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Archive for August, 2009

Elephant and Elephant Facts

29 Aug

Elephants,

elephants

Elephants

Elephants are the largest land animals now living. The elephant’s gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 120 kilograms (260 lb). They typically live for 50 to 70 years, but the oldest recorded elephant lived for 82 years. The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1956. This male weighed about 12,000 kilograms (26,000 lb), with a shoulder height of 4.2 meters (14 ft), a meter (yard) taller than the average male African elephant. The smallest elephants, about the size of a calf or a large pig, were a prehistoric species that lived on the island of Crete during the Pleistocene epoch.

The elephant has appeared in cultures across the world. They are a symbol of wisdom in Asian cultures and are famed for their memory and intelligence, where they are thought to be on par with cetaceans and hominids. Aristotle once said the elephant was “the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind. The word “elephant” has its origins in the Greek ἐλέφας, meaning “ivory” or “elephant”.

Healthy adult elephants have no natural predators, although lions may take calves or weak individuals. They are, however, increasingly threatened by human intrusion and poaching. Once numbering in the millions, the African elephant population has dwindled to between 470,000 and 690,000 individuals according to a March 2007 estimate.[14] While the elephant is a protected species worldwide, with restrictions in place on capture, domestic use, and trade in products such as ivory, CITES reopening of “one time” ivory stock sales, has resulted in increased poaching. Certain African nations report a decrease of their elephant populations by as much as two-thirds, and populations in certain protected areas are in danger of being eliminated. Since recent poaching has increased by as much as 45%, the current population is unknown (2008).

Elephant Facts

The name of an adult male is referred to as a bull
The name of an adult female is referred to as a cow
The name or offspring, or a baby Elephant, is a calf
The average size of a litter is just one elephant
The collective name for a group of Elephants is a herd
The sounds made by an adult Elephant are referred to as grunts, purrs, bellows, whistles and trumpeting


 
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Types of Birds

28 Aug
Tufted Puffin

Tufted Puffin

Types of Birds

Birds are generally recognized as the feathered, flying members of the animal kingdom, situated in the class Aves.

The world’s ten thousand bird species typically get organized into approximately thirty different orders.

Approximately nine hundred year round and migratory bird species live in the United States. They generally fits into eighteen different bird orders.

  • Loons (Order Gaviiformes)
  • Grebes (Order Podicipediformes)
  • Albatross, Sharwaters, Strom Petrels (Order Procellariiformes)
  • Pelicans and Cormorants (Order Pelecaniformes)

    black and white bird

    Black And White Bird

  • Herons (Order Ciconiiformes)
  • Ducks, Geese, Swans (Order Anseriformes)
  • Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, Vultures (Order Falconiformes)
  • Chachalaca Grouse, Turkey, Quail (Order Galliformes)
  • Rails (Order Gruiformes)
  • Shorebirds such as Plovers, Sandpipers, Gulls and Terns (Order Charadriiformes)
  • Cuckoos, Roadrunners Order: Cuculiformes
  • Nighthawks Order Caprimulgiformes
  • Doves and Pigeons (Order Columbiformes)
  • Owls (Order Strigiformes)
  • Swifts, Hummingbirds (Order Apodiformes)
  • Kingflisher (Order Coraciiformes)
  • Woodpeckers (Order Piciformes)
  • Everything else (Order Passeriformes)

Almost one-half of North American species fit into the Passeriformes order, the perching birds. Passerines (sparrows, finches, cardinals, jays, crows, warblers and more), as they are collectively known, are the most common birds seen in residential areas and backyard feeders.

With the exception of Loons, Albatross and Nighthawks, the links in the box on the right point to pictorial essays covering all the different types of birds found in the United States. The pictures of birds link leads to a complete list of about 150 different birds.

 
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Tiger Fact Files

28 Aug
tigers

Tigers

Fact:

Tigers have been classified by scientists into eight subspecies: Indian (or Bengal), Indo-Chinese, Sumatran, Amur (or Siberian), South China, Caspian (extinct), Java (extinct), and Bali (extinct).
There are probably fewer than 500 Sumatran tigers on the island of Sumatra. The roar of a tiger can be heard more than a mile away.

white tigers

Bengal White Tigers

White tiger’s Fact fileThe scientific name for white tigers: Panthera Tigers

Panthera tigers are born to Bengal tigers that carry an unusual gene needed for white coloring. The White Tiger is a good swimmer, but a very poor climber.

