NataliaCara

The Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is known worldwide appearing on movies and tv shows, and being the main attraction of many dolphinariums. They are classic bow riders, often approaching powered vessels, and surf in all kind of waves. Riding a wave or a wake, they can go almost twice as fast while using the same energy cost. They are acrobats, often leaping clear of the surface of the water, which combined with their intelligence, curiosity, and energy, have make them extremely popular to perform in oceanariums. But in spite of leaping being a natural behavior, often observed in the while, that doesn't mean it is always successful. In the video, two Common Bottlenose Dolphins can be observed leaping – or trying to -, but without taking into consideration that there were other dolphins around them. The first one jumps beautifully out of the water, but its landing is not as beautiful, as another dolphin surfaces right on that spot, causing an unfortunate collision! It's a cosmopolitan dolphin, occurring in oceans and peripheral seas in tropical and temperate latitudes, occupying many habitats, from coastal to pelagic waters. It is possibly the most adaptable of all cetacean species. In many inshore areas, the dolphins maintain definable, long-term, multi-generational home ranges, but in locations that are near the extremes of the species’ range, they are migratory. Offshore populations tend to be less restricted in range and movement. Offshore individuals usually have larger and darker bodies, but with smaller flippers. They occur in pods that can vary in size. The habitat influences the size of the groups. Those that live in bays form groups of 2 to 15 individuals, whereas animals that live offshore may form groups of tens or even hundreds of animals. They also often associate with many other species of cetaceans, such as Pilot Whales.

These Crab-eating Fox pups (Cerdocyon thous) have lost their mothers, so they had to be rescued and now live at a Wildlife Refuge. They are wild pups, but pups nonetheless, so they are curious and playful, and this little fella simply decided to steal the water bowl from one of the caretakers, and take it away, after getting the floor all wet. They are still in quarantine, which why they are not in a proper enclosure yet. The Crab-eating fox is the sole extant member of the Cerdocyon genus. Although it is called "fox", it doesn't belong to the fox-like tribe Vulpini, but shares the Canini tribe with 21 dog-like species, such as wolves, jackals, coyote, bush dog, wild dog, maned wolf, and the domestic dog, along with some other small canids that are called foxes, such as the Andean Fox, South American Gray Fox, Pampas Fox, Sechuran Fox, and Hoary Fox. It is mostly endemic to South America, but it has been sighted in Panama since 90s. It can be found in most South American habitats, such as savannas, tropical savannas such as the caatinga, plains, and campo, woodlands, subtropical forests, and prickly, shrubby thickets. It is only absent from rainforests, high mountains, and open grassy savannas, as well as urban areas. Although, as the name suggests, it feeds on crabs, the Crab-eating Fox is actually an omnivore, and its diet may vary according to location. It is opportunistic, eating insects, rodents, birds, turtle eggs, tortoises, fruit, bird eggs, crustaceans, insects, lizards and carrion. It is an important species for biological control. The illegal wildlife trade is the third most valuable illicit commerce in the world, losing only to drugs and weapons. That, along with loss of habitat by deforestation, fires, etc., results in an enormous amount of animals in need of rescuing. Only 1 in 10 animals survive trafficking! Do not support the pet trade! Animals should be free!

This video was shot while researching whales with the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS), for conservation purposes. Whales must be admired from a safe distance, and must not be approached, this way we can avoid accidents and stress for the animals. The Humpback Whale is probably the most well-known whale, as it is perfect for whale-watching, displaying many aerial behaviors on its breeding grounds, such as breaching. On their feeding grounds, such as in the video, they are a lot more discrete. It is one of the larger species in the world, with adults ranging from 12–16 m (39–52 ft) in length, and weighing around 25–30 metric tons (28–33 short tons). It has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins, and a hump on its dorsal fin, which gives it its name. The head and lower jaw are covered with knobs called tubercles, which are actually hair follicles, characteristic of this species. The fluke is almost always displayed when the animal dives, and it has wavy trailing edges and a pattern that is unique to each animal. The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is the sole member of the Megaptera genus, but it shares the Balaenopteridae family with the Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus), the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus), the Omura's Whale (Balaenoptera oomurai), the Bryde's Whale (Balaenoptera brydei), the Eden's Whale (Balaenoptera edeni), the Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis), the Common Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and the Antarctic Minke Whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). These are called Rorquals, the largest group of all baleen whales. Baleen whales, called Mysticeti, have filter-feeding system in their mouths instead of teeth. Baleen is similar to bristles, and are made of keratin, such fingernails, skin, hair, and horns, and are arranged in plates, attached to the upper jaw, being absent in the mid-jaw, forming two separate combs of baleen. They decrease in size as they go further back into the jaw.

