This quest is to change Maikhael Griffiths into a anthro Gryphon. Here is some useful information on the 4 breeds involved, how they will effect the end result and with links to the sites that could elaborate on what I have shown here.
General Information on the Asian LionBody Length(mm): 2000-3000
Weight (kg): 150-225 (average)
Litter Size: 3-4 average
Life Span: 15-20 years
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Panthera
Species: P. leo
The lion stands out from the other 'big cats', not only in its distinctive appearance but also in being the only field that lives in organised social groups. In appearance the lion is a powerfully built, muscular cat. The fur is short and generally uniform in colour, ranging from grey/buff to reddish brown in coloration with the exception of the undersides which are often white, especially in females. The back of the ears and tip of the tail are dark brown or black. However the most distinctive feature of the male lion is its mane, a ruff of thick, long fur. The colour of the mane varies from a light brown to almost black and covers the sides of the face, neck and in some animals extends to the abdomen. The adolescent male begins to grow its mane at about 18 months and it continues to grow until the cat reaches about five years of age - throughout this period it is common for the mane to darken. A fully developed male lion can grow up to 10 feet in body length and is surpassed in size only by the larger species of tiger.
The lion is unusual amongst the cat species in that if lives in an organised social groups called a 'pride'. The pride can consist of as many as thirty to forty lions the majority of which are females and their offspring along with a small number of resident males. It is common for the females within the pride to be closely related and this family bonding is often extended through communal suckling and caring of the young within the group. The territory of the pride is fixed and varies in size depending on the availability and distribution of prey. In larger territories, which can be as much as 200 square miles, prides are often split into smaller social groupings.
Hunting is also a shared process - the individual if relatively inefficient at hunting, and cannot sustain high-speed pursuit for long periods of time. Lionesses hunt by ambush, with the majority of the hunting group chasing the prey toward individuals lying in wait who are then able to give chase over short distances before leaping on the selected animal for the kill. The lions prey consists mainly of medium to large herd animals such as antelope, gazelle and wildebeest. Once the prey is taken it is common for the males of the pride to eat first even though they take no part in the hunting process. The females are next to feed followed by the cubs - it is common, when prey is scarce, that the young will often starve as a result of being last in the pecking order for food.
Incoming males provide another threat to the young cubs of the pride. When a male lion reaches maturity it leaves its natural pride and goes in search of another pride for which it must fight for the right to join. Older or injured males are ousted by the young incoming male, who then takes up residence in the pride, often killing the cubs of the beaten male, thus ensuring that its own, future offspring, will have greater chance of survival.
The lion is to be found in parts of eastern and southern Africa and is commonly protected in reserves, although hunting is still common. The Asiatic Lion (P.l.persica), once to be found throughout India, the Middle East and Southern Asia, is today, only to be found in the Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat, western India, where the population is estimated to be in the region of 290. The male of the Asian species has a less prominent mane compared to that of the African male and both sexes display a long fold of skin that runs the length of the belly which is not found on the African species.
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Taken from here))
Other useful sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion
http://www.lionresearch.org/main.html
http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/african_lion.html
Some pictures:
http://www.cohsoft.com.au/nature/gallery/l/liona.jpg
http://www.polarbearmusic.com/jpgs/Lion 485061.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/wildlifeweb/mammal/lion/lion04.jpg
General Information on Mountain LionsBody Length(mm): 1100-2000
Weight (kg): 30-85 (male)
Litter Size: 2-3 average
Life Span: 10-15 years
Scientific Name: Puma concolor
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Puma
Species: Puma Concolor
A cat of many names, the Puma is also known as the Cougar, Panther or Mountain Lion. In general the size and coloration of the cat varies greatly across its range, which stretches from the south west of Canada down the western states of North America and throughout most western parts of the South American continent. In the north of its range and in higher mountainous regions the pumas coat is generally longer to provide additional protection against the extremes in temperature - the colour of the fur varies from slate grey, through yellow buff to light reddish brown. In appearance the puma has a small, broad head with small rounded ears, a powerful body with long hind legs and tail, which is tipped with black.
The puma can be found in varying habitats from the mountain forest, up to around 16,000 feet to lowland swamp and grasslands. In mountainous regions, were the cat follows its migrating prey as summer gives way to winter, the male puma can often patrol areas in excess of 100 square miles, although these will overlap the territories of several females who maintain smaller ranges. It is common for the puma to mark the boundaries of its territory with tree scrapes and sprays of urine which serve as markers and warnings to other puma.
