#860: Yazoo Darter

Related to the vermilion darter, the Yazoo Darter is also restricted to limited range - in this case tributaries in north-central Mississippi. Like the vermilion, the Yazoo is under threat from habitat degradation. He requires clear, flowing water to thrive and he is threatened by urbanization. His diet consists predominantly of insects and other invertebrates. The majority of Darters live less than a year, with very few surviving past two.

Another vectored image. I like how clean it makes the images look.
(My husband laughs because I'm vectoring the images using VectorMagic, but since I'm not subscribed to it (yet), I'm screen capping the images and thus turning them back into bitmaps then saving as PNGs. Never fear, VectorMagic, once I am done with this alphabet I will subscribe for a few months and vectorise all of the pictures. All of them!).

Creature Feature #458: Marmot

The Marmot are a Genus of large squirrels, found in the mountainous regions across North America and Eurasia. This Yellow-Bellied Marmot occurs in Canada and the western United States. Social in nature, he lives in a burrow, which he shares with two or three mates. His colony forages during the day, dining on grass and other vegetation, as well as insects and bird eggs. As winter nears, he makes his way into a deeper hibernation burrow. Here he will remain until late spring.

Creature Feature #422: Leopard Shark

The Leopard Shark is a slender, relatively small shark, found along the Pacific Coast of North America. He is harmless, favouring a diet of sea life such as clams, crustacean and fish. Suction is used to capture his prey. Shark eggs hatch within the uterus of the female, the youngsters sustained by a yolk until she will give birth to as many as 37. These youngsters take many years to mature. Although currently classified as "least concern", Leopard Sharks can experience local declines, due to their slow maturation rates. They are occasionally caught by recreational fishermen and make excellent eating, but due to mercury and other pollutants, it is inadvisable to eat them too frequently.