They may be slow runners, but they are stealthy enough to catch any prey in their sights. Because they are solitary animals, they mostly hunt at night.

The other four sub-species of tiger are Siberian, South China, Indochinese, and Sumataran. There are only approximately 5,000 to 7,400 tigers left in the wild.

It is belief that if you are born in the Chinese year of the tiger you are unusually lucky. Let’s hope that some of this luck rubs off on the white tiger before it’s too late. Let’s try to protect and preserve their existence on earth.

 
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Posted in Big Cats, Tiger

 

Crocodile

28 Aug
alligator-vs-crocodile-1

Some types of Alligators and Crocodiles

Crocodiles And Alligators

The difference between alligators and crocodiles are :

Crocodiles and alligators are quite different. Alligators have a very broad, wide snout, and crocodiles have a narrower snout and jaw. Also crocodiles often have a lower tooth that juts out noticeably, while an alligator’s fourth tooth is hidden.

Where do they live?

 

Crocodiles are a cold-blooded species, and require an average temperature of approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit to survive. This being the case, they are found on warmer continents that have swampy or humid conditions for at least part of the season.

 

The American alligator lives almost exclusively in the lower southeast regions of North America, from the Carolinas to Texas. The caiman, a smaller species of crocodiles, populate a large section of southern Mexico, Central and South America. The Chinese alligator lives in the lower Yangtze valley in China. The American crocodile is scattered throughout the Everglades and Florida Keys, and in Mexico and Central America. The African Nile crocodile is one of the most notorious, often growing as large as 16 to 20 feet in length. Southeast Asia has the Indo-Pacific crocodile, which lives in Indonesia, to the Philippines, and Australia.

What and How Do They Eat

Crocodiles are pure carnivores and ambush their prey by stealth. They swim either under water or skim quietly along the top of the water until they are within striking range, when they then explode upon the prey, grabbing it in their massive jaws and dragging it under water to drown. What they eat depends upon the species and where they are located. A crocodiles diet can consist of fish, turtles, rodents, birds, both small and large mammals, other reptiles and insects or young or immature crocodiles or alligators. Also, many species can exist on one large meal for over six months to a year. They store their food energy in fat cells, and draw from these in-between meals. Crocodiles will often “roll” with large prey to rip off chunks of flesh, before swallowing.

Appearance and Traits

All crocodiles have webbed feet, which are a defined mark to their life in water. They also have very tough, or armored skin, which is actually an overlapped set of scales. These scales help to protect the salt-water crocodiles and alligators from the harsh salinity of the sea. The eyes and nostrils are set up high on the head and snout to allow it to keep its main body submerged while still being able to breathe and view their surroundings with ease. Crocodiles have a vertical pupil that allows them to hunt effectively at night.

Crocodiles have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. Their jaws are enormously powerful, but only on the downward bite, which give the croc that infamous “snap,” like a spring-loaded hinge. Their teeth continue to grow their entire life. If they lose or break one off, another will soon grow to replace it. They also “shed” their teeth periodically, whether or not there’s been damage.

Their broad, heavily muscled tail assists them in swimming smoothly and quickly. Even though they have short legs, they can move surprisingly fast on dry land. Alligators and crocodiles can live up to fifty years of age on average.

Like snakes, crocodiles lay eggs. Some species build nests of debris and earth, while others excavate holes for their offspring. All species lay their eggs on land, near water but well above the water line. The eggs hatch anywhere from two to three months after being layed. Although the mother may lay as may as fifty eggs, few of the baby crocodiles will survive to adult hood. They are prey for many other animals, from birds to fish.

Crocodile Death Roll

When crocodiles catch their meal or in a fight on land or in water. They roll them selves and helps them to kill the prey or enemy. Go to http://www.youtube.com and type untamed and uncut-crocodile death roll.

 
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Posted in Crocodile, Sea Creatures

 

The Day I Bought My Books

27 Aug

Buying BOOKS

It was around 6th or 7th of august we went to Jeya  Book Shop, and a hell lot of exercise books. once we bought them and was on our way home, when my father had to stop because there was a truck going pass, so my father kept his foot down. And then a car came and ran over his foot! my father was in pain. And he stopped his motorbike. And yelled at him to stop the car. He called the police. And that driver wasn’t even bothered to say sorry. But when my father saw me bored he justed asked the driver’ are you a tamil?’he said yes. and my father let him go. And my father and I arrived home and told everything. My brother didn’t even believe it. I sat down on the floor and started wrapping all the books with my brown paper cover.

