Animal World

If you ask, “What animal that can see two different places without moving its neck?” Jackson Chameleon is the answer.

Each of this native African reptile eyes are able to move independently. The secret is the chameleon’s turret eyes. Unlike our eyes, which are sunken into protective, bony sockets, the Jackson’s eyes stick out from either side of its head on raised turrets. It upper and lower eyelids are joined, with only a pinhole large enough for the pupil to see through. More over, they can rotate and focus separately to observe two different objects simultaneously. It in effect gives them a full 360-degree arc of vision around their body.

When the chameleon spots a tasty meal with one eye, it swivels the other eye in the same direction. This gives the chameleon stereoscopic vision, or the ability to see a single image instead of two, allowing it to judge the distance between itself and its prey.

But hang on, The Jackson’s chameleon also has a “third eye” — a small spot on its head sensitive to violet and blue light. Although it can’t form images, this third eye, which is covered in scales, may help the chameleon tell when the sun is rising or setting.

What an amazing eyes ability to use when we hang out, ya?  :)

Source: animal.discovery, allsands

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Mosquito, a tiny creature and yet a fearsome enemy for human. These nasty, blood-sucking, itchy, irritating insect, is also known as disease-carrying pests. They transmit viruses and parasite while they blood feasting. Yellow fever, Dengue, and West Nile virus for example, or malaria and filariasis.

However, mosquitoes do not transmit HIV or AIDS. Thanks to Studies that conducted by the Centers for Disease Control. It said that there are no evidence of HIV transmission from mosquitoes in places with many cases of AIDS and large populations of mosquitoes. One reason for this lack of transmission of the disease is the nature of insect biting behavior. When an insect bites a person, it does not inject its own or a previously bitten person’s or animal’s blood into the next person bitten. Instead it injects saliva, which acts as a lubricant so the insect can feed efficiently. Other diseases such as yellow fever and malaria are transmitted through the saliva of specific species of mosquitoes.

But, HIV lives for only a short time inside an insect. Therefore even if the virus enters a mosquito, the insect does not become infected and can’t transmit HIV to the next human it bites.

Well, I hope this info is useful. Catch more interesting facts and trivia about this fascinating insect here. At the mean time, watch out for the bites folks!

Credit : Squidoo 

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In my mind, one of the most scary flying animal is the vampire bat. Why scary? Why do you think I said them scary? Ah, come confess me, U’re also scared seeing this animals :p

Is that because their food source is blood? 

Actually, it is because this bat feeds mostly on the blood of mammals. In addition, once the common vampire bat locates a host, such as a sleeping mammal, it lands and approaches it on the ground. And these bats will even occasionally feed on humans. They are very agile and a recent study found that common vampire bats can, in addition to walk, run at speeds of up to 7.9 km per hour (4.9 miles per hour).

Till this part, I become more and more scared to this bat

Enriched from Wikipedia, Credit : supreme

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The blackbuck is a powerfull gazelle native to the Indian subcontinent. Extremely long twisted horns are the key feature of adult males, and these twist out to lengths of up to 68 cm (27 in). The sexes are also separated by colouration : the females are light faw in colour whereas the males are dark brown to black, the darker colours making the blackbuck’s white underparts and face patches more striking. Social behaviour is affected markedly by the breeding females.

Territories are market out using urine and dung, and by rubbing scent glands against trees and bushes (the scent glads are located just in front of the eye).

Breeding can take place at any time of the year, but March to May and August to October are the most intensive times. Blackbuck are currently listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the IUCN, their numbers having been slashed by unrestrained hunting during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Taken From Expert Guide Mammals From African Antelopes To Polar Bears by Chris McNab, Page 18. Credit : Sadapunjab

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A fundamental connection between mammals is that they are endothermes–they maintain their cotre body temperature within a relatively narrow and constant range, the heat produced being a by-product of food digestion. In most mammals except marsupials, the temperature range is between 36° Celcius (96.8°F) nad 40°C (104°F); marsupials have a range of 27°C (80.6F) to 32°F (89.6°F). Maintaining the core temperature is vital, as movement either above or below can be life-threatening.

Core temperature is controlled through the hypothalamus in the brain, but there are various psysiological and behavioural activities designed to conserve heat or regulate heat loss. To conserve heat, the mammal can shiver (to generate muscular heat), share body heat with other animals, find places of shelter, puff up fur to trap more warm air, or eat, while the blood vessels on the skin will contract to reduce the amount of warmth being lost through the skin surface and extremities. By contrast, heat loss is accomplished by dilating the surface blood vessels, panting (to expel hot air), opening the body posture to maximize the heat loss area, or submerging or standing in water.

