Fun Facts abour Insects and Anrthropods

There are many different kinds of bugs and insects in the world and those bugs live all over. They inhabit forests, deserts, jungles, swamps and ponds and they can even live inside other animals. From estimates around the world there are about 10 million different species. That adds up to a lot of fun and interesting facts about some of those insects.

Fact No. 1 When it comes to being predator or prey you need special skills to help you survive whether it be trying to find food or trying not to become another animals dinner. That's why praying mantises are effective predators because they are among the few animals which can rotate their heads so they can literally look over their shoulders, which also makes them good at predator avoidance.

Fact No. 2 Some insects are altruistic AND amazing predators at the same time. The tarantula wasp is an insect who lays it eggs right on the food for the larva when they hatch. The tarantula wasp stalks tarantulas; it then comes down on top of the spider stinging it many times. Venom is injected into the spider paralyzing its whole body. Then once the tarantula is paralyzed the tarantula wasp will lay it eggs on top of the dead spider so when they hatch the larva will have fresh food.

Fact No. 3 Size of insects can be helpful or hurtful to an insects ability to survive. A jungle nymph stick is one of the heaviest insects. It measures well over six inches and has an array of thorny spikes on its body. From far away they may look like leafs because of their wide and thin green bodies. Despite their large spikes, in Malaysia a lot of people actually breed the jungle nymphs at home by feeding them guava leaves while making tea out of their droppings.

Fact No. 4 Its hard to believe what life would be like as an insect because sex is so highly competitive even more so than our own human lives. Queen cutter ants only mate once because they can keep the sperm viable for up to fifteen years and produce up to three hundred million offspring. The queens life starts off with wings, until she mates with a male then flies to her nesting place. The wings then fall off and she spends the rest of her life laying eggs. Unfortunately for the males who mate with the queen they soon die afterwards.

Fact No. 5 A lot of people have arachnophobia which is a fear of spiders. Most people have this fear just because they believe a spider can kill them. However of the 35,000 species of spiders only 27 species have been known to cause human fatalities. Some of those fatal bites can come from a Brazilian wandering spider, an Australian funnel-web spider or a black widow spider.

Fact No. 6 Many insects belong in the Guinness Book of World Records. A flea; for example, can jump 130 times its own height. The longest insect is a walking stick which can reach 33 centimeters (12.9 inches). The fastest insect is a dragonfly that has been clocked at 58 kilometers per hour. Flies can taste with their feet. Butterflies and moths are found on all land masses except Antarctica. Ants can carry objects 100 times their own body weight.

As you know insects/arthropods can be extreme in size and abilities. Every insects and arthropods have their own unique skills that allow them to survive in the wild. Whether t be having the ability to jump over your predators head or or the ability to sneak up on prey, all of those traits contribute to their survival and success for reproduction.

"Insect Facts." A Parents Guide to Internet Safety ::Indianchild.com Web. 07 Nov. 2010.

http://www.indianchild.com/insect_facts.htm.

The Bobcat

There are so many different types of cats from tigers and lions to cheetahs and panthers. So its not surprising to read about the Bobcat who can be found in North America. They are just another form of a cat-like animal. Although they are interesting creatures in their own ways.

According to several sites about Bobcats their length can vary from 25-42 inches and their height can be 20-24 inches. Most Bobcats weigh about 13-24 pounds but a 40 pound Bobcat has been recorded. Although these animals do resemble large cats one thing that is different is their tails. Which only grow to about 8 inches which is how they got their name Bobcat.

Bobcats are very versatile, they live in many different habitats from mountains to prairies and deserts to forests. They do however prefer enclosed areas they don't like open spaces because its less coverage. Also Bobcats are nocturnal hunters meaning they hunt mostly at night. Bobcats are also very territorial males territory ranges of up to 40 sq. miles and females up to 20 sq. miles.

Some facts about them i got from ThinkQuest.com are that Bobcat mothers are extremely protective of their young. They rest in hollow trees and small caves. They are good swimmers but rarely venture into the water. Also the farther north they live the bigger they get.

When it comes to feeding, Bobcats tend to eat rabbits and hares but will hunt deer and domestic sheep if food is scarce. They sneak up on their prey and attack they are very strong fr their size. Sometimes a male will travel up to 25 miles during a night hunt. When food is not available Bobcats can go a long period of time without food.

