My Science School

A cat's claws are versatile, multi-purpose tools. Cats use their retractable claws every day, for climbing, scratching, pouncing, turning, balancing, or defending themselves against other cats, dogs, predators, even humans who might try to harm them. 

Hunting: Cats are natural hunters. Their retractable claws provide them with traction while running and help them catch and hold onto their prey. If you watch the way your cat plays with its toys, you can see that while your indoor cat doesn’t need to hunt for its next meal, the practice of hunting and chasing is still an instinctual part of your cat’s behaviour.

Stretching: Being able to grip items, like your carpet, allows your cat to twist and stretch the full length of its body, which is not only a good form of exercise, but it’s also a great source of enjoyment for your cat.

 Climbing: A cat’s claws are curved to help climb up trees and other surfaces to get to safety. For indoor cats, their claws allow them to grip items such as cat trees or furniture, so they don’t fall or slip.

Leaving their scent: When cats scratch an item, they leaving behind a special scent produced from glands on their paws. This allows a cat to leave its signature behind as a message to other cats.

Protecting themselves: A cat’s claws act as a method of self-defence when faced with a predator. While indoor cats have little need to defend themselves, their claws still offer the security of knowing they have a form of protection. Cats also use their claws to communicate certain messages, for example swatting to communicate the need for distance.

Scratching is a perfectly natural practice for your cat and serves several healthy functions. While you may have to repair a scratched item or two in your house, just remember that the love and companionship offered by your cat far outweigh the price of any item.

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During summer months, not just us, even wildlife struggles with soaring temperatures and lack of water. With just a little thought, we can make their lives easier.

Birdbaths

All the regular places that normally provide birds with water are likely to have dried up, leaving them looking for newer options. While the search can be physically exhausting in itself. not finding water can add to an animal or bird's stress, and can even be fatal.

The amount of drinking water to be made available to birds is not much. Birds also enjoy bathing, and it helps them keep their bodies cool. Both their drinking and bathing needs can be met through birdbaths. When buying birdbaths, do make sure they are wide and shallow; deeper ones can lead to accidental drowning, especially among smaller birds. It is important to keep the birdbaths filled and cleaned regularly Birdbaths may provide water and moments of fun to even smaller creatures such as squirrels.

Food

As mercury shoots up, it may become difficult for animals to go looking for food. While grains and seeds can be put out on plates for birds and squirrels, milk, boiled eggs and rice can be made available for stray dogs and cats. Bowls of water too can be kept outside the houses for stray animals. Sweets, fried snacks, junk food, etc. are not suitable for stray animals, and may even trigger allergic reactions in them.

Watering plants

Plants and trees are home to an innumerable variety of insects, reptiles, and amphibians. Keeping plants watered will help these creatures survive too. In fact, it is said that during summer, earthworms may bury themselves so deep into the soil that birds may not find enough to feed on. So when insects grow well in well-watered plants, they become healthy meals for birds and other creatures. In addition, keeping flowering plants healthy will help butterflies feed on nectar. This helps in pollination, and butterfly caterpillars become food for birds.

Watch out!

It is said that encounters with snakes near residences may increase during months since these reptiles are actively seeking out shaded places to tackle high temperatures. While it may not be possible for us to provide them shelter, it is very important to be aware of our surroundings - they may find shelter in shrubs, among tall grasses, small covered spaces such as a motor box, etc. Irrespective of whether they are venomous or not, it is important to ensure they are not harmed. One can seek the help of wildlife rescuers so the creatures are captured carefully and let off into the wild safely.

Caring for pets

• Take them out for a walk when the sun is down.

• Play with them indoors.

• Ensure there's plenty of cool water available for them.

• Never leave them in a car, even for a few minutes.

• Make sure they get a lot of rest in a well-shaded place.

• If there are signs of heat stress, give them medical help immediately.

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In the wild, Bearded Dragons are originally from Australia, however, there are different species in different parts of the country.

There are a total of 9 types of Bearded Dragon, they all originate from Australia and are all part of the same family. The Pogona Vittikins is a crossbreed that naturally occurs between the Vitticeps and Lawsons/ Brevis Bearded Dragons.

