Tag Archives: America

Mexican Redknee Tarantula

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Mexican Redknee Tarantula

You would be glad to hear that Mexican redknee tarantulas are not something to fear.

  • Mexican redknee tarantulas are a species of spider found in the forests of the Mexican mountain ranges in southern North America, and they have become a popular pet, though they are listed as ‘near threatened’ and are now somewhat protected.
  • The scientific name of a Mexican redknee tarantula is Brachypelma smithi and it is from the family Theraphosidae, the family of tarantulas.
  • ‘Mexican redknee tarantulas’ are also known as ‘red knee tarantulas’, ‘red-kneed tarantulas’, ‘Mexican red-knee tarantulas’ and ‘Mexican red-kneed tarantulas’.
  • Numerous small hairs can be found on Mexican redknee tarantulas, and the spider is primarily brown to black in colour with orange to red coloured patches on each leg joint.
  • Mexican redknee tarantulas are generally between 12 to 14 centimetres (4.7 to 5.5 inches) long and weigh 15 to 16 grams (0.5 to 0.6 ounces), while females are typically larger than males.

Mexican Redknee Tarantula, Arachnid, Spider, Red, Zoo, Sandy, Crawl, Hairy, Animal

  • The diet of a Mexican redknee tarantula consists primarily of insects, rodents and frogs, but also birds and other mammals, that are captured at the entrance of the spider’s burrow where it makes a web, and paralyses and liquefies the prey using its venom.
  • Through an extensive molting process, Mexican redknee tarantulas can restore any limbs or other bodily extensions that have been lost.
  • Female Mexican redknee tarantulas typically live to be 20 to 30 years, however a male’s lifespan is much shorter, at around 5 to 10 years.
  • When feeling threatened, a Mexican redknee tarantula can defend itself using its bite, however it prefers to display its fangs and shoot barbed hairs from its abdomen.
  • A female Mexican redknee tarantula lays from 200 to 400 or more eggs at one time, that are gathered into a silk web sack, which hatch after one to three months, and the young exit the sack approximately three weeks after hatching.
Bibliography:
Giesler A & Zaitz D, Brachypelma smithi, 2011, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Brachypelma_smithi/
Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula, 2010, Australian Reptile Park, http://www.reptilepark.com.au/animalprofile.asp?id=135
Mexican Redknee Tarantula, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_redknee_tarantula
Red Knee Tarantula, 2016, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/red-knee-tarantula/

Grainy Cochran Frog

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Grainy Cochran Frog

The grainy Cochran frog is hidden in a forest of secrets.

  • Grainy Cochran frogs are a species of frog native to the southern countries of Central America.
  • The scientific name of a grainy Cochran frog is Cochranella granulosa and it is from the family Centrolenidae, the family of glass frogs.
  • The Spanish name for the grainy Cochran frog is ‘ranita de cristal’ which literally means ‘glass frog’, while the frog is also known as a ‘granular glass frog’.
  • Grainy Cochran frogs are found around streams among plants, in moist forests that are situated in low-lying habitats.
  • Grainy Cochran frogs are small and generally reach a length of 2.25 to 3.2 centimetres (0.9 to 1.3 inches).
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Grainy Chochran Frog
Image courtesy of Brain Gratwicke/Flickr
  • The skin of grainy Cochran frogs is a green-blue colour speckled with tiny white dots that give it a grainy texture.
  • Around 50 to 60 eggs are laid by female grainy Cochran frogs, on vegetation that branches over and touches water bodies, so that on hatching, the new tadpoles can drop into the water.
  • On the underside of a grainy Cochran frog, the skin is translucent, allowing its internal organs to be viewed.
  • A grainy Cochran frog male fends off other amphibious intruders to its territory, often by wrestling on a leaf, where the loser is the individual that falls off, and the winner claims the territory.
  • While grainy Cochran frogs are classified as ‘least concern’, they are still threatened by pollution of water and loss of habitat.
Bibliography:
Cochranella granulosa, n.d, IUCN Red List, http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/54964/0
Cochranella granulosa, 2014, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochranella_granulosa
The Granular Glass Frog, 2015, Alien Earthlings, http://www.thenighttour.com/alien1/cochranella_granulosa.htm
Iyer S, Cochranella granulosa, 2009, AmphibiaWeb, http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Cochranella&where-species=granulosa

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Woolly Monkey

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Woolly Monkey

Are woolly monkeys the long-lost cousins of woolly mammoths?

