Tag Archives: America

Howler Monkey

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Howler Monkey

Howler monkeys may give you headache.

  • Howler monkeys are a subfamily and genus of medium to large primates with around 15 species, and one of the largest sized monkeys in the group of New World monkeys.
  • The scientific name of a howler monkey is Alouatta, while Alouattinae is the subfamily name, and it is from the family Atelidae, a family of New World monkeys.
  • Howler monkeys typically live in trees in rainforests and jungles of their native Central and South America.
  • The height of howler monkeys ranges from 56 to 92 centimetres (22 to 36 inches) and they weigh roughly 3 to 9 kilograms (6.6 to 20 pounds).
  • The colour of howler monkey fur can be brown, black or tan in colour, and the animal has a long tail, that can be the length or longer than their body, that they use like an extra limb for grasping, and hanging in trees.
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Howler Monkey
Image courtesy of Peter Schoen/Flickr
  • Howler monkeys have a diet that consists primarily of leaves, fruit, flowers and nuts, however some of their food can become dangerous to them when consumed in large quantities.
  • Howler monkeys have notably loud voices generally used for howls or growls, which can be projected to distances up to 4.8 kilometres (3 miles), hence their common name.
  • Howler monkeys are nest builders, and they have a sense of smell that is quite considerable, reaching a range of around 2 kilometres (1.25 miles).
  • The lifespan of howler monkeys is an average of 15 to 20 years, and the mammal is preyed on by snakes, birds and jaguars.
  • Howler monkeys are threatened by habitat loss and poaching, and have been captured as exotic pets, while some species are listed as vulnerable or endangered.
Bibliography:
Howler Monkey, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/howler-monkey/
Howler Monkey, 2015, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/howler-monkey/
Howler Monkey, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howler_monkey

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Sweet Potato

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Sweet Potato

The roots literally stem to the sweet potato.

  • A sweet potato is a vegetable that is the root of a dicot plant with the scientific name Ipomoea batatas, and the plant is from the family Convolvulaceae, the family of morning glories or bindweeds.
  • Some people refer to sweet potatoes as yams, despite the term technically reserved for totally unrelated vegetables from the Dioscoreaceae family, with the scientific name Dioscorea; thus creating confusion.
  • There are numerous varieties of sweet potatoes, and the skin can be coloured orange, beige, brown, red, yellow, or purple, while the flesh can be yellow, beige, orange, white, pink, purple, red, or violet, and they are generally a long, fat shape.
  • Sweet potatoes are commonly cooked through baking, frying, grilling or boiling; and both the leaves and root can be eaten.
  • Sweet potatoes are native to South and Central America, and they have been used in these areas since ancient times, and were likely cultivated there thousands of years ago.

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  • China is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the world, producing around 81.7 million tonnes (80.4 million tons) in 2011, totalling approximately 77% of the world’s production.
  • Sweet potatoes do not grow well in cold temperatures, preferring sunlight and the warmth it generates, and once harvested they are best stored in a dry, dark and cool environment, however, they should not be stored in the fridge.
  • Europe had not seen sweet potatoes until 1492, after Christopher Columbus brought back some of the vegetables from his original visit to America.
  • The skin of sweet potatoes may be commercially dyed or waxed, the former to increase the apparent quality and fool consumers, while the latter is used to protect the vegetable from moisture loss and to maintain its freshness.
  • Sweet potatoes have an extremely high content of vitamin A and are a good source of vitamins C and B6, fibre, potassium and manganese, and they contain many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Sweet Potato, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato
Sweet Potato, 2015, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64

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Cichlid

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Cichlid

Cichlids are cute little fish with a vicious appetite.

  • Cichlids are a family of fish, of small to medium size, with in excess of 1600 discovered species out of the estimated 2000 to 3000 in total.
  • The scientific name of a cichlid is Cichlidae, and it is from the suborder Labroidei, the suborder that also includes wrasses, surfperches and damselfish, among others.
  • Cichlids are found in freshwater regions in many countries across the globe, and they are native primarily to South America, southern North America and Africa, and some are also found in certain areas in Asia.
  • The size of cichlids ranges quite widely among species, from 2.5 to 100 centimetres (1 to 39.4 inches).
  • Cichlids are popularly kept in aquariums as pets, with many different hybrids bred specifically for the pet industry.
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A Cichlid
Image courtesy of Marcell Sigg/Flickr
  • The diet of cichlids, depending on the species, consists primarily of plants, fish – even from the same family, algae, parasites and insect larvae.
  • Cichlids are often fished as a sport, and some species are mass-bred for commercial reasons, commonly for food or as pets.
  • The colours of cichlids range from black, yellow, orange, green, blue, red, silver or white, and they are commonly patterned in their colouring.
  • An average of 200 eggs is produced by a female cichlid at one time, and the fry are generally cared for by both parents until the babies are capable of swimming alone.
  • Cichlids typically live to be 5 to 60 years of age; and fellow fish, eels, birds and humans are common predators.
Bibliography:
Cichlid, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/cichlid/
Cichlid, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cichlid

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Cotton-top Tamarin

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Cotton-top Tamarin

Top it all off with the cotton-top tamarin.

