#©lauraquick

FRIZZLE HEN ©Laura Quick

AFRICAN LION Pantera Leo ©Laura Quick The lion is a generalist hypercarnivore and is considered to be both an apex and keystone predator due to its wide prey spectrum. Something I didn't now, lions will kill other predators such as leopard, cheetah and spotted hyena but seldom consume them. #lion #africanlion #pantheraleo #©lauraquick #apexpredator #keystonespecies #africa #vulnerable #carnivore #matedpair #losangeleszooandbotanicalgardens #blindinoneeye #majestic #sexuallydimorphic #hunters #bigcats #feline #mammal #animal #bigcatsofinstagram #napping #killotherpredators #sharingtheheatedpad #felidae #bigcatsofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B9f7J1ino4h/?igshid=1lwna1ztui1ce

HARRIS HAWK Parabuteo unicinctus ©Laura Quick As with all birds of prey, Harris’s hawks find prey by using their exceptional vision. Unlike other raptors, however, Harris’s hawks are known to hunt cooperatively, especially in arid areas. This behavior increases the chance of a successful hunt. One bird typically flushes the prey out of hiding and the others pursue it. Harris’s hawks living in the savanna areas of South America behave more like typical raptors and hunt alone. They also inhabit semi-dry and arid country, primarily in the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Central America. Female Harris’s hawks mate with two males, both of whom (on the chance the offspring are theirs) will contribute food and help raise the young. Sexual dimorphism in this species is pronounced—females are much larger than males. #harrishawk #parabuteounicinctus #©lauraquick #sexuallydimorphic #femalesmuchbigger #cooperativehunters #birdsofprey #hawks #fast #birdsofinstagram #twomates #maleshelpraiseyoung #lazoo #birds #animals #losangeleszooandbotanicalgardens #losangeleszoo #nature #naturephotography #losangelesphotographer https://www.instagram.com/p/B9j7AILHa3j/?igshid=1jj0zhpjgdo1

CLIVIA Clivia miniata ©Laura Quick Also called the Kaffir Lily, is is an easy to grow shade / houseplant with strappy leaves and tall stocks of flowers that burst into citrus-hued orange or yellow bloom in late winter. Evergreen, it grows from roots rather than a bulb like it's cousin, the amaryllis. #clivia #kaffirlily #cliviaminiata #©lauraquick #shadeplant #houseplant #losangeleszoo #lazoo #glaza #losanglesphotographer #orange #colorful #losangeleszooandbotanicalgardens #bloomingnow #shade #flowersofinstagram #blossoms #naturephotography #naturelover https://www.instagram.com/p/B9j2tYLHyM-/?igshid=2ignjqvg11xv

TAMMAR WALLABY Macropus eugenii ©Laura Quick The tammar is among the smallest of the wallabies in the genus Macropus. Its coat colour is largely grey. The tammar has several notable adaptations, including the ability to retain energy while hopping, color vision and the ability to drink seawater. A nocturnal species, it spends nighttime in grassland habitat and daytime in shrub land. It is also very gregarious and has a seasonal, promiscuous mating pattern. A female tammar can nurse a joey in her pouch while keeping an embryo in her uterus. The tammar is a model species for research on marsupials, and on mammals in general. It is one of many organisms to have had its genome sequenced. It has been introduced to New Zealand and reintroduced to some areas of Australia where it had been previously eradicated. Skull differences distinguish tammars from Western Australia, Kangaroo Island and mainland South Australia species, making them distinct population groups or possibly different subspecies. #tammarwallaby #macropuseugenii #©lauraquick #marsupial# least concern #diprodntia #macropodidae #wallabiesarekangaroosunder44lbs #cute #tiny #losangeleszooandbotanicalgardens #losangeleszoo #fusedhipjoints #colorvision #embryonicdiapause #drinksaltwater #producetwodifferentmilks https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ik38nn8ka/?igshid=1b7nrewfbynol

WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA Gorilla gorilla ©Laura Quick Gorillas are the largest of the great apes, but the western lowland gorilla is the smallest of the subspecies. Native to the Congo Basin, the western lowland gorilla is a quiet, peaceful and non-aggressive animal threatened by disease and poaching. They have short hair, a wider skull and a more pronounced brow ridge than other gorillas. Their ears appear small in relation to the head. There is also a more pronounced difference between the sexes, with females being almost half the size of silverbacks. Hunting is the main threat to western lowland gorillas. Gorillas are sought after as food (bushmeat) and pets, and their body parts are used in medicine and as magical charms. As primarily herbivorous, the main diet of western lowland gorilla groups is roots, shoots, fruit, wild celery, tree bark and pulp which is provided for in the thick forests of Central and West Africa. #westernlowlandgorilla #gorillagorilla #©lauraquick #primate #herbivore #africa #criticallyendangered #silverback #hominid #peaceful #powerful #greatapes #losangeleszooandbotanicalgardens #losangeleszoo #lazoo #naturephotography #losangelesphotographer #endangered #bushmeatamarket #bushmeat #savethegorillas https://www.instagram.com/p/B9f-SbZHsw-/?igshid=1li2b3wdrwu3

HARPY EAGLE Harpia harpyja ©Laura Quick Harpy eagles possess the largest talons of any living eagle, and have been recorded as lifting prey up to equal their own body weight. This allows them to snatch a live sloth or monkey from tree branches, as well as other proportionately large prey items. Habitat loss and shooting are the two chief threats to the Harpy Eagle's survival. The birds were once found from southern Mexico through Central and South America, but sadly, they have been extirpated from many areas where they once occurred. The harpy eagle was the inspiration behind the design of Fawkes the Phoenix in the Harry Potter film series. #harpyeagle #harpiaharpyja #©lauraquick #fawkes #harrypotterseries #accipitriformes #harpiinae #aves #lazoo #losangeleszooandbotanicalgardens #losangeleszoo #losangelesphotographer #naturephotographer #southamerica #mexico #centralamerica #predator #eatsloths #eatmonkeys #beautiful #raptorsofinstagram #birdsofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B9f84MlHRU_/?igshid=12t57stwto5er