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"~God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs."~
~Jurassic Park
Self-Critique: Better placement of the coffee mug, different dinosaur in the background (The red draws the eye away from the cupcake too much)
128/365
The extinct relative of the zebra, this is from the Museum of Natural History in London.
"Photograph of a Quagga taken in London Zoo between 1892 and 1907. The Quagga is now extinct."
The Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – This unique sea-dwelling rabbit, which is actually a close relative of the sea lion, was officially discovered and investigated by Henry Hudson when he first visited this land to colonize the area by order of the Dutch government. It was named New Amsterdam -- today’s New York City. This island was named after he saw the beach covered with strange swimming wild rabbits. The word “Coney Island” means “wild rabbit island” in Dutch (originally Conyne Eylandt, or Konijneneiland in modern Dutch spelling). Sea rabbits were also referred mermaid rabbit, merrabbit, rabbit fish or seal rabbit in the natural history documents in the 17th century. The current conservation status, or risk of extinction, of the sea rabbit is Extinct in the Wild.
This website features two species of sea rabbits, which have been taken care of by Dr. Takeshi Yamada (山田武司) at the Coney Island Sea Rabbit Repopulation Center, which is a part of the Marine biology department of the Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. They are – Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) called “Seara” and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus) called “Stripes”.
The photographs and videos featured in this website chronicle adventures of the Coney Island sea rabbits and the world as seen by them. This article also documented efforts of Dr. Takeshi Yamada for bringing back the nearly extinct sea rabbits to Coney Island in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada produced a series of public lectures, workshops, original public live interactive fine art performances and fine art exhibitions about sea rabbits at a variety of occasions and institutions in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada is an internationally active educator, book author, wildlife conservationist and high profile artist, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
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Sea Rabbit
Other Common Names: Coney Island Sea Rabbit, Beach Rabbit, Seal Rabbit, mer-rabbit, merrabbit, Atlantic Sea Rabbit.
Latin Name: Monafluffchus americanus
Origin: Atlantic coast of the United States
Description of the specimen: In the early 17th century’s European fur craze drove the fleet of Dutch ships to the eastern costal area of America. Then Holland was the center of the world just like the Italy was in the previous century. New York City was once called New Amsterdam when Dutch merchants landed and established colonies. Among them, Henry Hudson is probably the most recognized individual in the history of New York City today. “This small island is inhabited by two major creatures which we do not have in our homeland. The one creature is a large arthropod made of three body segments: the frontal segment resembles a horseshoe, the middle segment resembles a spiny crab and its tail resembles a sharp sword. Although they gather beaches here in great numbers, they are not edible due to their extremely offensive odor. Another creature which is abundant here, has the head of wild rabbit. This animal of great swimming ability has frontal legs resemble the webbed feet of a duck. The bottom half of the body resembles that of a seal. This docile rabbit of the sea is easy to catch as it does not fear people. The larger male sea rabbits control harems of 20 to 25 females. The meat of the sea rabbit is very tender and tasty.” This is what Hadson wrote in his personal journal in 1609 about the horseshoe crab and the sea rabbit in today’s Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, just like the Dodo bird and the Thylacine, the sea rabbit was driven to extinction by the European settlers’ greed. When Dutch merchants and traders arrived here, sea rabbits were one of the first animals they hunted down to bring their furs to homeland to satisfy the fur craze of the time. To increase the shipment volume of furs of sea rabbit and beavers from New Amsterdam, Dutch merchants also started using wampum (beads made of special clam shells) as the first official currency of this country.
At the North Eastern shores of the United States, two species of sea rabbits were commonly found. They are Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus). Sadly, due to their over harvesting in the previous centuries, their conservation status became “Extinct in the Wild” (ET) in the Red List Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, these sea rabbits are only found at breeding centers at selected zoos and universities such as Coney Island Aquarium and Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. The one shown in this photograph was named "Seara" and has been cared by Dr. Takeshi Yamada at Coney Island University.
