Nature Thread

[misombra]

[RSK]

Zebras


Capable of running 40 mph. Zebras use hooves and teeth in defense. There is much discussion about the adaptive value of stripes, but none of the theories has consensus. One theory is that all those black and white stripes break up the shape and make it not so recognizable as prey; another is that the stripes of a herd exploding in all directions make it difficult for a predator to focus on one animal. The stripes also confuse the tsetse flies who cannot see the zebra for the stripes. And finally, the stripe pattern on each zebra is individual and the learned pattern of each serves to bond zebras together as a family group.

-from, [url]http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azebra.html[/url]


Look at the picture, and then look at the bold font from the passage. If you notice, you will see Zebra take this stance, where they cross with other zebras... to confuse predators maybe? Cool, huh?

Here are some other pictures of that example

[Rosebud]

[URL=http://imageshack.us][/URL]

[RSK]

Typically elephants are seen spraying water, and dirt on their back to keep cool and clean, as well as to rid themselves of insects. Elephants have a need to be by water, and are excellent swimmers. They often cross water ways by walking on the bottom and using their trunks as a snorkel.

The elephant skull has developed great size to support the massive trunk and the heavy dentition. Air spaces and sinuses fill the skull to make it lighter, and allow the elephant to communicate using a low growl referred to as an "infrasound" that carries for miles.

The huge ears act as radiators, to regulate temperature. Each ear contains many blood vessels, and the blood is cooled as the elephant flaps its ears.




The longevity of an elephant in the wild is 60 years and 80 years in captivity. In the wild only 1/2 reach 15 years old, and 1/5 survive to be 30. (Again, because of poachers)

- from, [url]http://www.chaffeezoo.org/animals/elephant.html[/url]




EDIT: Notice the both carcass on the left and right on the picture...
...elephant poaching remains a problem in some parts of Africa. In September, 1996, Michael Fay, an elephant researcher with the Wildlife Conservation Society, was flying his small airplane over a remote forest clearing just outside the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in northern Congo when he spotted a cluster of elephant carcasses. Deciding to investigate further, Fay returned the next day by helicopter, accompanied by a television camera crew.

Fay, who had worked with Cynthia Moss and the African Wildlife Foundation to help establish the park in 1993, found a scene of slaughter: there lay more than 300 elephant bodies, all with their tusks hacked off. Cows, calves, and juveniles had been indiscriminately left to die by poachers supplying the illegal ivory trade. Two months later, Fay found the remains of 1,000 more dead elephants nearby.

Poachers killed whole families.

Taking action into his own hands, Fay chased poachers out of the forest by destroying their camps. He also met with the local village leaders to solicit their help in ending the killings. By the spring of 1997, Fay and his colleagues had stopped illegal hunting of elephants in the Nouabale-Ndoki region. He and Andrea Turkalo, another researcher for the Wildlife Conservation Society, continue to monitor and protect elephants in the Congo basin.

-from, [url]http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/elephants/poaching.html[/url]

[misombra]

elephants are my very favorite animal.

[RSK]

elephants are my very favorite animal.

they are one of my favourites!

thx for the pics neo, roseb, and sombra!

[RSK]

Orangutan



Not long ago, many people thought culture was unique to the human species, but in recent years, scientists are finding increasing evidence of socially learned traditions elsewhere in the animal kingdom. In January 2003, a group of researchers, including primatologist Dr. Carel van Schaick of Duke University and OFI’s president, Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas, described two dozen behaviors that are present in some orangutan groups and absent in others. According to the report, these practices are learned from other group members and passed down through the generations. In parts of Borneo, for example, orangutans use handfuls of leaves as napkins, wiping leftover food from their chins. Orangutans in parts of Sumatra, conversely, use leaves as gloves, helping them handle spiny fruits and branches, or as seat cushions in spiny trees.

-from, [url]http://www.orangutan.org/facts/orangutanfacts.php[/url]

[RSK]

Lions


The sense of smell is well developed. Lions mark their territories by means of scent deposits, necessitating a good sense of smell. This also helps them find kills made by other predators, and perhaps obtain an easy meal by driving the other predator off their kill.
Another interesting thing that lions and all other cats posess is a special olfactory organ on the roof of the mouth called a Jacobson's organ. Sometimes, you will see a lion, or even your cat, grimace when smelling something. They are opening their lips to draw air over their jacobson's organs. This grimacing gesture is called Flehmen.

