There are hundreds of thousands of different animal species, with sizes ranging from the gigantic to the absolutely miniscule.

Whilst it is common to see particularly large or small versions of some animals, these are a selection of odd shaped animals that you may not even know existed.

Capybara

The largest rodent in the world, for anyone who is not a fan of mice or rats, Capybaras can be considered a worst a nightmare.

Native to South America, Capybaras can grow up to 4 foot 3 inches in length, way up to 140 pounds and look, to all intents and purposes, a large, heavy rat.

Irish Wolfhound

Known as man’s best friend, dogs come in all shapes and sizes.  From tiny Chihuahuas that can be nothing more than a few inches in length to dogs that are the same size of a small horse.

Out of all of the dog breeds, it is the Irish Wolfhound that is, on average, the tallest breed and can stand at the withers (their shoulders), a staggering three feet tall.

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When taking into consideration that there are literally thousands upon thousands of places to eat in the Manhattan area of New York alone, from cafes and delis to Michelin starred restaurants ran by world famous chefs, there really is a gastronomic delight for everyone.

With millions of people visiting New York on a regular basis, everyone is looking for something different in term of places to eat.  Although the main tourist spots are packed full of restaurants to suit the vast majority of tastes, it is the places that the local New Yorkers head to that are so often looked for and the following are some of the most popular non-tourist eateries in the whole of Manhattan.

Lombardi’s

Located at 32 Spring Street (the corner of Spring and Mott Street), Lombardi’s is a institution in Manhattan, for the simple fact that it claims to be the very first pizzeria not only in New York, but the whole of America.

With the company opening originally in 1897 as a grocery store, it developed into a pizzeria in 1905 for which it has remained ever since (with the exception of moving premises to a block away after being closed for several years throughout the 1980’s).

There is not much else to be said about Lombardi’s without actually going to taste the food – which, cooked in stone ovens, is said to be the best pizza in New York.

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This year, the Space Shuttle program will officially be retired. Due to former president George W. Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration, it will not be extended. Although this news might be sad to some, American participation in space exploration is not coming to an end. Project Constellation is taking its place and will mean many more years of space-bound missions. The history of the Space Shuttle program, however, is a long and colorful one. Despite its pending termination, this does not diminish its important contributions, not only to scientific progress but its impact on our society as well.

Although the first official Space Shuttle launch took place long after the Space Race between the US and the Soviet Union was over, it was conceived during the 1960s while Americans and Russians were scrambling to get to the moon. Then-president Richard Nixon formed a committee right as Neil Armstrong was taking his first historic steps to find a more cost-effective program for space flights. The idea was to find a viable means to perform scientific studies as well as make the shuttle available for potential commercial use, not to mention the Department of Defense’s interest in the program.

credit: NASA

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Once considered to be establishments that were only frequented by rogues, drunks or criminals, casinos have evolved over the past century into places that can be enjoyed by everyone (even children, as although they are not allowed on the casino floor, a lot of the larger casinos have areas which are child-friendly).

With the extensive media coverage that many different casino games now receive, it is no wonder that casinos see millions upon millions of dollars being spent on their games continually, as well as their hotel suites, restaurants and other facilities, making them some of the richest and most prosperous businesses in the world.

As would be expected, all of the following casinos are located in Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world and seen as some of – if not the – richest casinos anywhere on the globe.

Wynn Las Vegas

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What does it take to channel your own path? How much time do you have to reach the peak of your career, personal happiness, and friendships? And why did I come to the waterfall to ask myself about this? I couldn’t help but wonder. It’s just so great to go to a waterfall and treat yourself by giving these deeper things some thought. By doing so, you’re sure to be pleased with “new you” just waiting to be discovered. Explore some of the world’s most beautiful waterfalls, and see what they inspire in you.

