Natures Wallpapers specially animals on earth

the largse lake

2009-12-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

the beautiful large lake

philippine flooding

2009-09-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Blaming is not quite the solution of the problem. The main reason why manila is always experiencing this kind of calamities it is because the people leaving in this place are already contaminated with different bad doing. Maybe this is the lesson to our ALMIGHTY GOD that people should already repent by their SINS because the second coming of our ALMIGHTY FATHER is past approaching. This calamities is only an alarming to us people. We will not ignore the fact that we are not doing our part as the CHILDREN of GOD. Kaya tayong lahat kung gusto natin na hindi magalit ang ating AMA sa LANGIT magbago at magbalik loob na TAYO sa KANYA. Sana matutu na tayo sa ating mga nagawang MALI.Huwag na tayong magsisihan......Sana Lahat ng government official from PRESIDENT down to lower position of the government will serve sa ating bansa HONESTLY and GOD FEARING SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE.......GOD BLESS US ALL.

Tropical Storm Ketsana locally known as Ondoy causes massive flooding in Northern Philippines.

amazing Banyan Tree

2009-09-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

You are looking at the picture of an amazing Banyan Tree. When I did more research into the Banyan Tree I discovered many fascinating things that have supported my thoughts during the past 10 days.

As I have pondered where My Power Mall is going in the months and years ahead, my thoughts and focus kept returning to our ROOTS. It was almost 3 years ago that I was sitting in a small Mexican restaurant, stranded by howling 80 mph winds that made driving impossible. As I ate my lunch I was pondering how to spread the message of Together We Can Change The World. I was pondering how to finance all the things the TWCCTW Founding Members dream of doing in the world. From those ponderings came the creation of My Power Mall.

We have given you everything you need to create financial freedom for yourself if you truly want it. We have created the most powerful mall on the Internet. We have tweaked and perfected a compensation plan that offers success to the average person. Person after person is amazed at the lengths we have gone to in order to provide you so many tools to build your business. I am constantly amazed at how many people don't pick them up and use them. :) However, I've realized I can't be responsible for your life. I can only be responsible for my life and for the direction and focus of My Power Mall & Together We Can Change The World.

It's really quite simple... My Power Mall only exists to spread the message, tools and gifts of Together We Can Change The World across the globe. Sadly, we have gotten away from some of that as we have totally absorbed ourselves in My Power Mall for the last 2 1/2 years. I don't regret it because it has created so many wonderful relationships, wonderful tools, and has developed such an amazing company. But now we have to swing the pendulum back to create balance.

My vision is to spread the free E-books from Together We Can Change The World Publishing to every country in the world - putting them into millions of people's hands.

My vision is to mobilize millions to be involved in Together We Can Change The World Day - putting into use the 1400 ideas we have created for them to use.

My vision is to explode Together We Can Change The World activities all over the globe - spreading our message that TOGETHER we really can CHANGE THE WORLD!

Take a good look at the Banyon Tree above. Are you looking at the tree or roots that have become so thick you can't distinguish between the two? I don't know. That's the magic of the Banyon Tree. There is one in Hawaii that has expanded so much from its roots that it covers 2/3's of an acre! ONE TREE!

Brian Aldiss, in his novel Hothouse, describes a future Earth where a single huge banyan covers half of the globe, because individual trees discover the ability to join together.

Can I repeat that? ...describes a future Earth where a single huge banyan covers half of the globe, because individual trees discover the ability to join together.

Isn't that what we're all about? Together We Can Change The World is all about helping individuals discover what a huge difference they can make if they will just choose to put aside their differences and join TOGETHER to make a difference!

As we move forward in the life of our company you can expect to be challenged more. You can expect to be asked if you made a difference with your life today. Do I want you to make money? YES! The more money you make, the more money we will have to fulfill our purpose. However, the season when 100% of our focus was on creating My Power Mall has ended. We will always continue to work to make it better. We will always be committed to keeping it the best company on the Internet. You have my word on that.

But the time has come to go back to our roots - to remember why we exist. It's time to come together and truly make a difference in the world - not just through our shopping but also through how we live our lives!

As always, we are leading the way...

- One month from today I will be in Portland, Maine for the first ever Together We Can Change The World Walk - created to support a local charity and spread the message of TWCCTW. It will just be the first - with every step of the process documented by our T-Day Director, Andrea Corbett, so each of you can duplicate her effort if you want to.

Who will join us in Portland? I would love to meet many of you, but mostly I would just love to Walk with you to make a DIFFERENCE!

- While I'm in Maine I will also be helping launch the first Together We Can Change The World Clubs in schools. Andrea is already creating a National Board of Teachers, Principals and Educators who are eager to help us move this forward. My vision? To see TWCCTW Clubs in every school in America - providing them with every tool they need to make a difference and then mobilizing them on T-Day to get involved in their communities.

- Andrea, who has really been on a roll :), has also been accepted at a local mall for 4 weeks in a row to hold a Bone Marrow Donor Drive. This one is especially near and dear to my heart. Many of you know that Suess Karlsson, one of the SBIY contributing writers, is also my best friend - a relationship spanning 30 years. What you may not know is that she has a form of lukemia that is currently in remission after aggressive chemotherapy, but is also a type of lukemia that is not curable - meaning the odds are that it will return. IF it does she will need to have a Bone Marrow transplant. She has discovered her only living sibling is not a match - meaning that she will have to find her match from a database of donors available. Countless people are waiting for that "magic person" to be found.

TWCCTW is going to hold MANY Bone Marrow Donor Drives across the country - utilizing the model prototype Andrea is working to create in Maine. How many of you would be willing to hold a Drive - make a difference, share TWCCTW, and also have a chance to share how MPM can finance more things like this just by people shopping?

- We will continue our One-Cause-At-A-Time Program; contributing 6% of company profits to designated children and causes.

- We will continue to reach out to every Non-Profit or charitable organization in the world - sharing our tools and resources - along with the message of My Power Mall to all those who want to use it.

- We will continue to educate parents on how to secure their children's future with a My Power Mall membership.

- Most importantly, we will continue to explore every way we can to make a difference in our World - touching and inspiring as many individuals as possible along the way!

source; http://corporatempm.homestead.com/Update9-18-2009.html#anchor_2544

Lizards

2008-10-09T03:36:00.000-07:00

Lizards are a large and widespread group of reptiles of the order Squamata, with nearly 5,000 species and ranging across all continents except Antarctica. Most lizards have four limbs, external ears, and a tail. Many lizards can shed their tails in order to escape from predators, although this trait is not universal. Vision, including color vision, is particularly well developed in lizards, and most communicate with body language or bright colors on their bodies as well as via pheromones. The adult length of species within the order range from a few centimeters for some Caribbean geckos to nearly three meters in Komodo Dragons

Any generic description of lizards is often complicated by the fact that many typical lizard traits are either retentions from their evolutionary ancestors (such as the basic, 4-limbed, tetrapod body form) or are either lost or changed in some species (loss of limbs, loss of external ears, loss of the tail, etc.)

Common chamaeleon Chamaeleo chamaeleon

Lizards are reptiles, and universally possess scaly skin and a skull with many fused or reduced bones. Most lizards retain the typical tetrapod body plan of a short neck, four limbs of roughly equal size ending in five toes each, a moderately long body, and a long tail. Most lizards possess external ears and have movable eyelids. Encompassing forty families, there is tremendous variety in colour, appearance and size. Most lizards are oviparous, though a few species are viviparous. Many are also capable of regeneration of lost limbs or tails. Almost all lizards are carnivorous, though most are so small that insects are their primary prey. About 120 species (3%) are known to be herbivorous.[1] A few species are omnivorous, and others have reached sizes where they can prey on other vertebrates. Many lizards are good climbers or fast sprinters. Some can run bipedally, such as the collared lizard, and some can even run across the surface of water to escape, namely the basilisk. Many lizards can change colour in response to their environments or in times of stress. The most familiar example is the chameleon, but more subtle colour changes occur in other lizard species as well, such as the anole, also known as the "American chameleon," "house chameleon" or "chamele".
Argus monitor (Varanus panoptes) at the New England Aquarium.

Some lizard species, including the glass lizard and flap-footed lizards, have lost their legs or reduced them to the point they are non-functional. However, some vestigial structures remain. Snakes, which evolved from the ancestors of monitor lizards, are characterized by lack of eyelids, lack of an external ear, a forked tongue, and having a highly elongate body (as opposed to a normal body but extremely long tail). While any given legless lizard species (of which there are many) may match on one or two of these characteristics, they invariably differ from snakes in others. For example, flap-footed lizards lack eyelids as do true snakes, but can be distinguished by their external ears.

Lizards are part of the reptile family, meaning that they have no inner means of achieving homeostatis. As a result, they must keep careful watch of their body temperature. This need requires lizards to live in areas with consistently high temperatures. Lizards are rarely seen in the upper half of the United States and most European countries.

Senses and communication
Green iguanas (Iguana iguana), are popular exotic pets.

Lizards employ many diverse methods of communication. Like many other animals, they have an acute sense of smell, detecting scents of their prey or pheromones from other lizards. The primary organ of scent in lizards is a vomeronasal organ in the roof of the mouth, and lizards gather scents by flicking out their tongues, then retracting them and delivering the captured odor molecules to this organ. Some large carnivorous lizards, such as tegus and monitor lizards, have forked tongues like snakes, to take advantage of this organ better. As a result, many male lizards possess enlarged pores on the underside of their thighs, which they rub against objects to mark their territory.

While most lizards can hear well, few are capable of vocalizations or otherwise making noise. The exception to this rule is the geckos, which communicate through a wide variety of barks, chirps and whistles, with each species having specific patterns and sounds.

Sight is quite important for most lizards, both for locating prey and for communication, and as such, many lizards have highly acute color vision. Most lizards rely heavily on body language, using specific postures, gestures and movements to define territory, resolve disputes, and entice mates. Some species of lizard also utilize bright colors, such as the iridescent patches on the belly of Sceloporus. These colors would be highly visible to predators, so are often hidden on the underside or between scales and only revealed when necessary.

