Maybe you know what BONG means. How about BONGO? The Western or Lowland Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus) and The Eastern or Mountain Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) - WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards about Ghana

"The western or lowland bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate and among the largest of the African forest antelope species.

Bongos are characterised by a striking reddish-brown coat, black and white markings, white-yellow stripes and long slightly spiralled horns. Indeed, bongos are the only Tragelaphid in which both sexes have horns. Bongos have a complex social interaction and are found in African dense forest mosaics.

The lowland bongo faces an ongoing population decline and the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group considers the western or lowland bongo, T. eurycerus eurycerus, to be Near Threatened on the conservation status scale.

The eastern or mountain bongo, T. eurycerus isaaci, of Kenya has a coat even more vibrant than that of T. eurycerus eurycerus. The mountain bongo is only found in the wild in one remote region of central Kenya. The mountain bongo is classified by the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group as Critically Endangered with more specimens in captivity than in the wild.

In 2000, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) upgraded the bongo to a Species Survival Plan (SSP) Participant and in 2006 named the Bongo Restoration to Mount Kenya Project to its list of the Top Ten Wildlife Conservation Success Stories of the year."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongo_(antelope)

===========

As a side note, look what I saw in the FEEDJIT LIVE TRAFFIC widget of this blog, where I (and you, too) can see where the visitors come from (what country, what search terms, what referring websites...).

"Klang, Selangor arrived from search.yahoo.com on "Dorincard: The second-biggest owl in the world: The Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) - maximum card from Romania" by searching for the buboos biggest girls photos. 00:36:35 -- 4 hours 8 mins ago"

Man, oh, man...:)

The correct search terms should have been..."Photos of girls with the biggest Bubo bubo owls", I guess.

=================

Please visit and join ABC Wednesday meme!

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Today,  I is for Interesting color patterns for some animals. :)

WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards from Marshall Islands: 1) the largest land-living arthropod in the world; 2) the largest living bivalve mollusc; 3) the maxima clam; 4) the Triton's trumpet.

DID YOU KNOW that there are 2 kinds of giant clams?

Giant Clams...and Small Giant Clams!

[UL= upper left] "The coconut crab, Birgus latro, is the largest land-living arthropod in the world, and is probably at the upper limit of how big terrestrial animals with exoskeletons can become in today's atmosphere."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_crab

[UR] " The giant clam, Tridacna gigas (known as pā’ua in Cook Islands Māori), is the largest living bivalve mollusc. T. gigas is one of the most endangered clam species. It was mentioned as early as 1825 in scientific reports.
[2] One of a number of large clam species native to the shallow coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian oceans, they can weigh more than 200 kilograms (441 lb) measure as much as 120 centimeters (47.2 in) across, and have an average lifespan in the wild of 100 years or more.[3]."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_clam

[LL] "The maxima clam (Tridacna maxima), also known as the small giant clam, is a species of clam found throughout the Indo-Pacific. They are much sought after in the aquarium trade, as their often striking coloration mimics that of the true giant clam, however the maximas maintain a manageable size, with the shells of large specimen typically not exceeding 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tridacna_maxima

[LR] "Charonia tritonis, common name Triton's trumpet, is a species of very large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollus[k] in the family Ranellidae, the tritons."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charonia_tritonis

"The words mollusc and mollusk are both derived from the French mollusque, which originated from the Latin molluscus, from mollis, soft.Molluscus was itself an adaptation of Aristotle's τᾲ μαλάκια, "the soft things", which he applied to cuttlefish.^[27] The scientific study of molluscs is known as malacology.^{[28]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mollusc}

=============

Happy Blue Monday! (meme)

Please visit:  http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

Pink (s)lip service and a true conch: The Queen Conch (Lobatus gigas). WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards about Nevis.

What exactly is "a true conch"?

That's NOT a good question.

Why?

Because "The term true conchs, being a common name, does not have an exact meaning. It may refer generally to any of the Strombidae^[1] but sometimes is used more specifically to include onlyStrombus and Lambis^[2] or just Strombus itself.^[3]"

^?

^Anyway.

"Lobatus gigas, commonly known as the queen conch, is a species of edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family of true conchs, the Strombidae. This species is one of the largest mollusks native to the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic, from Bermuda to Brazil, reaching up to 35.2 cm (13.9 in) in shell length.

The queen conch is herbivorous and lives in seagrass beds, although the exact habitat varies during the different stages of its development. The adult animal has a very large, solid and heavy shell, with knob-like spines on the shoulder, a flared thick outer lip and a characteristic pink-colored aperture (opening). The flared lip is completely absent in younger specimens. The external anatomy of the soft parts of L. gigas is similar to that of other snails in the same family: it has a long snout, two eyestalks with well-developed eyes and additional sensory tentacles, a strong foot and a corneous sickle-shaped operculum."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eustrombus_gigas_01.jpg

What you see above it's just a shell "corporation".

