The Platypus

The platypus is an egg laying mammal exclusively found in Australia.  They are very shy creatures, but a lot of work is now being done to learn more about them in the wild.  I hope you find the video clip, courtesy of National Geographic interesting to watch; it may give you an insight into these little mammals, indeed, may even be your first encounter with a platypus.  Their scientific name is Ornithorrhynchus anatinus.

These curios of Nature are found south from the State of Tasmania and along the eastern parts of Australia and just within the borders of South Australia, in freezing waters of the Australian Alps (yes, we get snow here!) to the warm rivers and lagoons of tropical Queensland.  They are classed as mammals because although they are egg laying monotremes, their young are suckled and reared on milk from the mother.  The female lays two, sometimes three eggs at a time, which are stuck together until they hatch after an unknown gestation period.  

All in all one of the strangest yet most endearing of creatures, they are favourites of mine..  I hope you enjoy this small glimpse into the life of a true Aussie, the playtpus, on this, our official Australia Day, 26th January 2011.

 Infant platypi with mother in nest

Well developed platypi young

 

Platypus country

~~Penelope~~

Captions I Couldn't Resist!

 

I received these pix in a recent email, and loved the captions so much I decided to blog them.  I can't pick a fave, though the Bluebird Of Happiness is a strong contender!  Even if you've seen them before, I hope they make you smile, or, even better, laugh out loud!  A smile on your dial costs nothing, after all  :)  And animals are just the best!

~~Penelope~~

Is Failure Real?

This is a prayer I received in my Inbox this morning.  I loved its message of hope and understanding, so I thougut I'd share it with you. Like many other folks, I often feel like I've failed at something; at least now I have a different perspective to soothe a troubled mind: I have learned, rather than failed.  This concept appeals to me immensely  :) 

Lord, are you trying to tell me something?
For...

Failure does not mean I'm a failure;
It does mean I have not yet succeeded.

Failure does not mean I have accomplished nothing;
It does mean I have learned something.

Failure does not mean I have been a fool;
It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.

Failure does not mean I have disgraced;
It does mean I have dared to try.

Failure does not mean I don't have it;
It does mean I have something to do in a different way.

Failure does not mean I am inferior;
It does mean I am not perfect.

Failure does not mean I have wasted my life;
It does mean that I have an excuse to start over.

Failure does not mean that I should give up;
It does mean that I should try harder.

Failure does not mean that I will never make it;
It does mean that I need more practice.

Failure does not mean that you have abandoned me;
It does mean that you must have a better idea.

~ Penelope ~

 

Quite Interesting

I found this little piece and thought it was quite interesting  :)  I love hedgehogs, though ours here in Australia are a little different and are called "echidnas".  They have sharp spines and eat ants.

According to Wikipedia:

Echidnas ( /ɪˈkɪdnə/), also known as spiny anteaters,^[2] belong to the familyTachyglossidae in the monotreme order of egg-laying mammals. There are four extantPlatypus, are the only surviving members of that order and are the only extant mammals that lay eggs.^[3] Although their diet consists largely of ants and termites, they are only distantly related to the true anteaters of the Americas. They live in New Guinea and Australia. The echidnas are named after a monster in ancient Greek mythology. 

Echidnas are small mammals that are covered with coarse hair and spines. Superficially they resemble the anteaters of South America and other spiny mammals like hedgehogs and porcupines. They have snouts which have the functiοns of both mouth and nose. Their snouts are elongated and slender. They have very short, strong limbs with large claws and are powerful diggers. Echidnas have a tiny mouth and a toothless jaw. They feed by tearing open soft logs, anthills and the like, and use their long, sticky tongue, which protrudes from their snout, to collect their prey. The Short-beaked Echidna's diet consists largely of ants and termites, while the Zaglossus species typically eat worms and insect larvae.^[4]

