Badger! Badger! Badger!

Badger! Badger! Badger!

Badgers are tough little animals. They can run up to 30 km/hour (20 mph) and have been known to fight of animals as large as bears (!). They're found throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa.

I haven't seen references to South American badgers. Has anyone seen one in South America?

Also: a very strange video: http://tr.im/ss

Sabah, Malaysia

 Hazy blue mountains in Sabah, Malaysia on the Island of Borneo. Sabah is home to six national parks, including one dedicated to protecting endangered sea turtles.

Do you like landscape images like this? If so - click "Like" so that we'll know!

Spider Monkey

The Spider Monkey, of Central and South America. They live & hunt in the high canopy of rain forests, ~30 m above the ground. They're social, living in bands of 20-30 monkeys.

Do you think primates (monkeys, baboons, orangutans etc) deserve more rights & protections than other animals because of their closer relation to humans?

An Imperial Family

An Emperor Penguin and three chicks, photographed in Antarctica...

Weighing up to 37 kb (87 pounds), the Emperor is the largest living penguin species.  In the wintertime they trek up to 120 km to reach breeding colonies. They aren't currently endangered, but are highly sensitive to climate change.

The Wolf Spider

The Wolf Spider: A common critter throughout the world.

Their eight eyes (including the two prominent large ones) have excellent vision, which is useful as they're hunters. They rarely bite humans unless provoked. Their bites may itch a bit, but aren't dangerous

Do you like seeing bugs here, or do you prefer mammals & landscapes?

Baby Margay

A baby Margay - a Central American native.

Fully grown, he'll be a bit bigger than a very large house cat. Margays are amazing climbers, and spend most of their lives in the trees. They can jump about 5 meters vertically, and 7 meters horizontally.

Margays are considered to be "Near Threatened" due to habitat destruction.

Acacia and Storm

A lone Acacia tree before a storm in Kenya's Masai Mara reserve.

Acacias can be quite hardy. An Acacia in Niger was once the only tree in a 200 km radius (until a trucker knocked it down in 1973).

Isolated Acacias are central to local ecosystems, being especially symbiotic with insect populations.

The Pine Marten

The Pine Marten - native to Northern Europe. Adults are about 50cm long and weigh 1.5 kg. They love hollow trees, and are great climbers.

Pine Martens have few predators other than humans. Demand for their fur has hurt their population, but they're now protected. The Mammal Society has a good page about them: http://tr.im/sVG0

(PS: if you want to post this image in your own Feed, click "Share". It finally works!)

Llamas Relaxing in the Sun

Two Llamas ignoring a beautiful view of Macchu Picchu in Peru...

Llamas are native to South America, and have four distinct species. Two are raised agriculturally (including the Alpaca) . The Guanaco and Vicuña are wild - and the Vicuña is endangered...

Where have you seen Llamas?

Sleepy Koalas

A baby Koala clutches his Mum...

Koalas are found near Australia's coasts. They're not very active - sleeping up to 18 hours a day!

They aren't endangered, but there's concern about their habitat. Their protection society: http://tr.im/sAuE

In this year's heat wave, many shy Koalas accepted help from humans (very rare!). Video: http://tr.im/sAxk

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, on the border between Canada and the United States...

Where are the most beautiful waterfalls that you've seen?

(PS - please click "Like" if you like this picture so that we'll know!)

Lion Siblings

Lion siblings hanging out together.

Lion families endure. Females stay with the prides they're born into for life, and males stay at least until late adolescence.

10,000 years ago, lions were the 2nd most common mammal after humans. By 1950, Africa had about 400,000 living in the wild. Today there are fewer than 50,000

The Capybara, or Carpincho

A young family of Carpinchos, or Capybaras. Also known as the chigüire, or the chigüiro.

Typically about 65 kg as adults, they love the water, and are found throughout South America.

They're herbivores & they're social, usually living in groups of 10-30. They're also very vocal - they can both purr and bark (!), as well as whistle, click, squeal, etc.

Learn how you can take action to help animals like this here: http://tr.im/wwforg

Argentina

Laguna del Caminante, near Ushuaia, in Argentina...

What's the most beautiful lake that you've ever seen?

Arctic Fox

The beautiful Arctic Fox, whose range includes Russia, Alaska, Greenland, some Norwegian islands, and Canada...

Foxes of all types are fun to look at. And while it's rare, some people even have them as pets. Are there foxes in your neighborhood (& yes, we mean the animal)?

