Tag Archives: Asia

Tapir

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Tapir

Tapir: A piggish elephant.

  • Tapirs are typically nocturnal and solitary pig-like mammals, that are often great swimmers, and they have strange feet with four and three toes on the front and behind respectively.
  • There are five species of tapirs; the Mountain tapir, Kabomani tapir, Brazilian tapir, and Baird’s tapir, in Central and South America, and the Malayan tapir in South East Asia.
  • Tapir’ means ‘thick’, in the Tupi language belonging to some of the indigenous Brazilians, that refers to the animal’s hide, and the scientific name is ‘Tapirus’, from the family Tapiridae, the family of tapirs, that is also related to horses and rhinoceroses.
  • Depending on the species, tapirs grow to be approximately 0.8 to 1 meter (2.6 to 3.3 feet) in height, and 1.3 to 2.4 metres (4.2 to 7.8 feet) in length, and range from 110 to 320 kilograms (242 to 705 pounds) in weight, with females being generally larger than males.
  • Tapirs are typically red-brown to grey-black in colour, although the Malayan species are part white and part black, and the Mountain species have a woolly coat.

Tapir, Baby, Brown, Black, adult, Ten Random Facts, National geographic, Melbourne Zoo, Australia

Adult and Baby
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Tapirs have a free-moving snout to poke in hard-to-get places, grip vegetation, or use as a snorkel, and it is often raised when it smells something.
  • Tapirs live on vegetation, mainly fruit, berries and leaves, and can consume 34 kilograms (75 pounds) or more in a single day, and they have an approximate lifespan of 25 to 30 years.
  • Tapirs have an interval of at least two years after every birth of one calf, and the young have sand coloured stripey and spotty markings for up to six months.
  • Tapirs are mainly preyed on by jaguars, tigers, crocodiles and anacondas, as well as humans, who hunt them for their meat and hides, and along with loss of habitat, this is causing them to be either endangered or vulnerable, depending on the species.
  • Although tapirs do not generally attack humans, they have a bite that can cause severe damage, if threatened.
Bibliography:
Tapir, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/tapir/
Tapir, 2014, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/tapir
Tapir, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapir

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Dianthus

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Dianthus

Smell the sweet fragrance of dianthus.

  • ‘Dianthus’ are also known as ‘carnations’, ‘pinks’ or ‘sweet williams’, although these terms are more specific to certain species.
  • The dianthus genus, includes 300 species of perennial plants with beautiful flowers.
  • Dianthus comes from the family Caryophyllaceae, the pink or carnation family.
  • Dianthus are native to Europe or Asia, but a select quantity of species can be found in either North America or Africa.
  • Dianthus flowers are five-petalled, and they are generally frilled or serrated on the edge, hence the common name ‘pink’ (not a reference to the colour).

Dianthus, Pink, White, Single, Dead, Prim, Frilled, Ten Random Facts, Flower, Australia

  • Dianthus flowers are typically patterned in shades of pink but can also be white, purple, yellow, orange or red in colour.
  • Dianthus flower from spring through to autumn, and some species have a sweet smell of spice.
  • ‘Dianthus’ comes from the Greek words for ‘of Zeus’ (a god in Greek mythology) and ‘flower’, ‘dios’ and ‘anthos’ respectively.
  • Dianthus plants grow between 10 cm (4 inches) and 1.5 metres (5 feet) in height, and often have grey or blue-green foliage
  • Dianthus are often used for cut or decorative purposes, and more than 100 species have earned the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in the United Kingdom.
Bibliography:
Dianthus, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianthus
Mackey B, Dianthus, Carnations, Pinks, 2014, HowStuffWorks, http://home.howstuffworks.com/define-dianthus-carnation-pinks.htm

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Bamboo

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Bamboo, Tall, Green, Leaves, Grass, Hollow, Running, Ten Random Facts, Australia.

Plant the bamboo… and watch it grow before your eyes!

  • Bamboo are generally very tall, strong, woody, flowering grass plants that are hollow and cylindrical, and those that are particularly sturdy are used as materials in construction and weapons, as well as many other items.
  • There are 1450 species of bamboo, and they come from the family Poaceae, the family of grass, and they fall into two categories, ‘clumping bamboo’ and ‘running bamboo’, which describes the growth pattern of the roots and rhizomes.
  • One species of bamboo grows up to 91 cm (3 feet) in one day, which is the fastest of all plants in the world.
  • Most continents have native species of bamboo, however there are none native to Europe and Antarctica.
  • Bamboo can grow up to 30 metres (98 feet) in height, or more, although common species generally grow a lot less, and can have a diameter of up to 15 to 20 centimetres (6 to 8 inches).

Bamboo, Tall, Green, Leaves, Grass, Hollow, Running, Ten Random Facts, Australia.

  • Bamboo from tropical regions generally can not stand extreme cold, and some other species can survive up to -29°C (-20°F).
  • Bamboo plants are evergreen and may only flower every 30 to 130 years, sometimes with all the same stock plants of a species flowering at the same time throughout the world, and then dying after flowering.
  • Bamboo shoots, although they contain a poison, cyanide, that can negatively affect the digestive system, can be eaten if the shoots are prepared properly, usually by boiling them, and are generally eaten boiled, pickled or fermented .
  • In China bamboo is an important symbolic plant, symbolising moral principles, among others, and it represents friendship in India.
  • Bamboo is used in a similar way to wood, and different species are used for building materials, kitchen utensils, fabric and paper, and are also the food source of a number of animals, including the well known Chinese giant panda.
Bibliography:
Bamboo, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo
The History of Bamboo, 2011, BambooKi, http://www.bambooki.com/blog/the-history-of-bamboo/

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Lily (Lilium)

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Lily (Lilium)

Is this… Is that… No, this is a true lily!

