Tag Archives: Animal

Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly

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Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly

Big orchard swallowtail butterflies flying through the sky.

  • ‘Orchard swallowtail butterflies’ are also known as ‘large citrus butterflies’, and are often the largest butterfly found in their native environment.
  • The scientific name of orchard swallowtail butterflies is Papilio aegeus and they are from the family Papilionidae, which is the family of swallowtail butterflies.
  • Orchard swallowtail butterflies are native to Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia.
  • Orchard swallowtail butterflies are sometimes considered pests, since the larvae (caterpillars) eat citrus leaves.
  • Orchard swallowtail butterflies have a wingspan ranging from 10 to 14 centimetres (4 to 5.5 inch), with females being slightly larger than the males.

Orchard swallowtail butterfly, brown, Wings out, wingspan, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Orchard swallowtail butterflies have orange-red and blue markings on their white and black coloured wings.
  • Orchard swallowtail butterfly caterpillars have a concealed forked organ that appears and repels a foul smell when threatened.
  • Orchard swallowtail butterflies generally flutter slower than most butterflies, but can move quickly if needed.
  • New orchard swallowtail butterfly larvae are camouflaged white, grey and brown, taking on the appearance of bird waste.
  • Male orchard swallowtail butterflies pursue black and white creatures, including birds, that move in their territory.
Bibliography:
Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly – Papilio aegeus, 2013, Brisbane Insects, http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_butters/Orch_butt.htm 
Papilio Aegeus, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_aegeus

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Snake Antivenom

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Snake Antivenom

Snake antivenom is a human life-saver… but comes from horses!

  • ‘Snake antivenom’ is also known as ‘snake antivenin’ and ‘snake antivenene’.
  • Snake antivenom is typically a liquid substance that contains antibodies that help destroy snake venom.
  • Snake antivenom is created by injecting the snake’s venom, which has been ‘milked’, into an animal, such as a horse, which will create antibodies that are later extracted.
  • Snake antivenom should always be given to a snake-bite victim if the snake is poisonous and the venom has spread through the victim’s body.
  • Allergic reactions can occur after a patient has been given snake antivenom, but it only occurs in 10% of patients.
Snake antivenom, antivenin, Wyeth brand, North American Coral Snake, Bottle, Ten Random FactsOriginal Source: Unkn0wn
  • Snake antivenom should be administered when symptoms such as headaches, pains, loss of consciousness, paralysis and nausea occur, and a snakebite may have occurred.
  • Snake antivenom should not be frozen but instead refrigerated, and usually has a storage life of three years.
  • Snake antivenom was invented in 1894 by Léon Charles Albert Calmette, a French immunologist.
  • Snake antivenom can cost up to $1600 per vial, depending on the type, while a single person with a snake bite can use as many as 20 to 25 vials.
  • Snake antivenom can take years to make, and take more years for approval by the World Health Organization (WHO) before the product is usable.
Bibliography:
Australian Snake Bites, 2011, University of Sydney, http://www.anaesthesia.med.usyd.edu.au/resources/venom/snakebite.html
Main D, How to Make Antivenom—And Why the World is Running Short, n.d, Popular Mechanics, http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/med-tech/how-to-make-antivenom-why-the-world-is-running-out#slide-1
Snake Antivenom, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_antivenom

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Rhinoceros

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Rhinoceros

Watch those poachers, big rhinoceros.

  • Rhinoceros are herbivorous mammals from the family Rhinocerotidae and is a group of five species.
  • The word ‘Rhinoceros’ can be shortened to ‘rhinos’, and ‘rhinoceroses’ can also be used as a plural.
  • Two rhinoceros, the ‘black’ and the ‘white’, are native to Africa and three, the ‘Indian’, the ‘Javan’ and the ‘Sumatran’ are native to Asia.
  • Rhinoceros have chunky skin, 1.5 to 5 centimetre (0.6 to 2 inches) thick, and one or two horns up to 1.5 metres (5 feet) in length that are made of keratin.
  • Rhinoceros are common targets for poachers, humans being their only predators, as their horns are considered as valuable as gold on the black market, and are used for ornamental and traditional medicine purposes.

Two Black Rhinoceros, Kenya, Solio, Africa, Forward, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic

Rhinos
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • ‘Rhinoceros’ is derived from the Ancient Greek words ‘rhino’ and ‘keras’, which mean ‘nose’ and ‘horn’ respectively.
  • Rhinoceros can weigh up to and beyond 3,500 kilograms (7,700 pounds) and can run at speeds of 48 kilometres/hour (30 miles/hour).
  • Rhinoceros have bad sight but have good hearing and smelling senses and can live up to 35 to 40 years in the wild.
  • Rhinoceros range from being ‘near threatened’ to ‘critically endangered’, with less than 70 of the Javan species of rhino alive.
  • Rhinoceros are the second largest land mammals alive and range from 2.4 – 4.6 metres (7 ft 10 in – 15 ft) in length and can be as tall as a human, depending on the species.
Bibliography:
Rhinoceros, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros Rhincerotidae, n.d, Kids Planet, http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/rhinoceros.html

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Galah

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Galah

Don’t be a galah!