Unfortunately sometimes the Bobcat is hunted by man for sport and fur. There is a subspecies living in Mexico that is endangered. Although they are hunted the Bobcat is the most common wildcat in USA. As time goes on one can see that their population is resilient to hunters.

When it comes to having young the male is actually the one responsible for feeding them. Even though male Bobcats can have more than one partner. Meaning more than one litter of young to take care of. So male Bobcats provide for all of its young even though it could be as many as 18 kittens. Lastly Bobcats can live up to 30 years in captivity.

Http://library.thinkquest.org/5053/NorthAmerica/bobcat.html

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat

The Black Tailed Prairie Dog

There are a lot of amazing animals in the world who do peculiar things in their everyday social life. I also feel like there are so many animals that its hard to remember them all. Well i just wanted to remind everyone about the adorable Black Tailed Prairie Dog. They may not be an animal that normally pops into your head but if you were alive in 1905 that might be different.

You see back then there was a prairie dog population of 800 million in Texas but by the 1970's that number dropped to only 2.25 million. Kansas had a similar problem they had prairie dog towns that spanned 2.5 million acres at one point. Today there are only 37,000 acres which are home to prairie dogs. Unfortunately most of the prairie dogs towns were converted into farms leaving them less room for living.

According to NationalZoo.com prairie dogs grow between 14-17 inches and weigh 2-3 pounds. They are tan with a whitish belly and the tip of their tails are black. They also have small ears and relative to their body size large black eyes. Their typical life span is only 3-5 years.

Prairie dog habitats are quite complex they live in towns which are made up of territorial neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are then comprised of coteries which are family groups made up of one male, 1-4 females and their young. Adult males will normally move to a new town but rarely try to start one of their own. There are many entrances into the towns but the main entrance is recognized by a large mound of earth around the opening standing at about 1 foot high.

Prairie dogs are busy little animals keeping themselves working on anything from foraging, socializing with others, maintaining burrows and scanning for predators. In each coterie one prairie dog will stand watch for predators and if one is seen will alert the rest of the town with a series of bark-like whistles. In hot summer days prairie dogs tend to stay underground but will come out in the morning and evening when it is cooler. Some days when its cool enough they will stay above ground but rain will make them retreat underground.

One peculiar ritual the prairie dogs have among them is the kissing ritual. Where two prairie dogs crawl towards each other on their bellies bare teeth and kiss. If they are strangers one will retreat after, if friends they will stay and clean each other. Cleaning is a way of making friendships in their towns.

Unfortunately prairie dogs are continually fighting against a disease called the sylvatic plague. The infection is caused by bacterium that is transmitted by fleas onto the prairie dogs. There are people who are concerned about these animals survival and are pushing to have them added to the endangered list. I for one think they should be protected because NationalZoo.com also says that more than 170 vertebrate species are affected by prairie dog existence.

Http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/NorthAmerica/Facts/facts-pdog.cfm

Http://en.wickipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_prairie_dog

Biology of Butterflies

Some people think butterflies are beautiful, while others just see them as insects. I tend to agree with both, in that butterflies are beautiful but they are also insects. Just like all insects butterflies have six legs, two antennae and three body parts. The body is made up of the head, thorax (chest) and abdomen (tail).

Butterflies also have four wings that are connected to the thorax. There are many different species of butterflies so this means there are many different types and colors of butterfly wings. Some are large while some are small some are bright and olthers are dull. What you might wonder is why though are there so many variations?

Similar to everything else in the natural world, it all comes down to basic survival and reproduction. Butterflies come in various sizes and have different colored wings depending on where they live, and how they make their living. In some cases if they can match their surroundings it will be a lot harder to be spotted by a predator. As the name suggests the Australian Leafwing butterfly is green and shaped like a leaf. Some butterflies have large spots on their wings in order to trick a predator into thinking those are eyes of a larger animal.

Bright colors on a butterfly advertise something entirely different to predators, such as providing a warning to predators that they are bad tasting. Alternatively some brightly colored butterflies are mimicking a bad tasting butterfly. Colors can also come into play for finding a mate who looks for particular colors and patterns. Lastly color can help or hurt a butterfly when it comes to heat, because darker colors are better at soaking up the heat which butterflies need. Although butterflies may vary in appearance they all have the same life cycle.