The long-beaked echidnas have tiny spines on their tongues that help capture their prey.^[4]
Echidnas and the Platypus are the only egg-laying mammals, known as monotremes. The female lays a single soft-shelled, leathery egg twenty-two days after mating and deposits it directly into her pouch. Hatching takes place after ten days; the young echidna, called a puggle, then sucks milk from the pores of the two milk patches (monotremes have no nipples) and remains in the pouch for forty-five to fifty-five days, at which time it starts to develop spines. The mother digs a nursery burrow and deposits the puggle, returning every five days to suckle it until it is weaned at seven months. The average wild echidna can grow as old as 16 years.
Male echidnas have a four-headed penis. During mating, the heads on one side "shut down" and do not grow in size; the other two are used to release semen into the female's two-branched reproductive tract. The heads used are swapped each time the mammal copulates.
Contrary to previous research, the echidna does enter REM sleep, albeit only when the ambient temperature is around 25°C. At temperatures of 15°C and 28°C REM sleep is suppressed.
 

Echidna anatomy in a nutshell

 Baby echidna, known as a puggle. 

Adult echidna

I find, however, that I prefer the look of hedgehogs overall; I think they are much, much cuter, so play the video above and I'm sure you'll be as captivated as I was!  :)  I just love their  little paws and sweet faces...Peace out!!!  Go Anteaters!!!

~~ Penelope ~~

Christmas Memories

Another year, another Christmas!  A strange one for me, this year...Sid has been quite ill, though home from hospital now, plus most of my State is under water with cyclone generated rain!  I'm not alone in thinking maybe I should grow fins and swim about instead of walking  :)  The ducks are in heaven, though, LOL

Going through some old pictures, I found one of my darling niece Lynne and me sitting on Santa's knee.  It is very old and a black and white, but I still recall clearly the dresses each of us we were wearing.  Mine was pale blue with white flower sprigs and Lynne's was light brown with little yellow ducks around the hem.  I was about ten and Lynnie was two...such innocence, though Lynnie looks a trifle overwhelmed  :)  She is now a mother to three grown sons!

These next two pix I had to share; the two decorations were made by my clever sister, Beverley, who is a craftswoman to her bones!   She does wonderful needlework, and designed and stitched the bootee and the diamond.  Not bad for an eighty year old!  I have had some lovely pieces from her over the years.

I loved the colours she chose and her technique is flawless to my eyes. You can zoom in in the pictures to better see the fine detail in her work.  I must get around to photographing some more of her pieces and post them to share with you.  I need to take lessons from Yael and Uri on the best ways to photograph craft.  A Happy Holiday Season to you and may 2011 be full of kindness and love...

~ Penelope ~

Pix of my Princess

The weather here is becoming very summery: humid and warm with occasional storms and showers, and the heat is getting to my dear little girl, who spends most of her days asleep in my bedroom  or lying on the floor by the computer when I am using it.   

Tiggy is so sweet and I am very lucky to have such a gentle, yielding girl to share my days...The ceiling fan is on in the two main rooms most days and Rusty, my canine companion hides away from the breezes under a favourite chair.

 Not so my Princess; she, when not napping, is always beside me, sharing my time, her voice asking for attention now and then in the kindest of manners.  I just love her!

 ~God Bless All Cats ~

 Especially Tiggy!

Even when she snores!

OOPS!  I've been found sitting at the computer!  LOL

"Can I have some attention now?"

So polite she is  :)

The thing about extinction...

 If you are, like me, a lover of animals, and wonder with concern about their futures in the wild, then go to this link and have a quiet read.  It won't take you long, and may even give you an insight on the plight of the many species that face extinction every single day.......it is one of several sites thatdemonstrates concern for the marvellous animals that co-populate our small blue planet.   Will these amazing creatures survive for our grandchildren and their children to see?  I wonder.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/lastchancetosee/sites/about/extinction.shtml

~ Baby orangutan photos taken at Melbourne Zoo by Penelope...Bono and Suma ~