The Checkered Giant rabbit is a breed of rabbit developed in Europe. In the UK the breed is known as Giant Papillon. Checkered Giants are one of 45 breeds of domestic rabbits recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Mature Checkered Giant bucks should weigh at least 11 pounds, and mature does 12 pounds, but there is no specified maximum weight. The Checkered Giant is outweighed by the Giant Chinchilla and Flemish Giant. The Checkered Giant is considered a show rabbit rather than a meat rabbit. The Checkered Giant is one of only 11 breeds with defined markings. Body type markings differ between European and American Checkered Giants, although they are considered the same breed.

Appearance

Recognized Colors of The Checkered Giant rabbit Varieties: Black, blue Showroom weights of the Checkered Giant rabbit Senior Bucks-8 months of age and over, min weight 11 lbs Senior Does-8 months of age and over, min weight 12 lbs. Int Bucks and Does-6-8 months of age, min weight 9 lbs. Jr. Bucks & Does-under 6 months of age, 6 lbs and over Pre-Jr. Bucks & Does-under 3 months of age, not less than 4 lbs. and not over 7 lbs. Each sex & variety (Black-Blue) judged separately.

Feed and housing

Commercial rabbit pellets are often recommended, though this is a disputed claim amongst rabbit rescue shelters and commercial breeders. Pellets are high in fat, which will render a fatter rabbit, but is not a healthy choice for longevity concerns.) Feed 1/2 cup of pellets per 5 pounds of body weight every day. Many breeders find it can be hard to keep weight on rabbits that are not offered free choice pellets. For rabbits under 8 months of age, feed unlimited plain alfalfa pellets. Free choice hay, such as timothy-grass, should be unlimited and changed daily. Alfalfa hay should not be offered free choice to rabbits over 8 months of age because it is too rich in calcium. Many rabbits do very well in the home. They can be litter box trained and are quite fastidious groomers. Be aware that rabbits love to chew so make sure all wires are safely hidden or in protective plastic covers and understand that some of your furniture may be nibbled. If you choose to cage your rabbit, make sure the cage is at least 3 feet by 3 feet by 4 feet. If the cage has a wire bottom make certain you give the rabbit a plank or sea grass mats to stand on so his feet won’t get damaged from being on the wire all the time. Provide a hide box or shelter and plenty of straw for bedding.

Common diseases and disorders

As with other rabbits, this breed does not do well in high or low temperatures. Sore or abscessed feet are common when housed only on wire with no solid surface to rest on.

This is a very nice comfy pillow bed for only the top pet in your house. It is nice warm and cuddly. The material inside do not shed at all no matter how much ur puppy pull at it.

• Color: Brown and Cream
• Dimensions: 18" x 16" x 5.5"
• Very nice quality bed
• Beautiful color scheme with Paw Print
• Non slip grip bottom
• Brand NEW

In any types of animation you will find that people look forward to watching a program that portrays people, other worldly beings and objects as realistically as possible. To this end you will find that anime has given the world of anime a huge boost. The main reason can be seen with the anime eyes of the various characters who are seen in these different shows.

The way these characters act and how they feel are all shown by their very expressive eyes. The creators of these shows are happy if they can provide their audience with the type of entertainment that is desired.

The main reason why anime cartoons are well liked by people is because you can see the feelings that are emitted by the characters. As the saying goes the eyes are the windows to the soul. This also allows the creators of various anime shows to make the characters have expressive eyes.

By looking at the different types of anime eyes which can be found in anime shows you will be able to further understand how these character’s eyes are used to make you see their world better. While the shape of the eyes is somewhat similar to that of other cartoon characters, there are certain guidelines which do need to be followed.

These guidelines are ones that you can see being used for female, male and the eyes of children. There are also guidelines about which types of anime eyes villains and other non-human characters should have.

The main factor that is dealt with is how certain emotions like innocence is portrayed. In order to achieve this you will see how the eyes of children are shown are being wide open. This signifies the innocence of childhood. For women the eyes are shown as being large and given an attractive shading on the upper lid.

