Finnish Lynx

As extreme cold rules the north of America, extreme heat sweeps over Australia...around here its warmish and cloudy, we don't even have to turn on the heat during the day. I have an uneasy feeling when the winter is not really winter...this fella in the snow is just the sight I need. Lovely stamps too, (somewhat belated) kiitos Marko :)

Here Comes A Tiger

Nothing to add but...what a fantastic photo! It illustrates the strength and mysteriousness of this powerful predator. Thank you Eileen :))

Lynx From Belarus

A fantastic portrait of a lynx comes from Belarus, a huge card with a lot of info written on the back - i can read the cyrillics (however slowly heh) but sadly not the language. The stamp is equally picturesque showing the fauna of Naliboki Pushcha (one of four). Thank you Irina :)

GEO - Ocelot Chillin'

An ocelot in the Ecuador's jungle has chosen a giant tree root to rest. These night hunters are native to tropical and sub-torpical American continent; once being hunted for its fur, now its protected and the numbers are recovering.

 

One of the favourites...precious moment captured in this photo. Must be so cool to be a wildlife photographer! If I could choose any career that would probably be it. Well a biologist and a conservationist combined with documentarist :)

 

HopLa!

Scottish Wildlife

The wildcat or Tiger Of The Highlands is considered an icon of the Scottish wilderness, ferocious and untameable. The cute puffins at the Duncansby Head, the most north-easterly part of the Scottish Mainland. And the mighty osprey hunting. 

Maxi-Cards - Sumatran Tiger, Australia

This beautie is a Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) from Melbourne Zoo. Its subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra, classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected to be 441 to 679 individuals.

The other day I watched 'Life Of Pi', ah what a heart-breaking story...Although Richard Parker was a Bengal Tiger I am still posting this remembering him...Such gorgeous creatures. Thanks again Heather! :)

GEO - Lions

I LOVE this card - what an awesome shot! Geo cards - you are always welcome :)
The young lion is perplexed as he watches a bird fly away before he manages to catch it with its paw. Under the supervision of its mom it has to learn to be independant.
Thank you sis :)))

Animal Kingdom With GEO

My dear sister is still sending me the GEO postcards, and i still find them equally brilliant :) I have so many already, i sure do hope there are still many to be sent! let me introduce to you these wonderful, unique creatures:

The Celebes Crested Macaque.  Foto: Stefano Unterthiner

This species of primates lives only in the northeast of the Indonesian island Sulawesi, as well as the small islands nearby. This fellow with a recognisable long hair tuft is highly endangered, because his natural habitat is the disappearing rain forest.

Ethiopian Wolf.  Foto: Vincent Munier/www.vincentmunier.com

The puppies peek curiously out of the hole, in which they were born some three weeks before. They do look more like foxes, but indeed belong to the rarest wolf species - the ethiopian wolf of the eastern afro-alpine region. (also known as the Abyssinian wolf, Abyssinian fox, red jackal, Simien fox or Simien jackal)

If you ask me, these pups are one of the cutest creatures out there!

Kodiak Bear.  Foto: Getty Images

Salmon have to jump up the cataracts to get to their spawning place - they are a welcome source of fat for the Alaskan Kodiak Bear before the hibernation.What a great shot! :)

Polar Bears.  Foto: Kennan Ward/Corbis

Polar bears at sundown on the Canadian pack ice: it is a rare thing to see half a dozen of these solitary predators at one place - an unfortunate result of the receding ice due to global warming. As much as it's beautiful, it is also infinately sad...

Cheetah.  Foto: Kennan Ward/Corbis

Cheetah, Namibia

As it sez on the back of the card 'over 90% of namibia's cheetah, which need a very large range and do not breed well in captivity, are found on commercial farmlands.' such a beautiful, graceful animal! as most people already know, cheetah is the fastest land animal and can achieve speed of 120km/h (75mph)...! another interesting characteristic is that it is the only felid with non-retractable claws, which disallows gripping.

A completely new realisation for me is that there is the subspecies Asian Cheetah, which is critically endangered and can be only spotted in Iran (with reported rare sightseeings in Pakistan). I am always so sad to learn about the dying-out species.....

Big thanks to Anja for her choice of a card from her holiday :)

You Can Spot Us In North America

As it is written on the back: Bobcat (Felis (lynx) rufus)

'Sometimes called Wildcat, a bobcat will attack animals many times its size. It can climb trees but prefers hunting on the ground. It will make its den in hollow trees or other protected areas. It is a wary animal rarely seen. They are 3 ft. (92cm) in length and weight up to 25 lb. (12kg).'

I think the bit about his reclusiveness is what appeals to me, at least as much as his cuteness and beauty..!

 Raccoon (Procyon lotor)

'Eating almost anything from nuts to crayfish, this crafty animal is equally comfortable with suburban man or habitating near forested lakes or streams.'

I had a thing for raccoons ever since i was a small child :) i think its cos of the cool sunglasses...

 Orca Whale (Orcinus orca)

'Perhaps the most popular of the Cetaceans. Males reach up to 31 ft (10m) and females about 23 ft (7m). They possess 40-56 strong teeth up to 4 in (10cm) length. They can reach speeds of 30 mph (48 kph) and dive to depths of 3300 ft (1km!) for periods longer than 20 minutes.'

Well at least minutes i dont need to convert..! :P Would be so cool to be able to go whale-spotting off the north-east coast of the US...

These wonderful animal postcard i received from Cardiffgal and Canno1979 via an Europe Vs World RR :) Love these, as they are some of my fav animals ;)