The puma hunts alone, by day or night and will cache its food, if large enough, in dense undergrowth, returning to it over several days. Comparable in size to the Leopard, the puma is big enough to tackle larger prey such as domestic cattle and horses, for which it has earnt a bad reputation with livestock farmers, as well as wild deer, sheep, rodents, rabbits, hare and beaver. In hunting the puma uses the strength of its powerful hind legs to lunge at its prey with single running jumps that can reach in excess of 40 feet.
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Taken from here))
Other useful sites:
http://www.desertusa.com/may96/du_mlion.html
http://www.mountain-lions.org/
http://home.globalcrossing.net/~brendel/puma.html
Some pictures:
http://blackhillsportal.com/images/newsimage/mountain lion 01.jpg
http://www.wildlands.org/images/mtlion_aspen.jpg
http://ogresview.mu.nu/images/mountainlion.jpg
General Information on Bald EaglesSize: 1m in height; 2.3m wing span
Weight: Males 3.5-4 kg, Females 4.5-6 kg
Life span: Up to 30 years
Sexual maturity: 4 to 5 years of age
Clutch size: 1-4 eggs
Incubation: 31-45 days
Common Name: Bald Eagle
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus species: Haliaeetus leucocephalus
The Bald Eagle was officially declared the National Emblem of the United States by the Second Continental Congress in 1782. It was selected by the U.S.A.'s founding fathers because it is a species unique to North America. Ben Franklin wanted the wild turkey to be the national bird, because he thought the eagle was of bad moral character. The Bald Eagle has since become the living symbol of the U.S.A.'s freedoms, spirit and pursuit of excellence. Its image and symbolism have played a significant role in American art, folklore, music and architecture.
The feathers of newly hatched Bald Eaglets are light grey, and turn dark brown before they leave the nest at about 12 weeks of age. During their third and fourth years, Bald Eagles have mottled brown and white feathers under their wings and on their head, tail and breast. The distinctive white head and tail feathers do not appear until Bald Eagles are about 4 to 5 years old. Their beak and eyes turn yellow during the fourth and fifth year, and are dark brown prior to that time. Bald Eagles are about 29 to 42 inches long, can weigh 7 to 15 pounds, and have a wing span of 6 to 8 feet. This makes them one of the largest birds in North America. Females are larger than males. Bald Eagles residing in the northern U. S. are larger than those that reside in the south. They have a life span of up to 40 years in the wild, and longer in captivity.
Bald Eagles live near large bodies of open water such as lakes, marshes, seacoasts and rivers, where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees for nesting and roosting. Bald Eagles have a presence in every U. S. state except Hawaii. Bald Eagles use a specific territory for nesting, winter feeding or a year-round residence. Its natural domain is from Alaska to Baja, California, and from Maine to Florida. Bald Eagles that reside in the northern U. S. and Canada migrate to the warmer southern climates of the U. S. during the winter to obtain easier access to food, especially fish. Some Bald Eagles that reside in the southern U. S. migrate slightly north during the hot summer months.
Bald Eagles feed primarily on fish, but also eat small animals (ducks, coots, muskrats, turtles, rabbits, snakes, etc.) and occasional carrion (dead animals). They swoop down to seize fish in their powerful, long and sharp talons (approximately 1,000 pounds of pressure per square inch in each foot). They can carry their food off in flight, but can only lift about half their weight. Bald Eagles have been recorded at 44 miles per hour in level flight. They seldom dive vertically on their prey, preferring to decend more gradually and snatch fish, rabbits, etc. with their feet. Their diving speed is estimated at 75 to 100 miles per hour. They can fly to altitudes of 10,000 feet or more, and can soar aloft for hours using natural wind currents and thermal updrafts. Bald Eagles can swim to shore with a heavy fish using their strong wings as paddles. However, it is also possible that they can drown if the fish weighs too much.
