CASTLE RISING CASTLE.

Castle Rising is a village in the county of Norfolk, England. It is best known for its castle which dominates the village. It is some 8 kilometres north - east of the town of King`s Lynn. Castle Rising`s Castle is a ruined Medieval fortification. It was built soon after 1138 by William D`Aubigny II, it was inherited by Williams descendants before passing into the hands of the De Montait family in 1243. The Montaits later sold the castle to Queen Isabella, who lived there after her fall from power in 1330, Isabella extended the castle buildings and enjoyed a regal lifestyle, after her death it was granted to Edward, the Black Prince, to form part of the Duchy of Cornwall. During the 15th century the castle fell into disrepair and by the middle of the 16th century it was derelict. Henry VIII sold the property to Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk and most of the castle buildings were demolished. It was not until the 19th century, when Mary and Fulke Greville Howard inherited the property, that the castle was renovated and restored. In 1958 the castle passed into the custody of the state, which carried out further stabilisation work. In 1998 English Heritage passed the management of the site back to its currant owner, Baron Howard of Rising, who continues to operate the castle as a tourist attraction.

Earthworks of the inner bailey, with the remaining 14th century brick wall and 12th century gatehouse ( left ) and the stone bridge ( centre ).

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ANIMALS ( part two ).

GUINEA PIG. (Cavia Porcellus ).

also called Cavy. In western societies, the guinea pig enjoyed widespread popularity as a household pet. My granddaughter has three such animals running around in her mums back garden.

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MARMOSET MONKEY.

most marmosets are about 8 inches long. They have claws rather than nails and tactile hairs on their wrists. Marmosets are native to South America and have been found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru. They are also raised in captivity as pets.

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PATAGONIAN  MARA.

is a relatively large rodent. It is also known as the Patagonian Cavy, Patagonian Hare or Dillaby. This herbivorous somewhat rabbit -like animal is found in open and semi open habitats in Argentina, including large parts of Patagonia. It is monogamous, but often breeds in warrens that are shared by several pairs.

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PORCUPINES.

are rodents with a coat of sharp spines or quills, that defend them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas,Southern Asia, Europe and Africa. Most porcupines are about 25 - 36 inches long with an 8 - 10 inch long tail. Weighing 12 - 35 pounds they are rounded, large and slow. The common porcupine is an herbivore. It eats leaves, herbs, twigs and green plants like clover. In winter it may eat bark. A male porcupine urinates on a female porcupine prior to mating, spraying the urine at high velocity.

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RED RUFFED LEMUR. (Varecia Rubra ).

like all Lemurs it is native to Madagascar and occurs only in the rain forests of Masoala. It has a body length of 53cm, a tail length of 60cm and a weight of 3.3 - 3.6 kg. Its soft thick fur is red and black in colour and sports a buff or cream coloured spot at the nape.

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RING TAILED LEMURS. ( Lemur Catta )

is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized Lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. Like all lemurs it is endemic to Madagascar. It is omnivorous and the most terrestrial of lemurs. The animal is diurnal, being active exclusively in daylight hours. The ring tailed lemur is highly social, living in groups of up to 30 individuals. It is also female dominant. To keep warm and reaffirm social bonds, groups will huddle together. The ring tailed lemur will also sunbathe, sitting upright facing its underside, with its thinner white fur towards the sun, just like the one is doing in my last photo above. Like other lemurs this species relies strongly on its sense of smell and marks its territory with scent glands. The males perform a unique scent marking behaviour called spur marking and will participate in stink fights by impregnating their tail with their scent and wafting it at opponents.  

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ANIMALS ( part one ).

ASIAN SMALL - CLAWED OTTER. (Aonyx Cinerea ).

is the smallest otter species in the world., weighing less than 5kg. It lives in mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands of Bangladesh, Burma, India, Southern China, Taiwan, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.Its paws are a distinctive feature, its claws do not extend beyond the fleshy end pads of its partially webbed fingers and toes. This gives it a high degree of manual dexterity, so it can use its paws to feed on Molluscs, Crabs and other small aquatic animals.

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CHIPMUNKS.

are small striped rodents of the family Sciuridae, all species of chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian Chipmunk. Chipmunks have an omnivorous diet consisting of seeds, nuts and other fruits and buds. They also commonly eat grass, shoots and many other forms of plant matter, as well as fungi, insects, frogs, worms and birds eggs. Chipmunks mostly forage on the ground, but they climb trees to obtain nuts such as Hazelnuts and Acorns.

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EMPEROR TAMARIN.  ( Saguinus Imperator ).

it lives in the southeast Amazon Basin, in east Peru, North Bolivia and in the Brazilian States of Acre and Amazonas. The fur of the Emperor Tamarin is predominatly grey coloured with yellowish speckles on its chest. The hands and feet are black and the tail is brown. Outstanding is its long, white mustache which extends to both sides beyond the shoulders.

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GIANT TORTOISES.

reach enormous size and can weigh as much as 660 pounds and can grow to be 4 foot long. They live in the Seychelles, the Mascarenes and the Galapagos. Giant tortoises are among the worlds longest living animals, with an average lifespan of 100 years or more.

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MEERCATS. ( Suricata Suricatta ).

is a small Carnivoran belonging to the Mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and south western Angola and in South Africa. A group of meerkats are called a mob, gang or clan. A meerkat  clan contains about 20 meerkats, but some families have 50 or more members. These lovely little animals are my favourites.

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BOSTON STUMP.

St Botolph`s church is a parish church in Boston, Lincolnshire, England and is notable for its extraordinarily tall medieval tower, known as the Boston Stump. The tower is approximately 272 feet high and can be seen for miles around. For the last one hundred and thirty odd years there have only been 26 bells at the stump, 15 carillon bells, 10 bells hung for full circle ringing and the sanctuary bell. The tower became important again in World War II, when Lincolnshire was known as bomber county, for it`s proliferation of air bases. British and American pilots would use the stump as a signpost to guide them back to base. Although climate change has now led to lower levels of the river Haven, 500 years ago when Boston was at it`s zenith, the river would have flooded regularly. The buttress on the south - west corner of the tower has been used for keeping a record of the heights and dates of flooding of the river that runs past it. (see my photo ).

[ click on pictures to enlarge-thank you ]

The Buttress with the past water levels carved upon it.