Time
again for our Website of the Week, when we showcase interesting and innovative
online destinations. Our web guide is VOA's Art Chimes.
This
time, it's an animal website that shows what can happen when one person shares
his knowledge and passion with the Internet community.
HUFFMAN: "The Ultimate Ungulate website is
designed to be a resource for all the world's hoofed mammals, which are ungulates."
Brent
Huffman is the creator of UltimateUngulate.com. It features great photos and
in-depth information about a group of animals whose scientific name may be
strange, but whose members may be living right nearby.
HUFFMAN: "Ungulates include really common
animals like cows and goats, things like deer, horses, and a lot more exotic
animals. Things like zebras, which are closely related to horses, but also
rhinoceroses and various antelopes and giraffes. They're all considered
ungulates."
In fact,
there are some 250 species of ungulates, and the Ultimate Ungulate website is
full of deeply-researched (and fully-referenced) information about these
often-overlooked animals ... just what you would expect from a trained
zoologist.
HUFFMAN: "There's a section on taxonomy and
classification, basically where that animal fits in to the general scheme of
life on earth. There's a description of that animal, including sizes. There's a
section on reproduction. Ecology and behavior. And then a bit on habitat and
distribution, where you can find the animal in the world."
Brent
Huffman has taken his interest — and his camera — on the road. He spent six
months in Africa, photographing ungulates, not to mention visiting many zoos in
North America to see and photograph ungulates there, so the website has lots of
unique images. In fact, he says one reason he started the website was because
there was so little material available about ungulates.
Learn more at UltimateUngulate.com, or get the link to this and more than 200 other Websites of the Week from our site, voanews.com.