ecocides:

Taken in June this year during a game drive at Nakuru National Park in Kenya. Rounding a bend on the track I came upon not one but seven of these magnificent young lions draped across the branches of an acacia tree. Some are dozing and some are looking disdainfully at me. I was transfixed by these superb, regal creatures. What a privilege for me to have witnessed this amazing moment. (click to zoom) | image by Mrs. Wai Chun Turnbull

zac-tac:

kazard:

residentfeline:

roxasdavemakara:

lepreas:

caturday:

New trick

c???ats?!?!???

cat that is a no

how do cats even work

Cats:

• A cat can jump up to five times its own height in a single bound.
• The little tufts of hair in a cat’s ear that help keep out dirt direct sounds into the ear, and insulate the ears are called “ear furnishings.”
• The ability of a cat to find its way home is called “psi-traveling.” Experts think cats either use the angle of the sunlight to find their way or that cats have magnetized cells in their brains that act as compasses.
• One reason that kittens sleep so much is because a growth hormone is released only during sleep.
• A cat has 230 bones in its body. A human has 206. A cat has no collarbone, so it can fit through any opening the size of its head.
• A cat’s nose pad is ridged with a unique pattern, just like the fingerprint of a human.
• If they have ample water, cats can tolerate temperatures up to 133 °F.
• A cat’s heart beats nearly twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats a minute.
•  Cats don’t have sweat glands over their bodies like humans do. Instead, they sweat only through their paws.
• The claws on the cat’s back paws aren’t as sharp as the claws on the front paws because the claws in the back don’t retract and, consequently, become worn.
• Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.
• Researchers are unsure exactly how a cat purrs. Most veterinarians believe that a cat purrs by vibrating vocal folds deep in the throat. To do this, a muscle in the larynx opens and closes the air passage about 25 times per second.
• A cat almost never meows at another cat, mostly just humans. Cats typically will spit, purr, and hiss at other cats.
• A cat’s back is extremely flexible because it has up to 53 loosely fitting vertebrae. Humans only have 34.
• Some cats have survived falls of over 65 feet (20 meters), due largely to their “righting reflex.” The eyes and balance organs in the inner ear tell it where it is in space so the cat can land on its feet. Even cats without a tail have this ability.
• A cat can travel at a top speed of approximately 31 mph (49 km) over a short distance.
• A cat’s hearing is better than a dog’s. And a cat can hear high-frequency sounds up to two octaves higher than a human.
• A cat’s brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a dog’s. Both humans and cats have identical regions in their brains that are responsible for emotions.

And that’s how cats work.

Thanks science

(via misslampface)

sigurros:

#kveikur premiered last friday at late night with jimmy fallon: http://bit.ly/SR-fallon madison square garden is TONIGHT: http://bit.ly/SR-MSG http://bit.ly/15M6bHY

room42:

This may come as a surprise to some people, but at one point it was common practice to “cross-write.” (Another name it’s know for: “cross-hatching.”) Essentially the writer would reach the bottom of the page, turn the paper sideways, and continue writing!

Many examples of this phenomenon can be found online, including ones by famous writers from the era such as Henry James, Jane Austen, and Charles Darwin. Check out a few examples we’ve compiled

(via misslampface)

This is maybe one of the greatest wild life phenomenon on the planet ever captured on lens!

In the sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico, a massive congregation of Munkiana Devil Rays, relative of manta rays, was captured by a German photographer Florian Schulz, displaying unusual event which he dubbed as the Flight of the Rays.

But as this wonderful perspective shows, for all the individuals leaping out that are visible at sea level, there are many more below the surface. The jaw-dropping image below shows only a quarter of the whole scene.

No one knows why the rays gather like this, whether to mate, herd prey or migrate or just for the sheer joy of being together

(Source: we-are-star-stuff, via misslampface)

just-breezy:

Aerial view of a rain forest / Michael Nichols

georgetakei:

The cat’s out of the bag.