Moles are industrious diggers and can create 20m of tunnel per day. They leave characteristic mounds of earth on the surface as they excavate their tunnels. Large chambers within the tunnel system are lined with dry grass and used for nesting during periods of rest. Moles feed mainly on earthworms, but they also eat a variety of other invertebrates, as well as snakes and lizards. They inhabit deciduous woodland, grassland and farmland – wherever the soil is deep enough for tunneling.
Scientific name: Talpa europaea
Rank: Species
Common names: Common mole,
European mole,
Northern mole
All Tilapia originates in Africa but can today be found in many waters around the world as the result of voluntary release and fish escaping from farms. Tilapias are threats against the eco-systems in some areas. They are as an example prohibited in Florida. The prohibition is based on the fact that these fish have been proved to fast established large population in the waters of Florida.
Tilapia fish are often called “St. Peter’s fish” due to the fact that the fish that peter caught and that carried a shekel coin in its mouth.
Tilapia are one of aquaculture’s most adaptive species. Found in tropical and sub-tropical waters worldwide, they can be grown in fresh or brackish water and thrive in ponds, tanks and cage systems.
What do Tilapia fish eat?
A wide variety of natural organisms, from plankton to green leaves to invertebrates to larva.
The Tilapia fish takes her babies into her mouth if there is any danger.
The Indian leaf butterfly (Kallima inachus), also known as the “dead leaf” or the “orange leaf butterfly,” has the ability to disguise itself in a pile of leaves. The butterfly’s unusual appearance and wing coloring make it look like a dead leaf. When the butterfly alights on a branch, it blends in with the tree’s foliage.
Appearance
The interior wings of the Indian leaf butterfly exhibit brilliant sapphire shades with bright orange. The outer portion of the wings have dull brown and tan coloring that enable the butterfly to camouflage itself amid dead or dying leaves. When the butterfly feels threatened, it will fold its wings tightly together to give predators the impression that it is a simple leaf. Each butterfly has its own individual coloring and patterns that differ slightly from each other.
Origin and Habitat
The Indian leaf butterfly is found in parts of Asia, Japan and India. It predominately lives in lush tropical forests, but has been known to venture out of its region on occasion. The butterfly has the distinctive ability to alter its colors with the seasons. During the dry season, the brown of the butterfly turns dull, and during the rainy season, its colors become deeper and darker. It boasts a wingspan of up to 3 inches. The butterfly usually spends its days resting on trees or plants.
Reproduction
The adult Indian leaf butterfly forages the floor of the rain forest in search of rotting fruit, which it consumes; they will also eat sap. The larvae of the butterfly feeds only on the foliage of trees or shrubs. After the rainy season, usually from April to June, the adult butterflies breed, and they will breed again during the wet season. Two generations of larvae occur each year. The female butterfly lays her eggs on a host plant that she feels confident will feed the larvae until they pupate into an adult. Survival
Birds often hunt the Indian leaf butterfly. The butterfly will fly in an unpredictable pattern to evade the predator and alight onto a tree or pile of leaves to hide. Upon landing, the butterfly will fold up its wings and hold still to blend in with the leaves. If the predator comes too close to the resting butterfly, it will burst into flight. The butterfly’s rapid and erratic flight patterns often confuse the bird and give the butterfly a chance to escape. The butterfly usually avoids flying in the open unless necessary.
Coral reefs are found in circumtropical shallow tropical waters along the shores of islands and continents. The reef substrate is mainly composed of calcium carbonate from living and dead scleractinian corals. Many other invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants live in close association to the scleractinian corals, with tight resource coupling and recycling, allowing coral reefs to have extremely high productivity and biodiversity, such that they are referred to as ‘the Tropical Rainforests of the Oceans’.
Corals live in very nutrient poor waters and have certain zones of tolerance to water temperature, salinity, UV radiation, opacity, and nutrient quantities.
Coral reef ecosystems world-wide have been subject to unprecedented degradation over the past few decades. Disturbances affecting coral reefs include anthropogenic and natural events. Recent accelerated coral reef decline seems to be related mostly to anthropogenic impacts (overexploitation, overfishing, increased sedimentation and nutrient overloading. Natural disturbances which cause damage to coral reefs include violent storms, flooding, high and low temperature extremes, El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, subaerial exposures, predatory outbreaks and epizootics.
Coral reef bleaching is a common stress response of corals to many of the various disturbances mentioned above. Beginning in the 1980s, the frequency and widespread distribution of reported coral reef bleaching events increased. Widespread bleaching, involving major coral reef regions and resulting in mass coral mortality has raised concerns about linkage of the events to global phenomenons including global warming or climate change and increased UV radiation from ozone depletion. This paper examines the causes of coral reef bleaching and addresses the impact of global climate change on coral reefs.
Ecological causes of coral bleaching
As coral reef bleaching is a general response to stress, it can be induced by a variety of factors, alone or in combination. It is therefore difficult to unequivocally identify the causes for bleaching events. The following stressors have been implicated in coral reef bleaching events.
