These 7 Animals Would Absolutely Crush It at the Winter Olympics

The Olympics are designed to test elite athleticism, at least in the human realm. But what about the animal world? How would Arctic foxes fare in the Winter Olympics, or snowy owls for that matter?

These Arctic animals, and others, are fast flyers and runners, and they hunt prey with deadly accuracy.

Granted, these animals might not follow all the rules (penguins, after all, slide on their bellies, not sleds), but here are seven animals that would excel at the Winter Olympics and likely win a few gold medals while they're at it. [Beasts in Battle: 15 Amazing Animal Recruits in War]

1. Artic fox

The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) would crush any cross-country-skiing competition. This small carnivore has thick fur that helps it survive in weather as cold as minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 45 degrees Celsius), according to the San Diego Zoo. Its lush tail can curl like a scarf around its body, keeping it warm, the San Diego Zoo added.

These foxes don't use skis to get around, but the fur on their feet gives them traction as they run, acating like a natural snowshoe. In fact, their species name, lagopus, means "hare-footed" in Greek, according to the San Diego Zoo.

2. Flattie spider

Whenever the web-less spider notices a potential meal, it keeps one leg anchored and spins around until it catches its target.The flattie spider (Selenopidae) can spin much faster than an Olympic figure skater. To be exact, this arachnid can spin around in one-eighth of a second, which is nearly three times faster than the blink of an eye, according to a study published Feb. 12 in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

Just like figure skaters draw their arms closer to their body to spin faster, flattie spiders pull their remaining legs toward themselves, which allows them to spin up to 40 percent faster and nail a perfect landing, with their mouth positioned next to the prey, according to the researchers who conducted the study. You can watch a video of it below.

During ski jumping, Winter Olympic athletes zoom off a ski jump and lean forward, with their skis in a V-shape as they zoom through the air and land at record distances for their respective countries.

We nominate the Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) for this event, given that the hare can go airborne, too, as it bounds through the snow at speeds as high as 40 mph (64 km/h), according to National Geographic.

4. Seal

There are few things more intense than speeding down a steep racetrack on a skeleton sled. But a seal probably wouldn't mind. These fin-footed pinnipeds slide all the time on their fat bellies as they enter and exit the water, according to Seals-World.

5. Penguins

Penguins would make world-class bobsledders. That's because they're epic tobogganers.

Bobsledding became a sport in the late 19th century, when Swiss athletes attached two skeleton sleds together and added a steering mechanism to make a toboggan, according to Olympics.org.

Likewise, penguins plop down on their stomachs and then slide around on the ice and snow, using their feet and wings to guide and push them along. Some penguins glide on their bellies for miles at a time, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

6. Crow

Curling is a complex sport rife with rules and tools — including brooms, stones and sliders. It's no leap of the imagination that crows would do exceptionally well … largely because they're so good at making and using tools.

New Caledonian crows, for instance, can fashion hooks from sticks to grab larvae and insects from crevices in logs or branches, Live Science previously reported. The Hawaiian crow is also a medal winner, finding the best sticks to reach food in awkward spots.

We're not sure if these crows would sweep the ice with brooms, but they would certainly sweep the competition if the goal were to use sticks to nab a snack.

7. Snowy owl

The biathlon has roots in Scandinavia, where people hunted on skis with rifles hung over their shoulders, according to Olympics.org.

Snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus) don't ski and shoot, but they do fly with speed and have excellent hearing and vision that help them hunt with lethal accuracy. These owls would stand atop the podium at any animal Olympics, though they'd likely prefer a tasty lemming to a gold medal.

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The funniest animal photos of 2015 revealed

The best entries in the inaugural Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been named

This year's winning photograph, by Julian Rad Photo: Julian Rad

The above image of a wild hamster, cheeks filled with food, expression of quiet determination writ large across its furry brow, has been named the funniest animal photo of the year at the inaugural Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.  



The hamster, or rather Julian Rad, the Austrian who captured it, beat hundreds of rivals to the top prize, earning himself a one-week holiday in Tanzania and a Nikon D750 camera in the process.

