Life of Du.Dee.

Life of Du.Dee. 

 American Pekin Duck

The American Pekin Duck or Long Island duck, is a breed of domestic duck used primarily for egg and meat production. It was bred from the Mallard in China. The ancestors of those ducks originated from the canals which linked waterways in Nanjing and originally had small bodies and black feathers. With the relocation of the Chinese capital to Beijing, supply barge traffic increased in the area which would often spill grain on which the ducks fed. Over time, the ducks slowly increased in size and grew white feathers. The new breed of duck had been domesticated by Chinese farmers, by the five dynasties.

The Pekin duck is the most popular commercial duck breed in the United States, after James Palmer of Stonington, Connecticut imported a small number to Long Island from China in 1873, . The animals and their meat are sometimes referred to as "Long Island duckling". Around 95% of duck meat consumed in the United States is Pekin duck.

Pekin duck embryos take around 28 days to develop in the egg at 99.5°F (37.5°C) and 50-75% humidity.

Pekin hatchlings have bright yellow plumage with an orange bill, shanks, and feet.
Hatchlings should not be given free access to swimming water unless they have been hatched naturally by other ducks. The feathers of a young duckling are not sufficiently developed to properly protect them for extended periods in the water and they do not produce enough preen oil to waterproof this plumage.

Fully mature adult Pekin ducks weigh between 8 and 11 pounds (3.6 and 5 kilograms) in captivity. Their average lifespan (if not eaten at an early age) is about 9 to 12 years. Their external feathers are white, sometimes with a yellowish tinge.

 

Spotted Deer (Chital)

The chital, also known as chital deer or spotted deer , is a deer which commonly inhabits in regions of India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and in small numbers in Pakistan.

The chital's coat is pinkish fawn, marked with white spots, and it’s under parts are also white. Its antlers, which it sheds annually, are usually three-pronged and curve in a lyre shape which may extend to 75 cm (2.5 ft). Compared to the hog deer, its close relative, the chital has a more cursorial build. It also has a more advanced morphology with antler pedicles being proportionally short and its auditory bullae being smaller.

It also has large nares. The male chital averages about 90 cm (35 in) tall at the shoulder, with a total length of 170 cm (67 in), including a 20 cm (7.9 in). Males, at a typical weight of 30 to 75 kg (66 to 165 lb), are somewhat larger than females, at 25 to 45 kg (55 to 99 lb). Exceptionally large males can weigh up to 98 to 110 kg (216 to 243 lb). Their lifespans are around 8–14 years.

This video shows the alarm call of chital as a tiger was nearby. Deer mainly calls when there is a threat around there to alert all other animals from being eaten up.
Chital have well-developed preorbital glands which have hairs that are like stiff little branches. They also have well-developed metatarsal glands and pedal glands on their hind legs. Males have larger preorbital glands than females and are opened very often in response to certain stimuli.