Thursday, January 27, 2011

Rare Fish: Deep-Sea Lizardfish

Lizardfish

The Deep-Sea Lizardfish is a member of Synodontidae family. This fish is also known as the 'Deep-water Greeneye'. This rare fish is located only in the extreme depths of the tropical and subtropical seas of the world. It lives in waters of around 1500 to 3500 meters deep. It is deemed as an ambush predator hunting in the abyssal seafloor. It grows to a length of around 30 centimeters, is coloured a purple-black and prowls the ocean floors with a mouth of razor sharp barbed teeth.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Rare Fish: The black swallower

Black swallower

The black swallower (Chiasmodon niger) is a deep sea fish that has the ability to extend its stomach three times its size so that it can swallow fish that are larger than itself. It’s a charming and rare fish which lives in depths of up to 1,500 meters. And what makes this fish sole is the fact that unlike many other deep sea fish which need cold, dark conditions the Black Swallower also makes warm tropical waters its home. This fish can grow up to 25 centimeters and has the aptitude to make use of bioluminescence because of the darkness found in some parts of the pelagic zone.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Rare animal: Solenodon

Solenodon

Solenodon is a strange mammal found mostly in Cuba and Hispanola. It looks cute and controllable enough sort of like an over-sized hedgehog. Solenodon injects rattlesnake-like venom through its teeth, the only mammal do this. Solenodon bites at the go down of a banana leaf. Being both a carrion feeder and insectivore, it is a essential species in its ecosystem. It was thought to be died out until scientists found a few still alive in 2003. It is in grave danger of death.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Polistes dominula

Nests are begun by overwintered founding queens or foundresses , who spend about a month in the spring constructing a nest and provisioning offspring, the first of which will become daughter workers in the growing colony. Males are produced later, and when they start to appear, a few daughters may mate and leave their nest, to become foundresses the next season. The switch from production of workers to production of future foundresses is not utterly abrupt, therefore, as has been considered the case for other species of Polistes.

Polistes dominulaThe colony disperses in the late summer, with only males and future foundresses produced instead of workers, and individuals frequently cluster in groups to overwinter. Hibernation does not usually take place on former nest sites.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Rare White’s Tree Frogs

A normal 10 cm (4 inches) in length, this frog tends to look in fat and flabby. Females have been known to produce as long as 5 inches, nose to vent. The males usually grow to be about 4 inches long. Its' smooth green skin characteristically appears to be folded from its' tendency to be obese.

Rare white tree frogOccasionally it will change colors to brown, and sometimes it will also have some little white spots all over it's body. Their tough skin helps them to retain water. It seems, from what other White's Tree Frog owners have said, that the higher the humidity, and lesser the temperature, the darker and browner their colors. Whereas if the temperater is higher, with less humidity, they tend to be brighter, more blue. It's funny looks have also brought about nicknames like "Dumpy Tree Frog" and "Smiling Frog."