A particular innovation in this respect is the dewlap, a brightly colored patch of skin on the throat, usually hidden between scales. When a display is needed, the lizards erect the hyoid bone of their throat, resulting in a large vertical flap of brightly colored skin beneath the head which can be then used for communication. Anoles are particularly famous for this display, with each species having specific colors, including patterns only visible under ultraviolet light, as lizards can often see UV.

Evolution and relationships

Frill-necked lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii

The retention of the basic tetrapod body form by lizards makes it tempting to assume any similar animal, alive or extinct, is also a lizard. However, this is not the case, and lizards are part of a well-defined group.

The first reptile was superficially lizard-like, but had a solid, box-like skull, with openings only for eyes, nostrils, etc (termed Anapsid).[citation needed] These organisms later gave rise to two new groups with additional holes in the skull to make room for and anchor larger jaw muscles.[citation needed] Those with a single hole, the Synapsids, became modern mammals.[citation needed] The Diapsids, possessing two holes, continued to diversify.[citation needed] The Archosaurs retained the basic Diapsid skull, and gave rise to a bewildering array of animals, most famous being the dinosaurs and their descendants, birds.[citation needed] The Lepidosaurs began to reduce the skull bones, making the skull lighter and more flexible.[citation needed] Modern tuataras retain the basic Lepidosaur skull, distinguishing them from true lizards in spite of superficial similarities.[citation needed] Squamates, including snakes and all true lizards, further lightened the skull by eliminating the lower margin of the lower skull opening

Relationship to humans

Most lizard species are harmless to humans. Only the very largest lizard species pose threat of death; the Komodo dragon, for example, has been known to stalk, attack, and kill humans. The venom of the Gila monster and beaded lizard is not usually deadly but they can inflict extremely painful bites due to powerful jaws. The chief impact of lizards on humans is positive as they are significant predators of pest species; numerous species are prominent in the pet trade; some are eaten as food (for example, Green Iguanas in Central America); and lizard symbolism plays important, though rarely predominant roles in some cultures (e.g. Tarrotarro in Australian mythology). The Moche people of ancient Peru worshiped animals and often depicted lizards in their art According to a popular legend in Maharashtra, a Common Indian Monitor, with ropes attached, was used to scale the walls of the Sinhagad fort in the Battle of Sinhagad.

Armored Chameleon

2008-10-09T02:32:00.000-07:00

ArmoredChameleon

Chameleon was an international hitman and spy. He also can't (or doesn't) speak while he is in his true form. Though in the episode "Framed" Richard Fisk indicates that Chameleon told them about Peter Parker's parents. Chameleon has a belt, which is capable of capturing an image of a person, so that he can turn into a person to disguise himself, and then makes a perfect imitation of his disguise's voice. In his first appearance, he attempts to kill two diplomats at a U.N. conference to start a war, but is foiled by Spider-Man who easily picks the Chameleon out from the crowd since he had taken the appearance of Peter Parker, secretly Spider-Man's alter ego. In "The Insidious Six" and "Battle of the Insidious Six", Chameleon became a member of the Insidious Six. In "Framed" and "The Man Without Fear", he was working for the Kingpin's son, Richard Fisk in framing Peter Parker for getting restricted government information. But Parker's name was cleared by the machinations of Spider-Man and Daredevil, thus Richard and the Chameleon were sentenced to jail. Later, in "The Cat", it was revealed that he was jailed in S.H.I.E.L.D. for his dangerous international activities and he was assigned by the Kingpin to release Felicia Hardy's father. Chameleon was infused with a techo-organic virus prior to his incarceration in S.H.I.E.L.D., which made him part-machine and was able to change into any person without the belt. He successfully disguised himself as Felicia's father so no one would know the real Hardesky was abducted. Eventually, his ruse was uncovered by Nick Fury. Later, in "Six Forgotten Warriors" parts 1-5, he was rescued by the rest of the Insidious Six and became a member again, but would betray them and join forces with his foster father, the Red Skull (they have no relation in the comics), and his brother, Rhienholdt Kragov, who would later become Electro. In the end, Electro and the Red Skull, along with Captain America, were trapped in a time dilation loophole and the Chameleon escaped, never to be seen again.

Jelly fish in deep sea

2008-10-09T04:31:00.000-07:00

Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. They have several different basic morphologies that represent several different cnidarian classes including the Scyphozoa (about 200 species), Staurozoa (about 50 species), Cubozoa (about 20 species), and Hydrozoa (about 1000-1500 species that make jellyfish and many more that do not) . The jellyfish in these groups are also called, respectively, scyphomedusae, stauromedusae, cubomedusae, and hydromedusae; "medusa" (plural "medusae") is another word for jellyfish. Jellyfish are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. Some hydrozoan jellyfish, or hydromedusae, are also found in fresh water. Most of the information about jellyfish that follows in this article is about scyphozoan jellyfish, or scyphomedusae. These are the big, often colorful, jellyfish that are common in coastal zones worldwide.

