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Over 46 minutes and 38 seconds on October 24, 2007, Lucy ran about a quarter of a mile. At her fastest, she reached speeds of four inches per second. Considering that Lucy, a hamster, has the physical dimensions of a large (and shapely) potato, those are some impressive stats. But this is no ordinary pet. Thanks to a Dutch software engineer named Mathijs van der Paauw, Lucy has emerged as one of the Web's most unlikely stars.

When Mathijs was in junior high, he befriended a schoolmate who had a hamster with an extensive "tubed cage" set-up. The young Mathijs was impressed. Years later, when he felt ready to get a pet, he opted for a hamster. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship: "After taking care of my hamster the first couple of days, I got so amazed by this wonderful little animal, it captured me in such a way that I got interested in learning more... and (getting) to know them in a personal way."

Thus was the stage set for My Hamster Lucy, an astonishingly detailed website about the cute pouchy-cheeked animal. (Currently, the site focuses on Lucy 3.0, who has succeeded Lucy 2.0 and the original Lucy, hamsters having shorter life spans than most blogs.) Today, an interested viewer can see Lucy snooze in her "meditation room," watch Mathijs prepare special meals for his pet, examine one of the multiple webcam channels of hamster action, or pour over Lucy's daily exercise regime. Read the full profile...

In one photo, the polar bear hovers underwater, ears pressed back, paws extended, bubbles escaping the glorious schnozz. In other pictures, the animal inspects the possibilities of a plastic emergency cone, or takes in the view above the blue-green expanse of its pool. Later, the camera catches the creature paddling off, flashing a glimpse of gargantuan paws.

Welcome to the zoo photography of Valerie Abbott. Through her extensive collection on Flickr, this amateur photographer has captivated viewers with her astonishing portraits of wild animals.

We first discovered Valerie, whose Flickr name is "ucumari," through her "Bears of the World" collection. But her ursine photographs are just the beginning. Elephants, giraffes, lions, gorillas, tigers, wolves, and parrots romp, run, swim, doze, and flap through these colorful, dignified sets.

When we wrote Valerie, she told us how she got started capturing the mugs of these incredible creatures—and what her "secret trick" is...

Hi there, Valerie. We know you volunteer at the North Carolina Zoo. We think they should hire you as a full-time photographer! What is your day job? And how much time do you devote to photography?

I would love to be a full-time photographer at a zoo or any place that has animals that are well cared for! My "day" job is really a night job... I work in the prepress department of our local newspaper, and no, I'm not a photographer there! Read the full profile...