Thursday, December 27, 2012

Flying Squirrel Facts

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Sciuridae
Genus:	Pteromyini

Scientific Name:	Pteromyini
Type:	Mammal
Diet:	Omnivore
Size (H):	20cm - 30cm (8in - 12in)
Weight:	56g - 175g (2oz - 6oz)
Top Speed:	24km/h (15mph)
Life Span:	5 - 8 years
Lifestyle:	Solitary
Conservation Status:	Least Concern

Colour:	Black, Brown, Grey, White, Tan
Skin Type:	Fur
Favourite Food:	Nuts
Habitat:	Forest and woodland
Average Litter Size:	4
Main Prey:	Nuts, Berries, Eggs
Predators:	Cats. Coyote, Raccoon
Distinctive Features:	Small body size and furry glide membrane

The story of human evolution began in Africa about six million years ago and it describes the very long process that our ancestors went through to ultimately become modern humans. This process has been uncovered by studying fossils and understanding the underlying theory of evolution, and while new fossils are uncovered every decade revealing new chapters, scientists agree about the basic story.
Evolution means the changes that occur in a population over time.
evolution is a process that results in changes that are passed on or inherited from generation to generation. It does not, for example, describe how people can change their muscle mass by lifting weights.
Some individuals inherit characteristics that make them more successful at surviving and having babies...
Biological evolution explains the way all living things evolved over billions of years from a single common ancestor. This concept is often illustrated by the so-called tree of life. Every branch on the tree represents a species. The fork separating one species from another represents the common ancestor that each pair of species shared. So ultimately, all life is interconnected, but any two species may be separated by millions or even billions of years of evolution.

Our Common Ancestor

Most scientists believe our common ancestor existed 5 to 8 million years ago. Then two species broke off into separate lineages, one ultimately evolving into gorillas and chimps, the other evolving into early humans called hominids. In the millions of years that followed, at least a dozen different species of human like creatures have existed, reflected in the fossil discoveries of paleoanthropologists, although many of these species are close relatives but not actual ancestors of modern humans.

Extincted Animals & Birds

Extincted Animals

There is a very huge diversity of organisms in this world.they shape a beautiful diversity on this earth.But now most of the organisms facing greatest threat of extinction from humans and other sources..

In this article i introduce some varieties of animals that survived strongly on past and disappear from world due to some unknown problems..

DINOSAURS

It isn't hard to imagine the world full of dinosaurs,..Eeven though these extinct animals haven't walked the earth for millions of years. Learn all about dinosaurs, including early dinosaur discoveries, dinosaur fossils, and dinosaur extinction.

Most people think of dinosaurs as big, ferocious and extinct reptiles.

That's largely true, but there are some misconceptions.

Dinosaurs came in all shapes and sizes. Dinosaurs were the largest land animals of all time,

but a great number of dinosaurs were smaller than a turkey.!!!

Dinosaurs appear first about 250 million years ago.

They ruled the Earth for about 135 million years until an extinction event 65 million years ago wiped out all but bird-like dinosaurs. Scientists don't agree entirely on what happened, but the extinction likely was a double or triple whammy involving an asteroid impact, choking chemicals from erupting volcanoes, climate change and possibly other factors..

Everyone imagine that they are very gigantic animals..

no one knows the real facts about these huge animals,Dinosaurs..

Mammoth

Mammoth, an extinct animal related to and resembling the elephant. Mammoths were abundant during the Ice Age.

They are very gigantic animals lived in prehistoric era..

They highly resembles Elephant.

Mammoths had long curved tusks, shaggy dark hair, and humped backs.Thousands of mammoths have been found frozen in the soil of Siberia and Alaska. Many are perfectly preserved, even to the stomach contents mostly grass and leaves. Remains of dwarf mammoths, which were about six feet (1.8 m) high at the shoulder, have been found on islands off the coasts of California and Siberia.

Stone Age people hunted mammoths and drew pictures of them on the walls of caves. Most mammoths became extinct about 10,000 years ago; some dwarf mammoths lived as recently as 4,000 years ago. Over-hunting by humans and a warming of the climate may have together caused the extinction of mammoths.

Extincted Birds

DODO

Dodos were flightless birds the size of large turkeys.

Dodo, a large flightless bird that once lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean but is now extinct. The dodo was related to the pigeon, but was the size of a large turkey. Its body feathers were gray; breast and tail feathers were white. A bulbous hooked beak, short, stubby legs, and curly tail feathers gave the dodo a comical appearance. The dodo was a clumsy, slow-moving bird but it flourished on Mauritius because it had no natural enemies.

