Pet Crocodile
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
GREATEST RIVER AMAZON
Greatest River....
AMAZON
How Great is the Amazon River?
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The Amazon is the greatest river in the world by so many measures; the volume of water it carries to the sea (approximately 20% of all the freshwater discharge into the oceans), the area of land that drains into it, and its length and width. It is one of the longest rivers in the world and, depending upon who you talk to, is anywhere between 6,259km/3,903mi and 6,712km/4,195mi long.
For the last century the length of the Amazon and the Nile Rivers have been in a tight battle for title of world's longest river. The exact length of the two rivers varies over time and reputable sources disagree as to their actual length. The Nile River in Africa is reported to be anywhere from at 5,499km/3,437mi to 6,690km/4,180mi long. But there is no question as to which of the two great rivers carries the greater volume of water -the Amazon River.
At its widest point the Amazon River can be 11km/6.8 mi wide during the dry season. The area covered by the Amazon River and its tributaries more than triples over the course of a year. In an average dry season 110,000 square km of land are water-covered, while in the wet season the flooded area of the Amazon Basin rises to 350,000 square km. When the flood plains and the Amazon River Basin flood during the rainy season the Amazon River can be up to 40km/24.8 mi wide. Where the Amazon opens at its estuary the river is over 325km/202 mi wide!
Because the Amazon drains the entire Northern half of the South American continent (approx. 40% landmass), including all the torrential tropical rains that deluge the rainforests, it carries an enormous amount of water. The mouth of the Amazon River, where it meets the sea, is so wide and deep that ocean-going ships have navigated its waters and traveled as far inland as two-thirds the way up the entire length of the river.
The Amazon - Home of Extremes
The Amazon River is not only the greatest in the world, it is home to many other "Extremes" 
of the natural world. Have you ever seen a catfish? They're usually found in warm, slow moving waters of lakes and streams, and some people keep them as pets in aquariums. Catfish are pretty creepy looking fish with big flat heads and "whiskers" on either side of their heads (hence the name, catfish). Most catfish that we're familiar with here in the U.S. are anywhere from eight inches long to about five feet, weighing in at up to 60 pounds. But the catfish that live in the world's greatest river have all the room in the world to grow as big as nature will allow - they have been captured weighing over 200 pounds! One of the largest freshwater fish in the world is found living in the waters of the Amazon River. Arapaima, also known locally as Pirarucu,Arapaima gigas are the largest, exclusively fresh water fish in the world. They have been found to reach a length of 15 ft/4m and can weigh up to 440lbs/200kg. (Read about the biggest freshwater fish in the world.)
of the natural world. Have you ever seen a catfish? They're usually found in warm, slow moving waters of lakes and streams, and some people keep them as pets in aquariums. Catfish are pretty creepy looking fish with big flat heads and "whiskers" on either side of their heads (hence the name, catfish). Most catfish that we're familiar with here in the U.S. are anywhere from eight inches long to about five feet, weighing in at up to 60 pounds. But the catfish that live in the world's greatest river have all the room in the world to grow as big as nature will allow - they have been captured weighing over 200 pounds! One of the largest freshwater fish in the world is found living in the waters of the Amazon River. Arapaima, also known locally as Pirarucu,Arapaima gigas are the largest, exclusively fresh water fish in the world. They have been found to reach a length of 15 ft/4m and can weigh up to 440lbs/200kg. (Read about the biggest freshwater fish in the world.)
The Amazon is also home to some other extreme creatures, featured here in "Extreme Science"; the Anaconda (biggest snake), and Piranha(most ferocious). Check it out!
Amazon River Facts
So, how did the Amazon get to be so big? The first reason has to do with its location - right at the equator. Around the "belt line" of the earth lies a warm, tropical zone where over 400 in/1016cm of rain fall every year. That averages out to more than an inch (3cm) of rain, everyday! A lot of water falls onto the land surrounding the river, what is called the "Amazon River drainage basin". A good way to understand what a drainage basin is to think of the whole northern half of the continent of South America as a shallow dish, or saucer. Whenever rain falls and lands anywhere in the river basin it all runs into the lowest place in the pan, which happens to be the Amazon River. The sheer volume of rain in the Amazon jungle, as well as the slope of the surrounding land, combine to create the enormous river known as the Amazon.
