Order: Galliformes Family: Phasianidae Subfamily: Meleagridinae Genus: Meleagris Species: Meleagris gallopavo Subspecies: There are five subspecies of North American wild turkey: Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, Merriam’s, and Gould’s.
When I lived down south, the wild turkeys saw you a mile or two away; they did not let you see them. Here, I try hard not to hit them with my truck. (with complete success so far...)
Bedraggled: Dogs from across the US flock to the beach to take part in the event
Hundreds of people took to a beach in the US over the weekend to cheer on a dog race of a different kind.
Rather than going for 'walkies' these incredible canines enjoy going for 'surfies' as they take part in the sixth annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog competition.
More than 60 dogs from across the country took part in the competition where they had 10 minutes to catch two decent waves.
The competition is in its sixth year at the Loews Coronado Bay resort
Taking a tumble: One unfortunate pooch goes for an early bath after falling off his board
They were then judged on their confidence level, length of ride and overall ability to 'grip it and rip it'. The winners then get the ultimate holiday at the resort along with exclusive bragging rights to being the best dog surfer.
There are three categories for small dogs, large dogs and tandem dogs. The most decorated dog was Abbie Girl, an Australian Kelpie, which won the small dog category and came third in the tandems section.
Money from the event goest to donorschoose.org where school teachers in San Diego can post classroom needs and request and receive funding for school supplies from private sponsors.
Despite its size, this young dog manages to keep control of its oversized surfboard
Champion: Happy with his days work, this dog sits on the beach enjoying the sun and all the attention
Three's not a crowd on this surfboard while another dog rests on its owners shoulders before heading into the water to catch more waves
Dogs and their owners competed in the annual Surf Dog Competition at the weekend
Surf dog Ricochet - Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf competition
Dogs take to the waves for Californian surfing competition
Behind the foreground rider the horse can be seen as it falls and entangles its legs in the wheels of the gun carriage
Members of the public looked on in horror today as an army horse died on parade during a freak accident in London’s Hyde Park.
The animal, called Murphy, was taking part in the Royal Gun Salute which takes place on June 2 each year to mark the coronation of the Queen.
Soldiers from the King’s Troop were lining up when the horse tripped while galloping and his legs became entangled in the wheels of a gun wagon, which then dragged him across the grass.
Soldiers rush to disentangle the fallen horse
Realising the animal is bady hurt, a soldier dashes off to find expert help
As he fell, Murphy suffered a ‘complex fracture’ of his leg and after being examined by an on-site vet was immediately put down by injection.
Devastated soldiers erected a green tent around the animal to shield onlookers from the distressing scene which took place shortly before mid-day.
An army spokesman told Mail Online: ‘Unfortunately the horse, called Murphy, became entangled in the gun carriage which was being moved into position and very sadly broke its leg.
A soldier looks up as he realises the severity of the animal's injury
Distraught, a horseman buries his face in his hands
'The vet officer in place immediately gave him pain relief but it was a very complex fracture and the only course of action was to put him down by injection. It was really the only course of action.
‘Everyone involved was naturally distressed. Murphy had been with the regiment for a very long time.
‘It was a tragic accident, one of those split second things that happen and he went down straight away.
‘It is very rare, though, that something like his should happen. No-one can remember anything like this happening before.’
n a shot taken from the watching spectators, soldiers from the King's Troop erect a barrier around the horse as a vet gives it a lethal injection
The salute, to mark the 59th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, was cancelled as a mark of respect.
New pals: A toddler has become an instant internet sensation after a video of the boy racing a sea otter went viral
You could say they got on swimmingly.
A toddler has become an instant internet sensation after a video of the boy racing a sea otter went viral.
The video of the boy playing chase with a sea otter at the San Diego Zoo has scored over 1million hits in less than one week's time.
The video - the only uploaded by YouTube user mmoyerssd1 - was posted last Sunday and quickly caught the attention of animal fans around the world.
It shows a blond little boy running back and forth alongside the California zoo's sea otter tank, side-by-side with his new pal.
Somersaults in the sun: The otter, feeling quite social, playfully follows his every move even as the boy tries to trick his new mate
The otter, feeling quite social, playfully follows his every move even as the boy tries to trick his new mate.
The marine mammal is seen doing an underwater somersault in a bid to catch up and give chase in the opposite direction.
The boy giggles in response, running back and forth as passers-by laugh in delight.
San Diego Zoo: One of the largest in the world with with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species, it is known for its many friendly characters
The zoo - one of the largest in the world with with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species - has become widely-known for its many friendly characters.
In March, a playful young panda bear named Su Lin grabbed headlines after cameras caught her having a roll in the snow and sticking her tongue out at spectators.
And last year Otis the hippo became a sensation after beaming a smile for visitors' photos as they posed next to his tank.
Deep sleep: The kitten starts to move its paws as its imagination takes over
Awww factor 10! People usually say they're either a dog person or a cat person, but this display of motherly love should have universal appeal.
A fluffy young kitten is lying, snuggled as close to her mother as possible, with the parent's front left leg draped over the young 'un's stomach.
The orange and cream striped kitten seems to be deep in sleep with its little mouth wide open.
