Totem Talk2024-03-28T17:23:04ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeelyhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2210210094?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://totemtalk.ning.com/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=297ut0ojoxtu7&feed=yes&xn_auth=noEnchanted Foresttag:totemtalk.ning.com,2020-07-10:5521792:Topic:820122020-07-10T03:35:36.425ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeely
<h1 class="title entry-title">Wolf: Free Spirit, Path-Finding & Community</h1>
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<h3>Take a deep breath and let the spirit of Wolf fill you. <a href="http://power-animals.s3.amazonaws.com/Wolf-Song.mp3?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIUPD527DPS65HKIA&Expires=1594352856&Signature=TDGZ1I5b%2BCmLK%2BQ9W0AzNOslTPc%3D">Click here to listen to Wolf’s Song</a></h3>
<p><img alt="wolf-400" class="alignleft wp-image-138 size-full" height="267" src="https://i2.wp.com/pow33.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wolf-400.jpg?resize=400%2C267" width="400"></img> <strong>Wolf has many gifts to give you and many lessons to teach. You are blessed indeed to have this spirit within your…</strong></p>
<h1 class="title entry-title">Wolf: Free Spirit, Path-Finding & Community</h1>
<br />
<br />
<h3>Take a deep breath and let the spirit of Wolf fill you. <a href="http://power-animals.s3.amazonaws.com/Wolf-Song.mp3?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIUPD527DPS65HKIA&Expires=1594352856&Signature=TDGZ1I5b%2BCmLK%2BQ9W0AzNOslTPc%3D">Click here to listen to Wolf’s Song</a></h3>
<p><img class="alignleft wp-image-138 size-full" src="https://i2.wp.com/pow33.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wolf-400.jpg?resize=400%2C267" alt="wolf-400" width="400" height="267"/><strong>Wolf has many gifts to give you and many lessons to teach. You are blessed indeed to have this spirit within your heart.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Wolf will teach you how to balance individuality with society. </strong>There are times when you know you must go your own way, expressing who you are in no uncertain terms. There are times when your free spirit yearns only for the company of the full moon. Let Wolf strength and power fill you in those times when you know you must stand alone.</p>
<p><strong>Wolf will also teach you to be a part of a group,</strong> how to enjoy the love and companionship of friends and family as well as how to take advantage of the great success you can have when you work closely with others, fully aligned in direction and purpose.</p>
<p><strong>Wolf will teach you how to balance these two sides of yourself. </strong> Let Wolf intuition guide you in the best way to be right now, in each moment as it unfolds.</p>
<p><strong>Wolf will also give you great stamina and perseverance,</strong> the ability to continue for miles, across ice and snow, until you reach your destination. Wolf Spirit will increase your intelligence and adaptability, so you are able to find the right path, whether it is through a dense forest or crossing a snowy mountain.</p>
<p><strong>Wherever life takes you and however things are there, just reach down deep into your heart and you will feel Wolf there, helping you find your way.</strong></p> Unusual Birds and Mammalstag:totemtalk.ning.com,2020-07-09:5521792:Topic:820032020-07-09T21:45:25.185ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeely
<div class="format-standard" id="post-289"><h1 class="entry-title"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Unusual Birds and Mammals</strong></span></h1>
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<div class="entry-meta"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We all know what wolves and coyotes look like, and nearly everyone is familiar with bears, deer and turtles; what about some less familiar animals such as capybara, kiwi, or tapirs?…</span></div>
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<div id="post-289" class="format-standard"><h1 class="entry-title"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Unusual Birds and Mammals</strong></span></h1>
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<div class="entry-meta"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We all know what wolves and coyotes look like, and nearly everyone is familiar with bears, deer and turtles; what about some less familiar animals such as capybara, kiwi, or tapirs?</span></div>
<div class="entry-content-art"><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.zazzle.com/pair_of_blue_footed_booby_birds_sula_nebouxii_poster-228795481518528446?rf=238280797903163295" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://www.zazzle.com/rlv/pair_of_blue_footed_booby_birds_sula_nebouxii_poster-rceeb2f206a00414e9ad30772fbd11df0_wvg_8byvr_325.jpg" alt="Pair of blue-footed booby birds, Sula nebouxii Poster"/></a></span><br/> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.zazzle.com/pair_of_blue_footed_booby_birds_sula_nebouxii_poster-228795481518528446?rf=238280797903163295" rel="nofollow">Pair of blue-footed booby birds, Sula nebouxii Poster</a></span></div>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There are so many lesser known animals on this planet that we hear little or nothing about most times, it is interesting to investigate a few of these creatures and understand them a little more.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Some of the more unusual birds and mammals include a 100 pound rodent, a flower pollinating bear, a mouse that breaths through it’s skin, and a bird that can’t fly.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Mammals</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img class="alignright" title="Capybara" src="https://www.petandwildlife.com/Capybara.jpg" alt="Capybara" width="225" height="169"/></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Capybara</strong> are first on our list of unusual mammals. They are the world’s largest rodent, averaging 100 pounds. They are called rodents because they have sharp front teeth that never stop growing. They are semi-aquatic, spending a lot of time in the water. They live in grasslands and forests alongside water in Central and South America. They are most active during the early morning and late evening and rest during the heat of the day.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img class="alignleft" title="kinkajou" src="https://www.petandwildlife.com/kinkajou.jpg" alt="kinkajou" width="225" height="225"/></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Our next animal is a cute little miniature “bear” called the <strong>kinkajou</strong>. These are a unique animal in that they are the only mammals that help to pollinate plants. They have very long tongues that they use to lick the nectar inside flowers. While they are licking, they get pollen on their fur and noses and this gets transplanted to other flowers as they feed. They are sometimes called honey bears because they love honey so much, but they are different from regular bears in that they are very small, most times not weighing more than 8 pounds. They are fun loving animals that even make good pets. They feed on fruit, honey and eggs in the wild and their closest cousin is the panda bear of Asia.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img class="alignleft" title="tapir" src="https://www.petandwildlife.com/tapir.jpg" alt="tapir" width="225" height="157"/><img class="alignright" title="tapir foot" src="https://www.petandwildlife.com/tapir-foot.jpg" alt="tapir foot" width="225" height="178"/></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Another unusual mammal is a <strong>tapir</strong>. It looks like half anteater, half pig, yet they are not related to either. They descend from primitive horses and rhinos. They come in various color patterns depending on the region they are from. All baby tapirs, however, are born with a pattern of dots and stripes which make them look like a watermelon with legs. As they age, these markings fade away to be replaced with their adult color patterns. Tapirs have an unusual three toed foot. They feed on fruit, berries and leaves, and can live to be 30 years old.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img class="alignleft" title="Marsupial Mouse" src="https://www.petandwildlife.com/marsupial-mouse.jpg" alt="Marsupial Mouse" width="225" height="270"/>Our last animal is a <strong>Marsupial Mouse</strong>. While this may seem like just any other mouse, there are some very distinct characteristics about the marsupial mouse that make it stand out. Being a marsupial, its young are “hatched” from inside their mothers and then they crawl through her fir up to their mother’s underside where they attach and feed until they are fully developed. When they come out of their mother, they are so underdeveloped that in order to survive, they have to breathe through their skin. They are the only mammal found that can do this. As their lungs continue to develop, they gradually start to take over the breathing process until eventually, when fully developed, their skin no longer plays a role in breathing. They are carnivorous by nature, eating insects, small birds, reptiles and small mammals.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Birds</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img class="alignright" title="kiwi bird" src="https://www.petandwildlife.com/kiwi-bird.jpg" alt="kiwi bird" width="225" height="164"/></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Of the various birds in the world, the <strong>kiwi bird</strong> is one of the most unique. It is similar to the chicken in that it can’t fly. Their “wings” are only two inches long and for all practical purposes are useless. They are the sole survivor of an ancient order of birds including the now extinct moas. They are semi-nocturnal animals, so catching a glimpse of them in the wild rarely happens.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">They can only be found in New Zealand and its surrounding islands. The reason they have survived the ages in New Zealand comes from the fact that there are no snakes or large mammals native to New Zealand. A bird the size of a kiwi, without the capability to fly would be an especially attractive target to snakes. Also, the island has no bears, bobcats, tigers, etc., which also makes it easier for the kiwi to survive.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With the coming of humans to the island, especially the colonization by England, house pets such as cats and dogs have become the main predators of the decreasing kiwi population.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img class="alignleft" title="Condor" src="https://www.petandwildlife.com/condor.jpg" alt="Condor" width="225" height="150"/></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Some of the biggest birds in the world are <strong>condors</strong>. They can have wingspans up to 11 feet; they use their large wingspan to “float” on air thermals for miles without having to move their wings, which conserves their energy as they look for food. They are in the vulture family, feeding on the remains of animals and thus they play a very significant role in the animal kingdom.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">They have highly evolved immune systems to ward off infection from the various bacteria left on the animal carcasses they feed on. They are very clean birds, spending much of their time cleaning their feathers and heads after eating to further keep them safe from disease and bacteria. Their heads are featherless allowing them to stay cleaner while eating.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><img class="alignright" title="Bee hummingbird" src="https://www.petandwildlife.com/bee-hummingbird.jpg" alt="Bee hummingbird" width="225" height="162"/></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The last unusual bird is the worlds smallest, weighing in at only 1.8 grams, which is less than a US penny. The bee hummingbird makes a nest only 3 cm wide (1.18 inch). Its tiny wings beat 80 times per second. Using all this energy requires them to eat half their body weight in food each day as well as drink eight times their body weight in water. That’s like a 150 pound adult human drinking 144 gallons of water each day. They are found only in Cuba and the Isle of Pines.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span>About the Author</span><br/> <span>Emma Snow has always adored wild animals. Emma provides content for Wildlife Animals </span><a href="http://www.wildlife-animals.com/">http://www.wildlife-animals.com/</a><span> and Riding Stable </span><a href="http://www.riding-stable.com/">http://www.riding-stable.com/</a></span></p>
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</div> Animal Classifications ~ Seven Main Levelstag:totemtalk.ning.com,2020-07-09:5521792:Topic:820012020-07-09T21:32:54.259ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeely
<h2>Animal Classification: </h2>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/">https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/</a></span></h2>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With over 2 million species classified into 30 phyla, Kingdom Animalia surpasses the other 4 kingdoms in terms of its species diversity.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Animals are “multicellular” (composed of many cells). In most…</span></p>
<h2>Animal Classification: </h2>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/">https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/</a></span></h2>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With over 2 million species classified into 30 phyla, Kingdom Animalia surpasses the other 4 kingdoms in terms of its species diversity.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Animals are “multicellular” (composed of many cells). In most animals, these cells are organized into tissues that make up different organs and organ systems. The exception is the sponges.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">All animals are heterotrophs, meaning that they must obtain energy and nourishment by consuming other organisms. All animals require oxygen for their metabolism, can sense and respond to their environment, and have the capacity to reproduce sexually (though many reproduce asexually, as well).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The classification system consists of seven main levels, although some have sub groupings, as well:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Kingdom:</strong> A kingdom is the broadest level. It contains the most kinds of organisms. The relationships among organisms in a kingdom are extremely loose.</span></p>
