My Science School

A Dugong (family: Dugongidae) is the only herbivorous marine mammal found in deep waters. Dugong is a mammal that is closely related to elephants. It is a huge bulbous animal who is usually grey brown in color. Like whales, they have flattened fluked tail, a distinctive head shape, paddle like flippers but do not have any dorsal fin. The dugong is a marine mammal that is the only herbivore found in the deep waters that eats seagrass. Dugongs, even though they resemble a manatee, do not belong to the family of manatees. They weigh less than manatees and have different physical characteristics. Their rarity and the decreasing population are a great threat to their extinction. Issues like degradation of sea beds and illegal fishing traps are a major threat to the Dugong population.

There are very few dugongs that live in shallow waters of Australia, the Indian, and Pacific Ocean. Dugongs are listed as creatures that are vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN Red List. The numbers of these beautiful sea creatures are decreasing day by day due to the loss of seagrass beds and pollution of water which disrupts their habitation. Illegal fishing and fishing of dugongs for consumption and trade also is causing their population to decrease. They cannot live in freshwater and can tolerate marine water. Dugongs communicate by emitting sounds which are similar to chirps, whistles, barks that travel through water. They also communicate through sounds that echo underwater. They are also found in oceans around United States.

A dugong is a marine mammal that is native to the Great Barrier reef, world’s largest coral reef in the continent of Australia. The coastal shallow water around Australia were home to more than 85,000 animals but dugong populations are constantly decreasing across the world and they are highly endangered. The dugong species is hunted to extinction as well as traded to different countries illegally. Dugongs mostly live a sedentary lifestyle and migrate for miles in search of seagrass. Some dugongs prefer living in pairs, while sometimes, a herd of 7-10 Dugongs can be seen habituated. The herd or a group of dugong is called a nutcluster.

Dugongs have a lifespan of 70 years and give birth to only one calf during reproduction. They spend most of their time nursing and tending to their offspring. Low litter count and elongated weaning periods are also the reason why the gugong population is depleting. Young dugong calves are easy prey for crocodiles and sharks, which again contributes to population decrease.

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 

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 human foot is designed to walk on grassy or muddy surfaces not on hard concrete or marble. Walking barefoot on such hard artificial surfaces jolts our body and jars the spine. Heels on shoes provide cushioning to the body. The heel requires more cushioning than the rest of the foot because it bears the brunt of the impact with the ground.

In addition to cushioning the foot, the heel also ensures durability of the shoe. A shoe without a heel would soon wear out in the heel region. You can do it because your shoes cushion your feet from injury.

Picture Credit : Google 

Joshua Martinangeli, 7, cannot attend classes due to a severe lung disease. The German student interacts with his teacher and classmates through an avatar robot that sits in his place in class and gives a blinking signal when he has something to say. "The children talk to him, laugh with him and sometimes even chitchat with him during the lesson," says the school headmistress. The project is an initiative by the local council in the Berlin district Marzahn-Hellersdorf. "It does happen from time to time, for various reasons, that a child cannot go to class in person. Then the avatar can give that child a chance to remain part of the school community," says a local district education councillor.

Picture Credit : Google 

It seems bats argue a lot. Scientists who recorded and decoded the noisy exchanges between Egyptian fruit bats in 2016, discovered they were not just having a conversation but arguing a lot about food, sleeping arrangements and more.

 For this study scientists used a machine learning algorithm created to analyze and recognize human voices and applied it to almost 15,000 vocalizations from 22 chatty bats. This algorithm was actually able to detect which individual bat was speaking and the tone that was being used to communicate to other bats. 

These bats argued over four primary issues:

Their position in sleep clusters
Their perch, or when other bats infringed on personal-bat-space
Fights over food
Females reacting to a male’s attempt to mate uninvited

Other aspects of their communications involved echo location, distress calls from separated bats, sounds made during mating, and isolated bat pups crying out for their parents. This research sheds light on how bats use context-specific vocalization, or different tones for different communications, kind of like how you may use a different tone with your boss than you would with an old friend. In addition to learning these aspects of bat communication, scientists use technology to find repeating patterns in animal vocalization to better help scientists understand how our fellow mammals make sense of their nearby neighbors.

Despite the fact that there are thousands of known bat species, they remain some of the most understudied animals on Earth. Here in Virginia we have 16 species of bats, four of which are on federal and state endangered lists. Knowing more about these winged mammals would be a great thing as many bat species have been facing stress from habitat loss and environmental impacts from climate change.

Understanding how bats communicate may play a vital role in knowing how these animals interact with one another and how they react to their changing environments. For now, this study has only been done on the Egyptian fruit bat, but like most other aspects in science, finding an answer simply leads to more questions. Do all bats do this? What other animals could we study using a machine learning algorithm? There's much left to learn about the world around us and science makes the path towards that knowledge more possible.