Parkour is popular not only among humans, but also chinchillas! These ones can be seen jumping from object to object and an amazingly fast speed. Adorable!

The North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is one of the most endangered whales in the world, with an estimate of only 300-450 individuals remaining! There are two other species of Right Whale: the Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis), and the North Pacific Right Whale (Eubalaena japonica). All three species received this name because whalers referred to them as the "right" whales to kill, due to their large amount of oil and baleen, which had many uses. Also, they usually travel at no more than about 10 miles per hour, making them easy to capture, and they float once they are dead, making the carcass much easier to salvage. They came close to extinction by 1750, and although they became internationally protected in the first half of the 20th century, they might still go extinct in about 20 years. The populations of Southern Right Whale have been growing since, but the North Atlantic Right Whale is still very rare. In spite of whaling no longer being a threat to them, their main causes of known mortality are entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes. When ships run into them, the damage is often fatal; they might die at the time of the impact, or later, from blood loss or other complications. And although Ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement are the leading causes of death for North Atlantic Right Whales, they aren't the only ones. Right Whales are very sensitive to noise, so the sound pollution from seismic airguns, etc., is another very real threat, especially when combined with the first two. This video was shot while researching the whales with the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS), for conservation purposes. The motor was turned off, to avoid any accidents. They must be admired from a safe distance, and must not be approached.

Grooming is such an important part of social bonding among primates, that this little rescued vervet monkey couldn't resist when she saw me grooming this rescued blue monkey! These monkeys lost their mothers when they were very young, and are being rehabilitated at a Wildlife Center, where they'll stay until they have found a troop of their own, and can be released back into the wild. The Blue Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis), also known as Samango, belongs to the Cercopithecidae family of Old World Monkeys, the largest of all primate families, comprising 138 species of primates. The family includes the mandrill, drill, baboons, colobus, macaques, among many others. The genus Cercopithecus, generally referred to as Guenons, comprises 26 species, and 17 subspecies of Blue Monkey are recognized: Cercopithecus mitis opisthostictus, Cercopithecus mitis boutourlinii, Cercopithecus mitis albogularis, Cercopithecus mitis albotorquatus, Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni, Cercopithecus mitis doggetti, Cercopithecus mitis moloneyi, Cercopithecus mitis heymansi, Cercopithecus mitis erythrarchus, Cercopithecus mitis zammaronoi, Cercopithecus mitis kolbi, Cercopithecus mitis monoides, Cercopithecus mitis mitis, Cercopithecus mitis kandti, Cercopithecus mitis francescae, Cercopithecus mitis schoutedeni and Cercopithecus mitis labiatus. This species is widespread across Central, Southern and East Africa. It can be found in many different types of forest, such as lowland and montane tropical moist forest, riverine and gallery forest, delta forest, bamboo forest, sand forest, and even secondary forest, logged forest and thickets. Blue Monkeys are diurnal and arboreal, and live in groups of up to 40 individuals. They may form alliances with other monkey species, for added protection. They are mostly frugivorous and folivorous, so their diet consists mostly of fruits and leaves, but they also feed on slugs and worms. In spite of being widespread, this species suffers from habitat loss and hunting. The Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) is an Old World monkey, which means that it belongs to the Cercopithecidae family, the largest of all primate families, comprising 138 species of primates. The term "vervet" is used to refer to all members of the Chlorocebus genus, although it is still debated whether there are several species or only one, with several subspecies. They are native to the African continent, and can be found as far north as Egypt, and as far south as South Africa. They occupy savanna, open woodland, and forest-grassland mosaic, preferably close to rivers, being generally absent from desert areas and deep forest. It's a common and abundant species; flexible and easily adapted to secondary and highly fragmented vegetation, including cultivated areas and rural and urban environments, where it is often considered a pest, which gets them hunted and shot, causing many babies to become orphaned. In some areas, they become bushmeat. Vervet Monkeys live in large troops of up to 38 individuals, with one dominant male. The females are usually related to one another, but many unrelated males may be present. With a life-span of 10 to 11 years, females become sexually mature at age four, and males at age five. They breed from April to June, and a single offspring is born five months later.