  • Woolly monkeys are a genus of four species of monkey, native to South America’s rainforest habitats.
  • The scientific name of a woolly monkey is Lagothrix and it is from the family Atelidae, a family of New World monkeys.
  • The height of woolly monkeys is usually from 40 to 70 centimetres (16 to 28 inches) and they typically weigh betweeen 3 to 11 kilograms (6.6 to 24 pounds).
  • Woolly monkeys have thick, furry hair, and it ranges from a combination of black, grey, brown or red-brown in colour, depending on the species.
  • The diet of woolly monkeys consists primarily of fruit, but also flowers, insects, immature seeds, and leaves.
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Woolly Monkey
Image courtesy of Liz Lister/Flickr
  • Woolly monkeys live in trees in troops of 10 to 70 individuals; however will generally break off into small groups for tasks such as foraging.
  • Female woolly monkeys typically have a single baby at a time, every second year, and the young becomes mostly independent at six months of age, and they can have a lifespan of up to 30 years.
  • Generally, woolly monkeys remain among the treetops where they sleep and search for food, however, they do occasionally set foot on ground.
  • The long tail of a woolly monkey is prehensile and very strong, having the ability to support its entire body weight as well as provide balance.
  • Woolly monkeys are considered vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, depending on the species, due to loss of habitat and hunting by humans for food, fur, and the pet industry.
Bibliography:
Common Woolly Monkey, n.d, Wildsreen Arkive, http://www.arkive.org/common-woolly-monkey/lagothrix-lagotricha/
Woolly Monkey, 2011, University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/woolly_monkey/taxon
Woolly Monkey, 2014, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolly_monkey
Woolly Monkey, 2016, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/woolly-monkey/

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Dragon Fruit

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Dragon Fruit

I couldn’t think of a better name than ‘dragon fruit’ for such a fruit.

  • Dragon fruit is an edible exotic fruit that grows on certain species of cactus plants.
  • ‘Dragon fruit’ is also known as ‘pitaya’, ‘nanettika fruit’, ‘strawberry pear’ and ‘pitahaya’.
  • Sweet dragon fruit come from the genus Hylocereus, of the Cactaceae family, the family of cacti, and the scientific name of the most commonly grown of the edible species is Hylocereus undatus, while sour pitaya are from the Stenocerus genus.
  • Dragon fruit are native to the Americas, and have since been introduced to eastern and southern Asia, where the fruit is now cultivated extensively.
  • The weight of dragon fruit ranges from 150 to 1000 grams (5 to 35 ounces), although more commonly they range from 150 to 600 grams (5 to 21 ounces) and they are usually an ovoid or round shape.
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Dragon Fruit
Image courtesy of John Robinson/Flickr
  • The skin of dragon fruit is usually, pink, red or yellow in colour, often with spiky leaf-like appendages generally tipped with green, and a red or white coloured flesh that contains numerous small, black, edible seeds.
  • Dragon fruit has a mild flavour and is often compared to passionfruit, watermelon, raspberries and other fruit, depending on the species, and are usually sweet; though those from the Stenocerus are mostly sour.
  • The large dragon fruit flowers require pollination during the night as they generally whither in the day and only last up to 24 hours, after which the fruit develops and is ready for picking from 30 to 50 days.
  • Commonly, dragon fruit is eaten fresh or as an accompaniment to ice cream or other desserts, and it can be frozen, or used in drinks, jams and jelly.
  • Dragon fruit is high in vitamin C and antioxidants, and is a good source of iron and fibre.
Bibliography:
Fruit, n.d, Red For Pitaya’s Dragon Fruit, http://www.aussiedragonfruit.com/Fruit.htm
Pitaya, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya
McMahon G, Pitaya (Dragon Fruit), 2003, Northern Territory Government, http://www.nt.gov.au/d/Primary_Industry/Content/File/horticulture/tropical_fruits/FF12_pitaya.pdf

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Sugar Apple

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Sugar Apple

Sugar apples are sweet delicacies with no added sugar. Amazing, right?

