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Animals attract people by their strange, amazing, funny, sad, and interesting facts. The world of animals tends to magnetize a lot of interest, no matter what age you are. A strange fact about animal is that: animals see details that people do not see. Animals are totally detail-oriented creatures. This has to be noted as the most important thing to know about the way animals recognize the world.

Even the myths and mysteries of odd and small creatures make them captivating. This makes the learner to explore the recent findings, common misconceptions and amazing adoptions about them. Many living things are found in the world.Vertebrates (with a backbone) and invertebrates (without a backbone) are the two main classification of the animal kingdom. In the total species of the animal kingdom only 800,000 species are known to the world. When it comes to the animal kingdom people usually think about cat, dog, tiger, and etc. jellyfish or an earthworm are not considered as an animal. But they also belong to the kingdom of animals. The science of classifying organisms according to their characteristic is called taxonomy.

In order to easily study about the living things in the world they are classified according to its: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.An animal is named by its genus name followed by its species name. Hence man is called Homo sapiens, meaning wise man.

Until today all the animals in the world are classified in to five kingdoms. Animalia made up of animals; Plantae made up of plants; Protista made up of protests (single celled organisms invisible to human eyes); Fungi made up of mushrooms, mold, yeast, lichen etc; and Monera made up of bacteria.
Phylum is the next classification and each kingdom has several phyla. In phylum animals are divided from the smaller ones to more familiar groups. Animals with back bone (fish, birds, mammals, reptiles) belong to the chordata phylum. Arthropoda (spiders and insects), Mollusca (snails and squid), Annelids (segmented worms) and Echinodermata (star fish and sea urchins) are some of the best known phyla.

The category that makes up the phylum is the class. Class breaks animals into more familiar groups. For example phylum chordata is divided into Aves, Reptiles, Amphibian, Mammalian and many more.

The next category in the animal kingdom is the order. One or more orders make up a single class. Rodentia, Primates, Chiroptera, Insectivora, Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Artidactyla, and Proboscidea are the orders of the mammalian class.

Following the order comes the Families the next category. Canidae, Felidae, Ursidae, Hyaenidae, Mustelidae and many more form the families for the carnivore order.

Genus is the next category. The felidae family can be broken down into acinonyx, panthera, neofelis and felis.
The last category is the species. The panthera can be broken into panthera leo (lion) and panthera tigris (tiger)

Animals ranging from few cell organisms to animals that weigh many tons are extinct in this world. Approximately 9 to 10 million species of animals live all over the world. This is only a rough estimation; the exact number is not known. Researches and invention in and around the forest areas and seas add a new species to the animal kingdom.

By far the insects are the most found species in the animal kingdom. They have mollusks and nematodes as their groups. They live along with us even in the winter months. Among all known animals in the world 85% belong to this class and are the largest animal phylum in the world.  

The most interesting animal in the world are the arthropods. Any animal that have more than four legs or jointed legs are arthropods. They can fly, creep and even crawl. From ants to bumble bees and crabs to crayfish and spiders to centipedes all belong to this category.

Two life animals are called amphibians. They are capable of living in land as well as in water. With gills and tails amphibians begin their life in water. Later they produce lungs and legs for their life on land. Amphibians are capable of maintaining the same temperature on land and in water. Hence they are the cold blooded animals. Research continues on the relationships of the major animal groups.

When one first sees the Puli, the question is always asked “How on earth do you give this dog a bath?” The answer is, obviously, “It takes a LONG time!”

The Hungarian Puli develops a “corded” coat as it ages. The coat tends to naturally gather itself together in ringlets which are very tightly curls and gnarled together into long cords. A mature coat takes a good 10 to 12 years to reach its full glory for the Show Ring, as a consequence there are Pulik (the plural of Puli) who are still in the prime of their show career at an age when most dogs are being shown in Veteran’s Class.

Among the other breeds which have a similar coat one finds the Komondor and years ago the Poodle. The tight cords protect the breed from weather and harsh elements. The preferred color is black, however there can be white, rust colored and various shades in between. The Puli was originally bred in Hungary as a herding dog and those with a black coat could be more easily seen by shepherds and thus be distinguished from the sheep.

Pulik are nimble on their feet and smaller than they appear, usually standing less than 20 inches at the shoulder. Like most herding breeds, they are built so they can move quite nimbly, nipping at the heels of the sheep to keep them grouped together. They are even known to run upon the backs of a tightly bunched flock of sheep.

This is not a common breed. Most folks who own Pulik do keep the short coat if they are not being shown, since a corded coat is difficult to care for and develops a strong smell if not kept clean. Which brings us to the question, “How are they bathed?” Usually the entire dog is immersed in a large tub filled with room temperature water and a bit of shampoo, the individual cords are squeezed by hand and the skin is gently massaged.

