Resplendent Quetzal is Famous For Its Colorful Plumage

The resplendent quetzal is considered world's most beautiful bird mostly finds in vibrantly colored live in the mountainous, tropical forests of Central America where they eat fruit, insects, lizards, and other small creatures. The Resplendent Quetzal belongs to trogon family, and can be found from southern Mexico to western Panama, and it is famous for its colorful plumage. Throughout mating season, male quetzals grow twin tail feathers that form an astonishing train up to 3 feet long. Females do not have long trains, but they do share the radiant blue, green, and red coloring of their mates. However Male colors tend to be more vibrant. The Resplendent Quetzal is Guatemala's national bird, and an image of it is on the flag and coat of arms of Guatemala, and also the name of the local currency. The bird is of great relevance to Guatemalan culture, being a character in the widely popular legend of the local hero Tecún Umán, a prince and warrior of the Quiché (K'iche') Maya during the latter stages of the Spanish conquest of the region. Unfortunately, these striking birds are threatened in Guatemala and elsewhere throughout their range.

The colorful Resplendent Quetzals have a green body and red breast. Their green upper tail coverts hide their tails and in breeding males are predominantly marvelous, being longer than the rest of the body. The main wing coverts are also extraordinarily long and give a fringed appearance. The male bird has a helmet-like crest. The bill, which is fairly covered by green filamentous feathers, is yellow in mature males and black in females. The quetzal skin is very thin and effortlessly torn, so it has evolved thick plumage to protect its skin. Like other members of the trogon family, it has large eyes that adapt easily to the dim light of its forest home. The "song" is a treble syllable described as kyow or like "a whimpering pup", often in pairs, which may be repeated monotonously. Resplendent Quetzals have other unmusical calls as well. Resplendent quetzal pairs use their authoritative beaks to hollow hole nests in rotted trees or stumps. Inside, they take turns incubating 2 or 3 eggs though males have such long tails that they sometimes stick outside the nest. Young quetzals can fly approximately three weeks of age, but males do not begin to grow their long tail plumes for three years.

They are from time to time trapped for captivity or killed, but their most important threat is the disappearance of their tropical forest homes. In a few areas, most notably Costa Rica's cloud forests, protected lands preserve habitat for the birds and provide opportunities for ecotourists and eager bird watchers from around the globe. Such admirers continue a long history of adoration for the quetzal. The bird was sacred to the ancient Maya and Aztec peoples and royalty and priests wore its feathers during ceremonies. Resplendent Quetzals habitually live alone when not breeding. They are monogamous territorial breeders, with the territory size being measured in Guatemala as 6 to 10 ha. They are also seasonal breeders, with the breeding season starts March to April in Mexico.

Three Dimensional Goldfish Painted in Layer

Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori busted out by creating online art scene last year with his three dimensional goldfish paiting by pouring resin. It is extremely interested when he began using resin, and kept it secret for almost eight years untill Riusuke perfected his technique and method. Although several copycat artists emerged, while you can effortlessly tell which ones are Fukahori's just by looking at the container. Each of his fish works are found inside common Japanese household items like bowls and cups. He said; I didn’t invent resin and not the first to use resin. I’m goldfish artist, not resin. I believe it’s clear which pieces are Riusuke Fukahori pieces because the imitators use the wrong containers. They will never understand goldfish the way I do, because they are only copying the craft, not the soul.”

Riusuke Fukahori’s amazing works isn’t the containers they reside in, it’s the special technique I used. I’ve created these hyper-realistic sculptures of swimming goldfish by a slow and meticulous process. First, he pours a layer of resin, lets it dry, and then paints a small portion of the fish on top it, lets it dry, and then pours another layer of resin, repeating this process until he makes a three-dimensional representation of a goldfish. For Joshua Liner Gallery in New York, the talented artist is exhibiting a novel body of work. You can see the Painted Breath to witness what can only be described as a magnificent cross between a painting and a sculpture up close and personal. Now, courtesy of the gallery, here's what you can expect to find.

The Octopus Tree of Oregon

The Octopus Tree is a huge Sitka spruce situated a few hundred feet from Cape Meares Lighthouse on the Oregon Coast, in the United States. The massive tree is shaped similar to an inverted octopus with branches growing like giant tentacles from its 50-foot base. The octopus tree has no central trunk. Instead, six candelabra limbs extend horizontally from the base as much as 16 feet before turning upward. The tree’s strange shape, according to local historians and Tillamook tribal descendants, comes from the ravages of the wind, but it could also have been man-made. The tree is well believed to be 200 to 300 hundreds years old dating back to when the Indians lived in this area. Indeed, one theory state that the Octopus Tree was shaped like an octopus by the Indians to hold their canoes with their dead in it, and other ritual objects. In past Oregon Coast activist Sam Boardman recognized the tree as one of a number of "Indian Ceremonial Trees" trained over time, a widespread practice of the Coast tribes. The Octopus Tree was particularly venerated, perhaps serving as the gathering site for important Tillamook tribal rites.