LARGEST LAND ANIMAL AFRICAN ELEPHANT
Largest Land Animal....
AFRICAN ELEPHANT
Loxodonta africana
Imagine six, full-size pick-up trucks stacked on top of each other. That's how much the largest African elephant weighed. There are other species of elephants, namely the Asian and the Indian, but they are much smaller than the African. The African elephant is the king among the giants on land. No other land animal comes close to the size of these creatures. It would take 165 full-grown men to make up the same weight as the world's record African elephant. The noise of an elephant digesting its food (when its tummy's growling) can be heard up to 600ft/183m away. Elephants actually have control over their digestive processes because they are able to stop the sounds of digestion when they sense danger. Here are some other cool elephant factoids:· In one year an elephant can drink 15,000 gal/57,000 liters of water
· Male elephants usually weigh about 16,500 lbs/7,425 kgs and are about 20 ft/6.1m long
· Elephants have only FOUR teeth, which they can lose and replace up to six times
· Elephants are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants and vegetation
· African elephants can live as long as 70 years
· Female gestation (length of pregnancy) in elephants is 22 months - almost 2 years!
· Both male and female elephants have ivory tusks, which they use to dig for water, strip bark off trees, and the males used to 'spar' with each other
AFRICAN ELEPHANT
Loxodonta africana
Imagine six, full-size pick-up trucks stacked on top of each other. That's how much the largest African elephant weighed. There are other species of elephants, namely the Asian and the Indian, but they are much smaller than the African. The African elephant is the king among the giants on land. No other land animal comes close to the size of these creatures. It would take 165 full-grown men to make up the same weight as the world's record African elephant. The noise of an elephant digesting its food (when its tummy's growling) can be heard up to 600ft/183m away. Elephants actually have control over their digestive processes because they are able to stop the sounds of digestion when they sense danger. Here are some other cool elephant factoids:
· In one year an elephant can drink 15,000 gal/57,000 liters of water
· Male elephants usually weigh about 16,500 lbs/7,425 kgs and are about 20 ft/6.1m long
· Elephants have only FOUR teeth, which they can lose and replace up to six times
· Elephants are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants and vegetation
· African elephants can live as long as 70 years
· Female gestation (length of pregnancy) in elephants is 22 months - almost 2 years!
· Both male and female elephants have ivory tusks, which they use to dig for water, strip bark off trees, and the males used to 'spar' with each other
An Elephant Never Forgets
Elephants are very intelligent animals, with a sophisticated system of communicating. Like whales, they can create sounds that are outside the range of human hearing (calledsubsonic* sound). By blowing air through large chambers in their nasal passages they can create low rumbling sounds that can carry as far as five miles (8kms). No matter how loudly you screamed, even through a megaphone or a public address microphone, you couldn't be heard by another person five miles away! Being able to communicate with other groups of elephants helps the elephants to detect danger and warn others, as well as to find water, which is extremely scarce in some parts of Africa. African elephants are intelligent enough to be able to detect water flowing underground and have been seen digging up water in a riverbed that has run dry. Elephants really are amazing animals!!!!
HISHEST WATER FALL IN THE WORLD
Highest Waterfall ....
ANGEL FALLS
The Story of the Angel Falls Discovery
  Angel Falls. Buy this poster at AllPosters.com |
The Natives in Venezuela had known about the "Salto Angel" since the beginning of time. Then United States pilot Jimmie Angel was flying over the area in 1935 when he landed on the top of a lone mountain in search of gold. His plane got stuck in the boggy jungle on top of the mountain and he noticed a pretty impressive waterfall plunging thousands of feet down. He wasn't too happy about the 11 mile hike back to civilization, and his plane remained stuck and rusting upon the mountain as a monument to his discovery. Soon the whole world would know about the falls, which came to be known as Angel Falls, after the pilot who "discovered" them.