Kitty nightmare: The arms start flailing and mother is waking
Suddenly the kitten's left paw jerks quickly.
Then the right, then the left, then both.
Clearly having something of a nightmare, the kitten lifts both front legs up in the air.
We'll have none of that: Without opening her eyes, the cat pulls the kitten close
Safe enough for you: The kitten is virtually smothered by its mother
Fighting off a vicious dog, perhaps, or some other big nasty animal.
At that point, mother decides she's had enough.
She lifts her left leg, puts her right leg under the kitten's body and reassuringly pulls her baby as close to her as possible.
Comfy now: The kitten moves her head to a better position
The kitten obviously enjoys her new safer position, eventually moving its head to face her mother's.
The video has had more than 1.3 million views since it was posted on Thursday. So cute! It's enough turn even the bitterest old man into an emotional ball of fluff!
On the mend: Mason underwent surgery last week to pin his broken front legs after managing to crawl home on them two weeks after being blown away by a tornado
He probably didn't have to walk 300 miles.
But it was certainly an 'incredible journey' for Mason, the plucky pup who crawled home on two broken legs after a tornado tossed him up and left him for dead.
The scrappy dog had been hiding in a garage in North Smithfield, Alabama, when the storm hit on April 27.
It whipped through the community, destroying houses and uprooting trees, but when it had passed Mason was nowhere to be seen.
His family had all but given up hope when two weeks later they returned home to sift through belongings only to find the dog on their doorstep.
He was in a bad way with what appeared to be broken limbs.
Four legs not so good: Before his op Mason was still having to hunker down to walk
The family rushed him to the Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control shelter where veterinarians gave him once over.
'He's got two broken legs and they're distal radial unal fractures,' Dr Barbara Benhart told Wavy-TV 10.
'They've not been able to be in alignment so neither one of them have healed so he had to crawl on two broken legs to get home,' she added.
Serious: Dr Barbara Benhart with the Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control shelter said Mason had distal radial unal fractures in both front legs
Mason's owners asked the shelter to look after him while they try and put their own lives back together.
And with the help of donations and the generosity of a nearby veterinary clinic Mason underwent an operation to fix plates into his two front legs last week.
He is now doing well and will go home to his family in six weeks time, a spokesman from the animal shelter said.
Scene: The tornado whipped through the Jefferson County community destroying houses and uprooting trees, left. Mason had bee hiding in his family's garage, right, when the storm hit
Deadly: A wave of deadly tornadoes hit the state on April 27, including a massive F5 one that destroyed Tuscaloosa, which is around an hour's away from North Smithfield
Now the pup has become something of a celebrity and even has his own Facebook page with 1,255 friends and counting.
He also speaks 'woof' according a list of language skills on his profile.
Phil Doster, who works at the shelter, said the amount of animals brought in because of the storm is starting to taper off, but added that Mason's injuries were the most dramatic they'd seen in an animal that had survived so long on its own.
Mascot: Mason has become something of a celebrity dog after attracting more than a thousand friends on his very own Facebook page
Adventure: Mason's tale smacks of the fictional story of the three pets in 1993 remake Homeward Bound: The incredible journey, in which they travel 300 miles to get home
'For an animal to go through what he's gone through and not to be ugly, to be happy for any companionship is remarkable,' Mr Doster told Wavy-TV.
'We're honoured to be part of his recovery,' he added.
The shelter has been inundated with pets, mostly dogs and cats that have been lost in the storms
After tornado, dog crawls back home [CNN: 5-19-2011]
Happy birthday: Dunder the German Shepherd reaches one, having been photographed from eight-weeks old
This short video shows a dog growing from eight-weeks old to one-year old in only 40 seconds.
The YouTube clip shows pictures on the same spot of Dunder the German Shepherd over a period of ten months and has become an Internet sensation.
The time lapse video was uploaded on May 19 and has already attracted nearly 700,000 hits.
Tiny: As a puppy Dunder is so small (and the floor is clean) - this is the beginning of the series of pictures
In the video Dunder is shown as a tiny puppy obediently looking at a camera on what looks like a family kitchen floor.
As the video filters though more pictures as he grows up the floor become more and more dirty.
But Dunder is growing quickly and the days of him as a cute puppy are soon gone.
Occasionally children's feet and even another dog can be seen in the images, which become increasingly more humorous as time goes on.
A bit bigger: The German Shepherd is shown with his tongue out, but still looks a little unsteady on his feet
Bigger dog: Looking firmly at the camera Dunder gets taller and stronger all the time
Big dog: As Dunder approaches his first birthday he begins to look more like an adult dog
The dog can be seen wearing various items of clothing, too, and when his birthday comes around the photographer holds up the number one and Dunder poses with a birthday hat on his head.
One YouTube poster called Dupalle said: 'I just can't decide wether (sic) this is more awesome, cute or funny!!
'Definitely made my day though! Thanks for sharing!'
Woof customer: The dog is dressed up in all manner of costumes - but it's only when you slow the film down that you can see the outfits
Props: Dunder is handed what looks like a potato peeler - and he is surrounded by potato skin
Wild turkey fact sheet:
