This is the last article in the 4-part mini series, "Built for...", to access the other 3 articles click on the links above this.
Out of millions of animals, 3 are selected based on their outstanding ability to stun, decapitate and absolute demolish their victims, leaving them in shreds. These are the ultimate animals, the top of the food chain, even being in their presence is a mistake. This is Built for Kill.
This is the third article in the 4-part mini series, "Built for...", to access the other 3 articles click on the links above this.
Out of millions of animals, 3 are selected based on their outstanding ability to run, swim or fly in a world of speed that we humans are unfamiliar with, speeds that require the use of slow motion cameras to capture them in all their glory. This is Built for Speed.
Peregrine Falcon
Now this may be the fastest animal on the planet, but it ranks third. Why you ask? Because it gets so much of an advantage. It is only able to reach the speed of 325km/h when it is diving from the air. Repeat: ONLY WHEN IT IS DIVING FROM THE AIR. Anyone could do that if we were to dive from the air as well, but perhaps only once....
In fact, when it is in level flight, it can only fly at about 88km/h. And even though it is still an amazing feat, it is nothing that makes you go "OMG". In fact, the Mantis Shrimp's punch is just as fast as that.
But here are some videos of it.
The falcon has special adaptations in its nostrils which allow it to breathe at such tremendous speed. Each nostril contains a rod and two fins behind it. As air rushes past the nostrils, the flow is broken up and slowed by the rods and fins which enable the falcon to breathe normally without being overwhelmed by the force at which air enters its nostrils. Moreover, the eyes of the peregrine falcon are designed so that the falcon has a clear view of its prey throughout the dive. Each eye is equipped with an nictitating membrane which protects it from dust and other debris in the air and an additional secretory gland to prevent drying up of the cornea. The dark markings around its eyes also reduce glare, improving visual contrast. The animal is also incredibly streamlined. Its also small and light to improve its speed.
Don't get me wrong, these birds are incredible and majestic creatures and are just simply beautiful, and man can only envy its gift of flight, but it just does not cut it to beat the next on our list.
Cheetah
The Cheetah is the world's fastest land animal and lands itself second on our list. It can run at speeds of up to 120km/h, but not for long, tiring out after 500m. It has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 3 seconds.
Virtually every part of its body is adapted in some way to help it run faster. Special paw pads and semi-retractable claws provide great traction. Large nostrils and lungs provide quick air intake; a large liver, heart and adrenals also facilitate a rapid physical response. A long, fluid, greyhound-like body is streamlined over light bones. Small collarbones and vertical shoulder blades help lengthen the stride. The tail acts as a rudder for quick turning as well.
Just a video of the cheetah showing off its speed, but there's a anticlimax at the end. :(
Here are some awesome photos of the cheetah:
Summary:
Sailfish
This is the animal that wins this little competition. Why? Because it can swim at 110km/h. Underwater. That is unbelievable. It swims so quickly in the environment that has the most resistance and friction. But how?
Well first of all, it probably has the most streamlined shape of all of today's 3 animals. And you probably may notice its very sharp beak, well like jet planes, they possess these because it cuts through the water and makes the sailfish move extremely quickly.
Their sails which attract hoards of their prey, which are fish, will retract when they swim so as to minimise friction as the sailfish swims through the water at top speed.
This is the second article in the 4-part mini series, "Built for...", to access the other 3 articles click on the links above this.
Out of millions of animals, 3 are selected based on their outstanding ability to camouflage, to blend in, and sometimes to seem to disappear completely. This is Built for Camouflage.
Leafy Seadragon
The first animal is the Leafy Seadragon. It is type of seahorse that lives in Southern Australia. The name is derived from the appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body.
These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. The lobes of skin that grow on the leafy seadragon gives it the appearance of seaweed. It is able to maintain the illusion when swimming, appearing to move through the water like a piece of floating seaweed.
Dead Leaf Butterfly
If you thought that was spectacular, watch this.
This amazing animal is called the dead leaf butterfly. And I am sure you can see that is spectacular. With wings closed, it closely resembles a dry leaf with dark veins and is a spectacular example of camouflage. Its name is also derived from its appearance, as it REALLY closely resembles a dead leaf.
Just look at the detail of the "leaf" that the butterfly has
adapted to form!!!
Chameleon
These animals of course win this race for the best camouflaged animal. It can change from pink, blue, red, orange, green, black, brown, light blue, yellow, turquoise and purple in an instant. And further more, it can change which areas turn what colour, so it can create patterns with its colours as well.
Chameleons have specialized cells, chromatophores, which contain pigments in their cytoplasm, in three layers below their transparent outer skin:
The cells in the upper layer, called xanthophores and erythrophores, contain yellow and red pigments respectively.
