My Science School

The dugong, commonly known as sea cow, is a marine mammal found in the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, Gulf of Kutch and the Andaman and Nicobar islands in India. In a first for the country, Tamil Nadu will establish a conservation reserve for the animal. Why is such a reserve necessary? Come let's find out.

Listed as vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the sea cow's range is spread across 4S countries within the tropical and subtropical coastal and island waters between east Africa and Vanuatu in Oceana". Largely a herbivore, it feeds primarily on sea grass, and this helps maintain a healthy coastal ecosystem. How? By constantly browsing sea grass, the mammal helps in grass regrowth, ensuring the habitat Bair remains healthy and welcoming of several other marine creatures.

However, dugong populations across the globe have been diminishing due to several reasons such as habitat loss. fatalities caused by gill nets pollution, and illegal hunting Adding to the pressure, they also have a slow rate of reproduction, which could be pushing them further towards extinction. Abundant in Indian waters once, the dugong population is said to be a mere 200 today. And the Tamil Nadu region has a good number of these mammals, which is why the idea of setting up a conservation reserve has come up. The reserve will be established in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay area, spanning 500 sq km.

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 The dugong and the three species of manatees are related. They also had another cousin called the Steller's sea cow, now extinct. Said to have been massive at about 30 feet, weighing over 10 tonnes , and larger than many modern whales, it was discovered in 1741 in the sub-Arctic waters by German biologist Georg Wilhelm Steller’s after whom it was named. "Within just 27 years of being formally described, humans had completely eradicated a marine mammal" - hunted to extinction for fur.

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Stegosaurus also had spikes at the end of its flexible tail, which pointed outward from the sides. Scientists began informally calling the spikes thagomizers after a pop culture reference in 1982, when a "Far Side" cartoon showed a group of cavemen calling the sharp spikes thagomizers "after the late Thag Simmons," according to New Scientist.

Experts think these spikes were used for defense against predators because of two lines of evidence. For one thing, about 10 percent of spikes found are damaged at the tip, Carpenter said. Additionally, scientists have found allosaur fossils (Stegosaurus's main predator) with puncture wounds from thagomizers.

Stegosaurus' long skull was pointed and narrow. It had an unusual head-down posture because it had forelimbs that were short in relation to its hind legs.

This leg-length imbalance suggests the dinosaur couldn't move very fast, because the stride of its back legs would have overtaken its front legs.

Stegosaurus was an herbivore, as its toothless beak and small teeth were not designed to eat flesh and its jaw was not very flexible. Interestingly, unlike other herbivorous, beaked dinosaurs (including Triceratops and the duck-billed Hadrosaurids), Stegosaurus did not have strong jaws and grinding teeth. Instead, its jaws likely only allowed up and down movements, and its teeth were rounded and peglike. It also had cheeks, which gave it room to chew and store more food than many other of dinosaurs.

As a result of its short neck and small head, it most likely ate low-lying bushes and shrubs and other vegetation, including ferns, mosses, cycads, fruits, conifers, horsetails and even fallen fruit. Some scientists believe Stegosaurus could have stood on its hind legs to reach some taller plants, but this idea is debated.

Credit : Live Science

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Dinosaurs were extinct before humans even walked the Earth – apart from Miranda’s prehistoric pals in Dinosaur World Live of course! – so how do we know so much about them?

Fossils are dinosaur remains that help us understand what these amazing creatures were like back in the time when they roamed the planet. Information can be gathered from sources such as old bones, footprints, stomach stones, eggs and even feces! These are all considered fossils.

Dinosaur fossils have been found on every continent of Earth, including Antarctica but most of the dinosaur fossils and the greatest variety of species have been found high in the deserts and badlands of North America, China and Argentina.

Western North America has been one of the greatest sources of dinosaur fossil finds. Paleontologists like Miranda’s parents still routinely pull complete skeletons from digs in the Western United States, from Texas to Montana. A layer of rock below the Earth called the Morrison formation is the most productive source of these fossils on the continent, and is where most of the popular dinosaurs, such as Stegosaurus and Brontosaurus were first found, according to the National Geographic Society.

Credit : Dinosaur World Live

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Clocked at speeds in excess of 68 mph, some experts consider the sailfish the fastest fish in the world ocean. Easily recognized, sailfish are named for the spectacular sail-like dorsal fin that extends for nearly the entire length of their silver-blue body. Additionally, the sailfish's upper jaw is far longer than its lower jaw, forming a distinctive bill that looks like—and sometimes acts like—a spear.

Often working together in groups of two or more, swift sailfish thrash at and disrupt schools of smaller fish such as sardines and anchovies, thus allowing each sailfish to more easily snag its meals. The sailfish's spear-like bill also comes in handy for slashing at larger prey fish, which stuns them into submission. Together, sailfish engage their huge dorsal fins, creating a fence around their prey to prevent their victims from escaping their clutches.

Sailfish are a type of billfish, which also includes marlins, swordfish, and roundscale spearfish. Billfish are pelagic and prefer the warmer waters of the Atlantic and Pacific. They are often found in groups, feeding on smaller fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods (octopus, squid, and cuttlefish).