Once the Octopus tree was selected, the branches were forced downward toward a horizontal position when they were still flexible, let them to extend about 16 feet from the base. The restrain was then detached and the branch was permitted to grow vertically. Every branch reached skyward to over 100 feet, forming the distinctive shape. Once featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not, the Octopus tree has been illustrated as one of the modern Wonders of the World. Over the years, this inquisitive spruce has also borne the name “Monstrosity Tree” and “Candelabra Tree”, for obvious reasons. But it is steadily called the Council Tree, a place of reverence where elders once made decisions and where shamans performed ceremonies. These days Octopus Tree is not only a significant site, but also a botanical wonder, the type of tree that increases tourists to make a visiting the attractions detour. A sign board near the tree reads:  "The forces that shaped this unique Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) have been debated for many years. Whether natural events or possibly Native Americans were the cause remains a mystery. The tree measures more than 46 feet in circumference and has no central trunk. Instead, limbs extend horizontally from the base as much as 16 feet before turning upward. It is 105 feet tall and is estimated to be 250 to 300 years old." Undeniably one of the most mesmerizing sights to the visitor or resident of Tillamook County is the legendary Octopus Tree, and no matter what the actual age of the tree may be, a visit to the pre-historic tree of mystery is truly a pleasant visit.

A Miraculous Survival of Tree in the Desert of Bahrain

The Tree of Life or Shajarat-al-Hayat in Bahrain is a astonishing tree. The tree is situated 10 kilometer from Askar and 3.5 kilometer west from Jaww. This 32-feet tall Prosopis cineraria has been making a seemingly not possible living out of dry sand for roughly 400 years. This dry land has no apparent source of water and other vegetation for miles around. The secrecy of the survival of the tree has made it a legend.

Most members of Prosopis genus are native to America and they have common name mesquites. Prosopis cineraria though are native to Asia. These trees are famous to adapt extremely well to dry deserts and thrive in arid conditions, with rainfall as low as 150mm annually. But they have profound root systems sometimes going up to 50 meters down gifted of reaching deep beds of underground water. The secrecy status of the tree life in Bahrain is somewhat overstated. The ground, where the tree grows, is just some 9-12 m above the sea level and groundwater level in this location is higher than the sea level. Not too far from the tree are seen ponds with water.

The conditions are also often is humid and mesquite is well adapted to gain the moisture from the air as well. Closer inspection of the area shows other trees nearby. One smaller tree grows some 850 meters to the north from the Tree of Life. A local story tells that Tree of Life was planted here in 1583. The tree survived up to this day. The Tree looks very healthy and has fresh, green leaves, and it grows on a small sand hill looking magnificent in the harsh desert and is visible from far away. This tree is major local tourist attraction, as it is the only foremost tree growing in the area. The tree place is visited by about 50,000 tourists every year and the tree often is damaged by graffiti carvings. In recent times, an iron fence has been put around to protect the tree from vandals.

Floating Golf Course at Luxury Coeur d'Alene Resort

It began with an impulsive flash of inspiration, when in 1991, the first ball was struck onto the floating green on the 14th, and Duane Hagadone's vision was on its way to becoming one of the best-loved icons in golf. The Coeur d'Alene Resort is a luxury resort hotel in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, United States situated on the north shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, the Coeur d Alene Resort is well-known for its amazing 18-hole golf course, a piece of which is perched on a movable artificial island is the middle of a lake. Coeur d’Alene’s celebrated 14th hole is situated on a boat and it well moves around Lake Coeur d’Alene, never to stay in one place for more than a day. The surroundings here are hard to beat, with the sights of Lake Coeur d’Alene, the Famous Floating Green and the gorgeous Resort Golf Course grounds. You can arrive by car, boat or Coeur d’Alene Resort shuttle. It is built on a barge on submerged tracks; the green is moved daily by computer. Hitting the turf is tricky since the distance keeps varying. Water taxis transport golfers to and from the hole. The golf course is simply the best, and nothing is spared to deliver the ultimate golfing experience. It is best known America’s most beautiful Resort Golf Course by Golf Digest. If you’re a golfer, then you can reach its meticulously manicured fairways with a ride in a sleek mahogany boat, and that's just for starters. With the attention of your personal forecaddie, the comfort of your luxury custom cart, gorgeous lake views on every hole, and every item expertly attended to, you're in for the golf game of your life.This luxury golf course and floating green is designed by Scott Miller, and the course opened for play in 1991. It has since been ranked between the best resort golf courses in the USA by Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and others. The award-winning round comprises a wooden boat ride from The Coeur d’Alene Resort, over-the-water driving range, personal forecaddie, custom golf cart and plenty of incredible views.

Amazing: Goats Climbs Argan Tree in Search of Food

This happened in Morocco, Goats climbed Argan tree in search of food. It's hard to believe that animals with hooves could be so adept at climbing but these images are 100% real. Food is fairly sparse in this region, so they have to grab it when they can even if it's high up in a tree! The secret to their ability to climb lies in the shape of their hooves. The keratin reinforced hoof wall adds strength, while the soft textured sole provides traction and grip. It's also capable of deforming inwards to counter irregularities in the terrain. Their toes are capable of operating independently giving them more of a "grip". These hooves evolved to permits the goats to climb rocky, mountainous areas but they have shifted ecosystems to the trees! I'd like to add one more interesting fact: Actually the poo (droppings) of this goats contains grain seeds that locals are used to press and grind into oil. This oil has many uses including culinary and cosmetic, and even if maybe this sounds disturbingly for you and you might want to skip over the versions sold by locals for something more known, i'd like to inform you that quarter-liter of this product costs from 15 to 50 USD.