Monday, March 24, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Seal
Feature Seal:Southern Elephant Seal
Population:
700,000 individuals
Location:
Antarctic, circumpolar
Size:
Males to 20 ft,females to 10 ft
Weight:
Males to 4 tons,females to 1 ton
Diet:
Fish & squid
Antarctic seals are truly fascinating marine animals and a signature species of the Southern Ocean. They can be found throughout the Antarctic region, with some species living farther south than any other mammal. The Antarctic supports a much larger seal population than does the Arctic, in part because of the highly productive feeding areas that exist. Another reason is the lack of native predators such as polar bears, which also helps explain why seals in Antarctica show little fear of people. Of the six types of seals which are found south of the Antarctic Convergence, four of them are considered true Antarctic species: the Weddell, the Ross, the Crabeater and the Leopard. Both the Southern Elephant Seal and the Fur Seal do occasionally venture onto the continent, but prefer the more northerly islands of the warmer subantarctic seas.
Seals were the first Antarctic species to be commercially harvested. In fact, it was the search for new populations of seals that led to much of the early exploration of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. During the 19th and 20th centuries, several species of seals were heavily exploited for their skins or fur and for oil. Whole populations were decimated as early as the 1820's and some, including the Antarctic Fur Seal, were driven to the brink of extinction. Today, seals in the Antarctic are protected by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals, which nonetheless allows for a small quota of specific species to be taken for science.
Though most of their time is spent in the water, all Antarctic seals, unlike whales, must return to land to breed. Breeding sites are found primarily on fast shelf ice and pack ice surrounding the Antarctic continent or on coastal shores of the more northerly islands. Breeding behaviors vary greatly among seal species. Ross, Weddell, and Leopard seals breed alone. Other species, such as the Antarctic Fur seal and the Southern Elephant seal prefer larger groups where dominant bulls aggressively defend 'harems' of females, with territorial disputes a common occurrence during breeding season.
All seals feed at sea using sonar (echolocation) and the enhanced sight of their large eyes. Diets vary but generally consist of krill (a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem), fish , and squid.
There are two main types of seals: the 'eared' seals (Otariidae) and the 'true' seals (Phocidae), which have no protruding ear. Only the Antarctic Fur Seal belongs to the Otariidae, or eared order. The 'eared' seals have hairless hind flippers that can be brought under their bodies making them very agile both on land and at sea. 'True' seals have furred hind flippers that they use to swim, but on land they are dragged behind the body in awkward 'snakelike' undulations.
Gorilla
All About Gorillas
Gorilla QuizGorillas are large, quiet, gentle apes that live in Africa. Although gorillas are frequently portrayed as aggressive, dangerous killers, they are really shy, peaceful vegetarians. Because of massive loss of habitat, these majestic primates are in great danger of going extinct.ANATOMYGorillas have very long arms (the arms are longer than the legs), and a short, bulky body with a wide chest.
Hair and Skin:Gorillas are covered with brownish hair on most of their body (except their fingers, palms, face, armpits, and bottoms of their feet).
The Head:Gorillas have a very large head with a bulging forehead, a crest on top (it is called the sagittal crest, and is larger on male gorillas), tiny ears, and small, dark-brown eyes. Gorillas have no tail. Adult gorillas have 32 teeth, with large molars (flat teeth used for chewing food) and large canines (pointy teeth used for biting), which are especially large in the male gorillas. Gorillas each have a unique nose print (like we have unique fingerprints).
Senses:Gorillas have senses very similar to ours, including hearing, sight (they seem to be slightly nearsighted and to have color vision), smell, taste, and touch.
Hands and Feet:Gorillas' hands are very much like ours; they have five fingers, including an opposable thumb. Their feet have five toes, including an opposable big toe. Gorillas can grasp things with both their hands and their feet.
SIZEMale gorillas are much larger than the females, and are almost twice as heavy. Adult male gorillas are called silverbacks because they have a saddle-shaped patch of silver hair on their backs after they are about 12 years of age.
Gorillas
Height
Weight
Female
4.6 ft (1.4 m)
200 lb (90 kg)
Male
5.6 ft (1.7 m)
400 lb (180 kg)DIETGorillas are predominantly herbivores, eating mostly plant material. They forage for food in the forests during the day. They eat leaves, fruit, seeds, tree bark, plant bulbs, tender plant shoots, and flowers. They have been known to eat various parts of over 200 different plant species. Occasionally, gorillas supplement their diet with termites and ants.
Gorillas rarely drink water; the water contained in their diet is apparently enough to sustain them.
An average adult male eats approximately 50 pounds of food a day. INTELLIGENCE AND LANGUAGEGorillas are very intelligent and can learn extremely complex tasks.
Language:Some gorillas have been taught sign language by people; these gorillas learned how to form simple sentences and communicate with people.
