Furry and Feathered

This blog will show photographs of my favourite mammals. Species you are likely to see here are those of the mustelid and rodent families. :) I created this mainly for inspiration and references for art, as animals are my favourite subjects to draw. I will likely post many photos of certain species here to get a good view of their markings and body shape. None of these photos, unless otherwise stated, were made by me and I do not own any rights to them. If any of these photos are yours and you want me to take them off my blog, please send me a message with a link to said picture. Clicking on a picture will take you to the picture's source. Otherwise, enjoy! My general and art tumblr can be found here: http://avanii.tumblr.com

[mammalianmammals]

Striped Polecat (Ictonyx striatus), family Mustelidae, found across much of Sub-Saharan Africa

photograph by sitszasadam

[weasel-war-dance]

I recently witnessed an amazing event in the park. I hung around a Badger den for approximately three hours in anticipation that the mom would show up with food for her pups. What I was ultimately treated to was an event no one I know has ever seen and one that I'm unlikely to ever see again. It turns out, mom was home, digging within the den. Out of nowhere appears a male Badger intent on raiding the den and killing the pups. Whether he knew that mom was home I'll never know, but exercising extreme bad judgement, the male assaulted the den only to be met by an extremely angry mom and an epic fight occurred between the two. As you have probably guessed, mom won hands down and later the group of photographers and onlookers had a chance to find the male off from the den about 100 yards licking his wounds. I never imagined seeing something like that and the battle, as the photos show, was vicious. Don't mess with mom! The photos were processed both quickly and unartfully because there just isn't time while here to do it any other way.

American Badger | Paul Wasserman

[warcrimesimulator]

エゾクロテン Ezo sable (Martes zibellina brachyurus)

[warcrimesimulator]

Juvenile long-tailed weasels (Neogale frenata) at play

Photo © Rafa Ramirez

[sitting-on-me-bum]

'Airborne'

Long-tailed Weasel...

By John N. Hoang

[mammalianmammals]

Long-tailed Weasel aka Bridled Weasel (Neogale frenata), family Mustelidae, western U.S.

photograph by Greg Lit

[warcrimesimulator]

Long-tailed weasel (Neogale frenata) Sebastopol, California, USA

Photo © ricardo00

[geographicwild]

. Photography by © (Arno van Zon). Angry fox… #fox #wildlife #animal #wild #redfox #angry

[typhlonectes]

LONG-TAILED WEASEL IN ERMINE

- Great Basin, Utah, USA

Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) in its winter coat (ermine). This little cutie and I played a game of hide and seek for half an hour or so, and it seemed as curious of me as I was of it. It made my day. One of my favorite critters.

photograph by Bryant Olsen | Flickr

[beautiful-wildlife]

All Ears by Тесленко Игорь

[earthandanimals]

A little cool on a hot day, or a story about a Wolverine by Nikolai Zinoviev

[theurbanfoxwatcher]

Guide To Aging Fox Cubs

If you ever wondered how to tell the age of a fox cub then hopefully this guide will help! From the day cubs start coming above ground, at 4-5 weeks old, they grow extremely fast, and so I’ve tried to include images and info on all the main stages of growth. The months stated are based on the assumption that the cubs are born during the main birthing period of March, however cubs can be born as early as January and as late as April, so the month may not necessarily match age. 

April, 4 weeks old. Very small (could fit into the palm of your hand) with a dark, woolly coat. Cubs are just starting to appear above ground at this time but wont go more than a few yards from their den.

April - May, 6 weeks old. Coat is changing to a lighter color and adult features just starting to come through. 

May, 2 months old. Coat is much lighter but remains very short and woolly. Features still very compact and rounded compared to an adult. Best time to see cubs playing around the den as they still wont venture very far at this age. 

June, 3 months old. Cub is half-grown, with legs, ears and muzzle all much longer. Looks like an adult in miniature. Cubs at this age become much more adventurous and abandon the breeding den to lie up above ground during the day.

July, 4 months old. Cub is now ¾ grown. This is the awkward stage where cubs can appear very lanky and leggy. Full adult coat starting to come through. Cubs are becoming fully independent by this age.

September, 6 months old. Cub is now fully grown and will be preparing to leave home. Cubs are now barely indistinguishable from an adult, although it wont be until 2 years of age that they’ll have fully matured and filled out. At this age the cub has finally grown it’s full winter coat. In it’s first year the coat wont be as long or thick as that of a mature adult which can help tell them apart.  

(Note, all the photos are of different cubs!) 

[beautiful-wildlife]

Enjoy The Spring by Pim Leijen

[beautiful-wildlife]

Red Fox by Pim Leijen

[furry-and-feathered]

Japanese marten (Martes melampus) at a Japanese zoo.

[778]

Banzai by Cloudtail

[furry-and-feathered]

Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx)

[beautiful-wildlife]

Crazy Cat Series by Colin Langford