This adorable young Tayra had to be rescued, so now he depends on his caretakers to feed him. As an omnivorous animal, his diet is both animal and plant based, and he particularly loves sweet potatoes! Just look at that happy face! The Tayra (Eira Barbara), is the sole member of its genus, but shares the Mustelidae family with over 50 other species, such as otters, weasels, ferrets, badgers, martens, polecats, grisons, and minks. It resembles its arctic cousin, the Wolwerine (Gulo gulo). The Tayra is native to the Americas, and is currently split into nine subspecies: Eira barbara barbara, in southern and central Brazil, western Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina; Eira barbara inserta, from central Costa Rica to southern Guatemala; Eira barbara madeirensis, from northern Brazil to western Ecuador; Eira barbara peruana, from Bolivia to the Peruvian Andes; Eira barbara poliocephala, from northeastern Brazil to the Guianas and eastern Venezuela; Eira barbara senex, from northern Honduras to central Mexico; Eira barbara sinuensis, from Panama to western Venezuela and Colombia; Eira barbara biologiae; Eira barbara senilis. It is an arboreal animal, although it also uses the forest floor. It is mostly diurnal, but sometimes crepuscular. It is solitary and it can travel long distances within its home range. It is an opportunistic animal, hunting small mammals such as rodents, but also birds, lizards, and invertebrates, as well as climbing trees to get fruit and steal honey. The Tayra is found mostly in tropical and subtropical forests, secondary rain forests, gallery forests, cloud forests, but also in dry scrub forests, gardens, and plantations, and it does well in agricultural areas and near human settlements. They live in tree hollows or burrows in the ground. The destruction of its habitat is the Tayra's biggest threat, forcing it to live closer and closer to humans.

All cats make stinky faces when they don't like a certain smell, and this Black Leopard is no different. It's hilarious how such big and powerful animal makes such a silly face! Filmed in South Africa.

These macaws are some of the two hundred parrots that were rescued after being taken from the wild to be illegally sold in the black market. Considering that only 1 in 10 animals survive trafficking, you can imagine how many have died so that people could have them in their homes. They now live in a large aviary, at a rescue center, where they live the best life they can under the circumstances, but it will never be like it was supposed to. This macaw, in particular, absolutely loves taking a bath and does so in an adorable and funny way every time the pool gets cleaned and gets re-filled. The other ones enjoy it, but this one has the time of its life! The Blue-and-gold Macaw (Ara ararauna), also known as Blue-and-yellow Macaw, is a South American species that inhabits forests, woodland, and savannah of Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay. It can also be found in a small area of Panama. It shares the Ara genus with seven other extant species: the Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus), the Red-and-green Macaw (Ara chloroptera), the Blue-throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis), the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), the Military Macaw (Ara militaris), the Red-fronted Macaw (Ara rubrogenys), and the Chestnut-fronted Macaw (Ara severa). Parrots, macaws, parakeets, and parrotlets belong to the Psittacidae family, the one with the most species at risk of extinction of all the bird families. In the last few centuries, several species have gone extinct. All species are found in tropical and subtropical zones. Psittacids are some of the most intelligent birds, with a highly developed brain, and can imitate all sorts of sounds. Some species can live for over fifty years. They generally mate for life, choosing their partner when they are still young, and share chores, preparing the nest together. The male feeds the female while she is nesting, and they both care for the chicks.