Credit : Science museum of virginia 

Picture Credit : Google 

Beluga whales are white whales that live in the Arctic. They attract a lot of attention to themselves because of their unique color and the lack of a dorsal fin. Unfortunately, they are kept in captivity more than any other whale or dolphin species. Due to the irresponsible behavior of humans they are now on the edge of extinction. Belugas are pretty and friendly white whales, and their color helps them to stay alive and protects them from danger. There are many interesting facts about the Belugas that you should know and share with your kids.

Belugas are toothed whales, but they never chew their food. They swallow their prey. Another reason why the Beluga Whale is an endangered species is the fact that they have babies only once in three years. The female Beluga always gives birth to one calf and nurses it until it’s two years of age. The period between conception and birth for Beluga whales is 15 months. So, all in all, a female Beluga can give birth to only one new offspring every three-and-a-half years. The word Beluga comes from the Russian word for white. Although, they are born dark-grey, and it takes eight years for them to turn completely white. Amazing, right? Beluga whales can swim backwards. Beluga whales, just like dolphins, have been known to save people’s’ lives by pushing them to the surface when they are drowning. A captive Beluga saved a free diver’s life in 2009 while she was competing. This fact only confirms how good animals are to us even after all the cruelty they suffer. The Belugas are threatened mostly by being captured for captivity, hunting, climate change, oil and gas development, and industrial pollution. The wild predators that hunt them are Orcas and polar bears. Beluga whales are also known as the canaries of the ocean because of their incredible capability to produce different sounds. Scientists recorded eleven types of sounds that Belugas use to communicate with each other, to identify objects or calculate distance. They have a bulbous structure in their forehead that serves as an echo box where all the sounds come from. High-pitched whistles, clicks, mews, bleats, chirps, and bell-like tones are some of the sounds recognized by scientists. The Beluga’s neck is incredibly flexible and can move up and down and left and right. Such neck flexibility helps the whale to spot their prey easily. Beluga whales living in captivity have been recorded mimicking the human voice. It’s quite amazing to hear them imitating the human voice, but on the other hand, that means they spend so much time surrounded by people in an environment that is not their natural habitat. Beluga whales are highly social creatures that like to communicate with each other and with other species as well. They live in groups called pods, and they travel together everywhere. To spot them in real life, you must visit the Arctic Ocean coastal waters where they spend most of their time. Belugas can live 70 to 80 years, though in captivity they only reach a half of that age. Beluga whales can dive up to 25 minutes non-stop, and reach depths of 2624 feet. The beluga can change the shape of its bulbous forehead, called a “melon”, by blowing air around its sinuses.

Credit : Out door revival

Picture Credit : Google 

The quokka is a mammal about the size of a cat, native to Australia. The quokka is a marsupial of the macropod family, and is similar in appearance to a small type of Wallaby. Quokkas are herbivores and they tend to be most active at night (nocturnal). Quokkas are believed to be one of the first mammals in Australia to be seen by Europeans, who described them as looking like wild cats. They were later mistaken for large rats. Rottnest "Rotte nest" Island was given its name because of this mistake, as this translates to 'rat's nest'. The quokka is considered to be a vulnerable species today.

Quokkas are marsupials and macropod family members, just like wallabies and kangaroos. Quokkas can weigh as much as 11 pounds and their bodies can reach 21 inches plus a tail of almost 12 inches long. The quokka is the only land mammal on Rottnest Island. The only occupy a small portion of Australia and are generally found in the southwest portion of western Australia.

The first European to describe the quokka was Dutch captain Willem de Vlamingh in 1696. He described them as 'a kind of rat as big as a cat.' Quokkas are often described as being the world's happiest animal. Despite this common reputation, they have sharp claws and it's not uncommon for children visiting Rottnest Island to be treated for bites. Quokkas do not tend to fight with their own over food or mates, and are generally peaceful in their groups.  Quokkas move about by climbing trees, crawling, and hopping. The average lifespan of a Quokka is 10 years. Quokkas do not need a lot of water to survive. Quokka mothers do not give birth to more than two babies a year. One is more common. Quokka babies gestate in the womb for only one month and then move into the mother's pouch. The baby lives with the mother for several months and at a year they are ready to mate. Baby quokkas are called joeys. If a quokka mother is threatened by a predator she will often throw her baby on the ground to distract the predator and save her own life. Quokkas are smart and will do anything for food, even learning tricks to get tourists to feed them. Although tourists like quokkas many locals that must live with them do not. Quokkas are bold and will enter buildings such as homes and restaurants. Quokkas have sharp teeth and will shriek if cornered or attacked or if they feel threatened or provoked. The quokkas lack of fear of humans and the small size of their natural habitat makes them vulnerable to becoming endangered as a species.

Credit : Soft schools 

Picture Credit : Google