Mothers carry their babies in utero for a 17-month gestation period, and they give birth every three to 10 years until becoming menopausal around age 40. They are exceptionally protective of their offspring, and often adolescent females are recruited to assist in caring for calves. Mothers will nurse their babies for up to two years, forming a bond so strong that if a mother dies, the mortality rate of her sons increases. Orcas are some of the affected mammals in the ocean due to pollution, and the contaminants make their way into breastmilk, increasing the mortality rate of all young to 50% within the first year.
Username: Bobita Published on 2024-11-25 21:36:33 ID NUMBER: 125755
Orcas have evolved to swim as far as 40 miles in one day to forage for food, exercise, and socialize. In addition to swimming, killer whales will dive several times per day to depths of 100 to 500 feet below the water's surface. They are naturally inclined to travel far and dive deep, which is part of the reason killer whales often struggle in captivity, where tanks can't grant the same range and the mammals sometimes develop boredom and stress due to repetitive activities.
Mothers carry their babies in utero for a 17-month gestation period, and they give birth every three to 10 years until becoming menopausal around age 40. They are exceptionally protective of their offspring, and often adolescent females are recruited to assist in caring for calves. Mothers will nurse their babies for up to two years, forming a bond so strong that if a mother dies, the mortality rate of her sons increases. Orcas are some of the affected mammals in the ocean due to pollution, and the contaminants make their way into breastmilk, increasing the mortality rate of all young to 50% within the first year.
Killer whales hunt in pods, similar to a wolf pack, which is how they earned the moniker "wolves of the sea." A pod is a family group of up to 40 individual orcas and they prey on a variety on animals, using different techniques to capture them. While resident pods will focus on fish, transient pods are typically on the hunt for larger marine mammals.
Orcas work cooperatively to herd fish into a compact area where they're easier to consume. If they're after penguins, sea lions, or other animals on the surface, the killer whales will slap their tails on the water, creating a large wave that sends their prey off ice floes and within reach. Pods of orcas can take down something as large as a blue whale by surrounding it, then chasing and biting at the mammal until it weakens enough to be ripped apart and eaten.
As social creatures, orcas value sharing their hunt and females will share all the fish they catch with their offspring. Males, however, will only give away about 15% of their catch, typically shared with their mothers.
The distinct black-and-white patterning of the orca - back body, white underside, white patches above and behind the eyes, and a saddle patch behind the dorsal fin - serves a unique purpose. Creatures looking down on the killer whale, from a perch like an ice floe, may not see it because the black back will blend in with dark ocean waters. The white belly can camouflage into light streaming from the sky toward the sea, which also makes the orca difficult to pick out from beneath. The effect allows killer whales to sneak up on unsuspecting prey.
Orcas were named killer whales by ancient sailors, who observed pods of the mammal hunting down prey and taking out larger whales at sea. They were often called "whale killer," which eventually became "killer whale." However, the orca is not a whale at all, but is actually part of the dolphin family, Delphinidae. They are the only species in their specific genus, but are most closely related to dolphins from Australia and South East Asia.
The orca is an apex predator, meaning it's at the top of its food chain and has no immediate threat as one of the largest and most powerful aquatic animals. However, the species is still threatened by environmental concerns, such as fishing equipment discarded or lost at sea like nets that pose entanglement dangers, chemicals that don't break down in nature and become stored in the fatty tissue of the orcas when they digest contaminated food, and shock waves from underwater explosives or military sonar that can cause orca blood vessels to burst and hemorrhage.
As social animals, orcas rely on a system of communication tools to talk with members of their pods, navigate the ocean, and hunt. On the surface, they use body language like breaching, slapping their flippers or tail, or bringing their head out of the water. Each population of killer whales has its own unique language, developed over millions of years, and made up of a series of whistles, clicks, pulsed calls, low-frequency pops, and jaw claps made by forcing air through the nasal passages and amplifying the sound through the fatty area of their heads, commonly referred to as the melon. When receiving sound, the orca uses its jaw - sound waves from echolocution travel from the jaw to the inner ear and then to the brain, where a detailed image is created. Their echolocution is considered the most powerful and most sophisticated of any animal.
