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

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Happy Pink Saturday!

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

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

Happy International Women's Day (IWD)! Ruby Tuesday meme. Maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards from USA

Best wishes to all the women in the world! :)

Just like men, they have hormones like testosterone and estrogen, but in very different percentage.

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

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

Besides, there are many notions and people in the middle ground between MALE and FEMALE:

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

Don't focus on "Season's Greetings"; focus on the red roses, for today's occasion, OK? :)

Yes, I used a white mailing label, coz I want the postmark to be visible.

Here, black on black means invisibility, get it? :)

"International Women's Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women’s Day is marked on March 8 every year.^[1] It is a major day of global celebration of women. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements.

Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet bloc. In many regions, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day. In other regions, however, the original political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women's_Day

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Please visit and join Ruby Tuesday meme!

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

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

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Happy Blue Monday! (meme)

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

Happy Sunday Stamps! meme. Stamps with artwork BY children, and stamps with artwork FOR children.

The above maximum card is created with an ad(vertisement) card.

How many issuing countries contributed to the above selection of stamps? :)

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

Not really flying: The Siberian Flying Squirrel (Pteromys volans) - WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards FROM Estonia (Eesti) ("FROM", not "ABOUT" Estonia, because they are really postmarked locally). Happy Postcard Friendship Friday! meme.

Mother Nature, or The Supreme Genetic Engineer gave this species the skinny - the furry glide membrane or patagium, a flap of skin that stretches between the front and rear legs.

"By spreading this membrane the flying squirrel may glide from tree to tree across distances of over a hundred meters, and have been known to record a glide ratio of 3.31, but is normally 1-1.5.^[2]"

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

It would have been better if the postcards didn't have the basically identical, enlarged image of each matching stamp. Viva variety, you National Postal Administrations! :)

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Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

Please visit: http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com/ (wait until Beth posts the today's Linky tool for the meme, then make your entry, if you want to join).

Can you spot a heart shape here? Hint: it's upside-down. Guest Heart Thursday meme. Official (from the Post) maximum card/ maxicard/ dorincard with Boxer Dogs, from Suomi/ Finland.

"White Boxers

Boxers with white markings covering more than one-third of their coat - conventionally called "white" Boxers - are neither albino or rare; approximately 20–25% of all Boxers born are white.^[5]Genetically, these dogs are either fawn or brindle, with excessive white markings overlying the base coat color. Like fair-skinned humans, white Boxers have a higher risk of sunburn and associated skin cancers than colored Boxers. The extreme piebald gene, which is responsible for white markings in Boxers, is linked to congenital sensorineural deafness in dogs. It is estimated that about 18% of white Boxers are deaf in one or both ears,^[6] though Boxer rescue organizations see about double that number.^[7][8] In the past, breeders often euthanized white puppies at birth; today, most breeders place white puppies in pet homes with spay/neuter agreements. White Boxers are disqualified from conformation showing by the breed standard, and are prohibited from breeding by every national Boxer club in the world. They can compete in non-conformation events such as obedience and agility, and like their colored counterparts do quite well as service and therapy dogs."

Temperament

“	The character of the Boxer is of the greatest importance and demands the most solicitous attention. It is renowned from olden times for its great love and faithfulness to its master and household. It is harmless in the family, but distrustful of strangers, bright and friendly of temperament at play, but brave and determined when aroused. Its intelligence and willing tractability, its modesty, and cleanliness make it a highly desirable family dog and cheerful companion. It is the soul of honesty and loyalty, and is never false or treacherous even in its old age.	”
	— 1938 AKC Boxer breed standard[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_(dog) "Never false or treacherous even in its old age"...compare that with grumpy old pets, especially males. Ungrateful pets... Compare that with dubious or dangerous pets such as Travis The Chimp, possible posthumous spokeperson for U-Maul Company.  To stop him, it wasn't enough a simple stabbing with a kitchen knife, by her desperate female owner who had been taking care of him with food-and-beverage-including-wine-and-bathing(!)-and-sleeping(!)-accomodations(?). It took police firepower, after Travis ripped apart the side-view mirror of a police cruiser and then he (it?) lunged to assault a police officer, too. How hard would have been for a big, muscular male chimpanzee to also rip apart a human's head? Not hard at all. A specialist said that a male chimp can be 10 times stronger (especially in the upper torso) than an average human male. "Travis walked up to the police car when it arrived and tried to open a locked passenger door, instead smashing a side-view mirror. Then he went calmly around to the driver's-side door and opened it, at which point Officer Frank Chiafari shot him several times. Travis retreated to the house, where he was found dead next to his cage.[8]" "He [Travis] was adopted by Sandra and Jerome Herold when he was three days old.[2" "Jerome died from cancer in 2004, and their only child died in a car accident; as a result, Sandra Herold considered Travis as a son and pampered him.[8][14] Sandra slept and bathed with Travis saying, "I'm, like, hollow now. He slept with me every night. Until you've eaten with a chimp and bathed with a chimp, you don't know a chimp." [16][17" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_(chimpanzee) How well did SHE know a chimp, mauling and all? Moral: you want a house pet? Don't take a chimpanzee, tiger, etc. Take a good breed of dog or cat, or so.

Please visit and join The Guest Heart Thursday meme!

http://clytie-randomhearts.blogspot.com/

Welcome to Guest Heart Thursday -
A place to share YOUR hearts!

"Keep monkeying around - I'll snatch your sorry [donkey]!" The largest and the most powerful raptor found in the Americas: The American Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja). WWF Maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards about Guyana.

The largest and the most powerful raptor found in the Americas: The American Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja).

Look at the stamp from the maximum card in the lower left - do you see who has been monkeying around?

Actions have consequences. Lack of awareness got punishment. 

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

"What is a bird of prey?

• Bird of prey is a loose term often applied to the eagle, kite, hawk and even sometimes the owl
• Typically have curved beak, curved talons and good eyesight for finding prey
• Raptor is sometimes used specifically to describe birds that seize warm-blooded animals during the day" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12634698

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Please visit and join The World Bird Wednesday meme!

http://worldbirdwednesday.blogspot.com/

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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,  G is for Guyana. :)

Never Fight a Land War in Asia | STRATFOR. Red is the blood, red in the flag...Maximum card/ maxicard/ dorincard about the Vietnam War Memorial, in Washington, D.C. Please visit and join Ruby Tuesday meme!

Never Fight a Land War in Asia | STRATFOR

Whether you agree or not with all the ideas from that article, it's still an interesting read.

 

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Please visit and join Ruby Tuesday meme!

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/