Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Tigers


Tigers (panthera tigris), the largest of big cats, and some of the most endangered animals. Of the nine modern species of tiger three are extinct and all of the remaining six are endangered (the Bengal, the Indo-Chinese, the Sumatran, the Amur, the Siberian and the south china tiger). Why? Because of people. We have the largest "footprint" on our environment. If we hadn't destroyed their habitat and hunted them for their beautiful pelts all nine types would be alive and well.
You may think, people aren't to take the whole of the blame! Well, yes we can. People are very much to blame. We have endangered so many types of animals; the lions, both Asiatic and African, the leopards, the cheetahs, jaguars, and those are just big cats. What can we do? We can recycle, use less paper, conserve water, and use less harmful cleaning products. Maybe then the tigers numbers will start climbing the ladder of success.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Egg- laying Mammals


Mammals lay eggs? What!?!? Well, not all mammals lay eggs, only two are known, the duck-billed Platypus and the echidna (a-KID-nah). The platypus living in only Australia, and the echidna living in both Australia and New Guinea you may find that these animals are quite hard to find in the wild. Though these animals live in similar areas, their lives are very different. The echidna has spines for self defense, is mainly an insectivore but sometimes eats fruit, lives in forests, and nests in burrows in moderately dry areas, where as the platypus has a "sting" for self defense, lays it's eggs fairly close to riverbanks, eats fish, and looks completely different! It is hard to believe that these animals are in the same family! (not a family with a mother and father and child, but a family in the scientific sense (domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species, variety) if you know what I mean.) Yet these animals are related! Distantly, but related.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Gibbons and Orangutans

The gibbon and orangutan are two primates who get along. The gibbon, with it's small thin stature and extremely long arms is the primate built for swinging in trees, where as the orangutan, is very careful about every one of their movements, on land and in the trees. But what about the size difference? Well, the orangutan and the gibbon are quite friendly toward each other. True, they wouldn't go out of the way to say hello to each other, but if they happened to meet up they might lend a helping hand to each other if one was in need when they met up. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea, and attempt to keep one as a pet, Don't. These animals are wild, and do not make good pets. it would be abusive to have one as a pet. But if you were to see one, remember how incredible these animals are.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Predator Post


Many predators are misunderstood. Among the worst; sharks . You may think sharks are vicious killers and the crocodile an animal with no mercy, but, that entire thing is a myth. Look at the whale shark! It's one of the most gentle creatures in the sea, and it only eats tiny animals like krill, and plankton.
Then why the shark attacks? For one, most people who get attacked are surfers who are mistaken for seals. The other time one might be attacked would be if you got in the middle of a feeding frenzy. Most sharks wouldn't care if you were in the water if you were minding your own business, just don't be in with them when they're feeding!
I'm not saying they can't be dangerous, I'm just saying they aren't as bad as so many say.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Coral Reefs


Look at the magic of a coral reef. It's jewel bright fish, the waving plants, the wild coral. It seems as if it is safe from any threat.

But in reality it is not. Why? Because people are polluting and killing the coral. And if the coral's gone, the fish, plants, and all other life on the reef is gone. Possibly gone for good.

You can do your bit. While scientists are preserving the reefs, as well as they can, you can be making sure to help the environment. It might just help keep the reefs around for longer.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Africa

I'm studying Africa. It has such a wide range in culture, biome, and wildlife it is the perfect continent to study. I will be posting up information from time to time. I hope you will enjoy my Africa post.

In Zimbabwe there is a group of animals known as the "big Five", these animals are; the lion, the leopard, the rhino, the elephant, and the buffalo. (not bison, it is a common mistake)

Save a Feeder Fish

Save a Feeder Fish, or S.A.F.F. is a non-profit organization run by, well, me.
Ever seen those little fish in not-so-good condition? Those fish are going to become food for larger fish. But you can do something about it. No, you don't even have to donate. You can take direct action. You can go to a pet store and buy one of those fish. I recommend buying at least five because they can have diseases. Not diseases you can catch, only fish. So make sure to buy some Mericin, a general medication for fish, and a parasite medication for fish. Make sure to read the labels CAREFULLY. DON'T OVERDOSE. And remember to remove the snails (if you have them) from the tank when using parasite medication in your tank.
Save a Feeder Fish, Save a Life

Tigrette's Q. and A.

Italic
07/06/09-Q. What causes the Auroras?
A. The Sun's coronal mass ejections. The Earth's magnetosphere and atmosphere protect us from the more violent ejections but at the northern and southern areas of the Earth bits of these
ejections get through the magnetosphere and atmosphere creating the auroras or Southern and Northern lights.





07/08/09-Q.
What is a whippet dog's top speed
A. A whippet dog can reach speeds up to 25 mph. As one of the closest relatives of the greyhound,
and one of it's ancestors is the German greyhound, it is no surprise that the whippet can go so fast!

07/14/09-Q. how do you identify a big cat vs. a small cat?
A. For one, a big cat's pupils dilate like a humans, in to circles. Small cats eyes dilate in slits. And secondly, only big cats can roar.




07/28/09-Q. What animal is most closely related to the saber-tooth tiger?
A. The clouded leopard. Cloudeds have the largest k-9 tooth size to head size ratio.


08/03/o9-Q. Which lion subspecies is larger, the Asiatic or the African?
A. The Asiatic. These Asian lions are slightly bigger and have darker manes that extend all the way on to their stomachs.

08/07/09-Q. How many big cats are there?
A. only five (well there are sub divisions in the main categories) The tiger (covers all big cats that start with the Latin words Panthera Tigris) Lions (Asiatic and African) Leopards (Cloudeds, Amurs, African, snow, etc.) Jaguars, and Cheetahs.

Animal Abuse, Don't let it Happen


Every twelve seconds in America alone an animal is abused, beaten, or neglected.
What can you do about it? If you're a pet owner, take proper care of them, take them to the vet, or in a fishes case look up the disease and look for the treatment.
***DO YOUR RESEARCH***
In some cities such as Philadelphia, Huston, San Francisco, Miami, Detroit, and Phoenix have a group of workers at their local animal shelters known as "Animal Cops". I know movies have given A.C.O's (animal control officers) a bad name, but, A.C.O.'s have saved the lives of many animals. Many from near the brink of death.
Feed your animals proper diets, take them to their regular vet appointments and spend time with them. Give them the good life they deserve. They did nothing to you. Give them what they need and lots of love, and they'll love you back.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Whale Adpotion

Whales are dying in the southern ocean. Fin whales are ever nearing extinction and Minke whales are nearly endangered. But you can do something about it. You might not be able to stop commercial whaleing, (there are organizations that do that, like Sea Sheapard , and Green Peace.)but you can give a whale the abitity to be tracked and vaccinated from common deseases.
You might think "What on earth can tracking do?" but, by monitering whale behaveior, people can take precautions to try to save the whales.

Want to adopt a different animal? There are other animals you can adopt, like meerkats, dolphins, whale sharks, pandas, leopards, tigers, giraffes, and much much more.