#Animate Europe

[herpsandbirds]

Barn Owl (Tyto alba), fledgling chick hauling ass across a lawn, as it was learning to fly, family Tytonidae, order Strigiformes, Netherlands

photograph by Hannie Heere

[mapsontheweb]

Map of Europe made up of its national animals

[loveisinthebat]

Eyes full of Hope

[mammalianmammals]

Common Genet (Genetta genetta), family Viverridae, Spain

Once believed to have been introduced into Iberia from Arabic settlers/traders, scientific evidence now points to a much earlier introduction by the Phoenicians or Romans.

photographs by Ignacio Yúfera

[doglover43]

i will never stop loving sheepdogs we truly do not deserve them

[canisalbus]

✦ Trick or treat ✦

[markscherz]

Behold, the European platonic ideal of a frog.

[wolfsheart-blog]

Canis Lupus in summer night by N. Pekonen

[rottingangelwings]

[illustratus]

The Mancorbo Canal in the Picos de Europa by Carlos de Haes

[reasonsforhope]

"While COVID-19 lockdown will go down in history as a time devoid of in-person gatherings across the globe, in the United Kingdom, one quiet area on the coast of Suffolk became the hot spot for gray seals.

Orford Ness, a spit off of Great Britain that serves as a coastal nature reserve, has become the home of Suffolk’s first breeding colony of grey seals, according to the National Trust.

It is believed that these seals traveled from well-populated colonies in Norfolk and are now the first breeding colony to arrive in Suffolk — likely thanks to its remote location and very limited disturbance from humans.

The first 200 adult seals arrived at Orford Ness in 2021 when visitor access was significantly reduced in an extended period of COVID-19 closures. 

As it turns out, simply being left alone was all they needed to thrive.

Just last month, the first gray seal pup of the 2024 season was born, and this winter’s breeding season has already seen 80 pups on the scene, with many more expected. The site is now home to about 400 seals, up from about 200 just three years ago.

“We’re really happy to see new pups being born here at Orford Ness for the fourth consecutive year,” said Glen Pearce, Orford Ness’ property operations manager, in a statement.

“Despite the seals’ arrival in 2021, we held off talking about them until earlier this year because we wanted to give them the best chance of survival. Being able to talk about them this year, in real time, is a great opportunity to share more about the species and to help people understand how their own actions and behaviours can impact them.”

Human disturbance, which can include any human activity in the vicinity of the seals, is one of the biggest threats to the species, as it can cause them to change their natural behavior.

Gray seals are not listed as endangered and are protected under U.K. law, but they certainly face threats — mostly from humankind — including fishing nets, boat strikes, marine debris, pollution, or disturbance from fishermen and tourists.

Globally, the gray seal is also one of the rarest seal species, with about 50% of the world’s population dwelling in British and Irish waters. That makes this baby boom on Orford Ness that much more spectacular. 

“We’re really lucky,” Matt Wilson, the trust’s countryside manager for the Suffolk and Essex coast, told the BBC.

“They’ve formed a breakaway group, found this site and moved into the space we’ve got here. It's a real privilege to have them on this site and a responsibility, too, for the team here.”"

-via GoodGoodGood, December 11, 2024

[herpsandbirds]

Dovekie aka Little Auk (Alle alle), family Alcidae, order Charadriiformes, Iceland

Photograph by Christophe Moning

[robertocastigliaphotography]

Uno scorcio di Castelvecchio Calvisio. Abruzzo , Italy.

[loveisinthebat]

Special Loaf

[mammalianmammals]

European Wildcat (Felis sylvestris), family Felidae, Slovakia

photograph by Lubo Ondráško

[doglover43]

the partnership sheepdogs and their herds share is so interesting to me. the way these two species are able to care for one another as family is truly remarkable