Thursday, January 27, 2011

pictures of african jungle & animals


Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² (11.7 million sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With 1.0 billion people (as of 2009, see table) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.72% of the world's human population.
Africa, is widely regarded within the scientific community to be the origin of humans and the Hominidae clade (great apes), as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors, as well as later ones that have been dated to around seven million years ago – including Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis, Homo erectus, H. habilis and H. ergaster – with the earliest Homo sapiens (modern human) found in Ethiopia being dated to circa 200,000 years ago.
Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones. The African expected economic growth rate is at about 5.0% for 2010 and 5.5% in 2011.
The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.Africa shared the supercontinent's relatively uniform fauna which was dominated by theropods, prosauropods and primitive ornithischians by the close of the Triassic period. Late Triassic fossils are found through-out Africa, but are more common in the south than north. The boundary separating the Triassic and Jurassic marks the advent of an extinction event with global impact, although African strata from this time period have not been thoroughly studied.
Early Jurassic strata are distributed in a similar fashion to Late Triassic beds, with more common outcrops in the south and less common fossil beds which are predominated by tracks to the north. As the Jurassic proceeded, larger and more iconic groups of dinosaurs like sauropods and ornithopods proliferated in Africa. Middle Jurassic strata are neither well represented nor well studied in Africa. Late Jurassic strata are also poorly represented apart from the spectacular Tendaguru fauna in Tanzania. The Late Jurassic life of Tendaguru is very similar to that found in western North America's Morrison Formation.
Midway through the Mesozoic, about 150–160 million years ago, Madagascar separated from Africa, although it remained connected to India and the rest of the Gondwanan landmasses. Fossils from Madagascar include abelisaurs and titanosaurs.
The African theropod Spinosaurus was the largest known carnivorous dinosaur.Later into the Early Cretaceous epoch, the India-Madagascar landmass separated from the rest of Gondwana. By the Late Cretaceous, Madagascar and India had permanently split ways and continued until later reaching their modern configurations.
By contrast to Madagascar, mainland Africa was relatively stable in position through-out the Mesozoic.Africa began with Ancient Greeks and Romans. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great was welcomed as a liberator in Persian-occupied Egypt. He founded Alexandria in Egypt, which would become the prosperous capital of the Ptolemaic dynasty after his death. Following the conquest of North Africa's Mediterranean coastline by the Roman Empire, the area was integrated economically and culturally into the Roman system. Roman settlement occurred in modern Tunisia and elsewhere along the coast. Christianity spread across these areas from Palestine via Egypt, also passing south, beyond the borders of the Roman world into Nubia and by at least the 6th century into Ethiopia.
In the early 7th century, the newly formed Arabian Islamic Caliphate expanded into Egypt, and then into North Africa.
pictures of african jungle
lion in africa
africa safari
pictures of african jungle
african langeuages culture and some another detals
By most estimates, well over a thousand languages (UNESCO has estimated around two thousand) are spoken in Africa. Most are of African origin, though some are of European or Asian origin. Africa is the most multilingual continent in the world, and it is not rare for individuals to fluently speak not only multiple African languages, but one or more European ones as well. There are four major language families indigenous to Africa.
The Afro-Asiatic languages are a language family of about 240 languages and 285 million people widespread throughout the Horn of Africa, North Africa, the Sahel, and Southwest Asia.
The Nilo-Saharan language family consists of more than a hundred languages spoken by 30 million people. Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken by Nilotic tribes in Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
The Niger-Congo language family covers much of Sub-Saharan Africa and is probably the largest language family in the world in terms of different languages.
The Khoisan languages number about fifty and are spoken in Southern Africa by approximately 120,000 people. Many of the Khoisan languages are endangered. The Khoi and San peoples are considered the original inhabitants of this part of Africa.
Following the end of colonialism, nearly all African countries adopted official languages that originated outside the continent, although several countries also granted legal recognition to indigenous languages (such as Swahili, Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa). In numerous countries, English and French (see African French) are used for communication in the public sphere such as government, commerce, education and the media.Some aspects of traditional African cultures have become less practiced in recent years as a result of years of neglect and suppression by colonial and post-colonial regimes. There is now a resurgence in the attempts to rediscover and revalourise African traditional cultures, under such movements as the African Renaissance, led by Thabo Mbeki, Afrocentrism, led by a group of scholars, including Molefi Asante, as well as the increasing recognition of traditional spiritualism through decriminalization of Vodou and other forms of spirituality. In recent years, traditional African culture has become synonymous with rural poverty and subsistence farming.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

tiger salamander utah pictures & some detals


After an evening of steady rain, which has been fairly rare in Moab this Spring/Summer, Rhonda spotted a wide-eyed little visitor looking in our back door. Over the years we have become fairly adept at identifying some of the common desert reptiles that we come across but this wet slimy thing, that appeared to be smiling at us, was outside of our experience range. Should we even touch it? Heck, most of the creatures that we have come to love in the desert are covered with sharp spines and armored skin. After a quick call to local reptile expert (and Rock Club President) Jerry Hansen, we discovered that it was a salamander, albeit a fairly large one. I managed to grab the following photos of our nighttime visitor
tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum, is found in many areas of North America, and it is a common species throughout Utah. Within its range, the tiger salamander can thrive in almost any habitat type, as long as water is found nearby. Water is necessary for two reasons: 1) the larval stage of the salamander life cycle is aquatic, and 2) the terrestrial adults return to water to breed. Interestingly, the tiger salamander is the only salamander species which occurs in Utah.