This stag took second place  Photo: William Richardson

Second and third place went to a pair of Britons: William Richardson, for his photo of an impeccably camouflaged stag in Richmond Park, and Oliver Dreike, for an image of a gorilla that swears it was just scratching its nose. Honest.

This gorilla swiped third  Photo: Oliver Dreike

Given that the award is in its first year, the number of entries - more than 1,500 - was impressive, as has been its global reach, with those entries coming from as far afield as Iraq, Macedonia, Uruguay, Belize and Sri Lanka.

This distressed hippo was one of 10 "highly commended" entries  Photo: Marc Mol

Images of animals looking foolish clearly hold a special place in everyone’s heart - regardless of nationality.

So too was this graceful cheetah  Photo: Mohammed Alnaser

 Among the judges were Hugh Dennis, the actor and comedian best known for his role in BBC’s Outnumbered, and Kate Humble, the broadcaster and regular contributer to Telegraph Travel, as well as several respected wildlife photographers, such as Will Burrard Lucas and Tom Sullam.

This ninja squirrel  Photo: Julian Rad

  “It was a pleasure to judge the inaugural Comedy Wildlife Awards,” said Hugh Dennis.

This amused seal  Photo: Julie Hunt

He added: “The number and quality of the entries was fantastic. The finalists should be very proud of themselves, as should the animals they photographed, simply for looking so funny. Sadly there is no way of telling them.”

This flapping bird  Photo: Charlie Davidson

In addition to being extremely entertaining, the awards aim to raise awareness of the work of The Born Free Foundation, the conservation and animal rights charity.

Photo: Megan Lorenz

And these clumsy owls

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Weddell Seals

Weddell seals have an average life span of up to 30 years, they spend most of their time below the ice of Antarctica. 

They are well-known for their approachable and docile nature. Their only predators are the orcas or killer whales, and the larger species of leopard seals.

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Close call: Seal gives shark the slip

Wildlife photographer David “Baz” Jenkins seems to have a knack for photographing great white sharks.

His website is filled with pictures of the fearsome predators leaping from the sea and devouring seals.

But a photo Jenkins took during a July shark-watching cruise in South Africa is garnering the Irish photographer so much attention that his website was having trouble keeping up Wednesday after numerous media outlets published his shots.

Source: Here

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Seals Wallpapers

 

 

 

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Seals

Seals, with their “cuddly” looks and furry forms, are popular in plushie toy circles, a status which is attributed to their endearing appeal among children and those who are children at heart.

The 1994 movie Andre, told the tale of how a family got to befriend a sea lion, a heartwarming tale about how much impact the seal had in the life of a little girl. Based on a true story, the movie tells a story which happened during the 1960’s, and ultimately managed to raise concerns of over marine wildlife conservation and the impact human societies have in the ecologic balance of nature.

As members of the marine wildlife population, seals come in two species, with the Otariidae (seals with ears like the sea lion and fur seal) and the Phocidae (seals without ears like the harbor seal).

As popular as seals are, the fact that they are actually carnivores is not a well known fact. The fact that they are linked to have evolved from land-based mammals is also another not well known seal fact.

The term seal is actually one which applies to 32 known seal species, with the Galapagos fur seal said to be the smallest of the species growing up to 4 feet, as the Southern Elephant Seal is said to be the largest, growing up to 13 feet.

Another not well known fact about seals is that there are actually seal types who are at home in tropical waters, which means that they are not strictly found in cold zones and waters. Seals, as hunters, primarily have a thing for squid and/or fish, and they use their whiskers in detecting or sensing their prey.

Though they are mammals, seals are also physically built to stay underwater for a long time, with certain species capable of diving in for two hours.

As marine animals, seals are tied closely with other creatures, like whales and whale sharks. Generally trainable and graceful, seals have captured the fascination of young generations year in and year out, with their cute looks and silly seal antics.

Seals Video

 

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