If a global warming trend impacts on shallow tropical and subtropical seas, we may expect an increase in the frequency, severity and scale of coral reef bleaching. Coral mortality could exceed 95% regionally with species extirpation and extinctions. A conservative temperature increase of 1-2 degrees C would cause regions between 20-30 degrees N to experience sustained warming that falls within the lethal limits of most reef-building coral species. In conjunction with sea temperature rise would be a sea level rise, and it has been suggested that sea level rise would suppress coral growth or kill many corals through drowning or lower light levels. Some coral populations and their endosymbiotic zooxanthellae may be able to adapt to the extreme conditions predicted during global climate change. Refuges in benign habitats, such as deep, sunlit reef substrates, oceanic shoals and relatively high latitude locations, might exist, but widespread coral mortality and reef decline would be expected in shallow reef zones in most low latitude. Even if significant sea warming and elevated irradiance levels do not occur, coral reef degradation from anthropogenic pollution and over exploitation will still continue, a result of unrelenting human population growth.
Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching. When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.
African lungfishes are eel or salamander-like fishes belonging to the genus ‘Protopterus’. ‘Protopterus’ is the only genus belonging to the family of ‘Protopteridae’. These fishes, as the name suggests, are found in Africa. They are often kept as pets in spite of their predatory nature.
Description
African lungfishes have elongated bodies like an eel with soft scales. They have narrow thread-like pelvic and pectoral fins which help them to swim and crawl on land. Prehistoric African lungfishes had two dorsal fins, a caudal fin and a tail fin all independent of each other. In the present day fishes, the three types of fins are fused to form a single fin-like structure. They have a flexible rod-like structure called notochord that acts as a support for their body. Lungfishes retain their notochords throughout their lives. These fishes can weigh almost around 25 pounds.
African Lungfish Teeth
Lungfishes are voracious eaters. Their teeth are remarkably developed, compared to other forms of fish. The upper jaw has two rounded teeth at the front having a hard bridge that moves from side to side. The lower jaw is equipped with numerous crushing teeth. At first a lungfish sucks the prey in and crushes it. It then chews the broken carcass thoroughly. It is quite uncommon for a fish to eat in this way.
Behavior
African Lungfishes are highly aggressive carnivores. It is thus best to keep them in isolation from other animals when they are adopted as pets. They are fearless and tend to attack anything that moves in their vicinity. Lungfishes as pets can bite human hands. They can survive in various aquatic conditions and even in areas having low levels of oxygen.
Lungfishes kept in a tank frequently rise up to the surface to get oxygen. Mostly it is not too active and lies down at the bottom of the tank. The fish is best when it is left alone. It is not very social and is known to attack even specimens of the opposite sex.
Aestivation in Lungfish
A special feature of this species is the process of aestivation. Aestivation is a process in which these lungfishes are in a state of dormancy. The lungfish eats and pushes the mud through its gills. It digs down through the mud and creates a hard cocoon around it with a slimy secretion. The fish leaves an opening for breathing and its swim bladder acts like lungs, enabling the fish to breathe atmospheric air. During this period, there is a lack of activity and the metabolic rate is low. Unlike the process of hibernation, which takes place during the winters, aestivation occurs during summer and times of intense heat and dryness. They can stay in this way for long periods of time. Reports have been found claiming that they can stay like this in underground muddy layers for as long as four years. During this time, a lot of ammonia is deposited in their bodies which can prove to be toxic and fatal.
Diet
African lungfishes are carnivorous and like to eat
Mollusks
Snails
Earthworms
Worms
Insects
Clams
Crustaceans
Frogs and tadpoles
Small fish
Shellfish
Shrimp
Crawfish
Aquatic insect larvae
In a zoo environment, they survive mostly on krill. They also have smelt, squid, fish gel, night crawlers and trout chow. These fishes are not fussy about their food and will eat anything, provided it is flesh of some other animal or fish. In some rare cases, they have also been reported to eat plants.
Habitat and Distribution
African Lungfishes are mostly found in temporary floodplains that remain completely dry for some parts of the year. They can also be found in marshes, swamps and backwaters.
African Lungfishes inhabit many parts of Africa. Some of these areas include:
Niger
Kenya
Sudan
Nigeria
Senegal
Somalia
Cameroon
Mozambique
The Nile River
Lower Galana-Sabaki
Ogowe River basin in Gabon
The Democratic Republic of Congo
Mating Season
The mating season for these fishes starts at the end of winter, around the beginning of the rainy season.
Lifespan
Under favorable conditions, African lungfishes are known to live for long periods of time. Specimens surviving for more than 20 to 25 years have been reported.
Athirappilly Falls is situated in Athirappilly panchayath in Thrissur district of Kerala, on the southwest coast of India. Located on the west-flowing Chalakudy River near the Vazhachal Forest Division and the Sholayar ranges, this 24-metre (80 ft) waterfall and the nearby Vazhachal Falls are popular tourist destinations. It is nicknamed “The Niagara of India”.
