Frogs are amphibians, animals that spend part of their lives under water and the remainder on land. They have long, powerful jumping legs and a very short backbone. Most Frogs have teeth (in the upper jaws only) but toads do not have any teeth.
Adult Frogs are characterised by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits, protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Most Frogs have a semi-aquatic lifestyle, but move easily on land by jumping or climbing. They typically lay their eggs in puddles, ponds or lakes, and their larvae, called tadpoles, have gills and develop in water. Adult Frogs follow a carnivorous diet, mostly of arthropods, annelids and gastropods. Frogs are most noticeable by their call, which can be widely heard during the night or day, mainly in their mating season.
Life cycle: Like all amphibians, Frogs spend their lives near water because they must return to the water to lay their eggs. Frogs eggs are laid in the water. When they hatch into tadpoles, they breathe with gills and swim using a tail. As they mature, they lose their tail, and they develop lungs for breathing air. In harsh climates, Frogs bury themselves in sand and mud and hibernate (sleep very deeply) through the cold winter.
Diet: Frogs eat insects, catching them with their long, sticky tongue. They also eat small fish and worms.
Classification and Evolution: Kingdom Animalia (animals), Phylum Chordata, Class Amphibia (amphibians), Order Anura (Frogs and toads). The first true Frogs evolved during the early Jurassic period, about 200 million years ago (during the time of the dinosaurs).
The distribution of Frogs ranges from tropic to subarctic regions, but most species are found in tropical rainforests. Consisting of more than 5,000 species described, they are among the most diverse groups of vertebrates. However, populations of certain Frogs species are significantly declining.
for:http://www.frogs-house.com
2008年9月17日星期三
2008年9月5日星期五
Deep sea monsters know as Angler fishs
Anglerfishes are famous for their unusual predatory technique. Their first spine have been developed into a fishing pole with a little bate in the end. The fishing pole is actually named “illicium” and the bate is named “esca”. The esca is a fleshy growth found at the end of the illicium. When a predatory fish notices the esca, it thinks that it is a suitable prey. It swims close to the esca, and is rapidly overtaken by the Anglerfish before it gets a change to swallow the esca.
There are more than 200 known species of Anglerfish in the world, and more might be found in the future since a lot of the Angler fish species inhabit great depths far down in the ocean where humans and their research equipment seldom venture. The Anglefish species are not contained in any special family or genera, they are instead spread out over several different families. They do however belong to the same order; Lophiiformes. (The order of the bony fishes.)
Angel fish species are famous for their capability to kill and consume prey that is much larger than them selves. The ambush effect makes it possible for Angelfishes to kill large prey and their adaptable body makes it possible for them to swallow the catch. Their jaws can be distended to accommodate huge prey and their thin and flexible bones make their stomach larger. The stomach of an Angler fish is very stretchy.
As mentioned above, a lot of the Anglerfish species dwell far down in the ocean. They inhabit aphotic zones to where the suns’ light can not penetrate. A normal esca is therefore invisible. The deep living Angler fish species have solved this by entering a symbiotic relationship with a certain type of bacteria than produce light. The bacteria colonise the esca and make it glow in the dark, an example of so called bioluminescence. Bioluminescence is a common feature in deep sea living organisms and other predatory fishes in the aphotic zone will therefore assume that the small esca is a suitable prey. The rest of the Angler fish is dark and can not be detected in the aphotic environment. The light from the esca is not strong enough to illuminate the body of the fish, nor is the light from other bioluminescent organisms. The Angler fish can therefore stay completely hidden and ambush the unsuspecting predatory fish.
Deep sea Angler fish have developed an unusual method of reproduction. Once a male Anglerfish finds a female Anglerfish, he will never leave her. He attaches himself to her body using his sharp teeth and produces an enzyme that gradually allows him access to her blood stream. The two fishes will gradually melt together and the male will not hunt, he will get all the nutrition that he needs from the female Anglerfish. When she is ready to ovulate, the hormone levels in her blood will make the male produce sperm than can fertilize the eggs. In order for this method to be successful, the female Anglerfishes are much larger than the male. When the males have attached themselves to a female, they will actually deteriorate even further. One of the largest found female Anglerfishes was bigger than one yard (more than 90 centimeters). Some female Anglerfishes will allow several males to attach themselves to her.
There are more than 200 known species of Anglerfish in the world, and more might be found in the future since a lot of the Angler fish species inhabit great depths far down in the ocean where humans and their research equipment seldom venture. The Anglefish species are not contained in any special family or genera, they are instead spread out over several different families. They do however belong to the same order; Lophiiformes. (The order of the bony fishes.)
Angel fish species are famous for their capability to kill and consume prey that is much larger than them selves. The ambush effect makes it possible for Angelfishes to kill large prey and their adaptable body makes it possible for them to swallow the catch. Their jaws can be distended to accommodate huge prey and their thin and flexible bones make their stomach larger. The stomach of an Angler fish is very stretchy.