In fact, the social status of a killer whale could be a matter of life and death - particularly for males living off the Pacific coast of North America, where populations of Chinook salmon dip lower due to fluctuations in temperature due to El Niño and the fishing industry. Males who are nearer to the centre of the social framework of the pod have a mortality rate 67% lower than those on the social sidelines, who are not as connected and may not know where salmon are located or may be excluded from sharing of prey. These males are more likely to starve when times are tough. However, females do not suffer the same fate no matter what their social status.
Mothers carry their babies in utero for a 17-month gestation period, and they give birth every three to 10 years until becoming menopausal around age 40. They are exceptionally protective of their offspring, and often adolescent females are recruited to assist in caring for calves. Mothers will nurse their babies for up to two years, forming a bond so strong that if a mother dies, the mortality rate of her sons increases. Orcas are some of the affected mammals in the ocean due to pollution, and the contaminants make their way into breastmilk, increasing the mortality rate of all young to 50% within the first year.
Corn snakes, like many colubrid snakes, are not venomous because they lack the specialized glands and fangs required for venom production and delivery. Instead, they are constrictors, which means they subdue their prey through constriction rather than venom injection. Corn snakes have powerful muscles and flexible bodies that can overpower their game.
A corn snake detects potential prey by using its keen sense of smell and flicking its tongue to pick up scent particles in the air. When the time is right, the corn snake strikes, seizing the prey with its sharp teeth and coiling its body around it. They then swallow their prey whole, usually head first.
Pythons have several names. Each name reflects something unique about the python, whether it's a physical trait or the region they call home. Consider the Ball pythons, also called Royal pythons. It's an odd name for a snake, but it perfectly captures its tendency to curl into a tight ball when feeling threatened.
This little snake hails from sub-Saharan Africa, and although it's the smallest species on the continent, its name is undoubtedly a big conversation starter.
Now, let's journey to Southeast Asia, where we encounter two remarkable species: Burmese pythons, known for their immense size, takes its name from its homeland, Burma (now Myanmar), and the reticulated python, which got its name from its appearance. 'Reticulated' describes something resembling a net or network, perfectly describing the intricate pattern adorning this python's skin.
As apex predators, pythons maintain the delicate balance of ecosystems. Their primary contribution lies in controlling the populations of rodents and other small creatures, which is no small task considering their rapid breeding rates.
Their insatiable appetite is a natural barrier against an unchecked explosion of rodent populations, preventing ecological imbalance. Rodents are notorious disease carriers, transmitting Lyme disease, leptospirosis, and even the plague.
By regulating rodent populations, pythons unintentionally help curb the spread of these diseases, promoting healthier and balanced ecosystems.
Beetles, belonging to the order Coleoptera, are incredibly diverse insects that comprise a quarter of all known living organisms! There are an estimated 400,000 identified species of beetles, with so many species yet to be discovered1. Among them, there are size variations that would make your jaw drop.
On one end of the scale, we have the almost invisible feather-winged beetles, no larger than 0.01 inches. The Fringed Ant Beetle (Nymphister Kronaueri) is the smallest known beetle and measures around 0.25 millimeters in length. On the other end, the Goliath Beetle, which can grow to 6.7 inches and weigh 1.8 ounces, is one of the longest and heaviest insects in the world.
Furthermore, beetles live in almost every habitat except the extreme polar regions. They live in the driest deserts and the wettest tropical rainforests!
Gorillas are the largest primates on Earth. Adult female gorillas tip the scales at 70-90 kg, whereas their male counterparts, standing tall at a whopping six feet, can weigh anywhere from 300 to 450 pounds. That's roughly equivalent to 135 to 200 kilograms!
