Tag Archives: Facts

Pasterze Glacier

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Pasterze Glacier

Something is frightening the Pasterze Glacier – its retreating quite quickly!

  • Pasterze Glacier is a glacier located in the Eastern Alps in the Hohe Tauern National Park, in Austria, Europe.
  • ‘Pasterze’ of ‘Pasterze Glacier’ comes from the word ‘Pastirica’, which is translatable from Slovenian as ‘shepherdess’, and the glacier is also known as ‘Gletscherweg Pasterze’ and ‘Pasterzengletscher’.
  • Pasterze Glacier spreads a length of roughly 8.4 kilometres (5.2 miles), and is Austria’s and the Eastern Alps’  longest glacier.
  • Pasterze Glacier starts at the Johannisberg mountain that has a peak 3,463 metres (11,361 feet) high, and ends at approximately a height of 2,100 metres (6,890 feet) above sea level.
  • Austria’s Grossglockner, the highest mountain in the country at 3798 metres (12,460 feet) high, towers directly over Pasterze Glacier.
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Pasterze Glacier
Image courtesy of Nathan Wong/Flickr
  • Annually, Pasterze Glacier retreats on average more than 10 metres (33 feet), although from 1982 to 2008, it was more than 18 metres (59 feet) per year.
  • Measurements of Pasterze Glacier were first obtained in 1851, however, since then the glacier has lost over half of its volume.
  • The water that melts from Pasterze Glacier feeds into the Mӧll River, some of which is used for hydroelectric power plants.
  • Although decreasingly rapidly, the thickness of Pasterze Glacier is approximately 120 metres (394 feet).
  •  The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is typically used to visit Pasterze Glacier, while a cable railway, known as a ‘funicular’ and a walking trail are usually utilised to access the glacier.
Bibliography:
Bayr K & Hall D, The Recessions of the Pasterze Glacier, Austria, as seen on Maps, Satellite Imagery, and Measured in situ from 1864 to 2008, 2009, Eastern Snow, http://www.easternsnow.org/proceedings/2009/bayr_hall.pdf
Pasterze Glacier, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasterze_Glacier
Pasterze Glacier Trail – Tracking the Ice Age, 2015, Carinthia, http://www.nationalpark-hohetauern.at/en/Articles/View/369

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Skype

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Skype

“Take a deep breath” – Skype

  • Skype is a software application that allows for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), video calling and instant messaging, as well as file distribution, using an internet connection, and other services are also offered.
  • The name ‘Skype’ was originally ‘Skyper’, as an abbreviation of ‘Sky peer-to-peer’, the communication network system that was originally used, and the name was shortened further so a domain name could be secured.
  • Most smart phones, Windows, Linux, Mac, Playstation and Xbox platforms can all utilise a version of Skype.
  • Niklas Zennstrum and Jenus Friss, from Sweden and Denmark respectively, along with programmers from Estonia, produced the peer-to-peer file sharing program that eventually became Skype, although Kazaa, a program that enabled people to share video and music, was its doomed predecessor.
  • In 2003, Skype was launched for public use and by the end of 2005, it had 74.7 million people registered, which increased to more than 660 million registered users in 2011, while in 2013, it reached a record high of 70 million concurrent users.
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Skype Logo
Image courtesy of Skype
  • Some of the original technology and programs used in Skype were initially designed in 1999 for Tele2, a telecommunications company in Sweden, under the instruction of Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, however the project was not successful.
  • Skype was sold to eBay in late 2005, and was eventually taken over by Microsoft in 2011 at a price of $8.5 billion.
  • Skype is particularly useful for meetings, remote education and personal communication purposes, and in 2015 it was able to used in a total of 38 languages.
  • The security level of Skype is controversial, as although calls and messages are encrypted, it has been revealed that some authorities have the ability to monitor conversations.
  • Group calls are a free service now offered by Skype, while calling landlines and mobile phones through the system, typically incurs a fee.
Bibliography:
Decker F, Who Invented Skype?, 2015, eHow, http://www.ehow.com/facts_5125753_invented-skype.html
Skype, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype
Think Skype is safe? Think again, 2013, Akademie, http://akademie.dw.de/digitalsafety/think-skype-is-safe-think-again/

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Panamanian Golden Frog

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Panamanian Golden Frog

Don’t pick a fight with Panamanian golden frogs.