The sea rabbit is one of the families of the Pinniped order. Pinnipeds (from Latin penna = flat and pes/pedis = foot) are sea-mammals: they are homeothermic (i.e having high and regulated inner temperature), lung-breathing (i.e dependant on atmospheric oxygen) animals having come back to semi aquatic life. As soon as they arrive ashore, females are caught by the nearest adult male. Males can maintain harems of about 20 females on average. Several hours to several days after arriving ashore, pregnant females give birth to eight to ten pups with a dark brown fur. As soon as birth occurs, the mother’s special smell and calls help her pups bond specifically to her. The mother stays ashore with her pup for about one week during which the pup gains weight. During the first week spent with her newborn, the mother becomes receptive. She will be impregnated by the bull, which control the harem. Implantation of the embryo will occur 3 months later, in March-April. During the reproductive period, the best males copulate with several tens females. To do so, males have to stay ashore without feeding in order to keep their territory and their harem. In mid-January, when the last females have been fecundated, males leave at sea to feed. Some of them will come back later in March-April for the moult. The other ones will stay at sea and will come back on Coney Island only in next November. After fecundation, the mother goes at sea for her first meal. At sea, mothers feed on clams, crabs, shrimps, fish (herring, anchovy, Pollock, capelin etc.) and squids. When she is back, the mother recovers her pups at the beach she left them. Suckling occurs after auditive and olfactory recognition had occured. In March-April, the dark brown fur is totally replaced by an adult-like light brownish grey fur during the moult that lasts 1-2 months. This new fur is composed by 2 layers. Externally, the guard fur is composed by flat hairs that recover themselves when wet. By doing so, they make a water-proof barrier for the under fur. The underfur retains air when the seal is dry. Because of isolating properties of the air, the underfur is the insulating system of the fur. In March-April, the fur of adults is partially replaced. First reproduction occurs at 1-yr old in females. Males are physiologically matures at 1 year old but socially matures at +2 years old.
NOTE: The name of Coney Island is commonly thought to be derived from the Dutch Konijn Eylandt or Rabbit Island as apparently the 17th century European settlers noted many rabbits running amuck on the island.
www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/performances.html
www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/sea-rabbit-center.html
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www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit24/
www.flickr.com/photos/searabbits23/
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www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit3
www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit2
www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit1
www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits03
www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits02
www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits01
www.flickr.com/photos/yamadaimmortalized2/
www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadaimmortalized/
www.flickr.com/photos/yamadabellhouse2014/
www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders3/
www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders2
www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/
www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadapaintings/
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For any questions, please email contact Takeshi Yamada, Art & Rogue Taxidermy, Museum of World Wonders, official website. www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/
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For any questions, please contact Dr. Takeshi Yamada. His email address is posted in the chapter page (the last page or the first page).
(Updated May 25, 2015)
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BNFE 19142
Western Fruit Express.
A stitched photo made from 8 original photos.
This image is better viewed: LARGE
Benched in Southern California
Puna Pau, the pukao factory:
Currently, the Puna Pau crater is just a depression in the land covered with vegetation. Only a few outcrops of scoria are visible on the southern slope, where a rock wall shows several stripes of reddish material.
The current form of the small volcano is the result of the intervention of the hand of man throughout history. According to the latest excavations, during the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries an intense work of extraction was developed in the Puna Pau quarry, whose main motive was the elaboration of the pukao or cylindrical headdresses that crowned some of the statues of Easter Island.
Like the southern slope of the Rano Raraku volcano was the origin of most of the statues of the island, it is thought that a third of the crater of Puna Pau was used to manufacture all the pukao. It is also believed that in the quarry different work teams were formed that competed to have their own production areas.
However, unlike Rano Raraku, it seems that Puna Pau was considered a secret and sacred place. Its hidden location from other parts of the island, an almost silent production, that was made inside the crater, and a red color especially valued contributed to its isolation and mysticism.
Interesting facts:
The Black-veined White became extinct in Britain in 1925 despite there being no apparent lack of suitable habitat. It is still widespread common in many parts of mainland Europe, though declining in some areas. All attempts at re-introduction to Britain have so far failed. Larvae feed on various rosaceous trees and shrubs
This was taken in Cetinje, Montenegro. Not from this year because they emerge only early June and survive into mid August!
One more interesting fact: couldn't find any picture on Flickr ??!!!
On October 21, 2015, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (@goCMNH) had their monthly Think & Drink with the Extinct (#ThinkandDrink). The evening's theme was "Paleontology - Fossils and Ferments."
Raise a glass and increase your knowledge of the natural world at one of the brainiest happy hours in Cleveland!
