlife and the work of wildlife biologists. It is made possible through the collaborative efforts of the National Park Service, Grand Canyon Association Arizona Game and Fish Department of Wildlife Education and Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center, the Peregrine Fund, Xanterra Parks and Resorts, and the Grand Canyon Unified School District. Celebrate Wildlife Day is dedicated to the memory of park biologist Eric York, who devoted his life to the study of wildlife.