Bald Eagles are monogamous and mate for life. A Bald Eagle will only select another mate if its faithful companion should die. They build large nests, called eyries, at the top of sturdy tall trees. The nests become larger as the eagles return to breed and add new nesting materials year after year. Bald Eagles make their new nests an average of 2 feet deep and 5 feet across. Eventually, some nests reach sizes of more than 10 feet wide and can weigh several tons. When a nest is destroyed by natural causes it is often rebuilt nearby. Nests are lined with twigs, soft mosses, grasses and feathers. The female lays 1 to 3 eggs annually in the springtime, which hatch after about 35 days of incubation. Hunting, egg incubation, nest watch, eaglet feeding and eaglet brooding duties are shared by both parents until the young are strong enough to fly at about 12 weeks of age. Eaglets are full size at 12 weeks of age. Only about 50% of eaglets hatched survive the first year.
Bald Eagles were once very common throughout most of the United States. Their population numbers have been estimated at 300,000 to 500,000 birds in the early 1700s. Their population fell to threatened levels in the continental U.S. of less than 10,000 nesting pairs by the 1950s, and to endangered levels of less than 500 pairs by the early 1960s. This population decline was caused by humans. The mass shooting of eagles, use of pesticides on crops, destruction of habitat, and contamination of waterways and food sources by a wide range of poisons and pollutants all played a role in harming the Bald Eagle's livelihood and diminishing their numbers. For many years the use of DDT pesticide on crops caused thinning of eagle egg shells, which often broke during incubation.
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Taken from here))
Other useful sites:
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i3520id.html
http://www.worldkids.net/eac/eagle.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Eagle
Some pictures:
http://www.tobinphoto.com/images/photos/bald_eagle.jpg
http://www.fresnochaffeezoo.com/images/bald-eagle.gif
http://www.calusanature.com/images/Animals/BaldEagleFemale.JPG
General Information on Rosella ParakeetsA rosella is one of six species of colorful Australian parrots in the genus Platycercus. Platycercus means "broad-" or "flat-tailed", reflecting a feature common to the rosellas and other members of the broad-tailed parrot subfamily. Rosellas are native to Australia and some nearby islands, where they inhabit forests, woodlands, farmlands, and suburban parks and gardens. They are confined to the coastal mountains and plains and are absent from the outback. Introduced populations have also established themselves in New Zealand and Norfolk Island. Rosellas range in size from 25-38 cm (9.8-15 in). Their diet consists mainly of seeds and fruit. Because of their strikingly colorful plumage, several species are widely kept as pets.
Legend has it that early settlers first encountered the Eastern Rosella at Rose Hill, now a Sydney suburb. They called it a "Rose Hiller", which eventually became "rosella". There is also a second story that the name is derived from 'Rosetta', the first name of the wife of George Fife Angas, a settler in Australia, but he forgot to cross his T's (leaving them appearing as lowercase L's), hence "rosella".
Platycercus species and subspeciesPale-headed Rosella- Platycercus adscitus
Green Rosella- Platycercus caledonicus
Crimson Rosella- Platycercus elegans
Crimson Rosella- P. e. elegans (main sub species)
Adelaide Rosella- P. e. adelaide (formerly considered a separate species)
Yellow Rosella- P. e. flaveolus (formerly considered a separate species)
--- , P. e. nigrescens (draker crimson, smaller)
--- , P. e. melanoptera (less crimson on back, occurring on Kangaroo Island)
--- , P. e. fleuriensis (orange-red plumage)
--- , P. e. subadelaidae (orange-yellow plumage)
Eastern Rosella- Platycercus eximius
Western Rosella- Platycercus icterotis
Western Rosella- P. i. icterotis (main sub species)
--- , P. i. xanthogenys (has more red and buff colouring)
Northern Rosella- Platycercus venustus
White-cheeked Rosella- Platycercus eximius
White-cheeked Rosella- P. e. eximius (main sub species)
Gold-manteled Rosella - P. e. cecilae (bright gold, yellow and black)
--- , P. e. diemenensis (larger white cheek patches)
--- , P. e. palliceps (white cheecked)
--- , P. e. adscitus (violet-blue cheecked)
--- , P. e. hilli (fine black ventrally and white cheek patches)
--- , P. e. venustus (broader black flecks)
Other useful sites:
http://www.zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/parrots/rosella.html
http://www.birdphotos.com.au/crimsonrosellaweb/imagepages/image1.htm
http://rainforest-australia.com/crimson rosella.html
Some pictures:
http://www.parkieten-koen.be/rosella's bleekkop en rubino 004.jpg
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8572/220x20lutinos8hj.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/Malhyanth/roselles.jpg