<div><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Phylum:</strong> Phylum is the major taxonomic group of animals and plants. Within the kingdoms, organisms are divided by general characteristics. For example, in the Animal Kingdom, animals with backbones are placed in a separate phylum from animals without backbones.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Class:</strong> Organisms in a phylum are divided into classes that further group similarities. In the Animal Kingdom, for example, birds, mammals, and fish all group in their own classes. Among plants, the angiosperm class comprises all flowering plants, and all conifers, such as pines and spruces, make up the conifer class.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Order:</strong> Scientific groupings don’t follow hard and fast rules. After you get to the “order” of a living thing, there’s disagreement about where it belongs. You may find that different scientific organizations group creatures in different orders or families.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Family:</strong> Families further divide organisms of the same class by similar characteristics. Not all scientific organizations may agree to the exact family an organization should be classified in.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Genus:</strong> Two or more species that share unique body structures or other characteristics are considered to be closely related and are placed together in a genus. Sometimes a genus may include only a single species if there’s nothing else in the world that has similarities with it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Species:</strong> A species is the most specific level. It contains the fewest organisms. The relationship between organisms in a species is very close.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kingdom: Animalia (Metazoa or metazoans) Phylum: Annelida (Segmented Worms – earthworms, leeches)</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The annelids include earthworms, polychaete worms, and leeches. All members of the group are to some extent made up of segments that are formed by subdivisions that partially transect the body cavity. Segments each contain elements of such body systems as circulatory, nervous, and excretory tracts. The internal organs of annelids are well developed. They include a closed, segmentally-arranged circulatory system. The digestive system is a complete tube with mouth and anus. Gases are exchanged through the skin, or sometimes through specialized gills. Annelida can be either sexual or asexual animals. Members of the Phylum Annelida can be found throughout the world, in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments. Ecologically, they range from passive filter feeders to voracious and active predators.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Phylum: <a title="Phylum Arthropoda - arthropods - spiders, insects, crabs" href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/arthropoda-bugs-crabs/">Arthropoda</a> (Arthropods:Spiders,Insects,Crabs) 1,140,000 species</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Phylum Arthropoda is the largest phylum of animals and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others. Arthropods are characterized by the possession of a segmented body with appendages on at least one segment. They have a dorsal heart and a ventral nervous system. All arthropods are covered by a hard exoskeleton.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Phylum: <a title="Brachiopoda" href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/brachiopoda-lamp-shells/">Brachiopoda</a> (Lamp Shells) About 350 species</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Brachiopoda, or Lampshells are an ancient phylum of filter feeding marine worms. Upon first glance, they look like clams, but they are actually quite different in their anatomy, and they are not closely related to the molluscs. The bodies of brachiopods are enclosed in a double shell. They are small animals with the largest living species having a shell length of about 10 cm (4 in) and most species are much smaller. Brachiopods often make their homes in very cold water, either in polar regions or at great depths in the ocean.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Phylum: Bryozoa (Moss Animals) About 5,000 species</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Bryozoans are tiny colonial animals that generally build stony skeletons of calcium carbonate, superficially similar to coral. They are also known as moss animals (which is the literal Greek translation) or sea mats. They generally prefer warm, tropical waters but are known to occur worldwide. Most species of Bryozoan live in marine environments, though there are about 50 species which inhabit freshwater.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Phylum: Chordata (Animals with a notocord) 51,000 species</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Chordata contains the most familiar species, including humans. All chordates have several things in common that occur at some stage of development. They have pharyngeal slits, which are openings that connect the inside of the throat to the outside of the neck. These are often used as gills. Their main feature, what they are named after, is the notochord, which is a rod that supports the nerve cord. The nerve cord is also present in all species. This is a bundle of nerve fibers which connect the brain with the muscles and organs, and is through which messages from the brain are sent. A tail is also present, which extends past the anal opening. In most species, at least some of these features disappear with age. For example, the pharyngeal slits are only present in the human fetus.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">SubPhylum: Cephalochordata (lancelets OR amphioxus) 25 species</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is a small, very unusual subphylum of creatures. These animals are fish-like in appearance, but are invertebrates with a notochord, and a nerve cord right above it. They lack bones, a brain, eyes, and most other organs associated with the brain. There are 25 species, and they do not seem to be placed in any class. However, some experts do not call this a subphylum and they place it in a class of the same name.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">SubPhylum: Urochordata (Tunicata: sea squirts, salps) 3,000 species</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is a large subphylum of unusual invertebrates that do not look like anything much more than a strange underwater worm or mushroom. They start off life as tadpole-like larvae with notochords and all the rest. This stage lasts only a short time, after which they anchor to the seabed and live a sedentary life. They completely change shape at this point, and it is hard to believe that they are in the same phylum as humans. The adults lack the notochord but do keep the pharyngeal slits. They have a highly-developed internal structure, with a heart and other organs. Tunicates are named for their protective covering, known as a tunic. This tunic is made up of cellulose, which is very rare in animals. Class: Appendicularia or Larvacea (free swimming tunicates)Class: Ascidiaceae (sea squirts)Class: Sorberacea (benthic tunicates)Class: Thaliacea (salps)</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">SubPhylum: Vertebrata (vertebrates – Animals with backbones) 41,700 species</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is the largest subphylum and the focus of this website. It contains the more well-known land animals, including humans, reptiles, fish, marine mammals, and birds. Every animal with a backbone is present in this subphylum. The notochord is developed at an early age, and is replaced with vertebrate. All vertebrates have a skeleton of either bone or cartilage. Their brain is protected by a boney cranium, and consists of three parts. They all have well-developed hearts with 2-4 chambers and have a closed circulatory system.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Class: <a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/amphibia-amphibians/">Amphibia</a> (<a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/anphibians/reptiles/Anphibians">Amphibians</a> – frogs, salamanders)(4,000 species)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Class: <a title="Aves" href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/aves-birds/">Aves </a>(Birds – 9,090 species)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Class: <a title="Cephalaspidomorphi" href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/cephalaspidomorphi-lampreys/">Cephalaspidomorphi</a> (Lampreys – 73 species)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Class: <a title="Chondrichthyes" href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chondrichthyes-cartilaginous-fish/">Chondrichthyes</a> (Pices – cartilaginous fish)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Class: <a title="Mammalia" href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/mammalia-mammals/">Mammalia</a> (mammals – 4,620 species)</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals primarily characterized by the presence of mammary glands, which in females produce milk for the nourishment of young; the presence of hair or fur; and which have endothermic or “warm blooded” bodies. The brain regulates endothermic and circulatory systems, including a four-chambered heart. Mammals encompass more than 5,000 genera, distributed in 425 families and up to 46 orders (the number depends on the classification scheme adopted).</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Class: <a title="Myxini" href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/myxini-hagfish/">Myxini</a> (Hagfish)</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Although hagfish are sometimes called “slime eels,” they are not eels at all. Myxini is the only class in the clade Craniata that does not also belong to the subphylum Vertebrata. The hagfish is a more primitive fish than the bony or cartilaginous fish. The hagfish is known as the sea’s most disgusting creature, due to it’s ability to produce buckets of slime in a couple minutes as an escape mechanism.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Class: <a title="Osteichthyes" href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/21,650">Osteichthyes</a> (Pices – bony fish – 29,000 species with many more unidentified)</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Osteichthyes class is the largest in the Vertebrata sub-phylum. The Osteichthyes are a taxonomic superclass of fish, also called bony fish that includes the ray-finned fish and lobe finned fish. The vast majority of fish are osteichthyes.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Class: <a title="Reptilia" href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/content/section/78/377/">Reptilia</a> (reptiles: Crocodiles, Aligators, Snakes,Turtles) 6,000 species</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Reptiles are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers. They are tetrapods (having or having descended from vertebrates with four limbs) and amniotes, whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane. Modern reptiles inhabit every continent with the exception of Antarctica, and are represented by four living orders.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Phylum: Cnidaria (Corals, Jellyfishes, Sea Anemones) Phylum: Ctenophora (Comb Jellies) Phylum: Echinodermata (Sea Urchins & Starfish) Phylum: Mollusca (Molluscs:Snails, Clams, Squid & Octopus) about 80,000 species</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Mollusks have three distinct divisions of their body. The head contains the sensory equipment (eyes, antennae, etc) and the primitive brain. The visceral hump, which is the main body, contains most of the organs, including a complete digestive and excretory tract as well as the reproductive organs. The visceral hump also includes the two external flaps of tissue, which are known as the mantle. The mantle excretes the material that forms the shell on some species, and it protects the mantle cavity. The mantle cavity contains the gills, which excrete waste and circulate oxygen. Most mollusks have a shell, which sits on the visceral hump and acts as a “home”, much like a turtle shell. It protects the main body from predators. The third body section is the foot, which enables locomotion. Even clams have a foot. Most mollusks have a special tongue-like organ known as the radula. The radula is composed of chitin, much like the exoskeleton of an arthropod, and is covered in pointy “teeth”. The radula can be used to scrape food off rocks and to kill larger prey.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Class: Caudofoveata (70 species) Class: Solengogastres (250 species)Class: Gastropoda snails and slugs (about 70,000 species)Class: Polyplacophora chitons (about 600 species )Class: Cephalopoda (squids, cuttlefish, octopuses, nautiloids – about 800)Class: Monoplacophora (monoplacophorans – 12 species)Order: Bivalvia bivalves (about 8,000 species)Order: Scaphopoda tusk shells (350 species) Phylum: Nematoda (Roundworms) Phylum: Nemertea (Proboscis Worms) Phylum: Phoronida (horseshoe worms) Phylum: Platyhelminthes (Flatworms) Phylum: Porifera (Sponges) |–Archaeocyatha `–+–Stromatoporoidea |–+–Hexactinellida | `–Demospongiae | |–Ceractinomorpha | `–Tetractinomorpha `–+–Calcarea `–+–CNIDARIA `–BILATERIA Phylum: Onychophora (Velvet Worms) Phylum: Rotifera (Microscopic Aquatic Animals)</span></p>
</div>
<p><br/><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Subcategories</span></p>
<ul>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-20"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s67-arthropoda-bugs-crabs/" title="Arthropoda (bugs, crabs) The Phylum Arthropoda is the largest phylum of animals and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others. These are commonly referred to as arthropods. Arthropods are characterized by the possession of a segmented body with appendages on at least one segment. They have a dorsal heart and a ventral nervous system. All arthropods are covered by a hard exoskeleton.">Arthropoda (bugs, crabs)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-30"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s68-brachiopoda-lamp-shells/" title="Brachiopoda (Lamp Shells)">Brachiopoda (Lamp Shells)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-614"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/" title="Phylum: Chordata    51,000 species (Animals with a notocord) Chordata contains the most familiar species, including humans. All chordates have several things in common that occur at some stage of development. They have pharyngeal slits, which are openings that connect the inside of the throat to the outside of the neck. These are often used as gills. Their main feature, what they are named after, is the notochord, which is a rod that supports the nerve cord. The nerve cord is also present in all species. This is a bundle of nerve fibers which connect the brain with the muscles and organs, and is through which messages from the brain are sent. A tail is also present, which extends past the anal opening. In most species, at least some of these features disappear with age. For example, the pharyngeal slits are only present in the human fetus. SubPhylum: Vertebrata   41,700 species   (Vertebrates – Animals with backbones) This is the largest subphylum and the focus of this website. It contains the more well-known land animals, including humans, reptiles, fish, marine mammals, and birds. Every animal with a backbone is present in this subphylum. The notochord is developed at an early age, and is replaced with vertebrate. All vertebrates have a skeleton of either bone or cartilage. Their brain is protected by a boney cranium, and consists of three parts. They all have well-developed hearts with 2-4 chambers and have a closed circulatory system.">Chordata => Vertebrata</a></span><ul class="childrensub">
<li class="cat-item cat-item-8"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s75-amphibia-amphibians/" title=" Amphibia (4,000 species) (Amphibians – frogs, salamanders)">Amphibia (amphibians)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-22"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s66-aves-birds/" title="Aves (Birds) – 9,090 species">Aves (birds)</a></span><ul class="childrensub">