In its broadest sense, the term jellyfish is sometimes used also to refer to members of the phylum Ctenophora. Although not closely related to cnidarian jellyfish, ctenophores are also free-swimming planktonic carnivores, are also generally transparent or translucent, and occur in shallow to deep portions of all the world's oceans. Ctenophores move using eight rows of fused cilia that beat in metachronal waves that diffract light, so that they sparkle with all of the colors of the rainbow. The rest of this article deals only with jellyfish in the phylum Cnidaria.
Contents

Body systems

A jellyfish detects the touch of other animals using a nervous system called a "nerve net", located in its epidermis. Touch stimuli are conducted by nerve rings, through the rhopalial lappet, located around the animal's body, to the nerve cells. Some jellyfish also have ocelli: light-sensitive organs that do not form images but are used to determine up from down, responding to sunlight shining on the water's surface. They also sting when another organism touches their tentacles.

Jellyfish don't have specialized digestive, osmoregulatory, central nervous, respiratory, or circulatory systems. They digest using the gastrodermal lining of the gastrovascular cavity, where nutrients are absorbed. They do not need a respiratory system since their skin is thin enough that the body is oxygenated by diffusion. They have limited control over movement and mostly free-float, but can use the hydrostatic skeleton of the water pouch to accomplish vertical movement through pulsations of the disc-like body.

Jellyfish blooms

Jellyfish are, by the nature of their life cycles, "bloomy". Their presence in the ocean is usually seasonal, responding to the availability of prey, which is seasonal in most places, increasing with temperature and sunshine in the spring and summer. Ocean currents tend to congregate jellyfish into large swarms or "blooms", consisting of hundreds or thousands of individuals. In addition to sometimes being concentrated by ocean currents, blooms can furthermore be the result of unusually high populations in some years. The formation of these blooms is a complex process that depends on ocean currents, nutrients, temperature and ambient oxygen concentrations.

The news media recently has been full of stories about increases in jellyfish blooms [3][4][5][6][7]. It is important to realize, however, that there is very little data about changes in global jellyfish populations over time, besides "impressions" in the public memory. In most places in the world, scientists have no quantitative data about what jellyfish populations used to be like, or in fact, quantitative data about what is happening in the present[8]. Recent speculations about increases in jellyfish populations often are based on no "before" data. Furthermore, many recent claims by the press that "this has never happened before" or "these jellyfish have never before been seen here" are the result of short community memory (one generation or less, usually), and careful research can often determine that whatever occurrence is under consideration has happened before in that location, although infrequently.

According to Claudia Mills of the University of Washington, increasing frequency of jellyfish blooms globally might be attributed to humans' impact on marine systems. She says that in some locations jellyfish may be filling ecological niches formerly occupied by overfished creatures, but notes that we lack data to show that is indeed true[9]. Jellyfish researcher Marsh Youngbluth further clarifies that "jellyfish feed on the same kinds of prey as adult and young fish, so if fish are removed from the equation, jellyfish are likely to move in."

Some jellyfish populations that have shown clear increases in the past few decades are "invasive" species, newly arrived from other parts of the world: examples of regions with troublesome non-native jellyfish include the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, the Baltic Sea, the eastern Mediterranean coasts of Egypt and Israel, and the American coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Populations of some invasive species expand rapidly because there are no natural predators in the ecosystem to check their growth - such blooms would not necessarily reflect overfishing or other environmental problems.
Aurelia sp., commonly known as the moon jellyfish, occurs in very high numbers in nearshore waters many places in the world. Several sibling species are difficult to casually distinguish.
Aurelia sp., commonly known as the moon jellyfish, occurs in very high numbers in nearshore waters many places in the world. Several sibling species are difficult to casually distinguish.

Increased nutrients in the water, ascribed to agricultural runoff, have also been cited as an antecedent to the proliferation of jellyfish. Monty Graham, of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama, says that "ecosystems in which there are high levels of nutrients ... provide nourishment for the small organisms on which jellyfish feed. In waters where there is eutrophication, low oxygen levels often result, favoring jellyfish as they thrive in less oxygen-rich water than fish can tolerate. The fact that jellyfish are increasing is a symptom of something happening in the ecosystem."

By sampling sea life in a heavily fished region off the coast of Namibia, researchers found that jellyfish have overtaken fish in terms of biomass. The findings represent a careful, quantitative analysis of what has been called a "jellyfish explosion" following intense fishing in the area in the last few decades. The findings were reported by Andrew Brierley of the University of St. Andrews and his colleagues in the July 11, 2006 issue of the journal Current Biology[11].

Areas which have been seriously affected by jellyfish blooms include the northern Gulf of Mexico. In that case, Graham states, "Moon jellies have formed a kind of gelatinous net that stretches from end to end across the gulf."[10]

Life history
The developmental stages of scyphozoan jellyfish.