The shape of the eyes for women are drawn in a certain manner so that the emotions like happiness, sorrow, bewilderment among the other emotions that we feel are all portrayed. Men on the hand are given smaller but well defined eyes. This is in contrast to the eyes of villains.

In some of the anime shows the anime eyes of villains are merely portrayed as little black dots. The expressions from these eyes are conveyed by the lines around the eyes as well as how the rest of the face is reacts to various events in the anime shows. To convey a more realistic look some animes will have the villains having eyes that are well defined and yet there is a look of evil shown within the eyes.

While we may feel that the action sequences from these shows are the main attractions, this action would be meaningless unless there was a quality of humanity being shown. This is exemplified by the anime eyes that you will see on the various anime figures in the many different animes.

Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web Administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on Anime for Years. For More Information on Anime Eyes, Visit His Site at ANIME EYES

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/visual-art-articles/how-anime-eyes-are-used-to-portray-emotions-308743.html

Painted Turtle is a reptile that is common in southern Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico and is related to other water turtles such as sliders and cooters. This turtle lives in ponds, lakes, marshes, and in slow-moving rivers that have soft, muddy bottoms. The maximum carapace size, or shell length, for painted turtles is or 25 cm (10 in.). Its shell is used to protect it from its predators.

The skin of an adult Painted Turtle's head, neck, feet and tail, and the carapace-edge (marginal) scutes have a red and yellow striped design that gives the appearance of having been hand-painted. The plastron, depending on the subspecies, can be entirely yellowish or yellowish-orange, mostly yellowish with a dark pattern in the center, or may have a bold, elaborate pattern of yellow, orange, red and dark gray. The background skin tone of the painted turtle varies from olive green to solid black. The Painted turtle is the only species in the genus Chrysemys. It comprises four sub-species: the Eastern, Southern, Midland, and Western Painted Turtle. The only species of Painted Turtle that has a stripe on its back is the Southern Painted Turtle.

The Painted Turtle is the official reptile of the U.S. states of Colorado (specifically the Western Painted Turtle) and Michigan

Reproduction

Mating begins shortly after the turtles have emerged from hibernation in early spring when the water temperature is still low. Mating may also occur in the fall. The breeding season typically lasts from late spring to early summer. Males begin to breed when they reach maturity, usually at 70–95 mm plastron length when they are three to five years old. Females take longer to mature (4–5 years) and are larger at maturity. The courtship ritual of adult painted turtles is a rare and beautiful sight, rarely seen in the wild. Possessing a broader, thicker tail and a smaller (about 80 percent the size of an adult female of the same age), more elongated body shape, the male painted turtle swims to face the female nose-to-nose, prior to fertilizing her ova, and uses his comparatively hugely over-sized front claws to tickle the cheeks of the female rapidly up-and-down in a vibratory manner, in about one-second bursts, with the "palms" of the forefeet facing outward. If the female is receptive, she will stroke the forelimbs of the courting male.Different subspecies of painted turtle can and do interbreed - the offspring exhibit an intergradation of the characteristics of the parent races. Painted turtles are amniotes that requires females to nest on land. Females prefer soft, sandy soil with good exposure to the sun for their nest site. Nests are dug with the turtle's hind feet, usually within 200 metres of water. The nest is no deeper than 10 to 12 centimetres. The females will lay 4 to 15 oval, soft shelled eggs, in a conical flask-shaped hole. The eggs are elliptical, white to off-white and are mostly smooth with slight pits. Female turtles may lay up to five clutches of eggs per season although typically, they will lay only one or two clutches. Once the eggs are laid the mother will cover the hole with dirt or sand and leave the nest unattended. Painted turtle eggs hatch 72 to 80 days after they are laid. Once the young hatch and dig out of the nest, they are immediately independent.Nest tempurature determines the sex and survivability of hatchlings. A study was done by Dr. Brooks in which he studied what temperatures produced different sexes. The results showed that males were only produced by temperatures of 22,24, and 26 degrees celcius, while females were produced at tempuratures of 30 and 32 degrees celcius. Both sexes were produced at 20 and 28 degrees celcius. This study showed that eggs incubated at constant temperatures could determine sex, but naturally incubated eggs with varying temperatures are not able to be determined.

