Blue Iguanas are the most endangered species of iguanas on Earth and fewer than 30 are left in the wild. They are one of the largest lizards in the western hemisphere and can easily be recognized by their spiny crests and long, curved claws.
I visited the Shedd Aquarium recently and here are some pics and
videos.
Jelly Fishes come in all sizes - the smallest species can fit into
a contact lens and the biggest species (The Lion's Mane) has tentacles that
stretch to 100 feet!
A Jelly's body is 95% water. Instead of a brain, it has a nerve
net. A jelly's mouth not only accepts food, but also serves as outlet for waste
and as a pathway for eggs or sperm.
Many Jellies have tentacles and feeding arms that are linked with
stinging cells. When they come in contact with the prey, these cells shoot out
like tiny harpoons to sting or kill.
One Jelly Fish can lay thousands of eggs each day. This type of
mass production often leads to lots of jellies at one time.
Jellies can live even in dead zones, where most animals cannot.
Dead zones are polluted, oxygen-starved areas in the ocean. In these zones, the
jellies can grow and reproduce unchecked as they are safe from predators.
Further more, jellies do not need to eat much to live. Some
jellies can survive for weeks without feed, while others shrink in size. The
scarcity of food has less impact on jellies than on other animals.
Some jellies such as Crystal Jellies make their own light using
green flourescent protein (GFP) in their cells. This phenomenon is called
bioluminescence. GFP is used commonly in biomedicine today and has led to
discoveries about cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
Moon
Jelly
Hairy Jelly
The white, curly shapes seen in the bell are the Jelly's reproductive organs.
Upside - Down Jelly
These jellies live only in the shallow, sunlit waters of mangrove forests and lagoons.
Blue
blubber Jelly
These jellies range in color from very
light blue to navy blue and purple.
Northeast
pacific sea nettle
Sea nettles hunt by trailing long
tentacles and oral arms covered with stinging cells that paralyze prey.
Purple striped sea nettle
These jellies are found in the Northeast Pacific waters.
Spotted Lagoon Jelly
These Jellies moves their body toward the sunlight, which helps their crop of symbiotic algae to grow.
Japanese
Sea Nettle Jelly
Sea
Nettle's tentacles can reach up to nearly 10 feet.
If you
enjoyed this post, please subscribe to this blog byemail or RSS by
clicking here.
Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class: Aves Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae Genus : Bubo Scientific name:Bubo virginianus Protection status:Least Concern Diet : Owls are carnivores Habitat : Forests, woodlands and shrublands. Life span : 5 to 15 years
The Great Horned Owls
are the largest owls in North America. They are also referred to as Cat Owls.
They are nocturnal hunters. They can be easily identified by their large piercing
eyes and their horn shaped ears.
These predatory birds are fearless and aggressive by nature and frequently attack prey that are large
and heavy, including cats, rabbits, porcupines and even skunks. If their
nesting areas are threatened, these birds will counterattack even when they are
faced with large dogs or even humans. The male owls are smaller than their
female counterparts and have a much lower-pitched call.
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribeto my blog by email or RSSby clickinghere.
Photo and Video were taken at Maymont
Park, Virginia.
The
name is derived from the Persian word Mar - Snake and Khor - Eating. Both Males
and female Markhors have horns. Markhors are usually active during morning and
late afternoon. They are excellent climbers.
Markhor is the national animal of Pakistan.
If
you enjoyed this post, please subscribeto my blog by clickinghere.
The large, curved claws are used in self-defense as well as to eat food
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Reptilia
Order : Squamata
Suborder :Lacertilia
Family : Varanidae Genus : Varanus
Protection status :Vulnerable
Diet :Carnivore
Habitat : They live in hot and dry places, open grasslands and
mostly in lowlands.
Komodo dragons are the largest
and heaviest lizards in the world. They are native to Indonesia and inhabit
just four islands: Flores, Pandar, Rintja and the Komodo island. The scientific
name of Komodo dragon is Varanus komodoensis. Komodo dragons are also called as
Komodo monitors, Giant monitors, Land crocodiles and Oras. Their life
expectancy is upto 20 - 40 years. Their sense of smell is the primary method of
detecting food.