Third Wednesday at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is #ThinkandDrink. Each month highlights a different field of research or Museum area, and offers exclusive access to professional staff and researchers, paired with unique experiences and interactive demonstrations. Cash beer/wine bar. Complimentary light snacks. Food available for purchase.
One of a fleet of Ford Focus's which are now becoming increasingly extinct through the introduction of newer Vauxhall Astra's. One such Focus that is still operating today is YN08UCE which is seen in Sheffield City Centre.
Fleet No. - n/a
Reg. No. - YN08 UCE
Chassis - Ford Focus Studio TDCI
Bodywork - Ford
Type - Beat Vehicle
Taken - 14/02/2013
Please Note:
1 - All images are copyright and must not be used without full permission from myself. All images published on here are my own work and taken on public property unless full permission has been given to enter a premises.
2 - I always try to include some information about the bus or the route in picture to the descriptions, however sometimes information may be listed incorrectly, if so I would be grateful if you could let me know what amendments need to be made.
Fossil Honeycomb Oyster (Pycnodonte newberryi), an extinct species, weathered out of the Dakota Sandstone. The upper layers of late Cretaceous Dakota include densely packed beds of marine oysters with other shallow near-shore organisms. The formation is composed primarily of clean, resistant sadstones interbedded with thinner organic-rich mudstones deposited in beach, deltaic and estuarine environments. The shells here are about 75 million years old. Waterpocket Fold. Adjacent to Capitol Reef National Park. Wayne Co., Utah.
The last few pairs of Hand-made rubber riding boots are to be found lurking in odd corners of the world.
The Hand made Le Chameau Riding Boot was believed to be the last hand made boot to be found across the world.
Due to its high quality finish, the amount of labour need to finish the boot was too expensive for the average rider, however once a rider tried a pair on, they would soon decided that was to be the only form of boot to purchase.
The normal UK price was around £300 ($400) inc tax.
There is a newer design for ladies, but this is not made to the original high standards and has only a limited of sizes and fittings.
If you spot a pair of the original hand made boots in your size, purchase them now, I don't think any other company will even make a copy.
Extinct monsters : a popular account of some of the larger forms of ancient animal life / by Rev. H. N. Hutchinson ... with illustrations by J. Smit and others.
London : Chapman & Hall, 1896.
Extinction Rebellion climate protesters block Paris at Place du Châtelet @extinctionrebellionfrance #urgenceclimatique
#urgenceecologique
#suitedumonde
#occupationparis
#extinctionrebellionfrance
#extinctionrebellion
#suitedumonde
#internationalrebellion
#occupationparis
#chatelet
This species used to inhabit the Carco Azul springs in Mexico at about 1600m above sea level. They are now extinct in the wild and the species is maintained by hobbyists.
Ammonites are an extinct group of marine animals of the subclass Ammonoidea in the class Cephalopoda, phylum Mollusca. They are excellent index fossils, and it is often possible to link the rock layer in which they are found to specific geological time periods. Ammonites' closest living relative is probably not the modern Nautilus (which they outwardly resemble), but rather the subclass Coleoidea (octopus, squid, and cuttlefish). Their fossil shells usually take the form of planispirals, although there were some helically-spiraled and non-spiraled forms (known as "heteromorphs"). Their name came from their spiral shape as their fossilized shells somewhat resemble tightly-coiled rams' horns. Pliny the Elder (d. 79 A.D. near Pompeii) called fossils of these animals ammonis cornua ("horns of Ammon") because the Egyptian god Ammon (Amun) was typically depicted wearing ram's horns. Often the name of an ammonite genus ends in ceras, which is Greek (κέρας) for "horn" (for instance, Pleuroceras).
Time's rollin' forward
I'm gettin' bored
Layin' on my back
I'm loozin' track
Shifting patterns
And nothin' matters
'Cause there's no one here
And I've lost my fear
Well I've got no place left to hide
I'm running out of time
Moving slowly
The walls are closing
In on me
I can not see
Appearing fine, well
That's all a lie
'Cause I am not alright
Extinct inside
I'm runnin' out of time
My mother says I'm fine
A teenage suicide
No place to hide
Extinct Rebellion Demonstrators built this wooden structure and then chained each other together through the tubes. The Red Brigade then do their usual slow motion movement around the base while the poor old British Bobby stands by not wanting to hurt these poor souls
"Cramp Can Be Extremely Painful"
Trafalgar Square. London. UK.