Victoria Falls – Zimbabwe/Zambia

Victoria Falls, or Mosi-oa-Tunya, is located in southern Africa between the countries of Zimbabwe and Zambia. It was named after Victoria Queen in 1855 by David Livingstone, a Scottish explorer and missionary. Before that time the falls, were known as “The Mist that Thunders.” According to one of the lists of wonders it takes its place in the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is one of the largest and most exciting. With its width of 1,708 meters and height of 108 meters it forms one of the biggest water screens in the world.

Photo by JensD

Photo by fctwente
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Life is full of funny moments. You don’t have to visit a comedy club to have a laugh. People do silly, ironic, and generally amusing things all around us every day. Who knows? Maybe even you gave someone a reason to smile recently without realizing it! In this photostream we’ll share funny everyday moments and sights that people thought were worth capturing on film (or in pixels). We hope you’ll share a laugh with us.

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The vast majority of people have physically seen a substantial amount of animals and could, generally speaking, differentiate between a real and a fake picture of those animals.

Pictures of other animals, however, are slightly more tricky to determine how truthful the photographs of them are.

Whilst you may not believe that the following photographs are real, I can whole-heartedly guarantee that each and every one of them lives, or has lived, somewhere on our planet.

Tigon

Also known as a Tiglon, a Tigon is the animal that is born as a result of mating between a female lion and a male tiger and although you may never have heard of one before, they are not considered to be ‘one-off’ animals and are one of the more popular animal hybrids.

Due to the mixed genetic makeup, Tigon’s, whilst having a lot of characteristics that are similar to both lions and tigers, they have several differences, most notably their substantial size.

Liger

The opposite in terms to a Tigon, a Liger is born as a result of breeding between a male lion and tigress and they are considered to currently be the more popular hybridization of the two animals.

Often weighing in at well over 700lbs and in excess of ten feet from the tip of their tail to their nose, they are without doubt the largest of the big cat species and when found in the wild, are a force to reckoned with.

Pink Dolphin

If I told you that the first of these two images had been Photoshopped, what would you say had been changed? The color of the dolphin, perhaps?

Wrong – it’s actually only the color of the water to show just how pink the dolphin actually is.

First seen in a lake in Louisiana, it has been discovered that the dolphin is actually an albino, with other common features amongst both albino humans and animals, including distinctive red eyes.

The One Eyed Kitten

Born with only one eye and no nose, Cy (which is short for cyclops, the one eyed giant in Greek mythology) was born in late December 2005 and lived only one day.

As would be expected, there was much scepticism when this photo was first released. After much research, however, it was deemed to be authentic, partly due to proof that several other animals with one eye have been born in the past.

Blobfish

In my own opinion, this is, by far, the most ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life.

Looking as though it has been drawn to feature in a children’s cartoon, the blobfish actually lives in the deep, deep depths of the oceans off of the Australian coast. Surving in the high pressue environment due to being made up of not much more than a gelatinous substance, it eats by simply openeing its mouth whilst moving through the water and swallowing anything that enters.

Flying Fox

Whilst bats in general are not the most loved of creatures, they are, for the most part, relatively harmless.

Two Headed Cow

The first and foremost point that must be noted about this cow is that it is, surprisingly, not only one of a kind.  Polycephaly, the condition of having two heads, affects a vast array of different animals, most notably cats and cattle.

Whilst some more serious cases can have a detrimental effect on the animal’s health, cases like the cow shown in these photographs will very often be considered to be more of a slight deformity and will often not affect the health of the animal.

Two Headed Snake

And just to prove that the two headed cow, or in fact any animals with two heads, aren’t particularly rare, here we have a two headed snake.

Further to cats and cattle, reptiles are a type of animal that are born with two heads more regularly than others and this is a prime example of polycephaly (rather than dispropus, where two faces are apparent on one head).

Naked Mole Rat

Only 3 to 4 inches in length when fully grown, Naked Mole Rats are native to several parts of East Africa and thrive in the drier environments, becoming well-adapted to be able to live a long life in the conditons, with Naked Mole Rats living up to almost 30 years old.