tiger salamander life cycle

tiger salamander
The California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) is a vulnerable amphibian native to Northern California. Previously considered to be a Tiger Salamander subspecies, the California tiger salamander was recently designated a separate species again.The California tiger salamander depends on vernal pools for reproduction, its habitat is limited to the vicinity of large, fishless vernal pools or similar water bodies. It occurs at elevations up to 1000 m (3200 ft). Adults migrate at night from upland habitats to aquatic breeding sites during the first major rainfall events of fall and early winter and return to upland habitats after breeding.On August 4, 2004, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed the California tiger salamander as threatened within the Central Valley distinct population segment. The Santa Barbara and Sonoma County populations were returned to endangered status on August 19, 2005.
There are six populations, which are found in: (1) Sonoma County; (2) the Bay Area, (Stanislaus County, western Merced, and the majority of San Benito counties); (3) the Central Valley; (4) southern San Joaquin Valley (5) the Central Coast Range and 6) Santa Barbara County.
life cycle detals!!
Adults spend the majority of their lives underground, in burrows created by other animals such as ground squirrels and gophers. the salamanders themselves are poorly equipped for burrowing. Little is known about their underground life. This underground phase has often been referred to as estivation (the summertime equivalent of hibernation), but true estivation has never been observed, and fiber optic cameras in burrows have allowed researchers to witness salamanders actively foraging. Adults are known to eat earthworms. snails, insects, fish, and even small mammals.
but adult California tiger salamanders eat very little.
Breeding takes place after the first rains in late fall and early winter, when the wet season allows the salamanders to migrate to the nearest pond, a journey that may be as far as a mile and take several days. The eggs, which the female lays in small clusters or singly, hatch after some 10 to 14 days.
The larval period lasts for three to six months. However, California tiger salamander larvae may also "overwinter". Transformation for overwintering larvae may take 13 months or more. Recent discoveries, such as overwintering, have management implications for this threatened species, particularly when aquatic habitat under goes modification. The larvae feed on other small invertebrates, including tadpoles. When their pond dries, they resorb their gills, develop lungs, and then the metamorphs leave the pond in search of a burrow.


tiger salamander

tiger salamander
tiger salamander

tiger salamander pictures

tiger salamander pictures
tiger salamander pictures and some detals about that life!!
the tiger salamander has fewer and fewer reasons to grin. The species' plight is particularly extreme in Sonoma County, where development threatens 95 percent of remaining salamander habitat, and the Santa Barbara population — although it was luckily listed as federally endangered in 2000 — is still on the verge of going extinct.
This is a special report on the slayings of rare California Tiger Salamanders on a Sonoma County Road, and one easy thing you can do to save the rest of them!
It will take only 45 seconds of your time to save California Tiger Salamander in Sonoma County.
The California Fish and Game Commissioners have one-year to decide if the rare California Tiger Salamander in Sonoma County should be listed as "endangered". If they don't list it, the protections that come with an endangered status will be lost. Contact these folks and remind them that scientists agree that they are, in fact, endangered, and that the Sonoma County California Tiger Salamander should be listed by the State of California as an endangered species.
tiger salamander pictures
tiger salamander pictures
tiger salamander pictures
tiger salamander pictures
tiger salamander pictures
tiger salamander pictures
tiger salamander pictures
tiger salamander pictures

Friday, January 7, 2011

grizzly bear images


brought Grizzly Bear's Yellow house home from the library after a particualrly dreary day at work, layed my head back agaist the couch cushion, and prepared to give it a first listen. I had stumbled upon a video of them performing a cover of the old Crystals doo-wop hit "he hit me (and it felt like a kiss)" and subsequntly a couple a cappella tracks a la the brilliant french video series "Blogotheque" aka "The Take Away Shows". Duly impressed, I decided to give the full length a try.


Lying there in the semi-dark, I let the flighty a cappella swoons wash over me. Slowly and softly the ghostly vocals and dreamy instrumentation seeped in, and I was able to forget for some significant bit of time that I was lying there in the dark defeated by a shitty day at work.


