Photograph by ANDREA ZAMPATTI @ WILDLIGHTS.IT
The Hazel Dormouse or Common Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is a small mammal and the only living species in the genus Muscardinus. It is 6 to 9 centimetres (2.4 to 3.5 in) long with a tail of 5.7 to 7.5 centimetres (2.2 to 3.0 in). It weighs 17 to 20 grams (0.60 to 0.71 oz), although this increases to 30 to 40 grams (1.1 to 1.4 oz) just before hibernation. The Hazel Dormouse hibernates from October to April-May.
The Hazel Dormouse is native to northern Europe and Asia Minor. It is the only dormouse native to the British Isles, and is therefore often referred to simply as the Dormouse in British sources.
Probably all of you saw this picture at some point of your life. Titled the “Afghan Girl”, this photo was named the most recognized photograph in the history of National Geographic. Although girl’s name was not known, her picture appeared on the June 1985 cover of the magazine. The image of her face, with a red scarf draped loosely over her head and with her piercing sea-green eyes staring directly into the camera, became a symbol both of the 1980s Afghan conflict and of the refugee situation worldwide. Gula was known throughout the world simply as the Afghan Girl until she was formally identified in early 2002.
Over time, many variations of Steve McCurry’s original photo appeared. At some point even in optical illusion form, as we see below. All I could find about this illusion, is that people can’t seem to look at it for too long. Apparently you get a headache, or become nervous at best. Maybe this isn’t the true nature of this illusion, but it just didn’t make me hallucinate like some other animations did. Wait few seconds for the animation to load (it’s 1MB big), and share your experience afterward.
In this awesome artwork by Craig Alan, people are the pixels in this tribute to the iconic portrait of Audrey Hepburn. Why do the red lips cast red shadows? Probably because staying true and having black shadows would ruin the famous red lips. This work was featured at the International Art Expo in New York as a 48×60 print on canvas.
EYES ON THE PRIZE
Photograph by Kristina Buceatchi
This is one of those old but gold photos that’s been floating around the Internet for years (at least since 2005). It’s a great shot of a beautiful animal and that eye! It’s truly hypnotic. Any guesses as to what our friendly feline is fixated on? My guess is a red dot from a laser pointer
ONWARD AND UPWARD
Photograph by VITALY SOKOL aka WILLYAM BRADBERRY
This fantastic capture of a dolphin jumping off into the sunset seemed most fitting for the final picture of 2011
DRAGON FALLS, VENEZUELA FROM ABOVE
Photograph by Dmitry Moiseenko @ AirPano.ru
In this incredible capture by Dmitry Moiseenko, we look down the jaw-dropping Dragon Falls in Venezuela. Known locally as Churun Meru, it’s apparently about 10 km south of Angel Falls in the same valley. This shot is from May 2011. The Sifter highly recommends that you check out the amazing 360 degree aerial panorama on AirPano.ru, it is absolutely stunning and shows these falls with a level of detail not even the photo above can convey