The
Komodo dragon's saliva contains different strains of toxic bacteria that cause
deadly infections in the prey. When it bites the prey, it injects the victim
with a venom. Though the prey may not succumb to its injuries right away, the
patient Komodo keeps following the animal with its immense sense of smell and
eventually claims its victim. If
you enjoyed this post, please subscribeto this blog by clickinghere. Photos
were taken at Columbus Zoo, Ohio.
Phylum: Chordata Class : Mammalia Order : Primates Suborder : Strepsirrhini Protection status :Endangered Diet : Nuts, Fruits, Leaves, Insects and Flowers Habitat : Most Lemurs lives in trees and only Ring-Tailed Lemur spends most of its time on the ground.
The word “Lemur” is Latin and means spirits of the night. Lemur is
a very intelligent primate. There are many different species of Lemurs
including Aye- Aye Lemur, Red Ruffled Lemur, Indri Lemur, Alatron Gentle Lemur,
Black, White Ruffled Lemur and Ring Tailed Lemur. Female Lemurs are dominant.
Lemur troops have one dominant female who leads the group, controls and has the
first choice of food and mates.
During mating season, Male Lemurs battle for dominance by trying
to outstink each other. Lemurs communicate through sound and smell. They make a
variety of sounds to communicate with each other. They are able to identify
family members through their scent. Lemurs can live up to 18-20 years.
Photos were taken at
Cincinnati Zoo and North Carolina Museum of Life and Science.
If you enjoyed this
post, please subscribeto this blog by clickinghere.
Reticulated Python can grow up to 20 feet in length
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Reptilia
Order : Squamata
Family: Pythonidae
Genus: Python
Diet: Birds and mammals including
domestic animals
Habitat: Can live near streams,
rivers, lakes, on the grounds, in the trees and even in cities
Reticulated Pythons have complex color patterns
Reticulated Python
is the world's longest snake and longest reptile. It is thin and not too heavy.
Reticulated Pythons can be found in Southeast Asian countries. They are also
called Java
Rock Pythons and Regal Pythons. Their lifespan in the wild is up to 20
years and in captivity can live for more than 20 years. A large female can lay
over 100 eggs at once.
If you enjoyed this
post, please subscribeto this blog by clickinghere.
Please click here to read the first part of this
blog series.
Mountain Gorillas
face a variety of threats in their day-to-day lives. When two mountain gorilla
groups cross paths, there is a chance for confrontations as Silverbacks try to
acquire females from the other group. The same happens when an adult Silverback
tries to overthrow the reigning Silverback to take over his group. But, in most
of the instances, gorillas indulge in chest-beating and bluff charges, at which
point, the confrontation is called off. Gorillas are very gentle by nature,
quite contrary to movies like ‘King Kong’ and always try to avoid violent
confrontation as much as possible.
Gorillas also face
danger from leopards, which often prey on them.
But the Mountain
Gorillas face their biggest danger from Man himself.
Poaching – Gorillas often fall victim to traps,
intended NOT for them but other animals like pigs. In addition, baby
gorillas are sought by poachers for the illegal pet trade and this leads
to the entire Gorilla family getting massacred.
Civil
Wars – The Civil Wars have
led to mines being placed in the forests, leading to heavy fatalities
among the Mountain Gorillas
Loss of Habitat – Right next to the forests frequented
by Gorillas, there are human settlements. As humans take up more and more
land for cultivation and other purposes, this leads to habitat loss and
gorillas end up raiding the crops for food, leading to retaliation and
further gorilla deaths.
Close contact with human beings – Gorillas are highly susceptible to
human diseases. This means that in addition to the poachers, gorillas are
at a very high risk even from volunteers and conservationists, who are
dedicated to protecting the lives of Gorillas.
Senkwekwe's family of Mountain Gorillas was massacred by poachers in 2007
To counter these challenges, many
organizations and individuals are putting in their best efforts to save this
magnificent species. Despite increased patrolling against the poachers and
regularly removing the snares/traps, expanding the national park areas to
prevent habitat loss and educating school children about the importance and
need to save the Gorillas, the current situation looks very grim.
A Silverback Gorilla ponders his grim future
Today,only 786Mountain Gorillas survive in the wild.
ACT
NOW. For
more on how YOU can help save Mountain Gorillas, please
visit the following sites: