My Science School

 Toads are warty-looking, covered in little lumps and bumps, while frogs are sleek and smooth. Toads also virtually always have dry skin, whereas frogs look wet even when they are out of the water. Toads cope much better with dry conditions than frogs, as their skin is more waterproof. Frogs lose moisture a lot more easily, and so are rarely seen too far away from water, which explains why they always look moist.

Frogs have long legs, longer than their head and body, which are made for hopping. Toads, on the other hand, have much shorter legs and prefer to crawl around rather than hop. Frogs are lithe and athletic-looking, whereas toads are somewhat squat and dumpy. Their faces are different too; frogs have a pointed nose while toad noses are much broader.

Spawn is another key indicator for which species you’re looking at. Frog spawn is laid in gooey clumps, whereas toad spawn floats in stringy lengths. Like their adult counterparts, frog tadpoles are slimmer whereas toad tadpoles are chunky. Frog tadpoles are also covered in gold flecks, while toad tadpoles are plain black in colour.

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Rhinos are majestic mammals but they are being poached for their horns which are used in traditional medicine. A rhino’s horn is not made of bone but of a protein called keratin which is found in our hair and nails. Did you know that a rhino’s horn, if trimmed, can grow back? However, trade in rhino is illegal. Today, less than 30,000 rhinos are left in the world of which 70% live in South Africa.

Rhino horn is used as an ingredient in certain Traditional Chinese Medicine practices. The surge in poaching during the 1970s and 1980s was caused by the increased demand coming from South-East Asian countries. Rhino horn was removed from the official list of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Chinese Medicine Pharmacopeia in 1993, as there are no measurable health benefits and no scientific evidence supporting its use. In 2018, China reversed the ban on trade on rhino horn. Despite this lack of evidence, many users of Traditional Chinese Medicine still believe rhino horn has medicinal benefits and use it to treat a wide variety of illnesses such as headaches, fevers, convulsions and in some cases cancer. The horn is crushed into a fine powder and manufactured into tablets or dissolved in boiling water and consumed orally.

The total number of rhino deaths have since fallen. In 2018, 769 rhinos were poached in South Africa, and in 2019, 594. Sentences of 24 to 25 years in prison have been handed out to convicted poachers in 2019 and 2020. Mitigating measures implemented by 2020 include improved situational awareness and reaction times, deployment of technology and improved information collection and sharing among law enforcement departments. National en regional cooperation was enhanced while participation of the private sector, non-governmental organisations and donors is encouraged. The table below shows the number of rhinos poached in the various provinces of South Africa as well as the rhino deaths due to poaching in the whole of the African continent from 2007 to 2018.

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Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur. Like our fingerprints, these stripes are unique to reach individual tiger. In other words, no two tigers have the same pattern of stripes. Tigers can be identified using their distinct pattern of stripes and facial markings. Their coats provide camouflage while hunting prey at night.

This allows researchers who study them in the wild to identify and count individual tigers. They use remote cameras to take pictures of the animals when they walk by. Using this method, tiger experts estimate that only about 3,400 wild tigers remain across their Asian homeland.

It's not just their fur that's inked with black stripes. When we have to sedate a tiger to treat an injury or do dental work, we shave their fur. It's always surprising to see that their skin almost looks like it's been tattooed: it has the same striped pattern as its fur!

So if stripes camouflage tigers from potential prey, why are some of them white? Don't they stand out in the jungle, even with their stripes?

Yes, they do! Because we've seen them on TV or in wildlife tourist attractions, we may think they're common, but they're not. A genetic mutation in Bengal tigers gives them their milky white fur. Both parents must carry the same very rare gene to produce white cubs. White tigers are bred to relatives in captivity to attract tourists — and inbreeding produces unhealthy offspring.

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Yes, seems have blood. They have what is called haemolymph, a fluid which serves as their blood. Further, the fluid contains a copper-based protein called haemocyanin turns blue when oxygenated.

The blood of shrimp – or hemolymph – has a cellular component, which is the hemocytes, and a liquid component constituted of plasma that contains different humoral factors (macromolecules of the circulatory system). The immune-cellular and humoral responses act in an integrated manner creating defense mechanisms such as the coagulation of hemolymph; melanization by the prophenoloxidase (ProPO) system – a major, innate defense system in invertebrates; use of lectins for the recognition of foreign agents; and antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral peptide systems that act with interference RNA and a pattern of recognition proteins. We can also add the production of reactive forms of oxygen, phagocytosis and encapsulation, the latter two mainly performed by hemocytes.

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In a way, yes. Shrimps are crustaceans. According to the anatomy of a shrimp, its heart is located on its thorax just at the bottom of its head. Since the head and the thorax, which is the chest, are fused together, a shrimp’s thorax looks like a part of its head.

It’s much safer to protect their internal organ. Also, the shrimp’s heart, located in its head, has three pairs of heart entrances. Through these entrances, blood comes to the heart. The arteries extend for many directions.

There is often confusion regarding the difference between a shrimp and a prawn. Physically, they look very similar but there is one sure way to tell them apart. In shrimps, the side plate of the second segment of the abdomen overlaps the segments in front and behind.

But, on the other hand, prawns have all the abdominal side plates overlapping tile-like from the front.

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If its shell hangs slightly away from its body and tentacles look withdrawn inside its shell.

It can be pretty tough to determine whether or not a snail is sleeping, considering they don’t show any obvious signs such as having their eyes closed or snoring. However, there are still a few simple ways that can help you tell whether or not a snail is sleeping:

• The shell may hang away from their body slightly
• Relaxed foot
• Tentacles appear withdrawn a little 

It may be easy to assume that the gastropod is dead, but don’t jump to conclusions when you see an immobile snail in the garden — it may just be taking a power nap. 

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What is the reason for their extended nap? Snails need moisture to survive and they go into hibernation or aestivation to escape unfavourable weather. While hibernating, they secrete thin layer of mucus which seals them in and prevents them from drying out.

Snail’s common diet are plants and other vegetation. Snails will bury themselves in the ground and close their shells off with their own slime. You can find them eating live plants, dying plants, rotting plants, fruits, and algae. A snail has a radula located inside its mouth to assist in the grinding of its food. 

Snail also be found eating the chalk off rock for provide the protein which needed for their shells.

A snails habitat usually consists of on land or in water depending on the type of snail. Snails are not usually in need of perfect environments because snails carry their homes and place of safety on their backs.

Desert snails can sense when the air is particularly dry, and will burrow underground in order to retain moisture. Where, they can hibernate up to 3 years, waiting for the temperature to become more suitable for them. The average age of snail is 15 years.

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