Barktoberfest? What About Catoberfest??

This is a report from my mom when she was on Big World Assignment a couple weeks ago at Barktoberfest, in Frisco Texas. This was a benefit for the Frisco Humane Society.

I think doggies get to have all the fun.....dog parks, walkies, Barktoberfest....what next?

Mom said the costumes were great. Here are just a few examples. There was a Dachshund trying to be evil like a Devil.....

A tough Harley dude Pug......

A Lobster?? I would have had to draw the line on this one!

A really Pink Poodle......I would never let anyone die my furs like this!

And there was an Afghan, just doing what an Afghan does.....look luxurious!

There were Rescue Groups there representing all sorts of breeds, including this Mastiff Rescue Group. Wow, that's on BIG doggie!

Those doggies that got adopted over the years through Frisco Humane Society got to take a Walk of Fame on stage and have their 15 minutes of fame.

There were contests too. This is the winner of the Owner Look-a-Like Contest. This is just too silly!

And of course Best Costume. This group was pretty extravagant with princesses riding in a chariot, don't you think?

Great report, mom.
Now how about a Catoberfest for us cats next year?

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Rats, There Was a Snake in Our Garage!

A Rat Snake, that is!

Mom freaked out when she saw this hissing Rat Snake stuck in a glue trap in our garage, and if you look closely, there is a mouse stuck with him too. I admit, it was a little scary and I hear they eat small mammals like rats and mice. I sure hope they don't eat Jelly Beans! I better be careful!

These snakes are common in North Texas, but not venomous. But they will hiss, strike or bit if harrassed.

I am not sure if I like this new animal friend. I will have to think about this one!

(P.S. I have more Costa Rican animal friends, but will take a break from Costa Rica, and save them for later posts.)

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

I hope everyone is not getting bored with Costa Rica, but mom just could not get enough of all the animals there! She went wild (literally) taking pictures of all my new animal friends!

These black Monkeys were swinging through the trees right outside of mom's hut!

They are called Mantled Howler Monkeys. Can you see the little baby here with his mama?

The manager of the place mom stayed at, said this older Howler Monkey had lost his Monkey rankings, and now was exiled away from the rest of his family and his whole group. He was a castaway.....poor Monkey!

Mom only caught one shot of one other type of Monkey, called a Spider Monkey.
I wonder if he likes to play with spiders as much as I do?

I like my new Monkey friends!

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Beautiful Costa Rican Butterflies

Here is more beautiful wildlife from Costa Rica. Mom saw lots of Butterflies and here are some she caught shots of. And some were just too fast to catch on camera!

Great Owl Butterfly

Banded Peacock Butterfly

Small Postman Butterfly

Giant Silk Moth

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Two Toes & Some Algae!

Today I would like to present a very interesting new animal friend also from Costa Rica. It is the Two-Toed Sloth!
This mama Sloth and her baby were hanging out up in a tree, right outside of mom's hut in the Tortuguero rainforest.

This Sloth has two toes or actually two claws so they can easily hang from the tree canopy.

They are very lethargic and move very slowly. They eat various tree leaves, and digest their food very slowly.

And guess what? They only come down to the ground once a week to poop! Just think how much less litter my mom would have to buy for my litter box, if I was like a Sloth!

The mama Sloth will teach her new baby what to eat for a few months, and then will leave the baby on it's own to learn how to fend for itself.
This Sloth also has specialized fur that enables algae to grow in it, which helps in camouflaging them. I sure am glad my furs are pristine and are algae-free! Algae is not for me!

Thanks mom, for finding me these new interesting Sloth friends!

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Spoon it Up!

Continuing on with mom's Big World Report from Costa Rica, here we have the only large pink bird found in Costa Rica! It is the Roseate Spoonbill.

What an elegant bird this is and what a great concept to have a "Spoon-Bill"!

Mom saw a flock of them on her canal boat ride, and said they were very beautiful. The tour guide said they like it when boats go by because......

......it stirs up the bottom of the canal, so they can find food more easily. And all they do it just "Spoon up their Supper"!