<li class="cat-item cat-item-91"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s66-aves-birds/c128-bucerotidae-hornbills/" title="Bucerotidae (Hornbills)">Bucerotidae (Hornbills)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-100"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s66-aves-birds/c293-cranes/" title="Cranes">Cranes</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-110"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s66-aves-birds/c105-ducks-geese/" title="Ducks / Geese">Ducks / Geese</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-174"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s66-aves-birds/c292-seabirds/" title="Seabirds Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. Seabirds can be highly pelagic, coastal, or in some cases spend a part of the year away from the sea entirely.The pelagic zone, also known as the open-ocean zone, is the part of a body of water which is located in the open water column, that is the part of the ocean that is not near the coast or continental shelf. The pelagic zone is further divided into sections creating a number of sub-zones based on their different ecological characteristics. These characteristics are roughly a function of depth.Seabirds and humans have a long history together: they have provided food to hunters, guided fishermen to fishing stocks and led sailors to land. Many species are currently threatened by human activities, and conservation efforts are under way.While sea birds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations. In general, seabirds live longer, breed later and have fewer young than other birds do, but they invest a great deal of time in their young. Most species nest in colonies, which can vary in size from a few dozen birds to millions.Many species are famous for undertaking long annual migrations, crossing the equator or circumnavigating the Earth in some cases.">Seabirds</a></span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-32"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s71-cephalaspidomorphi-lampreys/" title="Cephalaspidomorphi         (73 species) (Lampreys)">Cephalaspidomorphi (Lampreys)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-33"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s69-chondrichthyes-cartilaginous-fish/" title="Chondrichthyes (Pices – cartilaginous fish)">Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-45"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/" title=" Mammalia (mammals – 5,877species) The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals primarily characterized by the presence of mammary glands, which in females produce milk for the nourishment of young; the presence of hair or fur; and which have endothermic or "warm blooded" bodies. The brain regulates endothermic and circulatory systems, including a four-chambered heart. There are currently 1260 genera, 156 families, 29 orders, and exactly 5877 species of described mammal, all in a single class. Using Groves and Grubbs' Taxonomy of Ungulates  for the family Bovidae within Artiodactyla. The genus Bison is included within Bos in this classification and the genera Nyala (nyala), Strepsiceros (greater kudu), and Ammelaphus (lesser kudu) are all distinct genera from Tragelaphus (sitatunga, bushbuck, gedemsa or mountain nyala, and the bongo), this is supported by mtDNA. Many other recent advancements in mammal taxonomy have resulted in the description of new genera (Waiomys) and some genera have been combined (Uncia combined with Panthera), and other have been split (Niumbaha split from Glauconycteris). Mammals: Give birth to their young and feed them with milk. Have hair on at least part of their body. Have four limbs with digits ending in claws, nails, or hooves (except whales and dolphins). Breathe with lungs. Are warm-blooded. ">Mammalia (mammals)</a></span><ul class="childrensub">
<li class="cat-item cat-item-89"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/c118-bovidae/" title="Bovidae">Bovidae</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-206"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/c328-order-carnivora/" title="Order: Carnivora (Carnivorans) Family Felidae: cats Family Viverridae: civets, Asiatic palm civets Family Herpestidae: mongooses Family Hyaenidae: hyaenas, aardwolf Family Canidae: dogs Family Ursidae: bears Family Otariidae: eared seals Family Odobenidae: walrus Family Phocidae: seals Family Ailuridae: red panda Family Mephitidae: skunks Family Mustelidae: weasels and relatives Family Procyonidae: ringtails, olingos, kinkajou, raccoons, coatis ">Order Carnivora</a></span><ul class="childrensub">
<li class="cat-item cat-item-190"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/c328-order-carnivora/c123-ursidae-bears/" title="Ursidae (Bears)">Ursidae (Bears)</a></span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-95"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/c316-cetacean-dolphinswhales/" title="Cetacean (Dolphins,Whales) Cetaceans are members of the class Mammalia, commonly called mammals. The closest living relative of cetaceans is the hippopotamus.As mammals, cetaceans have characteristics that are common to all mammals: They are warm-blooded, breathe in air through their lungs, bear their young alive and suckle them on their own milk, and have hair, although very little of it.Another way of discerning a cetacean from a fish is by the shape of the tail. The tail of a fish is vertical and moves from side to side when the fish swims. The tail of a cetacean – called a fluke – is horizontal and moves up and down, as cetaceans' spines bend in the same manner as a human spine.The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Cetus is Latin and is used in biological names to mean "whale"; its original meaning, "large sea animal," was more general. It comes from Ancient Greek κῆτος (kētos), “whale" or "any huge fish or sea monster." Cetology is the branch of marine science associated with the study of cetaceans.Cetaceans are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life. Their body is fusiform (spindle-shaped). The forelimbs are modified into flippers. The tiny hindlimbs are vestigial; they do not attach to the backbone and are hidden within the body. The tail has horizontal flukes. Cetaceans are nearly hairless, and are insulated by a thick layer of blubber. As a group, Cetaceans are noted for their high intelligence.The order Cetacea contains ninety species, all marine except for five species of freshwater dolphins. The order is divided into two suborders, Mysticeti (baleen whales) and Odontoceti (toothed whales, which includes dolphins and porpoises).The classification here closely follows Dale W. Rice, Marine Mammals of the World: Systematics and Distribution (1998), which has become the standard taxonomy reference in the field. There is very close agreement between this classification and that of Mammal Species of the World: 3rd Edition (Wilson and Reeder eds., 2005). Any differences are noted using the abbreviations "Rice" and "MSW3" respectively. Further differences due to recent discoveries are also noted. ORDER CETACEASuborder Mysticeti: Baleen whales Family Balaenidae: Right whales and Bowhead Whale Genus Balaena Bowhead Whale, Balaena mysticetus Genus Eubalaena North Atlantic Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis North Pacific Right Whale, Eubalaena japonica Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis Family Balaenopteridae: Rorquals Subfamily Balaenopterinae Genus Balaenoptera Common Minke Whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata Antarctic Minke Whale, Balaenoptera bonaerensis Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis Bryde's Whale, Balaenoptera brydei Eden's Whale Balaenoptera edeni - Rice lists this as a separate species, MSW3 does not Balaenoptera omurai - MSW3 lists this is a synonym of Bryde's Whale but suggests this may be temporary. Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus Subfamily Megapterinae Genus Megaptera Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae † Genus Eobalaenoptera † Harrison's Whale, Eobalaenoptera harrisoni Family Eschrichtiidae Genus Eschrichtius Gray Whale, Eschrichtius robustus Family Neobalaenidae: Pygmy Right Whale Genus Caperea Pygmy Right Whale, Caperea marginata Suborder Odontoceti: toothed whales Family Delphinidae: Dolphin Genus Cephalorhynchus Commerson's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus commersonii Chilean Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus eutropia Heaviside's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus heavisidii Hector's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus hectori Genus Delphinus Long-beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus capensis Short-beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis Arabian Common Dolphin, Delphinus tropicalis. Rice recognises this as a separate species. MSW3 does not. Genus Feresa Pygmy Killer Whale, Feresa attenuata Genus Globicephala Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala macrorhyncus Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas Genus Grampus Risso's Dolphin, Grampus griseus Genus Lagenodelphis Fraser's Dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei Genus Lagenorhynchus Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus White-beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris Peale's Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus australis Hourglass Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger Pacific White-sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens Dusky Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus Genus Lissodelphis Northern Right Whale Dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis Southern Right Whale Dolphin, Lissodelphis peronii Genus Orcaella Irrawaddy Dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris Australian Snubfin Dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni. 2005 discovery, thus not recognized by Rice or MSW3 and subject to revision. Genus Orcinus Killer Whale, Orcinus orca Genus Peponocephala Melon-headed Whale, Peponocephala electra Genus Pseudorca False Killer Whale, Pseudorca crassidens Genus Sotalia Tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis, but see the species article for a discussion Genus Sousa Pacific Humpback Dolphin, Sousa chinensis Indian Humpback Dolphin, Sousa plumbea Atlantic Humpback Dolphin, Sousa teuszii Genus Stenella Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, Stenella attenuata Clymene Dolphin, Stenella clymene Striped Dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Stenella frontalis Spinner Dolphin, Stenella longirostris Genus Steno Rough-toothed Dolphin, Steno bredanensis Genus Tursiops - Rice and MSW3 tentatively agree on this classification but see species article for more detail. Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops aduncus Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus Family Monodontidae Genus Delphinapterus Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas Genus Monodon Narwhal, Monodon monoceros Family Phocoenidae: Porpoises Genus Neophocaena Finless Porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides Genus Phocoena Spectacled Porpoise, Phocoena dioptrica Harbour Porpoise, Phocoena phocaena Vaquita, Phocoena sinus Burmeister's Porpoise, Phocoena spinipinnis Genus Phocoenoides Dall's Porpoise, Phocoenoides dalli Family Physeteridae: Sperm Whale family Genus Physeter Sperm Whale, Physeter macrocephalus Family Kogiidae - MSW3 treats Kogia as a member of Physeteridae Genus Kogia Pygmy Sperm Whale, Kogia breviceps Dwarf Sperm Whale, Kogia sima Superfamily Platanistoidea: River dolphins Family Iniidae Genus Inia Amazon River Dolphin, Inia geoffrensis Family Lipotidae - MSW3 treats Lipotes as a member of Iniidae Genus Lipotes † Baiji, Lipotes vexillifer Family Pontoporiidae - MSW3 treats Pontoporia as a member of Iniidae Genus Pontoporia Franciscana, Pontoporia blainvillei Family Platanistidae Genus Platanista Ganges and Indus River Dolphin, Platanista gangetica. MSW3 treats Platanista minor as a separate species, with common names Ganges River Dolphin and Indus River Dolphin, respectively. Family Ziphidae, Beaked whales Genus Berardius Arnoux's Beaked Whale, Berardius arnuxii Baird's Beaked Whale (North Pacific Bottlenose Whale), Berardius bairdii Subfamily Hyperoodontidae Genus Hyperoodon Northern Bottlenose Whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus Southern Bottlenose Whale, Hyperoodon planifrons Genus Indopacetus Indo-Pacific Beaked Whale (Longman's Beaked Whale), Indopacetus pacificus Genus Mesoplodon, Mesoplodont Whale Sowerby's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon bidens Andrews' Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon bowdoini Hubbs' Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon carlhubbsi Blainville's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon densirostris Gervais' Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon europaeus Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon ginkgodens Gray's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon grayi Hector's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon hectori Layard's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon layardii True's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon mirus Perrin's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon perrini. This species was recognised in 2002 and as such is listed by MSW3 but not Rice. Pygmy Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon peruvianus Stejneger's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon stejnegeri Spade Toothed Whale, Mesoplodon traversii Genus Tasmacetus Tasman Beaked Whale (Shepherd's Beaked Whale), Tasmacetus shepherdi Genus Ziphius Cuvier's Beaked Whale, Ziphius cavirostris †Extinct">Cetacean (Dolphins,Whales)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-40"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/s74-euarchonta-primates-man/" title="Euarchonta (primates, man)">Euarchonta (primates, man)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-145"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/c112-monotremes/" title="Monotremes">Monotremes</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-148"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/c308-mustelids/" title="Mustelids">Mustelids</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-56"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/s73-placentalia-rodents/" title="Placentalia (rodents)">Placentalia (rodents)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-18"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/s5-antelope/" title="Antelope Antelope Overview, Duikers, Gnus, Hartebeests, Blesboks, and their relatives, Horse Antelopes, Nilgai and Four-Horned Antelope, Other Antelopes, Reedbucks, Waterbucks, et al, Rheboks, and Spiral-Horned Antelopes.">Antelope</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-23"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s70-mammalia-mammals/s24-badgers/" title="Badgers">Badgers</a></span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-5"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s76-myxini-hagfish/" title="Myxini (Hagfish) Although hagfish are sometimes called "slime eels," they are not eels at all. Myxini is the only class in the clade Craniata that does not also belong to the subphylum Vertebrata. The hagfish is a more primitive fish than the bony or cartilaginous fish. The hagfish is known as the sea's most disgusting creature, due to it's ability to produce buckets of slime in a couple minutes as an escape mechanism.">Myxini (Hagfish)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-6"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s77-osteichthyes-bony-fish/" title="Osteichthyes     ( 29,000 species with many more unidentified)  (Pices – bony fish) The Osteichthyes class is the largest in the Vertebrata sub-phylum. The Osteichthyes are a taxonomic superclass of fish, also called bony fish that includes the ray-finned fish and lobe finned fish. The vast majority of fish are osteichthyes.">Osteichthyes (bony fish)</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-7"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/chordata-vertebrata/s78-reptilia-reptiles/" title="Class: Reptilia         6,000 species (reptiles: Crocodiles, Aligators, Snakes,Turtles) Reptiles are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers. They are tetrapods (having or having descended from vertebrates with four limbs) and amniotes, whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane. Modern reptiles inhabit every continent with the exception of Antarctica, and are represented by four living orders.">Reptilia (reptiles)</a></span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-42"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s28-game-fish/" title="Game Fish">Game Fish</a></span><ul class="childrensub">