  • Panamanian golden frogs are a brightly coloured amphibian species native to Central America’s Panama.
  • ‘Panamanian golden frogs’ are also known as ‘golden arrow poison frogs’, ‘Zetek’s golden frogs’ and ‘golden frogs’, and despite their common name, they are toads, not frogs.
  • The scientific name of the Panamanian golden frog is Atelopus zeteki and it is from the family Bufonidae, the family of true toads.
  • Panamanian golden frogs have a distinctive gold, yellow or yellow-green skin colouration that is generally spotted with black, though the young toads are green in colour.
  • The length of Panamanian golden frogs reach 3.5 to 6.3 centimetres (1.4 to 2.5 inches) and they are typically 3 to 15 grams (0.1 to 0.53 ounces) in weight.
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A Panamanian Golden Frog
Image courtesy of Brian Gratwicke/Flickr
  • The skin of adult Panamanian golden frogs is highly toxic on touch, excreting poisons deadly to rodents and other animals, and they are also potentially hazardous to humans.
  • The diet of Panamanian golden frogs consists of invertebrates like spiders, ants, caterpillars, wasps, and flies, and the wider the variety of its diet, the more poisonous the toad becomes.
  • Along with a noise that sounds like a whistle, Panamanian golden frogs commonly move their hands in a waving motion as a means of communication, signalling to both potential mates and threats.
  • Panamanian golden frogs typically live in mountainous river and stream habitats, and have a lifespan of approximately 12 years, growing from egg to tadpole to adult.
  • Due to fungal diseases and habitat destruction, Panamanian golden frogs are listed as critically endangered, although it is possible that in 2007, they became extinct in the wild.
Bibliography:
Panamanian Golden Frog, 2015, The Animal Facts, http://theanimalfacts.com/reptiles/panamanian-golden-frog/
Panamanian Golden Frog, 2015, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/panamanian-golden-frog
Panamanian Golden Frog, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamanian_golden_frog
Platt J, Sunday Species Snapshot: Panamanian Golden Frog, 2014, Scientific American, http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/sunday-species-snapshot-panamanian-golden-frog/

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Fjaðrárgljúfur

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Fjaðrárgljúfur

Fjaðrárgljúfur – try pronouncing that!

  • Fjaðrárgljúfur is a canyon that can be found near the village of Kirkjubaejarklaustur, in the south of Iceland.
  • The depth of Fjaðrárgljúfur is roughly 100 metres (328 feet), while it covers a distance of roughly 2 kilometres (1.25 miles).
  • It is believed that Fjaðrárgljúfur was formed by a melted glacier, which eroded much of the rock seen today.
  • Fjaðrárgljúfur is home to the Fjaðrá River, of which the water is a blue colour, and the area is very picturesque.
  • The primary rock found in Fjaðrárgljúfur is a type of igneous rock and is known as palagonite.
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Fjaðrárgljúfur
Image courtesy of Andrés Nieto Porras/Flickr
  • The term ‘Fjaðrárgljúfur’ roughly means, ‘feather river canyon’, and is a difficult word to pronounce by those unfamiliar with the Icelandic language.
  • Fjaðrárgljúfur is vegetated with significant quantities of moss, resulting in much of the rocks and grassy areas being a lush green colour.
  • Fjaðrárgljúfur is easily reached by vehicle from the Ring Road, and a short walk is required to reach the canyon.
  • Both the canyon tops of Fjaðrárgljúfur and the river below feature trails worthy of hiking.
  • Despite Fjaðrárgljúfur being a noteworthy location and close to a main road, it is not visited by large quantities of visitors.
Bibliography:
Fjađrárgljúfur, n.d, Visit South Iceland, http://www.south.is/en/moya/toy/index/place/fjadrargljufur
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, 2015, Breath With Us, http://breathewithus.com/fjadrargljufur-canyon/
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, Iceland, 2014, Best Places On Earth, http://bestplacesonearth.net/beautiful-planet/fjaorargljufur-canyon-iceland/
The Majestic Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon of Southern Iceland, 2013, Down the Wrabbit Hole – The Travel Bucket List, http://downthewrabbithole.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/the-majestic-fjarargljufur-canyon-of.html