What is particularly special about this rodent is that they appear to be very resistant to a range of different diseases, most notably the fact that no cancerous cells have ever been detected through any research that has been carried out on Naked Mole Rats.

World’s Smallest Horse

Standing a mere 17 inches tall, the World’s Smallest Horse, known as Thumbelina, has gained worldwide fame since she was born in May 2001.  Weighing in at a mere 57 pounds, Thumbelina has appeared on a whole range of television programs and media broadcasts, including the ever popular breakfast show, Good Morning America.

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with the other aircraft. That is their main difference from bombers. It’s well known that fighters are small, fast, and maneuverable. That made me think it was probably only recently that these powerful death machines were invented. Well, I was wrong! Fighter jets have a long and interesting history. I confess that most of the technical descriptions were taken from Wikipedia, so don’t judge too harshly.

In the aviation community, jet fighters are classified by generations. Actually there are no official definitions of these generations, and they rather represent the different stages in the development of fighter design approaches, performance capabilities, and technological evolution. The timeframes associated with each generation are inexact and only indicate the general period during which fighter jets’ design philosophies and technology employment had a prevailing influence.

Now let’s get back to the very early history of fighter jets. Since World War II, achieving and maintaining air superiority has been a key component of victory in warfare. Still, the purchase, training, and maintenance of a fighter fleet is not the last priority in defense budgets. By the end of the war, turbojet engines were already beginning to replace piston engines as the means of propulsion, and increasingly sophisticated refinements to armament were already appearing. Early fighters were very small and lightly armed, predominantly all-metal monoplanes with wing-mounted batteries of cannons or machine guns.

Modern jet fighters are predominantly powered by one or two turbofan engines and equipped with a radar as the primary method of target acquisition. Armament consists primarily of air-to-air missiles (from as few as two to as many as eight or twelve), with a cannon as backup armament (typically between 20 and 30 mm in caliber). They can also have air-to-surface missiles and guided or unguided bombs. Read the rest of this entry »

I have always been charmed by the fascinating beauty of castles, especially those still existing only in ruins, with magnificent stones and countless secrets inside. You can almost smell the mystery and see the ghosts of the castle residents in their ancient dresses, knights on horses, and rich traders. You can see noble dukes in the old castles of England, Ireland, and Scotland and feel their souls in the ancient walls. I didn’t have a chance to visit all of the world’s most beautiful castles yet but when working on the photos for this post I felt almost like I was there and seeing them with my own eyes. Thanks to all photographers who took these beautiful photos — all of the photos are linked to photographers’ profiles on Flickr. Enjoy the article and share it with your friends!

Dunguaire Castle in Ireland

Dunguaire Castle was built in 1520 by the Hynes clan. Being almost 500 years old the castles still looks fabulous and you can see the terrific defensive walls almost like they were in the 16th century. In summer the castle is open to tourists, and it is the most photographed castle in Ireland.

Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain

The Alhambra is a palace and fortress built in the mid 14th century. It is an amazing example of beautiful Islamic architecture and one of the most beautiful palaces I’ve ever seen. Do take a minute and look at the photos of Alhambra’s interior and you’ll be overwhelmed by its rich beauty.

Biltmore Estate in North Carolina

The beautiful Biltmore estate is not that old at all. It was built at the end of the 19th century and is the largest privately owned home in the USA at the moment. The estate was opened to the public in March of 1930 (the family it belonged to needed money), but still the members of the Vanderbilt family lived there till 1956, when it was permanently opened to the public as a house museum. It’s a truly beautiful place I must say, and it’s definitely worth a visit.

Johnstown Castle in Ireland

Johnstown Castle turned out to be a big surprise for me. Built somewhere in the early 1800s it’s situated in a large beautiful garden and is used now as a conference center and offices for an agricultural institute! There seem to be no tours of the castle but still this is a great place to visit if you plan on staying nearby.

Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands, New York

There is a beautiful love story behind the Boldt Castle on Heart Island. George Boldt was spending a lot of summers with this wife Louise in a cottage on Heart Island when in 1900 he decided to build a huge mansion for them. The building began, but was stopped in 1904 after the death of Boldt’s wife. Silence covered the island for over 70 years. In 1977 the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired Heart Island for one dollar (!) with the agreement that all the revenue from tourism would be spent on the castle restoration.

Prague Castle in the Hradcany

Prague Castle is one of the biggest castles in the world and its history dates back to the 9th century (!) when the first walled building of the castle, the Church of Our Lady, was built. It’s been a place of residence of the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. It’s a great place to visit, and if you come to be in the Czech Republic reserve a day for this beautiful piece of architecture.

Windsor Castle in England

The gorgeous Windsor Castle fills an area of 484,000 square feet and is the largest inhabited castle in the world. Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends of the year at the castle, using it for both state and private entertaining. I wish I had a castle for my private entertaining!

Edinburgh Castle in Scotland

Edinburgh Castle is the first in my list of castles to visit. This castle fortress stands on the volcanic Castle Rock and human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC. It has been a royal residence since the reign of David I in the 12th century, up to Union of the Crowns in 1603. From the later 17th century, the castle became a military base with a large garrison. Its importance as a historic monument was recognized in the 19th century, and various restoration programs have been carried out since.

Blarney Castle in Ireland

Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney built by the McCarthy clan sometime around 1446. Now it’s partially ruined but some rooms are accessible for tourists. At the top of the castle lies the legendary Stone of Eloquence and tourists may hang upside-down over a sheer drop to kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift of eloquence.

Chateau Gaillard in France

Château-Gaillard is a medieval castle located not far from Paris. The construction of the fortress began in 1196 by Richard the Lionheart and this huge massive building was completed in an unusually short time — 2 years. The castle consists of three enclosures separated by dry moats, with a keep in the inner enclosure. Significantly ruined, the Château-Gaillard is still very impressive and is open to the public all year round.

Frankenstein Castle in Germany

What a “romantic” name this castle has. The castle was built around 1250 by Lord Konrad who gave it the name Frankenstein (he then used this name for himself as well). In the 17th century it was used as a refuge and a hospital. Then it fell into ruins in the 18th century. The two towers we can see today are a historically inaccurate restoration of the mid-19th century. In 1970, a restaurant was built within the castle. In 1976, American soldiers founded an annual Halloween festival at the castle which became one of the biggest Halloween festivals in Europe.

The Big Apple, the City That Never Sleeps, NYC, my favourite holiday destination, a fantastic city – everyone refers to New York City as something different as this wonderful place actually means something different to everyone who visits.

With an event, parade, exhibition or attraction seemingly taking place each and every day of the year, New York City seems to be continually changing. However, regardless of when you may a make a visit throughout the year, one aspect never changes – New York City at night.

A Black and White Big Apple

There aren’t many words or phrases other than breathtaking and awe-inspiring that can do this image of New York justice. Stirring a complete mix of emotions, from confusion as to where and how it is has been taken to intrigue of whom the mystery figure is, this is a true replication of New York City – fascinating, captivating and astounding.

Normality In The City

This is actually one of my favourite New York City at night photographs, not for the fact it is instantly recognisable as New York (as the rest of the pictures are), but that it shows the city as being seemingly normal – something that not very many tourists get to see.

The detail in the picture is immense (which can be truly appreciated when you click on the image to see the full version) and wherever you look, in whichever window or at the corner of whichever building, you can imagine a person carrying out normal, every day tasks in a city that can be considered anything but normal.

The City That Never Sleeps

Whilst this may only be a general photograph taken by an amateur photographer, it shows perfectly how beautiful of a city New York can be at night.

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