<li class="cat-item cat-item-125"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s28-game-fish/c48-game-fish-other/" title="Game Fish, Other">Game Fish, Other</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-171"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s28-game-fish/c296-salmon/" title="Salmon">Salmon</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-185"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s28-game-fish/c47-trout/" title="Trout">Trout</a></span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-44"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s44-insects/" title="Insects">Insects</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-46"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s47-marine-life/" title="Marine Life Marine Mammals">Marine Life</a></span><ul class="childrensub">
<li class="cat-item cat-item-68"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s47-marine-life/c114-molluscs/" title="Molluscs">Molluscs</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-108"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s47-marine-life/c71-dolphins-2/">Dolphins-2</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-152"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s47-marine-life/c113-ocean-fish/" title="Ocean Fish">Ocean Fish</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-175"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s47-marine-life/c92-seals/" title="Seals">Seals</a></span></li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-192"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s47-marine-life/c72-whales/" title="Whales">Whales</a></span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="cat-item cat-item-47"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/s46-animal-classification/s72-marsupialiamarsupials-pouched-animals/" title="Marsupialia(Marsupials- pouched animals)">Marsupialia</a></span></li>
</ul>
<h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Article Index:</span></h3>
<div class="post_item"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.petandwildlife.com/a-brief-explanation-of-how-animal-classification-works-for-the-average-guy/" rel="bookmark">A brief explanation of how Animal Classification works( for the average guy)</a></span><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Scientists never agree on much of anything, so there are several accepted Plant and Animal Classification systems. Most of us don’t even know what the names of those classification systems mean, let alone understand the structure of them, so we are just going to use a simplified dummied up system the average common man can understand.</span></p>
</div> COLLECTIVE ANIMAL NAMES ~ LISTS & URLStag:totemtalk.ning.com,2020-06-18:5521792:Topic:819252020-06-18T10:01:43.296ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeely
<p><img src="https://www.treehugger.com/thmb/pIkByW8JJRCfuI2XNr4R-HA_kJw=/768x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__mnn__images__2014__11__burrowing-owls-parliament-3575595a91a646eda3e215f1f4b679e5.jpg"></img></p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Did you know that a swarm of Ladybugs is called a Loveliness, A Loveliness Of Ladybugs. With a name like that, no wonder Ladybug is believed to bring good luck, and when one spies one, is a reminder to count your blessings.…</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/6300894054?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/6300894054?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="530"></img></a></span></p>
<p><img src="https://www.treehugger.com/thmb/pIkByW8JJRCfuI2XNr4R-HA_kJw=/768x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__mnn__images__2014__11__burrowing-owls-parliament-3575595a91a646eda3e215f1f4b679e5.jpg"/></p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Did you know that a swarm of Ladybugs is called a Loveliness, A Loveliness Of Ladybugs. With a name like that, no wonder Ladybug is believed to bring good luck, and when one spies one, is a reminder to count your blessings.</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/6300894054?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/6300894054?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="530" class="align-full"/></a></span></p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;">99 Strange Collective Animal Names</span></h2>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.treehugger.com/strange-collective-animal-names-4868835">https://www.treehugger.com/strange-collective-animal-names-4868835</a></span></h2>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Animal Collective Nouns</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/AnimalGroups.html">http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/AnimalGroups.html</a></span></p>
<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">List of Animal Names ~ Wiki List (Groups)</span></h1>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animal_names">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animal_names</a></span></p> POWER ANIMAL RELATED TAROT & ORACLE DECKStag:totemtalk.ning.com,2020-06-04:5521792:Topic:816182020-06-04T03:42:49.850ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeely
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>The Animal Totem Tarot</b> by Eugene Smith, Leeza Robertson</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/animal-totem-tarot/">http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/animal-totem-tarot/…</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5571763860?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5571763860?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="530"></img></a></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>The Animal Totem Tarot</b> by Eugene Smith, Leeza Robertson</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/animal-totem-tarot/">http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/animal-totem-tarot/</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5571763860?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5571763860?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="530" class="align-full"/>***********************************************************</a></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The Ark Animal Tarot & Oracle Cards Deck</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">by Bernadette King</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://whatismyspiritanimal.com/product/the-ark-animal-tarot-oracle-deck/">https://whatismyspiritanimal.com/product/the-ark-animal-tarot-oracle-deck/</a></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5571408283?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5571408283?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="530" class="align-full"/></a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5571763860?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5571408283?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5571763860?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener">***********************************************************</a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>THE SPIRIT ANIMAL ORACLE CARDS</strong> by Colette Baron-Reid: </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.colettebaronreid.com/spirit-animal/">https://www.colettebaronreid.com/spirit-anima</a><a href="https://www.colettebaronreid.com/spirit-animal/">l/</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.colettebaronreid.com/oracle-cards-and-apps/">https://www.colettebaronreid.com/oracle-cards-and-apps/</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The Spirit Animal Oracle: A 68-Card Deck and Guidebook</strong> by Colette Baron Reid</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.shamansmarket.com/products/the-spirit-animal-oracle-a-68-card-deck-and-guidebook-cards-by-colette-baron-reid">https://www.shamansmarket.com/products/the-spirit-animal-oracle-a-68-card-deck-and-guidebook-cards-by-colette-baron-reid</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5683692485?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5683692485?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="530" class="align-full"/></a></span></p>
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<p></p> my paintingtag:totemtalk.ning.com,2016-01-12:5521792:Topic:335782016-01-12T05:35:15.617ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeely
<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>I was searching Google a few days ago for some big horn sheep pictures and found a picture of one of my paintings which led me to this site. </p>
<p>The picture on the home page of the two rams laying on the hillside is my painting I did in 2008, in fact I still have it hanging in my living room.</p>
<p>I'm a wildlife artist and fish taxidermist here in Cody, Wyoming</p>
<p></p>
<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>I was searching Google a few days ago for some big horn sheep pictures and found a picture of one of my paintings which led me to this site. </p>
<p>The picture on the home page of the two rams laying on the hillside is my painting I did in 2008, in fact I still have it hanging in my living room.</p>
<p>I'm a wildlife artist and fish taxidermist here in Cody, Wyoming</p>
<p></p> Welcome to 2015 ~ Year of the (Green) WOOD SHEEP (Ram, or Goat)tag:totemtalk.ning.com,2015-02-12:5521792:Topic:303292015-02-12T05:26:33.041ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeely
<p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;"><strong>2015 Chinese Zodiac for Year of the Goat Predictions</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;"><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2015/2015Zodiac.htm" target="_blank">http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2015/2015Zodiac.htm</a></span></p>
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<p><strong><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;">Feb 19th, 2015 Welcomes The Year of the WOOD SHEEP!!!…</span></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;"><strong>2015 Chinese Zodiac for Year of the Goat Predictions</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;"><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2015/2015Zodiac.htm" target="_blank">http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2015/2015Zodiac.htm</a></span></p>
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<p><strong><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;">Feb 19th, 2015 Welcomes The Year of the WOOD SHEEP!!!</span></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.forcesofnaturedesign.com/pdfs/RAM.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.forcesofnaturedesign.com/pdfs/RAM.pdf</a></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;">According to Chinese zodiac, 2015 is the year of the Sheep (Wood Sheep) starting from <strong>February 19, 2015</strong> (the Lunar Chinese New Year or <a href="http://www.yourchineseastrology.com/holidays/spring-festival/">Chinese Spring Festival</a>) and lasting to <strong>February 7, 2016</strong>.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;"><span>A </span><strong>Chinese horoscope</strong><span> is based on twelve animals that are used to define certain years. As well as using these twelve animals in Chinese horoscopes there is also the added use of the five elements of Ying-Yang that include earth, fire, metal, water, and wood. These five elements are used to determine certain aspects of your Chinese horoscope such as success, love, and happiness. Determining your Chinese horoscope can be as simple or as complicated as you would like it to be.</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;"><span><b>Celebrities Born in Sheep Years</b><br/> <br/> <span>Mick Jagger and Barry Manilow were born in 1943, year of Water Sheep.</span><br/> <span>Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Bruce Wills were born in 1955, year of Wood Sheep.</span><br/> <span>Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Vin Diesel were born in 1967, year of Fire Sheep.</span><br/> <span>Kate Hudson and Jennifer Love Hewitt were born in 1979, year of Earth Sheep.</span></span></span></p>