Mom said it was an amazing sight to see all the pink Spoonbills up in a tree too.

And, what makes it more special, is they hollered down from the tree at mom, and said:
"Of course we want to be JB's friends! We feel honored to know the world renowned Cat, JB"

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Fashionable Frog!

Still reporting from mom's Big World Assignment in Costa Rica, I now present to you my new friend, the Blue Jeans Dart Frog! My friend is also known as the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog.

Mom almost missed him because he was only the size of my mom's thumbnail! His bright colors warn predators that he is toxic. His skin secretions are not poisonous to humans, but some unpredictable things have been known to happen if you touch him!

I must say, I have never met a more Fashionable Frog. His Blue Jeans, are very versatile, and can be worn for any occasion!

Mom found my new friend hanging out at the base of a huge Ceiba Tree. She said I can be friends with him as long as I don't touch him.

I like my Fashionable new Frog Friend!

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Who Can See the Toucans?

My mom did! Still reporting from Costa Rica, and mom was so excited to see Toucans flying around free in the rain forest!

This is the Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan, and it is the largest of the Toucans' species at 52-56cm. Mom saw lots of them, and they hang out in flocks of about 20 in the lower rain forest wetlands.

Mom, you should have brought one of these birdies home to me for a "souvenir" friend! They are very beautiful birdies!

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Hercules, That is One BIG Bug!

Continuing on with my mom's Big World Assignment....and I may be writing about Costa Rica for a while, since there was so much great wildlife there!
Moving on now to another creepy crawly bug!

This is the HERCULES Beetle! It is also known as the Rhinoceros Beetle, and it is native to Costa Rica. This beetle can get up to 6.75 inches long! It is named "Hercules" for it's amazing strength and can carry up to 850 times it's weight!

Some of the locals near the Del Monte banana processing plant were showing these beetles to tourists.

Mom was too scared to hold one, so she took a picture of someone else on her tour holding one.

Mom! What happened to a "hands on" Report? What kind of Big World Reporter are you? Are you a Scaredy CAT?

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by my JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

I'm JB's Mom, Get Me Out of Here!!

JB's mom here. Ok, is there no limit as to what I will do to find JB more animal friends?? JB has really pushed me to the limit this time!

JB told me my next Big World Assignment would be in Costa Rica and I had to stay in the jungle at the Pachira Lodge in Tortuguero in a hut on stilts to find her more animal friends!

Not just the jungle, but the RAINFOREST!. That's right....with lots and LOTS of rain!
So, JB....is it perfectly ok for me to get my hair wet, when you will do everything possible not to get your furs wet??

Ok, so maybe the lush foliage is quite pretty and beautiful, I have to admit, but what is lurking deep in this rainforest?

I decided to consult my Costa Rica Wildlife Guide.

Eeek, just nearby was a Slender Anole Lizard! These are common in the Costa Rica rainforest, and it slithered quickly away behind my hut. I wondered how many of his friends would be slithering around in my room that night?

The room was simple, with a pretty stained glass light, but not sure if you can see......there is no glass in those windows, just old screens!
Yes, JB made me sleep in an open air room!!

And what did I find over my head when I went to bed that first night? The biggest Grasshopper I had ever seen, about 4-5 inches long!

I'm JB's mom, get me out of here!!

To Be Continued......

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by my SMALL WORLD too, thanks!

Please Sign My Guestbook!

A Sacred Bird!

Also on mom's Big World Assignment from Las Vegas, was this report on the Sacret Ibis, who she met at the Flamingo Hotel!

Sacred Ibis have beautiful feathers on their whole body except their neck and head, where they have black featherless skin!

This adaptation has happened since they like to dip their heads into marshy wetlands and mud flats to search for food.

I am certainly glad my food gets served to me on a dish in my kitchen, so I don't have to search for my fishy dinner this way!

They are thought of as sacred, back from the ancient days in Egypt, from eating locusts and saving crops.

I like my new sacred birdie friends!

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK, and stop by my SMALL WORLD too, thanks!