This ‘Movember’ why not express your inner animal through your facial hair?

Movember is a global, moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men’s health. Starting on Movember 1st, with a clean-shaven face, men grow and style their sprouting facial hair all in the name of raising funds for a worthwhile cause.

If you are looking for some inspiration on how to tame your furry-lips over the coming month, the animal kingdom is full of stylish moustaches to tickle your fancy.

Razors at the ready as we comb through the ARKive collection for some hairy-lipped muses…

The handlebar

Allegedly named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II, the emperor tamarin has one of the most regal facial fuzzes of the animal kingdom.

The horseshoe

With a full moustache grown down the sides of its head, the male bearded parrotbill is obviously a fan of the horseshoe. Perhaps this is where Hulk Hogan got his inspiration from?

The walrus

Thick and bushy, the muzzle of the walrus is highly distinctive, with its dense protrusion of whiskers on the upper lip. Versatile and suitable for all occasions, this rather refined looking style might even help you when foraging for tasty morsels!

The Dalí

Why not coif a rather flamboyant, Dalí-inspired moustache like the brown-eared pheasant?

Fu Manchu

The long moustache of the three-wattled bellbird is made up of three long, fleshy black-grey wattles hanging from the corner of its mouth. Fast growing hair and a lot of gel will be required to master this particular style.

Ho, ho, mo

You may want to quickly shave off this L’Hoest’s monkey-inspired chin curtain after the end of Movember or you may get mistaken for someone else! Red hat and reindeer is optional.

The Goatee

With its spectacular twisting horns, the markhor is one of the most striking of goats and the male of course has a characteristic black beard. This particular style is thought to date back to Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece.

The bearded pig

Hot date? Unfortunately placed spot? The bearded pig has the perfect solution with its distinctive full-facial beard.

Mutton chops

The yellow-breasted capuchin is a mutton chops master with its thick, black sideburns.

Get involved

Have you spotted any mo’ species donning designer beards or flamboyant moustaches on ARKive – if so, lets us know!

Find out more about Movember and how you can get involved.

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Well, the day has finally arrived! Tonight, the big spectacle that is the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games will take place. It is set to be an incredible event, marking the start of an exhilarating few weeks of sporting challenges and potential Olympic glory for athletes from across the globe.

Will you choose the speedy cheetah as one of your wild champions?

Here at ARKive, we’ve created our own challenge for YOU. Why not tackle our amazing fact-filled wild Olympic quiz, and see how much you know about nature’s best athletes!

On your marks…get set…

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This year marks Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, and celebrations will be breaking out across the world in honour of the Queen’s 60-year reign. In true ARKive style, we decided to invite you to join in the occasion by choosing our top ten regal residents and telling you a bit about them!

Prince Ruspoli’s turaco

With its red, white and blue colouration, this turaco is in the Jubilee spirit!

This beautiful bird would certainly look the part at a Jubilee street party, easily upstaging the red, white and blue bunting lining myriad gardens and parks! A resident of southern Ethiopia, the stunning Prince Ruspoli’s turaco mainly feeds on fruit…strawberries and cream, anyone?!

Queen Alexandra’s birdwing

This beautiful insect is the world's largest butterfly

With a wingspan of up to 28 centimetres, the strikingly marked Queen Alexandra’s birdwing is the world’s largest butterfly. This insect is a very picky eater and would be rather difficult to cater for at a Jubilee party, as it feeds from just one particular vine species, Aristolochia schlechteri.

King cobra

Despite its reputation, the king cobra is generally non-aggressive

The magnificent king cobra is the longest of all venomous snakes and, unlike its slithering relatives, this species does not hiss when threatened, but instead makes a distinctive growl. Even young king cobras might be somewhat unwelcome at a street party, given that when they hatch their venom is already as toxic as that of the adult cobra.

Queen triggerfish

A regal fish, this queen triggerfish has stunning markings

The queen triggerfish is a very regal-looking fish, with a flamboyant mixture of blue, green and yellow markings. This patterning can be light or dark, depending on the fish’s mood…we would hope to see ‘happy’ colours during the Jubilee celebrations!

This gaily coloured fish certainly wouldn’t miss any of the Jubilee action, as it is capable of moving its eyes independently of each other.

King penguin

The king penguin is highly gregarious, so would enjoy a big party!

The royally named king penguin is the second largest penguin in the world and, being a gregarious species, certainly knows how to get the crowds gathering! Colonies of this species vary greatly in size, ranging from just 30 individuals to several hundred thousand; a true party animal!

Queen of the Andes

The flower spike of this species grows to an impressive height

As well as having a spectacular flower spike which can grow up to an impressive ten metres in height, the Queen of the Andes is an amazing plant in many other ways. It can take between 80 and 150 years for it to flower; this means that if an individual had started growing at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation back in 1953, it still may not flower for another 20 or more years!

Atlantic royal flycatcher

Check out that crest...no fascinator required!

This dazzling Atlantic royal flycatcher has a fabulous array of brightly coloured crest feathers which would add some jazzy hues to any Jubilee celebration! As a bonus, this species is thought to eat insects, so it might be useful for getting rid of those pesky mozzies as the festivities swing on into the evening!

Queen conch

It may have a regal name, but the queen conch is not particularly graceful

As the queen conch is most active at night, this species would be a useful addition to a Jubilee gathering, to ensure that the party continues well after the sun has gone down! However, this royal gastropod is not so regal when it comes to moving around; it uses a strange hopping motion, pushing itself off the sea floor and thrusting forwards.