Ammonites are an extinct group of marine invertebrate animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e. octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish) than they are to shelled nautiloids such as the living Nautilus species.Ammonites are excellent index fossils, and it is often possible to link the rock layer in which they are found to specific geological time periods. Their fossil shells usually take the form of planispirals, although there were some helically-spiraled and non-spiraled forms (known as heteromorphs).The name ammonite, from which the scientific term is derived, was inspired by the spiral shape of their fossilized shells, which somewhat resemble tightly-coiled rams' horns. Pliny the Elder (d. 79 AD. near Pompeii) called fossils of these animals ammonis cornua ("horns of Ammon") because the Egyptian god Ammon (Amun) was typically depicted wearing ram's horns.Often the name of an ammonite genus ends in -ceras, which is Greek (κέρας) for "horn".
Bolca is a village in the Veneto, on the southern margin of the Italian Alps. It is a frazione of the comune of Vestenanova, in the province of Verona. The area is famous for the marine fossils from the lagerstätte of Monte Bolca. It was one of the first fossil sites with high quality preservation known to Europeans, and is still an important source of fossils from the Eocene.Bolca lies in the Lessini Alps. Monte Bolca was originally at the bottom of the Tethys Ocean before being uplifted from the ocean floor during the formation of the Alps. This happened in two stages, one 24 million years ago and one between 30 and 50 million years ago.The fossils at Monte Bolca have been known since at least the 16th century, and were studied intensively in the 19th century once it was definitively proven that fossils were the remnants of dead animals.FossilsStrictly speaking, the Monte Bolca site is one specific spot near the village, known as the Pesciara ("The Fishbowl") due to its many marine fossils. However, there are several other related outcroppings in the general vicinity that also carry fossils, such as Monte Postale and Monte Vegroni. The term Monte Bolca is used interchangeably to refer to the original site, or to all the sites collectively.The entire formation consists of 19 metres of limestone, all of which contain fossils, but interspersed in which are the lagerstatten layers that contain the highly preserved specimens. Within these layers, the fish and other specimens are so highly preserved that their organs are often completely preserved in fossil form, and even the skin colour can sometimes be determined. The normal rearrangement of the specimens caused by mud-dwelling organisms in the layer before it turned to stone has been avoided -- it is assumed that the mud in question was low in oxygen, preventing both decay and the action of scavengers.
I fossili rinvenuti nei giacimenti fossiliferi di Bolca, i più importanti al mondo per estensione, per quantità delle specie faunistiche ritrovate, ma soprattutto per il perfetto grado di conservazione delle specie animali e vegetali, rispecchiano un habitat marino-costiero e più specificamente di tipo lagunare. Tra i vari fossili si possono ricordare alcuni crostacei, dei rettili, qualche piuma d'uccello, varie specie di insetti, ma soprattutto numerosi pesci, oltre 150 specie, tra cui anche squali, che conservano oltre al tessuto osseo anche parte dei tessuti organici, proprio per il particolarissimo processo di fossilizzazione verificatosi in questa zona costiera nel corso di circa 50 milioni di anni. la perfezione di questo processo di fossilizzazione è dimostrata dal rinvenimento di alcune meduse, il cui corpo costituito principalmente da acqua è estremamente difficile da conservare. le specie vegetali ritrovate, oltre 270, comprendono piante tropicali, alghe, palme e fanerogame marine. A differenza dì quel che si pensa, a Bolca non si sono ritrovati solo pesci fossili ma numerose specie animali e vegetali, e non solamente nella cava-miniera della Pesciara, ma in diversi siti, tutti con una propria storia geologica, in alcuni casi conosciuti e cavati da alcuni secoli (non a caso i fossili di Bolca sono presenti nei principali Musei del Mondo ed in ricche collezioni private). Da visitare è comunque il Museo Paleontologico di Bolca.Il Monte Purga (930 m), a forma di cono, si trova a nord di Bolca. È ciò che resta di un vulcano attivo 50 