Most jellyfish pass through two distinct life history phases (body forms) during their life cycle. The first is the polypoid stage, when the animal takes the form of a small stalk with feeding tentacles; this polyp may be sessile, living on the bottom or on similar substrata such as floats or boat-bottoms, or it may be free-floating or attached to tiny bits of free-living plankton or even (rarely) fish. Polyps generally have a mouth surrounded by tentacles that face upwards, like miniatures of the closely-related anthozoan polyps (sea anemones and corals), also of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish polyps may be solitary or colonial, and some bud asexually by various means, making more polyps. Most are very small, measured in millimeters or a fraction of an inch tall.

In the second stage, the tiny polyps asexually produce jellyfish, each of which is also known as a medusa. Tiny jellyfish (usually only a millimeter or two across) pull away from the polyp by swimming, and then grow and feed in the plankton. Medusae have a radially symmetric, umbrella-shaped body called a bell, which is usually supplied with marginal tentacles - fringe-like protrusions from the border of the bell that are used to capture prey. (Medusa is also the word for jellyfish in Finnish, Portuguese, Romanian, Hebrew, Serbian, Croatian, Spanish, French, Italian, Hungarian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian and Bulgarian.) A few species of jellyfish do not have the polyp portion of the life cycle, but go from jellyfish to the next generation of jellyfish through direct development of the fertilized eggs.

Jellyfish are dioecious; that is, they are either male or female. In most cases, to reproduce, both males and females release sperm or eggs into the surrounding water, where the (unprotected) eggs are fertilized and mature into new organisms. In a few species, the sperm swim into the mouth of the female, allowing the fertilization of the ova within the female's body. Moon jellies use a different process, in which the eggs become lodged in pits on the oral arms, which form a temporary brood chamber to accommodate fertilization and early development.

After fertilization and initial growth, a larval form, called the planula, develops from the egg. The planula is a small larva covered with cilia. It settles onto a firm surface and develops into a polyp. The polyp is cup-shaped with tentacles surrounding a single orifice, resembling a tiny sea anemone. After an interval of growth, the polyp begins reproducing sexually by budding and, in the Scyphozoa, is called a segmenting polyp, or a scyphistoma. New scyphistomae may be produced by budding or new, immature jellys called ephyrae may be formed. A few jellyfish species are also capable of producing new medusae by budding directly from the medusan stage; such budding has been described from the tentacle bulbs, the manubrium (above the mouth), or the gonads of hydromedusae (each species bud only from one location). Fission of medksae (splitting in half) has been described for a few of species of hydromedusae.

Some of the most common and important jellyfish predators are other species of jellyfish, some of which are specialists in eating jellies. Other predators of jellyfish include tuna, shark, swordfish, and at least one species of Pacific salmon, as well as sea turtles. Sea birds sometimes pick symbiotic crustaceans from the bells of jellyfish near the surface of the sea, inevitably feeding also on the jellyfish hosts of these amphipods or young crabs and shrimp.

Jellyfish lifespans typically range from a few hours (in the case of some very small hydromedusae) to several months. The life span and maximum size of each species is unique. One unusual species is reported to live as long as 30 years and another species, Turritopsis dohrnii as T. nutricula, is said to be effectively immortal because of its ability to transform between medusa and polyp, thereby escaping death[12]. Most of the large coastal jellyfish live about 2 to 6 months, during which they grow from a millimeter or two to many centimeters in diameter. They feed continuously and grow to adult size fairly rapidly. After reaching adult size (which varies by species), jellyfish spawn daily if there is enough food in the ecosystem. In most jellyfish species, spawning is controlled by light, so the entire population spawns at about the same time of day, often at either dusk or dawn.

Etymology and taxonomic history

Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens.

Since jellyfish are not fish, some people consider the term "jellyfish" a misnomer, and American public aquariums have popularized use of the terms "jellies" or "sea jellies" instead. Others find the word "jellyfish" to be equally useful and picturesque. The word "jellyfish" is used to denote several different kinds of cnidarians, all of which have a basic umbrella sort of shape, including scyphozoans, staurozoans (stalked jellyfish), hydrozoans, and cubozoans (box jellyfish). Some textbooks use the term "true jellyfish" for the scyphozoans, but this term is really quite meaningless (all jellyfish are equally jellyfish, none are more "true" in any sense than others) and the term "true jellyfish" is best left behind.

In its broadest usage, some people also include members of the phylum Ctenophora (comb jellies) when they are referring to jellyfish.

The class name, Scyphozoa, comes from the Greek word skyphos (σκύφος), denoting a kind of drinking cup and alluding to the cup shape of the organism.

A group of jellyfish is sometimes fancifully called a "smack"[13], although scientists who study them do not use this term.

Importance to humans

Culinary uses
Cannonball jellyfish, Stomolophus meleagris, are harvested for culinary purposes.

Jellyfish are an important source of food to the Chinese community and in many Asian countries. Only scyphozoan jellyfish belonging to the order Rhizostomeae are harvested for food; about 12 of the approximately 85 known species of Rhizostomeae are being harvested and sold on international markets. Most of the harvest takes place in southeast Asia Rhizostomes, especially Rhopilema esculentum in China (Chinese name: hǎizhē, meaning "sea sting") and Stomolophus meleagris (cannonball jellyfish) in the United States, are favoured because they are typically larger and have more rigid bodies than other scyphozoans. Furthermore, their toxins are innocuous to humans.

