The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!
Every country has some animals that are endemic (i.e. native to that place), or perhaps unique or important for some specific reason. Maybe they’re a symbol of the country or region, have an interesting story or myth associated with them… or maybe they’re just cute! Whatever the reason, let’s talk about the fauna from your country this month.
From flamingos to dolphins, Portugal has many interesting animal species, but one that is special to our region is the chameleon.
Because of their camouflage mechanisms, these animals can be very tricky to spot, but their special dance moves sometimes give them away. We spotted this one gently swaying back and forth on a dirt path, almost as if it was still deciding which way it should go.
In order to eat, they just lazily wait for insects to fly by, and then quickly zap them with their extra long tongue. Also, they have very distinctive eyes which can move independently of each other, and allow them to see a full 360-degree around their body. How cool is that?!
So… which animals are special to your country or region? Which ones are particularly important, and why? We invite you to pick one and write about it on the postcards you send this month!
33 comments so far
Genial¡¡¡ en mi pais tenemos varias especies que no se hallan en otros paises, el pudú, el cóndor y el huemul son algunos de ellos 🙂
Moose and beaver.....
this far south in Florida there is the tiny "Key deer" and the funny looking manatee with a sweet and curious disposition.
Hi,
I south Texas there is a bird named a Pauraque Bird. It's range is from South Texas to Argentina. The Pauraque Bird sleeps on the ground during the day. At night flies up to three feet to eat insects.
Enjoy,
Demaris
In pennsylvania, we have bobcats, elk, and some wolves, though i have never seen any. In the heart of my town, sometimes you see albino squirrels running around.
Here in Texas the most interesting animal is the nine-banded Armadillo.They are our state's official small mammal. They have a hard bony shell and come out at night to forage for insects and grubs. They can really tear up your garden. If you scare one, it jumps straight up in the air! They give birth to identical quadruplets each year, and they can carry the disease leprosy.
Wolves and lynx...
Here in Pijnacker the Netherlands we had some flamingos and that is not usual for the netherlands. They visited pijnacker for a couple a days and flew further. It was beautifully to see those flamingos not in a zoo but simply in a lake nearby.
Here in the desert of the American Southwest their are many animals that thrive in the desert here, which includes the desert tortoise and the coyote.
Another animal that is not indigenous to my city, but thrives here in the desert is the Love Bird. An aviary many years ago let some loose and they now can be seen all throughout my area. At times in the past when I used to feed birds in my garden, I would count more than 30 of them from my window.
In our Trans-Baikal Territory, among endemic species, there are mainly plants and insects. And also a relic gull, it nests only on the lakes of Mongolia and Transbaikalia.
The Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) is endemic to my island, and is also Canada's most endangered species. Aside from a few marmots that have been bred in Calgary Zoo, they aren't found outside Vancouver Island. Because their alpine habitat is threatened, there are only about 200 still found in the wild. But they are also incredibly cute and endearing! I very much hope they will be able to recover some of their range so that they no longer face extinction.
Our area is known for white squirrels. They are not albino, just white fur. The original white squirrels escaped into the wild when a circus truck crashed circa 1939-1940. The squirrels range from Florida, up through North Carolina (where I live) and on up as far as Illinois.
nice
Royal Bengal Tiger , Asiatic Lion, Asian Elephant ,One horned Rhinoceros, Indian Leopard, snow Leopard, wild water Buffalo, Indiancrocodile etc....
Groundhogs are only found in North America. The USA even has Groundhogs Day, which was yesterday. it is a type of thing that is based on German folklore.
Every February 2 they unceremoniously yank groundhogs out of their beds to "predict" winter or lack of it.
Edit: After I read this, I wondered how it could be based on a German legend when they only live in North America. It was immigrants, according to the search engine.
The National animal from Canada is "The Beaver". I see everyday a lot of birds. Because of our bird-feeder I see Hummingbirds. When I do a night walk I see raccoons around the garbage-bins in the neighborhood.
Unfortunately a great many of our native animals, birds & reptiles have been destroyed in the dreadful bushfires raging along the Eastern & Southern states, made worse by the long-running drought in Australia. For example, in Kangaroo Island most of the koalas have been killed in what was a sanctuary, & an area the size of Switzerland & Israel combined has been burned, with loss of lives & properties, on the mainland. We are looking at a long recovery, friends, & hopefully some positive action on the Climate Change problem. Thank you, Greta Thunberg & others, for speaking out bravely. Our politicians must listen! In the meantime, BUILD DAMS and PLANT TREES is my mantra! Have a productive 2020!
Indonesia is widely-known as a country with a high level biodiversity. We're very rich of flora and fauna. Even the last dragon on earth can be found here in one of our beautiful islands. We're surely very proud of it.
This year I try to send postcards with Indonesian fauna theme as much as I can. Maybe you're among the luckiest persons to receive it.
Great idea! Postcards sent yesterday :-)
Here in coastal South Carolina on a barrier island there is an alligator occupying every lake, pond and lagoon. All water hazards on both golf courses are likewise inhabited. Gators can move quickly on land so we keep a respectful distance.
I recently visited the island of Saint Lucia, where they have six endemic bird species, among them the Jacquot Parrot (also known by its Latin name "Amazona versicolor") with gorgeous green, red and blue hues. I hope to snap a photo or sighting on a future visit!
Kiwis!
In India, Bengal Tiger is treated as national animal and protected under wild life act. Since last few decades government has started save tiger project and developed special parks to give them freedom from poaching. Result is today the population of Tigers in India has gone up substantial to 3000. In Indian mythology Tiger is also the transport of Goddes Durga.
I live along a large forest in Germany. It is populated by a high number of wild boars. They can be a fearsome animal to encounter, as they have a powerful body-shape, they snort very loudly, and they often have sharp tusks. Wild boars have a typical domestic pig shape with a long, blunt snout, small eyes, and large ears. They are more long-legged and appear more powerful than domestic pigs. They have a very coarse coat with thick, short hairs. They are usually brown, but can appear rusty-red or black. Both males and females have tusks, although these are almost always longer in males. Their lower tusks can be 7 cm, long and are very sharp. Boars can be aggressive to humans and pets. However, they rarely attack humans unless cornered, or unless it is a female protecting her piglets. But populations of boars often cause immense problems because of their digging behavior, which can be extremely destructive to the environment.
In the forests there is currently less acorn pannage than in previous years. In addition, the boar population is too high. So, they come at night. Wild boar packs leave their forests in the dark and fall over the vineyards. Instead of smacking acorns, they pitch into the sweet grapes. Every year, the wild boars destroy hectares of vineyards - which corresponds to around 100,000 bottles of wine. Real "grape robbers"! :-)
Dassies! We have dassies here
The Nilgiri Tahr, Bengal Tiger, Sangai Deer.
love squirrels, they made a mess with peanut shell so we tried peanut butter and the fight over who gets to it first
I sometimes see foxes. But they are so shy 😂😅
And I see many birds near our house, it is awesome! They sing very beautifully.
There are bears in Russia, but I've never seen them in real life (only in pictures). Haha, sounds strange, yeah? Because bears don't live there in forests near my village. (Near St.Petersburg)
but I sometimes see real squirrels! They are cute. Very fast
We have wolf,fox,reindeer,many little birds and crane in our forest.
Stork is a national bird of Lithuania. It is believed that a stork dwells where good people live. So people were trying to put stork socket so that this bird would live on their homestead
Great to read these posts. I think our iconic national animal is the hedgehog. Interesting to hear about white squirrels though as we have black ones in this area.
Love reading these comments!
I just send Brown Bear :) We have brown bear, wolf and lynx :)
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