  • Liliums, or ‘lilies’ as they are commonly known, are true lilies from the Liliaceae family, and are plants that are grown from scaly bulbs.
  • Lillies are often confused with other ‘lillies’ that are not from the lily family, especially day lillies, that have foliage coming from the ground, rather than leaves growing up a stem.
  • Lilies are native to mostly temperate areas in North America, Europe and Asia, and are typically found in woody or grassy environments.
  • Lilies grow up to 60 to 180 centimetres (2 to 6 feet) in height, with the stem being very long and strong.
  • A lily plant forms large flowers at the top of the long stem of the plant, that are often marked with patterns and are generally red, white, pink, yellow, purple and orange in colour and are sometimes fragrant.

Lilium, Pink, White, Plant, Flower, Lily, True, Bud, Open, Ten Random Facts

  • Some lilies are poisonous to cats, fatally damaging the kidney and its functions, and the pollen can also be hazardous to them.
  • Lilies are commonly grown as a decorative flower in the garden or in pots, and are important in the cut flower industry, often featuring in bouquets.
  • The bulb of a lily can be eaten like a vegetable, eaten in luxury in China, although can be sometimes quite bitter and unpleasant.
  • Since the 1100s, lilies have symbolised ‘purity’, with specific varieties symbolising many things, and more recently, they have been a traditional addition to a bouquet on a couple’s 30th wedding anniversary.
  • Lily flowers are usually shaped like a trumpet or bell when partly opened, often opening out to a star shape, and they generally bloom from spring through to autumn, depending on the species.
Bibliography:
Lilium, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium
Lily – Lilium candidu, 2013, Flying Flowers, http://www.flyingflowers.co.uk/about-flowers/Flowers/FF_About_Lily,default,pg.html

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Pangong Tso

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Pangong Tso

Is Pangong Tso on your list of ‘things you want to do before you die’?

  • Pangong Tso is a salt-water lake, and is a type of endorheic basin, meaning that it does not have water flowing out of it and usually has a salt pan at the bottom.
  • ‘Pangong Tso’ means “long, narrow, enchanted lake” and it is also known as ‘Pangong Lake’, Banggong Lake’, ‘Banggong Co’ and other various names.
  • Pangong Tso has a length of approximately 134 kilometres (83 miles) and a width (at the widest point) of 5 kilometres (3.1 miles), and on the eastern side the water in the lake is fresh, and it gets more salty as you head west.
  • Pangong Tso is situated in the Himalayas in Asia, and can be found approximately 4,250 metres (13,940 feet) above sea level, mostly in Tibet, China, but partially in India.
  • Pangong Tso is a restricted area, and can only be visited via a permit, which is checked many times at multiple checkpoints.

Pangong Tso Lake, China, India, Basin, Salt water. Mountain, Blue, Sunset, Panorama, ten random facts, flickr

Pangong Tso
Image courtesy of Gopal Vijayaraghavan/Flickr
  • Pangong Tso can only be reached via a rugged and sometimes hazardous mountain road that takes, on average, five hours from Leh.
  • Pangong Tso is best visited between June and September and the required permits are issued only to groups of two or more.
  • Pangong Tso is coloured in multiple shades of blue and green, and beautifully reflects colours that surround it.
  • Pangong Tso is fed by a couple of streams and has some swamp and wetland areas, as well as a ‘bird island’, the highest in the world, where thousands of birds flock to in late spring and summer for breeding purposes.
  • Pangong Tso contains fish in the fresh water side of the lake, and only small aquatic crustaceans in the salty, and as well as the birds, some other wildlife can be seen in the area.
Bibliography:
Pangong Tso, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangong_Tso
Shaikh N, Pangong Tso, 2013, Travel India, http://travel.india.com/destinations/pangong-tso

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Aquilegia

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Aquilegia

Pretty bird-like aquilegias bob all day in the wind.

  • Aquilegias are perennial, ornamental flowering plants that include 60 to 70 species and belong to the Aquilegia genus.
  • ‘Aquilegia’ flowers and plants are also known as ‘granny’s bonnets’ and  ‘columbines’, and are from the family Ranunculaceae, which is the family of buttercups.
  • Aquilegias are native to meadows and woodlands in cooler areas north of the equator.
  • The common name ‘columbine’ comes from the Latin word for ‘dove’, while the genus name, ‘aquilegia’, comes from the word ‘aquila’, which is Latin for ‘eagle’, and both are a reference to the unusual shape of the flower.
  • Aquilegias grow to be 38 to 51 centimetres (15 to 20 inches) in height, and are usually grown from seed.

Columbine, Flower, Purple, Lilac, Shade, Bud, Open, Plant, Flower, Aquilegia, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The indigenous Americans used small portions of some species of aquilegia flowers, as sweet additions to some meals, and sometimes used the roots medicinally.
  • Aquilegia plants have long-spurred flower petals that often resemble birds and are full of sweet nectar.
  • Aquilegias are highly toxic if the roots or seeds are consumed, and can cause fatalities.
  • Aquilegia flowers are typically red, purple, blue, white or yellow in colour, and depending on the species bloom in spring and/or summer.
  • Aquilegia plants are generally hardy, preferring partly shady conditions, and they have bluish green, maidenhair fern-like foliage.
Bibliography:
Aquilegia, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia
Plant Profile: Aquilegia, 2013, Gardening Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866504.htm

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