  • Galahs are a common bird in almost all of Australia, and are a type of parrot, specifically a cockatoo.
  • Galahs have a pink and pale pink head, a pink chest and pale grey wings and back, while males have brown irises and females often having pink or red ones.
  • ‘Galahs’ are also known as ‘rose-breasted cockatoos’, ‘galah cockatoos’, ‘rosies, ‘roseate cockatoos’  ‘Willock cockatoos’ and ‘pink and greys’.
  • The scientific name for a galah is Eolophus roseicapilla and some indigenous Australians call galahs ‘gilaa’, which is where the term ‘galah’ comes from.
  • Galahs grow to approximately 35 centimetres (14 inches) in length and up to 350 grams (12 ounces) in weight.

Galah, Female, Male, Eating, Two, Red eye, Ten Random Facts, Bird, Australia

  • Galahs typically lay 2 to 5 eggs in their nest, a hollow in a tree, and when chicks hatch, they leave the nest after approximately 49 days.
  • The term ‘galah’ is Australian slang for ‘a fool’.
  • Galahs like eating vegetation, and small seeds of plants, as well as nuts and berries and they like to grind or chew objects to keep their beak sharp.
  • Galah’s can often be seen in large flocks of 500 – 1000 birds, although they only have one mating partner for life.
  • Galahs generally make small chitting or loud screeching noises, and can also impersonate other sounds or voices.
Bibliography:
Galah, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galah>
Galah, n.d, Birds in Backyard, <http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Eolophus-roseicapillus>

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Cicada

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Cicada

Buzz… Buzz… Buzz Buzz Buzz… BuzzBuzzBuzz… go the cicadas.

  • ‘Cicada’ is a Latin word meaning ‘tree cricket’, and the insect is also known as ‘cicala’ or ‘cicale’, and is sometimes mistakenly called a ‘locust’.
  • Cicadas are from the family Cicadoidea, which is within the order Hemiptera, the family of true bugs such as aphids.
  • There are 2500 official species of cicadas, with more of the insects that still need to be classified, and they are found on every continent excluding Antarctica.
  • Cicadas are often coloured in dark shades like brown and black, although other colours exist in some species including green, blue and orange.
  • Cicadas generally have two sets of wings, widely placed eyes, three ocelli (small eyes) and two antennae, and a sharp proboscis used to drink tree sap.

Yelow Cicada, Live, Adult, Ten Random Facts, Insects, Single, Australia, Cool, Professional, Stick, Climb, Antennae, Ocelli, Red eyes

  • Cicadas can affect the growth of the trees they feed on, and can cause damage from the laying of their eggs.
  • Cicadas are eaten all around the world, particularly China, Malaysia, Burma, Latin America, Congo and, historically, Ancient Greece.
  • Male cicadas can make very loud buzzing songs, used as a warning or mating call, by rubbing their musical membranes, or tymbals, and perform the most and the best on hot months and hot days.
  • Cicadas live most of their life, which can be 2-17 years depending on the species, burrowed underground as a nymph that feed on the juice of roots, and later they emerge to the surface, malt and generally live for 2 to 6 more weeks.
  • Cicadas are preyed on by birds, squirrels and bass fish, along with wasps who use them to feed their young.
Bibliography:
Britton D, Cicada: Superfamily Cicadoidea, 2012, Australian Museum, <http://australianmuseum.net.au/Cicadas-Superfamily-Cicadoidea>
Cicada, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada>

Clownfish

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Clownfish

The clownfish certainly don’t clown around!

  • Clownfish are fish from the family Pomacentridae, which is also includes the family of damselfish and the scientific name for the fish is ‘Amphiprion’.
  • There are over 25 species of clownfish, that vary in colour and often have stripes and blotches that are yellow, orange, white, red and/or black in colour.
  • Clownfish grow to 10 to 18 centimetres (3.9 to 7.1 inches) in length and can be found in shallow waters and reefs.
  • It is suggested that clownfish are called so because of their bright and patchy or stripey colouring, while others say that the name is derived from its interesting swimming style, where it has a bobbing motion rather than a smooth motion.
  • Clownfish are native to the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean and are not found in the Mediterranean, Caribbean or the Atlantic Ocean.

Clownfish, Anemonefish, Anemone Orange, White, Black, Colour, Malaysia, two, Ten Random Facts, Coral Reef Alliance

Clownfish
Image courtesy of Steve Turek/Coral Reef Alliance
  • Clownfish live among anemone in a small group, eating zooplankton and other scraps trapped by the stinging creature, and the fish defend their anemone host if it is intruded.
  • Clownfish have a mucus coating that protects the fish from an anemone’s sting.
  • Anemones protect the clownfish, also known as ‘anemonefish’, and provide food and shelter, while the fish cleans the anemone and helps the marine creature  to grow.
  • Clownfish live for 6 to 10 years in the wild and lay 100 to 1000 eggs at one time, which hatch into males after 6 to 10 days.
  • Clownfish are always born males and the strongest male will take an irreversible change into a female, which happens when the female of the school dies.
Bibliography:
Anemonefish, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphiprioninae
Clown Anemonefish, 2013, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/clown-anemonefish/

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