It seems that even the animal kingdom has its vices. Trust us, kid, you don’t want to find out what happens to your lungs if you get addicted to those things. We, humans, call them lung darts, and your lungs are a lot smaller. Sure, they might give you a pleasant buzz at first, but you’re going to be hacking and coughing before too long.
Plus, then you have to go into shops and talk to the owner and show your I.D. And you don’t have an I.D., do you? No – you are a bird.
Catching Some Sun
There are few animals that don't enjoy getting a dose of sunshine after a long, hard day of working in an office or eating bugs out of the sky. We don't think those two circles overlap, but you never know.
This young red-tailed hawk is sleeping off a long night of flying around and making that call you hear in every show that is set in the wilderness with a quick nap on a stone wall He's giving the photographer a sharp look. You don't get to see birds in such a state of relaxation that often, so it's fun to see a different side to them.
Just Barely There
You might need an eagle's eyes to pick out the piece of wildlife in this picture. The black speck at the upper third is a bird that looks a little lost and a little too lonely. We're not sure exactly where this picture was taken, but it has a wild, uninhibited quality to it.
The seething sees the wild blue yonder. It could be over the mountains, taken from an aircraft for all we know. Humanity seems all but removed from this image – we get nothing but the untamed sky and a bird that has made it his own.
Ready for the Red Carpet
Penguins are usually dressed in snappy tuxedos for their day-to-day lives. Some of them, however, like to take it to the next step whenever a photographer stops by. This kind of flightless bird is called a rockhopper penguin, and we hopefully don't have to tell you why (it's because they hop around on rocks).
They have a big collection of long yellow and black feathers that give them a distinctive look that is fierce and fabulous. Hilariously, all of the related images are of palm trees and bushes and things like that. Maybe it's time for this penguin to make a trip to the barbershop.
Bad Guys, Beware the Red Squirrel!
Talk about jumping into action! Squirrels don't deign to walk like us humans – they bounce and jump from place to place with the energy of a toddler that has had too much candy. This vibrant example of a Eurasian red squirrel shows us just how big their leaps can get – there's neither tree nor land in focus, so we bet this high-flying creature is making a big leap.
The tail is often used as a kind of rudder – it keeps the squirrels from taking a bad fall. It might not be a hero, but it's still about to make a perfect three-point landing.