大自然的天地

Asian Champs Round 1

2009-06-22T18:15:00.002+08:00

We have successfully cleared our games for Round 1. Though we won the games, the feeling of winning wasn't so shiok & somehow something was missing. Next game will be playing against Malaysia. I hope we really can break through it.

Cockroaches

2007-08-21T14:40:00.000+08:00

Most people hated this insect - the cockroach. Their flattened bodies, leathery wings, skittering legs & long, waving antennae give people the creeps.

People also hate roaches because they can be extremely difficult to get rid of. Roaches reproduce quickly & are hard to kill. They are particularly good at dodging & running from shoes, newspapers & other weapons, & several species have become resistant to insecticides.

But of the 4,000 roach species that exist in the world, only a handful of them plague homes & businesses. These include:

Blatella germanica, the German cockroach
Periplaneta americana, the American cockroach or palmetto bug
Supella longipalpa, the brown-banded cockroach
Blatta orientalis - the oriental cockroach

Roaches are primitive insects - they existed millions of years before dinosaurs did & have evolved very little since then. In spite of their unchanging nature, they've survived when other species have not. For example, dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago, but cockroaches have thrived for 320 millions years.

Forces of Nature - "Hurricanes"

2007-04-19T09:51:00.000+08:00

Hurricanes developed over the Alantic or eastern Pacfic Oceans.

Once the tropical storm's winds hit a constant speed of at least 74 miles (119 kilometres) an hour, it becomes a hurricane.

During its lifespan, which can be anywhere from one day to several weeks, a hurrican can vary wildly in size & strength.

The direction of the storm's winds - always counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere & clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, due to the Earth's rotation.

Its powerful combination of strong winds, heavy rains and storm surges can cause widespread ddestruction.

HURRICANES
1954 - HAZEL
1955 - DIANE
1965 - BETSY
1969 - CAMILLE
1972 - AGNES
1976 - LIZA
1988 - GILBERT
1989 - HUGO
1990 - UNNAMED (GALVESTON)
1992 - ANDREW
1997 - PAULINE
1999 - FLOYD

Changes made

2007-04-19T09:45:00.000+08:00

Hi all... I have decided to change this blog into natures.

Black-footed Ferret

2007-04-17T11:55:00.000+08:00

Fast Facts

Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in captivity: 12 years
Size: Head and body, 15 to 20 in (38 to 50 cm); Tail 4¼ to 5 in (11 to 13 cm)
Group name: Business

Did you know? Ferrets are nocturnal, sleeping up to 21 hours per day and hunting prairie dogs primarily during the night.

It could also be called the black-eyed ferret because of the distinctive "stick-em up" mask that adorns its face. The tan ferrets also have black markings on their feet, legs, and tail tip.

This animal's long slender body, like that of a weasel, enables it to crawl in and out of the holes and dwellings of its primary prey—the prairie dog.

Though black-footed ferrets sometimes eat squirrels, mice, and other rodents, prairie dogs are essential to their survival, making up the majority of the ferret diet. These voracious predators hunt them in their own burrows, and take shelter in abandoned prairie dog dwellings.

These solitary animals live alone, and in May and June females give birth to litters of one to six kits that they raise alone. The young are able to survive on their own by fall.

American Crocodile

2007-04-14T10:51:00.000+08:00

Fast Facts

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 70 years
Size: Up to 15 ft (4.6 m)
Weight: Up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg)
Group name: Bask (on land) or float (in water)

Did you know? One of the largest known populations of American crocodiles is in the Dominican Republic's Lago Enriquillo, a landlocked, hypersaline lake located about 131 feet (40 meters) below sea level.

Protection status: Endangered

The American crocodile is considered an endangered species in nearly all parts of its North, Central, and South American range. Survey data, except in the United States, is poor or nonexistent, but conservationists agree that illegal hunting and habitat depletion has reduced populations of this wide-ranging reptile to critical levels.

A small, remnant population lives in southern Florida, but most are found in southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Their habitat of choice is the fresh or brackish water of river estuaries, coastal lagoons, and mangrove swamps.

A prehistoric-looking creature, it is distinguishable from its cousin, the American alligator, by its longer, thinner snout, its lighter color, and two long teeth on the lower jaw that are visible when its mouth is closed.

This species is among the largest of the world's crocodiles, with Central and South American males reaching lengths of up to 20 feet (6.1 meters). Males in the U.S. population rarely exceed 13 feet (4 meters), however.

Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, birds, fish, crabs, insects, snails, frogs, and occasionally carrion. They have been known to attack people, but are far more likely to flee at the sight of humans.

Most countries in the American crocodile's range have passed protection laws, but unfortunately, few governments provide adequate enforcement.

Nile Crocodile Profile

2007-04-14T10:20:00.000+08:00

Fast Facts

Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore Average lifespan in the wild: 45 years (estimated)
Size: 16 ft (5 m)
Weight: 500 lbs (225 kg)
Group name: Bask (on land) or float (in water)

Did you know? Mummified crocodiles and crocodile eggs have been discovered in Egyptian tombs.

Protection status: Endangered

The Nile crocodile has a somewhat deserved reputation as a vicious man-eater. The proximity of much of its habitat to people means run-ins are frequent. Firm numbers are sketchy, but estimates are that up to 200 people may die each year in the jaws of a Nile croc.

Africa's largest crocodilian, these primordial brutes reach a maximum size of about 20 feet (6 meters) and can weigh up to 1,650 pounds (730 kilograms). Average sizes, though, are more in the range of 16 feet (5 meters) and 500 pounds (225 kilograms). They live throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Basin, and Madagascar in rivers, freshwater marshes, & mangrove swamps.

Their diet is mainly fish, but it will attack almost anything unfortunate enough to cross its path. It will also scavenge carrion, & can eat up to half its body weight at a feeding.

One unusual characteristic of this fearsome predator is its caring nature as a parent. Mother & father Nile crocs ferociously guard their nests until the eggs hatch, & they will often roll the eggs gently in their mouths to help hatching babies emerge.

Crocodile chomps off zoo worker's arm

2007-04-13T11:14:00.000+08:00

A zoo worker from Taipei, Chang Po-yu had his forearm reattached on Thursday after being severed from the mouth of a 17-year-old 440-pound Nile crocodile.

The verterinarian tried to retrieve a tranquilizer dart from the crocodile's hide but failed to notice the crocodile was not fully anesthetized when he stuck his arm through an iron rail to medicate it.

As Chang was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday 11.04.07, a zoo worker shot 2 bullets at the crocodile's neck to retrieve the forearm.

The crocodile was unharmed as they didn't find any bullet holes on its hide & probably was shocked & opened its mouth to let go of the limb.

The zoo purchased the crocodile from a local resident who had kept it as a pet.

Welcome to “動物之園“

2007-04-13T09:44:00.000+08:00

Hi Everyone, I've created this blog "動物之園".

I will try my very best to update this special blog of mine which I've been longing to write.

Stay tune for my posts.

Kampai!