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Not only is it celebrated all month long, but World Oceans Day is held every year on the 8th of June to really bring raise awareness of the vital importance of our oceans and the role they play in sustaining a healthy planet. A global celebration, it looks to bring people and organizations together across the globe in a series of events highlighting how we can all help protect and conserve the oceans.
If you know me, the oceans and marine life hold my heart and I do everything to bring awareness and protect them!!!
I wanted to share a photo from my last snorkeling trip in 2019 in Tortola, where as soon as we got off the boat, we were surrounded by Sergeant Major and Yellowtail Snapper fish! Just a rainbow of colors with the rays of light cascading over. This school of fish I thought would be a a great reference photo for using different ones in your underwater creations!
BONUS: Of course I had to share my favorite marine mammal, the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin! I have not been able to swim in the wild with them, as it is illegal to do in the United States due to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, but love the opportunities in the past I have had to connect with them at Sea World Orlando. I absolutely loved the sun rays shining down and unique positioning for a reference photo!
June 17th World CROC Day! Meet the Indian GHARIAL! Are they crocodiles? Are they alligators? Are they dinosaurs? They are most closely related to crocodiles, however, gharials are the only species in the Gavialidae family, which is is a family of only two large semiaquatic crocodilians with elongated, narrow snouts, with up to 100 razor sharp interlocking teeth! Sadly, gharials are listed as Critically Endangered, the best current estimates suggest there are only around 650 wild adult gharials left on Earth.
I have been fortunate enough to see a group of them at ZooTampa (where this photo was taken). They are apart of many conservation programs and even have team members as friends that have gone out to India to help in these conservation efforts!
Do you know how to determine difference between Crocodile and Alligator? Easiest way is by their snout and teeth! Crocs have a long V-shaped narrow snout with both upper and lower teeth showing when closed. Alligators have a broad U-shaped snout with the bottom row of teeth hidden when the jaw is closed! Plus you'll find Alligators more in Fresh Water areas around you vs Crocs like coastal, brackish and salt-water habitats.
June 20th American EAGLE Day! Today is to honor the bald eagle as the national symbol of the United States! The name "bald eagle" comes from the Old English word balde, which means "white". However, bald eagles aren't actually bald, but have white feathers on their heads, necks, and tails, but eagles don't develop the characteristic white head and tail feathers by 4-6 years of age! Females are larger than males! They can soar over 10,000 feet high, and their great eyesight lets them see fish up to a MILE Away!!! Though they tend to be the bullies of the skies, stealing fresh caught meals from Osprey and others. You can also see them on the group, jumping along with vultures to steal a meal!
This photo was taken at ZooTampa of a rescued male eagle with a broken wing.
June 21st World Giraffe Day! You can celebrate the longest day of the year with the longest (tallest) animal of the world! Just like human fingerprints, no two giraffe have the same coat pattern! Both male and female giraffe have horns already at birth. These ossicones lie flat and are not attached to the skull to avoid injury at birth. They only fuse with the skull later in life!! A giraffe's heart can be up to 2 feet long and weigh around 21.5–25 pounds. It's larger than many other animals' hearts and needs to be big enough to pump blood to the giraffe's brain, which is up to 10 feet away!!
This photo features a Reticulated Giraffe, but did you know there are actually 4 distinct species and multiple subspecies, all in Africa? There are the Masai, Southern, Northern and Reticulated giraffes! Easiest way to identify differences are by colors, spot patterns, and height!
This photo was of Walter at Wild Florida Safari Park! I love he's above the clouds!
June 22nd World Camel Day! Meet the Dromedary Camel! One of the camel’s most notable physical traits is its hump or humps. While the dromedary camel has one hump, the Bactrian camel has two humps. A camel can survive for over a week without water and can survive for several months without food. Camels store fat (not water) in their humps, which can be used for energy when food and water are scarce. The length of time that a camel can survive on this stored fat depends on the climate and the animal’s activity level. The hump changes size depending on the amount of food that the animal eats. The camel’s hump may lean over or droop when food is scarce .They also have other features that allow them to survive in the desert, such as double rows of extra-long eyelashes to help keep sand out of the eyes. They are also able to close their nostrils to keep out sand!
This photo was taken at Wild Florida Safari Park!
June 23rd Pink Flamingo Day! Flamingos really are what they eat. Many plants produce natural red, yellow or orange pigments, called carotenoids. Carotenoids give carrots their orange color or turn ripe tomatoes red. They are also found in the microscopic algae that brine shrimp eat. As a flamingo dines on algae and brine shrimp, its body metabolizes the pigments — turning its feathers pink!!! I was told that's where I got my reddish orange hair from all the carrots I ate as a kid, so felt connected to flamingos (even if it wasn't true)!
Flamingo legs actually bend just like human legs. What looks like a flamingo's knee is really its ankle joint. A flamingo’s knees are located higher up the legs, hidden by the body and feathers. Confused? Think of a flamingo as standing on tiptoe. When the leg bends, it’s the ankle you see hinging!!! Scientists believe that a one-legged stance is less tiring for them, but may help flamingos stay warm. Birds lose body heat through their limbs. By standing on one leg and tucking the other under their belly, flamingos can limit the amount of heat that escapes through their legs and feet! One more fun fact....Did you know a group of Flamingos is called a Flamboyance?
This photo was taken at Busch Gardens in Tampa!
Remember that the photos I provide you are for PERSONAL USE ONLY!
Please do not share my image to anyone else or post on social media! Really appreciate if you let them know where you got the photo, so they can join in on the fun on this Patreon channel as well!
If you create any artwork using my photography, please tag me at #dolphinsoul_creations and post in our Discord Channel! Absolutely love to see your work!! Thank you!
JUNE 2024 REFERENCE PHOTOS
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Please do not share my image to anyone else or post on social media! Really appreciate if you let them know where you got the photo, so they can join in on the fun on thePatreon channel and website as well!
If you create any artwork using my photography, please tag me at #dolphinsoul_creations and post in our Discord Channel! Absolutely love to see your work!! Thank you!