Since the 1960s the export of Bearded Dragons outside of Australia became illegal. This means that all beardies found outside of Australia are captive bred and descend probably from dragons that were illegally exported. It also means that the genetic diversity may be limited in the captive-bred population.

There were rumors that most dragons in the US were bred from stock in Germany (Illegally exported from Australia) back in the 1980s. The Bearded Dragon has since gone on to be one of the staples of the exotic pet trade and is now commonly found in most pet stores – however, it’s not always legal to sell Bearded Dragons, different states, countries, provinces etc… have different rules and licenses for different species.

Bearded Dragons are found in the wild in a variety of habitats that are difficult to reproduce in the confines of a vivarium. They are semi-arboreal meaning they like to climb, they live in scrubland, desert, rocky areas, coasts, woodlands and this depends upon the specific location. Different species will have slight differences in tolerance of environmental factors such as UVB, humidity, and temperature but are all within a common range to the Pogona family.

Credit : My Beardies 

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The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard in the world. These wild dragons typically weigh about 154 pounds (70 kilograms), but the largest verified specimen reached a length of 10.3 feet (3.13 meters) and weighed 366 pounds (166 kilograms).

Komodo dragons are large lizards with long tails, strong and agile necks, and sturdy limbs. Their tongues are yellow and forked. Adults are an almost-uniform stone color with distinct, large scales, while juveniles may display a more vibrant color and pattern.

The muscles of the Komodo's jaws and throat allow it to swallow huge chunks of meat with astonishing rapidity. Several movable joints, such as the intramandibular hinge opens the lower jaw unusually wide. The stomach expands easily, enabling an adult to consume up to 80 percent of its own body weight in a single meal, which most likely explains some exaggerated claims for immense weights in captured individuals. When threatened, Komodos can throw up the contents of their stomachs to lessen their weight in order to flee.

Although males tend to grow larger and bulkier than females, no obvious morphological differences mark the sexes. One subtle clue does exist: a slight difference in the arrangement of scales just in front of the cloaca. Sexing Komodos remains a challenge for human researchers; the dragons themselves appear to have little trouble figuring out who is who.

Komodo dragons eat almost any kind of meat, scavenging for carcasses or stalking animals that range in size from small rodents to large water buffalo. Young feed primarily on small lizards and insects, as well as snakes and birds. If they live to be 5 years old, they move onto larger prey, such as rodents, monkeys, goats, wild boars and deer (the most popular meal). These reptiles are tertiary predators at the top of their food chain and are also cannibalistic.

Although the Komodo dragon can briefly reach speeds of 10 to 13 mph (16 to 20 kph), its hunting strategy is based on stealth and power. It can spend hours in one spot along a game trail — waiting for a deer or other sizable and nutritious prey to cross its path — before launching an attack.

Most of the monitor's attempts at bringing down prey are unsuccessful. However, if it is able to bite its prey, bacteria and venom in its saliva will kill the prey within a few days. After the animal dies, which can take up to four days, the Komodo uses its powerful sense of smell to locate the body. A kill is often shared between many Komodo dragons.

Monitors can see objects as far away as 985 feet (300 meters), so vision does play a role in hunting, especially as their eyes are better at picking up movement than at discerning stationary objects. Their retinas possess only cones, so they may be able to distinguish color but have poor vision in dim light. They have a much smaller hearing range than humans and, as a result, cannot hear sounds like low-pitched voices or high-pitched screams.

The Komodo dragon's sense of smell is its primary food detector. It uses its long, yellow, forked tongue to sample the air. It then moves the forked tip of its tongue to the roof of its mouth, where it makes contact with the Jacobson's organs. These chemical analyzers "smell" prey, such as a deer, by recognizing airborne molecules. If the concentration of molecules present on the left tip of the tongue is greater than that sample from the right, the Komodo dragon knows that the deer is approaching from the left.

This system, along with an undulatory walk, in which the head swings from side to side, helps the dragon sense the existence and direction of food. At times, these reptiles can smell carrion, or rotting flesh, up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away.

This lizard's large, curved and serrated teeth are its deadliest weapon, tearing flesh with efficiency. The tooth serrations hold bits of meat from its most recent meal, and this protein-rich residue supports large numbers of bacteria. Some 50 different bacterial strains, at least seven of which are highly septic, have been found in the saliva. Researchers have also documented a venom gland in the dragon's lower jaw. In addition to the harmful bacteria, the venom prevents the blood from clotting, which causes massive blood loss and induces shock.