-from, [url]http://www.lionlmb.org/lion/lionfact.html[/url]

[RSK]

dolphins



Inside their pectoral fins, dolphins have a skeletal structure similar to a human arm and hand. They have a humerus, complete with a ball and socket joint. They have a radius and ulna, as well as a complete hand structure, including five phalanges, or finger bones. This is one of the many internal physiological structures leading scientists to believe that dolphins and whales evolved from a terrestrial ancestor.

The dolphin's pectoral fin or flipper bears a striking resemblance to the human arm and hand, having a ball and socket joint at the shoulder, and flattened humerus, radius, ulna, carpals and phalanges. This supports the scientific theory that the dolphin's ancient ancestors once had four legs and walked in land. They began evolving into marine mammals around 55 million years ago.

-from, [url]http://www.dolphins.org/[/url]

[Tone]

I love this thread, RK! Nice pictures guys.

The longevity of an elephant in the wild is 60 years and 80 years in captivity. In the wild only 1/2 reach 15 years old, and 1/5 survive to be 30. (Again, because of poachers)

- from, [url]http://www.chaffeezoo.org/animals/elephant.html[/url]




EDIT: Notice the both carcass on the left and right on the picture...
...elephant poaching remains a problem in some parts of Africa. In September, 1996, Michael Fay, an elephant researcher with the Wildlife Conservation Society, was flying his small airplane over a remote forest clearing just outside the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in northern Congo when he spotted a cluster of elephant carcasses. Deciding to investigate further, Fay returned the next day by helicopter, accompanied by a television camera crew.

Fay, who had worked with Cynthia Moss and the African Wildlife Foundation to help establish the park in 1993, found a scene of slaughter: there lay more than 300 elephant bodies, all with their tusks hacked off. Cows, calves, and juveniles had been indiscriminately left to die by poachers supplying the illegal ivory trade. Two months later, Fay found the remains of 1,000 more dead elephants nearby.

Poachers killed whole families.

Taking action into his own hands, Fay chased poachers out of the forest by destroying their camps. He also met with the local village leaders to solicit their help in ending the killings. By the spring of 1997, Fay and his colleagues had stopped illegal hunting of elephants in the Nouabale-Ndoki region. He and Andrea Turkalo, another researcher for the Wildlife Conservation Society, continue to monitor and protect elephants in the Congo basin.

-from, [url]http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/elephants/poaching.html[/url]

This makes me so mad/sad though.

[RSK]

thx tone, yeah, poaching is a huge problem




Many seabirds, like albatrosses, have long, narrow pointed wings for gliding long distances over the ocean into the ocean winds. The length generates lots of lift, while the narrow, pointed shape helps reduce drag while gliding.



Long, broad eagle wings have a large surface area for soaring on rising warm air currents. The spaces between the feathers at the end of the wing help reduce drag and are used for fine control at slow speeds. Storks, pelicans, and hawks have wings similar in shape.



Short rounded wings allow pheasants rapid takeoffs, good maneuverability, and short glides. Many forest birds have small rounded wings that are good for quick, sharp turns while flying among trees.



Similar to a high speed jet, swallows have relatively small, narrow, tapering wings. These wings can be flapped rapidly to provide speed with little drag. The fastest flyers in the bird world, falcons and swifts, have wings of this shape.

-from, [url]http://www.nhm.org/birds/guide/pg018.html[/url]

[RSK]

To find food, these penguins need to dive 150 to 250 meters (490-820 feet) into the Southern Ocean. The penguins can venture deeper, the deepest diving on record being 565 m (1870 ft). The longest they can hold their breath when underwater is 20 minutes. Their swimming speed is 6 km to 9 km per hour (4-6 mph), but they can achieve up to 19 km per hour (12 mph) in short bursts.

In response to the cold, emperor penguins stand in a compact huddle, whether in a group of ten or many hundreds of birds, each leaning forward on a neighbor. Those on the outside tend to face inward and push slowly forward. This produces a slow churning action, giving each bird a turn on the inside.


-from, [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Penguin#Miscellaneous[/url]