Angel Falls plunges from the top of a mesa, or what the natives call a Tepuyi. Named "Auyantepui", the Angel Falls mesa is one of over a hundred of its kind which are scattered about the Guiana Highlands of southeast Venezuela. Like so many slumbering giants, what characterizes these mesas (Tepuys) is their massive heights soaring up towards the sky, each with a flat top and totally vertical sides (check out the picture at left). Also called "table mountains" (which accurately describes their shapes) these Tepuys were formed out of sandstone billions of years ago. Their vertical sides are continually being eroded by the action of water from the heavy rainfall the Guiana Highlands gets.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Submarine Deep Flight Super Falcon
In the Bay of San Francisco passed the first test «flying» submarine Deep Flight Super Falcon. Originally Deep Flight Super Falcon submarine was designed for a millionaire Tom Perkins (Tom Perkins) Maltese Falcon by Hawkes Ocean Technologies. Noticing how interest in their development, the company Hawkes Ocean Technologies has decided to make the design of submarines in the business. In addition to the original submarine for 1.3 million dollars, Hawkes Ocean Technologies will also sell a mini-submarine version of the open booths for 350 thousand dollars. More images after the break...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Goat - William Windsor
William Windsor (known as Billy), a goat in the military, was a lance corporal in the 1st Battalion, the Royal Welsh, an infantry battalion of the British Army. He served as a lance corporal from 2001 until 2009, except for a three month period in 2006 when he was demoted to fusilier, after unacceptable behaviour during the Queens' birthday celebrations while deployed on active service with the battalion on Cyprus. He retired to Whipsnade Zoo in May 2009.
Biography
The tradition of having goats in the military originated in 1775 when a wild goat walked onto the battlefield in Boston during the American Revolutionary War and led the Welsh regimental colours at the end of the Battle of Bunker Hill. more images after the break...
Billy, a Kashmir goat from the royal herd at Whipsnade Zoo, was presented to the regiment by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001. He is said to be friendly and likes meeting people. The tradition is not new: since 1844, the British Monarchy has presented an unbroken series of Kashmir goats to the Royal Welch Fusiliers from the crown's own royal herd.
The royal goat herd was originally obtained from Mohammad Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia from 1834–1848, when he presented them to Queen Victoria as a gift in 1837 upon her accession to the throne. Billy is thus descended from the same royal bloodline as the original herd.
Billy, a Kashmir goat from the royal herd at Whipsnade Zoo, was presented to the regiment by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001. He is said to be friendly and likes meeting people. The tradition is not new: since 1844, the British Monarchy has presented an unbroken series of Kashmir goats to the Royal Welch Fusiliers from the crown's own royal herd.
The royal goat herd was originally obtained from Mohammad Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia from 1834–1848, when he presented them to Queen Victoria as a gift in 1837 upon her accession to the throne. Billy is thus descended from the same royal bloodline as the original herd.
Military career
Billy — Army number 25232301 — is not a mascot, but a ranking member of the regiment; since joining in 2001, he has served overseas, and has met royalty. His primary duty was to march at the head of the battalion on all ceremonial duties. He was present for every parade in which the regiment participated.
He spent two and a half years in Cyprus while the battalion was posted there, and has lived in Chester since their return.
He spent two and a half years in Cyprus while the battalion was posted there, and has lived in Chester since their return.
Goat Major
Billy had a full-time handler during his military service, Lance-Corporal Ryan Arthur, known as the Goat Major, who ensured Billy's welfare at all times.
Retirement
Following eight years of distinguished service, Billy retired due to his age. On 20 May 2009, he was led into his trailer by the battalion's Goat Major in full ceremonial dress, including a silver headdress which was a gift from the Queen in 1955. Soldiers from the battalion lined the route from his pen to the trailer as he left the camp for the last time. Billy returned to Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire where keepers say that he will have an easy life at the Children's Farm. His replacement will be chosen from a herd on the Great Orme in Llandudno in June.
Via : Link
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wristwatch Motorcycles
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