My Science School

The acaju, or cashew, is a native plant of tropical America but today it is cultivated in most warm countries for its excellent nuts. The tree grows on ground that is lower than 800 metres and needs a warm, moist climate/ the fruit, which is particularly popular in Brazil where it ripens between November and January, is quite odd-looking. It resembles a large pear as big as a man’s fist, at the bottom of which is a woody growth shaped like a kidney.

In actual fact the real fruits is this curved nut at the bottom of the fruit. The most striking part of the fruit is the pear-shaped part which is really the greatly swollen stalk of the tree’s blossom. The stalk becomes flesh and rich in sugar substances.

 

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The bison are typical ruminants of great prairies of North America where they are commonly called buffalo. When the first settlers went to the west were an estimated 60 million of these animals who provided the Indians with their major source of food and skins; but the Indians only killed when necessary.

Then the white man came and the massacre began. During the years across the continent, these animals were wantonly slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands. The white settlers only used the tongue of the bison and the animal’s bones were sold by the ton for a few dollars to be made into fertilizer.

Finally all but a few bison were killed. Today they are carefully protected and are breeding again in great numbers.

 

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The ways of owls are much the same the world over. But there is one owl, a native of America, which is very unusual because it is quite unique in the bird kingdom. This is the burrowing owl. It has this name because instead of building the usual rough nest in a sheltered gorge, animal such as the anteater, armadillo or the prairie dog.

The owl does not take over a burrow that has been abandoned by its owner but frequently shares one, living quite peacefully together with the real owner of the burrow. Unlike other owls, the burrowing, owl goes hunting by day. It stands perfectly still and waits for its victim to come close, rather than fly after it.

 

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It seems incredible that there are snakes so poisonous that their bite is greatly feared and that at the same time these snakes should behave in such a way that they help man. These are the coral snakes which live throughout America. They allow themselves to be picked up by people for they are very shy and tame and it is rare for anyone to be bitten by one. But it is not safe to play around with the coral snake: their poison is very powerful and can cause a swift death.

Coral snakes are shy only with people; with other snakes they are extremely aggressive. They eat many other reptiles, most of them poisonous, and in doing this, the coral snake destroys many poisonous creatures and clears large areas of reptiles which are dangerous to man.

Coral snakes have a brightly coloured skin marked with red, yellow and black rings. They live in sandy places where they busy themselves. When their victims come along the coral snake darts out from its hiding place and kills them.

 

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On the mountains of the Sierra Nevada in places that are carefully protected, grow the world’s tallest trees: the sequoias. Sequoias are famous for their tremendous height and for their great age. Some of the tallest and the oldest of these trees are so famous that they have their own special names and are looked after very carefully.

There are two kinds of sequoias: the giant sequoia and the evergreen sequoia. The largest of the giant sequoias is General Sherman. This tree is almost 4,000 years old and stands 83 metres high with a diameter at the base of 10 metres. There are specimens that are higher but have less bulk than the General Sherman tree.

Evergreen sequoias do not live as long as the giant variety but they grow taller. Founder’s Tree, which is in California, is just over 110 metres high. The trunk of this tree is thinner and has a base diameter of about 5 metres.

 

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In the days of the dinosaurs the sky was crowded with huge winged reptiles such as the pterodactyl. These flying reptiles had a wing span of more than 7 metres and would constantly glide above the water, catching fish and crablike animals. They were excellent fliers and could travel over 100 kilometres away from the land in search of their food. Pterodactyls were probably the most skilful fliers of the winged reptiles, but their huge wings were a hindrance to them whenever they landed to rest. At such times the pterodactyl would have to drag itself painfully along the ground in contrast to its agility and grace in the air.

The fossil remains of the pterodactyl have been found in several parts of North America. This means that these flying lizards must have lived in this part of the world.

 

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Many alligators live in the great rivers that flow across China and are especially common in the lower reaches of the Yangtze Kiang. These alligators look different from the crocodile because they have shorter jaws. The fourth tooth of the Chinese alligator’s upper jaw is also large a sticks out when the animal has its mouth closed.

The American alligator which lives in the Mississippi River grows to about 6 metres in length, but the Chinese alligator is rarely longer than one and a half metres. It is too timid to attack large animals and presents no danger to human beings. It prefers, instead, to catch fish, water-birds and small mammals.

 

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This very strange mammal lives in the dense equatorial jungles of Asia and is common in the islands of Malaysia. Another type of pangolin makes its home in the forests of Africa.

The pangolin is a shy, harmless, nocturnal animal with a long body up to a metre in length which resembles the anteater. It has a small head, short legs and a thick tail which is always curled up like a question mark. The skin of its throat and the under parts of body is soft, but the rest of the body pangolin’s body covered in hard, horny, yellowish-brown scales which are so made that the pangolin can roll itself up into a ball when it is frightened or in danger.

The name ‘pangolin’ comes from a Javanese word meaning ‘the animal that rolls up into a ball’. The pangolin, which has no teeth, use its long, sticky, snake-like tongue to scoop up ants and termites, insects that provide its only food. The pangolin also has very strong claws on its forefeet, but it uses these only for tearing down anthills to force the insects out into the open ground.