Solitaires, birds related to the dodo, lived on the nearby islands of Runion and Rodriguez. By 1800 they, too, had become extinct.

The dodo and the solitaires belonged to the family Raphidae. The dodo was Raphus cucullatus; the Runion Island solitaire, R. solitarius; the Rodriguez Island solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria.

Stellers Sea Cow

The Stellers sea cow was a large marine mammal that was found in abundance in the North Pacific. These enormous animals were closely related to the dugong and the manatee still found grazing in the oceans today, but were of considerable size at between eight and nine meters in length.

The Stellers sea cow was first discovered in 1741 by explorers that ventured into parts of the Arctic Circle. When they were first recorded, the Steller's sea cow was said to be living in abundance in the North Pacific, however in less than 20 years of human contact, the Stellers sea cow had disappeared from the ocean completely.

The Sabre-Toothed Tiger

The sabre-toothed tiger is one of the most well-known prehistoric animals along with giants such as the woolly mammoth. Sabre-toothedtigers roamed the mid-western US and parts of both North and South America and were named for the enormous canines which skeletons show, protruded quite far out of their mouths.

Despite it's name, the sabre-toothed tiger was not actually related to the modern tigers that are found throughout the jungles of Asia. It is thought that the sabre-toothed tiger would have roamed across the grassland plains and open woodlands throughout both North and South America where individuals would of varied slightly depending on the area which they inhabited.

The sabre-toothed tiger is one of the best known ice-ageanimals but little is really known about them as they are thought to have become extinct around 10,000BC which is a long time ago. The sabre-toothed tiger was named for the canines that could grow to more than 7 inches in length and were capable of fatally wounding their prey with one bite.

Sabre-Toothed Tiger Facts

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Genus:	Smilodon

Scientific Name:	Smilodon populator
Type:	Mammal
Diet:	Carnivore
Size (L):	2m - 2.5m (79in - 98in)
Weight:	300kg (661lbs)
Life Span:	20 - 40 years
Lifestyle:	Pack
Conservation Status:	Extinct
Extinct:	10,000 BC

Colour:	Tan, Brown, Yellow, Black, White
Skin Type:	Fur
Favourite Food:	Deer
Habitat:	Forests and grasslands
Average Litter Size:	3
Main Prey:	Deer, Bison, Woolly Mammoth
Predators:	Humans
Distinctive Features:	Large muscular body and long canine teeth

Passenger Pigeon

The earliest settlers in the New World were amazed by the passenger pigeon, a bird with flocks so huge that it would take days for them to travel overhead, blackening the sky as they passed.
Any farmer who had the misfortune of hosting passenger pigeons for a meal would quickly find his entire crop decimated within the blink of an eye. Then, virtually overnight, the most abundant bird in North America suddenly disappeared from the planet.

The extinction of the passenger pigeon is an example of nature coming into direct conflict with man. Its population numbered an astounding 3 to 5 billion when the first Europeans arrived in America. However, there was not room enough in the New World for both species.
Passenger pigeons were soon wiped out due to merciless hunting, deforestation and other factors related to humankind's ever-expanding range. The extinction was only becoming apparent at the start of the 20th century; by 1914, the last known bird was dead.

Quagga

The Quagga is a mammal closely related to modern horses and zebras. In fact, it looks like a cross between a horse and a zebra, with stripes only on its head and neck that disappear as they approach the brownish hindquarters of the animal. The quagga was native to desert areas of South Africa until it was hunted to extinction in the 1870s. The last captive animals died in Europe in the 1880s.

As an extinct species, the quagga has a couple claims to fame. For starters, it was the first animal to have its DNA analyzed, which led to the discovery that the quagga was not a distinct species but a subspecies of the plains zebra. Also, the quagga is the subject of an ambitious breeding effort by the aptly named Quagga Project, the result of which was a foal born in 2005. Based on appearances, the "re-created" quagga closely resembles the ancient quagga, but DNA evidence has yet to determine whether this animal is authentic.

Vancouver Island Marmot

The rodent is one of the most endangered mammals in North America, with less than 40 individuals found in an area less than 10 sq. km. Logging is most likely the cause of its diminishing numbers.

Black Rhino

The population of the black rhino declined by 90% over the last six decades, thanks chiefly to poaching. But since the mid 1990's — when fewer than 3,000 of the African rhino existed — the population has increased steadily, and now there are over 4,000.

Iberian Lynx

Believed to be the most endangered mammal in Europe, the Iberian lynx, found mostly in Spain, has fewer than 150 individuals in the wild. It's dying out because its main source of food — a rabbit — is also declining rapidly.