Below these is a second layer of cells called iridophores or guanophores; these contain guanine, appearing blue or white.
The deepest layer of cells, melanophores, contain the dark pigment melanin, controlling how much light is reflected.
Dispersion of the pigment granules in the chromatophores sets the intensity of each color. When the pigment is equally distributed in a chromatophore, the whole cell is intensively colored. When the pigment is located only in the centre of the cell, the cell appears mainly transparent. Chromatophores can rapidly relocate their particles of pigment, thereby influencing the animal's color. Chromatophores change because the cells get a message from the brain.
Scientists think that Chameleon changes colour not for camouflage but to express their mood, reflect or absorb heat. That is why, they may seem to be very colourful and doing the opposite of camouflaging.
Not really difficult to spot right?
But, if they were to be able to use it for camouflage, and control each individual cell to match the surroundings, how awesome would that be??? Just the very thought of it, allows the chameleon to deserve the number 1 spot. That and this awesome video. Note: the video has probably the weirdest music I've heard. Ever.
For the next 4 weeks, I will start my "Built for..." series, with 3 animals featured each week. These 3 animals are selected based on their outstanding ability to attract, camouflage, move quickly and kill. They are ranked based on my personal opinions on what has the most spectacular adaptations. Click on the banner above to view the other articles!
Out of millions of animals, 3 are selected based on their outstanding ability to attract a mate whether its through croaking, through scent or just through plain old looks. This is Built for Attraction.
Peacocks
1. During the breeding season, peacocks choose special places to perform their courtship dance and they tend to return to the same location year after year. Other males may be doing the same thing close by and peahens will window-shop-the peacock with the best display wins.
2. When a peahen comes close enough, the peacock turns his back and brings his train erect, displaying the underlying tail feathers and his dark wings, which he flutters rapidly, From this angle, the brilliant colours of the display feathers can't be seen-the bird is predominantly grey and brown. The peacock steps from side to side and sometimes moves forward or backward a few steps. 3. When the peahen comes closer still, the peacock backs up towards her, and when she avoids him, he turns, revealing all his colour and holding his wings still. He then drops the great fan down on top of the female. It quivers, making a rustling sound. 4. The peahen may mate with the peacock, or she may simply walk away or stand still, whereupon the male starts over, turning his back again and resuming the rapid fluttering of his wings. The peacock can hold his fan of display feathers up for a very long time. 5. For reasons that are not well understood, peahens tend to mate with peacocks with the most eye-spots.
Angler Fish
Yup... That scary guy from Nemo...
Seriously, these fish have the coolest mating ritual.
Anglerfish, a deep sea fish named for the spiny appendage on its head that it uses as bait to "fish" its prey, has an unusual mating habit. As it spends its time in the bottom of the ocean, finding a mate is a problem - but the species solved this evolutionary challenge beautifully.
At first, scientists were perplexed because they've never caught a male anglerfish. Also, all female anglerfish have a lump on their body that looks like a parasite. Only later did scientists discover that the lump is the remain of the male fish.
The tiny male anglerfish are born without any digestive system, so once they hatch, they have to find a female quickly. When a male finds a female, he quickly bites her body and releases an enzyme that digests his skin and her body to fuse the two in an eternal embrace. The male then wastes away, becoming nothing but a lump on the female anglerfish's body!
When the female is ready to spawn, her "male appendage" is there, ready to release sperms to fertilize her egg.
For science this year so far, I think I have performed pretty well getting 42/45 for my science test.
I'm so happy.
I think that I should maintain this momentum for next term, and continue to work hard for next term to achieve another round of awesome science results. I'm hoping to get exempted for science so I have to work hard.
I think what I can improve on is my consistency. Some days I just can't concentrate, and I end up screwing up the experiment. I need to pay attention and not just stare blankly into space.
This post will look at the extra or enhanced senses that some animals have developed to adapt to its environment.
Enhanced Sight
Now, when you first saw the heading, you must have been like, well he would obviously talk about the bald eagle. Well that is just too mainstream. I will talk about a lesser known creature. The Mantis Shrimp.
It is believed to possess the most complex eyes in the entire animal kingdom.
I'm sure you all know about the visible spectrum of light. What we can see, is just a small fraction of electromagnetic radiation.
But what the mantis shrimp is amazing. It can see everything from Ultraviolet to infrared light and even polarized light!
So let's first discuss how they can use their ultraviolet sight. Well what ultraviolet allows you to do is to analyse the history of an object. Like knowing that dinosaur bones are hollow and that ancient Greek statues were actually painted just by looking at it. Seeing infrared light can allow it to see an invisible laser alarm system, read data of a Blu-ray disc, and see how hot or cold something is.
So, why do they get awesome eyesight and I don't???