Behavior

Painted turtles are most active from May to October in the Northeastern United States. Instances of local flooding following heavy rainfall in warm months, will sometimes force these turtles to temporarily take to the land for a day or two, migrating between habitats and taking risks crossing roads. It is then that a specimen can be captured with relative ease. During the winter, painted turtles hibernate by burying themselves deep in the mud beneath streams and ponds. The mud insulates the turtle, which helps prevent freezing during the harsh winter months. The turtle may submerge itself in up to 90 cm (3 ft) of mud under less than 1.8 metres (6 ft) of water. Painted turtles can survive without oxygen at 3° Celsius (37.4°F) for up to five months, longer than any other known air-breathing vertebrate. To survive during hibernation, the turtle must prevent lactic acid from building up in its body. The turtle accomplishes this by slowing its metabolic rate, which in turn lowers the rate of lactic acid production. It then uses magnesium and calcium stored in its shell to buffer and neutralize lactic acid. Northern populations of painted turtle may remain dormant for four to six months. More southerly populations may become active during warm periods. When emerging from a dormant period, most turtles will not begin to eat again until the water temperature has reached approximately 15.5° Celsius (60°F).

The painted turtle spends the majority of its time in the water, but it can often be seen lying in the sun on floating logs or on rocks by the shore. This behavior is called basking. Some turtles bask simply by floating at the surface of the water with only the tip of their nose breaking the surface. Adult painted turtles are very shy and are not easily captured. Painted turtles bask because they cannot generate heat or regulate their own body temperature. Instead, they rely on heat from the sun to raise and maintain their body temperature at a level high enough for food in their stomachs to digest efficiently; about 65°F minimum. Basking episodes generally last for two hours at a time. Painted turtles are omnivorous, taking insects, worms, tadpoles, small fish and crustaceans as well as carrion, in addition to duckweed and other aquatic vegetation. Like almost all semi-aquatic turtles, painted turtles cannot and will not ingest food unless their mouths are fully underwater.

Housing

Aquariums used to house a painted turtle should be sized to at least 80 gallons per adult, but a 20 gallon, or 30 gallon breeder tank is great for babies, or hatchlings. They must have an accessible land area (commercially made turtle ramps are available at most pet stores) to bask on and to completely dry out on. The tank should be cleaned at least a couple of times a month and the correct size filtration system should be purchased and kept clean and well-supplied with filter media. A UVA/UVB light is critical to the health of basking turtles. Turtles require heat and sunlight (either natural or artificial) to properly digest food and develop their shells and beaks. Fluorescent UVA/UVB lamps are not suitable for turtles when used alone. Turtles in cooler times of year need some heat in addition to the UV light, Like an incandescent spot light, but a UV light will provide enough heat if the water is 60°F. Exposure to sunlight or artificial heat sources must be arranged carefully since overheating can kill a turtle within minutes. Always provide a sufficient amount of clean, shaded cooler water to which the turtle can retreat. Keep a turtle habitat fitted with an effective barrier such as a firmly-attached, 1/2-inch wire mesh cover with a sturdy frame which your baby or young child, cat or dog cannot dislodge.

Feeding

Painted turtles eat various types of food. They are willing to eat normal turtle food, but it's healthier to provide a more varied diet. They will also eat worms, small chunks of (any) meat, and small leaves. For bigger turtles, fish, raw vegetables, frogs, crickets (bugs), consist of their main diet. If you're having trouble getting them to eat, feed them something different or something smaller. Puree or fillet insects to provide an easily digested alternative. In the wild, painted turtles are opportunistic feeders on plants and animals

Predators

Painted turtles are vulnerable to predation throughout their development and into adulthood. Many animals such as raccoons, several types of squirrels, chipmunk, woodchucks, skunk, badger, foxes, fish crows, garter snakes, deer, ants, beavers, and humans will prey on turtle nests. Newly hatched turtles are eaten by rats, muskrat, mink, raccoons, snapping turtles, snakes, bullfrogs, large fish and herons. Adult turtles are preyed upon by alligators, snapping turtles, raccoons, bald eagles, osprey, and red shouldered hawks. Humans pose many threats to painted turtles through habitat destruction, the use of pesticides, vehicles on roadways, intentional killing by anglers, and through improper care while kept as pets. When a painted turtle feels threatened, it may kick and scratch, bite and urinate. Painted turtles that have avoided predators and disease have been known to live longer than thirty years in the wild.

