Pronghorn - Antilocapra americana in Yellowstone national park

!9#: Pronghorn - Antilocapra americana in Yellowstone national park

De gaffelbok is het snelste hoefdier en één van de snelste zoogdieren ter wereld. Hij haalt met gemak 70 km/h. While most people would associate the prairie with the American Bison, the most characteristic large mammal of the Great Plains is the Pronghorn. Pronghorns are true American natives, found nowhere else in the world. they have roamed the plains and deserts of North America for at least the last million years in substantially the same form. One can truly call this animal unique: he is the lone member of his family, Antilocapra americana, which literally means the American goat-antelope. The Pronghorn's speed and its remarkable eyesight are adaptations for life on the prairie. It needs to be able to spot predators such as coyotes and wolves as far away as possible. And, since there is no cover for it to hide in, it needs to be able to outrun any predators that manage to sneak within striking range. It can do both easily: it is the fastest land mammal in the world. It can sprint as fast as 60 mph and can sustain a speed of 30 mph for miles! The African Cheetah is often credited with being the fastest, but it is only a sprinter who flags out after a few hundred yards. No other land mammal can keep up with the Pronghorn over a long distance. Pronghorns will flare out the white hairs on their rump when alarmed. This serves as a warning to the other members of the herd. The young are born in late May or early June with about 60% of the births being twins. At birth ...

Pronghorn - Antilocapra americana in Yellowstone national park

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Flora and Fauna of the Sahara

!9#: Flora and Fauna of the Sahara

The Sahara is the world's largest desert, covering areas from Mauritania, Western Sahara, Algeria, Niger and Egypt. It also covers parts of Sudan, Libya, Chad and Mali; plus, a part of Morocco and Tunisia. The name "Sahara" comes from the Tuareg (a local tribe) language "tenere," meaning "desert."

Despite the seasonal rainfall, Sahara remains to be very dry. Rivers run through the region but only the Nile and Niger Rivers are permanent. The rest are created by the occasional rains and becomes dry when the weather changes. Oases can be found in a few areas where there are underground aquifers.

Thousands of years ago, based on the petroglyphs found on rocks and artifacts in the area, Sahara had more humidity and life than it does now. At present, Sahara is getting bigger in coverage. It is said that Sahara is expanding by as much as 30 miles per year.

Global warming and farming are the reasons behind this phenomenon. Despite this condition, some species of plants and animals have learned to adapt to the harsh environment.

The Saharan Fauna
Sahara's most domesticated animals are goats and dromedary camels. Due to their endurance and speed, dromedary camels are the favorite animals of nomads.

The "deathstalker" scorpion (Leirurus quinquestriatus) is also one of the living organisms that survive in the desert. Its venom is very dangerous but rarely kills a healthy adult.

Monitor lizards, sand vipers, fennec fox, hyrax and the ostrich, a flightless bird which have become rare, can still be found in the region. The addax, a large white antelope that has become a type of endangered species can also be found here. In fact, the Addax has fully adapted to the conditions of the desert and it can remain there for months, even a whole year, without drinking.

The Saharan cheetahs are very cautious animals that flee from human presence, with only a few hundred remaining on its population.

Birds that can be seen flying the Saharan skies are the black-throated firefinch and the African silverbill among other species. Bird species count more than 300 already.

Other animal lives in the Sahara include wild gazelles, antelopes, jackals, foxes, badgers and the hyena gerbil as well as the jerboa, cape hare, desert hedgehog, barbary sheep and the onyx. You will also find here some deer, wild ass, baboon, sand fox, weasel and mongoose.

The desert eagle owls, large brown and white birds called Houbara bustards camouflage themselves under the sand and boulders while searching for rodents and lizards.

Addax and oryx antelopes are among the most threatened species of all desert wildlife because of animal hunting.

One noteworthy species in the eco-region is the scarab beetle. It is believed in the ancient Egyptian mythology that these insects are associated with new life and rebirth. Scarab beetles thrive in the Sahara desert up to this day.

Many desert animals search for food at night because of the cooler temperature. It is more convenient for them to hunt without the glaring heat of the desert sun.

Saharan Flora
Considering the vast coverage of the region, flora species of the central Sahara Desert is estimated to include only more or less than 500 species. Most of these belong to the xerophytes and ephemeral plants (locally called Acheb), with halophytes in wetter areas.

A variety of succulents, lichens and shrubs can be found along Mauritania and the Western Sahara. They are sustained by the moisture generated areas of the Atlantic Coast. Other vegetation includes scattered patches of grasses, shrubs and trees which are mostly found in the highlands, also in the oases and near river beds. Some plant species have fully adjusted to the climate. It can even germinate within 3 days of rain and propagate seeds within 2 weeks afterwards.

Dates, corn and fruits also grow in the more or less 200,000 square kilometers of the Saharan fertile Oases. These few fertile regions are nourished by underground rivers and basins which can be found in depressions (areas under sea level) and artesian wells.