That wasn’t a exciting day when my father’s foot was trampled. But it was an exciting day when i bought and wrapped the books.

 
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Posted in My School

 

Deer

27 Aug
deer

Male Deer, Female Deer and their baby deer


Deer


Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. They include for example Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe and Chital. Animals from related families within the order Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates) are often also considered to be deer – these include muntjac and water deer. Male (and a few female) deer of all species (except the Chinese Water deer who only have short tusks instead) grow and shed new antlers each year – in this they differ from permanently horned animals such as antelope – these are in the same order as deer and may bear a superficial resemblance. The musk deer of Asia and Water Chevrotain (or Mouse Deer) of tropical African and Asian forests are not usually regarded as true deer and form their own families.

I want you to see these two clips about deer. :) Enjoy!




 
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Sharks

25 Aug

Sharks

Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. They respire with the use of five to seven gill slits. Sharks have a covering of dermal denticles that protect their skin from damage and parasites and improve fluid dynamics so the shark can move faster. They have several sets of replaceable teeth. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago, before the time of the dinosaurs.

Intelligence

Contrary to the common wisdom that sharks are instinct-driven “eating machines”, recent studies have indicated that many species possess powerful problem-solving skills, social skills and curiosity. The brain- to body-mass ratios of sharks are similar to mammals and other higher vertebrate species.

In 1987, near Smitswinkle Bay, South Africa, a group of up to seven great white sharks worked together to move a partially beached dead whale to deeper waters to feed.

Sharks can engage in playful activities. Porbeagle sharks have been seen repeatedly rolling in kelp and chasing an individual who trailed a piece of kelp behind it.

Speed

In general, sharks swim (”cruise”) at an average speed of 8 kilometers per hour (5.0 mph) but when feeding or attacking, the average shark can reach speeds upwards of 19 kilometers per hour (12 mph). The shortfin mako may range upwards of 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph). The shortfin mako shark is the fastest shark and one of the fastest fish. The great white shark is also capable of bursts of speed. These exceptions may be due to the “warm-blooded”, or homeothermic, nature of these sharks’ physiology.

Sleep

Some sharks can lie on the bottom while actively pumping water over their gills, but their eyes remain open and actively follow divers. When a shark is resting, it does not use its nares, but rather its spiracles. If a shark tried to use its nares while resting on the ocean floor, it would be sucking up sand rather than water. Many scientists believe this is one of the reasons sharks have spiracles. The spiny dogfish’s spinal cord rather than its brain, coordinates swimming, so it is possible for spiny dogfish to continue to swim while sleeping.

It is also possible that sharks sleep in a manner similar to dolphins, one cerebral hemisphere at a time, thus maintaining some consciousness and cerebral activity at all times.

Teeth

The teeth of sharks are embedded in the gums rather than directly fixed to the jaw, and are constantly replaced throughout the shark’s life. Multiple rows of replacement teeth are grown in a groove on the inside of the jaw and moved forward in a “conveyor belt”; some sharks can lose some 30,000 teeth in their lifetime. The rate of tooth replacement varies from once every 8–10 days to several months. In most species teeth are replaced one at a time, while in the cookie-cutter sharks the entire row of teeth is replaced simultaneously.

The shape of a shark’s tooth depends on its diet: those that feed on mollusks and crustaceans have dense flattened teeth for crushing, those that feed on fish have needle-like teeth for gripping, and those that feed on larger prey such as mammals have pointed lower teeth for gripping and triangular upper teeth with serrated edges for cutting. The teeth of plankton-feeders such as the basking shark are greatly reduced and non-functional.

sharks

Types of Sharks





teeth

Types of shark teeth

Some sharks can lie on the bottom while actively pumping water over their gills, but their eyes remain open and actively follow divers.[44] When a shark is resting, it does not use its nares, but rather its spiracles. If a shark tried to use its nares while resting on the ocean floor, it would be sucking up sand rather than water. Many scientists believe this is one of the reasons sharks have spiracles. The spiny dogfish’s spinal cord rather than its brain, coordinates swimming, so it is possible for spiny dogfish to continue to swim while sleeping.[44]

It is also possible that sharks sleep in a manner similar to dolphins,[44] one cerebral hemisphere at a time, thus maintaining some consciousness and cerebral activity at all times.