Amphibians kingdom

Amphibians kingdom

Frog

Frog, a small tailless amphibian. Scientifically, there is no distinction between frogs and toads. Both belong to the same order of the class Amphibia, and are collectively called anurans. Popularly, anurans that live in or near freshwater are usually called frogs. They vary in size from certain South American frogs less than one-half inch (13 mm) long to the 10-inch (25-cm) Goliath frog of Africa.

The Common Frog (Rana temporaria) also known as the European Common Frog or European Common Brown Frog

Bullfrog at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Spade Foot Toad

Spade foot Toad, the common name for a family of Amphibians.

Spade foot toads are widely distributed over Europe, southern Asia, northwest Africa, and North America. The family is named for those members that have a “spade”—a crescent-shaped projection used in digging burrows—on the side of their hind limbs

Spadefoot toads make up the family Pelobatidae. The North American species are all of the genus Scaphiopus.

Now the frogs are also facing serious threats of Extinction...

most of the species are now vanished from planet..

every organisms plays a vital role in the ecosystem.Destruction of any one of these species lead to the Unbalance of the ecosystem..

Common Frog Facts

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Ranidae
Genus:	Rana

Scientific Name:	Rana Temporaria
Type:	Amphibian
Diet:	Carnivore
Size (L):	6cm - 10cm (2.4in - 4in)
Weight:	20g - 80g (0.7oz - 2.8oz)
Top Speed:	8km/h (5mph)
Life Span:	5 - 10 years
Lifestyle:	Solitary
Conservation Status:	Least Concern

Colour:	Black, Green, Grey, Brown
Skin Type:	Permeable
Favourite Food:	Insects
Habitat:	Forests, rivers and marshes
Average Clutch Size:	1,500
Main Prey:	Insects, Worms, Snails
Predators:	Foxes, Snakes, Birds
Distinctive Features:	Short back legs and webbed toes

Birds Kingdom

There Is A large variety of birds worldwide.Birds are often envied for their ability to fly, but not all of them can. Learn how birds can manipulate feathers, bone and wing structure to soar through the air and even dive-bomb into the water for food.

Nightingale

Nachtigall (Luscinia megarhynchos)

Nightingale Facts

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Muscicapidae
Genus:	Luscinia

Scientific Name:	Luscinia Magarhynchos
Type:	Bird
Diet:	Omnivore
Size (L):	14cm - 16.5cm (5.5in - 6.5in)
Wing Span:	20cm - 22cm (7.9in - 9in)
Weight:	15g - 22g (0.5oz - 0.7oz)
Top Speed:	29km/h (18mph)
Life Span:	1 - 3 years
Lifestyle:	Solitary
Conservation Status:	Least Concern

Colour:	Brown, Tan
Skin Type:	Feathers
Favourite Food:	Fruit
Habitat:	Open forests and thickets
Average Clutch Size:	3
Main Prey:	Fruit, Nuts, Seeds, Insects
Predators:	Rats, Cats, Lizards
Distinctive Features:	Small body size with no markings and thin beak

Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)

The nightingale is a small species of bird thought to be formally members of the thrush family. The nightingale is often mistaken for the robin, as the nightingale is about the same size and the female robin is very similar in appearance to the nightingale.

The nightingale is a morning bird and the nightingale can often be heard singing it's loud song at dawn. In urban areas, the nightingale will sing even louder at dawn to make up for the extra background noise.

Albatross

Albatross, a seabird.Albatrosses live almost their entire lives at sea, coming to land only to nest. During the breeding season, the male performs an elaborate courtship dance. The female lays one white, brown-speckled egg in a shallow nest on the ground. Both parents incubate the egg for 9 to 10 weeks, until it hatches. The young remains in the nest until it can fly, about six months later. Adult albatrosses feed on fish, crustaceans, and squid, and often follow ships, feeding on discarded food. Parents feed their young by regurgitating previously digested food into their mouths.

Sailors often refer to albatrosses as “Gooney birds” because of their disregard of danger. They have long had a taboo against killing albatrosses. In his poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge tells of the misfortunes that befell a ship after a sailor defied this superstition and killed an albatross.

FLAMINGO

Flamingos breed in huge colonies, sometimes made up of several hundred thousand mated pairs. The mother flamingo lays a single egg in a shallow mud nest on the ground. Both parents care for the chick for the first week or two of life. Then, the young flamingo joins the crache, which is a large gathering of juvenile birds.

Now these birds are also facing devastating Extinction..

Our Environment

Our Environment

Our Environment is a home to a large variety of organisms,,

They include microscopic Bacteria to large African Elephants.

But most of these organisms are now facing the threat of global Extinction.For our future survival ,we must take care of each of small organism to larger animals...otherwise,we must face a global extinction...