The Tinfoil Barb is a tropical Southeast Asian freshwater fish.

Nowadays it is usually placed in the genus Barbonymus, which was only established in 1999. It is the genus' type species, and indeed seems to represent a quite distinct lineage of large "barbs". It is not very similar to the barbels which are the core of the genus Barbus, and though closer to these than to some African barbs, they seem to be closer still to the Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and to Cyclocheilichthys than to either of the aforementioned.

It is distinguishable from other species of the genus in having a red dorsal fin with a black blotch at the tip, red pectoral, pelvic and anal fins, red caudal fin with white margin and a black submarginal stripe along each lobe, and 8 scale rows between dorsal-fin origin and lateral line. Large individuals are silvery or golden yellow while alive with its dorsal fin red and caudal fin orange or blood-red. It grows up to 14 inches (35 cm) in length. Tinfoil Barbs have a lifespan of 8 to 10 years.

Originating in the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins of Thailand, and Sumatra, Borneo, and Malayan peninsula, the tinfoil barb is found in rivers, streams, canals, and ditches. It also enters flooded fields. Its natural habitat is in water with a 6.5–7.0 pH, a water hardness of up to 10 dGH, and a temperature range of 72–77 °F (22–25 °C). In Indonesia, a temperature range of 20.4°C to 33.7°C was recorded for this species. It is largely herbivorous, consuming aquatic macrophytes and submerged land plants, as well as filamentous algae and occasionally insects. It also feeds on small fishes, worms, and crustaceans.

The tinfoil barb is commercially important in the aquarium hobby trade, as well as commercial aquaculture, subsistence farming, and occasionally as bait. It is usually marketed fresh.

There are no obvious distinguishing characteristics used to determine the sex of the fish. They reproduce by egg scattering of several thousand eggs per spawning. They are not often bred in captivity for the aquarium trade due to their large size.

In the aquarium

The tinfoil barb is a schooling species that prefers to be placed with a number of its own species. It prefers living in water with strong currents similar to those found in their native streams. It is also recommended that they be kept with fish of similar size or larger. Many unwary buy young specimens and find out too late how large the tinfoil barb can grow. The tinfoil barb is often seen in large aquaria as companions to large cichlids e.g. the oscar cichlid, Astronotus ocellatus. The tinfoil barb is an active, peaceful species that spends most of its time in the mid-level and bottom of the water. A greedy eater, it will attempt to fill its mouth with as much food as possible during feedings. In captivity, it will eat almost anything provided to it.

The Canaan Dog is the national dog breed of Israel. It may have existed in the Middle East for millennia.

Appearance

The Canaan Dog, known in Israel as (Hebrew: ?, lit. Canaanic dog, Kelev K'naani), is a typical pariah dog in appearance. They are a medium-sized dog, with a wedge-shaped head, medium-sized, erect and low set ears with a broad base and rounded tips. Their outer coat is dense, harsh and straight of short to medium-length. The undercoat should be close and profuse according to season. Colour ranges from black to cream and all shades of brown and red between, usually with small white markings, or all white with colour patches. Spotting of all kinds is permitted, as well as white or black masks.
Dr. Rudolphina Menzel, having studied the desert pariah dogs and the variations in appearances, classified these canines into four types: 1) heavy, sheepdog appearance, 2) dingo-like appearance, 3) Border Collie appearance, 4) Greyhound appearance.
Dr. Menzel concluded that the Canaan Dog is a derivative of the Type III pariah dog—the collie type (referring to the type of farm collie found in the 1930s, which was a medium dog of moderate head type more similar to today's border collie, not the modern rough coated collie).
In writing the first official standard for the Canaan Dog, Dr. Rudolphina Menzel wrote: "Special importance must be placed on the points that differentiate the Canaan-Dog from the German Shepard [sic] Dog, whose highly bred form he sometimes resembles: the Canaan-Dog is square, the loin region short, the forequarters highly erect, the hindquarters less angulated, the neck as noble as possible, the tail curled over the back when excited, the trot is short (see also differences in head and color)".
Type varies somewhat between the American lines of Canaan Dogs and those found in Israel and the rest of the world, with many of the American dogs being rectangular in shape.


