Big Cat Diary

Big Cat Diary, also known as Big Cat Week or Big Cat Live according to the format of the show,was a long-running nature documentary series on BBC television which follows the lives of African big cats in Kenya's Maasai Mara. The first series, broadcast on BBC One in 1996, was developed and jointly produced by Keith Scholey, who would go on to become Head of the BBC's Natural History Unit. Eight further series have followed, most recently Big Cat Live, a live broadcast from the Mara in 2008.

The original presenters, Jonathan Scott and Simon King, were joined by Saba Douglas-Hamilton from 2002 onwards. Kate Silverton and Jackson Looseyia were added to the presenting team for Big Cat Live.

Background

The BBC Natural History Unit originally wanted to film in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, but when this proved too expensive, they switched to Kenya. Filming is timed to coincide with the arrival of the annual wildebeest migration in the Mara, which is when the most predators gather to take advantage of abundant prey.

Leopard

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five "big cats" in the genus Panthera. It is a member of the family Felidae with a wide range in regions of sub-Saharan Africa, West Asia, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia to Siberia. Fossil records found in Italy suggest that in the Pleistocene it ranged as far as Europe.

Compared to other members of Felidae, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, but is smaller and more lightly built. Its fur is marked with rosettes similar to those of the jaguar, but the leopard's rosettes are smaller and more densely packed, and do not usually have central spots as the jaguar's do. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic are known as black panthers.

The leopard's success in the wild is due to its well camouflaged fur; its opportunistic hunting behaviour, broad diet, and strength to move heavy carcasses into trees; its ability to adapt to various habitats ranging from rainforest to steppe and including arid and montane areas; and to run at speeds up to 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph).

Leopard (heraldry)

The leopard in heraldry is traditionally depicted the same as a lion, but in a walking position with its head turned to full face, thus it is also known as a lion passant guardant in some texts, though leopards more naturally depicted make some appearances in modern heraldry. The Oxford Guide to Heraldry makes little mention of leopards but glosses leopard as a "term used in medieval heraldry for lion passant guardant. Now used for the natural beast." Another name for this beast is the ounce.

Early heraldic leopards

The typical heraldic leopard differs from the natural leopard (Panthera pardus) in that it has no spots and often has a mane, but is generally similar in appearance to a heraldic lion, other than its attitude. In the Middle Ages, leopards were thought to be a crossbreed between a lion and a pard,

Arthur Charles Fox-Davies wrote in 1909 that the distinction between lions (which were constantly rampant) and leopards (which were necessarily walking) originated in French heraldry and was brought into English heraldry along with so much else of English language and custom deriving from French traditions. But "the use of the term leopard in heraldry to signify a certain position for the lion never received any extensive sanction, and has long since become obsolete in British armory," though the distinction is still observed in French blazon.

Leopard (disambiguation)

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five "big cats" in the genus Panthera.

Leopard may also refer to:

Biology

Military

Bella

Bella is a female name. It is a diminutive form of names ending in -bella, such as Isabella and Annabella. Bella is related to the Italian and Latin words for beauty. It is also related to the name Belle, which means beauty in French.

Given name

People

Bella (Canadian band)

Bella is a Canadian indie pop band from Vancouver, who formed in 2003, and have released two full-length albums. The band signed to Vancouver's Mint Records in 2006 and released the full-length "No One will Know" featuring guest musicians Roddy Bottum (Faith No More), Will Schwartz (Imperial Teen), John Collins (the New Pornographers) and Jason Martin (Starflyer 59).

Pretty Mess

Recorded in singer-guitarist-keyboardist Cameron Fraser's bedroom, their 2004 debut release was Pretty Mess, on the indie label Hideout. Tom Harrison of The Province compared the band's sound to 1980s bands Martha and the Muffins and Altered Images. Music from the band's debut album has been featured on CBC Radio 3 and on MuchMusic. The album was mixed by Colin Stewart (Hot Hot Heat, Black Mountain). Bella has performed with the likes of The Breeders, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The New Pornographers, Phoenix, Imperial Teen, Viva Voce, 54-40, and The Organ.

Mint Records and No One Will Know

Bella was signed to Mint Records, and the second album, No One Will Know—produced by Dave Carswell (Tegan and Sara) and featuring contributions from Roddy Bottum, Will Schwartz and Jason Martin—was released in 2007. It received mostly positive reviews from music critics. In a favourable review of the album, the Edmonton Journal likened the band's sound to that of Tegan and Sara.Exclaim! called it "futuristic indie pop at its most danceable."No One Will Know reached the top ten of multiple alternative and college album charts in Canada.

Bella (disambiguation)

Bella is a feminine given name and a surname.

Bella may also refer to:

Music

Places

Other uses