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Pygmy Marmoset

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Pygmy Marmoset

Big things come in small packages, just like the pygmy marmoset.

  • Pygmy marmosets are a species of small primate, endemic to the Amazon rainforest of northern South America.
  • The scientific name of pygmy marmosets is Cebuella pygmaea, or the synonymous Callithrix pygmaea, and it is from the family Callitrichidae, a family of New World monkeys.
  • At a height of roughly 12 to 16 centimetres (4.7 to 6.3 inches), and a weight of 85 to 140 grams (3 to 4.9 ounces), pygmy marmosets are among the smallest primates, and are the smallest living monkeys.
  • A pygmy marmoset has fur patterned with a variety of colours, including browns, greys, whites, blacks and golds, and the tail is striped with dark coloured rings.
  • The diet of pygmy marmosets consists primarily of tree sap or other resins, although they may also eat insects, fruit, spiders, nectar, flowers and lizards.
Pygmy Marmoset, Primate, Animal, Mammal, Small, Trivia, Random, Facts
Pygmy Marmoset
Image courtesy of Karra Rothery/Flickr
  • Pygmy marmosets have long tails of approximately 20 centimetres (7.9 inches) in length; and they live in trees and are excellent climbers, however they will rarely climb higher than 18 metres (59 feet) from the base of a tree.
  • To collect sap from trees, pygmy marmosets gnaw small holes into the tree trunks, and they may create as many as 1300 holes in a single tree.
  • Pygmy marmosets have high pitched calls comparable to that of bird calls, with some sounds being of a pitch too high for human ears to hear.
  • While pygmy marmosets are listed as ‘least concern’, they are sometimes kept as exotic pets, however, the monkeys often perish from depression, or show considerable spite towards their owner.
  • Pygmy marmosets generally have a lifespan of 8 to 12 years in the wild, and they live in family groups of two to nine individuals, and these groups are well-bonded.
Bibliography:
Pygmy Marmoset, 2016, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/pygmy-marmoset/
Pygmy Marmoset, 2016, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/pygmy-marmoset
Pygmy Marmoset, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_marmoset
Wade E, Callithrix pygmaea, 2012, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Callithrix_pygmaea/

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Lava Lamp

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Lava Lamp

Are you mesmerised by the dynamic lava lamp?

  • A lava lamp is an ornamental accessory, that consists of two liquids of different densities, that is illuminated to create a glow and an interesting ambience in a room.
  • ‘Lava lamps’ are also known as ‘liquid motion lamps’, ‘bubble lamps’, ‘Astro lamps’ and ‘Lava Lite lamps’.
  • The main elements of a lava lamp are typically a wax or oil solution, suspended in water in a glass container, that is heated by an electric bulb concealed underneath.
  • The appeal of lava lamps comes from the colourful blobs (wax solution) in the lamp, rising and falling, and the lamps come in a wide variety of colours and stereotypically have a futuristic shape.
  • Lava lamps function by the wax mixture expanding as it heats up, resulting in it having a reduced density that causes rising, and when the mixture rises it moves into a cooler zone, causing the blobs or bubbles to contract and sink.
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Lava Lamps
Image courtesy of Dean Hochman/Flickr
  • The original inventor of lava lamps was British motor engineer, Donald Dunnet, who was inspired by his own earlier creation of an egg timer, and he made an application for its patent in 1950, which was granted in 1954.
  • The invention of the lava lamp is commonly attributed to British naturist and film producer, Edward Craven Walker, who improved on and commercialised Donald Dunnet’s invention in 1963, after seeing one in a pub.
  • Care should be take while handling or transporting lava lamps when they are warm, as the liquids in the lamp can combine together if disturbed, causing it to become cloudy.
  • Lava lamps were originally sold by Edward Walker’s company, Crestworth Ltd, as ‘Astro Lamps’, and the company’s name later changed to ‘Mathmos’, while in the United States they have been made and sold since 1965 by Lava Lite, and the original model was called ‘Century’.
  • The first appearance of a lava lamp on television was in the Doctor Who series in the 1960s, which helped the invention grow in popularity into the 1970s, and the lamps made a significant comeback in the 1990s, while new variations have since become available.
Bibliography:
Bibliographic data: GB703924 (A) ― 1954-02-10, 2016, Espace Net, https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=worldwide.espacenet.com&II=0&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=19540210&CC=GB&NR=703924A&KC=A
Kleinman Z, Lava Lamp Creators Mark 50 Years of 1960s Icon, 2013, BBC News, http://www.bbc.com/news/business-23754303
Lava Lamp, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava_lamp
Leverett L, Donald Dunnet – Original Lava Lamp Inventor – Prototypes, Construction Details & History, 2015, Oozinggoo.com, http://oozinggoo.ning.com/forum/topics/donald-dunnet-original-lava-lamp-inventor-prototypes-construction
Tucker A, The History of the Lava Lamp, 2013, Smithsonian.com, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-of-the-lava-lamp-21201966/?no-ist

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Miracle Fruit

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Miracle Fruit

Miracle fruits are marvellous game-changers.