The 145 kilometres (90 mi) long Chalakudy River, originates in the Anamudi mountains of the Western Ghats and flows through the Vazhachal Forest toward the Arabian Sea. The river initially runs smoothly but becomes more turbulent as it nears Athirappilly. At Athirappilly Falls, the water surges around big rocks and cascades down in three separate plumes. Below the falls, the river remains turbulent for about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) until it reaches Kannamkuzhi. Then it calms and flows smoothly until reaching the dam at Thumburmuzhi.
Athirappilly Falls, Kerala
Location: Thrissur District, Kerala, India
Coordinates: 10°17′5″N 76°34′7″E
Coordinates: 10°17′5″N 76°34′7″E
Type: Segmented
Elevation: 120 m (390 ft)
Total height: 25 m (82 ft)
Total width: 100 m (330 ft)
Average flow rate: 52 m3/s (1,836 cu ft/s)
Hogenakkal Falls is often known as the ‘Niagara of India’. Located in the Dharmapuri District of Tamil Nadu, it lies at a distance of about 180 kilometres from Bangalore and 46 kilometres from Dharmapuri. Importance of the site can be assessed by the fact that the destination derived its name from the water cascades that fall from a great height, creating an aura of smoke.
A waterfall in South India on the Kaveri River, it has gained immense fame for its medicinal baths and hide boat rides. Considered as one of the oldest in the world and the oldest of its kind in South Asia, carbonatite rocks adorn the site. Owing to its water that is supposed to be having curative power, the site is a beautiful picnic spot.
Hogenakkal Waterfalls – Niagara of India in Tamilnadu
Comprising a series of falls, these are resulted by the forking of the broad stream of the Kaveri River forming an island. One of the forked streams plunges into a deep chasm to create the falls. Set in thick, green woods, it is often considered to be a sacred bathing place
Eucalyptus is a tree most often associated with its native Australia environment and fun-loving koalas feasting on its branches. There are many species of eucalyptus trees, including popular varieties like Gum tree and Silver-Dollar tree, that can be grown in the home landscape.
In fact, this tree can make an attractive addition with interesting bark and foliage, beautiful flowers, and nice fragrance. They do especially well in areas that mimic their native environment. Most of these trees are rapid growers, reaching heights of about 30-180 feet or more, depending on the variety, with approximately 60 percent of their growth established within the first ten years.
Eucalyptus Tree- ‘Colourful Tree in the World’
How to Care for a Eucalyptus Tree
Eucalyptus tree care is not difficult, as this type of tree usually maintains itself reasonable well. Once established, eucalyptus trees should not require too much watering, with exception to those growing in containers. Allow these to dry out somewhat between watering. Additional watering may be necessary during periods of excessive drought, however.
As for fertilizer, much of the eucalyptus tree information recommends against the use of fertilizer, as they do not appreciate phosphorous. Potted eucalyptus may require an occasional slow-release fertilizer (low in phosphorous).
In addition, eucalyptus tree care includes annual pruning (in summer) to control top growth and their overall height. Eucalyptus trees are also known to produce heavy litter in the fall, shedding bark, leaves, and branches. As its shred-like bark is considered flammable, keeping this debris cleaned up is preferable.
Mimosa pudica has an extraordinary defense system. Also known as ‘humble plant’, or ‘touch-me-not’, is a source of fascination to adults and children alike. When you gently touch the narrow fern-like leaflets they almost instantaneously fold together and the leaf stalk droops.
The leaves of this plant along with its stem fold inward and droop in seconds when touched or shaken. If the disturbing force persists, it will do a second downward movement exposing sharp needles covering its stem. This is enough to expel insects.
The mechanism required for this action is activated by electrical currents. These currents are similar to those used in the human nerve system. Plant reactions are not as fast as ours. However the electrical currents conducted by the nectar channels can cross a distance of 30 centimeters in just a couple of seconds.
Reaction rate will be higher as the ambient temperature rises. Bottom of each leaf (at the junction of the leaf stem) is noticeably swollen. The cells here are filled with water. When the warning signal reaches here, the lower half of the water at the bottom of the swelling empties itself, whilst the upper half takes in this water. And the leaf droops down. All the leafs shut down one by one. After such a defensive action the plant will need 20 minutes to refill its cells and raise its leaves.(Malcolm Wilkins, Plantwatching, New York, Facts on File Publications, 1988, s. 141-142)
The Paedocypris progenetica is officially the world’s smallest fish at only 7.9mm long, that is less than 1/3 of an inch! Not only is in the smallest fish in the world, but it is also that smallest vertebrate or backboned animal in the entire world! It was discovered in the swamps on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in water that has a PH level of 3. This is about 100 times more acidic than regular rainwater!
The Paedocypris progenetica is actually partially see-through, they have a reduced head skeleton, which leaves the brain completely unprotected by bone. The previous record for smallest vertebrate was held by an 8mm species of Indo Pacific Goby. This discovery was made in 2006.
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