It all begins with an egg which is uaually laid on a leaf. Once that egg hatches a larva caterpillar emerges and begins to eat immediately. After the caterpillar grows an immense amount it turns into a pupa which is the resting stage for the larva. When a certain amount of time passes a beautiful adult emerges with wings.

In the larva stage caterpillars can eat leafs and flowers but once they become adult butterflies they can onlt eat liquids. In order to sip up liquids butterflies and moths have a proboscis. They can uncurl it when they are eatingand curl back up when they are not. Most butterflies live on nectar from flowers but some will drink the juice of rotten fruit.

We have only been able to find butterfly fossils tracking to early cretaceous which was about 130 million years ago. It is rational to say that butterflies evolved along with flowers. Due to the fact that both caterpillars and adult butterflies eat flowers. Also butterflies are a great help with transporting flowers pollen.

"ButterflyWing Anatomy" All about Butterflies. Ehchanted Learning. Web. 7 Nov. 2010.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterflies/anatomy/Wings.shtml.

"What Is a Butterfly" All about Butterflies. Enchanted Learning. Web. 7 Nov.2010.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterflies/anatomy/allabout.shtml.

Flowers and Their Colors

When you go into a flower shop or are walking around your neighborhood you notice all the different and beautiful colors flowers have to offer. One question that might escape your mind though is why are there all these different colors and styles of flowers? How does the design of a flower or color(s) come about? Well just like us, people are born with different colored hair and eyes different heights and weights. All these varieties are determined before we are even born, by genes we attain from our parents.
Just like humans, flowers attain certain pigments from their genes that code for specific colors. These colors come into play a lot when it comes to pollination and reproduction. Color of a flower determines what kind of insects/animals will be attracted to it. The more insects/animals a flower can attract the better chance it has of reproduction.
Reproduction of most flowers involves attracting insects or animals with its bright color(s) and sweet pollen. When an insect lands on the flower some pollen will be rubbed onto the insects legs. That way when the insect goes to another flower it will transport the pollen onto that new flower and pollination will occur. That is why the genes of a flower that reproduces this way will code for bright colors.
Along with coding for bright colors plants with bright flowers will have pleasant tasting fruits. On the other hand plants that reproduce using wind transportation will have dull colors and wont be very attractive. Due to the fact that they dont need to attract insects/animals to transport their pollen or seeds. The fruit of these plants will be bitter and unpleasant.
After all this research on flowers genes, their pigments and how they reproduce are we able to create our own colors? According to Charles Lakewood in How Flowers Get Their Color "The answer is yes but it may be hard for just anyone to do this. Just ask Robert Griesbach he has figured out a way to turn roses bright blue. The trick is extracting just the right amount of pigment and implanting it into another to create a receipe for an entirely new color. By extracting certain genes from plants the future of plant color could be a wide variety of fabulous colors."
Now we know why and how flowers get their colors but how does the color of flowers affect us? When your buying flowers for someone for any occasionit can be helpful to know what emotion(s) the color of a flower can evoke. USAA.com explains "what colors might reveal about your feelings".
In The Color of Flowers Matter: The color blue is associated with calmness and peace. Purple represents dignity, success and pride which are fitting since this color has its origins in royalty. White is the essence of simplicity and has associations of humility and reverence. Representing grace and elegance lavender flowers are often considered the most delicate and precious. An arrangement filled with these gentle blossoms sends a message of feminine beauty.
Nothing says passion like a red rose. Pink generates thoughts of grace and happiness and pink blossoms convey youth, innocence and joy. For thousands of years, orange has symbolized energy and warmth. An arrangement of blooms in this vibrant colors conveys confidence, enthusiasm and a zest for life. Evoking a sense of nature, the color green represents health, resilience, good fortune and youth. So next time your purchase flowers for someone create an arrangement of colors that represent whatever feelings your trying to convey.

"The Color of Flowers Matter." USAA. USAA, 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2010.

https://usaa.com/inet/ent%20utils/McStaticPages?key=advice.

Lakewood Charles, "How Flowers Get Their Color."Pro Flowers. Web. 25 Oct. 2010.

www.proflowers.com/flowerguide/flower_colors.