milioni di anni fa, con rocce effusive di basalto, ma anche con argilliti e ligniti sedimentarie (la sommità presenta inoltre basalti dell'Oligocene). Qui sono stati trovati nei sedimenti delle ligniti dei crostacei d'acqua dolce, dei cheloni e dei dei coccodrilli, mentre sul versante occidentale, si sono rinvenuti dei molluschi terrestri. Nei livelli vulcanici sono stati trovati palmizi del genere Latanites.Il Monte Spilecco è ricco di rocce sedimentarie costituite per la maggior parte da frammenti fossili (calcari grigio-verdastri, marne, rocce vulcaniche stratificate). Frequenti sono infatti i denti di squalo, piccoli frammenti dello scheletro di Crinoidi (gigli di mare) caratterizzati da una simmetria pentagonale. Le macchie verde chiaro che si notano nelle fratture fresche della roccia sono minerali alterati di glauconite, la cui roccia, che le contiene è la più antica della zona di Bolca (Paleocene, 55 milioni di anni), Si trovano anche aculei di Echinidi (ricci di mare).La Pesciara di Bolca è il più famoso giacimento fossilifero, posto a circa 2 km da Bolca, da cui si sono estratti migliaia di pesci. Le sue rocce calcaree sono espressione di un'antica laguna tropicale dell'Eocene, di circa 48 milioni di anni,fa, popolata non solo da pesci ma anche da molluschi bivalvi e gasteropodi; frequenti sono anche le alghe e i resti vegetali provenienti da una flora di tipo continentale, così come gli insetti. La Pesciara, in rapporto all'intero versante montuoso, dal punto di vista geologico è un grosso olistolite calcareo immerso in un deposito di tufite. La caduta di tale blocco avvenne nell'Eocene quando l'area di Bolca e della Lessinia era ancora occupata dalle lagune tropicali, con un fondale basso di pochi metri. Poco più tardi, sempre nell'Eocene, l'area compresa tra la Valle dell'Alpone e del Chiampo fu interessata da un abbassamento del fondale marino lungo due fratture (faglie) parallele ai torrenti Alpone e Chiampo (chiamato Graben dell'Alpone-Chiampo) e da una attività vulcanica che formò delle colate di lava sottomarine e subaeree. Le ripide scarpate del Graben causarono il crollo di blocchi calcarei che si erano formati nella laguna tropicale della Pesciara, assieme a sedimenti e a filoni provenienti da eruzioni vulcaniche. Nei calcari lastriformi della Pesciara sono contenuti numerosi pesci alternati a strati sterili, in cinque livelli, per uno spessore complessivo di 19 metri: sono stati cavati migliaia di pesci costieri, sia cartilaginei, sia ossei, che presentano molte affinità con forme viventi oggi nell'Oceano Indo-Pacifico. La famiglia Cerato di Bolca da quasi duecento anni scava il giacimento della Pesciara, che è di sua proprietà.Il Monte Postale, posto a nord-est di Brusaferri contiene strati costituiti da calcari lastriformi, calcari di scogliera e calcari ad alveoline dell'Eocene Medio e Inferiore, che hanno fornito numerosi fossili di Pesci, Lamellibranchi, Gasteropodi, Coralli, alghe, mentre più scarsi sono gli Echinodermi, i Brachiopodi ed i Cefalopodi. Più di 90 sono i generi di molluschi rinvenuti.Il nuovo museo dei fossili è stato inaugurato il 28 luglio 1996. Si divide in tre sale: due al piano terra e una al piano superiore. Si inizia il percorso nella prima sala al Ingresso al Museo dei Fossili piano terra dove in una vetrina sospesa sono esposti i "gioielli di BoIca": si tratta di sei pesci fossili ben conservati che danno il benvenuto al visitatore. Sulla parete di destra di trovano una serie di cartine: la prima, geografica, indica la posizione di Bolca; la seconda indica le principali località della Val d'Alpone con i relativi fossili trovati e precisamente: Monte Purga con le spettacolari piante e rettili, Monte Spilecco con i denti di squalo, Monte Postale con i pesci ed i molluschi, San Giovanni Ilarione e Roncà con i molluschi, la Pesciara con le meraviglie che adesso andremo a scoprire. La terza è una carta geologica che indica cioè i vari tipi di conformazione del [terreno distinti dai vari colori: il giallo, l'arancio, il verde e l'azzurro indicano rocce di origine sedimentaria formate da carbonato di calcio; il rosso, l'arancione acceso ed il viola indicano invece le rocce di origine vulcanica ricche di ferro e magnesio. Se si osserva attentamente si nota la prevalenza dei colori rosso-viola e quindi di origine vulcanica anche se in realtà, i giacimenti di fossili sono stati ritrovati in roccia sedimentaria. Proseguendo la