The largest being the eastern gorillas, specifically the silverback males from the eastern lowland gorillas. These creatures can clock in at 400 pounds, equivalent to 180 kilograms, and stand tall at approximately 5.6 feet or 1.7 meters. These impressive creatures live in the forests of Central Africa.
Are caterpillars insects? The answer is yes, but they are an incomplete form of certain insects4. Caterpillars are the larval stage of 180,000 insects belonging to the order Lepidoptera, which includes butterflies and moths. Caterpillars develop to become their winged adult form.
Generally, caterpillars have a cylindrical body shape with a segmented structure. Each body segment typically bears a pair of legs.
They live on every continent except Antarctica. Some countries known for their diverse caterpillar populations include the United States, Brazil, Australia, India, China, and African and European countries.
One interesting fact about caterpillars is that they have two types of legs: true legs and prolegs or false legs.
The true legs are the three pairs of jointed legs located on the Caterpillar's thoracic segments closest to its head. These legs are"true" because the Caterpillar retains them into adulthood when it transforms into a butterfly or moth. They use these legs to crawl and walk.
Additionally, on their abdomen, caterpillars possess several pairs of fleshy, unjointed prolegs adorned with tiny hooks called crochets. A caterpillar may have up to five pairs of prolegs, but the number can vary among species. These prolegs firmly grip surfaces as they move about while feeding or resting.
However, caterpillars shed these prolegs as they approach pupation, developing structures needed for metamorphosis into chrysalides or pupae during their transition to adult butterflies or moths.
Additionally, sometimes larvae from the Hymenoptera order - which includes ants, bees, and wasps - get mistaken for caterpillars. However, there are key differences. For example, sawfly larvae superficially resemble caterpillars but have unique features. They sport prolegs on each abdominal segment, unlike caterpillars. Caterpillars have hooks on their prolegs, a feature not found in sawfly larvae.
Did you know that caterpillars have a unique feature called "stemmata" or "ocelli" that function as simple eyes?
These light-sensitive cells differ from the compound eyes found in adult insects on the sides of the Caterpillar's head in pairs. The number of ocelli can vary from species to species, with most having six arranged in three pairs.
However, some caterpillars may have fewer or additional ocelli. Despite their small size, these ocelli play an essential role in helping caterpillars detect changes in light intensity and navigate their environment, especially during low-light conditions.
Moose are the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. From the towering Alaskan moose of the North American wilderness to the more modestly-sized European moose, the eight moose sub-species illustrate these intriguing creatures' adaptability and ecological variety. They belong to the Cervidae family, including other members such as elk, caribou, and white-tailed deer.
With adult males weighing between 900 and 1,400 pounds, moose tower above their deer relatives. On the other hand, female moose weigh an average of 800 to 1,300 pounds. These majestic animals can also stand up to 6.5 feet tall at the shoulder.
Moose are not only known for their size but also their distinctive physical characteristics. They have elongated faces and an overhanging muzzle that extends beyond their upper lip. Furthermore, moose have relatively large and mobile ears that can rotate independently.
Adult male and female moose have a flap of skin, known as a bell or dewlap, hanging beneath their chin. The size of the bell increases with age and is more pronounced in dominant males. It serves as an additional visual display during the fall mating season and helps intimidate rival males.
The scientific name of the moose is Alces alces. However, other countries don't call them "moose." In British English, these majestic animals are more commonly called "elk." The largest moose population is in Canada, whose residents call them rubber-nosed swamp donkeys.
The term "elk" comes from the Old Norse word "elgr," which various European languages later adopted to refer to this animal. When European settlers arrived in North America, they met the indigenous Algonquin people who called the animal "moose" or "smoosh," which means twig-eater or stripper and eater of bark.
This naming inconsistency has caused some confusion. In North American English, "elk" refers to a completely different species of deer, scientifically known as Cervus Canadensis. North American elk, also called wapiti, share a few similarities with moose, such as antlers and herbivorous diet. However, they are smaller in size and have a distinct appearance.