Though popular with sport anglers, sailfish cannot be taken commercially in U.S. waters except as incidental catch in Pacific longline and gillnet fisheries. Possession of sailfish is prohibited on commercial fishing vessels in the Atlantic.

Credit : Ocean Service

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Snow leopards have powerful legs and can jump as far as 50 feet. The mountains the snow leopards call home are rugged and extremely cold in the winter. But these cats have some amazing body parts that make living in the area no big deal. In addition to camouflaging them, a snow leopard’s soft, dense fur keeps it warm in the bitter cold. Their large paws work like snowshoes, letting the cat walk on snow without sinking. And their long, heavy tail helps them keep their balance while they’re chasing prey. At night, the cats curl their tails around their bodies like a cozy scarf to keep warm—and to stay hidden while sleeping. 

Snow leopard experts need to gather more information about the secretive cats’ lives to help protect them. To do that, researchers use high-tech tools to spy on the shy animals. They gently trap the wild cats to examine them and put on satellite radio collars to track where the cats roam. Motion-activated digital cameras capture images of snow leopards, exposing many new details about how many there are, how they live, and what threatens their survival.

Credit : National Geographic

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Far bigger than any dinosaur, the blue whale is the largest known animal to have ever lived.

An adult blue whale can grow to a massive 30m long and weigh more than 180,000kg - that’s about the same as 40 elephants, 30 Tyrannosaurus Rex or 2,670 average-sized men. But this giant among giants started as something far smaller.

Like all whales, the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) evolved from a four-legged mammal that lived on land some 48 million years ago. This ancient ancestor, Pakicetus, was only 1.8m long. It foraged in streams and some of its descendants became adapted to living in water. This eventually led to a completely aquatic creature called Dorudon ("Spear-Tooth"), which lived 37 million years ago and grew 4.5m long.

Blue whales can dive for up to an hour at a time, going to a depth of 100m, so they need highly efficient lungs to survive. Two enormous blowholes, big enough for a small child to crawl into, allow the fast and efficient exchange of oxygen. Blue whales exchange between 80 and 90 per cent of oxygen in their lungs each time they breathe, compared to just 10 or 15 per cent in humans. 

Credit : BBC Earth

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Paul the Octopus was a common octopus used to predict the results of association football matches. Accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup brought him worldwide attention as an animal oracle.

Paul was hatched from an egg at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, England, and was then moved to a tank at one of the chain's centres at Oberhausen in Germany. Paul's name derived from the title of a poem by the German children's writer Boy Lornsen: Der Tintenfisch Paul Oktopus.

According to Sea Life's entertainment director, Daniel Fey, Paul demonstrated intelligence early in life: "There was something about the way he looked at our visitors when they came close to the tank. It was so unusual, so we tried to find out what his special talents were."

The animal rights organisation PETA commented that octopuses are some of the most intelligent of invertebrates, with complex thought processes, long- and short-term memories, and different personalities. They can use tools, learn through observation, and are particularly sensitive to pain, according to the group. They said it would be cruel to keep Paul in permanent confinement. Sea Life Centres responded that it would be dangerous to release him, because he was born in captivity, and was not accustomed to finding food for himself.

Following Paul's rise to fame, businessmen in Carballiño, a community in Galicia, collected about €30,000 for a "transfer fee" to get Paul as main attraction of the local Fiesta del Pulpo festival. Manuel Pazo, a fisherman and head of the local business club assured people that Paul would be presented alive in a tank and not on the menu. Sealife rejected the offer nevertheless.

Paul was last checked by staff on 25 October 2010, and was in good health, but the following morning he was found dead. He was aged two-and-a-half, a normal lifespan for the species. His agent, Chris Davies, said "It's a sad day. Paul was rather special but we managed to film Paul before he left this mortal earth". Sea Life Centre manager Stefan Porwoll remembered Paul as an octopus who had "enthused people across every continent".

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The longest recorded flight of a modern chicken lasted 13 seconds for a distance of just over three hundred feet.

Domestic chickens are artificially bred to grow large breasts, and the extra weight from this muscle tissue makes it difficult for chickens to fly. Domestic chickens are also trained to stay near the roost and not to fly off, which breeds against developing advanced flying abilities.

The domestic chicken descends from the Red Junglefowl. In the wild, Red Junglefowl forage for food on the ground but roost in trees. These wild fowl are capable of both running and flying reasonably well.

Records indicate the domestication of chickens to have taken place over 10,000 years ago when the Indians and Vietnamese captured and bred chickens for eggs, feathers, and meat. This domestication quickly spread throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa. As a result, the chicken is the prominent farm animal today.

Credit : Reference

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This depends on if the whale wants to remain in the shallows or dive deep. Typically, while swimming at a more shallow depth whales will come up for air every 5-15 minutes. But when making deeper dives or when they need to stay under for longer periods of time, whales will come up for air accordingly and can stay under for 30 minutes, 60 minutes or sometimes longer.

