“Michael Mathias Prechtl (April 26, 1926, Amberg – March 19, 2003, Nuremberg) was a German artist, illustrator and cartoonist. He served as a soldier on the Eastern Front during World War II and spent 1945-49 as a prisoner of war in the Soviet Union”. – Wikipedia

Photo: “Der Gestiefelte Kater (Puss in Boots)”, 1997. Artwork by Michael Mathias Prechtl

A US Marine feeds an orphan kitten found after a heavy mortar barrage near “Bunker Hill” during the Korean War. (Photo by Sgt Martin Riley/Getty Images). 1953

People take part in the celebrations of Victory Day, which marks the 78th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Vladivostok, Russia on May 9, 2023. (Photo by Tatiana Meel/Reuters)

The Atlantic Puffin is definitely a curious-looking bird. The special coloring that this bird develops for the breeding season in the spring is very reminiscent of tropical birds. The bright colors of the beak and the markings around the eyes serve no particular advantage and have evolved as a result of sexual selection. However, Puffins don’t look that pretty all year round. They shed all these festive colors in partial moult after the breeding season is over. They lose the ornaments around their eyes, their face becomes darker, and their beak becomes very different. The natural habitat of these birds is the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Sami people from the Vilhelmina Norra Sameby, gather their reindeers herd in a corral for selection and calf labelling on October 27, 2016 near the village of Dikanaess, about 800 kilometers north-west of the capital Sweden. Sweden's Sami reindeer herders have more than hungry predators to worry about in the cold night, as the indigenous minority moves its flock to the winter pasture in the Nordic tundra. (Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP Photo)

Golden-crowned Kinglets boldly bear their flashy lemon-yellow crest and a black eyebrow stripe. Taking a good look at them might be rather challenging, since they spend most of their time in the dense fir foliage or spruce. However, if you’re patient enough to find them, listen for their shrill, thin song. Though these “little Kings” are only a tad bit larger than a hummingbird, they can survive easily extreme cold by huddling close together. They breed in montane west and the far north and only visit North America during winter.

History enthusiasts of French association “Arquebusiers de l'Est”, dressed as soldiers of 3rd regiment of Zouave, attend an Armistice Day ceremony to commemorate the end of World War One at Epernay, eastern France, November 11, 2014. More than a hundred volunteers from France, Romania, England, Belgium, Russia and Italy took part in the parade. The year 2014 marks the centennial commemoration for the soldiers who fought in the First World War (WWI). (Photo by Charles Platiau/Reuters)

A giant Santa Claus, created and worn by local artist Ed Terrell, 66, walks home with his son and assistant, Rupanuga, 18, following a ceremony to decorate a scraggly Christmas tree with a single red Bulb in Reading, Pennsylvania, December 7, 2014. A ceremony to decorate the scraggly Christmas tree in Reading, Pennsylvania with a single red bulb, much like Charlie Brown's tree in the animated holiday classic, was postponed to Sunday from Saturday because of rain and cold temperatures, officials said. Officials decided to hold a re-dedication ceremony, which will include a Spanish and English reading from the movie's screenplay, and decorate it with a single red bulb, as in the 1965 animated television special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. (Photo by Mark Makela/Reuters)