If this month's sweltering weather is making it difficult for you to get excited about anything (except air conditioning), then we have some wonderful news: July is Wild About Wildlife month! We're celebrating these 31 days of frenzied fauna with a glut of gleeful wild animals, so to get your fix and learn about the amazing menagerie across our planet, just check out our slideshow!
Source: Getty
Sometimes you come across an animal so cute that you can't decide if you want to grab the nearest person and hug them or just crumple to the floor in the fetal position. Well, make sure you have soft Berber carpet at your feet and a loved one or two nearby, because we found 80 such creatures ready to be oohed and awwed over. Click away!
You may not think of polar bears as a summertime animal, and it's true that these Arctic creatures must adapt as the weather warms and their habitat dramatically retreats. But for one little polar bear, the sun's rays mean a new world to explore as the ice melts away from his home in the Scandinavian Wildlife Park. It's been awhile since we checked in on Siku the orphaned cub, but it appears he's been keeping himself busy over the last few months and growing bigger (but staying cute!) along the way. Here's a roundup of our favorite Siku photos to get your weekend off to a great start!
Source: Hilmer & Koch for Scandinavian Wildlife Park
Bouncy horse? Check. Bamboo snacks? Check. Long Summer naps? You bet. These giant bears have plenty to keep them occupied while they enjoy the steamy temperatures at the Beijing Zoo in China. One thing's for certain: life is good when you're a panda.
Today is Pink Flamingo Day, so since we gave turtles a chance to shine, we thought we'd give these bright avians their moment in the spotlight. These long-legged and long-necked fellas are a curiosity of the bird world, causing us to wonder: where did they get their rosy color and why the heck do they stand on one leg!? If you want to know more about flamingos, you first have to test your knowledge on the wonderfully pink birds. Good luck!
Take the Quiz
The sight of a sea turtle gracefully gliding through the ocean or a tortoise contentedly munching on greens warms an animal lover's heart. But these visions may soon be distant memories. Today's World Turtle Day seeks to create awareness of the animal's vanishing habitats around the world and to draw attention to the inhumane treatment of turtles as pets and food sources.
Whether you're considering a turtle as a pet or simply encountering these shelled critters in day-to-day life, American Tortoise Rescue, the sponsor of World Turtle Day, hopes that we can all help in preserving and promoting our reptilian friends by observing a few easy guidelines.
For a few more tips to celebrate World Turtle Day, just keep reading.
The trunk of an elephant may be one of the most precisely prehensile features in the animal kingdom, but try telling that to this days-old Asian elephant calf born at Tierpark Hellabrunn Zoo in Berlin! He's just beginning to figure out what to do with such a long nose, and his wobbly legs just barely hold up his 225-pound body! But we're sure he will be making mischief in no time.
A jaguar by any other name would still look as sweet . . . but it wouldn't technically be a jaguar. You see, even though some people call out these species interchangeably, I've zoomed into the photos from our big cats quiz to illustrate the spotty difference between the three.
Go forth, kitty expert, there you have it!
Bristol Zoo's Gorilla Island has a new (adorable!) occupant striding its shores. Little Kukena ventured out with mom Salome over the weekend and took his first steps in the big, big world. A 7-month-old Western Lowland gorilla, Kukena is part of an international conservation breeding program for this critically endangered species.
You could say we're a little giraffe-obsessed, but how can you blame us when zoos across the globe are bombarding us with these adorable animals? The latest addition to the zoo baby world is an as-yet-unnamed Rothschild giraffe born to mom Tatu at the Zoo Aquarium of Madrid on Easter day. This Spanish cutie can't seem to get enough of his audience — and the camera — even at just a few days old! We think he's muy lindo, so we've gathered up a few fun facts about these towering animals — check out our slideshow!