They prey on animals that or often semi transparent or transparent, so they need to be able to sense different types of radiation to find their prey. Also because they hunt using very rapid movement of their claws, they require very accurate ranging information which would require very accurate depth perception.
Internal GPS
The monarch butterfly's migration in North America every spring looks like the sort of poorly planned, uncoordinated mass migrations you expect from the Animal Kingdom, with hundreds of millions spreading out across North America. In August, they fly back South. But here's where things get spooky. All hundred million of them fly back to the same patch of trees in Mexico, that patch of trees is the 1/100th the size of New York's Central Park.
But here is when it really gets creepy till the point that science cannot explain. These migrations take place over a year. The butterflies live for only a few months. That means the migrations span generations. Every August, hundred of millions of butterflies stretch out from their pupae and begin to fly to the exact patch of trees that their great-grandfathers left a year ago. Right of the bat when they are born, they already know how to fly to the home of their great-grandfather without their mothers telling them how, or without knowing who their great-grandfather is, or even without knowing what a great-grandfather is because obviously they are butterflies and could not possibly have known. Allow me to emphasize their achievement. We can only return to our own home from an unknown location through the help of a GPS. They do that without even knowing where home is.
So why do thy get an internal GPS and I don't?
Well, perhaps its because we got the bigger brain and could learn how to make one. Nature just loves making our lives difficult. Maybe that's why humans are taking revenge on it through deforestation and releasing carbon emissions and extensive hunting and killing and forcing species into extinction. Maybe.
Just kidding. Seriously, Global Warming is bad and it needs to stop now.
Echolocation
Echolocation is essentially biological sonar. Animals that can echolocate emit calls to their environment, and listen to the echos of those calls that return from various objects that use them. They use these calls to locate and identify the objects. There are many animals that can echolocate like bats being most notable, but I would like to do my case study on dolphins because they just look a lot cuter.
I mean seriously. What kind of coldblooded creature must you be
to not want to give this guy a big hug.
Dolphins use echolocation to navigate their way around the sea as well as for hunting prey. Dolphins live in the sea so their visibility is very limited and furthermore, sound travels faster in water. echolocation is very favourable in the sea. They emit a focused beam of high frequency clicks in the direction their head is pointing.
Sounds are generated by passing air from the bony nares through the phonic lips. The focused beam is modulated by a large fatty organ known as the 'melon'. This acts like an acoustic lens because it is composed of lipids of differing densities.
Dolphins use clicks in a series. Echolocation literally sonar, using sounds made by the animal itself. Ranging is done by measuring the time delay between the animal's own sound emission and any echoes that return from the environment. Animal echolocation has only one transmitter and two receivers which are the ears. Echolocating animals have two ears positioned slightly apart. The echoes returning to the two ears arrive at different times and at different loudness levels, depending on the position of the object generating the echoes. The time and loudness differences are used by the animals to perceive distance and direction. With echolocation, the bat or other animal can see not only where it is going but also how big another animal is, what kind of animal it is, and other features.
Electroreception
Sharks are able to "sense" electricity. My case study is he Hamerhead Shark, which just so happens to also have enhanced smell, and better vision than most sharks, having 360 degrees of vertical binocular vision.
Nobody told me I had 360 degrees vertical binocular vision?!?!?!
But obviously, their most impressive ability is the ability to use their hammer head as a natural minesweeper, detecting the minutest electrical signal over vast distances or through mud. All sharks have receptors called ampullae of Lorenzini, which actually sounds more like a pasta dish than a super-sensory organ. Hammerheads just have more of them, and they are spread out over that giant head, giving them something similar to an electrical signal detecting radar array on their face.
As a result, hammerheads can detect half a billionth of a volt. For some perspective, when you drive around in your car on a dry day, then get out and zap yourself on the door handle, that's because your body built up about 8,000 to 10,000 volts of static. That is more than a trillion times the voltage needed for a hammerhead to find you, even if you are hiding in an underground bunker at the bottom of the goddamn ocean. Because of this, hammerheads are able to easily find just about anything on the bottom of the ocean that tries to hide from them.
Yeah, I think its time we all spend a moment to be thankful of the fact that we live on land, not in the sea, because it seems like a pretty messed up world to live in.
The Mantis Shrimp's punch is delivered at 50mph and keep in mind that the shrimp is doing this underwater. Think back to the last time you were at the pool and you tried to no avail to run through it and ended up stupidly flailing you arms and legs in slow motion. In fact, it is known to break aquarium glass.
The dolphin can blast soundwaves at you and estimate how you look like, where you might swim to in the next minute and where you are with pinpoint accuracy. Even when you hide in the seabed, the hammerhead can find you, and gobble you up for dinner.
Hey. Its a Friday, which is not my usual post day, because this is not an actual science post, so there is a different type of tag as well.