In general, aside from the already inhospitable environment of the desert, flora and fauna also feel the growing pressure of the times. The continuing climatic changes and human exploitation of the desert increases this pressure even more.

Flora and Fauna of the Sahara

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Characteristics of Mammals

!9#: Characteristics of Mammals

Of all the classes of animal life, mammals are considered the most advanced and probably the most popular class. Dogs and cats are mammals, squirrels and rabbits in our backyards are mammals as well. Horses, sheep, baboons, giraffes and elephants are mammals. For that matter, we human beings are mammals too.

Mammals vary greatly in size. The smallest mammal is the shrew with a body that is only a little more than 2 inches long and weighs less than some insects. In contrast, the largest mammal is the blue whale, which can sometimes measure up to 100 feet long and weigh as much as 130 tons. Mammals also differ in appearance in shape. Most of them walk on four legs, but not all of them do. Some mammals fly. Dolphins and whales have lost their hind limbs and now have taken fish-like shapes and spend their entire lives in the ocean.

What is a mammal? Mammals are vertebrates - they are animals with backbones. All mammals have lungs and breathe in air and all of them are warm-blooded (they are able to maintain a constant body temperature regardless of the outside temperature.) Mammals and birds share a common characteristic - the possession of four-chambered hearts that circulate blood efficiently to all parts of the body. All mammals, except two types that lay eggs, give birth to living young and provide protection and care for them before and after birth. Mammals are the only animals that possess true hair and the capacity to produce milk. In fact, the word "mammal" comes from the Latin word "mamma" which means "breast".

Mammals have other characteristics that are not so obvious. A mammal's heart and lungs are separated from the stomach by a wall of muscle called the diaphragm. A mammal's lower jaw has a single bone on each side. Mammals also have different types of teeth adapted to different uses. And most importantly, mammal brains are much more highly developed than the brains of any other animal.

In the struggle to survive, warm blood, improved methods of caring for young and superior intelligence have all given mammals great advantages through the ages. In fact, many scientists consider mammals as the dominant animals of the world.

Yet mammals did not start out immediately as mammals. Strange as it may seem, they rose from the reptile family. In the Mesozoic era, a branch of reptiles began to grow coats of hair instead of armor and slowly turned warm-blooded. Some of them began to keep eggs inside their bodies instead of laying eggs. The first mammals were probably very tiny and timid creatures, like today's rats and mice. They were nocturnal and hid for protection during the day. When conditions of the Earth gradually changed, the dinosaurs could not adapt to this dramatic shift, so their numbers grew smaller and smaller. When they died out, the more adaptable mammals later arose in the Miocene epoch.

Between 3500 and 5000 species of mammals live in the world today and more varieties under them. Many of these animals can trace their lineage to their ancestors that adapted and survived through the Ice Age. Now, mammals have developed in a bewildering variety of sizes and shapes, classified by scientists according to body structure and relationships. In all, under the mammal kingdom, there are now 18 different groups or orders.

Characteristics of Mammals

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Edible Plants - Sahara Desert

!9#: Edible Plants - Sahara Desert

Researchers have discovered much evidence that supports the Sahara desert having once been a far more damp area, in which 1000s of various animals and plants once thrived. Elephants, wildcats, and giraffes are all portrayed in ancient art from the area. While the Saharan cheetah is occasionally seen in the desert, the rest of these species have died out and no longer inhabit the area, instead living in the regions that have a larger variety and quantity of plant life and water resources. Even though so many species of animals have died out or migrated from the Sahara desert, many still remain and rely on the native Saharan vegetation for food. There are three specific animal species that feed on these Sahara desert plants.

About forty varieties of rodents thrive in the hot, dry climes of the Sahara desert. They dig underground channels and survive beneath the surface of the desert, shielded from the brutal heat and predatory carnivores that also roam the Sahara. The rodents come out at night to forage for various plants, seeds, and roots.

When picturing the Sahara desert, one almost instantly visualizes a camel strolling along. The camel is, in fact, designed to thrive in desert conditions. Camels can last over a fortnight without any nourishment whatsoever, and what little food they do consume is quite simple: clumps of dry grass found along the surface of the Sahara.

The addax is native to the Sahara desert, and is the most voluminous of the species that still live there. They are similar to deer and migrate in groups. The addax is another herbivore that eats clumps of grass that grow all along the sand dunes of the Sahara.

As you can see, Sahara desert plants are very important to the ecology of the region, offering nourishment to many species that thrive in the otherwise harsh desert climate. If these plants were to die out, it would set off a detrimental chain reaction. The plant-loving animals mentioned above would become extinct, and in turn the larger, carnivorous animals that prey on them, such as snakes and foxes, would quickly die off as well.

Edible Plants - Sahara Desert

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