Size

Males
• Height: 20–24 inches (50–60 cm)
• Weight: 40–55 pounds (18–25 kg)
Females
• Height: 18–20 inches (45–50 cm)
• Weight: 35–42 pounds
The Canaan shares physical similarites with the Korean Jindo, both in looks and characteristics.

Temperament

Canaan Dogs have a strong survival instinct. They are quick to react and wary of strangers, and will alert to any disturbances with prompt barking, thus making them excellent watchdogs. Though defensive, they are not aggressive and are very good with children within the family but maybe wary of other children or defensive when your child is playing with another child. They are intelligent and learn quickly, but may get bored with repetitive exercises or ignore commands if they find something of more interest.

Health

In general, the Canaan Dog does not suffer from known hereditary problems.
Although the breed is one of the healthiest, Dr. George A. Padgett, DVM, listed diseases that have been seen, at one time or another, in the Canaan Dog in the United States: hypothyroidism, epilepsy, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), cryptorchidism, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, luxating patella, and osteochondritis dissecans (OCD).

History

The Canaan dog began in ancient times as a pariah dog in Israel. It belongs to one of the most ancient family of dogs, the spitz.
This dog is one of the oldest, dating back to biblical times. The caves of Einan and Hayonim are sites in which the oldest remains of dogs have been found (more than 10,000 years ago). In the Bible there are a number of references to roaming dogs and dogs that worked for man.
In the Sinai Desert, a rock carving, from the first to third century AD, depicts a dog that in size and shape appears to be a Canaan type dog.
In Ashkelon, a graveyard was discovered, believed to be Phoenician from the middle of the fifth century BC. It contained 700 dogs, all carefully buried in the same position, on their sides with legs flexed and tail tucked in around the hind legs. According to the archaeologists, there was a strong similarity between these dogs and the "Bedouin pariah dogs," or the Canaan dog. A sarcophagus dated from the end of the fourth century BC, was found in Sidon, on which Alexander the Great and the King of Sidon are painted hunting a lion with a hunting dog similar in build to the dogs of Ashkelon, and similar in appearance to the Canaan dog.Where does the Canaan Dog come from?

They survived this way until the 1930s, when Dr. Rudolphina Menzel came up with the idea to use these intelligent scavenger dogs mainly found in the desert, as guard dogs for the scattered Jewish settlements. Prof. Menzel was asked by the Haganah to help them build up a service dog organization (later to become Unit Oketz). She captured and acquired wild and semi-wild Canaan dogs. She worked with semi-free and free-living dogs of a specific type, luring them into her camp and gaining their trust. She also captured litters of puppies, finding them remarkably adaptable to domestication. The first successful adult she called Dugma (meaning example). Dr. Menzel found the dogs be highly adaptable, trainable and easy to domesticate. It took her about 6 months to capture Dugma, and within a few weeks she was able to take him into town and on buses.
She began a breeding program in 1934, providing working dogs for the military and she gave pups to be pets and home guard dogs. She initiated a selective breeding program to produce the breed known today as the Canaan dog.
In 1949 Dr. Menzel founded The Institute for Orientation and Mobility of the Blind, and in 1953, she started to train Canaan dogs as guide dogs for the blind. Although she was able to train several dogs, she found that the breed was too independent and too small for general guide dog use, although some of her dogs were used successfully by children.
Her breeding program was concentrated with the Institute, where a foundation of kennel-raised Canaan dogs was established, carrying the name "B'nei Habitachon". She later supplied breeding stock to Shaar Hagai Kennels which continued in the breeding of the Canaan dog. After her death in 1973, Shaar Hagai Kennels continued the breeding program according to her instructions. In addition, a controlled collection of dogs of the original type was continued, primarily from the Bedouin of the Negev.
Collection of wild Canaan dogs has all but ceased. The last two dogs that were collected in the Negev in the mid-1990s, and most of the Canaan dogs living in the open were destroyed by the Israeli government in the fight against rabies. Even the majority of Bedouin dogs today are mixed with other breeds, although Myrna Shiboleth visits the Negev annually, looking for good specimens living by the Bedouin camps, that she can breed with her dogs and strengthen the gene pool.Dogs of the Desert