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<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446473?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446473?profile=original" width="615" class="align-full"/></a><strong style="font-size: 10pt;">FORECASTS FOR THE YEAR OF THE GOAT (SHEEP) 2015</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/chinese-horoscope/2015-year-sheep/" target="_blank" style="font-size: 13px;">http://astrologyclub.org/chinese-horoscope/2015-year-sheep/</a></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-2">What lies in wait for you in the Year of the Goat 2015-2016? Chinese Astrology has definite answers to this question. And, owing to its five thousand years of existence, its answers can prove to be astoundingly timely and accurate.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">These horoscopes are based on Chinese Astrology of the purest tradition. They will not only tell you what may happen to you this year, but they will also give you pertinent advice so you can live a richer and more satisfactory life.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">Please choose your sign (located at the bottom of this page) and click to read the forecast for the Year of the Goat (Sheep) 2015.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family: georgia, palatino;">Sheep year is time to heal after the chaos of 2014's Horse year. What is of value now is intimacy, family and close friendships. We can be more caring, kind and sensitive with each other. Develop a gentle heart, open to love and acceptance on all levels. Another theme of Sheep year is to express your creative side. Now is the time for art, creativity and cultivation of beauty. If you ever wanted to explore your creative side, this is your year. Do not give up, be pessimistic or become discouraged because Sheep can only move forward! This animal is unable to move backwards or sideways. Sheep year is most fortunate for Sheep, and for Sheep's most compatible signs Rabbit, Horse and Pig. Sheep correlates to the Western sign of Cancer.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063435164?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063435164?profile=original" width="535" class="align-full"/></a><strong style="font-size: 10pt;">THE YEAR OF THE GOAT (SHEEP) 2015</strong></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-2"><strong style="font-size: 13px;">The Sheep (Goat)</strong><span style="font-size: 13px;"> is a Yin energy, a symbol of Peace, Harmonious co-existence and Tranquility. That is the primary and fundamental mood for this year. Though there are cries for War and a countdown is soon to begin, if any almanac serves me well – War will be averted and a period of mending and compromise will be undertaken to ensure Peace is maintained.</span></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">The Sheep is the symbol of the Arts. It relates to passive and nurturing times. It will help the healing process with regard to past events caused by individuals who have little respect for the human race or life itself. It will be a year of banding together in faith and in belief that good will prevail and win out over the forces that refuse to comply to a peaceful way of life. For those who trust in goodness, happiness and success will follow.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">The emphasis will be on joining forces in order to fight the evil and destruction that has been brewing. With the planet Saturn into the sign Scorpio and the planet Pluto in its long stay in the sign Capricorn, there will be greater concern with structure, getting back to basics and using greater intuition to find solutions to problems that have been plaguing the world for some time.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">Much will depend on this – the balance of international economy and social harmony is in peace. The call for war is not a step to be taken lightly. Though sabers are rattling on either side, as the calming vapours of the Sheep year spreads over the Nations, sentiments will be kindled and wisdom will prevail. Fate will send emissaries to change the faces of aggression towards a more Peaceful compromise. It does not kill the doubts, anger or desire for violence, but it puts a blanket of constrain over it.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">So will it be among family members and bitter economic rivals. Many will look into their hearts and souls and wonder at past passionate grievances and the realisation that the road to harmony and economic strength is through peaceful rather than violent ways.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">On the family front, it will be a time to unite and instil loyalty and discipline. Angers will cool and decisions that will disrupt family harmony will be laid aside to give it time to heal. So capture the moment to mend fences and broken promises.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">The aura of the 2015 Sheep (Goat) year will gradually radiate its way to all. The most turbulent times will be during the period of the Dragon, which is from the Vernal Equinox on March 20th till April 20th, and especially the period of the Ox where a grave threat will again raise its ugly head. This will be from the Day of the Winter Solstice on the 22nd of December till the 20th of January 2016. But for the moment, allow the calming balms of the Sheep’s vibrations to flow through you, and through you, to touch every heart you meet.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">2015 is a year to use mental abilities over brute force. For those who wish to be aggressive, expect to be out-maneuvered by strategy and common sense.</span></p>
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<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446638?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="600" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446638?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<ul>
<li class="related-listings"><ul>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/rat-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Rat Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/ox-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Ox Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/tiger-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Tiger Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/rabbit-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Rabbit Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/dragon-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Dragon Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/snake-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Snake Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/horse-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Horse Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/sheep-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Sheep (Goat) Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/monkey-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Monkey Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/rooster-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Rooster Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/dog-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Dog Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
<li class="related-child-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/boar-pig-chinese-horoscope-2015/">Boar (Pig) Horoscope 2015</a></span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="related-listings"><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://astrologyclub.org/chinese-horoscope/2016-year-monkey/">Chinese Horoscope 2016 – Year Of The Monkey 2016</a></span></li>
</ul>
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<p></p> The Cetacean Brain and Hominid Perceptions of Cetacean Intelligencetag:totemtalk.ning.com,2014-08-21:5521792:Topic:280062014-08-21T20:52:36.016ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeely
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<div class="mbs fwn fcg"><div class="_5pcn fwb"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445352?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445352?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></div>
<div class="_5pcn fwb"><strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/captpaulwatson/photos/a.443115070931.234296.155430570931/10152578876395932/?type=1&fref=nf">Captain Paul Watson</a></strong></div>
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<div class="mtm _5pco"><p><strong>The Cetacean Brain and Hominid…</strong></p>
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<div class="mbs fwn fcg"><div class="_5pcn fwb"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445352?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445352?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></div>
<div class="_5pcn fwb"><strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/captpaulwatson/photos/a.443115070931.234296.155430570931/10152578876395932/?type=1&fref=nf">Captain Paul Watson</a></strong></div>
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<div class="mtm _5pco"><p><strong>The Cetacean Brain and Hominid Perceptions of Cetacean Intelligence</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>An Essay by Captain Paul Watson</strong></em></p>
<p>"What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason!<br/>How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable!<br/>In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god!<br/>The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals!"<br/>- William Shakespeare, Hamlet</p>
<p>The human species may not be the paragon of animals as Hamlet so eloquently described to us. There is another group of species on this Earth perhaps more deserving of such lofty praise.</p>
<p>It is ironic that science, in its pursuit of knowledge, may soon lead us to understand that we are not what we believe or desire ourselves to be, that we are not the most knowledgeable life-form on the planet. Biological science is provoking us to shatter our image of human superiority. Confronted with new realities, we may be forced to change our perceptions. For the first time in our history, a small group of scientists stands on the threshold of communicating with a non-human intelligence. Probing the oceans instead of deep space, they are searching for an alternative terrestrial intelligence. (ATI)</p>
<p>Astronomers devoted to SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) keep our collective inquisitive ears tuned for signs of sentience from space. At the same time, cetologists observe, document, and decipher evidence that points to a profound intelligence dwelling in the oceans. It is an intelligence that predates our own evolution as intelligent primates by millions of years. Furthermore, it is an intelligence that may prove to be far superior to us in terms of complex associative, linguistic, and survival abilities. Dr. John Ford's patient monitoring of the speech of orcas off British Columbia has revealed distinctive dialects between orca populations, so distinctive that it is possible to link a captive animal of unknown origin with its long-lost family in the wild. In the cold waters off Patagonia, Dr. Roger Payne thrilled the world with his recordings of the songs of the humpback whale. Behind the aesthetic value of whale music, Payne's research has revealed fascinating insights into the complex and highly sophisticated language of whales.<br/>In the realm of zoological study, no other family of species has had such a profound impact upon human researchers. A few brilliant researchers have even been accused of losing their scientific objectivity simply because their study of cetaceans revealed knowledge about themselves. "You see," wrote Dr. John Lilly, "what I found after twelve years of work with dolphins is that the limits are not in them, the limits are in us. So I had to go away and find out, who am I? What's this all about?" Dr. Paul Spong, who came to the study of cetology as a psychologist, found himself transformed into a devout advocate of dolphin freedom. "I came to the realization," says Spong, "that at the same time I was manipulating their (orca) behavior, they were manipulating my behavior. At the same time I was studying them and performing experiments on them, they were studying me and performing experiments on me." Both men have taken to heart an advice: eloquently expressed by novelist Edward Abbey that, "it's not enough to understand the natural world, the point is to defend and preserve it."</p>
<p>Other scientists have told me that they understand this effect that cetaceans have on people and resist the tendency to become "involved" with their subjects only from fear of ridicule from other scientists. Knowing something is so does not mean that others will accept it or even be open-minded enough to ponder it. Some things are just not on the table for serious scientific debate, and the idea that humans are subordinate in intelligence to another species is one of them.</p>
<p>Ingrained anthropocentric attitudes dismiss the very idea that a dolphin or whale could be as intelligent as a human being, or more. In this respect, science is dogmatic and intransigent, differing little in attitude from the Papal pronouncement that the Earth could not possibly revolve around the sun.</p>
<p>Human imagination can instantly recognize intelligence in a blob of purple protoplasm or an insectoid extraterrestrial if it steps from a space ship dressed in a metallic suit and armed with a fantastic proton-plasmodic, negative-charged, ionic-cell destabilizer-blaster. Dolphins, on the other hand, just eat fish.</p>
<p>We willingly accept the idea of intelligence in a life-form only if the intelligence displayed is on the same evolutionary wavelength as our own. Technology automatically indicates intelligence. An absence of technology translates into an absence of intelligence.</p>
<p>Dolphins and whales do not display intelligence in a fashion recognizable to this conditioned perception of what intelligence is, and thus for the most part, we are blind to a broader definition of what intelligence can be.</p>
<p>Evolution molds our projection of intelligence. Humans evolved as tool-makers, obsessed with danger and group aggression. This makes it very difficult for us to comprehend intelligent non-manipulative beings whose evolutionary history featured ample food supplies and an absence of fear from external dangers.</p>
<p>I have observed whales and dolphins in the wild for fifty years, seeing varied and complex behavior that has displayed a definite pattern of sophisticated social interactions. They have exhibited discriminatory behavior in their dealings with us, treating us not like seals fit for prey but as curious objects to be observed and to be treated with caution. They can see beyond to the manifest technological power that we have harnessed, and they can adjust their behavior accordingly. It is a fact that there has never been a documented attack by a wild orca on a human being. Perhaps they like us. More likely they know what we are.</p>
<p>The interpretation of behavior remains subject to the bias of the observer; one observer can classify behavior as intelligent, and a second observer will dismiss the same behavior as instinctive. There is also the tendency to be anthropomorphic -- to attribute human feelings and motives to the behavior of nonhumans. Until we can actually talk with a nonhuman, it is difficult, if not impossible, to do anything but speculate on what is being thought or perceived. We cannot even understand with any certainty what a human being from a different culture, speaking a different language, may be thinking or perceiving. Even among people of our own culture, language, class, or academic standing, it is a formidable task to peer inside the workings of the brain. In this respect all brains other than our own are alien, and I might venture to add that the inner workings of our individual brains are still a mystery to each of us that possess one.</p>
<p>It is a great tragedy for our development as a species that we have been alone among hominids for the last thirty thousand years. Imagine Homo neanderthalensis existing today as a separate intelligent species of hominid primate. Our perception of the nature of intelligence would be profoundly different.</p>
<p>Homo neanderthalensis is an example of a species that possessed both technology and media communication. This tool-maker created haunting images of its experiences and environment. Some Neanderthal tools, artifacts, and cave art from the Chatelperonian period have survived and remind us that we are not the only species capable of material artistic expression. Neanderthal ivory and bone carvings were used for adornment in addition to more practical purposes. Symbols carved on antlers relating to the movement of animals in relationship to the seasons indicate that Neanderthals may have invented "writing,' and carried a hunting almanac around with them.</p>
<p>I have often heard lectures and read articles on the art of early humans. Yet seldom have I heard it said that it was not Homo sapiens alone but Homo neanderthalensis who also left us that legacy. Another species created something that we believe we alone created.</p>
<p>We perceive reality based on how we preconceive it. In other words, we see what we want to see. Let's take a close look at the anatomy of the brain. This is an organ that the human organism shares with most species above the invertebrate order. More specifically, we should look at the mammalian brain that is an organ composed of three distinct structures.</p>