Tools:Gorillas have never been observed using tools in the wild, although they have been taught to use them in captivity. BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL HABITSBands of Gorillas:Gorillas are shy, social animals that are active during the day (they are diurnal). They live in small groups (or bands) of 6-7 individuals, including one silverback (adult male), a few females, and their young. When the young mature, they go off and join or form another band.
Grooming:Grooming one another (cleaning the hair of another gorilla) is a major occupation among gorillas in a band. Female gorillas groom their offspring, one another, and the silverback; the silverback does not groom others.
Sleeping Nests:Each evening, gorillas construct a "nest" for the night in which they will curl up and sleep. These bowl-shaped nests are made out of leaves and other plant material. Nests are only shared by a mother and her nursing offspring. Scientists who study gorillas can easily estimate a local gorilla population by counting the number of "nests."
Aggression:Gorillas are not aggressive animals. When an intruder disturbs them, they may make a lot of noise, but they rarely confront another animal.
COMMUNICATION AND VOCALIZATIONGorillas are generally quiet animals. They communicate with each other using many complicated sounds and gestures. Gorillas use at least 25 recognized vocalizations, including grunts, roars, growls, whines, chuckles, hooting, etc. Some gorilla gestures include chest-beating, high-pitched barks, lunging, throwing objects, staring, lip-tucking , sticking out the tongue, sideways running, slapping, rising to a two-legged stance, etc. Communication is used to teach the young the many skills that they need to survive, and for other gorillas to communicate about food, social relationships, distress, mating, etc.
LOCOMOTIONGorillas knuckle-walk using both their legs and their long arms (putting pressure on their knuckles, with the fingers rolled into the hand). Gorillas rarely walk using only their legs. They can climb trees, but do not do so very often. Gorillas cannot swim.
LIFE SPANGorillas live about 50 years in captivity; their life span in the wild is only about 35 years (like most animals, they live much longer in captivity).
HABITATGorillas are primarily terrestrial (although they lived in trees back in their evolutionary past). Gorillas live in tropical rain forests (in the forest edges and clearings), wet lowland forests, swamps, and abandoned fields.
DISTRIBUTIONThe different subspecies of gorillas live in different parts of western Africa.
Subspecies G. g. gorilla, the western lowland gorilla, is found at low altitudes in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo, and Equatorial Guinea.
Subspecies G. g. graueri,the eastern lowland gorilla, is found in eastern Zaire.
Subspecies G. g. beringei, the mountain gorilla, is found at high altitudes (from 5,400 to 12,440 feet or 1,650 to 3,800 m) in Zaire, Rwanda, and Uganda. REPRODUCTION AND BABY GORILLASGorillas are fully grown and able to reproduce at 10-12 years old. Female gorillas are pregnant for about 8 to 9.5 months and have about 3 babies in their lifetime. Newborn gorillas weigh only about 3-4 pounds (1.4 to 1.8 kg) at birth (about half the weight of a newborn human).
Female gorillas carefully nurture their young. Baby gorillas learn to crawl at about 2 months (much earlier than humans) and can walk before they are 9 months old (earlier than most humans). They can grasp their mother's fur to ride on the mother's back at 4 months. Baby gorillas are fed mother's milk for the first 2 1/2 years of life. When they are weaned, gorillas begin to build their own sleeping nests out of vegetation (and not use their mother's nest anymore). Young gorillas stay with their mother for 3-4 years. Adult male gorillas (silverbacks) will care for weaned orphaned young gorillas. POPULATION COUNTSGorilla populations are decreasing; they are in danger of extinction. Scientists estimate that there are roughly 50,000 gorillas left in the wild in Africa. Most of these are western lowland gorillas; there are only about 600 mountain gorillas and 2,500 eastern lowland gorillas. Mountain gorillas are on the verge of extinction. THE EVOLUTION OF GORILLASThe earliest-known primates date from about 70 million years ago (Macdonald, 1985). The greater apes (family Pongidae, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans) split off from the lesser apes (family Hylobatidae, gibbons and siamangs) 20 million years ago. The gorilla's closest relative genetically is the chimpanzee (who is also our closest relative in the animal kingdom). CLASSIFICATIONGorillas belong to the:
Kingdom Animalia (all animals)
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata (animals with backbones)
Class Mammalia (warm-blooded animals with fur and mammary glands)
Order Primates (which is comprised of 11 families, including lemurs, monkeys, marmosets, lesser apes, great apes, and humans)
Family Pongidae (the great apes, including gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans)
Genus Gorilla (gorillas and orangutans)
Species gorilla
Subspecies G. g. gorilla - the western lowland gorilla (found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo, and Equatorial Guinea)