  • Sugar apples are a type of fruit grown on trees that have their origins in the Americas.
  • The scientific name of the plant bearing sugar apples is Annona squamosa and it is from the family Annonaceae, the family of custard apples, however many commercial varieties are hybrids of Annona squamosa and Annona cherimola, of which the fruit is sometimes known as ‘atemoya’.
  • A ‘sugar apple’ is also known as ‘ata’, ‘aati’, ‘annon’, ‘sweetsop’, ‘pineapple sugar-apple’ – which usually refers to the hybrid ‘atemoya’, ‘sweet apple’, and ‘custard apple’, although the latter term can also refer to fruit of other species in the same genus.
  • Sugar apples are a heart, conical or roundish shape, and generally reach a diameter of 5 to 15 centimetres (2 to 6 inches) or more and can weigh between 100 grams and 3 kilograms (3.5 ounces to 6.6 pounds), depending on the species or variety.
  • Sugar apples are typically bumpy in appearance, and their skin is generally a dark green colour which changes to a light green, sometimes with a yellow, blue or red tinge when ripe, and, the flesh is a white or creamy colour.

Sugar Apple, Custard Apple, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Green, Cut, Fruit, Exotic, African Pride, Trivia, Vegetation

Custard Apple
Image courtesy of Hort Innovation
  • The flesh of sugar apples is quite slippery and juicy, and has a soft texture; and depending on the variety, it may have segments.
  • Sugar apples notably have a flavour comparable to custard, and are otherwise particularly sweet, and they are usually eaten raw and sometimes made into a drink with the addition of ice-cream or milk.
  • Sugar apples are popularly cultivated in a number of regions around the world, including parts of Asia and Australia, as well as other tropical or sub-tropical areas.
  • Around 20 to 40 black seeds can be found in most sugar apple varieties, which contain a toxin and thus should not be consumed.
  • Sugar apples are extremely high in vitamin C and are a good source of vitamin B6 and fibre, and they contain many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Sugar Apple, 2016, Purdue Agriculture, https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/sugar_apple.html
Sugar-apple, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar-apple
Australian Custard Apples, 2016, Hort Innovation, http://www.custardapple.com.au/

Hairy Portulaca

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Hairy Portulaca

The hairy portulaca’s way of growing is truly dependent on the climate.

  • A hairy portulaca is a flowering species of annual succulent plant, that originated in the Americas, though it is sometimes grown as a perennial.
  • ‘Hairy portulacas’ are also known as ‘hairy pigweeds’, ‘kiss-me-quicks’ and ‘akulikulis’, and they may also be called ‘moss roses’, although this title is also often used to refer to other species in the same genus.
  • The scientific name of a hairy portulaca is Portulaca pilosa and it is from the family Portulacaceae, the family of purslanes.
  • Hairy portulacas grow to be 5 to 20 centimetres (2 to 8 inches) in height and have a tendency to spread across the ground.
  • Hairy portulacas mostly bloom in the summer months, and the flowers range from 0.5 to 1.5 centimetres (0.2 to 0.6 inches) in diameter and are coloured pink, purple or red.

Hairy Portulaca, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Pink, Flower, Vegetation, Trivia, Garden, Bright

  • The growing habit of hairy portulacas depends on the climate, as warm and moist climates cause the plant to spread, while it tends to grow upwards in cooler and less moist climates.
  • Numerous white hairs sprout from the branches of hairy portulacas, and the hairs tend to be more plentiful on plants in habitats with less water.
  • Hairy portulacas are commonly used ornamentally, particularly to cover rocks or other surfaces like a mat, however in some parts of the world, including parts of Asia and Australia, the plant is considered a weed.
  • Historically, hairy portulaca plants have been used to treat fevers or used for pain relief in traditional medicine in Brazil.
  • Extract of the hairy portulaca plant is often used in some cosmetic products, and in particular, skin conditioning.
Bibliography:
Portulaca pilosa, 2013, Australian Portulaca, http://australianportulaca.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/portulaca-pilosa.html
Portulaca pilosa, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_pilosa
Portulaca pilosa, n.d, Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants, http://keys.trin.org.au/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Portulaca_pilosa.htm
Portulaca pilosa  L. 1753, 2010, Some Magnetic Island Plants, http://www.somemagneticislandplants.com.au/index.php/plants/841-portulaca-pilosa

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