visita si trova la tavola stratigrafica con l'analisi delle rocce che costituiscono i giacimenti della pesciara e del Monte Postale. Alcuni pezzi di roccia ci danno l'idea dei due tipi di strati che si ripetono: uno a calcare grossolano, dove si trovano piccoli invertebrati, ed uno a calcare fine con struttura a lamine, dove si trovano i fossili. Come mai si trovano questi due tipi di strati? L'origine è dovuta all'alternanza di periodi in cui nel mare avvenivano forti mareggiate che trasportavano dalla costa sedimenti grossolani, a periodi in cui il mare era calmo e basso e si formava la barriera corallina con deposito di sedimenti che si stratificavano conservando i pesci. Perché sono morti tutti questi pesci? Dopo le prime ipotesi in cui si credeva che i fossili fossero "scherzi della natura", si arrivò nel 1780 a pensare che, data la conformazione di origine vulcanica della zona, fossero i continui fenomeni vulcanici a provocare la morte dei pesci; approfondite analisi fanno attualmente imputare la causa ad improvvise, enormi crescite di alghe tali da consumare in breve tempo l'ossigeno e rendere l'ambiente marino invivibile. La prima sala si chiude con la spiegazione attraverso foto e didascalie di come si preparano i fossili: dall'estrazione all'esposizione. L'estrazione procede per gradi: innanzitutto viene individuato il livello fossilifero dal quale vengono estratte le lastre, lasciate poi "stagionare" all'aperto.
Le Ammoniti (sottoclasse Ammonoidea) sono un gruppo di Molluschi cefalopodi estinti, comparsi nel Devoniano Inferiore (circa 400 milioni di anni fa (Ma)) ed estintisi intorno al limite Cretaceo Superiore-Paleocene (65,5 ± 0,3 Ma) senza lasciare discendenti noti.
Si tratta di animali di ambiente marino, caratterizzati da una conchiglia esterna composta prevalentemente di carbonato di calcio, sotto forma di aragonite, e in parte di una sostanza organica di natura proteica (conchiolina)[1]. La conchiglia era suddivisa internamente da setti in diverse camere, di cui il mollusco occupava solo l'ultima (camera d'abitazione). Le altre, che componevano il fragmocono (parte concamerata della conchiglia), erano utilizzate come "camere d'aria" (analogamente all'attuale Nautilus), riempite di gas e liquido camerale per controllare il galleggiamento dell'organismo. La pressione dei fluidi camerali era controllata da una sottile struttura organica tubolare riccamente vascolarizzata, in parte mineralizzata (il sifone), che attraversava tutti i setti e permetteva lo scambio di fluidi dal sangue e dai tessuti molli dell'animale alle camere tramite un processo di osmosi. L'ammonite poteva così variare la propria profondità (entro i limiti di resistenza meccanica della conchiglia) in maniera simile ai nautiloidi tuttora viventi. Verosimilmente le ammoniti, come tutti i cefalopodi conosciuti, erano organismi carnivori, e svilupparono un grande numero di adattamenti diversi, dalla predazione attiva di animali marini, alla microfagia (predazione di microorganismi), alla necrofagia (consumo di carne di organismi morti), e persino al cannibalismo (predazione di altre ammoniti, anche conspecifiche).La conchiglia delle ammoniti ha in generale la forma di una spirale avvolta su un piano (sebbene alcune specie, dette eteromorfe, abbiano un avvolgimento più complesso e tridimensionale) ed è proprio questa caratteristica ad aver determinato il loro nome. L'aspetto di questi animali, infatti, ricorda vagamente quello di un corno arrotolato, come quello di un montone (il dio egizio Amon era comunemente raffigurato come un uomo con corna di montone). Il celebre studioso romano Plinio il Vecchio (autore del trattato Naturalis Historia) definì i fossili di questi animali ammonis cornua, "corni di Ammone". Spesso il nome delle specie di Ammoniti termina in ceras, vocabolo greco (κέρας) il cui significato è, appunto, "corno" (p.es. Pleuroceras che etimologicamente significa corno con le coste). Le ammoniti sono considerate i fossili per eccellenza, tanto da essere spesso utilizzati come simbolo grafico della paleontologia.Per la loro straordinaria diffusione nei sedimenti marini di tutto il mondo e la loro rapida evoluzione, con variazioni nette nella morfologia e nell'ornamentazione della conchiglia, le ammoniti sono fossili guida di eccezionale valore. Sono utilizzati in stratigrafia per la datazione delle rocce sedimentarie, soprattutto dal Paleozoico Superiore a tutto il Mesozoico.