  • Cotton-top tamarins are small primates, native to the forests of north-west Columbia, in South America.
  • Cotton-top tamarins are among the smallest monkeys, with a size of 18 to 30 centimetres (7 to 12 inches) in length and 220 to 900 grams (7.7 to 32 ounces) in weight.
  • The hair on the head of a cotton-top tamarin is coloured white, hence its common name, while the monkey has fur on its body that ranges from white, brown, black and tan in colour.
  • The scientific name of a cotton-top tamarin is Saguinus oedipus, and it is from the family Callitrichidae, a family of New-world monkeys.
  • The diet of cotton-top tamarins consists primarily of fruit, insects, nectar, rodents and sap, and they spend much of their time, including sleeping, in trees.
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Cotton-top Tamarin
Image courtesy of Mark Kent/Flickr
  • Cotton-top tamarins have been protected since 1969, however, they are listed as critically endangered, with total population numbers decreasing due to major habitat loss, and they have been sought after for the pet industry, even though it is illegal.
  • Cotton-top tamarins live in troops with two to fourteen individuals, with the head consisting of a female and her choice of male partner, and they are generally the only pair that breeds, due to the breeding suppressing pheromones that the dominant female releases.
  • Generally, female cotton-top tamarins produce two babies at single time, although one is not uncommon, and the young are transported on the back of the parents, and are also cared for by others in the group.
  • Cotton-top tamarins are preyed on by snakes, birds of prey, and wild cats, and they have an average lifespan of 8 to 15 years in the wild.
  • Sounds made by cotton-top tamarins are similar to those of birds, and include whistles, chirps and trills, and they are able to make 38 different sounds.
Bibliography:
Cotton-Top Tamarin, 2011, Perth Zoo, http://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Cotton-top-Tamarin-Fact-Sheet-2012.pdf
Cotton-top Tamarin, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton-top_tamarin
Cottontop Tamarin, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/cottontop-tamarin/

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Brooklyn Bridge

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Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge was a stepping stone in the world of bridge building.

  • Brooklyn Bridge is a neo-gothic styled cable suspension and cable-stayed bridge located in the United State’s New York City, connecting the areas of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
  • Brooklyn Bridge is 25.9 metres (85 feet) in width and reaches 1.825 kilometres (1.134 miles) in length, and was initially the longest suspension bridge on earth.
  • The building of Brooklyn Bridge began in 1869, as one of the first bridges of its kind, and it is made of steel, granite, limestone and concrete, while the latter materials were primarily used for the bridge pillars.
  • John Augustus Roebling, a civil engineer who emigrated from Germany years before, designed Brooklyn Bridge, but he died before construction commenced.
  • After the death of John Roebling, his son, Washington Roebling, became the engineer for the construction of Brooklyn Bridge, however Washington became incapacitated from caisson disease, a decompression sickness that forced him to be restricted to viewing the work from his apartment window, and as a result, he directed his wife Emily to oversee much of the onsite work.
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Brooklyn Bridge
Image courtesy of keith.bellvay/Flickr
  • ‘Brooklyn Bridge’ has also been known as ‘East River Bridge’ and ‘New York and Brooklyn Bridge’ in its history.
  • The 24 May 1883 marked the official opening of Brooklyn Bridge, which was crossed by 150,300 people on the occasion, including the then US President Chester Arthur and the then New York Mayor Franklin Edson.
  • The construction of Brooklyn Bridge cost approximately US$15.5 million, which converts to almost 380 million US dollars in 2015, and major renovations began on the bridge in 2010, which are expected to be completed in 2016, in response to the deficient standard of the bridge, graded in a previous inspection.
  • Many of those who worked on Brooklyn Bridge were immigrants, with more than 24 people reaching their death throughout the construction, while some worked underwater in airtight containers and many of these workers came away with caisson disease.
  • Brooklyn Bridge reaches a height of 84.3 metres (276.5 feet) from the average East River water level that it spans, and there is approximately 41.1 metres (135 feet) between the water and the base of the bridge.
Bibliography:
Brooklyn Bridge, 2015, History, http://www.history.com/topics/brooklyn-bridge
Brooklyn Bridge, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge

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Parícutin

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Parícutin

Parícutin is an example of prehistory in its modern time.

  • Parícutin is an unusually recent, cone-shaped volcano, and it is classified as dormant and found in Mexico’s state of Michoacán in southern North America.
  • ‘Parícutin’ is also known as ‘Volcán de Parícutin’, named after the nearby village which it decimated, and it is categorised as a cinder or scoria cone volcano.
  • The height of Parícutin rises 424 metres (1391 feet) above ground, and its peak sits at 2800 metres (9,186 feet) above sea level.
  • The formation of the Parícutin volcano began in 1943, and was witnessed burgeoning from the ground on a private corn farm, reaching a height of 30 to 50 metres (98.5 to 164 feet) in one day, and to date, it is perhaps the most recent volcano to be created.
  • Parícutin’s eruption lasted from February 1943 to early 1952, while hundreds of earthquakes, rumblings and tremors occurred before and during the eruption.
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Parícutin
Image courtesy of A C/Flickr
  • The creation of Parícutin was highly important in the field of volcanology, as the phenomena allowed the whole process of the formation of a cinder cone volcano to be chronicled for the first time.
  • Although the Parícutin eruption occurred during World War II, it did not damper the world wide enthusiasm of the eruption, and it was even used as a background for the 1947 film Captain from Castile.
  • A total area of 233 square kilometres (90 square miles) was damaged or devastated by the Parícutin eruption, and five communities were affected, two of which were destroyed by lava, while the taller parts of a church building are still visible above the hardened lava.
  • Volcanic lightning was created due to the Parícutin eruption, which caused the three and only fatalities of the nine year event.
  • Parícutin is popularly visited by tourists, and can only be reached directly via horse or by trekking, both of which require a guide.
Bibliography:
O’Brien J, Parícutin, n.d, Creation Ministries, http://creation.com/mount-paricutin
Parícutin, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%ADcutin
Paricutin: The Volcano in the Cornfield, 2012, Musuem of Unnatural Mystery, http://www.unmuseum.org/7wonders/paricutin.htm

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