Patagonia

A herd of guanacos in Torres del Paine National Park, in Patagonia, Chile. Click on the image to see it full-size - it's worth it!

This Page has a lot of members in South America. Who here has been to Patagonia? What was the wildlife like?

A Curious Otter

A wild otter looks inquisitively at an intrusive photographer.

One of the most playful animals in the world, the 13 species of otter inhabit every continent except Australia and Antarctica.

What's the most playful animal you've ever met?

Evening Light in Greenland

Icebergs off the coast of Greenland...

Greenland's ice layer alone would raise sea levels by 7 meters if it melts. Antarctica's ice layer is an even bigger risk.

The Arctic ice pack is less of an issue since it doesn't sit on land, and ice takes up more space than water. So sea levels would actually drop if the northern cap alone melted.

But unfortunately, if the Arctic melts, they all melt.

A Happy New Elephant

A baby elephant calls for mama. At 120 Kg, elephants are bigger at birth than most adult humans!

Like people, elephants live years with their families. Males strike off on their own around age 14, and females never do.

Elephants are protected, but the ivory trade has hurt their numbers. Their African population, once millions, is now about 600,000.

Penguin Pair

Two penguins enjoy a sunny afternoon on a beach a couple hours south of Capetown, in South Africa (click the thumbnail to see the full image, it's worth it!)

What's the furthest South you've been? Did you seen a Penguin in the wild?

Antelope Canyon

A ray of light in Antelope Canyon in Arizona (USA).

This is a "Slot Canyon" - a deep & narrow relic of violent flooding.

The Pyrenees, Jordan's Petra region, & Australia's Blue Mountains all have famous slot canyons. They're beautiful places to hike - but flooding can be a danger!

What's the prettiest place to hike where you live?

The Himalayas

Travelers in the foothills of the Himalayas on a beautiful sunny day...

Hey - do you like 1) pictures of animals; 2) pictures of landscapes; or 3) Both? Please comment - we want to make you as happy as possible with our daily image of Earth!

Kodiak Family

земља . La Tierra . الأرض . The Earth . 地球

Some two Kodiak bear cubs and their Mama enjoy the mild summer weather
(photo source: http://tr.im/oc7A).

What's the best time of year where you live?

An Arctic Family

земља . La Tierra . الأرض . The Earth . 地球

A polar bear family on a lazy afternoon ...

What's the furthest North you've ever been (and yes, we'll ask about South and penguin sightings soon!)

Red Panda

земља . La Tierra . الأرض . The Earth . 地球

A Red Panda at breakfast.

Also called Fire Foxes, Red Pandas inhabit the Himalayas & love eating bamboo. Endangered, they're poached in SW China for their fur.

Factsheet: http://tr.im/qu0e

Protection society: http://tr.im/qu1i

Bizarre but cute Japanese TV segment: http://tr.im/qu2m

Cute or what? Discuss!

Don't Call Me "Puppy"!!

земља . La Tierra . الأرض . The Earth...

We've almost tripled in size since yesterday, with people from all over the world - welcome!

And today's photo - a gray wolf cub, outside of his den in Montana...

What's the cutest animal in your country? Or the most dangerous (this wolf is a bit of both!)

Or the most endangered?

Kilimanjaro

Elephants amble past the threatened ice cap of Kilimanjaro...

Have you been to Africa? If so - where did you go? If you haven't been - what place in Africa would you most like to see?

Elephants in front of Kilimanjaro

Elephants amble past the threatened ice cap of Kilimanjaro...

Have you been to Africa? If so - where did you go? If you haven't been - what place in Africa would you most like to see?

Lion + Cub

A mama lion nuzzles her cub (Sabi Sands reservation, South Africa - January '09)

What animal would you most love to see in the wild?

Awesome the Hedgehog

Here's a hardy little critter! 16 species of hedgehog, and none currently endangered...

Hey - many of you have invited your friends to this page and we thank you! If you haven't yet and would like to, just click "Suggest to Friends," to the left.

If we can get to a million members, maybe we can have a real impact? Let's start with 10,000 sometime next week :-)

Thanks for your help, and happy Friday!

A Summertime Glacier

Oregon's beautiful Mt. Hood.

Kulusuk, Greenland

Greenland is beautiful! This is Kulusuk. With fewer than 500 people, it's the second-largest settlement in the sparsely-populated east.

A recent study indicated that global sea levels would rise by seven meters (23 feet) if Greenland's glaciers melt. More details are here: http://tr.im/pE4v

Central American Sun

Sunset on a tropical beach in Costa Rica.

Red Rocks

Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. Wow...