Life Cycles of Animals 

The life cycle of an organism refers to the sequence of developmental stages that it passes through on its way to adulthood. Mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, insects and other invertebrates--they each have their own unique way of reproducing life. There is an amazing variety of life cycles within the animal world. Surprisingly, only about 3% of all animal species give birth to live young as part of their life cycle. Most animals lay eggs.

LION LIFE

Introduction

The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight,[4] it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia with an endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty percent over the past two decades in its African range. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern.

 Behaviour
Lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per day.Although lions can be active at any time, their activity generally peaks after dusk with a period of socializing, grooming, and defecating. Intermittent bursts of activity follow through the night hours until dawn, when hunting most often takes place. They spend an average of two hours a day walking and 50 minutes eating.



Characteristics

The lion is the tallest (at the shoulder) of the felines, and also is the second-heaviest feline after the tiger. Its skull is very similar to that of the tiger, although the frontal region is usually more depressed and flattened, with a slightly shorter postorbital region. The lion's skull has broader nasal openings than the tiger. However, due to the amount of skull variation in the two species, usually, only the structure of the lower jaw can be used as a reliable indicator of species.Lion coloration varies from light buff to yellowish, reddish, or dark ochraceous brown. The underparts are generally lighter and the tail tuft is black. Lion cubs are born with brown rosettes (spots) on their body, rather like those of a leopard. Although these fade as lions reach adulthood, faint spots often may still be seen on the legs and underparts, particularly on lionesses.

White lions



The white lion is not a distinct subspecies, but a special morph with a genetic condition, leucism, that causes paler colouration akin to that of the white tiger; the condition is similar to melanism, which causes black panthers. They are not albinos, having normal pigmentation in the eyes and skin. White Transvaal lion (Panthera leo krugeri) individuals occasionally have been encountered in and around Kruger National Park and the adjacent Timbavati Private Game Reserve in eastern South Africa, but are more commonly found in captivity, where breeders deliberately select them. The unusual cream colour of their coats is due to a recessive gene. Reportedly, they have been bred in camps in South Africa for use as trophies to be killed during canned hunts.

Kevin Richardson is an animal behaviourist who works with the native big cats of Africa. He currently works in a special facility called the Kingdom of the White Lion in Broederstroom which is 50 miles form Johannesburg. The site was built with the help of Rodney Fuhr and was made for the movie set of White Lion: Home is a Journey. He has 39 white lions on-site and works diligently to protect and preserve the white lion species. While the park is currently a private property, there are plans to open it to the public soon.

DOGS LIFE

Dogs Life

What is A DOG'S LIFE?

We are the most awarded daycare in Northern California by our clients and have won Best Daycare in the SJ Mercury News, The Metro, The Milpitas Post and Silicon Valley Tails. We were chosen by the Humane Society as their expert care provider because we are the best in breed!

A DOG'S LIFE believes that all dogs deserve the best that life can offer. All dogs require more than food and water everyday. It is our mission to provide the highest level of services, goodies, love and support to dogs and their human families all at one location.
A DOG'S LIFE supports owners and their canine companions by providing supervised dog/dog socialization, exercise, training classes, sports & agility classes, behavior consulting, grooming, and nutritional, fresh baked treats. In addition, we provide owners with a variety of educational seminars and workshops.

Rest easy knowing that trained professionals are providing your canine companion with the best quality of care available. A DOG'S LIFE puts all employees and canine members through a rigorous prescreening process to ensure that your dog is in a safe and loving environment.

A DOG'S LIFE boasts spacious facilities that are designed to serve as a second home to our canine members. Our indoor/outdoor facilities have dedicated play areas for dogs of all sizes. The facilities also have special flooring to provide cushioned support while playing. Also, drop in to our Owner's Lounge and enjoy complimentary refreshments and free wireless access while you drop off your dog.