This Saki Monkey was rescued from the illegal pet trade, and now lives at a rescue center in the Peruvian Amazon. She is very nice, but also very shy, and doesn't let people pet her and such, but she does want to befriend her caretaker. She is still unsure about it, and only approaches her and the caretaker looks away, then the monkey comes close and touches her hand. Little by little a friendship is born… animals are fascinating! Saki Monkeys are New World Monkeys belonging to the Pithecia genus. Sixteen species are recognized: the Equatorial Saki (Pithecia aequatorialis), the White-footed Saki, also known as the Buffy Saki (Pithecia albicans), the Cazuza's Saki (Pithecia cazuzai), the Golden-faced Saki (Pithecia chrysocephala), the Hairy Saki (Pithecia hirsutea), the Burnished Saki (Pithecia inusta), the Rio Tapajós Saki, also known as the Gray's Bald-faced Saki (Pithecia irrorata), the Isabel's Saki (Pithecia isabela), the Monk Saki (Pithecia monachus), the Miller's Saki (Pithecia milleri), the Mittermeier's Tapajós Saki (Pithecia mittermeieri), the Napo Saki (Pithecia napensis), the White-faced Saki (Pithecia pithecia), the Pissinatti’s Bald-faced Saki (Pithecia pissinattii), the Rylands' Bald-faced Saki (Pithecia rylandsi), and the Vanzolini's Bald-faced Saki (Pithecia vanzolinii). Saki Monkeys have long, coarse, fluffy hair, which puffs up when they feel threatened, making them look bigger. Coronal hairs are directed forward, making them look like they have bangs. They are native to the rainforests of South America and rarely come down to ground. They tend to prefer mature forests including various flooded forests, such as várzea, which is the white-water flooded forest, igapó, the black-water flooded forest, palm swamp, also known as Mauritia swamp, and terra firma forest. They are also found in disturbed habitats and in fragments that have secondary forest, although they feed on seeds of large forest tree species, especially the ones in the family Lecythidaceae, which are usually in mature forest.

Although being hand-reared got this baby Striped Hyena very accustomed to humans, there was something about this one particular person that she just didn't trust, making her hide and act in a defensive manner, making the most adorable sounds. It's true that her hiding place is far from ideal, but the two chairs helped making her feel safer. As soon as the person left the area, she started behaving normally again. Although there once was a large number of hyena species, nowadays there are only four extant species in the Hyaenidae family. The Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena) shares the Hyaena genus with one other species, the Brown Hyena (Hyaena brunnea), although the latter has been placed in the Parahyaena genus in the past. The Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is the largest of them all. The small Aardwolf (Proteles cristata), in spite of belonging to the Hyaenidae family, is not considered a true hyena. The Striped Hyena is the smallest of the true hyenas. In the Summer, the coat is much shorter and coarser than during the Winter, and lacks underfur, but the mane remains large. It is a nocturnal animal that typically lives alone or in pairs, being monogamous, although groups of up to seven individuals have been recorded. Unlike the other members of the Hyaenidae family, that occur only in the African continent, the Striped Hyena can be found in the Middle East, the Caucasus and central Asia, as well as in most of west Africa, and most of the Sahara, split into many isolated populations. Although hyenas might somewhat resemble dogs, they are actually more closely related to cats, belonging to the Feliformia suborder, along with mongoose, meerkat, fossa, civet, genet, etc. Striped Hyenas are listed as Near Threatened, having a wider distribution range than the other members of their family, however, very little is known about their status and ecology.

At first glance anyone would think this camel is dead. However, this is just a very relaxing position. Well, at least according to this fella. Camels are hilarious!