 
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My Father’s Exciting Trip

19 Aug

Jaffna

My father is planing to go to Jaffna, He is so excited. He bought a little note book and writes what ever needed to be packed. And small articles about Jaffna. He takes pictures there with his camera. He even has his own land there. So he is going there and build up his house back because after all these years. His house might be like  few roofs stolen, doors stolen etc. And so he always talks about this amazing trip.

My father is leaving on September 3rd. He settles everything we need at home and goes. He wrote what needed to be packed. And today we went out looking for a camping bag. We found a very nice bag, 4500, but my father said he will buy it later.

Anyway I will write about his trip. And I will let you know whether it is a good condition in Jaffna. :) If you look in Google Earth. You will find velani and beside the Amin Kovl you will find a lot of trees and houses. Well one of them is my Dad’s and beside them is like his relatives,cousins, etc. And the sand on the beach is white. OHHH And the sea, If you go far and far it is like only up to your stomach. But if you go further it will be deep. And there are dolpins. I can’t wait to go there.


My Father’s Departure.

My father left early morning at 5. He arrives at voniya by a train , then took a bus to velani.He stayed in his father’s brother’s place for a day or two. The he went to see his house how it is like.And then,…. He came back with said news after a week. He said that his house is all filled with cow shit, his windows are stolen. etc. And it will cause a million to repair it. So that’s all. If we are planning to do something . I will definitely let you know. :) If you need more details.. Please comment

 
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Posted in Jaffna

 

School FunDay!

15 Aug

Our School Fun Day Trip

What i packed

  • Grab some Tissues
  • Some lunch bags
  • Swiss Army Knife
  • First Aid
  • A NoteBook and a pen
  • Extra pair of clothes
  • Lunch
  • Chips
  • etc…..

It was one horrible trip which was supposed to be fun…
I thought it was going to be fun  and I won’t vomit because I will be talking with my friends.

But you know what happened? Bad Luck! I had to sit with a bunch of I don’t like girls. awwwwww…..so I had to suffer! finally I realized that we can get up and go and sit where we like. I wanted to sit with Yumna, My best friend. But my other best friend named Dilashini took that place,ok so I wanted to sit near her, because 3 pupils can sit in one seat in the bus. Guess what? She called my friend Akshika to that place. I looked at Yumna and she felt sad…so did I. Anyway I had to sit near a friend who I don’t like much, Dhivya.

I just tried to enjoy myself. After that all the girls got up and gathered together and were singing tamil songs. I couldn’t bare the loud clapping and shouting.I felt like to vomit, I told my teacher and she asked me to sit near her. And i went to her and looked outside the window. I felt the rain and the breeze…..WOW! so it made me feel better.

And so it was a 2 hour drive. We arrived at the forest. In the middle of the trip my teacher screamed! there was a leech on her sari, 2 of them trying to suck her blood. We were climbing up, up, up and up till we reached a flat land. And our guide told us to play here. I was shocked because there wasn’t hardly enough space. The boys didn’t care and they started to play cricket. The girls were fighting about the game they were playing. So I wasn’t even bothered to just stay there and watch them fight, and waste my time like a buffalo, so I went away , then our teachers saw us bored and they played with us. I enjoyed very much.

Next we came back on the bus and had a welcome drink in a restaurant. Then we walked to the playground. I thought it will be full of swings , slides, monkey bars etc, But it was just a plain platform. There also the girls were arguing about the game called cricket. They were scolding , this is how you play cricket, not like this blah blah blah! I went out because they didn’t let me to bat! I didn’t like a girl called Sivanjale because she was bossy. At last I got to play badminton. But after 5 shots we had to leave.

We all had to go to the restaurant again to drink ice coffee . YUCK! the ice coffee was very bad. They only mixed water with coffee powder.

Next we on our way back to school. Again the girls as usual sang loudly. I slept because I didn’t know most of the Tamil songs.  So I was bored.

We reached Belvoir College International. I woke up and was very lazy and tired to walk all the way home. But I had to.Anyway I reached home and told what happened today.

-Inthira-

 
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Posted in My School