Cute Arctic Fox Pups

The arctic fox, also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. Arctic fox babies are called either pups or kits. The Arctic fox is an incredibly resilient animal that can live in temperatures as low as -59° F and as warm as temperatures we experience in Southern California.

Photo credits: Aquarium of the Pacific

It survives in extreme temperatures thanks to its thick fur, furry soles, short ears, and short muzzle. During the winter months, white phase Arctic fox have white coats that serve as camouflage against the vast stretches of snow and ice in their native Arctic region.

When the seasons change, their coats change to a brown or blue-gray appearance that allows them to blend in with the summer’s landscape. Blue phase fox, more common in the species’ southern habitat range, remain charcoal-colored year round. Young of each color phase may occur in the same litter.

Climate change poses a threat to the Arctic fox, impacting their habitat and food sources. Consequently the International Union for Conservation of Nature has included them on their Red List of Threatened Species and on a list of ten species that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Raised by Pigs, Tiger returns the Favor

 

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This is going back a few years, but cuteness never grows old.
These pictures come from Siracha Tiger Zoo in Thailand, where the intermingling of species is not at all unusual… The tiger herself was raised by pigs, so she sees pigs as some kind of weird, bald tigers.
Although the Sriracha Tiger Zoo is off the beaten track, it is nonetheless quite a famous zoo, with one of the world’s most successful breeding programs for tigers. But breeding tigers is not its only agenda. Visitors have reported seeing tigers, pigs, and dogs all housed together within the same enclosure, with sows nursing tiger cubs and tigresses nursing piglets “adorned in tiger-print costumes.”
This tiger nursed from a pig and now nurses pigs…Aawwwww! When the pigs get too old, bam! Pork and hot sauce.



 

 

A Study in Brand Minimalism

Mehmet Gozetlik has done a wonderful project that strips brand packaging of all the fluff and focuses on only what is necessary. I find the resulting packages to be more appealing, but that is probably because I’m a designer. I’m sure companies like Procter & Gamble have done thousands of studies over the years explaining why you need unicorn hands on your dish soap to sell more of it.
But then again I know I like them because they are different than anything else out there now. If every packaging started to look like this the flamboyant packaging would stand out and start to be my favorite. Standing out isn’t about being more than what everyone else is, it usually means you are just less.