Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Critters

This word, which doesn't exist in New Zealand English, always sounds quintessentially down-home American to me. It's a variant pronunciation of creature, and would have been familiar to Shakespeare's audiences; it apparently still exists in Irish with the same meaning(s).

We are in the throes of a wintry storm which is apparently dumping large amounts of snow on the skifields in the South Island mountains. I'm certainly not going outside looking for critters!


Instead, here are some of my favourite critters, from a summer visit to Auckland zoo:



I've always loved giraffes, so prettily marked and so graceful.








 




Posted for Thematic Photographic 299

8 comments:

  1. I also love girafffes. Did you know that they have the same number of bones in their neck as we do?
    I have a soft spot for zebras too. And ostrich.
    Thanks Alexia. I hope they have some heating for them at the zoo...

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  2. They are a favorite of mine too! For the most part quite friendly here in our Zoo in Apple Valley! A few years back we were allowed to feed them and they ate their food morsels out if an ice cream cone! Seriously!

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    1. That should be out of an ice cream cone! My fingers are too large for this tiny phone keyboard! :)

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  3. That little one chomping on the tree is adorable. Good critters you got there.

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  4. Critters is not a word I hear often here in Canada, though Canadian Carmi has used it! Love the giraffes, they are adorable and the photos a great! Thanks.

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  5. Love those giraffes! They look so graceful with those lovely long necks! And the Zebras - amazing how the stripes are such good camouflage in their native surroundings. Lovely shots!

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  6. Splendid shots of a magnificent animal, I'm always amazed by that sinuous neck. Critter of the week for me.

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