Saturday, December 8, 2012

The Midnight Zone

There are 3 zones in the ocean.The topmost layer is the sunlight zone. In the middle,there is the twilight zone.The last zone is the midnight zone.In this blog, I am going to tell you about the the midnight zone.

The midnight zone has the least life in all 3 zones.An example of life is the  recently-discovered Yeti Crab.They have hair that helps them catch bacteria.This is how one looks like:



The yeti crabs' sientific name is Kiwa hirsuta.It is a crustacean.This species was discovered in 2005 by a group organized by Robert Vrijenhoek of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Monterey, California and Michel Segonzac of the Ifremer and a Census of Marine Life scientist using the submarine DSV Alvin, operating from RV Atlantis.The discovory though, was annouced in 2006.

Another form of life are Giant Tubeworms.Their scientific name is rifta pachpiutila.They are not anelids like leeches and earthworms,but they are a type of mollusk.Here is how some looks like:

The next organisim is bacteria.They start the food chain.They eat chemicals from black smokers.A black smoker is a volcano that has black lava and smoke due to the black minerals going through sea vents.I am positive there are more creatures out there.The only problem is it is not easy getting down there. This is due to water pressure.When you go down to the midnight zone, it feels like you have a schoolbus on your head!This is all I have to say about the midnight zone.

credits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nur04505.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwa_hirsuta

Monday, August 20, 2012

green anaconda

A green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world. An adult can weigh over 550 pounds ! It can also grow up to 29 feet. That is long but the reticulated python is longer. Since its green you might think it lives in a forest , right? Correct . It lives in the amazon rain-forest in South America. This snake is a constrictor meaning its not poisonous,but kills its prey by suffocating it. Like other snakes, a green anaconda has open really wide. In fact they even eat caimans!here is a picture of one eating:


Some people have claimed to have seen a 30 or 40 foot anaconda. Now there is a reward of 50,000 dollars to anyone who can find and capture a 30 or longer anaconda.The prize has not been claimed, and i am positive  it will  be claimed. Green anacondas are one of the coolest snakes.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Protozoa and Metazoa

In the  creature world ,there are 2 types of animals.  Metazoa and Protozoa.Protozoa are singular celled. Metazoa  are multi-cellular organisms such as   Homo sapiens or  humans. An example of Protozoa is a  Stentor . Here a picture of a Stentor.


 So you get the idea , right? Fish , snakes , cats , dogs , primates , birds , amphibians , dolphins , bats ,  bears , raccoons  ,  cows , goats , sheep , hyenas ,monotremes ( like the platypus ) ,are all    Metazoa and some Protozoa are :

Volvox
Euglena
Paramecium
Amoeba
Stentor

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Leeches

Almost everyone has heard of a leech .But not every one knows that not all leeches are parasitic. One thing they all are related to earthworms and  both are annelids. Annelids are worms that have segments. I bet you did not know this. Leeches are good swimmers. They swim in an S shape.Most leech species do not feed on human blood, but instead prey on small invertebrates, which they eat whole. The ones that are parasitic do eat blood though. If one does bite you, you wont notice it .This is because they have anesthetic in their saliva or spit. A long time ago people thought sickness was caused by bad blood . So they put leeches on  the sick .  Did you think that worked ? It  never did. Then they put leeches in hospitals again. They let the leeches feed on a spot near an operation. Their anticoagulant makes the blood keep flowing to the spot so it can heal faster.
 My dad told me if you put rock salt on a leach that is biting you , it will stop. Leeches are pretty
misunderstood.

 

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Taipan Inland (Oxyuranus microlepidotus)

 The Taipan Inland is the world's most  venomous land snake.It is the most venomous land snake,but not that aggressive. In fact it is very shy . Did you know that they change color during the seasons. This is one in summer:




















And this one is in winter:


The first one is almost white, and the second is black.
 Like other snakes the Taipan Inland is a meat eater . The Inland Taipan consumes mostly rodents, small mammals and birds. Unlike other venomous snakes that strike with a single accurate bite then retreat while waiting for the prey to die, the Inland Taipan is known to deliver up to eight venomous bites in a single attack. 
So I guess they are not aggressive to humans , but to their prey.Taipan Inlands are cool.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Yellow Bellied Sea Snake


The yellow bellied sea snake is cool! It's tail is shaped like an oar which helps it to swim in the water. Yellow bellied sea snake eats ...you guessed it right- fish. The yellow bellied sea snake has a yellow belly to warn other creatures that it is . If you get freaked out that these snakes might hurt you, don't worry. These yellow bellied sea snake only lives in the deep part of the Pacific ocean. The Yellow bellied sea snake can also be near Hawaii. It almost always stay in water and is  helpless on land.

The Yellow bellied sea sea snakes breed in warm waters . they are ovoviviparous with a gestation period of about 6 months.Here is a cool fact:Did you know that

the Yellow bellied sea snake is related to the Cobra family?

This snake is capable of spending up to three hours underwater without surfacing and can swim forward or backward. It's nostrils face upward so it's easy to breath.The Yellow bellied sea snake is awesome !

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The Pickpocketer

June 17,2020, at market street Sanfrancisco, a not so clever pick pocketer named Jim pick pocketed few wallets from different people. Jim rushed out of Market street and headed straight towards the beach. He panted for a while and then sat down on a bench. He pulled out few wallets from his pockets. The first wallet had nothing but few expired credit cards and only $3 "whoever had this must be poor" he said to himself. Then he went through the second wallet ...no luck here too "this guy should be a reckless!" Then Jim went through the third wallet which had $30 exactly and BART ticket "whola! this is good for today let me check my luck on the last wallet" said Jim. When he opened the last wallet, he couldn't believe his luck. The last wallet had an unexpired credit card, "wow! a credit card!" he shouted and danced in the public. Now Jim had a masterplan, he planned to go to Gold rush museum where a lot of people would show up to see the art display made out of gold in 1847. Jim used the credit card to purchase the ticket. As expected, there were quite a lot of wealthy people with all nice clothings and jewelleries. Jims mind was all set to gather all the wallets of all these people. He moved here and there bumped on few, pushed a few and collected a few wallets. Jims eyes were wandering until his eyes were stuck on the gold art. He started to plan to steal the art made out of gold as well. Jim never noticed or even thought that there were cameras mounted on the wall all over the museum. Jim took the axe which was kept near the fire extinguisher. He took out the match box from his pocket and burnt his scarf and threw it near the art which was made out of gold. He then shouted, "fire, fire, everybody run!" people got scare and soon evacuated out through the emergency exit. "Well, that was easier than I thought, now all this gold is mine!' he said to himself and broke the glass with the axe and took out the gold art. The burglar alarm and the smoke alarm went off and soon there were cops with guns surrounding him and soon came the firefighters as well. Jim said, "hey is this what you try to do to me after I have saved this piece of art?" without taking his eyes off from the gold. "Quit playing we know all your tricks" said the cops. "Well not all my tricks" said Jim who grabbed the fire extinguisher and sprayed it on the cops and tried to escape but the exits were blocked by the fire fighters. The next moment Jim found himself on the floor while a cop suppressing him and he was handcuffed and sent to jail.