Paris Hilton with Many of her Pets (16 pics)

Paris Hilton with Many of her Pets -
When we think of the term "pet hoarder" we think of people who are slightly "off" emotionally. So much so that they collect many more pets than they can reasonably care for. We usually find out about them as we see them on the evening news with many pets being removed from a house filled with filth and the hoarder being dragged off to court. It's usually a very sad situation for everyone, especially the animals.

Now some people are starting to question Paris Hilton's need to collect so many pets. PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is upset with her for adopting her most recent pet...a pot-belly pig. The organization says that she will discard the animal as soon as she tires of it and that she jus wants it as a fashion accessory.

There's evidence for both sides of this issue. She's well known for her multi-story designer dog house that's more extravagant than most people's houses. It even has a chandelier! But does that mean that she really cares about the 17 miniature dogs she owns? Or does she just collect them like most people collect stamps or figurines?

She's constantly jetting off somewhere for an event or appearance, so she has little time to be with them. How sad that their owner is not in their lives much unless they are the pet-ornament-of-the-day as she carries them around on her errands.

On the other hand, she probably pays someone to actually take care of them by feeding, grooming and exercising them. So they aren't really neglected, they just have a different person for their companion. Here are some photos of Paris with many of her pets: She loves animals and enjoys having them in her home. But to me, at least, she isn't one of those pet hoarders we hear about. What do you think of this?

Cute Finger Monkeys (12 pics)

Cute Finger Monkeys
You might be wondering what in the world is a finger monkey! In fact, its name itself gives it away! First, a finger monkey is a primate. Second, it gets the first part of its name due to it being finger size in length! If you haven’t seen it - well, you’ll have to just believe me! This cute little primate hugs and grips on to your finger so tight that it pulls your heartstrings and you wish you could take it home with you. Finger monkeys are, as a matter of fact, pygmy marmosets. They are also known by the names ‘Pocket Monkey’ and ‘Tiny Lion’. These primates belong to the family Callitrichidae, species Cebuella and genus C. pygmaea. They are native to rain-forests of Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia.

Strange Two Headed Snakes (15 pics)

Strange Two Headed Snakes
How many of us believe in the existence of two headed snakes? Well, as with any living creature, they do exist and are a much more common sight than any other two headed animals. While a normal snake gives most people the creeps, the sight of a two headed snake must be tremendously gruesome, but captivating. In truth, two headed snakes are merely conjoined twins, connected to each other via their organs or body parts as with other twins that are connected. This means that a two headed snake could be joined to the other sharing the same organs, but one being a parasitic head.

The birth of Siamese or conjoined twins occur when the embryo splits while developing and growing into identical twins, but for some reason does not complete the process of splitting before they are born. The point at which the embryo stops separating varies with each birth therefore, snakes can be joined at any part of the body. Knowing about the life of a two headed snake has been made possible by studies of captured specimens although it has been found that the life of most two headed snakes is very difficult. 

Although the two headed snake has to share the one body, both of the heads are not aware of the existence of the other, therefore, leading individual lives or what they think is individual, so when there is prey to be fed on, only one will actually eat, but it can lead to a sticky situation with them fighting each other for the food. As the two heads are sharing the one body, when one head eats, the two heads feel full as they share the same organs which can lead to confusion with the head that has not eaten, as it fails to understand why it feels full when it has not been fed.

Apart from the problems of feeding, a two headed snake face difficulties in simple tasks like which direction to go. As they both have their own brains, they will each receive separate information, resulting in the dominant one dragging the other in the opposite direction.

The two headed snake can find themselves in dangerous situations when faced with an attack. In this case, the instinct of one head may be to make a quick escape to safety whilst the other may want to stay and fight. This situation could lose precious seconds which could be detrimental to its safety; therefore chances of a long and safe life for a two headed snake in the wild are rare.

In captivity however, a two headed snake may live for twenty years or more with the right head usually being the more dominant in decision making. These decisions can range from which way to slither to what prey to attack. There are some zoos and circuses that have two headed snakes on show with certain museums having preserved specimens.

The Most Unusual Bondings in the Wild (18 pics)

The most Unusual Bondings in the Wild
The world’s most eccentric interspecies adoptions within the animal kingdom, there have been several examples of animals bonding with others outside their own species. This leaves scientists scratching their heads and asking why? Here is a series of the most unusual bondings in the wild.