As mentioned above, a lot of the Anglerfish species dwell far down in the ocean. They inhabit aphotic zones to where the suns’ light can not penetrate. A normal esca is therefore invisible. The deep living Angler fish species have solved this by entering a symbiotic relationship with a certain type of bacteria than produce light. The bacteria colonise the esca and make it glow in the dark, an example of so called bioluminescence. Bioluminescence is a common feature in deep sea living organisms and other predatory fishes in the aphotic zone will therefore assume that the small esca is a suitable prey. The rest of the Angler fish is dark and can not be detected in the aphotic environment. The light from the esca is not strong enough to illuminate the body of the fish, nor is the light from other bioluminescent organisms. The Angler fish can therefore stay completely hidden and ambush the unsuspecting predatory fish.
Deep sea Angler fish have developed an unusual method of reproduction. Once a male Anglerfish finds a female Anglerfish, he will never leave her. He attaches himself to her body using his sharp teeth and produces an enzyme that gradually allows him access to her blood stream. The two fishes will gradually melt together and the male will not hunt, he will get all the nutrition that he needs from the female Anglerfish. When she is ready to ovulate, the hormone levels in her blood will make the male produce sperm than can fertilize the eggs. In order for this method to be successful, the female Anglerfishes are much larger than the male. When the males have attached themselves to a female, they will actually deteriorate even further. One of the largest found female Anglerfishes was bigger than one yard (more than 90 centimeters). Some female Anglerfishes will allow several males to attach themselves to her.
2008年9月1日星期一
A Few Points About Wren House Plans
Today we are going to discuss Wren house plans.
It seems that everyone loves song birds. Even the most notoriously disruptive minds in history, such as Ghengis Kahn, Adolf Hitler, and Idi Amin simply MUST have liked the sound of birds chirruping like little cherubs out on tree branches during the morning. One of the most cherished of song birds is the wren, and so the subject of our article here is about Wren house plans.
If one wants to hear wrens singing away each morning, one can capture a few of these birds and subject them to a life of captivity and possible misery. A better option is to build a bird house specifically for these angelic-voiced creatures. To do this, one requires wren house plans.Wren house plans are the basic diagrams for building a bird house for one of humanity's great sirens of song. These plans are quite specific to attracting this specific species (though admittedly, sometimes chickadees and other small birds will also pop in from time to time). The more the merrier!
To get the most out of your bird house, you must get the wren house plans with the most goodies. Carefully select the option you feel will be best for your bird house. While many such plans are readily available online for little or no cost, some of the features can be added on. If this seems too difficult, there are wren house plans that can be purchased that are sure to accommodate the best features. These features include easy-access hinged doors, lightweight construction materials, decently-sized compartments, individual porches, and insulated attics.
A little explanation of each of these is in order. First, having doors that are hinged will allow for easy access for purposes of inspecting nests for eggs or simple human curiosity/snooping. Lightweight materials are important in construction as they reduce the chances of a house falling off a pole in a storm or stiff breeze. Compartments of a relatively large size (usually about 6x6x12 inches is a good amount) will keep the occupants comfortable without allowing larger fowl in. Lastly, an insulated attic simply makes for greater warmth, and who doesn't like to be warm, including wrens.
The singing of Wrens is delightful to the ear and you will have much joy with your bird houses.
It seems that everyone loves song birds. Even the most notoriously disruptive minds in history, such as Ghengis Kahn, Adolf Hitler, and Idi Amin simply MUST have liked the sound of birds chirruping like little cherubs out on tree branches during the morning. One of the most cherished of song birds is the wren, and so the subject of our article here is about Wren house plans.
If one wants to hear wrens singing away each morning, one can capture a few of these birds and subject them to a life of captivity and possible misery. A better option is to build a bird house specifically for these angelic-voiced creatures. To do this, one requires wren house plans.Wren house plans are the basic diagrams for building a bird house for one of humanity's great sirens of song. These plans are quite specific to attracting this specific species (though admittedly, sometimes chickadees and other small birds will also pop in from time to time). The more the merrier!
To get the most out of your bird house, you must get the wren house plans with the most goodies. Carefully select the option you feel will be best for your bird house. While many such plans are readily available online for little or no cost, some of the features can be added on. If this seems too difficult, there are wren house plans that can be purchased that are sure to accommodate the best features. These features include easy-access hinged doors, lightweight construction materials, decently-sized compartments, individual porches, and insulated attics.
A little explanation of each of these is in order. First, having doors that are hinged will allow for easy access for purposes of inspecting nests for eggs or simple human curiosity/snooping. Lightweight materials are important in construction as they reduce the chances of a house falling off a pole in a storm or stiff breeze. Compartments of a relatively large size (usually about 6x6x12 inches is a good amount) will keep the occupants comfortable without allowing larger fowl in. Lastly, an insulated attic simply makes for greater warmth, and who doesn't like to be warm, including wrens.
The singing of Wrens is delightful to the ear and you will have much joy with your bird houses.
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