 

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The gavial is a type of crocodile some 4 to 5 metres long that lives in the river Ganges in India and quite different from the crocodile of the river Nile in Egypt. Although it belongs to the same order of reptiles, it forms a family of its own, the Gavialidae.

The distinguishing characteristic of the gavial is its very long, slender jaws that swell out into a bump at the end and this is where the nose is. This nose enables the gavial to breathe while the rest of its body is completely under the water.

The gavial has rows of sharp, equal-sized teeth which look very frightening when it opens its jaws wide. But this is not a dangerous creature and will not attack people or animals who may approach it on the river banks. It prefers to eat dead animals and fish which it catches with quick sideways movements of its head.

Many people in south-eastern Asia believe that the gavial is sacred. In some places gavials are kept in the grounds of temples and looked after with great care and respect.

 

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The lychee is a small, evergreen tree about 6 metres high which for thousands of year farmers in China have cultivated. It was later grown in South Africa, the Hawaiian Islands and parts of America.

In China the fruit of the lychee tree is a very popular delicacy and people prefer them to oranges or peaches. The lychee fruit is about the same size as a small plum, oval to round in shape with a hard, brittle skin which is strawberry-red in colour when ripe.

The white, translucent, juicy flesh of the lychee has a delicious, refreshing taste resembling that of a muscatel grape.

 

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The dense forests of tropical Asia often echo to the hoarse, piercing, far-reaching cries of the gibbon. This is a small, man-like ape or monkey which is quite common in the East, especially in indo-Malayan countries.

It is not difficult to recognize gibbons because they have certain striking characteristics. The chief of these is their extremely long arms. When a gibbon stands up on its hind legs it can still touch the ground with its fingertips, for its arms are about twice as long as its legs.

The gibbon has a slender body covered in brown fur, but no tail. It is an extremely muscular animal and a marvelous acrobat, swinging from branch to branch of the trees with considerable skill and agility.

Sometimes gibbons jump great distances between trees. They can also hang for a very long time with one hand from a branch while swinging gracefully to and fro like a pendulum.

They feed on young bamboo shoots, nuts, fruits, insects and birds’ eggs, and live mainly in the trees, when on the ground they walk upright, without any help from their long arms, which are held above their heads or behind them.

 

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Ikebana is art of arranging flowers in a pleasing pattern. It developed from custom of offering flowers to the Buddha and was introduced into Japan early in the seventh century. At first ikebana was used only as a form of worship of the Buddha. Priests decorated Buddhist temples with flower arrangements which were not only beautiful but also symbolized various religious ideas. Later, towards the thirteenth century, ikebana spread to the homes of ordinary people and today it is one of the most graceful traditions of Japanese life.

Bonsai is the arranging plants into certain shapes and is the Japanese world literally meaning ‘tray-planted’. It is an older art than ikebana and first began in China. Ikebana uses fresh flowers and other decorative material Ikebana uses fresh flowers and other decorative material such as twigs, mosses and leaves. This is done by keeping them to a small size while still making them look like real trees. It is a very difficult art and requires a great deal of patience and time. To produce a dwarf tree between 30 and 40 centimetres high can take up to 100 years of careful work. The art of bonsai is passed on from father to son and one tree can be handed down from one generation to the next as a valued possession.

 

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Desert rats can be seen during moonlit nights scampering and hopping about the desert sands. These animals, also known as jerboas, come out of their hiding places only after dark in search of food.

But they do not seem to be looking for food as they jump about. Their bodies are about 20 centimeters long and the tail, which ends in a tuft, is some 25 centimeters. The front limbs are extremely short while the hind pair are about six times as long. They are very funny to watch as they hop about on their long hind legs that look like those of kangaroos.

Desert rats live in burrows which they dig with their nails and teeth. They are shy animals and this, together with their agility, makes them difficult to catch. They live quite well in captivity, however, and are extremely clean in their habits. They have a sand coloured coat, as most desert dwelling animals have.

 

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In parts of western Asia and all Europe as far as southern England, beech trees can be found growing in gardens and large avenues.

There are many different kinds of beech including the dark-leaved copper beech and the weeping beech, often to be seen in parks.

The best beeches are found in chalky soil some of them reaching from about 30 to 45 metres high. Many were first planted in the eighteenth century on huge estates.

The timber of the beech is heavy and hard and is extremely useful as firewood. It also has many other uses and is especially noted for making fine furniture and all sorts of different wooden articles.

 

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The tulip is undoubtedly one of the best known and most popular flowers in the world. Its vivid colours and the simple lines make it a small masterpiece, much prized in both gardens and homes.

The ancient origin of the tulip is unknown, but we have much information on its introduction into Europe. It was the TURKS who brought this flower to the West some 400 years ago. The name tulip means ‘turban’ which the flower is thought to resemble.

There is probably no other flower which has been given such an enthusiastic welcome or spread so quickly throughout Europe. Within the space of a few years, the craze for tulips grew into ‘Tulipomania’, reaching its height in Holland.

Certain rare varieties fetched astronomical prices: by 1610 some tulip bulbs were worth as much as an ale-house or a mill. One bulb was paid for with a new carriage, complete with two horses, another was exchanged for 12 acres of land. Materials and lace were decorated with designs of tulips. This craze lasted for almost half a century.

 

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