This adorable Great Dane pup is only four months old, in spite of its really big size, and it is still very clumsy and not well coordinated. Although he is a very tall dog even at such an early age, he can't reach things that are very high, because he does not know how to jump! He tries, but fails miserably, although his attempts are hilarious and adorable! In spite of its name, Great Danes are actually from Germany. They were originally called "Boar Hounds", because wild boars were what they were bred to hunt. The name was changed in the 16th century to "English Dogges". Later in the 1600s, German nobles began keeping the "best" ones for themselves, refining the breed to the well-balanced, elegant and gentle dog we have nowadays. The name "Great Dane" appeared in the 1700s, when a French naturalist saw one in Denmark that was slimmer and more Greyhound-like than the original ones, and called it "Grand Danois", and the name stuck, even though it had nothing to do with the breed's development. But much has changed since then. Even though they may look imposing and intimidating, often being used as guard dogs, they are actually very sweet, affectionate, eager to please, and gentle with kids. They are also easy to house train, responding well to positive reinforcement, and love the play! They are often referred to as the "Apollo of dogs", Apollo being the Greek god of the sun. Great Danes have an athletic and muscular body, with a massive, long and narrow head, and a long neck. They love attention and often nudge people with their head, and many of them think they are lap dogs. Unfortunately, due to its huge size, the lifespan of a Great Dane is around eight years old, possibly reaching ten years of age.

While working on shark conservation, these biologists needed to catch them to put a tracker in them that would allow the researchers to monitor them for up to ten years. But in order to catch a shark, you need a good bait, so they were trying to catch a tuna for it. So just imagine their surprise when a marlin jumps out of the water instead!! It was still a young one, but it was much bigger, heavier, and stronger than a tuna! Catching a marlin was never the intention, so they tried to bring it to the boat to set it free, but after an hour trying, the marlin bested them and cut the line itself. What an experience! Marlins have elongated bodies, a rigid and long dorsal fin that extends forward forming a crest, and a spear-like bill. Its name is believed to have come from its sailor's marlinspike look. Wanderers of the oceans, they can be found worldwide, near the surface of the sea, feeding mostly on other fishes. They use their long spears to slash at schooling fish and stun their prey; rarely actually spearing. They are consumed as food and are highly prized by sport fishermen. Marlin fishing, also known as billfishing, is considered by some game fishermen to be a pinnacle of offshore game fishing, due to their size and power, their astonishing speed bursts, and relative rareness. There are five species of Marlin: the Atlantic Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans; the Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin (Makaira mazara); the Black Marlin (Istiompax indica); the Striped Marlin (Kajikia audax); and the White Marlin (Kajikia albida). The marlin family (Istiophoridae) also includes the Atlantic Sailfish (Istiophorus albicans), the Indo-Pacific Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), the Shortbill Spearfish (Tetrapturus angustirostris), the Roundscale Spearfish (Tetrapturus georgii), the Mediterranean Spearfish (Tetrapturus belone), and the Longbill Spearfish (Tetrapturus pfluegeri), all with the same general body shape of the marlins.

Sometimes, even when they are already as perfect as this little one, something happens that keeps sea turtle embryos from reaching that final stage of their development. Sometimes it can even be as simple as the tide reaching the nest; that can be enough to keep them from being born. Thankfully, most of its siblings made it out of the nest! We find these little ones, still attached to the egg yolk, when we check the nests after all the others have already hatched, for conservation purposes. Sea Turtle hatchlings usually come out between the last and the first hours of the day, when the temperatures are nicer and they won't overheat, however, on cloudy/rainy days, they can come out at any time. Sea Turtles spend a few days inside the nest, after hatching. First, they absorb what's left of the yolk sac and wait for their plastron to straighten out, and then it can take up to 48 hours for them to surface, buried alive during that whole time... And then they emerge, and find themselves in a completely different world... A world only the females who reach adulthood will see again... And then it begins, the long crawl towards their new life... When they hatch, sea turtles crawl to the ocean, where the survivors spend the rest of their lives. Males never go back to land, but females have to, so that they can nest. They find their way back to the same beach where they hatched, decades later, then crawl up the beach, usually when it is dark, and when they find the perfect spot, the digging begins. It can take a whole hour to dig a nest, then lay the eggs, cover it up, and make sure nobody finds it, because that is all the parental care they are going to get: making sure the eggs are as safe as possible before the mother goes back to the ocean. The one video is an Olive Ridley, the second smallest species, but the most abundant one, although it is listed as a Vulnerable species.

