Feature:
Meet 5 of the World’s Tiniest & Most Amazing Creatures
“...
Bumblebee Bat
...This tiny creature weighs less than 2 grams...meaning less than the weight of a dime.
Bumblebee bats are between 1.1 & 1.3 inches long, they have no tail, & they have a wingspan of approximately 6.7 inches.
However, you’re not likely to meet one of these tiny creatures unless you live in Thailand or Myanmar, where they roost in limestone caves. Here they are most active at dusk when they fly around teak trees & clumps of bamboo seeking insects for dinner...
Ili pika
For more than 20 years, the Ili pika, a type of tiny, mountain-dwelling creature with a teddy bear face, eluded scientists in the Tianshan Mountains of northwestern China. But last summer, scientists were thrilled to catch a glimpse of the elusive mammal...
people have seen only 29 live Ili pikas, so little is known about them, only that they are about 8 inches long, with large ears & several small brown spots on their gray fur...
Mouse Lemur
...'They’re fast, fierce, & feisty,” says Chris Smith, education specialist at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina, which is home to 55 mouse lemurs.
According to Smith, Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur is the tiniest of the 17 mouse lemur species. It weights just about 1 oz. & is considered to be the world’s smallest primate.
Along with all other lemurs, mouse lemurs inhabit the island of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa. These tiny animals live in female-dominated groups of up to 15 animals, & are highly skilled at leaping from branch to branch & from tree to tree. They sleep in those trees by day, but at night they are out searching for insects, fruit, flowers, & other plants.
Western Pygmy Blue Butterfly
The Western pygmy blue is definitely the smallest known butterfly in North America...with a wingspan of just half an inch.
It is unmistakable with brown dorsal wings that become blue closer to their bodies. It can be seen all year long but is most often spotted in early July through September during the warm weather season...
Its common habitat is the western U.S. but it has also been spotted in the southern U.S. in coastal areas, & as far south as Venezuela. And it was introduced to Hawaii around 1979...
American Miniature Horse
These horses are of course bred to be small, originally for European nobility in the 17th century. They are...tiny versions of full-size horses...
Nowadays these mini-horses are often used as guides & therapy animals for people. That’s because they are friendly, docile creatures & interact well with humans. Some people even keep them as family pets...”
Judy M.
April 8/2017
care2.com
Cute Critter Pic
Weekly Chuckle