The deepest dive ever recorded was 2,992 meters which is just under 9,820 feet, roughly equating to about 1.8 miles. This record breaking dive was by a Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, which is also the species of whale holding the record for the longest time spent underwater on a single breath! As a comparison, the deepest human scuba dive on record was 1,090 feet deep.

While the Cuvier’s Beaked Whale tends to make deep dives, scientists say that this 2,992 meter dive is not typical and that on average Cuvier’s Beaked Whales tend to only dive to about 2,000 meters down. The sperm whale tends to dive to 1,000 – 2,000 meters, while humpbacks tend to stay above 200 m. 

Whales breathe with their lungs, like all mammals. However whales do not breathe in through their nostrils or mouths like most mammals. Instead, whales have a blowhole located at the top of their head. This blowhole is a specialized nostril that allows whales to inhale air while at the surface.

The blowhole is covered by muscular flaps that cover the blowhole while the whale is under the surface to prevent the whale from breathing in water. The blowhole is connected to the trachea which passes air through to the lungs.

Whales also use their blowhole to exhale, where they will blow out air loudly and sharply, often expelling a stream of mist when they first reach the surface.

Credit : Wildlife Informer

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The Matschie’s tree kangaroo has a very small home range—it's endemic to the Huon Peninsula of New Guinea. (It's also known as the Huon tree kangaroo.) Spending most of its time in trees, the Matschie’s tree kangaroo is arboreal, living in mid-montane to upper-montane cloud forests at elevations of up to 11,000 feet. On the ground, tree kangaroos are slow and uncoordinated, but in the trees they are bold and agile.

Despite their climbing and jumping abilities, tree kangaroos sleep 60 percent of the time, curling up in whatever tree they happen to be in. Matschie’s tree kangaroos are solitary, live-and-let-live sorts, basically ignoring one another even when sharing the same tree. Females do not share territories. Territory size of females averages 4.5 acres, while males claim overlapping territories of 11 acres. Larger territories increase breeding opportunities for males.

Matschie’s tree kangaroos are folivorous, eating leaves from a variety of forest trees, vines, ferns, orchids, shrubs, and herbs. They might supplement this diet with small amounts of fruit and flowers, tender grasses, and even tree bark!

It is estimated that there are fewer than 2,500 adult Matschie’s tree kangaroos left in their native habitat, and their population is dropping. They are hunted by humans for food and trade. Habitat loss due to expanding agriculture further threatens their population.

Credit : San Diego Zoo

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Sclater's guenon, Cercopithecus sclateri, is restricted to floodplain forests between the Niger river and the Cross river in southeast Nigeria. Eleven small populations have been confirmed to exist. Populations are known to exist in the states of Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo, Abia and Cross River State. The localities known for this species include Utuma, Stubbs creek, Akpugoeze, Osomari, Lagwa, Blue river, Enyong creek/Ikpa river.

Cercopithecus sclateri occurs in moist tropical forests and swampy floodplain forests. These are low elevation habitats along the coast of Nigeria. Although this species' natural habitat is probably secondary growth and primary forest, it seems to be surviving in some extremely degraded habitats. An important habitat for this species is Igbo villages and their sacred tree groves, which are mostly surrounded by non-native tree plantations and agricultural areas. In one town, Lagwa (Imo state), all the patches of forest which the monkeys formerly inhabited have been cut down, leaving the animals to inhabit villages, where they steal food from gardens and farms.

Sclater's guenon, like all guenons, is a very colorful monkey with a complicated facial pattern. The body is overall a dusky gray color with some greenish tinge on the back. The tail is very long (about one-half the total length) and is reddish colored on the ventral proximal part, gradually becoming white distally and ending in a black tip. The muzzle is brownish pink with a creamy white nose spot (above the nostrils on the bridge of the nose). The face is adorned with three major hair patches. The crown and cheek patches are yellow mixed with black. In addition, there is a large white throat patch extending almost to the ears. The ears have prominent white tufts. Finally, black temporal bars extend past the ears and meet at the back of the head.

Credit : Animal Diversity

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With its fiery-red body, quick black wings, and long, curved, salmon-colored bill, the 'i'iwi — or scarlet Hawaiian honeycreeper — is one of the most recognizable birds of Hawaii. 

The spread of avian malaria and avian pox has limited its range to high-elevation areas where it's too cool for mosquitoes to deliver the diseases, and as climate change pushes colder temperatures farther and farther upslope, the bird will have fewer and fewer high-mountain refuges — and will eventually run out of room altogether. The 'i'iwi is also threatened by agricultural and urban development, as well as nonnative species that also contribute to habitat destruction and facilitate the spread of mosquitoes.

To save the 'i'iwi from extinction, in 2010 the Center petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list it as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, as well as to designate critical habitat. In 2011 we reached a historic agreement with the Service compelling it to make a listing proposal for the bird by 2012 — as well as move forward on protection decisions for 756 other rare species. The Service finalized Endanered Species protection in 2017.

Unfortunately — and illegally — the agency still hasn't set aside critical habitat for this species. In 2020 we filed a lawsuit to make sure this beautiful bird has the habitat protections it needs to survive.

Credit : Center for Biological Diversity

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