The Animal Blog

Check out this amazing squirrel obstacle course:

It's amazing what they'll go through for food.

This is a video of a Costa Rican Brown Basilisk's unique ability to walk on water.

The webbing on its feet creates a high surface are to weight ratio enabling it to run for short distances on top of water in order to flee predators. Basilisks can run from 10-20 meters without sinking. It's nicknamed "the Jesus Christ Lizard" because of this ability.

...but NOT for animal cruelty.

Despite having sworn statements from his federal trial attesting to the acts he committed, the Surry County DA is not pursuing animal cruelty charges.

It's ridiculous to watch the DA dodge questions in the ESPN link below (watch the video):

Virginia grand jury indicts Vick on dogfighting-related charges

The rational is apparently that he doesn't want to be seen as "hopping on board" with the same charges pressed by the federal prosecutors. The animal cruelty charges could have exposed Vick and his counterparts to up to an additional 40 years in prison.

• Alligator found walking along LI roadway (Yahoo News)
  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070926/ap_on_fe_st/odd_li_alligator;_ylt=Akp1NTI4noqLWYKsD2OPduztiBIF
  "A 3 1/2-foot alligator has been captured walking along a Long Island roadway. Chief Roy Gross of the Suffolk County SPCA said the reptile was found by two people who were walking alongside a grassy area of Route 25A in Wading River on Sunday afternoon."
• Jack Hanna, flamingo get stuck in airport turnstile (USA Today)
  http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-09-17-hanna-airport_N.htm
  "Animal expert Jack Hanna and an 11-month-old flamingo became trapped while trying to squeeze through an airport security turnstile. It took firefighters to finally get the flamingo out."
• 12-Foot, 550-Pound Hammerhead Caught On Flagler Beach (9 News)
  http://www.wftv.com/news/14203134/detail.html
  "With a rod and a reel, a local man landed a huge shark off the Central Florida coast. The 12-foot-4 hammerhead was pulled ashore in Flagler Beach, just blocks away from a popular swimming spot."

• Baby tigers and baby orangutans become the best of friends (Environmental Graffi)
  Link
  "A pair of Sumatran tiger cubs and a set of young orang-utans, all abandoned at birth, have become inseparable after sharing a room at an Indonesian zoo."
• Guide Horse (Flickr)
  Link
  "This is scout, a miniature horse that works as a guide horse. I saw him and his partner at the Cincinnati airport and asked if I could take a picture as I had never seen a guide horse before! Yes, he did get on a plane! "
• Rare White Koala (The Daily Telegraph)
  Link
  "All white ... Mick is not an albino, he is much rarer than that"