Some mammals hibernate during winter, their bodiest almost going into a state of suspension. Hibernation takes place in a warm den or nest, and the animal’s body temperature will plunge–a European hedgehog’s hibernation temperature is about 6°C (43°F). Breathing cycles and metabolic rate are also reduced, but the animals will revive with no harmful effects in the summer.

Taken From Expert Guide Mammals From African Antelopes To Polar Bears by Chris McNab, Page 8-9., Credit : powerlineblog

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When I was kid, I like to play with my cats very much. I had 3 cats, I named them : Vini, Vidi, Vici. Hahaha, those name I borrowed from Julius Caesar

One of my favorite thing to do with the cats was cutting their eyelashes. Yes, that hair above their eyes. But I was wondered, finding another cat with no eyelashes. Even more other cats I found to have no eyelashes. What’s wrong with them? Have other people–before me–cut their eyelashes?

If you’re still curious with the answer, then look at your cats. See carefully. How many cats you find having eyelashes?

You’ll just find that many cats don’t have eyelashes, in fact. Well, this is a kind of genetic selection, I guess. Let’s find some more related information, then!

Credit : CatFacts 

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While most animals can not survive of desolate places like dessert, mountains, and other arid places, camels can. Camel is one of animals that has a great survive ability. Why? Is that because their large source of water in their humps?

Well, if you still think that camels store water in their humps, you have to change it now.

The truth is : this hump actually contains of fatty tissue. Just like human, the more you have fat, the bigger craw you can also have, well, if I can say it craw or “tembolok” in Bahasa. I mean that part between your chin and throat, yes, let just call it craw

This fatty tissue acts as the source of energy when it metabolized. It will release more than 1 g of water for each 1 g of fat converted through reaction with Oxygen. Where do the Oxygen comes from? Of course it is taken from air while the camels are breathing. This metabolization then creates a net loss of water through respiration for the oxygen required to convert the fat.

How camels are able to survive along the desolate environtment actually related to physiological adaptations. The oval shape of their red blood cells enables their flow in a dehydrated state, and work more stable to the change of osmotic variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water. The blood remains hydrated, even though the body fluids are lost.

This is the reason behind their ability to withstand the dehydration

Credit : Fohn

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Master of Science degreed Entomologist Randi Jones wrote in TheButterflySite a complete fact about butterfly.

Butterfly–for me–is one of the most beautiful creatures in this world. This Lepidoptera  insect order animal has a certain life cycle, kind of transformation from one form to other forms, as follows :

To grow into an elegant adult butterfly, they go through 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Depending on the species, the life cycle of a butterfly (one generation) may take anywhere from about one month to an entire year. Butterflies size is range from a tiny 1/8 inch to a huge almost 12 inches. There are 24,000 different kinds of butterflies worldwide. You know, the sad part of butterfly life is : most adult butterflies only live one or two weeks, these animals only have flower nectar as a food source. On the contrary, the amazing fact is  : the top butterfly flight speed is 12 miles per hour. Some moths can fly 25 miles per hour! Such an amazing speed, huh?

Credit : ButterflyHouse

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Hello there!

This time we’ll talk about turtles. Who like turtles? Well, perhaps the question is, “Who doesn’t love turtles?” Tell me what you know about turtles!

Slow, have a great shell, what else?

You know, sea turtles cannot pull their heads into their shells as can land turtles. They love to eat jellyfish-because the jellyfish can?t swim away! This is ridiculous, I think

Then, turtle’s shell consists of sections. Between these sections, new layers of keratin are growing. The top part of a turtle’s shell is called a ”carapace.“ The bottom part is called the ”plastron.“

Turtles are also mentioned in some mythology of many civilizations, like Chinese, Japan, and Greek. Wow, they are the legendary animal, ya?

Last but not least, turtles’s way back to the ocean is by following the reflected light of the moon or stars.

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Have you ever realized the change of your cat’s eyes color? Sometimes they are green, sometimes blue, and they could be yellow as well.

The eye color of cat influenced by two factors. First, is the actual iris pigment. First is the actual pigmentof the iris. Iris has such a biological pigment called melanin and this pigment can be vary from yellow to orange, or even brwon. Second, cat eyes “transparent” structures, that has function to absorb and refract light.

Just like human eyes, when we look at glass edge, it usually looks green or blue. In cats, the blue color coming from the transparent, the absorpti and refraction process then bouncing back the colour into transparent blue that ranging from nearly colorless to deep indigo or purple-blue.

In the end, these are factors that affect cat’s eye colour.

Credit : Farm2.static.Flickr

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