Breed recognition

The Canaan dog was first recognized by the Israel Kennel Club in 1953 and by the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) in 1966. The first accepted standard was written by Dr. Menzel.
The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom officially recognized the breed in December 1970.
In 1986, the first Canaan dogs were brought to Finland from Sha'ar Hagai Kennel, in Israel.
Canaan dogs in the U.S.
On September 7, 1965, Dr. Menzel sent four dogs to Ursula Berkowitz of Oxnard, California, the first Canaan dogs in the United States. The Canaan Dog Club of America was formed the same year, and stud book records were kept from these first reports.
In June 1989, the Canaan dog entered the American Kennel Club Miscellaneous Class and dogs were registered in the AKC Stud Book as of June 1, 1997. The dogs began competing in conformation on August 12, 1997.


Canaan dogs in Canada

The first Canaan dog came to Canada May 16, 1970. The dogs came from a kennel in Delaware.
The Canadian Canaan Club (CCC) was formed in 1972, and the first executive of the Club was elected on March 15, 1973. The club has since been dissolved.
The Canaan dog obtained entry into the Miscellaneous Class of the Canadian Kennel Club on December 1, 1975. In January 1993, the breed was accepted in the Working Group, as the Canadian Kennel Club did not have a Herding group at that time.

Canaan Dogs in the UK

A Mrs Powers brought the first Canaan Dog into the UK from Damascus where her husband worked at the University situated on the outskirts of the city. 'Sheba' spent May-October 1965 in quarantine before Mrs Powers could bring her home.
Mrs Connie Higgins met Shebaba when Mrs Powers brought her to a beginners obedience class she was teaching. Sheba was rather aggressive with other dogs, but good with people, especially children, but there was something about her that appealed to Connie. A bit later, due to personal circumstances, Mrs Powers agreed to give Sheba to Mrs Higgins who renamed her 'Shebaba' as she already had a German Shepherd named Sheba. Connie was convinced that 'Shebaba' had to be a breed of dog and began her search for an answer as to what kind of dog she had. The Israeli embassy gave Connie the address of a dog sanctuary in Jerusalem and Connie wrote to them. Then out of the blue, on 21 August 1968, she had a letter from Israel. it was from Prof Menzel herself. Connie's letter to the sanctuary had been forwarded on to her. She sent Connie a long list of questions about Shebaba -- eyesight, hearing, measurements, hair, reactions, character, accomplishments, etc., which Connie replied to with every photograph she could lay her hands on.
Connie soon had a letter from Prof. Menzel which said that if Shebaba were in Israel she would be accepted for registration and qualified at least "Very Good". Dr Menzel eventually sent a dog named Tiron to Connie to be bred to Shebaba and then with the help of Dr Menzel, Mrs Higgins finally got Shebaba, Tiron and the puppies recognised by The Kennel Club in December 1970. Saffra Shebaba was the first Canaan Dog to be registered in the UK, and the breed was placed in the Utility Group.
It wasn't until May 1992 that the inaugural meeting of the Canaan Dog Club of the United Kingdom took place. It has only been since 1996 that the breed has really begun to grow in numbers in the UK, though it is still quite numerically small. However, the quality is there and a good foundation is being laid for future generations.

Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress who made her debut in the 1999 television series Get Real. After it was cancelled, she was cast as Mia Thermopolis in the Disney family comedy The Princess Diaries (2001), from which her career gained momentum.