Wanna see the corpore/corpus/soft body?

Here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Strombus_gigas_Duclos_in_Chenu_1844_pl_1.jpg

A legitimate question is: what the...hell are those?

Can you handle the truth? Jack Nicholson said you can't!

Here:

"A drawing of an adult male Lobatus gigas (from Duclos in Chenu, 1844) showing the external soft parts including the spade-shaped penis on the left. Separate details show the mouth, and both sides of the claw-like operculum."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobatus_gigas

"Nevis (pronounced /ˈniːvɪs/) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west ofAntigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. The capital of Nevis is Charlestown.

Nevis, along with Saint Kitts, forms the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The two islands are separated by a shallow two-mile (3.22 km) channel, known as "The Narrows". Nevis is conical in shape, with a volcanic peak, Nevis Peak, at its centre. The island is fringed on its western and northern quadrants by sandy beaches that are composed of a mixture of white coral sand with brown and black sand, eroded and washed down from the volcanic rocks that make up the island. The gently-sloping coastal plain (0.6 miles/1 km wide) has natural fresh-water springs, as well as non-potable volcanic hot springs, especially along the western coast."

"Alexander Hamilton, the statesman and one of the founding fathers of the United States, was born on Nevis around 1755, and spent a significant part of his childhood there. His father was a trader from Scotland, his mother was from Nevis. The place of his birth currently holds the Nevis Island Assembly Chambers and the Museum of Nevis History."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton

========================================

Happy Pink Saturday!

^{Please visit "Pretty in pink"/ "Show us your pink" [objects, that is :)] meme here:}

^{http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/}

The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), and other pelican species on WWF (and collector-created) maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards from Romania. Happy ABC Wednesday meme! Happy World Bird Wednesday meme!

I will post soon a scan with the complete set of 4. Thank you! :)

"The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is a member of the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe to India and China in swamps and shallow lakes. The nest is a crude heap of vegetation.

This is the largest of the pelicans, averaging 170–190 cm (67-75 inches) in length, 11–15 kg (24-33 lbs) in weight and just over 3 m (10 ft) in wingspan. On average, it is the world's heaviest flying species,^{[citation needed]} although large male bustards and swans can exceed the pelican in maximum weight. It differs from the Great White Pelican in that it has curly nape feathers, grey legs and greyish-white (rather than pure white) plumage. It has a red lower mandible in the breeding season. Immatures are grey and lack the pink facial patch of immature White Pelicans. The latter also has darker flight feathers."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalmatian_Pelican

"The Great White Pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus also known as the Eastern White Pelican or White Pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and in Africa in swamps and shallow lakes."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Whitepelican_edit_shadowlift.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_White_Pelican

In the above maxicards, I have spotted a few non-concordant elements - different species of pelicans on the same maxicard. The stamp species should have matched the postcard species, AFAIAC [as far as I am concerned].

Can you spot them, just as an intellectual challenge? :)

=================

Please visit and join The World Bird Wednesday meme!

http://worldbirdwednesday.blogspot.com/

============

They say that the gentle lamb sucks milk from two ewes...:)

Here's a second meme.

Please visit and join ABC Wednesday meme!

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Today,  H is for Heaven-on-Earth for birds. 

The Danube Delta (Romania/Ukraine), UNESCO World Heritage Site,

is a Sanctuary for birds and many other animal species. :)

"

"The Danube Delta (Romanian: Delta Dunării; Ukrainian: Дельта Дунаю, Del'ta Dunaju) is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent.^[1] The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania (Tulcea county), while its northern part, on the left bank of the Chilia arm, is situated in Ukraine (Odessa Oblast). "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DeltaRBDD.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube_delta

The blue sky of Mongolia. Happy Blue Monday meme. I have 3 out of 4 WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards from Mongolia, with The Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus)

"The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a large even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of central Asia. It is presently restricted in the wild to remote regions of the Gobi and Taklimakan Deserts of Mongolia and Xinjiang, China. There are a small number wild Bactrian camels still roaming the Mangystau Province of South West Kazakhstan. It is one of the two surviving species of camel.^[2] The Bactrian camel has two humps on its back, in contrast to the single-humped Dromedary camel.^[3]

Nearly all of the estimated 1.4 million Bactrian camels alive today are domesticated. In October 2002, the estimated 800 remaining in the wild in northwest China and Mongolia were classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.^[1]

Some authorities, notably the IUCN, use the binomial name Camelus ferus for the wild Bactrian camel and reserve Camelus bactrianus for the domesticated form.^[1]"

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactrian_camel}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bactrian_camels_-_Nubra.jpg

=============

Happy Blue Monday! (meme)

Please visit:  http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/