RAYS, DUCKS, DOGS..

Ray of light
Biologists used to believed manta rays stuck to feeding in shallow waters areas and reefs. But Mozambique-based researcher Dr. Andrea Marshall realized that there's actually another, giant type of manta ray, such as the one shown here, that can dive deeply and migrate up to 700 miles.

Silly goose
A Canada goose splashes while landing in a pond at Water Works Park in Des Moines, Iowa.

Horse play
Horse trainer Karen Murdock plays with her horse, Lukas, a 16-year-old,1,200-pound thoroughbred gelding, in Walnut, Calif. Six years ago, Murdock helped her horse forget years of abuse and taught him tricks that have made the pair a popular Internet draw for school children and animal lovers alike.

Haven't the foggiest
A great-horned owl perches on a chimney stack in the early morning fog in Keller, Texas.

Baby blues
A Persian cat rests during a two-day international cat exhibition in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Flight of fancy
A white crane takes off in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Lionhearted
Zimba, a male lion cub, right, and Bogi, a male Puli dog, are seen at Gyongyos Zoo in Hungary. Zimba was donated to the zoo by a private donor in Italy, and will be raised by Bogi.

Snow bears
A biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey works with a polar bear and her cub in Alaska.

Water for elephants
A herd of elephants stands together at the Addo Elephant National Park outside Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Rabbit at rest
Owners display their rabbit in fancy dress and dark goggles during a rabbit fashion contest at the Rabbit Festa in Yokohama city in suburban Tokyo. Some 8,000 rabbit lovers visited the annual two-day event.

Greedy gibbons
White-handed gibbons eat frozen fruits at the zoo in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Master of disguise
A donkey painted to resemble a zebra is seen inside its cage at the Marah Land Zoo in eastern Gaza City. In 2008, the Marah Zoo was a fully-functioning zoo, but during Israel's January offensive, 90 percent of the animals died. As a result, there are not as large a variety of animals as before, but Gazans still flock to the zoo, due to the lack of sources of entertainment in the Gaza Strip.

Sitting duck
A mallard duck quietly swims as the sun begins to set in Clintonville, Wisconsin.

Scuba Santa
A diver dressed as Santa Claus swims with dolphins at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, Japan