Japanese macaque (snow monkey) juvenile yawning — in a very human-like manner — at the Jigokudani Monkey Park, in Nagano, Japan.



Let us take this opportunity to revisit a Japanese macaques (snow monkeys) post made last January, namely: zafoid.com/post/view/12272



That post featured some Japanese macaques (snow monkeys) enjoying a hot bath at a hot spring, at the same Jigokudani Monkey Park, in Nagano, Japan. However, it turns out that this world-famous practice of soaking in hot springs by the Japanese "snow monkeys", isn't actually an ancient survival instinct. Indeed, before 1963, no macaque had ever set foot in a hot spring!



The practice actually owes its origins at a traditional guesthouse in the Jigokudani valley, where staff and visitors had been leaving apples to feed the local monkey troop, when a bold young female macaque decided to venture into the guesthouse's outdoor onsen (hot spring) to retrieve an apple that had fallen into the water.



Whilst retrieving her food, she discovered that the warm water of the Japanese onsen offered a much comfortable relief from the biting winter cold. Soon, other juvenile monkeys began to copy her, and later the adults followed. Because wild primates sharing baths with human guests created hygiene and safety issues, the locals eventually built a separate, monkey-only hot spring nearby, in 1964 .... and this site evolved into the famous Jigokudani Monkey Park.



This bathing practice is a clear example of animal cultural transmission. The original macaques taught their offspring to bathe, and today, generations of snow monkeys who have never known a time before the baths, continue this endearing tradition. Scientists studying the Jigokudani monkey troop have analyzed their feces and confirmed that bathing significantly lowers their glucocorticoid (stress hormone) levels during the winter — it is indeed a highly effective coping mechanism against the winter cold. Yet, without human provisioning, a dropped apple, and a man-made stone pool, the famous snow monkeys would still be shivering in the trees!



Information source: www.quora.com/What-animal-behavior-first-thought-to-be-natural-is-later-discovered-to-be-the-result-of-interaction-with-humans/answer/NovaPrism-1

Despite their very firm, unambiguous sounding name, red foxes actually come in a variety of colours. The main morph (i.e. colour variation) of the red fox is indeed primarily red/orange in colour, and this is the most common type of red fox. However other morphs include black, as well as platinum grey, as can be seen in these images.



For another post in this group, about morphs, please view: zafoid.com/post/view/11843



For other posts about foxes, please view:



zafoid.com/post/view/12599

zafoid.com/post/view/6692

zafoid.com/post/view/4100

The Tasmanian Devil, which is about the size of a small dog when fully grown, owes its name due to its terrifying hunting scream and imposing jaw — it is the largest carnivorous marsupial (following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936). However, it is now itself in danger of extinction.



This marsupial was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now confined to the island of Tasmania. Tasmanian Devils have been a protected species since 1941, but the current threat to the species is an uncurable cancerous tumor — the population has dwindled by 70% since the 1990s, when this cancer became an issue.

Wild Bengal tigers roaming freely within national parks of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. By keeping prey populations like deer and wild boar in check, tigers help maintain healthy vegetation patterns, and so directly support the overall biodiversity of their environments. It's also worth noting that the Bengal tiger is the national animal of both India and Bangladesh.

You have undoubtedly heard of China's giant panda. Indeed, this species was featured in this group on multiple occassions, such as:



zafoid.com/post/view/12085

zafoid.com/post/view/4788

zafoid.com/post/view/337



But have you ever heard of the Chinese red panda? The one pictured here also hails, like many of the giant pandas in the above mentioned posts, from the Sichuan Province in China.



Indeed, Chinese red pandas are mainly found in the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, and live within coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests, or evergreen broad-leaved bamboo forests, at altitudes below 3,000 meters. Chinese red pandas like to eat bamboo shoots, arrow bamboo shoot leaves, various wild fruits, leaves, and moss, and they also prey on small birds or bird eggs and other small animals, insects, etc. They especially like to eat sweet food. They are similar in appearance to the Himalayan red panda, but are slightly larger.

Starling murmurations as seen in England (Brighton and Blackpool) and in the Netherlands (Gelderland). The phenomenon consists of thousands of birds performing aerial acrobatics at sunset, typically between October and March.



See also this related video (which just happens to be this group's second earliest post!): zafoid.com/post/view/5

The Sonoran desert in North America, though very arid, still offers a fascinating landscape during springtime, when desert shrubs like brittlebush bloom and flower (click on any desired image for full size viewing).



This desert is a fascinating ecosystem, as mentioned earlier here: zafoid.com/post/view/12029.

Blazing blue eastern collared lizard (male), chiefly found in dry, open, American regions.



For other posts in this group related to lizards, please view:



zafoid.com/post/view/11473

zafoid.com/video/view/9265

In general, male birds are much more colourful than females. The bright colours of male birds serve to attract mates, since bright coloration signals strength and vigour. On the other hand, since females typically bear the brunt of incubating eggs and raising young, their more drab, earth-toned feathers help them blend better into their surroundings to avoid predators.



This general evolutionary paradigm is illustrated here in this set of wood duck images. (Please click on image to view full size.) Whilst adult wood duck males have stunning multicolored iridescent plumage and red eyes, with a distinctive white flare down the neck, the wood duck females have a more drab, brownish colour that blends well with their surroundings, making them less easy to spot.





For other posts about ducks in this group, please view:



zafoid.com/post/view/11025

zafoid.com/post/view/8119

zafoid.com/post/view/803