About Raccoon

• Raccoons have a keen sense of touch.
• Raccoon means Curiosity ~ Dexterity ~ Disguise
• Raccoon rhymes with baboon.
• Raccoons never den more than 1,200 feet from a permanent water source.
• Male racoons used to give girls the bones as a form of love charm.
• The raccoon is one of the primary rabies carriers.
• The name raccoon comes from an Algonquian word that means he who scratches with his hands.
• Raccoons are nocturnal, which means they sleep for most of the day and are active during the night.
• Raccoon prints look like tiny human baby handprints and footprints.
• During cold weather, raccoons will sleep for several days, but do not hibernate.

Raccoon or coon (Procyon Lotor) is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. Procyon means "before dog" and lotor means "washer." The word raccoon is derived from the Algonquin word ahrah-koon-em - meaning "[the] one who rubs, scrubs and scratches with its hands".
Raccoons are familiar animals with masked faces and ringed tails. They have five toes on both the front and hind feet.

Due to its adaptability, the raccoon has been able to use urban areas as a habitat. The first sightings were recorded in a suburb of Cincinnati in the 1920s. Since the 1950s, raccoons have been present in metropolises like Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Toronto. Their original habitats are deciduous and mixed forests, but due to their adaptability they have extended their range to mountainous areas, coastal marshes, and even urban areas, where some homeowners consider them pests. Raccoons are omnivorous and eat a variety of foods, including frogs, fish, amphibians, shellfish, insects, birds, eggs, mice, carrion, berries, nuts, vegetation, salamanders, insects, berries, corn, cat food, and human garbage.

Raccoons can carry rabies, a lethal disease caused by the neurotropic rabies virus carried in the saliva and transmitted by bites. he increasing number of raccoons in urban areas has resulted in diverse reactions in humans, ranging from outrage at their presence to deliberate feeding. The fur of raccoons is used for clothing, especially for coats and coonskin caps. Native American tribes not only used the fur for winter clothing, but also used the tails for ornament.

About Gorillas

• Gorillas are the largest of all primates.
• Gorillas live in groups of 3-30.
• Gorillas lifespan is between 30-50 years.
• Each gorilla has a unique nose print.
• Gorillas are quadrupedal.
• Man is gorilla's only enemy.
• Gorillas are generally quiet. They are not physically capable of making the same sounds as humans.
• Like other apes, gorillas have no tail.
• A gorilla's arms are shorter than those of an orangutan or gibbon.

Largest and most powerful of all living primates, the gorilla is a peaceful and sociable animal. It lives in the highlands and forests of Africa in small family groups. The first recorded gorilla sighting (by western civilization) was in the 5th century B.C. by a Roman explorer. There are three subspecies of gorillas living in different parts of Africa. The differences between them are very slight. Western Lowland Gorilla (gorilla gorilla), Eastern Lowland Gorilla (gorilla graueri) and Mountain Gorilla (gorilla berengei). The differences between mountain gorillas and lowland gorillas are slight and result mainly from adaptation to high altitudes. Mountain gorillas have longer body hair, higher foreheads, longer palates, larger nostrils, broader chests, shorter arms, shorter, wider hands and feet. Despite their size and current popularity, gorillas remained a mystery to people living outside of Africa until a missionary described them in 1847. After chimpanzees, gorillas are our closest relatives, sharing about 98 percent of our genes.

Gorillas live in moist tropical forests, often in secondary, or re-growing, forests or along forest edges, where clearings provide an abundance of low, edible vegetation. Mountain gorillas range up into cloud forest. Gorillas are the largest of all primates, with an adult male weighing between 350-600 pounds (157-273kg) and slightly smaller adult females weighing in between 150-300 pounds (66-136kg). The zoo gorilla that holds the world record for weight was more than 750 lb. (340 kg). They have large canine teeth and muscular arms but are actually very gentle and sociable animals.

Gestation is 8-1/2 months. There are typically 3-4 years between births. Infants stay with their mothers for 3-4 years. Females mature at 10-12 years (earlier in captivity); males 11-13 years, sometimes sooner if they assume leadership early. Lifespan is between 30-50 years. Gorillas eat some 200 types of leaves, tubers, flowers, fruit, fungus and some insects. Favorite foods include bamboo, thistles and wild celery. Gorillas do not drink water. They obtain all the moisture they need from the vast amounts of foliage they consume. Males consume approximately 50 lbs. a day.

The gorillas communicate to each other in a variety of ways. They grunt, cough and hoot and like humans, communicate many things though facial expressions and body postures. They also beat their chests with cupped hands and can charge for a short distance on two legs, although normally walk on four limbs – their feet and the knuckles of their hands. Gorillas are generally quiet. They are not physically capable of making the same sounds as humans. They generate about 25 distinct noises, however. Hooting can carry a mile through the forest and is usually exchanged between rival silverbacks. Other vocalizations include screams, grunts (indicating contentment) and high-pitched barks (indicating curiosity).

Gorillas live in groups of 3-30. A typical group consists of one silverback, one immature silverback, one immature male, three to four adult females, and three to six youngsters under eight years old. A female will usually transfer to another group, particularly if the silverback is her father and there are no other suitable males to mate with. Adult males usually leave after sexual maturity and start their own group or join other "bachelors."

About Dachshund / Doxie

Some Dachshund Facts and Trivia

• The dachshund was originally bred to hunt badgers.
• Dachshund means badger dog.
• Dachshunds (Weiner Dog, Sausage Dog, Hot Dog) are the smallest breed of dog used for hunting.
• The Dachshund is from Germany
• The dachshund was first introduced into the United States in 1887.
• There are two sizes of dachshunds : miniature (under 11 lbs.) & standard (usually between 16 and 32 lbs)
• The dachshund is very smart and learns fast, when they want to ( they're sometimes a little stubborn).
• The dachshund is bred in three different coats : Smooth or shorthaired, longhaired, and wirehaired.
• The dachshund comes in several colors including: red , Black and tan , solid black ,chocolate and tan , solid chocolate , dark chocolate , blue and tan , isabella and tan , cream , english cream , wheaten and wild boar .
• The dachshund is available in several patterns : single colors , two colors ( and tans ) , brindle , piebald , sable , dapple and double dapple .
• A dachshund has very little, if any doggy odor.
• A dachshund should never be overfed. They should never be allowed to get fat.

The dachshund is a short-legged, elongated dog breed of the hound family. However it is pronounced (variations include däks'hoont, -hʊnt, -hʊnd, -ənd, dɑks-, dæks-, dæʃ-), the breed's name is German and literally means "badger dog", from [der] Dachs, "badger", and [der] Hund, "dog". Due to the long, narrow build, they are sometimes referred to as a wiener dog or a sausage dog.

The Dachshund was bred to hunt and follow these animals to earth, gradually becoming highly evolved, with shortened legs to dig the prey out and go down inside the burrows. Smaller Dachshunds where bred to hunt hare and stoat. Dachshunds have many "terrier" characteristics. They are versatile and courageous dogs and have been known to take on foxes and otters, besides badgers.

Dachshunds are lively and affectionate, proud and bold - almost rash, tenacious, willful and clownish. Curious and mischievous, they are very clever and may attempt to train the owner rather than allow the opposite. Devoted to his family, some fanciers feel the long-haired variety is calmer than the other two types. The wire-haired variety is more outgoing and clown-like. All are slightly difficult to train. Dachshunds are good dogs to travel with. They are best with older, considerate children and are moderately protective.