Subspecies G. g. graueri - the eastern lowland gorilla (found in eastern Zaire)
Subspecies G. g. beringei - the mountain gorilla (found in Zaire, Rwanda, and Uganda)
Vidya Balan
Date of Birth: January 1, 1982
Sign: Capricorn
Religion: hindu
City: Palghat, Kerala
Country: India
Mother: home maker
Father: PR Balan - Vice President of ETC Channel
Siblings: older sister
Education: St. Antony's School, St. Xavier's College, Mumbai University. She has sociology degree
Likes: indian classical musicFavorite
films: DDLJ, Dil Se, One fine dayFavorite
clothes: sarisFavorite
food: home-cooked
Her hero: Amitabh Bachchan
Her heroine: Madhuri Dixit
Other facts: Vidya is spiritually inclined
Hobbies: reading - all of Paulo Coelho’s books, listening to music and watching films
Occupation: bollywood actress / fashion model
Debut Film: Bhaalo Theko (Languages: tamil, hindi, english, malayalam, bengali )
Vidya Balan is hailed as the next big thing, among the current lot of Bollywood actresses. She banks on her beauty, grace and talent rather than on exposure like her other competitors.Vidya was born in a middleclass family in Palakkad, on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Originally her family belongs to Tamil Iyer community. But she grew up in Mumbai. Her father PR Balan is Vice President of ETC Channel and her mother, a homemaker. She also has an older sister, Priya, who is married. She is close to her brother-in-law as well. Vidya handles several languages with ease, including her native Tamil, Malayalam, English, Hindi, and Bengali
Her did her schooling in St. Anthony’s Girls High School and college in St. Xavier's College and also studied in University of Mumbai for a short period. She has got a Sociology degree to her credit.
Vidya Balan was signed to appear in the Malayalam film Chakram, but the film was abandoned mid-way through productionShe is from the Iyer communityShe made her debut as a model in a Surf Excel advertisement in 1998She decided to join films the day she interacted with Shabana Azmi while in collegeShe is trained in Carnatic musicVidya had to go through 40 screen tests and 17 make-up shoots before she was chosen for the lead role in ParineetaVidya Balan has acted in more than 25 ad films, most of which were directed by Pradeep Sarkar.
It was in Mumbai, during a pop concert, when filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra approached her to play the female lead in his movie Parineeta, to be directed by Pradeep Sarkar.Vidya had to go through 40 screen tests and 17 make-up shoots before she was finally chosen for the lead role in the film.
Amrita Rao
Amrita Rao was born in mumbai, to a well-to-do Saraswat Brahmin family, on June 7th 1981. In Sanskrit ‘Amrita’ is a drink which gives you immortality. This model-turned-actress has got the talent and beauty to be immortal in viewers mind.Amrita never really dreamed to be an actress because she though, with no contacts in the film industry, it would be a tough battle, if she wants to establish herself there. But not only has she made it to Bollywood, she is widely considered as the next big thing. Though she is just ten films old, she has already got a Sooraj Barjatya film under her kitty. Her beauty bowled over acclaimed international painter M.F Husain and inspired him to make a series of painting of her and her film ‘Vivah’.
It all started when, while studying psychology Sophia College in Mumbai, she auditioned for ‘Fairever Cream’ and to her surprise, got selected from among 60 other contestants. The close-up Ad campaign followed and it became a big success and she got loads of offers after that. Within a year, she became one of the most sought-after models in India.Her Cadbury’s Perk and Nestle Bru Coffee advertisements fetched her offers from top directors, but she was apprehensive at first, as she wanted to complete her studies. After completing her studies, she signed Raj Kanwar’s ‘Ab Ke Baras’ which was also Raj Babbar’s son Aarya’s launch vehicle. The film didn’t do as well as expected, she got an offer to act in a historical film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi’s ‘The legend of Bagath Singh’, even though it was a small role.‘Ishq Vishk’, with Shahid Kapur became a huge hit and earned her girl-next-door image. She also won the best debutante award from Filmfare, Stardust and IIFA for the movie. She followed up the success with ‘Masti’, a sex-comedy and ‘Main Hoon Na’. ‘Main Hoon Na’, which had Shah Rukh Khan, gave her worldwide popularity. She also did ‘Deewaar’, ‘Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi’, ‘Shikhar’, and ‘Pyare Mohan’.‘Vivah’, the Sooraj Barjatya movie is a big turning point of her career. Not only is the film a big success worldwide, she has gained a huge fan following of all ages through the film. She and her co-star in the film, Shahid Kapur is considered the most happening pair after Shah Rukh Khan- Kajol.The best thing about Amrita is that not only is she beautiful and talented, she has no hang-ups and is very down-to-earth, which makes her easy to work with. She has two films lined-up - ‘My Name is Anthony Gonsalves’ and Telugu film ‘Athidhi’. After ‘Vivah’ she has lots of offers coming her way, but like before, she is taking it slow, waiting for the right scripts, because she knows ‘Slow and steady wins the race!’