The Komodo's bite may be deadly, but not to another Komodo dragon. Those wounded while sparring with each other appear to be unaffected by the bacteria and venom. Scientists are searching for antibodies in Komodo dragon blood that may be responsible. 

The lizard's throat and neck muscles allow it to rapidly swallow huge chunks of meat. Several movable joints, such as the intramandibular hinge, open its lower jaw unusually wide. The dragon's stomach also easily expands, enabling an adult to consume up to 80 percent of its own body weight in a single meal. When threatened, Komodo dragons can throw up the contents of their stomachs to lessen their weight in order to flee.

Komodo dragons are efficient eaters, leaving behind only about 12 percent of their prey. They eat bones, hooves and sections of hide, as well as intestines (after swinging them to dislodge their contents).

At the Smithsonian's National Zoo, the Komodo dragon eats rodents, chicks and rabbits. Occasionally, he consumes fish and carcass meals of beef.

Credit : National  zoo Smithsonian education 

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Chickens are said to be the closest living relatives of the Tyrannosaurus rex. Ever since the finding was reported, the humble chicken has been put through several experiments. Once researchers from the University of Chicago and University of Chile attached fake dino tails made of wood and clay to chickens to see how the bipedal carnivore T. rex would have walked.

The analysis of DNA was done to the fossil of dinosaur also known as T-Rex which was found in 2003. The fossil itself was unique, because it contained a little bit of soft tissues like blood vessel, which allow the researchers to extract sufficient amount of DNA for the research.

The scientists were also comparing the DNA of a Mastodon fossil to modern days animals and the result was amazing. They found that the proteins found in the T-Rex fossil were most similar to those of chickens, and the mastodon were most similar to modern day elephants.

For a long time, actually scientists have predicted the correlation between birds and dinosaurs based on the shape of their bones. But that was all just a prediction without any further researches. And the research conducted in 2008 gave the real answer.

“We determined that T rex, in fact, grouped with birds – ostrich and chicken – better than any other organism that we studied,” said Prof John Asara from Harvard to Telegraph. It determined avians’ relationships with non-avian dinosaur’s evolution.

“We also show that it groups better with birds than modern reptiles, such as alligators and green anole lizards,” he continued. It means that although dinosaurs were reptiles, modern days reptiles are their more distant cousins rather than birds.

Yes, we all know that dinosaurs met the extinction when a giant asteroid hit the earth, but actually not all of those dinosaurs died out. But actually, some dinosaurs with smaller size didn’t die out and survived the Armageddon. Those dinosaurs are the ones who evolved to nowadays birds.

The smaller size of their bodies required less food than those with bigger size. And it was also easier for them to find shelter from following disasters after the asteroid hit the earth. Maybe that was why they could survive and finally maintain their kinds until evolving to nowadays modern avian.

As a prove, you can trace chicken’s genetic ancestry to find out the look of the ancestor of this animal. And if you can do it far enough, you will find that its look resembles the shape of the fossils of dinosaurs you can find in the museum.

Credit : Earth buddies

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The bongo is also known as the lowland bongo or mountain bongo. It is a species of antelope. These animals are native to Africa. These are the heaviest and the biggest forest antelopes found only in Africa. The antelope species is easily recognizable among other wildlife of their kind for the vertical white stripes on their bodies. Both the male and female animals have a chestnut-orange coat and long horns. These bongo antelopes are the only horned species in the world where both sexes have long, wavy, horns. These colorful animals with big eyes, large ears, almost three feet high horns, and several vertical stripes on their body are the third largest among all species of antelopes. All bongo animals are nocturnal, shy, and mysterious wildlife that are rarely seen in the open. The number of bongos in the wild is decreasing rapidly and conservation efforts are underway. . Bongos can live up to 19 years in the wild. Bongos can run at the speed of 43 mph (69 kph). Bongos are the biggest forest antelopes and are quite heavy. The males weigh from 485 – 893 lb (220–405 kg) and the females weigh from 331 –518 lb (150-234 kg). Bongos are herbivorous animals and only include plant matter in their diet like leaves, bark, grass, roots, fruits, grains. These night-browsing animals get their nutrition from what they eat. Moreover, their nocturnal grazing habit keeps them safe from many predators sharing the same habitat.