Traditional processing methods, carried out by a Jellyfish Master, involve a 20 to 40 day multi-phase procedure in which the umbrella and oral arms are treated with a mixture of table salt and alum, and compressed.[14] The gonads and mucous membranes are removed prior to salting. Processing reduces liquidation, off-odors and the growth of spoilage organisms, and makes the jellyfish drier and more acidic, producing a "crunchy and crispy texture." Jellyfish prepared this way retain 7-10% of their original, raw weight, and the processed product contains approximately 95% water and 4-5% protein, making it a relatively low calorie food Freshly processed jellyfish has a white, creamy color and turns yellow or brown during prolonged storage.

In China, processed jellyfish are desalted by soaking in water overnight and eaten cooked or raw. The dish is often served shredded with a dressing of oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, or as a salad with vegetables In Japan, cured jellyfish are rinsed, cut into strips and served with vinegar as an appetizer Desalted, ready-to-eat products are also available.

Fisheries have begun harvesting cannonball jellyfish along the southern Atlantic coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico for export to Asian nations
In biotechnology
The hydromedusa Aequorea victoria

In 1961, green fluorescent protein (GFP) was discovered in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria by scientists studying bioluminescence. This protein has since become a quite useful tool in biology. Its use is mainly for scientists studying in which tissues genes are expressed. The technique, using genetic engineering, fuses the gene of interest to the gene of GFP. The fused DNA is then put into a cell, to generate either a cell line or (via IVF techniques) an entire animal bearing the gene. In the cell or animal, the artificial gene gets turned on in the same tissues and the same time as the normal gene. But instead of making the normal protein, the gene makes GFP. One can then find out what tissues express that protein -- or at what stage of development -- by shining light on the animal or cell, and looking for the green fluorescence. The fluorescence shows where the gene of interest is expressed.[17] Jellyfish are also harvested for their collagen, which can be used for a variety of scientific applications including the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

In captivity
A group of Pacific sea nettle jellyfish, Chrysaora fuscescens, in an aquarium exhibit.

Jellyfish are commonly displayed in aquaria in many countries. Often the tank's background is blue and the animals are illuminated by side light to produce a high contrast effect. In natural conditions, many jellies are so transparent that they are almost impossible to see.

Holding jellyfish in captivity presents other problems. For one, they are not adapted to closed spaces. They depend on currents to transport them from place to place. To compensate for this, professional exhibits feature precise water flows, typically in circular tanks to prevent specimens from becoming trapped in corners. The Monterey Bay Aquarium uses a modified version of the kreisel (German for "spinning top") for this purpose.

Toxicity to humans
The Lion's mane jellyfish, Cyanea capillata, is known for its painful, but rarely fatal, sting.

When stung by a jellyfish, first aid may be needed immediately. The stings of Scyphozoan jellyfish are not generally deadly, though some species of the completely separate class Cubozoa (box jellyfish), such as the famous and especially toxic Irukandji, can be fatal. However, even nonfatal jellyfish stings are known to be extremely painful. Serious stings may cause anaphylaxis and may result in death. Hence, people stung by jellyfish must get out of the water to avoid drowning. In serious cases, advanced professional care must be sought. This care may include administration of an antivenin and other supportive care such as required to treat the symptoms of anaphylactic shock.

There are three goals of first aid for uncomplicated jellyfish stings: prevent injury to rescuers, inactivate the nematocysts, and remove any tentacles stuck on the patient. To prevent injury to rescuers, barrier clothing should be worn. This protection may include anything from panty hose to wet suits to full-body sting-proof suits. Inactivating the nematocysts, or stinging cells, prevents further injection of venom into the patient.

The sting of some species of Mastigias have no discernible effect on humans.

Vinegar (3 to 10% aqueous acetic acid) should be applied for box jellyfish stings. Vinegar, however, is not recommended for Portuguese Man o' War stings. In the case of stings on or around the eyes, vinegar may be placed on a towel and dabbed around the eyes, but not in them. Salt water may also be used in case vinegar is not readily available. Fresh water should not be used if the sting occurred in salt water, as a change in tonicity ]can cause the release of additional venom. Rubbing the wound, or using alcohol, spirits, ammonia, or urine will encourage the release of venom and should be avoided. A strange but effective method of treatment of stings is meat tenderizer which efficiently removes the nematocysts. Though often not available, a shower or bath as hot as can be tolerated can neutralize stings. However, if hypothermia is suspected this method may cause other serious complications.
A species of Mediterranean jellyfish, Cotylorhiza tuberculata, on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
A species of Mediterranean jellyfish, Cotylorhiza tuberculata, on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Once deactivated, the stinging cells must be removed. This can be accomplished by picking off tentacles left on the body First aid providers should be careful to use gloves or another readily available barrier device to prevent personal injury, and to follow standard universal precautions. After large pieces of the jellyfish are removed, shaving cream may be applied to the area and a knife edge, safety razor, or credit card may be used to take away any remaining nematocysts.

