Tag: cats

Domestic Dogs

~ joannerambling ~ 3 Comments

Ok this was suppose to be yesterdays post but I forgot to post  it, silly   me

I have written in the past about domestic cats but couldn’t find a post about domestic dogs, so here is one.

What are domestic dogs well they are a subspecies of the gray wolf, belonging to the family Canidae. They are one of the two most widespread domestic animals on Earth the other is the cat.

Dogs were the first species ever domesticated, long before livestock or crops but maybe not cats.

Domestication is thought to have begun 20,000–40,000 years ago, archaeological remains of clearly domestic dogs appear 14,000–17,500 years ago.

It is thought that early wolves likely were self‑domesticated by scavenging near human camps, and that humans favoured wolves that were less fearful, more tolerant, and better at reading human cues.

Dogs evolved a powerful ability to digest starch-rich foods thanks to extra copies of the AMY2B amylase gene — often 7× more than wolves, with some dogs having up to 30 copies. This allows them to break down carbohydrates from human food scraps.

Selective breeding created the widest range of any land mammal think Chihuahua to Great Dane, also coat types, head shapes, e

Dogs are hyper-social animals shaped to live alongside humans. They communicate by barking to signal territory, threat, boredom, or desire for attention.

We all know that they sniff other dogs’ rear ends to gather chemical information about identity, reproductive status, diet, and emotional state.

Dogs excel at interpreting human gestures, tone, and facial expressions, a skill far more developed than in wolves.

The idea that 1 human year = 7 dog years is an oversimplification as small dogs age more slowly and the really large breeds age faster. Also breed differences play a part in their aging beagles age differently from similarly sized breeds.

Puppies begin vaccinations at 6 weeks, with boosters at intervals and later every three years for core vaccines. s

Dogs evolved to do the following, seek human attention, understand human cues, form strong emotional attachments.

In think we all know that the Great Dane is the tallest dog regularly reach 71–86cm tall at the shoulder, with some individuals standing over 7 feet tall on hind legs.

The heaviest Dog Breed is the English Mastiff which typically weigh 54–104kg or 120–230lbs. Other giant breeds include Saint Bernard, Newfoundland and the Irish Wolfhound.]

The smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua weighing between 0.9 -2.7kg or 2-6lb, there are other tiny breeds such as Russian Toy, Toy Poodle and Pomeranian. 

I may write more about some of the breeds.

Lynx & Ocelot

~ joannerambling ~ 2 Comments

Not all big cats are as big as Lions, Tigers or Leopards the Lynx and the Ocelot are much smaller, but they are still awesome.  

Both of these cats are good hunters, and both are in danger of extinction. 

The Lynx can be found in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. They prefer to stay in forests or in rocky brush-covered places. They prefer to sleep in caves or hollow trees and will climb trees and lie on the branches.

They hunt mainly at night feeding on rabbits and other small animals, although if hungry they may kill a fox or deer.

The Lynx’s fur grows long all over its body it is light grey or greyish brown and has a silky feel. It is spotted and striped, they have stubby tails and long turfs of hair on their pointed ears. They also have huge feet which are covered in thick fur, they can act like snowshoes and help it run swiftly over snow.

Now look at the Ocelot which has varies reddish-yellow to smoky-pearl in colour, it’s body is covered with black spots of different sizes. The ones on its legs and feet are like dots while other parts of the body have shell-shaped spots. It also has a pink nose and large translucent eyes.

The ocelot is also known as the leopard or tiger cat of the USA, it lives in an area ranging from Texas to Argentina.  It likes to eat mice, rabbits, snakes, lizards, birds, monkeys and young deer.

They have been hunted for their fur but now there are laws to stop it.

They will fight fiercely, sometimes to the death, in territorial disputes. Like most felines, they are solitary, usually meeting only to mate. However, during the day they rest in trees or other dense foliage and will occasionally share their spot with another ocelot of the same gender.