Bongos are mammals. Female gives birth to only one calf at a time .There are fewer than a hundred mountain bongos left in the highland forests of Kenya, Africa. These animals are protected in Kenya to save them from extinction. The population of the lowland bongo are also decreasing in Western African countries. These animals have steady populations in their range in Central Africa. It is estimated that 28,000 bongos are left on earth. Loss of habitat and hunting are the two biggest threats to these antelopes.

Like most antelopes, bongos are rarely seen in bigger groups. Males are called bulls and roam around solitarily. Females live with the young in small groups of six to ten. A bongo herd usually never crosses more than twenty members. It is believed that the large ears of these animals aid in hearing the slightest noises. These animals recognize each other with their coloration in the dark forest habitat. These forest antelopes do not have any special secretion glands. They depend less on scents to find others of their kind in the forests.

Credit : Kidadl

Picture Credit :Google 

The bongo is also known as the lowland bongo or mountain bongo. It is a species of antelope. These animals are native to Africa. These are the heaviest and the biggest forest antelopes found only in Africa. The antelope species is easily recognizable among other wildlife of their kind for the vertical white stripes on their bodies. Both the male and female animals have a chestnut-orange coat and long horns. These bongo antelopes are the only horned species in the world where both sexes have long, wavy, horns. These colorful animals with big eyes, large ears, almost three feet high horns, and several vertical stripes on their body are the third largest among all species of antelopes. All bongo animals are nocturnal, shy, and mysterious wildlife that are rarely seen in the open. The number of bongos in the wild is decreasing rapidly and conservation efforts are underway. . Bongos can live up to 19 years in the wild. Bongos can run at the speed of 43 mph (69 kph). Bongos are the biggest forest antelopes and are quite heavy. The males weigh from 485 – 893 lb (220–405 kg) and the females weigh from 331 –518 lb (150-234 kg). Bongos are herbivorous animals and only include plant matter in their diet like leaves, bark, grass, roots, fruits, grains. These night-browsing animals get their nutrition from what they eat. Moreover, their nocturnal grazing habit keeps them safe from many predators sharing the same habitat.

Bongos are mammals. Female gives birth to only one calf at a time .There are fewer than a hundred mountain bongos left in the highland forests of Kenya, Africa. These animals are protected in Kenya to save them from extinction. The population of the lowland bongo are also decreasing in Western African countries. These animals have steady populations in their range in Central Africa. It is estimated that 28,000 bongos are left on earth. Loss of habitat and hunting are the two biggest threats to these antelopes.

Like most antelopes, bongos are rarely seen in bigger groups. Males are called bulls and roam around solitarily. Females live with the young in small groups of six to ten. A bongo herd usually never crosses more than twenty members. It is believed that the large ears of these animals aid in hearing the slightest noises. These animals recognize each other with their coloration in the dark forest habitat. These forest antelopes do not have any special secretion glands. They depend less on scents to find others of their kind in the forests.

Credit : Kidadl

Picture Credit :Google 

A study published by researchers a few weeks ago details how a few thousand giant tortoises living on Galapagos' San Cristabol island may not really be the species they were presumed to be. So, they have the potential to be a new species. What's the story behind this?

Way back in 1906, explorers collected giant tortoise bones and shells from a cave in San Cristabol island. Recently, researchers compared these with genetic materials obtained from giant tortoises now living on the same island. And, they discovered these near-8,000 giant tortoises were different from the ones recorded over a century ago, though both were classified as Chelonoidis chathamensis. Scientists believe "the evidence suggests that one group of tortoises on the island split into two groups, possibly highland and lowland varieties. This may be a result of sea level rises in the past splitting the island in two". Meanwhile, Galapagos Conservancy, which was part of the study, has said that the Chelonoidis chathamensis species is "almost certainly extinct.