Beyond initial first aid, antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) may be used to control skin irritation (pruritus) To remove the venom in the skin, apply a paste of baking soda and water and apply a cloth covering on the sting. If possible, reapply paste every 15-20 minutes. Ice can be applied to stop the spread of venom until either of these is available.

Stuffed Animals

2008-11-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

Stuffed Animals are toy animals stuffed with cotton, straw, beans, and opposite similar materials. These are an ideal present for a child or animal lover for all gift occasions. They are promotional favorites at children's games, charity functions, and a multitude of events. Popular stuffed animals include bears, rabid animals, cats, aquatic animals, dogs, winged animals, primates, marsupials, puppets, reptiles, and farm animals. But teddy bears and sock monkeys are classics this remain the most popular among stuffed animals. Stuffed animals have a tendency to undergo a soothing effect. A child needs something tangible and concrete to hold on during a time of crisis, so stuffed animals make a perfect gift for a child going in bad times. Through the centuries, most societies and cultures exhausted stuffed critters for children's entertainment. Ancient tomb paintings stand testimony to the use of stuffed animals for religious purposes in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamian civilizations. Stuffed creatures got often spent in plays to represent Biblical animals in medieval Europe. Stuffed animals came to be regarded as an entertainment product in the nineteenth century. These toys assumed the dimensions of an industrial product with the arrival of commercial enterprises. The baby sector of the 1950s created a massive necessity for stuffed toy animals. Founded in 1880 in Germany, the Steiff Company was the first commercial association to produce stuffed animals. The production of stuffed creatures has been steadily increasing for the duration of the years. The earliest stuffed animals got came up with by filling the empty skins of hunted animals. Today, with the help of modern technology, stuffed animals are created synthetically. Most synthetic stuffed animals have an outer covering built of natural materials to put up them a natural look. Modern stuffed critters come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Prices depend on the quality of materials, softness, and the realistic appearance of the stuffed animal.

Animal welfare

2009-03-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

The issue of rearing livestock for human benefit raises the issue of the relationship between humans and animals, in terms of the status of animals and obligations of people. Animal welfare is the viewpoint that animals under human care should be treated in such a way that they do not suffer unnecessarily. What is ‘unnecessary’ suffering may vary. Generally though, the animal welfare perspective is based on an interpretation of scientific research on farming practices. By contrast, Animal rights is the viewpoint that using animals for human benefit is, by its nature, generally exploitation regardless of the farming practice used. It is a position based on anthropomorphism, in which individuals seek to place themselves in the position of an animal. Animal rights activists would generally be vegan or vegetarian, whereas it is consistent with the animal welfare perspective to eat meat depending on production processes.

Animal welfare groups generally seek to generate public discussion on livestock rearing practices and secure greater regulation and scrutiny of livestock industry practices. Animal rights groups usually seek the abolition of livestock farming, although some groups may recognise the necessity of achieving more stringent regulation first. Animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA, are often – in first world countries - given a voice at governmental level in the development of policy. Animal rights groups find it harder to find methods of input, and may go further and advocate civil disobedience or violence.

A number of animal husbandry practices that have led to legislation in some countries have been the subject of campaigns in the 1990s and 2000s. Confinement of livestock in small and unnatural spaces is often done for economic or health reasons. Animals may be kept in the minimum size of cage or pen with little or no space to exercise or engage in normal actions or grooming. Close confinement is most common with chickens, pigs, and calves raised for veal. Unnatural living environments may be used for some animals. Even when allowed to move, animals may be denied a natural environment. For example, ducks may be kept in free-range barns but have no access to water in which to swim. Cattle may be kept in barns with no chance to graze. Overuse of pharmaceuticals and hormones is also an issue in large agricultural operations. Intensive raising of livestock may lead to a health problems and the necessity to use antibiotics to prevent disease. In some cases antibiotics and hormones are also fed to livestock to produce rapid weight gain.

Overwork and exhaustion of animals: Where livestock are used as a source of power they may be pushed beyond their limits to the point of exhaustion. The public visibility of this abuse meant it was one of the first areas to receive legislation in the nineteenth century in European countries but it still goes on in parts of Asia. Modification to the bodies of living animals: Broiler hens may be de-beaked, pigs have deciduous teeth pulled, cattle de-horned and branded, dairy cows and sheep have tails cropped, merino sheep mulesed, many types of male animals castrated. Long distance transportation of livestock: Animals may be transported long distances to market and slaughter. Overcrowded conditions, heat from tropical-area shipping and lack of food, water and rest breaks have been subject to legislation and protest. (See Live Export) Slaughter of livestock: Slaughter was an early target for legislation. Campaigns continue to target Halal and Kosher religious ritual slaughter.

