Friday's fun fact - Comedy lemurs and royal frogs

Did you know that an estimated 17,000 to 24,000 animal species are identified every year? A few mammals, hundreds of amphibians and many thousands of insects and other invertebrates. Some of them have familiar sounding names...the Bob Marley parasite (Gnathia marleyi), the Kate Winslet beetle (Agra katewinsletae) and the Beyonce horse fly (Scaptia beyonceae).

Two of our A-Z animals have famous connections...

John Cleese had a lemur named after him in 2005. The endangered Madagascan Avahi cleesei was given its name by the scientist who identified it as a tribute to the actor and comedian's promotion of nature conservation in films such as Fierce Creatures. 

Earlier this year a tree frog was named after Prince Charles. The Prince Charles stream tree frog (Hyloscirtus princecharlesi) was named after His Royal Highness in recognition of his charity work to protect their rainforest habitat.

 Happy Friday all!

Friday's fun fact - Wonderfully woolly yaks

The weather seems to be the topic of conversation here at the moment. Not only have we just experienced the wettest June on record, it looks as though the outlook for rest of the summer isn't much better. Rain is one thing, but it's the fact that it's also been so cold for this time of year. Inevitably this has led to a daily wardrobe struggle...what to wear when one (rather fleeting) moment the sun is shining and it feels warm, and the next it's cloudy and rainy making you want to reach for a woolly jumper?

It's with woolly things in mind that I share with you today's fun fact...did you know that over 90% of the world's yak population of nearly 15 million lives on the Tibetan Plateau in the Himalayas?

(Image: Khunu)

And did you know that yak wool is softer and warmer than merino, and more durable than cashmere? So why not try wearing their wool too? If it's warm enough to keep yaks cosy in the Himalayas then it's got to be good!

Happy Friday 13th all...hope it's been a lucky one!

Friday's fun fact - Unbelievable urchins

Since we are currently featured in the summer edition of the lovely angels & urchins magazine, we have chosen the fabulously spiky urchin for today's fun fact. Did you know that the largest of the sea urchins - the red sea urchin - is one of the longest-lived species? They have been known to live to be over 200 years old! 

 Paul Nicklen, National Geographic

Happy Friday all!

Rainbow sand on the Southbank

On a recent trip to London with the little ones we were delighted to stumble across this fantastic art installation on the Southbank. It is one long giant sandpit filled with wonderfully bright multicoloured sand. It was created by Polish sculptor, Adam Kalinowski, as part of the 'Festival of the World', which is a celebration of the power of art to transform lives. I have always been fascinated by colour and its ability to transform your surroundings and influence your mood. Our little ones seemed very happy surrounded by all these colours. It was also a fun and interactive way to teach them colours.

 

A little bit further along the Southbank the sky was filled with colourful letters. I love London...

Friday's fun fact - Fabulous fathers

We know father's day was last weekend, but we would like to say a big thank you to our wonderful father and fabulous illustrator John Butler. 

Here he is teaching a young Joanna a unique way of drawing...!!

And with fathers in the spotlight, it seems appropriate that today's star of Friday's fun fact should be our little penguin.

Penguins also have a lot to thank their fathers for. Did you know that father Emperor penguins withstand the Antarctic cold to protect their eggs for two months without food? While the mother returns to the sea in search of food, the father cradles his egg on his feet, covered with a feathered flap until the mother returns. 

Happy Friday all!!

Friday's fun fact - Thirsty work for cows!

Did you know that cows drink a bath tub of water each day?

How about these fun milk jugs - the perfect addition to any breakfast table...

Happy Friday! x

Friday's fun fact - Magnificent marine mammals

There are so many facts about whales it is hard to know where to start. 

Since it is the largest of them all, here are just a few big facts about the brilliant blue whale...

Did you know that blue whales can grow up to 30 metres long and can weigh upwards of 200 tonnes? Their tongue alone can weigh as much as an elephant. A blue whale's heart is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle and their heartbeat can be detected from two miles away. They can product sounds louder than a jet engine and can communicate with other whales up to 1,000 miles away. 

National Geographic Channel's Kingdom of Blue Whale

If you are looking for inspiration for a marine themed nursery, how about this wonderful whale wallpaper...

Mark Lund

Happy Friday everyone! 

angels & urchins

We are delighted to be featured in the summer edition of the lovely angels & urchins magazine alongside lots of great interior design ideas for little ones...

FREE UK P&P FOR THE JUBILEE

I hope you are all gearing up for a jolly weekend of Jubilee fun. Our little dog is joining in the fun by offering all those in the UK free postage and packaging on all our products.

This weekend the Little Blue Zebra family will not only be celebrating the Queen's 60 years on the throne but also John's 60th birthday too. We are heading off for our very own river pageant. It will be somewhat smaller than the 1000 boats that will be taking part in the Queen's but lots of fun nonetheless.

And not forgetting today's Friday's Fun Fact... Q is for Queen and Quail.

Did you know the feather that some quails have on the top of their head is known as a bobble - not quite a crown!!

Funny Photoshoot!

On a recent trip to the lovely seaside town of Whitstable we stumbled across a blue and white striped beach hut. Jo and I had been thinking for a while that we needed to update our 'About us' photo so with the perfect little blue zebra backdrop we felt we couldn't miss this opportunity. Luckily with husbands in tow, with one to act as photographer and one to watch the children, we were able to have an impromptu photoshoot. 

Here is the one we chose...

And here are a few others - clearly something was very funny!!!

It was a fun family day out at the seaside, the little ones loved splashing about in the sea.

On the way back to the cars we spotted these talented boys entertaining everyone in the harbour. They sounded great and we loved their enthusiasm.

Friday's Fun Fact - Swimming seals

Today's star is our lovely little seal...

Did you know that these amazing creatures are some of the world's best swimmers. Their streamlined bodies and flippers enable them to swim to depths of 2000m. They are also able to swim under water for 40 minutes at a time. Baby seals are born on land and develop quickly. Some are able to swim within a few hours!

I love this lovely little streamlined wooden seal toy...

Happy Friday all x