Care must be taken not to damage the cording or the individual cords will become tangled together and the show look requires that the long cords hang naturally and separately from each other. Once the shampoo has been squeezed through the coat, the dog is immersed in several tubs of tepid clear water as a rinse and also sprayed thoroughly and finally, toweled dry with the same squeezing process. A blow dryer can then be used, provided it is not so powerful that it “frizzes” the coat. The entire process usually takes a full day. Since the cords are long and reach to the ground, it is important to keep the dog from running in underbrush and that sort of thing.

One would question why this dog with this kind of coat can be running with sheep, but the fact is that this coat when it is in a natural state completely protects the dog from thorns and brambles. The thick wooly cords are also natural weather barriers to rain and snow, so that the body of the Puli is well protected from the elements of harsh weather. Furthermore a would-be predator can not sink its teeth into the flesh of this nimble dog and can only get a mouthful of hair. Thus the Pulik are naturally quite self sufficient out in the flock, needing little in the way of human care.

Their job requires a certain independence and they are not necessarily in need of a lot of human companionship. Pulik should not exhibit shyness or nervousness , usually are wary of strangers and should not be aggressive. They are energetic and require a job of some sort or plenty of exercise or the owner of a Puli will find that it is getting into all sorts of things, out of boredom.

Once all the research, planning and waiting is complete and the aquarium is full of water and has finally finished cycling you will finally be ready to introduce your first fish.

It is important to ensure that you make the right choice though as there are some fish which are suitable to be added at this stage and there are fish which are not.

Do you know what you are looking for in the selection of your first fish?

Firstly and foremost the fish you choose must be relatively hardy. The reason for this is that the saltwater aquarium is new and the water will not be completely stable. Another reason is that as aquarists we all make mistakes at one time or another and with having a hardy fish they are more forgiving to these mistakes.

You will probably have an idea as to the type of fish you would like to keep in your aquarium therefore it is imperative that this fish you choose now will be compatible with future tank mates. If you added an aggressive fish for example at the start then whenever you decided to add a new fish there would be fighting in the aquarium. Not what you want at this stage really is it.

Which fish are good fish to start with?

Below is a list of what I believe to be good starter fish for a saltwater aquarium. They are all relatively hardy, peaceful and none of them have special feeding requirements.

* Clownfish
* Orchid Dottyback
* Royal Gramma
* Blenny
* Chromis
* Firefish

Lets have a look at each of these in a little more detail :

Clownfish

The clownfish to me is a fantastic little fish. The way it swims, the way it lives in corals etc and especially the colours – a great addition to any aquarium. They are also one of the most popular starter fish. They are quite hardy and are very well suited to captive life in an aquarium.

You can keep these singularly or you can keep them in pairs. When kept in pairs the most dominant fish sometimes will turn into a female and the two may even end up breeding.

There is a mis-belief that clown fish must be kept with an anemone. This simply is not the case. Clownfish will be more than happy in an aquarium without one. Anenomes are quite hard to keep and at this stage of the aquariums life the aquarium is not yet ready for one, possibly neither are you.

There are various species of clownfish, however the best ones to start with are :

* Common clown (Amphiprion ocellaris)
* Black and white clown (Amphiprion ocellaris)
* Percula clown (Amphiprion percula)

Clownfish can be purchased tank bred and if this is an available option it is recommended that you follow this option.

Orchid Dottyback

The orchid dottyback (Fridmani pseudochromis) is a relatively peaceful fish which grows to around 3-4 inches in length. The good thing about the orchid dottyback is that they can be purchased tank bred.

One thing to be noted is that you should not mix this fish with other fish of the same shape (ie the royal gramma below) or with other dottybacks.

Once the fish has become accustomed to life in your aquarium it will become quite bold and swim happily around the aquarium.

Royal Gramma

Royal grammas (Gramma Loreto) are a peaceful fish with the exception of their own kind and are very colourful fish with the colours changing from purple to yellow along the fish’s body.

There are other fish which can easily be confused with the Royal Gramma as they look very similar so ensure that it actually is a Royal Gramma prior to purchasing it.

Blenny

There are a couple of blennies which in my opinion make good additions to the aquarium as starter fish and there are the Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas) and the Bicolour Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor).

These are both fantastic to watch. They both like to either rest on a ledge or find a hole and simply watch the world go by.

Chromis

Chromis (Chromis viridis) are great to add to an aquarium. They are relatively hardy and if you have a larger aquarium then you can add a small group. They normally come in two colours (blue and green).

One of the good things about chromis is that they do not grow to be that large. They normally do not grow larger than 2 inches in length.