Parrots, macaws, parakeets, and parrotlets belong to the Psittacidae family, the one with the most species at risk of extinction of all the bird families. In the last few centuries, several species have gone extinct. Although the Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) is the member of the Anodorhynchus genus that is the least threatened, it is still concerning. The species used to be widely spread in Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia, however, its populations have declined drastically, due to a combination of hunting for feathers, loss of habitat, and the illegal pet trade, both national and international. A rapid population decline seems to have taken place over the last three generations (31 years), Over 10,000 birds have been taken from the wild in the 1980s alone, sent to the United States, Japan, and Europe, where they would spend the rest of their lives in captivity. To protect the Hyacinth Macaw it's necessary to protect its food and the trees used for nesting, which should happen throughout the year. They have a specialized diet, and 95% of their nests are made on one tree species, the manduvi tree (Sterculia apetala), also known a Panama tree. Because of that, in the late 1990s, 150 artificial nests have been installed in the Pantanal, where the largest population is, and over 50% of the nests were immediately occupied by them. Other species that compete with the Hyacinth Macaws for nesting trees have also started using the artificial nests, which increased the survival of Hyacinth Macaw chicks in over 200%. The population in the Pantanal has undergone a recovery since, but the overall rate of decline over three generations is still suspected to have been rapid. This species has been downlisted from Endangered, it is now listed as Vulnerable. The macaws are still being monitored and cataloged. In the video, one individual can be seen watching the biologists from an artificial nest, as they approach it to collect the data.

This absolutely adorable miniature petrel is a Wilson's Storm Petrel that had to be rescued and taken to a marine life rehabilitation center and still hasn't learned how to feed itself under these new circumstances, so the rehabbers have to insert the tiny bits of fish directly into its beak. Needless to say, they are all in love with it, I mean, just look at that face! Although most people have never seen, or even heard of a Wilson's Storm Petrel, it is one of the most abundant bird species in the world, with a world population estimated to be over 50 million pairs. It is a very difficult bird to see from land, once it is strictly pelagic outside the breeding season, and has remote breeding sites. The Wilson's Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) breeds on the Antarctic coastlines and nearby islands during the Southern Summer. It moves into the northern oceans in the Southern Winter. It is a lot more common in the North Atlantic Ocean than in the Pacific. The Wilson's Storm Petrel belongs to the Oceanitidae family, along with four other genera of Austral Storm Petrels, also known as Southern Storm Petrels, and shares the Oceanites genus with two other species: the Elliot's Storm Petrel (Oceanites gracilis), and the Pincoya Storm Petrel (Oceanites pincoyae). Austral Storm Petrels are the smallest of all seabird species. The Wilson's Storm Petrel reaches a maximum of 18.5 cm (7.3 in) in length. It flies low over the surface of the sea, like most other small petrels, pattering it as it picks up plankton, but it has a more direct gliding flight than the other species. The wings are often held high to achieve this unique fluttering and hovering flight, and it can soar even in calm weather, by making use of the slight breeze produced by the waves, while using its feet to stabilize itself. It rarely dives to capture prey.

Imagine living in a waterfall and having to spend all day hanging onto the walls so that you don't get blown away by the force of the water. The struggle is real for these Great Dusky Swifts as we witness just how extreme their lives really are.

This adorable penguin had to be rescued and rehabilitated; unfortunately, in the process, it became too humanized and tame, making it impossible to be released back into the wild, so it will have to spend the rest of its life in captivity. However, it receives the best possible care and lives with other unreleasable penguins, and loves its caretakers. Every once in a while, it gets to go for a walk around the rescue center, which it absolutely loves! How adorable is that?! The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is also known as South African Penguin, Cape Penguin, Black-footed Penguin, and Jackass Penguin. It shares the Spheniscus genus with three other species: the Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus), the Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti), and the Galapagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus). All four species have similar coloration, but the African Penguin cannot be mistaken by any of the other three in the wild, as it is confined to southern African waters, whereas the other species are found in South America. With the exception of the Galapagos Penguin, which is found north of the Equator, all penguin species live in the Southern Hemisphere. Because penguins are flightless birds who spend a large portion of their time in the water, their wings have been modified into flippers, to make them better swimmers. A penguin's coloration is counter-shaded for camouflage, with a white front and black back, so that when they are swimming, it is hard for a predator looking up to distinguish them from the reflective water surface, whereas the black helps them when seen from above. Their aquatically adapted bodies make them waddle when they walk, so another way to move around out of the water is to slide on their bellies in the snow or on ice, using their feet to steer and propel themselves. Penguins can also jump, which is often observed in Rockhopper Penguins.