<p>The foundation of the mammalian brain is the paleocortex, sometimes called the "reptilian" or "ancient" brain. The paleocortex segment reflects the primordial fish-amphibian-reptile structure. This basal combination of nerves is called the rhinic lobe (from the Greek rhinos, for nose) because it was once believed to be the area that dealt with the sense of smell. The poorly developed rhinic lobe is overlaid by the slightly more advanced limbic lobe (from the Latin limbus, for border). On top of this lobe is overlaid the third and much larger segment called the supralimbic lobe.<br/>Draped over these three lobes is a cellular covering called the neocortex, meaning "new brain." This is the instantly recognizable, fissured, convoluted layer that envelops the other two more primitive segments. The neocortex is a bewilderingly complex community of intertwined axonal and dendritic nerve cells, synapses, and fibers.</p>
<p>The mammalian brain is a complex layering or lamination of evolutionary processes that reflects hundreds of millions of years of progressive development. The billions of electrochemical interactions within this complex organ define consciousness, awareness, emotion, vision, recognition, sound, touch, smell, personality, intuition, instinct, and intelligence.</p>
<p>The first factor in determining the mammalian stages of development is the number of brain laminations. The layering of the neocortex differs greatly between humans and other land animals. The expansion of the neocortex is always forward. This means that neocortex development can be used as a fairly accurate indicator of the evolutionary process of intelligence. We cannot assume, however, that the determining factor in comparative intelligence is neocortex mass. The other factors considered in the equation are differentiation, neural connectivity and complexity, sectional specialization, and internal structure. All these factors contribute toward interspecial measurements of intelligence.</p>
<p>Interspecies comparisons focus on the extent of lamination, the total cortical area, and the number and depth of neocortex convolutions. In addition, primary sensory processing relative to problem solving is a significant indicator; this can be described as associative ability. The association or connecting of ideas is a measurable skill: a rat's associative skill is measured at nine to one. This means that 90 percent of the brain is devoted to primary sensory projection, leaving only 10 percent for associative skills. A cat is one to one, meaning that half the brain is available for associative ability. A chimpanzee is one to three, and a human being is one to nine. We humans need only utilize 10 percent of our brains to operate our sensory organs. Thus the associative abilities of a cat are measurably greater than a rat but less than a chimp, and humans are the highest of all.</p>
<p>Not exactly. The cetacean brain averages one to twenty-five and can range upward to one to forty. The reason for this is that the much larger supralimbic lobe is primarily association cortex. Unlike humans, in cetaceans sensory and motor function control is spread outside the supralimbic, leaving more brain area for associative purposes.</p>
<p>Comparisons of synaptic geometry, dendritic field density, and neural connectivity underscore the humbling revelation that the cetacean brain is superior to the human brain. In addition, the centralization and differentiation of the individual cerebral areas are levels higher than the human brain. Many of us may remember our lessons from Biology 101. We were shown illustrations of the brain of a rat, a cat, a chimp, and a human. We listened as the instructor pointed out the ratio of brain to body size and the increased convolutions on the neocortex of the human over the chimp, the cat, the rat. The simplistic conclusion was an understanding that humans were smarter. Of course, it was a human demonstration of intelligence, and the conclusion was arrived at by discrimination based on the selection of the examples. When the brain model of an orca is inserted into the picture, the conclusion based on the same factors places the human brain in second position.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for the pride of humankind, this simple comparison is elementary compared to a truly astounding fact: whereas the human brain shares three segments with all other mammals, the cetacean brain is uniquely different in its physiology.</p>
<p>Humans have the rhinic, limbic, and supralimbic, with the neocortex covering the surface of the supralimbic. However, with cetaceans we see a radical evolutionary jump with the inclusion of a fourth segment. This is a fourth cortical lobe, giving a four-fold lamination that is morphologically the most significant differentiation between cetaceans and all other cranially evolved mammals, including humans. No other species has ever had four separate cortical lobes.</p>
<p>This well-developed extra lobar formation sandwiched between the limbic and supralimbic lobes is called the paralimbic. Considering neurohistological criteria, the paralimbic lobe is a continuation of the sensory and motor areas found in the supralimbic lobe in humans. According to Dr. Sterling Bunnell, the paralimbic lobe specializes in specific sensory and motor functions. In humans, the projection areas for different senses are widely separated from one another, and the motor area is adjacent to the touch area. For us to make an integrated perception from sight, sound, and touch, impulses must travel by long fiber tracts with a great loss of time and information. The cetacean's paralimbic system makes possible the very rapid formation of integrated perceptions with a richness of information unimaginable to us.</p>
<p>Despite Biology 101, brain-to-body ratio is not an indication of intelligence. If this were so, the hummingbird would be the world's most intelligent animal. Brain size in itself, however, is important, and the largest brains ever developed on this planet belong to whales. More important is the quality of the brain tissue. With four lobes, greater, more pronounced neocortex convolutions, and superior size, the brain of the sperm whale at 9,000 cc or the brain of the orca at 6,000 cc are the paragons of brain evolution on the Earth. By contrast, the human brain is 1,300 cc. And by point of interest, the brain of a Neanderthal was an average 1,500 cc.</p>
<p>Apart from our collective ego as a species, the idea of an Earthling species more intelligent than ourselves is difficult to swallow. We measure intelligence in strictly human terms, based on those abilities that we as a species excel at. Thus we view hand-to-eye coordination as a highly intelligent ability. We build things; we make tools and weapons, manufacture vehicles, and construct buildings. We use our brains to focus our eyes to guide our hands to force our environment to conform to our desires or our will. Whales cannot or do not do any of the things we expect intelligent creatures to do. They do not build cars or spaceships, nor can they manage investment portfolios.</p>
<p>Cetaceans do have built-in abilities like sonar that put our electronic sonar devices to shame. Sperm whales have even developed a sonic ray-gun, so to speak, allowing them to stun prey from a head filled with spermaceti oil to amplify and project a sonic blast. However, we expect an intelligent species to arrive in a spaceship armed with laser rayguns, bearing gifts of futuristic technologies. This is a fantasy that we can understand, that we yearn for. For us, technology is intelligence. Intelligence is not a naked creature swimming freely, eating fish, and singing in the sea.</p>
<p>The whale is an organic submarine. A whale may not arrive in a spaceship, but it is itself a living submersible ship. All of its technology is internal and organic. We do not accept this. The human understanding of intelligence is material. The more superior the technology, the more superior the intelligence.</p>
<p>Yet intelligence is relative; it evolves to fulfill the evolutionary needs of a species. All successful species are intelligent in accordance with their ecological position. In this respect, the intelligence of a crocodile or a whale, an elephant or a human is non-comparable. A complex intelligence exists within every sentient creature relevant to its needs. We as humans cannot begin to compare our elaborate intelligence to the complex intelligence of other creatures whose brains or nerves are designed for completely different functions in radically different environments.</p>
<p>Most modern humans believe that we are vastly more intelligent compared to our ancestors of 75,000 years ago or even 10,000 years ago. Our technology is proof, is it not? The fact is that the brain of a person living today is identical in size and composition to that of our kind from tens of thousands of years ago. If you were to set Einstein's brain beside the brain of a cave-dweller of the Paleolithic era, you would not be able to find a single difference in size or complexity. Our technology is cumulative, the end product of millennia of trial and error. It is also exponential, and we now live in the time of the most rapid exponential growth. Individually, the average cave-dweller of the past could match the average citizen today in associative intelligence and would be as capable of learning. Our intelligence is also cultural, and the vast amount of information that we have at our disposal lies outside of ourselves as individuals. Apart from the community, we are severely limited in understanding or manipulating technologies. Left to our own resources on an undeveloped island, most of us would have absolutely no idea how to survive. We do not even have the knowledge to construct rudimentary stone tools or weapons. In this respect stone age humans would be our intellectual superiors.</p>
<p>If we look at the comparative intelligences of species strictly on a morphological basis, judging all aspects on cortical structural development alone, we can assign an average associative score relative to human intelligence. Let's assign the average human brain a score equal to 100. This is the number we consider average on human Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests. Based on associative skills as defined by the physiological structure of the comparative brains, we will find that a dog scores about fifteen, and a chimpanzee around thirty-five. These are scores that are comfortably within our understanding of intelligence.</p>
<p>Based upon comparisons of cortical structure alone, a sperm whale would score 2,000.</p>
<p>The truth of the matter is that we know absolutely nothing about what goes on in the brain of a whale or a dolphin. In our ignorance, we resort to the arrogance of denial and dismissal. We deny the physiological evidence and in general we have denied that other animals can think or even feel. We forget that all mammals have climbed the evolutionary ladder with us, and some, like the whale, started climbing that ladder tens of millions of years before we evolved from that apelike ancestor that we shared with the Neanderthal, the chimp, and the mountain gorilla.</p>
<p>The whale has evolved in a different manner, its natural physical abilities giving it little cause to desire material baggage. The spear was not needed to get food -- the whale is one of the most efficient hunters in natural history. The whale's ability to travel, to communicate, to care for its young, and its complex social systems are all separate from external material acquisition. Whales have biologically evolved what we utilize technology to achieve. Technology is something that the whales have never needed. They contain all the assets needed for survival and development within their massive bodies and formidable brains.</p>
<p>Humans are big-brained manipulators. Cetaceans and elephants are big-brained non-manipulators. The hominid brain grew in size from 450 cc to 1,300 cc over a period of only five million years. Cetaceans had already reached 690 cc in brain size some thirty million years ago and had developed to their present capacity well before our own evolutionary jump in brain development.</p>
<p>Another major difference between the cetacean and human brain is the shape. The cranium of the whale evolved over millions of years to conform to the need for streamlined movement through the water. This need has shaped the brain, making it higher, but shortening the length front-to-back slightly. And this shape has resulted in a relatively thinner layering of the cortex that is more than compensated by the much greater surface area of the neocortex due to the tremendous in-folding of the convolutions. According to Pilleri and Gihr, dolphins, toothed whales, and primates have the most highly differentiated brains of all mammals, and Krays and Pilleri showed through electroencephalographical studies that the Amazon River dolphins have the highest degree of encephalization, much higher than primates.</p>
<p>Construction of the cortex was found to be equal or superior to primates. Cetaceans are the most specialized mammalian order on the planet, and we see intelligence in dozens of species. By contrast, Homo sapiens are the sole surviving hominid.<br/>Humans may be the paramount tool-makers of the Earth, but the whale may be our paramount thinker. We can only imagine how a dolphin perceives the stars, but they may well do so better than we. Indeed, if the power of such an awesome brain could be utilized, travel to the stars might have already been achieved. The mind can travel to realms that rockets can never reach. Or perhaps they have already discovered that the ultimate destination of a voyager is to arrive back where it belongs -- in its own place within the universe. The desire to travel to the stars could very well be an aberration, a need within a species that has been ecologically deprived. Intelligent species here or else where in the universe may have determined that space travel is not the ultimate expression of intelligence. It may only be the ultimate expression of technology: technology and wisdom may be widely diverse expressions of different forms of intelligence.</p>
<p>Intelligence can also be measured by the ability to live within the bounds of the laws of ecology -- to live in harmony with one's own ecology and to recognize the limitations placed on each species by the needs of an ecosystem. Is the species that dwells peacefully within its habitat with respect for the rights of other species the one that is inferior? Or is it the species that wages a holy war against its habitat, destroying all species that irritate it? What can be said of a species that reproduces beyond the ability of its habitat to support it? What do we make of a species that destroys the diversity that sustains the ecosystem that nourishes it? How is a species to be judged that fouls its water and poisons its own food?</p>
<p>On the other hand, how is a species that has lived harmoniously within the boundaries of its ecology to be judged?</p>
<p>It is an observable fact that whales and dolphins hold a special place in the hearts of human beings. We have had an affinity with them for years, recognizing in them something that it has been difficult to put a finger upon. What we do know is that they are different from other animals, apart from them in a manner that suggests a unique quality that we can intuitively recognize. That quality is intelligence.</p>
<p>Recognizing this quality has profound moral responsibilities. How can humans continue to slaughter creatures of an equal or superior intelligence? The path toward the reality of interspecies communications between cetaceans and humans may lead us to the recognition that we have been committing murder.</p>