  • Miracle fruits are berries of a species of shrub-growing plant, that is native to western Africa.
  • ‘Miracle fruit’ are also known as ‘sweet berries’, ‘miracle berries’, ‘taamis’, ‘miraculous berries’, and ‘agbayuns’.
  • The scientific name of the miracle fruit is Synsepalum dulcificum and it is from the family Sapotaceae, a family of evergreen flowering trees and shrubs.
  • Miracle fruits are small and are an ovoid shape, and they are roughly 2 to 3 centimetres (0.8 to 1.2 inches) in length.
  • While the miracle fruit does not have much flavour itself, a protein named miraculin found in the fruit’s flesh, causes sour foods to taste sweet when the flesh is consumed.
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Miracle Fruit
Image courtesy of Forest and Kimm Starr/Flickr
  • The shrubs that bear miracle fruit grow to a height of 1.8 to 4.5 metres (5.9 to 14.8 feet), and the fruit is produced throughout the year.
  • The impact of the miracle fruit on one’s sense of taste lasts for around 30 minutes, or occasionally longer, and the fruit is eaten raw, typically immediately before sour tasting food.
  • Miracle fruits have a bright red skin colour and they have flesh that is a translucent white colour, which includes one seed.
  • To maintain the flavour alterating properties of miracle fruit, berries must be eaten promptly after picking, as their effectiveness decreases the longer they are stored.
  • Miracle fruit has been designated as a food additive in its history; and while research has been undertaken to determine the possibility of the fruit being used to change the taste of food to make it sweeter, as yet, it has not been a commercially viable option.
Bibliography:
Miracle Fruit, 1996, California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc., https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/miraclefruit.html
Miracle Fruit, 2013, Trade Winds Fruit, http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/content/miracle-fruit.htm
 Miracle Fruit, 2015, Cape Trib, http://www.capetrib.com.au/miracle.htm
Synsepalum dulcificum, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synsepalum_dulcificum

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Tree Tumbo

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Tree Tumbo

Tree tumbos are true desert plants.

  • Tree tumbos are a species of large plant native to the Namib Desert of southern Africa, and due to their dry and lifeless appearance, they are commonly considered the ugliest plant alive.
  • A ‘tree tumbo’ is also known as ‘welwitschia’; in Angola it is named ‘n’tumbo’, meaning ‘stump’; in South Africa it is called “twee blaar kanniedood’, and has the literal translation of ‘two leaf diehard’; and the plant is known as ‘onyanga’, a term meaning ‘desert onion’ in the Herero language.
  • The scientific name of a tree tumbo is Welwitschia mirabilis and it is from the family Welwitschiaceae, with the plant being the sole extant species in the family.
  • Tree tumbos only grow two leaves, that can reach a length of 4 to 9 metres (13 to 29.5 feet) each, and the leaves tend to split along their length as the plant ages, so that the plants often appear to have multiple leaves.
  • Tree tumbos were first discovered in 1859 by Friedrich Welwitsch, a botanist from the Austrian Empire, who marvelled at the plant at first sight; hence its scientific name ‘Welwitschia mirabilis’, which honours the botanist’s discovery, while ‘mirabilis’ means ‘wonderful’ or ‘marvellous’ in Latin.
Tree Tumbo, Plant, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Africa, Desert, Welwitschia, Namibia , ugly, exotic
A Tree Tumbo
Image courtesy of Joachim Huber/Flickr
  • The diameter of a tree tumbo can be as much as 9 metres (29.5 feet), and the height of the plant is generally from 0.5 to 1 metre (1.6 to 3.3 feet), though they can be as tall as 2 metres (6.5 feet), and while they tend to be short, they are considered botanically a tree, albeit very slow-growing.
  • Many specimens of tree tumbos are very old, up to 600 years, while others could be as much as 1000 years in age, with some specimens suspected to be at least 2000 years old.
  • Tree tumbo plants are either male or female, either producing male cones that are pink to red in colour, or female cones that are a combination of pink and bluish green; and the cones have a length of 1 to 8 centimetres (0.4 to 3.1 inches), with the smaller ones being male.
  • Tree tumbos are thought to be pollinated by a type of flying insect, that are attracted to the nectar that the cone like flowers produce at the centre of the plant; and once fertilised, the female cones produce papery coated seeds that are scattered by the wind, however, statistically only one in every thousand seeds will grow into a plant.
  • To remain sufficiently hydrated in the harsh desert climate, tree tumbos use their long tap root to draw water from underground, as well as absorbing moisture from fog and other precipitation via their shallower root system.
Bibliography:
Notten A, Welwitschia mirabilis, 2003, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantwxyz/welwitschia.htm
Welwitschia mirabilis, n.d, Encyclopedia of Life, http://eol.org/data_objects/12497003 
Welwitschia, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welwitschia
Welwitschia mirabilis, 2014, Info Namibia, http://www.info-namibia.com/info/plants/welwitschia-mirabilis
 Welwitschia mirabilis (tree tumbo), n.d, KEW Royal Botanic Gardens, http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/welwitschia-mirabilis-tree-tumbo