Cats will always do things their own way, it's just who they are. Check out this one decide to drink water from a cup instead of a bowl, no matter how difficult that might be!

These coatis used to be kept at a very young age. But in spite of having been legally bought, coatis are still wild animals, and make terrible pets, even though they extremely cute and makes you want to cuddle them. So, after a little while, their owner realized that was a really bad idea, donating them to an institute that could care for them properly. But those animals, growing up as pets, could not be released, for they are now humanized, and are no longer afraid of people. So they started being used for educational purposes, so that students could learn how to properly handle wildlife, but in order to do that, they would have to not attack the students handling them, which, for a coati, is a lot to ask. So their caretaker had to sit with them, every day, for them to get accustomed to it, and cooperate, otherwise they would simply be animals in captivity. South American Coatis (Nasua nasua) are very energetic animals, and extremely curious! They spend most of their time exploring, climbing, while looking for food or anything else they can steal, causing trouble in the process! They don't take no for an answer, and will climb on people and search every inch of them, trying to find something they consider interesting! They have a very similar personality to raccoons, members of the same family (Procyonidae). In this video you can clearly observe these behaviors. One of wants to check out everything: "could there be something hidden in the sleeves, or underneath the lab coat, or maybe I'll check if there's something on her back!". The other one is clearly obsessed with his caretaker's pocket! He doesn't want anything else, just whatever is in the pocket! And he's not willing to share it either! So determined! Animals are so funny!

This two-month-old Golden Bengal Tiger might be little, but she's got quite the personality! Cubs love to play, and she is no different, and everything becomes a game. Every baby animal is cute, and cats in particular, so it's no surprise that she looks absolutely adorable, and one could spend hours just looking at her… Did you know that, even though that are quite a few "types" of tigers, they all belong to the species, Panthera tigris? Nine subspecies were confirmed based on distinctive molecular markers: Amur/Siberian (Panthera tigris altaica), Northern Indochinese (Panthera tigris corbetti), Malayan (Panthera tigris jacksoni), Sumatran (Panthera tigris sumatrae), Bengal (Panthera tigris tigris) and South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) still exist, and Bali (Panthera tigris balica), Javan (Panthera tigris sondaica) and Caspian Tiger (Panthera tigris virgate) are now extinct. The Bengal Tiger usually have the classic orange "tiger look", but recessive genes can change color mutations, like the white Bengal tiger and the golden Bengal tiger, as seen in this video. So in spite of being different colors, they are all Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris). Golden tigers, however, tend to be larger and have a softer fur. Tigers are native to Asia, and can currently be found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, and Thailand, even though they used to occur in many other countries. They occur mainly in the forests of tropical Asia, although historically they used to be found in drier and colder climes. Tigers are solitary and territorial animals. A male's territory will usually overlap with the territories of three females, but females' rarely overlap with each other. After a century of decline, the numbers of individuals in the wild is finally starting to increase, but the species is still listed as endangered species, being at risk of extinction.