<p>Utilizing the computer technology of our species in company with the linguistic and associative skills of cetaceans, we may be able to talk with these beings some day soon. The key is in understanding the different evolutionary developments within two completely different brains with uniquely developed sensory modalities.</p>
<p>Imagine being able to see into another person's body, being able to see the flow of blood, the workings of the organs, and the flow of air into the lungs. Cetaceans can do this through echo-location. A dolphin can see a tumor inside the body of another dolphin. If an animal is drowning, this becomes instantly recognizable from being able to "see" the water filling the lungs. Even more amazing is that emotional states can be instantly detected. These are species incapable of deception, whose emotional states are open books to each other. Such biologically enforced honesty would have radically different social consequences from our own.</p>
<p>Sight in humans is a space-oriented distance sense which gives us complex simultaneous information in the form of analog pictures with poor time discrimination. By contrast, our auditory sense has poor space perception but good time discrimination. This results in human languages being comprised of fairly simple sounds arranged in elaborate temporal sequences. The cetacean auditory system is primarily spatial, more like human eyesight, with great diversity of simultaneous information and poor time discrimination. For this reason, dolphin language consists of very complex sounds perceived as a unit. What humans may need hundreds of sounds strung together to communicate, the dolphin may do in one sound. To understand us, they would have to slow down their perception of sounds to an incredibly boring degree. It is for this reason that dolphins respond readily to music. Human music is more in tune with dolphin speech.</p>
<p>Utilizing their skill at echo-location with elaborate detailed mental images of what they "see" through auditory channels, dolphins may be able to recreate and transmit images to each other. In other words, whereas our language is analog, cetacean language is digital. With the invention of the computer, we are now communicating with each other digitally, and this may be the key to unlocking the doors of perception into cetacean communication.</p>
<p>The possibilities are fantastic. Instead of communicating across the vast expanse of space, we may be able to bridge the chasm between species. But we will not be able to say that "we come in peace." The tragic reality is that we will be speaking with species that we have slaughtered, enslaved, and abused. We can only hope that they will be forgiving of our ignorance.</p>
<p>If so, the future holds a place for the exchange of knowledge, the secrets of the seas, alternative philosophies, and unique and different perspectives. I can envision the words of the whales translated into books. Instead of just listening to the music of whale song, we will be able to understand what the songs convey. This may open up new horizons in literature, poetry, music, and oceanography.</p>
<p>In return, Moby Dick by Herman Melville might serve to show the whales that our species has come a long way toward peace between humankind and whalekind. The whales will learn the mysteries of the land and will be able to negotiate the release of members of their families that have been held captive for human amusement. Perhaps we can convince them that our species is not uniform in its evolution toward morality and understanding. If so, we may be able to convince them that our whalers are aberrations, throwbacks to our more barbaric origins and a collective embarrassment to our species.</p>
<p>Most importantly, we will learn the lesson that we cannot presume to judge intelligence based upon our own preconceptions, prejudice, and cultural biases. In so doing, we will be able to understand that we share this Earth with millions of other species, all intelligent in their own manner, and all equally deserving of the right to dwell in peace on this planet that we all call our home -- this water planet with the strange name of Earth.</p>
<p>``They say the sea is cold, but the sea contains the hottest blood of all, and the wildest, the most urgent."<br/>-- D.H. Lawrence, Whales Weep Not</p>
<p>Bibliography and Sources:<br/>Bunnell, Sterling. 1974. The Evolution of Cetacean Intelligence. Deacon, Terrence W. 1997. The Symbolic Species: The Coevolution of Language and the Brain. Jacobs, Myron.1974. The Whale Brain: Input and Behaviour. Lawrence, D.H. Whales Weep Not. Licino, Aldo. "Just Animals? Mammalian Studies Point to an Anatomical Basis to Intelligence." Mensa Berichten: Mensa International Journal Extra. June 1996. Lilly, John. 1961. Man and Dolphin. Morgane, Peter. 1974. The Whale Brain: The Anatomical Basis of Intelligence. Pilleri, G. Behaviour Patterns of Some Delphinidae Observed in the Western Mediterranean.Sagan, Dr. Carl. 1971.The Cosmic Connections, The Dragons of Eden. Watson, Lyall.1996. Dark Nature: The Nature of Evil. Some information based on conversations over the last two decades with Dr. Michael Bigg (orcas), Dr. John Ford (orca dialects), Dr. Roger Payne (whale communication), and Dr. Paul Spong (orcas).</p>
<p>Illustration: Comparison of a human and dolphin brain showing the 4th lobe and more complex convolutions upon the neo-cortex of the dolphin as opposed to the human brain.</p>
</div> THE YEAR of the WOOD HORSE ~ Jan. 31, 2014 ~ Feb. 18, 2015tag:totemtalk.ning.com,2014-02-01:5521792:Topic:257882014-02-01T01:35:22.701ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeely
<p><strong><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-rabbit.html" target="_blank">Free Chinese 2014 horoscope for Rabbit</a><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-rabbit.html" target="_blank">Chinese New Year 2014 horoscope for Rabbit…</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-rabbit.html" target="_blank">Free Chinese 2014 horoscope for Rabbit</a><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-rabbit.html" target="_blank">Chinese New Year 2014 horoscope for Rabbit</a><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-rabbit.html" target="_blank">http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-rabbit.html</a>Welcome to THE YEAR of the WOOD HORSE ~ Jan. 31, 2014 ~ Feb. 18, 2015</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Predict your personal Chinese astrology for 2014 using the calculator below:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Astro/ChineseNewYearHoroscope.htm" target="_blank">http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Astro/ChineseNewYearHoroscope.htm</a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063444110?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="600" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063444110?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong><span>2014 Chinese Zodiac for Year of the Horse Predictions</span></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Zodiac.htm" target="_blank">http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Zodiac.htm</a></p>
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<p><strong>2014 ~ Year of the Wood Horse</strong><br/> <br/> <span>Horse is one of Chinese favorite animals. Horse provides people quick transportation before automobiles, so people can quickly reach their destinations. Horse even can help people to win the battle. Therefore Horse is a symbol of traveling, competition and victory. That's why Horse is connected to speedy success in China.</span><br/> <br/> <span>Horses like to compete with others. They pursuit for their freedom, passion and leadership. That implies that people will have busy schedule for their goals in the year of Horse. Horse hour of Chinese Horoscopes is from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. Sunshine generates lots of heat during the Horse hour. Therefore, horse is connected to heat, fire and red. Horses like the social activities, because horses like show off themselves. Since horse is a social animal and red is also connected to love, therefore. horse is treated as a Romantic Star in Chinese Horoscope.</span><br/> <br/> <span>Dragon and Horse are auspicious symbols to Chinese. Chinese said that the best flyer is the sky is Dragon and the best runner on the ground is Horse. Dragon and Horse are the symbols of high-rank, outstanding, noble and leadership. Chinese history book said Horse has 30 percents of Dragon personality. More than 8-foot tall Horse is called Dragon-Horse. There was a Dragon-Horse jumped out of the Yellow River almost 5000 years ago. Fu Xi saw that Dragon-Horse had a diagram on its horseback, which inspired him to invent the I-Ching Pre-Heaven Pa- Kua. Chinese civilization began to take off since that. Chinese sometimes encourage people using the Spirit of the Dragon-Horse. Dragon-Horse Spirit doesn't mean only a person with full energy as the Dragon-Horse, but also, a person pushing himself to transcend his potential to hold the leadership.</span><br/> <br/> <span>Every Chinese dynasty, Chinese look for sturdy and beautiful stallions. The stallion must be tall and be able to outrun other horses. If the stallion can run one-thousand-Chinese-mile (about 312 miles) a day, then it called one-thousand-Chinese-mile Horse, which means winged steed. One-thousand-Chinese-mile Horses can help the emperors to conquer the nation. Also, a winged steed can save the master's life by running away swiftly, if the master cannot fight with the enemy. Today, when a person is called one-thousand-Chinese-mile Horse, that means the person is a hard-to-find, outstanding, experienced elite and knows how to run the business.</span><br/> <br/> <span>One of famous one-thousand-Chinese-mile Horses in China is called Sweat-Blood Horse. They said the sweat of Sweat-Blood Horse is red, when it runs in high speed for a while. According to the study, Sweat-Blood Horse was a Turkmenistan horse breed. One Chinese emperor sent more than 50 thousand soldiers to Turkmenistan to bring back a thousand of Sweat-Blood Horses. But only half of horses arrived China alive.</span><br/> <br/> <span>Genghis Khan built the Mongol Empire by horses. The Mongol Horses were a smaller breed, they were bred for endurance, not for speed like stallions. Genghis Khan conquered Eastern Europe so quickly. Because Eastern European countries never realized Mongol cavalry can arrive their territories so fast and they didn't have enough time to prepare the defense. They said each Mongol cavalryman had three or four horses. They will change another horse when one got tired. So Mongolian horses can take turn and get some rest. Mongol cavalryman even knew how to sleep in the saddle. That's why they can travel long distances without stopping. We know horses can sleep while standing. Mongolian horses have a better sleeping skill. When they ran in a group, the horse in the center can sleep while running.</span><br/> <br/> <span>Horse is intelligent animal. Horses need to be trained to become useful to human. Human can make Horse famous. Without human's guide, Horse just a wild animal. It doesn't know where to go. There is no destination in its life.</span></p>
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<p>Click on your Chinese zodiac sign or birth year below to peek your fortune of Career, Money Love and Health in 2014, the year of Horse.</p>
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<center><table border="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr><td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Rat.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Rat"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Cow.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Cow"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Tiger.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Tiger"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Rabbit.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Rabbit"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Dragon.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Dragon"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Snake.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Snake"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/images/Earth/E-Horse.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Horse"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Sheep.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Sheep"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Monkey.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Monkey"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Chicken.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Chicken"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Dog.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Dog"/></td>
<td height="32" align="center" width="56"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Images/Earth/E-Pig.gif" width="32" height="32" alt="Chinese Zodiac Pig"/></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014rat.htm">Rat</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Cow.htm">Cow</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Tiger.htm">Tiger</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Rabbit.htm">Rabbit</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Dragon.htm">Dragon</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Snake.htm">Snake</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Horse.htm">Horse</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Sheep.htm">Sheep</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Monkey.htm">Monkey</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Chicken.htm">Chicken</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Dog.htm">Dog</a></b></td>
<td height="14" align="center" width="56"><b><a href="http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2014/2014Pig.htm">Pig</a></b></td>
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<tr><td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1900<br/> 1912<br/> 1924<br/> 1936<br/> 1948<br/> 1960<br/> 1972<br/> 1984<br/> 1996<br/> 2008</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1901<br/> 1913<br/> 1925<br/> 1937<br/> 1949<br/> 1961<br/> 1973<br/> 1985<br/> 1997<br/> 2009</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1902<br/> 1914<br/> 1926<br/> 1938<br/> 1950<br/> 1962<br/> 1974<br/> 1986<br/> 1998<br/> 2010</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1903<br/> 1915<br/> 1927<br/> 1939<br/> 1951<br/> 1963<br/> 1975<br/> 1987<br/> 1999<br/> 2011</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1904<br/> 1916<br/> 1928<br/> 1940<br/> 1952<br/> 1964<br/> 1976<br/> 1988<br/> 2000<br/> 2012</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1905<br/> 1917<br/> 1929<br/> 1941<br/> 1953<br/> 1965<br/> 1977<br/> 1989<br/> 2001<br/> 2013</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1906<br/> 1918<br/> 1930<br/> 1942<br/> 1954<br/> 1966<br/> 1978<br/> 1990<br/> 2002<br/> 2014</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1907<br/> 1919<br/> 1931<br/> 1943<br/> 1955<br/> 1967<br/> 1979<br/> 1991<br/> 2003<br/> 2015</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1908<br/> 1920<br/> 1932<br/> 1944<br/> 1956<br/> 1968<br/> 1980<br/> 1992<br/> 2004<br/> 2016</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1909<br/> 1921<br/> 1933<br/> 1945<br/> 1957<br/> 1969<br/> 1981<br/> 1993<br/> 2005<br/> 2017</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1910<br/> 1922<br/> 1934<br/> 1946<br/> 1958<br/> 1970<br/> 1982<br/> 1994<br/> 2006<br/> 2018</td>
<td height="14" align="center" valign="top" width="56">1911<br/> 1923<br/> 1935<br/> 1947<br/> 1959<br/> 1971<br/> 1983<br/> 1995<br/> 2007<br/> 2019</td>
</tr>
