This post is part of Uptake’s Wordless Wednesday Series. Words explaining why it is wordless don’t count.

Photo: merfam via Flickr

These are not ugly ducks. I repeat, not ugly ducks. They are swans, and frankly, they’re pretty darn cute.

These little guys live in England. You should hear their accent, it’s charming.

This post is part of UpTake’s Friday Family Series. If you would like to see your family vacation photo here please submit it via the contact link in the sidebar, subject line: Family Photo.

Photo: antaean via Flickr

Do you always feel like someone is watching you? Don’t worry, Rockwell, it’s just this seal. Or the Navy Seals, it depends on what you’ve been up to.

See, now the idea of this seal watching you doesn’t seem nearly as creepy! You’re welcome.

Actually, this seal was spotted (Get it? That’s a spotted seal joke! For free!) off the shores of Iceland — most likely by an avid golfer.

This photo is a Wordless Wednesday entry with words. Also, water. Go figure.

Photo: cheesy42 via Flickr

The herd is on the move! It doesn’t matter if you see black stripes on white bodies, or white stripes on black bodies, the one thing we can all agree on is that zebras are awesome. If you don’t agree you can take your post reading elsewhere (like the next post for instance, it’s zebra-free!).

Besides, this post isn’t about zebras, per se, but rather where they are running. That’s the Okavango Delta in the Republic of Botswana, you can’t miss it. Botswana, for those of you playing along  at home, is landlocked, claims one of the stronger economies in the world, and has a democratic government. Also, it’s hot.

The Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world. It is produced by seasonal flooding from the Okavango River and, fun fact, instead of draining to the sea, the majority of the water is taken by plants and evaporation.

The delta is home to a variety of wildlife which has developed into a fairly lucrative tourist attraction. In addition to our zebras (above) you can find (from Wikipedia):

African Bush Elephant, African Buffalo, African Wild Dog, Hippopotamus, Lechwe, Topi, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, Nile crocodile, Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Brown Hyena, Spotted Hyena, Greater Kudu, Sable Antelope, Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, Warthog, Chacma Baboon and over 400 species of bird.

I’m pretty sure it’s where they filmed the Lion King.

If you are planning on taking a safari vacation in the area, consider one of the many lodges with environmental-friendly policies. It’s a nice touch.

Tell the zebras I said hello.

Photo: Okavango Delta by Balfour/Getty courtesy of Life Books