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Picture Frame

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Picture Frame

I’ve been framed! *points at picture frame*

  • Picture frames are framing borders used primarily on images to protect, exhibit and enhance or complement the image.
  • ‘Picture frames’ are also known as ‘photo frames’, and they generally include some form of hanging system or standing mechanism on the back so that they can be displayed on a shelf or piece of furniture, or a wall.
  • Materials used to make picture frames vary; traditionally wood is used, but plastic, and metal such as aluminium, bronze and silver are sometimes used; and they were commonly gilded, although other cheaper methods of colouring frames are now often employed.
  • Glass may be used in picture frames for further protection of the image, though it is generally excluded for artworks made of acrylic or oil mediums due to their special properties; while most frames will have a type of spacer, like a mount or mat board, between the glass and the picture to separate the two, which is important to protect the picture from condensation, or from being damaged or smudged.
  • Picture frames are generally a rectangular, elliptical or circular shape, while other shaped frames are typically reserved for framing photographs, though modern digital frames are designed specifically to display digital images.
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  • Artworks and photographs are the main two items framed with picture frames, especially those of significant value or personal importance, while mirrors, special documents like certificates, and other items are also often framed.
  • Among the first picture frames known to exist, is a frame made of wood from the 50s to 70s AD, found in an Egyptian grave, and features a portrait of a woman.
  • Picture frames were utilised in European society by the 1100s AD, reaching peak artistic value by the 1500s and 1600s, with many different frame styles emerging.
  • Picture frames may simply have a rounded or square edge, while others are moulded or sculpted, sometimes very ornately, and are sometimes considered works of art themselves.
  • Pictures frames are often custom made and come in unlimited colours and sizes, and they can be very large, covering the most part of a wall, or be as small as a matchbox.
Bibliography:
Framed Portrait of a Woman, with Cord for Suspension, n.d, The British Museum, http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/f/framed_portrait_of_a_woman.aspx
Museums, Frames and Context: Thinking Through The Picture Frame, n.d, Museums of Aotearoa, http://www.museumsaotearoa.org.nz/sites/default/files/te_ara/3212mormulow.pdf
Picture Frame, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_frame

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Monarch Butterfly

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Monarch Butterfly

Be warned when the monarch butterfly displays its bright wings.

  • A monarch butterfly is a species of common and easily recognisable butterfly, native to North America, though they are now found in a number of countries around the world.
  • ‘Monarch butterflies’ are also known as ‘milkweeds’, ‘common tigers’, ‘monarchs’, ‘black veined browns’, ‘King Billies’ and ‘wanderers’.
  • The scientific name of the monarch butterfly is Danaus plexippus and it is from the family Nymphalidae, the family of brush-footed butterflies.
  • The wingspan of monarch butterflies typically extends a distance of 8.6 to 12.4 centimetres (3.4 to 4.9 inches), and they generally travel thousands of kilometres each year, when they migrate to warmer areas in autumn where they overwinter.
  • Monarch butterflies are a distinctive orange and black colour, and sometimes white and black, though this is rare, with white spots decorating the wing borders; a pattern similar to that of the viceroy butterfly.
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Monarch Butterfly
Image courtesy of William Warby/Flickr
  • The diet of the monarch butterfly caterpillar consists of mainly milkweed leaves, from various species in the Asclepias genus, while the butterfly will feed on nectar from various flowers including milkweed.
  • After hatching from an egg, it takes roughly 9 to 14 days for a monarch butterfly caterpillar to moult and form into a chrysalis, while it takes 9 to 15 days for the butterfly to emerge from the chrysalis.
  • Monarch butterfly larvae or caterpillars are generally patterned with yellow, white and black stripes, while the chrysalis is mostly green with the odd yellow speck.
  • The taste of monarch butterfly is particularly putrid and potentially poisonous towards many possible predators as a result of the insect’s milkweed diet.
  • Monarch butterfly caterpillars were taken to the International Space Station in 2009, where the specimens both lived and emerged from their chrysalis under the watchful eye of scientists.
Bibliography:
Danaus plexippus, 1999, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Danaus_plexippus/
Monarch Butterfly, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly
Monarch Butterfly (Danaus Plexippus), n.d., Wildscreen Arkive, http://www.arkive.org/monarch-butterfly/danaus-plexippus/

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