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<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445126?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445126?profile=original" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p><strong>2014 Horoscope for the Year of the Green Wood Horse</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-new-year.html" target="_blank">http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-new-year.html</a></p>
<p></p>
<p><span>The period from January 31st, 2014 to February 18th, 2015 will be spent by mankind in the pursuit of their dreams. The coming 12 months is the time of the Pegasus, not a village nag, so if you do not want to drag heavily laden carts then grow your wings and fly high. The horoscope promises that you will not be bored, because every day will be stuffed with events and surprises. If you perceive any deviation from the original plan as a personal tragedy, you will have a difficult time in the Year of the </span><span class="q5r1444t" id="q5r1444t_6">Horse</span><span>. Learn how to adjust to the </span><span class="q5r1444t" id="q5r1444t_5">outside world</span><span>, happily meeting any changes, because cooperation is better than confrontation. The long-mane patroness of 2014 will help the </span><span class="q5r1444t" id="q5r1444t_1">kind of people</span><span>who know how to take initiative and play by the rules. To earn the respect of the universe, we need to be strong, hardworking and self-reliant. Life’s benefits go to those who can reach them first, ahead of the crowd of competitors. However, it you have the intention to thin out the ranks of opponents through unfair methods, creating traps and poisoning teas, then you will be disqualified for the entire 12 months. The Horse cannot stand scoundrels and the envious ones, and every time tries to hit them with its hoof. Due to the heightened decency of the year’s mistress, all signs should forget about low blows and focus on self-development. Additional education, vocational training and valuable experience will enhance your credibility in the eyes of others, and help you take the coveted leader’s office. The fact that on the way to the top you will not step over other people or shove them into an abyss will greatly improve your karma, and who knows – perhaps you can later reincarnate into a beloved hamster of a business tycoon. From a financial standpoint, 2014 will be a successful year for the people who are used to working hard, very hard in fact, instead of sitting still and waiting for manna from heaven. Those slackers, who in their hope of heavenly life obediently tread the desert trusting in the mercy of God, will receive not mercy, but charity from Destiny. Even among the red-hot sands you must show business acumen and find a source of income, whether it be an oil well or a network of water selling outlets. </span><br/><br/><span>Many people will meet their other half in the Year of the Horse, but some will miss the godsend happiness from their own passivity and indecision. Remember that even a handsome prince must fight for his love: fighting the evil dragon, building flying ships. The only princess who knocked on the door of her boyfriend’s castle turned out to be capricious, nonsensical, and brought many complaints about a small pea under the duvet in the morning. If you do not want to wake up every day with a grumpy hysterical woman, then actively search for someone who would be worth </span><span class="q5r1444t" id="q5r1444t_2">living your life</span><span> with. In 2014, people should openly express their feelings and emotions, leaving the old man syndrome in the past. If you will shield yourself from the outside world, then it will answer you the same, resulting in the only happy birthday greeting you get coming from the automatic Gmail service. </span><br/><br/><span>A horse is a freedom-loving animal created for running through the wilderness and the wind, surrounded by its own kind. However, while flying through life, do not forget those who make up your herd: friends, colleagues and relatives. Invite them to celebrate the </span><span class="q5r1444t" id="q5r1444t_4">New Year</span><span> together; your cheerful and friendly company is bound to attract long-mane patroness, who will come to the light and endow everyone present. Despite the apparently democratic nature, the</span><span class="q5r1444t" id="q5r1444t_3">Green Horse</span><span> is still a born aristocrat, so people need to abide by the dress code during the festive celebration in her honor. Prefer clothes with elements of blue or green colors, these can be combined with brown and gray. Women should not neglect their large jewelry, designed in the same main colors, and men should dignify their costume with cufflinks or tie pins of relevant stone shades. Dressing up as bright as an orange, a tropical bird, a plum or a firefighter is not necessary. Leave these aggressive colors for something else; otherwise, the 2014 Horse will turn to you with the place where she grows her tail. </span><br/><br/><span>Even if you prefer to wear worn-out sneakers all year round, then go against this rule at New Year's Eve and sacrifice comfort for the sake of beauty (especially since the need to run away from the ball did not arise from the times of Cinderella). To please the long-mane mistress of the year, put on shoes with heels or soar above the ground on a high platform. Scattered loosely over the shoulders or flirty hair tail will help you charm the highest forces and to enlist their support for the next 12 months. </span><br/><br/><span>It is known that the Horse is an herbivore creature, so the hosts of the world will have to decorate the holiday table a variety of salads and vegetable platter. It is clear that the patroness will not approve of any horse sausages or roast beef, so the horoscope advises people to be satisfied with fish dishes or poultry. Prepare a loaf of bread for the Horse and various pies, cakes, and cookies for yourself. All filling and flour products are now held in high esteem. At New Year’s Eve, remember that your goal is not to eat yourself up to a fat state and not to drink until your face drops in the salad, but to have good fun, dance, and laugh at the neighing of last year setbacks. All while you prepare to be among the favourites of the race of life in the upcoming 2014! </span></p>
<p><span id="ctrlcopy"><br/><strong>Chinese 2014 horoscope for each zodiac sign.</strong></span></p>
<div><strong>Follow the 2014 Chinese New Year directory links below.</strong></div>
<div class="space"> </div>
<div id="china_horoscope"><div id="rat_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-rat.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Rat"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Rat</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Rat</div>
<div>1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008</div>
</div>
<div id="ox_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-ox.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Ox"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Ox</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Ox</div>
<div>1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009</div>
</div>
<div id="tiger_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-tiger.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Tiger"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Tiger</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Tiger</div>
<div>1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010</div>
</div>
<div id="rabbit_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-rabbit.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Rabbit"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Rabbit</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Rabbit</div>
<div>1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011</div>
</div>
<div id="dragon_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-dragon.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Dragon"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Dragon</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Dragon</div>
<div>1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012</div>
</div>
<div id="snake_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-snake.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Snake"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Snake</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Snake</div>
<div>1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013</div>
</div>
<div id="horse_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-horse.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Horse"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Horse</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Horse</div>
<div>1918, 1930, 1942, 1954,1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014</div>
</div>
<div id="sheep_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-sheep.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Sheep"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Sheep</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Sheep</div>
<div>1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015</div>
</div>
<div id="monkey_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-monkey.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Monkey"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Monkey</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Monkey</div>
<div>1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016</div>
</div>
<div id="rooster_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-rooster.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Rooster"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Rooster</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Rooster</div>
<div>1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017</div>
</div>
<div id="dog_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-dog.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Dog"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Dog</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Dog</div>
<div>1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018</div>
</div>
<div id="pig_sign"><div><a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-2014-horoscope-pig.html" title="Free Chinese horoscope 2014 for Pig"><b>Chinese 2014 Horoscope for Pig</b></a></div>
<div>2014 horoscope of the Horse year for the zodiac sign Pig</div>
<div>1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019</div>
<div><span id="ctrlcopy"><br/>Learn more at: <a href="http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-new-year.html">http://www.gotohoroscope.com/2014-horoscope/chinese-new-year.html</a><br/></span></div>
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</table> JUDY LARSON ~ The Art of Concealment ~ Wildlife Artisttag:totemtalk.ning.com,2013-12-09:5521792:Topic:256882013-12-09T20:09:41.137ZDouglas (Spirit Bear) Neelyhttps://totemtalk.ning.com/profile/DouglasSpiritBearNeely
<p><strong><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445496?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445496?profile=original" width="600"></img></a></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;"><a href="http://JUDY%20LARSON%20~%20The%20Art%20of%20Concealment%20~%20Wildlife%20Artist" target="_blank">JUDY LARSON</a> ~ The Art of Concealment …</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445496?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445496?profile=original" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino;"><a href="http://JUDY%20LARSON%20~%20The%20Art%20of%20Concealment%20~%20Wildlife%20Artist" target="_blank">JUDY LARSON</a> ~ The Art of Concealment </span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.judylarson.com/">http://www.judylarson.com/</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445703?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445703?profile=original" width="165" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong><a href="http://www.judylarson.com/bio.html" target="_blank">BIOGRAPHY</a>: </strong></p>
<p>Judy Larson always knew she was going to be an artist. She was surrounded by them as a child, and was particularly inspired by her father, a professional illustrator.</p>
<p class="bioP">Judy received a Bachelor of Science degree in Commercial Art from Pacific Union College in Northern California, then spent the next 17 years as a commercial artist, illustrator and art director.</p>
<p class="bioP">In 1988, influenced by her love of nature and animals, Judy devoted her time to wildlife art. Her primary focus in each of her paintings is the animal, with the horse as a recurring subject.</p>
<p class="bioP">Her unique approach to her work is through the use of scratch board--a technique that can render magnificent detail but one requiring infinite patience.</p>
<p class="bioP">Scratch board, an old, but little used medium, consists of a smooth, thin surface of hardened China clay applied to a board. The subject is then painted solidly with black India ink to create a silhouette.</p>
<p class="bioP">Now the exacting work begins, engraving the image into the surface of the artwork. While many artists use steel nibs or engraving tools, Judy prefers to work with X-acto blades, changing them ever few minutes to produce as fine a line as possible. Once the subject has been totally scratched, it is a finished black and white illustration, ready for the artist to add color. The methods of adding color are diverse. Judy prefers a combination of airbrush, gouache or acrylics for finishing, with frequent rescratching for detail.</p>
<p class="bioP">Scratch board is a demanding medium, one that Judy has used masterfully in developing her unique approach to wildlife art.</p>
<p class="bioP"></p>
<p class="bioP"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445737?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="600" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445737?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p class="bioP"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445855?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445855?profile=original" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p class="bioP"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445911?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063445911?profile=original" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p class="bioP"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446069?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446069?profile=original" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p class="bioP"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446146?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446146?profile=original" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p class="bioP"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446034?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446034?profile=original" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p class="bioP"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446429?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446429?profile=original" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p class="bioP"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446666?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446666?profile=original" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p class="bioP"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446953?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2063446953?profile=original" width="600" class="align-full"/></a></p>