from All Creatures Great and Small site

 Haven't visited this site in a while, and (naturally!) enjoyed some of the latest postings.

Meet Gator the goose, who wears custom sandals which were made for him by his owners so his feet don’t get sore after too much walking on concrete. Bob and Lauree Strouse designed the fancy footwear to protect his webbed feet on the pavements of St Augustine in Florida. Described as a ‘rescue goose’ by his owners, Bob and Lauree picked up their pet from the side of a lake filled with hungry alligators calling him ‘Gator Bait’, a name which has since been shortened.

This picture had no caption, but pretty much speaks for itself:

It reminds me of "The Human Spark", a documentary I just watched via Netflix.  Turned out we'd already seen it when it aired on PBS, but it was worth watching again.  Drawing on the theory that a catalytic "spark" converted humankind from just another species to planetary top dog, actor and science enthusiast Alan Alda spearheads a transcontinental hunt for the origins of that signal shift. The pursuit begins among the paleolithic cave paintings of Lascaux, leads to a comparison study of humans and chimps in Puerto Rico, then lands Alda back where he started -- in a detailed neuro-scan of his own brain.

Of course today's entry wouldn't be complete without at least one picture of penguins...

This fellow doesn't need to be reminded to stop and smell the flowers.  

(Yesterday, while mowing the Back 40 in preparation for tomorrow's irrigation, I was happy to see that many of the weeds along the back block wall had burst into bloom, so of course I had to take some pix.   

Watch for them in upcoming posts.)

A female olive-backed sunbird feeds her babies in Banting, 

on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

WOW!

(Whale watching has been on my Bucket List since long before I ever heard that term!)

On moonless nights, giraffes prefer to sit down and chew the cud. 

Interestingly, the thermal camera shows that they have very hot heads.

This looks like such a peaceful picture - 

but I'm guessing that other animals looking for a drink might not think so!

Love the expression on this fellow's face!

and last picture for today:

 The 93kg green sea turtle was taken to Australia Zoo’s Wildlife Hospital after being rescued by Moreton Bay Marine Park staff last December. She had been seriously injured after becoming entangled in a crab pot float line and her left front flipper sustained such damage that it had to be amputated.

After six weeks of rehabilitation, Noel was released off Mooloolaba, with experts uncertain of her future. Fitted with a tracking device, the resilient reptile proved she could not only survive but thrive.

Since February 3, she has travelled more than 2600km, paddling around Moreton Bay before heading south to Sydney. The head of Australia Zoo’s rescue unit, Brian Coulter, said Noel was leaving many four-flippered friends in her wake.

“This is a mindblowing achievement, given she only has three flippers,” Mr Coulter said.  “It is very important research because it shows that amputee turtles can survive. Some institutions have euthanased them in the past, thinking they would not make it.”

The zoo helps to rescue and repair up to 180 turtles a year.