Per comprendere meglio come sono fatte le lastre basti pensare ad un libro chiuso nel quale le pagine sono gli strati. Si procede all'apertura ponendo la punta dello scalpello parallela alle stratificazioni della roccia, aprendo lamina per lamina e riducendo le stesse anche a piccoli pezzi affinché nessun fossile sfugga alla ricerca. Quando si apre la lastra con il fossile lo stesso si dividerà in maniera pressoché uguale nelle due parti che vengono chiamate "impronta" e "controimpronta". Nessun agente protettivo viene messo sul fossile perché ciò lo renderebbe inutilizzabile per lo studio oltre ad alterarne l'estetica. Se durante l'estrazione il fossile si rompe (o semplicemente perché le misure sono troppo grandi e non consentono di estrarlo intero) viene restaurato con mastici particolari. A questo punto il fossile viene studiato e confrontato, anche con l'aiuto di fotografie, con le attuali specie viventi. La galleria degli studiosi, dove una serie di fotografie ritrae i principali scienziati che studiarono il fenomeno di Bolca, ci conduce alla seconda sala cosiddetta "dell'acquario". Al centro della sala trova posto un acquario con un ambiente marino tropicale, simile a quello che poteva esserci a Bolca 50 milioni di anni fa, ma attualissimo nel nostro Oceano Pacifico. In fianco vi è una vasca che rappresenta il Mediterraneo attuale. Tutto attorno ci sono vetrine con collezione di ittiolitì pescì fossili ordinatì secondo la loro classificazione scientifica. I pesci sono animali vertebrati che si dividono in due classi: i pesci cartilaginei che hanno uno scheletro di cartilagine e i pesci ossei che hanno uno scheletro di tessuto osseo. In senso antiorario troviamo tra i cartilaginei lo squalo, la razza, la torpedine, tutti di notevoli dimensioni; tra i pesci ossei troviamo invece le anguille, le puche, i lates e le numerose specie della barriera corallina. Da notare l'ultimo esemplare di "Pasaichthys pleuronectiformis" un pesce primitivo, raro, di 50 milioni di anni fa. Chiudono la sala un bell'esemplare di pesce angelo e un barracuda. La sala superiore ha un'esposizione di tipo ambientale: si parte cioè dagli organismi che vivevano nei fondali sabbiosi e praterie sottomarine per passare a quelli della barriera corallina, del mare aperto fino ad arrivare a quelli delle terre emerse con foto per la comparazione con gli attuali organismi viventi. Così nella prima vetrina, partendo da sinistra troviamo razze e sogliole, pesci che si sono adattati ad un fondale sabbioso per la loro forma piatta; crostacei quali aragoste, granchi e gamberetti, splendidi esemplari di medusa che, data la loro composizione prevalente di acqua, sono una rarità; un altro esemplare di pesce angelo e di torpedine fino ad arrivare ai pesci di mare aperto come tonni e pesce spada. Si prosegue con la vetrina dedicata al coccodrillo, qui esposto in calco, dal momento che l'originale di trova al Museo di Scienze Naturali di Verona. Un secondo esemplare di coccodrillo custodito a Vicenza fu distrutto durante la seconda guerra mondiale. Oltre al coccodrillo vi sono due splendidi esemplari di palma ritrovati sul Monte Purga con un'età di circa 53 milioni di anni. Nell'ultima vetrina sono esposti vegetali fra i quali foglie di vario tipo (da notare la perfetta conservazione delle nervature), alghe, insetti, piume di uccello, noci di cocco e per finire ancora due palme. Chiude la sala un pannello con rappresentato un paesaggio molto simile a quello che doveva essere Bolca 50 milioni di anni fa ma anche molto simile all'attuale barriera corallina dell'Oceano Pacifico.