This funny Crab-eating Raccoon has neurological problems and had to be rescued. She is monitored by a veterinary and receives really good care. She might have an odd appearance and behavior, but we must agree that she has a very captivating way of scratching her head! In reality, rubbing the posterior part of the neck against objects is a form of territorial marking in this species. The marking is done using vertical or rotating movements of the head. And as it can be observed in the video, glandular secretions, usually from their anal glands, are also used for marking, as well as urine and feces. Crab-eating Raccoons (Procyon cancrivorus), also known as South American Raccoons, are native to South and Central America. They inhabit marshy and jungle areas, and feed mostly on crabs, lobsters, crayfish and other crustaceans and shellfish, such as oysters and clams, but being omnivorous, they also eat fruit, turtle eggs and small amphibians. They are about the same size as common raccoons, in spite of looking smaller, due to its much shorter fur. Although it is naturally rare in some of the areas of its range, and unlike its Northern cousin, it doesn't adapt well to human activity, the species is listed as Least Concern, because it has a wide distribution range. They are nocturnal, solitary, and active at ground level. They have well-developed tactile senses, particularly in the nose and hands, using their hands as tools. They use their hands to handle and manipulate food before placing it in their mouths, and can manipulate small prey items. They can also be observed dipping their food in the water before eating it. Some studies have placed raccoons' intelligence above cats' but below primates', when it comes to discriminate objects. They also showed that raccoons can learn quickly and retain knowledge for up to a year. Female distribution is limited by resources such as water, food, and den sites, whereas males might be driven by the densities and spatial distribution of females. They have excellent nighttime vision, in spite of being color blind, and have 13 different vocalizations recognized so far, 7 of which are between the mother and young.

This adorable Sea Lion pup had to be rescued and cared for at a wildlife sanctuary, until he is old enough to be released back into the wild. Since the goal is to return him to his natural habitat, we can't let him get tame, or he'll have to spend the rest of his life in captivity, so we can't pet him or cuddle him, no matter how much he begs for attention. In fact, no time is spent with him more than necessary. When this video was recorded, his enclosure was getting repaired, so he had to be distracted, to let people work. It might break your heart to refuse the attention he craves, but it's for his own good! The South American Sea Lion (Otaria byronia, but also known as Otaria flavescens) belongs to the suborder Pinnipedia, a group of marine mammals in the order Carnivora that have front and rear flippers. Pinnipeds are split into three families: Phocidae, the earless seals (true seals and elephant seals); Otariidae, the eared seals (sea lions and fur seals); and Odobenidae (walrus). Sea lions not only have external ears, but have the ability to walk on all fours, due to their long front flippers. South American Sea Lions are heavy-bodied and stocky, and have a strong sexual dimorphism, with males reaching up to 350 Kg and 2.6 m in length, and females being no longer than 2 m and weighing 170 Kg. It is a widespread species around the South American continent, being found in Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil, and it has even been observed in Ecuador and Colombia. Adult males have been recorded at over 300 Km from the coast, but juveniles won't venture beyond 80 Km. Dives are usually between 100 and 120 m, although the maximum depth recorded was of 320 m, and lasted five minutes.

This adorable baby lost his mother to poachers, but was lucky enough to be rescued. Having to be hand-raised at a Wildlife Refuge, he has become very accustomed to people and, unfortunately, won't be able to be released back into the wild. Primates, in general, are extremely social animals, and the babies need to be with a mother, even if a foster one. The moment she met her caretaker, she instantly adopted her as her foster mom and wants nothing more than to spend the whole day with her. She still should be nursing, but not having her mother around, she tries to suckle the caretaker's ears, neck and arm, not for feeding, but trying to find some comfort, like a pacifier. The bond between the monkey and her caretaker is beautiful to watch! In spite of the great size difference and physical appearance, the resemblance in behavior shared between a baby monkey and a human baby is remarkable! Her cries, begging for attention are absolutely adorable! I mean, who could resist it?!?! The Bolivian Red Howler (Alouatta sara) is a species of Howler Monkey that is endemic to Bolivia, which means that it can't be found anywhere else in the world, although it used to be considered a subspecies of Red Howler Monkey (Alouatta seniculus). Although baby monkeys can be super and cuddly, it is important to remember that they are wild animals, and should NOT be kept as pets! This baby lost her mother and was rescued from the black market precisely because people buy monkeys! The illegal wildlife trade is the third most valuable illicit commerce in the world, losing only to drugs and weapons. That, along with loss of habitat by deforestation, fires, etc., results in an enormous amount of animals in need of rescuing. Only 1 in 10 animals survive trafficking! Do not support the pet trade! Animals should be free!