…Roda has brought back her Critter Connection on Mondays
Roda’s Critter Connection – Turtles at the Zoo
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Category Archives: Animals
November Words – Ear-Marked
….thanks to Lost in Translation for hosting November Words
ear·mark
[ˈirˌmärk]
VERB
earmarked (past tense) · earmarked (past participle)
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designate (something, typically funds or resources) for a particular purpose:“the new money will be earmarked for cancer research”
synonyms: set aside · keep (back) · reserve · designate · assign ·
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mark the ear of (an animal) as a sign of ownership or identity.
The Mighty Charles
….Charles is a wild born western lowland gorilla who resides at the Toronto Zoo
Charles turned 45 this fall and has sired 15 offspring while living at the Toronto Zoo. He came to Toronto in 1974 when he was only 2 years old. In the 90s he created quite an uproar because he wouldn’t interact with offspring that weren’t his own and wouldn’t allow the prodigy from other gorilla groups to socialize.
In order to allow the others to interact Charles was sent away for a brief period of time each day in solitude. In an effort to keep Charles contented during these intervals away from his harem, he was given access to large sheets of paper and non-toxic coloured paints. His painting were sold for $400 to $1000 a piece and the money raised ($37 000.00) was used for a new gorilla exhibit. Check the link below to see some of his work.
On our visit Charles rested comfortably at the base of the enclosure looking over his harem and the other families. He is clearly the dominant male there. The other large silver back males have to be kept away from him. When his own male offspring reach maturity they have to be sent away so that father and son don’t fight each other for control of the harem.
As Charles watches the females guard their offspring and the young ones climb and play with each other.
Thursday’s Special – Words in November
…thanks to Lost in Translation for Words in November
This week’s words for November are: fun-loving, dormant, influential, salubrious, ear-marked
Dormant
dor·mant
[ˈdôrmənt]
ADJECTIVE
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(of an animal) having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time; in or as if in a deep sleep:
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(of a plant or bud) alive but not actively growing.
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(of a volcano) temporarily inactive.
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(of a disease) causing no symptoms but not cured and liable to recur.
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heraldry(of an animal) depicted lying with its head on its paws.
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WPC – Peek
…this week’s theme asks us to share a Peek of something — a photo that reveals just enough of one’s subject to get us interested
This last photo is Webster’s Falls peeking through the foliage.
Roda’s Critter Connection Challenge – October 31, 2017
….thanks to Roda for hosting Critter Connection Challenge ….sadly it ends today
Halloween at the Zoo
….it started out chilly but when the sun came out the layers came off
Going to the zoo during the week on Halloween had its perks. There was lots of parking, the line-up to get into the zoo was very short and we didn’t have to push through crowds of people to see the pandas. The downside is that a lot of the refreshment stands and rest areas were closed. The mono-rail wasn’t operating and some of the animal enclosures were closed.
We arrived late morning and we needed to bundle up to stay warm. Out came the hats, gloves and scarves. As soon as we entered the grounds we could see that staff had made an effort to decorate for Halloween.
Our first destination was the panda pavilion. The pandas are on loan here from China and the original two successfully mated to produce two cubs. The young cubs are already two years old and are almost the same size as their parents. In March, Toronto will have to say good-bye to the pandas when they move to Calgary. I was thrilled that I was able to get so close to get some great shots.
As we walked from the Giant Panda Experience towards the Polar Bears and then to the African Savanna, the sun came out and we shed our hats, gloves and scarves. The pathways are beautifully laid out as they wind through forests of orange, gold and red. There were many interesting animals along the way but this post would be far too long if I mentioned them all. I’ll save that for another day.
Introducing Digit: A Polydactyl Kitten
…..polydactyl cats have more than the normal 18 toes
Most cats have 5 toes on each front paw and 4 on each back paw. Last week I was introduced to the newest member of M’s pet family. Digit is a beautiful black and white kitten with extra toes on her front and back paws.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Letter D
….join this week’s Fun Foto Challenge by posting photos of pictures that start with the letter D and have only 4 letters
Deck with a Dear Friend
Dock
Deck with Deck Chairs
Dogs
Door
Picasso Elephants
…..thanks to Carla Sonheim for getting me back to drawing
After weeks of inactivity in making art I’ve finally opened my art journal and made two new entries. I’m participating in Carla’s 365: A Year Long On-line Class. Every day there’s a new video with interviews, quotes from artists or art assignments.
Mama Cormier 