Firefish

The normal firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) and then purple firefish (Nemateleotris decora) are great starter fish to add to the aquarium. Both of these are very colourful fish which grow to a maximum size of about 4 inches.

The firefish has a large dorsal fin which it uses to lock itself into a hole in the rocks which is normally down at the bottom. This hole is where the fish retires to when the lights go out but it also uses it when it becomes startled. These fish are prone to jumping when startled therefore you need to take care to prevent this.

Unless you can locate an established pair I would recommend that these are kept singularly.

The origin of Chinchillas can be traced to Chile, a South American country. These furry creatures particularly originated from the Andes Mountains. The natural Chinchilla habitat includes rocks and burrows. Their agility allowed them to jump high and live in such highly elevated areas. Since they live in the mountains, Chins have to deal with different kinds of threats particularly predators like snakes, bird of preys, and canines. Like most animals, Chinchillas have different defence mechanisms to protect themselves from various threats. They usually spray their urine and release fur in order to escape their predators.

Chinchillas feed on a diet consisting of insects, seeds, and plants. Those that have the cage as Chinchilla habitat thus are often required by experts to be given with a hay-based diet. Giving other food to these pets may give them problems with their digestive tract. In their natural habitat, Chinchillas often group themselves into herds. Like most animals, Chins have the ability to breed at any point in the year.

Given their smooth fur and lovable personality, Chins have become popular choices as pets. Many people particularly in the United States choose Chins as their pets. Thus a cage can be considered as a Chinchilla habitat. However pet owners should look into several things to ensure that the cages they have for their Chins are appropriate and safe enough for these little creatures.

The foremost thing to consider when choosing a cage for a Chin is the height. The cage should be tall enough for the Chins to scale the bars, and wide enough for them to run around. Since Chins are very active when inside their cage, a cage should have ledges and shelves. The cage to be considered a safe Chinchilla habitat should have wire-based sides since Chins usually chomp on them. Having wood bases can result to poisoning on the part of the animal. Chins should also not be brought to the pet owner’s bedroom since they are hyperactive at night, and thus will only disturb any person during sleep.

In their natural habitat, Chinchillas love to climb and run around. The same goes for captive Chins. Pet owners should give their Chins enough time to roam around outside their cages. This should be done at night, when the animals are most active. An ideal Chinchilla habitat such as the cage should also have several ramps where these animals can play around. Pet owners should make sure that the ramps are strong enough to carry the load of the Chins.

Any pet owner who wants to keep Chins as pets should realize that Chins can be very hyperactive, and thus they will have their hands full in controlling these pets. By nature, Chins are inquisitive and curious. Giving toys and treats is a great way of keeping the Chins busy. But toys should not be of the poisonous kind such as plastic types.

Keeping the Chinchilla habitat clean, safe, and filled with treats should keep these furry creatures satisfied and happy inside their cages.

When your dog is performing a nice trick or behaves good during training or a certain event you feel like giving him a nice dog treat. But are you sure that every dog treat is healthy for your pet?

Dog’s basic nutrition is almost the same as the human nutrition; our pets need fats, carbohydrates and protein too, but in other ratios and prepared differently.

People can chose to feed their pets with raw food or special dog food in stores. There is a big controversy between some groups of pets about the way we should feed our animals regarding raw food and commercialized food; some believe that raw food has been used for centuries and it’s better for animals while others think that using special dog food assures the optimal nutrition.

Dog treats which are found in stores are usually biscuits made with meat products, milk and wheat but they also contain more fats than normal dog food. Think about dog treats like fast food or chips for humans.

In the last years commercialized dog food including dog treats was found to be poisonous for most dogs. Some of the ingredients contained by dog treats which are known to cause problems are: wheat gluten, onion and garlic products, dairy products in large quantities, large quantities of liver, salt, chocolate etc. These products can cause: diarrhea, kidney failure, heart diseases, obesity, etc.

If you aren’t sure of the dog treats you buy, you can try making some in your home, there are a lot of recipes on the internet and in special pet magazines. All you have to do is to make sure you avoid the products listed above and others which you know that affect your pet.

Other important nutrients which must be assured daily are vitamins. If you feed your dog raw food you might find it hard to calculate if he gets enough vitamins so you might need some supplements; there are a lot of brands which commercialize products that assure the daily vitamin need. If you feed your dog with commercialized dog food, you will know that the daily dose written on the package contains the vitamins your little buddy needs.

Some dog treats contain vitamins too but they are also very tasty for your dog so be careful! If you feed your dog too many dog treats you should cut down the food you give them in meals to avoid obesity and digestion problems. If you bake your dog treats at home try to calculate the amount of nutrients; you can find a lot of nutrient lists on the internet and calculate the optimum amount of food for your dog.