I suppose that escapism was a feeling I hadn't felt in some time, and I was thankful to GB for weaving this dreamscape so that I might loose myself in it like a dorthy being pulled up and away from a black and white Kansas below. Later, nearing the release of thier follow-up Veckatamist, I read an article which sited one of them stating that they hoped someone might listen to one of their albums and be able to forget where they were.



l suppose that escapism was a feeling I hadn't felt in some time, and I was thankful to GB for weaving this dreamscape so that I might loose myself in it like a dorthy being pulled up and away from a black and white Kansas below. Later, nearing the release of thier follow-up Veckatamist, I read an article which sited one of them stating that they hoped someone might listen to one of their albums and be able to forget where they were. This, from a band who is particularly cafeful about stepping on the toes of interpreters with mission/artistic statements. Needless to say I was all the more impressed.




pictures of moon bears

pictures of moon bears
As many as 9000 bears in China alone are kept in the tiny wired cages to prevent their movement to 'milked' for their bile. The catheter were inserted into the gall bladder abd they will be m'milked' for their bile. Half the amount of bears are said to die during the insertion of the catheter. Those that survive suffer from tumours, infections from open wounds, abscesses and hernias. The bile taken from the gall bladders of the living bears is used in Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of ailments including stomach and digestive disorders and kidney problems.
pictures of moon bears
pictures of moon bears
pictures of moon bears
It is said that 80% of the saved Moon Bears are disabled. While watching this movie, it is really heart wrenching, my nose felt sour , but I just couldn't cry out. I could imagine these pain are so unbarable. If we need something from them, how could we treat them in such inhumane way? The technology are so good these days and many types of medicine have been invented to cure sickness without using the bear bile. There are many researches been done and about 45 or 54 types of other items could replace the bile such as Jasmine plant. So, why do we still need bear bile?
The helper in Animal Asia said that although the saved bears have gone through this, they are such a forgiving animal. If we human were to be treated this way and were freed 1 days, I guess we'll be taking revenge to get the person suffers the same for life.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

devils flowers mantis

devils flowers mantis
devils flowers mantis
devils flowers mantis
devils flowers mantis

sun bears images


The Sun Bear stands approximately 1.2 m (4 ft) tall, making it the smallest member in the bear (Ursidae) family. Males tend to be 10-45% larger than females the former normally weigh between 30 and 60 kg (66-132 lb), and the latter between 20 and 40 kg (44-88 lb). The Sun Bear possesses sickle-shaped claws that are relatively light in weight. It has large paws with naked soles, probably to assist in climbing.The bear uses it to extract honey from beehives.
Unlike other bears, the Sun Bear's fur is short and sleek. This adaptation is probably due to the lowland climates it inhabits. Dark black or brown-black fur covers its body, except on the chest, where there is a pale orange-yellow marking in the shape of a horseshoe. The offspring reach sexual maturity after 3-4 years and may live up to 30 years in captivity. A female Sun Bear can produce 1 to 2 cubs per year. Sun Bears undergo a roughly 96 day gestation period after which the 300 to 400g cub is born blind and hairless. The cub is initially totally dependent on its mother and suckling can continue for about 18 months. After 1 to 3 months, the young cub can run, play and forage near its mother. Male Sun Bears grow larger than females.Other possible predators include the leopard, the clouded leopard, and the Sun Bear's larger sympatric relative, the Asiatic Black Bear. The bear's loose skin on its neck allows it to wriggle its body inside its skin far enough to turn around and bite its attacker when grabbed.
The recent decline in the Sun Bear population can be largely attributed to the hunting of "nuisance bears" that destroy crops and widespread poaching driven by the market for their fur and for their bile, which is used in Chinese medicine.
Sometimes, Sun Bears are captured or bred to be domestic pets--a role for which they are considered desirable, due to their relatively inoffensive nature and small size in comparison with other bears.
sun bears images
sun bears images
sun bears images
sun bears images world most beautifull and dengerous animals

huge birds pictures and wallpapers


In the photos below we have two different species - greater and lesser - of flamingo. The lesser flamingo is slightly smaller than the greater flamingo, although the most obvious trait used to differentiate them is the beak - lesser flamingoes have almost completely black beaks, while the beak of the greater flamingo has only a black tip.

The lake itself is highly alkaline, and as such contains a huge amount of algae - enough to support thousands of animals. Everywhere you look the lake shallows are covered with birds.
The flamingoes at the lake are slightly less colourful than others I have seen in zoos over the years but no less impressive. (A flamingo's colouring depends on it's diet and zoo-bound flamingoes are often given the additive canthaxanthin, which is also often given to farmed salmon.)
huge birds pictures
huge birds pictures
huge birds pictures
huge birds pictures

That is, in a given moment, the bulk of the birds are at the same breeding stage, e.g. rearing small chicks. This synchrony seems to be a manifestation of the “harmony of the colonies”, but a computer simulation model suggests that it may be the outcome of birds being adaptively scared of their neighbours.
Colonial breeding synchrony has attracted the attention of bird biologists from long ago, and a typical question that they have tried to answer is WHY do colonies synchronize? In other words, why breeding synchrony is adaptive? Answers to this question Breeding in synchrony with neighbours is known to be advantangous to individuals by reducing egg and chick losses because of deliverate and accidental killing by conspecifics. Our hypothesis was that neighbours breed in synchrony because reciprocally modulate their stress level, and females do not start reproduction until a certain security (a certain low level of agitation of neighbours) is reached. The whole colony would synchronise as the inevitable outcome of the propagation of this process throughout the network of interactions within the colony.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

oustalet chameleon pictures & images

pictures of oustalet chameleon
oustalet chameleon images
oustalet chameleon on the tree
oustalet chameleon with friend