Further DNA research is required to see exactly how distinct these two groups are because that is what will offer conclusive evidence on whether the tortoises now living are an entirely new species. If so, "under scientific naming nales, this means the living species would need a new common and scientific name

Right now, there are 14 recognised species of Galapagos giant tortoise. However, only 13 species are currently alive-the "Pinta Island tortoise went extinct in 2012 after the last of its species, Lonesome George, passed away". Only research will tell us if the number of recognised species is likely to go up by at least one.

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We know that dinosaurs roamed the Earth millions of years ago. Pterosaurs, the flying relatives of dinosaurs, lived alongside them 230 to 66 million years ago.

A new research by an. international team of palaeontologists has come up with evidence to show that these feathery friends of dinosaurs had the ability to control the colour of their feathers using melanin pigments. Led by palaeontologists from the University College Cork and from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and with a team of scientists from Brazil and Belgium, the results of this study have been published in the journal Nature in April.

115 MILLION-YEAR-OLD FOSSIL

This study is based on analyses of a new fossilised head crest of Tupandactylus imperator. This pterosaur fossil, which is 115 million years old, was from north-eastern Brazil. This species is famous for its bizarre huge head crest.

The team discovered that the bottom of the crest had a fuzzy rim of feathers. They believe that this specimen closes off the decades-long debate that palaeontologists have had about whether pterosaurs had feathers.

MELANOSOMES OF DIFFERENT SHAPES

Additionally, the team then studied the feathers with high-powered electron microscopes. They were able to find preserved melanosomes - granules of the pigment melanin. What's more, they were able to show that the melanosomes in different feather types have different shapes.

Feather colour has a strong link to melanosome shape in birds today. The different melanosome shapes in the pterosaurs has led the researchers to argue that these animals must have possessed the genetic capability to control the colours of their feathers. It also shows that colouration was a crucial feature of even the earliest feathers.

This remarkable specimen has now been repatriated from Europe to Brazil, thanks largely to the efforts of the scientists and authorities, along with the contribution of a private donor. Returned to their country of origin, these fossils can now be conserved safely for posterity and be made available to scientists of future generations.

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Can you believe that at least one in five reptile species in the world are threatened with extinction? Yes, that is what the first major global assessment of the world's cold blooded creatures reveals. Let's look at the findings.

 At least one in five reptile species are threatened with extinction, including more than half of turtles and crocodiles, according to the first major global. assessment of the world's so-called cold-blooded creatures.

Catastrophic declines in biodiversity across the world are increasingly seen as a threat to life on Earth- and as important as the interrelated menace of climate change.

Threats to other creatures have been well documented. More than 40 percent of amphibians, 25 percent of mammals and 13 percent of birds could face extinction. But until now, researchers did not have a comprehensive picture of the proportion of reptiles at risk.

HOW MANY SPECIES ASSESSED

 In a new global assessment. published in the journal Nature, researchers assessed 10,196 reptile species and evaluated them using criteria from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species.

They found that at least 1,829. 21 per cent were either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. "It's just overwhelming the number of species that we see as being threatened," said co-author Neil Cox, who manages the IUCN-Conservation International Biodiversity Assessment Unit and co-led the study. "Now we know the threats facing each reptile species, the global community can take the next step.... and invest in turning around the often too under-appreciated and severe biodiversity crisis."

TOOK 15 LONG YEARS

Young said the reptile assessment. which involved hundreds of scientists from across the world, took around 15 years to complete because of a lack of funding.

"Reptiles, to many people, are not charismatic. And there's just been a lot more focus on some of the more furry or feathery species of vertebrates for conservation," he said. Researchers hope the new assessment will help spur international action to halt biodiversity loss. Almost 200 countries are currently locked in global biodiversity talks to try to safeguard nature, including a key milestone of 30 percent of Earth's surface protected by 2030.

"Through work like this, we advertise the importance of these creatures. They're part of the tree of life, just like any other and equally deserving of attention," Young said.  AFP. Crocodiles and turtles were found to be among the most at-risk species, with around 58 percent and 50 percent of those assessed found to be under threat respectively.  Crocodiles are killed for their meat and to remove them from human settlements. Turtles are targeted by the pet trade and used for traditional medicine. The Komodo dragon of the Indonesian islands is threatened with extinction, researchers say.

WHERE ARE THEY FOUND?

