D is for Deer

Did you know that prior to the 15th century the term deer (or der) was used to describe all wild animals? That's right. In Middle English, der was used for wild animals and cattle was used to describe domesticated livestock. It was not until after this time that the terms began to be used specifically to refer to what we now call deer.

Yosemite Deer Print by mlewallpapers

There are indigenous populations of deer on all continents, except for Antartica and Australia. Australia and New Zealand now have species of deer which were introduced by settlers in the 19th century.

Mule Deer Poster by Keller_Photography

The continent which has the most species of deer in the world is the Eurasian continent, with the largest number found in Asia.

Deer in Frosty Hills by Bebops

Dragonflies Everywhere!

A dragonfly is an insect which has two pairs of transparent wings, large multi-faceted eyes and a long body. Dragonflies are known for being one of the fastest insects in the world. Dragonflies usually eat small insects such as mosquitoes, ants and bees. They are found near lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands as their larvae is aquatic. The larvae are known as nymphs.

Below is a photograph of an ant about to be devoured by a dragonfly!

Bad Day by dgeneve

The image below gives us a wonderful view of the dragonfly's transparent wings.

Perched Dragonfly by OctopusLove

Like all other insects, dragonflies have six legs, however most cannot walk well, but they do help when trying to perch yourself on the tiniest stem in search of prey.

Dragonfly Balance Photo Poster by debinSC
See more Dragonfly Posters

Dragonflies have become increasingly popular in artwork and there are especially popular in fantasy and whimsical styles of art.

A Young Dunlin

The Dunlin is a common small wader bird which can be found in the arctic and subarctic regions. One of the interesting characteristics of these birds is that the male provides most of the care of the chicks once they have hatched as the female deserts them and often leaves the breeding area all together.

Below is a picture of a young dunlin, which is evident by the brown plummage on top, whereas adult dunlins have grey plummage.

Dunlin - Postcard
by dgeneve
View other Dunlin Postcards

C is for Canine or D is for Dog

To mark the end of the letter "C" on The Animal Zoo and the start of animals beginning with "D", we thought it would be fun to use an animal which could be put under "c" or "d'... so here it is... a cute canine or a delightful dog!

Happy Doggy by tashatzazzle

A Cougar By Any Other Name

The cougar is a member of the cat family native to the Americas and are known by a range of other names depending on the region, including puma, panther, mountain lion, mountain cat and catamount. There are the largest of the small cats which belong to the Felidae family.

Cougar and Pictographs
by wildlifeart

cougar
by wildlifeart

Bathing Canary

The Canary is a bird which belongs to the finch family. It is native to the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira and is a popular bird kept in avaries throughout the world due to their beautiful singing.

Canary bath by nabrudigam

Howling Coyote

The coyote is a canine found in North and Central Amrica and is also referred to as the American jackal or the prairie wolf.

Coyotes are well known for their howling which are usually heard at dusk or at night. These calls are most common during the mating season, but can be heard throughout the year.

Lone Coyote Howl Print
by FalconsEye

Cute Crocodiles

Crocodiles are cute, aren't they?

Well, these little critters featured here are... not so sure about the ones you find out in the wild. These almost look like a cute pet!

Stripey Mr Crocodile Greeting Card
by scruffshop

BF- Crocodile Dishwasher Magnet
by inspirationrocks

Chinchilla

Chinchillas are a type of rodent which is native to the Andes in South America. The Chincha people used to wear the fur of the Chinchillas and they became very rare in the 19th century due to being hunted for their fur. These days chinchillas are raised in farms to provide fur for clothing and other accessories.

Chinchilla Stickers
by WhimsySeed

Cocker Spaniel

Did you know that there are two different breeds of cocker spaniels? There is the English cocker spaniel and the American cocker spaniel. They were original bred as hunting dogs in the United Kingdom.

Since 1936 in the United States, the Cocker Spaniel has ranked as the most popular dog on 25 occasions.

To The Soul - Chocolate Cocker Spaniel Portrait
by Spiderwebs

Coconut Octopus

The Coconut Octopus, also known as the veined octopus, is a cephalopod which is found in the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean. The love to eat clams, shrimp and crabs. They have been known to collect discarded cocnut shells and use them to create shelters... is this how they got their name?

Coconut Octopus
by OctopusLove

Chickens, Chooks and Chicks

Chickens are the most domesticated animals in the world and there are more chickens in the world than any other bird. In 2003, it was estimated that there was an increible 24 billion chickens!

Chickens are kept as domesticated animals because we love to to eat chicken and eggs... well, not sure about you, but I love chicken... and eggs!

Cows, cows and more cows

Did you know that there are over 1.3 billion cows in the world today? Now that sure is a lot of cows!

Cows have been domesticated and raised as livestock for their beef and veal and for their milk and other dairy products. They have also been used as working animals all over the world.

In some countries, such as India, cows are considered sacred animals. According to Vedic scriptures "the cow is thy mother" because of the milk it provides.

Cute and Artistic Cats

Cats are loved by many people all over the world and are one of the most popular pets. It is believed that they first became domesticated almost 10,000 years ago.

Not only are they common to have as pets, but people love to draw cats in all shapes and forms... here are just a few cute kitty cats!

Chameleons

Chameleons are a really interesting type of lizard and there are over 160 species of chameleons which can be found in a number of countries including Spain, Portugal and throughout Africa and South Asia.

chameleon on a twig
by greendeer

Chameleons have very distinctive eyes and they are able to rotate the eyes independently of each other and focus on two separate objects. This effectively gives them a full 360 degree view around the bodies.

Chameleons also have very long tongues which can be extended very quickly (faster than the human eye is able to follow). This means that they are able to catch their prey very quickly before the prey has any idea of what is about to happen.