Lizard on the move

2008-10-09T02:56:00.000-07:00

Lizard

Lizards are a very large and widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 5,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains. The group, traditionally recognized as the suborder Lacertilia, is defined as all extant members of the Lepidosauria (reptiles with overlapping scales) which are neither sphenodonts (i.e., Tuatara) nor snakes. While the snakes are recognized as falling phylogenetically within the anguimorph lizards from which they evolved, the sphenodonts are the sister group to the squamates, the larger monophyletic group which includes both the lizards and the snakes.

Lizards typically have limbs and external ears, while snakes lack both these characteristics. However, because they are defined negatively as excluding snakes, lizards have no unique distinguishing characteristic as a group. Lizards and snakes share a movable quadrate bone, distinguishing them from the sphenodonts which have a more primitive and solid diapsid skull. Many lizards can detach their tails in order to escape from predators, an act called autotomy, but this trait is not universal. Vision, including color vision, is particularly well developed in most lizards, and most communicate with body language or bright colors on their bodies as well as with pheromones. The adult length of species within the suborder ranges from a few centimeters for some chameleons and geckos to nearly three meters (9 feet, 6 inches) in the case of the largest living varanid lizard, the Komodo Dragon. Some extinct varanids reached great size. The extinct aquatic mosasaurs reached 17.5 meters, and the giant monitor Megalania prisca is estimated to have reached perhaps seven meters. more natures wallpapers

News photos

2009-07-05T00:35:00.000-07:00

Most Recommended Photos

A jet, its vapour trail streaming out behind, flies past the waxing moon over Zurich June 30, 2009.

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Fireworks explode over Washington, as seen from Arlington, Va. during Fourth of July celebration Saturday, July 4, 2009. The Lincoln Memorial can be seen at left, the Washington Monument is at center and the U.S. Capitol is at right.

Most Emailed Photos

A stingray leaps out of the water as it is hunted by a killer whale, whose fin can be seen below the ray, just off St. Heliers beach in Auckland, New Zealand, Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Livestock

2009-03-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

Livestock is the term used to refer (singularly or plurally) to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce things such as food or fibre, or for its labour. The term as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning of 'livestock' is common.

Livestock may be raised for subsistence or for profit. Raising animals (animal husbandry) is an important component of modern agriculture. It has been practiced

Origins

Animal-rearing has its origins in the transition of societies to settled farming communities rather than hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Animals are ‘domesticated’ when their breeding and living conditions are controlled by humans. Over time, the collective behaviour, life cycle, and physiology of livestock have changed radically. Many modern farm animals are unsuited to life in the wild. Dogs were domesticated in East Asia about 15,000 years ago, Goats and sheep were domesticated around 8000 BCE in Asia.[citation needed] Swine or pigs were domesticated by 7000 BCE in the Middle East and China . The earliest evidence of horse domestication dates to around 4000 BCE
Types

The term "livestock" is nebulous and may be defined narrowly or broadly. On a broader view, livestock refers to any breed or population of animal kept by humans for a useful, commercial purpose. This can mean domestic animals, semi-domestic animals, or captive wild animals. Semi-domesticated refers to animals which are only lightly domesticated or of disputed status. These populations may also be in the process of domestication. Some people may use the term livestock to refer just to domestic animals or even just to red meat animals.

Animal rearing
A Brown Swiss cow in the Swiss Alps

‘Livestock’ are defined, in part, by their end purpose as the production of food or fiber, or labour.

The economic value of livestock includes:

Meat the production of a useful form of dietary protein and energy.
Dairy products
Mammalian livestock can be used as a source of milk, which can in turn easily be processed into other dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, butter, ice cream, kefir, and kumis. Using livestock for this purpose can often yield several times the food energy of slaughtering the animal outright.
Fiber
Livestock produce a range of fiber/textiles. For example, sheep and goats produce wool and mohair; cows, deer, and sheep can make leather; and bones, hooves and horns of livestock can be used.
Fertilizer
Manure can be spread on fields to increase crop yields. This is an important reason why historically, plant and animal domestication have been intimately linked. Manure is also used to make plaster for walls and floors and can be used as a fuel for fires. The blood and bone of animals are also used as fertilizer.
Labour
Animals such as horses, donkey, and yaks can be used for mechanical energy. Prior to steam power livestock were the only available source of non-human labour. They are still used for this purpose in many places of the world, including ploughing fields, transporting goods, and military functions.
Land management
The grazing of livestock is sometimes used as a way to control weeds and undergrowth. For example, in areas prone to wild fires, goats and sheep are set to graze on dry scrub which removes combustible material and reduces the risk of fires.

During the history of animal husbandry many secondary products have arisen in an attempt to increase carcass utilization and reduce waste. For example, animal offal and non-edible parts may be transformed into products such as pet food and fertilizer. In the past such waste products were sometimes also fed to livestock as well. However, intra-species recycling poses a disease risk, threatening animal and even human health (see bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), scrapie and prion). Due primarily to BSE (mad cow disease), feeding animal scraps to animals has been banned in many countries, at least in regards to ruminants and pigs.

altantica and animals

2008-10-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

Iceberg

Animals from Antarctica and Arctic Ocean

In Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean only cold-adapted animals survive, such as penguins, fur seals, mosses, lichens, and algae.