Royal sunangel

The royal sunangel is a master of aerial acrobatics

The shimmering royal sunangel would be ideal for providing aerial entertainment in its elfin scrub home; thanks to a special wing structure, this Peruvian species is capable of performing intricate aerial manoeuvres, perfect for a royal fly-by! However, make sure you have an invite…the royal sunangel is somewhat territorial, and probably wouldn’t take too kindly to gate-crashers!

King protea

The king protea is the national flower of South Africa

And finally, all good parties have some form of centrepiece, and as far as floral decorations go, few are more impressive than the king protea. The national flower of South Africa, this large species would be the talk of its fynbos shrubland habitat, providing a celebratory burst of colour fit for any royal event.

We hope those of you celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this year have a wonderful time!

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Species Text Author

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After a week of online celebrations, we are thrilled to announce that our 9th birthday is finally here! ARKive would like to say a huge thank you to all of our fans and followers who have been sharing our wild number 9 facts on Twitter this week, helping us unwrap our presents on Facebook and generally spreading the birthday cheer!

While it has been an exciting week here in the office, our real highlight has been reading all the lovely birthday messages you sent us, and as promised, here are some of our favourites:

 erikanoelia7: i learn sth new everyday with @ARKive! info is concise, yet thrilling and engaging. pics are simply delightful. cheers guys! #HBARKive :)♥

ThatBlokeMyk: @ARKive Happy Birthday, here’s the best birthday caique available for you… pic.twitter.com/q2ZkTasC

saunieindiego: Happy 9th Birthday to @ARKive. Thanks for bringing so many plants and animals into my life every day.#wildlife #endangered #photography

MrsAltham: Happy 9th birthday #Arkive! We’re hoping your party is a black tie affair. bit.ly/hNJIQJ

We would also like to say a special thank you to Crest Star for our birthday card!

crest_star: Happy 9th Birthday @ARKive – so glad you are in our world! pic.twitter.com/uJTLgbSE

We hope you have enjoyed the celebrations as much as we have. If you have a birthday message for ARKive please post it using the comment form below, we would love to hear from you!

The ARKive Team

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After such a great response to our Animal Bands game on Twitter, we decided to do another one! This time, though, the topic was Animal TV Shows, and you sent in some crackers! Here are ten of our favourites…did your idea make the cut?!

Chimp My Ride

This young chimpanzee appears to be a bit of a back-seat driver!

This young chimpanzee has no need for the show that decks out cars with all the latest and greatest gear…he seems quite happy with his ride!

The Only Way is Essex Emerald Moth

Saltmarshes are the preferred habitat of the Essex emerald moth

This Essex emerald moth is looking rather reem, and we would forgive other invertebrates for being well jel of its beautiful green wings. Sadly, this species is now classified as Extinct in the UK.

Seal or No Seal

The scientific name of the Galapagos fur seal comes from Greek words meaning 'bear headed'

Seal or No Seal describes the history of this Endangered species rather well. The Galapagos fur seal was hunted extensively in the 1800s, and was thought to be extinct until a small colony was rediscovered in the 1930s.

The Weakest Skink

The chevron skink can grow up to 30 cm in length

The chevron skink is New Zealand’s largest living endemic lizard, and one of its rarest. We think it does a pretty mean impression of the infamous Anne Robinson glare…is it about to wink?!

Orang M’Lord

The Bornean orangutan is a predominantly solitary creature

This female Bornean orangutan doesn’t seem to have grasped the concept of ladylike behaviour! However, we’re not sure she’d be any better as a maid if that’s how she’s planning on carrying the sandwiches and scones!

Gnu Wants to be a Millionaire

As it forms huge herds, the blue wildebeest should have no trouble finding a 'Phone a Friend' candidate!

These blue wildebeest, commonly referred to as gnus, seem to be gathering to watch an episode of their favourite show: Gnu Wants To Be A Millionaire! Or perhaps they’re eagerly awaiting the call to be a ‘Phone a Friend’?

Neighboars

The Visayan warty pig is a rainforest-dwelling species

Although not from Australia, we’re featuring this Visayan warty pig, as he would be a very rare neighbour to have. Found on just two islands of the Philippines, this species is extinct over at least 98% of its former range.

Troutnumbered

The Kunming snout trout lives in rapids and pools in fast-flowing streams

The Kunming snout trout is Critically Endangered as a result of water pollution, overfishing, and being Outnumbered by introduced fish species.

Miami Mice

The Arabian spiny mouse can shed its tail when attacked

The heroes of Miami Vice would have needed to don a special bulletproof vest to protect themselves during drug raids, but this Arabian spiny mouse has its own inbuilt protection against predators. When brushed against the direction of growth, this mouse’s fur becomes coarse and spine-like.

Would Aye-Aye to You?

The aye-aye has strong upper incisors to tear through wood

This rather odd-looking aye-aye hid a secret from scientists for years! This nocturnal species was originally classified as a rodent, but it is, in fact, a primate. Perhaps the aye-aye could use its unusually long middle digit to point out liars?!

This blog turned out to be harder to write than I’d expected, as I could only pick ten shows to feature, and there were so many fantastic ideas! So, I shall leave you with a quick mention of a few more that tickled us here in the ARKive office: Chicks Feet Under; Louse MD; Bok the Week; Have I Got Shrews For You; Home and A Whale; Starfish and Hutch; Whose Lion Is It Anyway?

Thanks, everyone! Look out for more wildlife-related fun and games soon!

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Species Text Author

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