In case you are wondering about the title as well, I'm here to clear everything up. Well you see, I started wondering about what to post during months of the school holidays as there well be less school work to report about, also, all the months that have school holidays have 5 Saturdays, so that will mean the post schedule will be rather irregular.
I thought about doing something special, so I came up with the idea of doing something similar to "Shark Week" that Discovery Channel has. Then, the idea of doing something about the various adaptations that animals have developed over the years struck me. ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS MONTH was thus born. I plan on continuing this for June and September.
I took a very long time designing this graphic, but it was very worth it, because I think it tuned out very well. :)
And for the whole of March, that is what you will be getting:
On 3rd March - Born with the extra something
On 10th March - Built for Attraction
On 17th March - Built for Camouflage
On 24th March - Built for Speed
On 31st March - Built for the kill
Stay tuned for this awesome month with 5 entries.
There will also be tags for all these special posts. The tag used will be SR which stands for special report and will not only be used for Animal Adaptations Month, but also for the June and September Special.
There will also be a special tag for Animal Adaptations Month alone, and it will be called AA.
As you can see, there is a 4-part mini series with a title "Built for...", they too will have a tag, and the tag will BF.
I don't exactly know why I'm writing about this today, maybe its because I have the flu.
But anyway, what exactly is this slippery secretion found in our body? Well for starters, if you think its only found in our noses, you're wrong. You can find it in throat, oesophagus and even your stomach!
It is produced by mucous cells found in mucous glands.The mucus serves to protect against infectious agents such as fungi, bacteria and viruses.
The average human produces about a litre of mucus everyday. To put this into perspective, 1 litre is the same as 2 500ml Coca Cola Plastic Bottles.
That is a lot of Mucus.
In the Respiratory System:
Mucus aids in the protection of the lungs by trapping foreign particles that enter it, in particular, through the nose, during normal breathing. Small particles such as dust, particulate pollutants, and allergens are caught in the nasal or airway mucus and are prevented from entering the system. In addition, mucus aids in moisturizing the inhaled air and prevents tissues such as the nasal and airway epithelia from drying out. Nasal and airway mucus is produced continuously, with most of it swallowed unconsciously even when the mucus is dried.
In the Digestive System:
Mucus acts as a lubricant for materials that must pass over membranes. For example, mucus is present in the oesophagus for food to slide down easily, and not get stuck in the tube. A layer of of mucus along the inner walls of the stomach is vital to protect the cell linings of the stomach from the highly acidic environment within the stomach.
During Cold Weather:
The cillia which normally sweeps mucus away from the nostrils and toward the back of the throat, become sluggish, which causes the mucus to run down and drip from the nose. This is known as a runny nose. It is a symptom of the common cold. It may also thicken in the cold weather, causing what is known as a blocked nose.
This concludes my last post of the month, see you in March!
I was inspired to write this article, because right now, I have two ulcers in my mouth, and they are causing me unbearable pain when I eat, drink or brush my teeth. As a matter of fact, I get ulcers very frequently, and find them the most irritating thing in the whole world. The most ulcers I had in my mouth at a time was 8. I could barely eat, I had to eat porridge all day, thankfully it was during the school holidays so I could stay home and rest. But anyway, after some research, I realised that my ulcers are called aphthous ulcer, which looks like this:
An aphthous ulcer is a painful open sore inside the mouth. It appears as a white oval with an inflamed red border.
So, what is its cause???
Well, there is no exact cause. So I will never no what causes my ulcers but apparently, citrus fruits (e.g. Oranges and Lemons) can play a part in causing these sores.
I will never look at you the same, my sweet, juicy, delicious, ulcer causing friend.
Also, lack of sleep could be a possible cause. This explains a lot as I have gotten ulcers less frequently when I was in the afternoon session in Primary School, where I could sleep till 9am.
There is even a condition known as Sutton's Disease for major, multiple, recurring ulcers. It is one of the most common oral conditions. 10% of the population has this condition. These are the people who record having more than one ulcer per month. In fact, 30 to 40% of patients who have Sutton's Disease report a family history. My father, and two of my paternal aunties also have recurring aphthous ulcers. Does this explain my situation? Yes. I think I can safely diagnose myself with Sutton's Disease. Being a doctor seems easy enough now, just look at the symptoms from Wikipedia, compare it with the patient's symptoms and voila! You are done and can make millions of dollars.
Its interesting to note that people above the age of 55 very very rarely get ulcers.
I don't get ulcers! Isn't that nice honey?
Let me go grab my glasses and make you a nice cup of hot cocoa.
The Remedy?
Step 1: Avoid eating spicy foods.
Step 2: Rinse with Mouthwashes.
Step 3: Proper Oral Hygiene.
I will definitely try these methods to get rid of the ulcers in my mouth now.
See you next week, for my first experiment post.