Threatened reptiles were largely found concentrated in Southeast Asia, Western Africa, northern Madagascar, the Northern Andes and the Caribbean. Reptiles restricted to arid habitats such as deserts, grasslands, and savannas are significantly less threatened than those in forest habitats, the study says.

THE KING IS IN DANGER

Another well-known species at risk is the fearsome king cobra, the world's largest venomous snake. It has been classified as vulnerable, indicating it is very close to extinction", according to the research. "It's a real iconic species in Asia and it's such a shame that even widespread species such as this are really suffering and in decline". Logging and deliberate attacks by humans were among the biggest threats to the snake.

WHAT ARE THE THREATS THEY FACE?

Agriculture. logging. invasive species and urban development were found to be among the threats to reptiles, while people also target them for the pet trade or kill them for food or out of fear.

Climate change was found to pose a direct threat to some 10 per cent of reptile species. Longer-term threats such as sea level rise, or indirect climate-driven dangers such as fire, and from things like disease also have an impact.

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The Indian red scorpion does not go after people, but it certainly needs to be feared. It is considered the most lethal scorpion in the world, and it will sting to defend itself. This can be dangerous, especially to little children.

These scorpions appear to prefer humid tropical and subtropical habitats, and are found in India, Pakistan, and Nepal etc. 2 to 3-1/2 inches long, they can be coloured from bright reddish orange to dull brown. They have small pincers, a thick tail and of course a large stinger.

The Indian red scorpion is a night hunter, which subdues prey using its chelae (claws) and stinger. It usually preys on small invertebrates like cockroaches, but sometimes will go for small vertebrates, too, like lizards and rodents.

Even though fearsome, the toxin of the Indian red scorpion has many uses in medicine.

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The funnel-web spiders get their name from their webs which are shaped like a funnel. The funnel’s mouth opens wide, and the spider sits patiently in the narrow part. When an insect prey touches the web, the spider rushes out to capture it. At least 40 species have been identified among these spiders, several of them carrying highly toxic venom. Especially dangerous is the male of Atrax robustus, or the Sydney funnel-web spider, which has caused many deaths. It has become part of Sydney’s folklore. An antivenom for its toxin was introduced in 1981.

Funnel-web spiders mainly live in eastern Australia, in the moist forest regions and highlands. They can be from 1 cm to 5 cm in body length, with the females more heavily built than the males. The front part of their body is covered with a carapace which is sparsely haired and glossy, and the colour of the body can vary from black to brown.

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The coastal taipan has very powerful venom, though not quite as strong as that of its cousin, the inland taipan. Anyway, these coastal snakes are more dangerous to humans than their more toxic relatives, because they live in areas where more people live. The coastal taipan’s venom is considered as the third most toxic among all the land snakes. Effective anti-venom for this was developed in the mid-1950s, and before that a bite from the taipan meant sure death.

The coastal taipans are found along northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory, along the Queensland coast. They live in a range of green habitats from forests to open grasslands, thriving particularly well in sugarcane fields where there are lots of rodents to feed on. These snakes hunt mostly during the day, using their sharp eyesight, but when it gets too hot, they will hunt at night too.

The coastal taipan is Australia’s longest venomous snake, some of them measuring up to 3 metres.

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‘Boomslang’ literally means ‘tree snake’, in Afrikaans and Dutch. As the name suggests, the boomslang snakes prefer to live in areas with trees wooded grasslands, arid savannas, lowland forests, etc. They are found in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly in Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. They live on the trees and are active during the day. Extremely agile, they are very adept at climbing trees and gliding through the branches while hunting. The boomslang is a very dangerous, venomous snake. When the weather gets too cold, they take long, deep sleeps inside enclosed bird-nests.

The boomslangs can be of different colours, though most have a bright green colour.

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Meet someone who’s peaceful and shy – but take care, he’s considered among the most venomous snakes in the world!

The inland taipan is common to the semi-arid regions of central east Australia. Its venom is considered to be the most toxic among all snakes. In spite of the deadly weapon they carry, these snakes are usually shy and like to be left alone. But they defend themselves fiercely, when provoked or harmed. First the snake raises the front of its body in an S-shaped curve, to make a warning display. If the adversary ignores this warning, it will strike instantly and accurately.

These shy inland snakes have a relative in the coastal regions, the coastal taipans, which are aggressive.