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Spectacled Bear

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Spectacled Bear

Spectacled bears are a spectacular species of bear.

  • Spectacled bears are a species of medium-sized bear, native to north-western South America, and they are the only extant bear of the continent.
  • ‘Spectacled bears’ are also known as ‘Andean short-faced bears’ and ‘Andean bears’; and their common name refers to the spectacle like fur patterns that often occur around their eyes.
  • The scientific name of the spectacled bear is Tremarctos ornatus and it is from the family Ursidae, the family of bears.
  • Spectacled bears generally grow to be 1.3 to 2 metres (4.3 to 6.6 feet) in length and 60 to 200 kilograms (132 to 441 pounds) in weight.
  • The hair of spectacled bears is mostly a black colour, although sometimes it can tend towards brown; with white to beige facial, and sometimes chest, patterns, that vary among the individual bears.
Spectacled Bear, Buffalo Zoo, Splits, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Mammal, Animal,
Spectacled Bear
Image courtesy of Nathan Bittinger/Flickr
  • The diet of spectacled bears consists of a variety of vegetation including various leaf types and bark, as well as bromeliads, bamboo, fruit, and honey, and the occasional bird, insect or small mammal.
  • Spectacled bears generally reside in trees, and as such are skillful climbers; and they often create platforms in the trees to rest on and forage from.
  • Spectacled bears are listed as vulnerable due to significant habitat loss, as well as poaching, and some bears are killed simply because they interfere with human activities.
  • A female spectacled bear may give birth to one to four cubs in a season, which become independent within a year, and they are cared for by their mother until that time.
  • Spectacled bears have an average lifespan of 20 years in their natural habitat, however individuals in captivity can survive until almost 37 years of age.
Bibliography:
Fenner K, Tremarctos ornatus, 2012, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tremarctos_ornatus/
Spectacled Bear, 2016, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/spectacled-bear/
Spectacled Bear, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectacled_bear

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Abraham Lake

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Abraham Lake

Abraham Lake is a picturesque spectacle of bubbles.

  • Abraham Lake is a lake located near the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada, and it is the longest man-made lake in the province of Alberta.
  • Abraham Lake covers an area of roughly 53.7 square kilometres (20.7 square miles), and at its longest point it reaches 32 kilometres (20 miles), and has a maximum width of 3.3 kilometres (2 miles).
  • Abraham Lake was created in 1972, due to the construction of the Bighorn Hydro Plant, and it is a reservoir created on the North Saskatchewan River.
  • The beautiful turquoise colour of Abraham Lake is a result of glacial rock flour particles that are contained within the water.
  • Abraham Lake is well known for the methane bubbles that freeze in a stack-like formation within the lake’s water during winter.
Abraham Lake, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Sunset, Canada, Alberta, Frozen, Bubbles
Abraham Lake
Image courtesy of Aaron E/Flickr
  • The bubbles trapped in Abraham Lake, as well as any formed cracks, are opportunities favoured by photographers, as they are clearly visible through the icy surface, and as such, the lake attracts many visitors during the winter months.
  • ‘Abraham Lake’ was the winning name chosen from a competition to name the lake, and it honours a well-known local indigenous man, Silas Abraham, who grew up in the area in the late 1800s.
  • Recreational activities in the Lake Abraham area include hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and camping; and a heliport can be found on the western coast of the lake, that is used for scenic tours of the area.
  • Abraham Lake’s methane bubbles are caused by decaying organic matter on the lakebed, which is partly due to the volume of plant life that was engulfed by the dam when it was made.
  • Fishing is a popular activity in Abraham Lake, however due to the instability of water and weather conditions, most other water sports are discouraged.
Bibliography:
Abraham Lake, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lake
Abraham Lake: Background, 2016, Trip Advisor, https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g7900164-s2/Abraham-Lake:Alberta:Background.html
Abraham Lake in Winter is Gorgeous… And Explosive (Photos), 2013, Huffpost Alberta, http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/12/14/abraham-lake-in-winter_n_4442292.html
Frozen Air Bubbles in Abraham Lake, 2013, Amusing Planet, http://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/01/frozen-air-bubbles-in-abraham-lake.html

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