Font : Wikipedia
Superdomain: Neomura
Domain: Eukaryota
(unranked): Unikonta
(unranked): Obazoa
(unranked): Opisthokonta
(unranked) Holozoa
(unranked) Filozoa
Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Eumetazoa
Clade: ParaHoxozoa
Clade: Bilateria
Clade: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Olfactores
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Clade: Eugnathostomata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Infraclass: Euselachii
Superorder: Galeomorphii
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Megachasmidae
Genus: Megachasma
Species: M. applegatei†
Imagen original extraida de Extinct monsters; a popular account of some of the larger forms of ancient animal life (1896) en archive.org (Lámina XII), pero descubierta a través del recomendable blog BibliOdyssey, con un fragmento de texto de la EFF
Rogers’ “Cybersecurity” Bill Is Broad Enough to Use Against WikiLeaks and The Pirate Bay
Congress is doing it again: they’re proposing overbroad regulations that could have dire consequences for our Internet ecology. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (H.R. 3523), introduced by Rep. Mike Rogers and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, allows companies or the government1 free rein to bypass existing laws in order to monitor communications, filter content, or potentially even shut down access to online services for “cybersecurity purposes.” Companies are encouraged to share data with the government and with one another, and the government can share data in return. The idea is to facilitate detection of and defense against a serious cyber threat, but the definitions in the bill go well beyond that. The language is so broad it could be used as a blunt instrument to attack websites like The Pirate Bay or WikiLeaks. Join EFF in calling on Congress to stop the Rogers’ cybersecurity bill.
Under the proposed legislation, a company that protects itself or other companies against “cybersecurity threats” can “use cybersecurity systems to identify and obtain cyber threat information to protect the rights and property” of the company under threat. But because “us[ing] cybersecurity systems” is incredibly vague, it could be interpreted to mean monitoring email, filtering content, or even blocking access to sites. A company acting on a “cybersecurity threat” would be able to bypass all existing laws, including laws prohibiting telcos from routinely monitoring communications, so long as it acted in “good faith.”
The broad language around what constitutes a cybersecurity threat leaves the door wide open for abuse. For example, the bill defines “cyber threat intelligence” and “cybersecurity purpose” to include “theft or misappropriation of private or government information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information.”
Yes, intellectual property. It’s a little piece of SOPA wrapped up in a bill that’s supposedly designed to facilitate detection of and defense against cybersecurity threats. The language is so vague that an ISP could use it to monitor communications of subscribers for potential infringement of intellectual property. An ISP could even interpret this bill as allowing them to block accounts believed to be infringing, block access to websites like The Pirate Bay believed to carry infringing content, or take other measures provided they claimed it was motivated by cybersecurity concerns.
The language of “theft or misappropriation of private or government information” is equally concerning. Regardless of the intent of this language, the end result is that the government and Internet companies could use this language to block sites like WikiLeaks and NewYorkTimes.com, both of which have published classified information. Online publishers like WikiLeaks are currently afforded protection under the First Amendment; receiving and publishing classified documents from a whistleblower is a common journalistic practice. While there’s uncertainty about whether the Espionage Act could be brought to bear against WikiLeaks, it is difficult to imagine a situation where the Espionage Act would apply to WikiLeaks without equally applying to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and in fact everyone who reads about the cablegate releases. But under Rogers' cybersecurity proposal, the government would have new, powerful tools to go after WikiLeaks. By claiming that WikiLeaks constituted “cyber threat intelligence” (aka “theft or misappropriation of private or government information”), the government may be empowering itself and other companies to monitor and block the site. This means that the previous tactics used to silence WikiLeaks—including a financial blockade and shutting down their accounts with online service providers—could be supplemented by very direct means. The government could proclaim that WikiLeaks constitutes a cybersecurity threat and have new, broad powers to filter and block communication with the journalistic website.
Congress is intent on passing cybersecurity legislation this year, and there are multiple proposals in the House and the Senate under debate. But none is as poorly drafted and dangerously vague as the Rogers bill. We need to stop this bill in its tracks, before it can advance in the House and before the authors can negotiate to place this overbroad language into other cybersecurity proposals.
Internet security is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. But we don’t need to sacrifice our civil liberties to do so.
'Endangered and Extinct' by creative recycling artist Val Hunt, an exhibition at Gloucester Cathedral, Saturday 26 September-Sunday 1 November 2020 in the Cloisters
From the Cathedral's website:
"This exhibition presents a subtle message about recycling and preservation, raising awareness of why the creatures on show are endangered or extinct...
Having worked for the past 29 years as a professional maker, Val Hunt continues to be amazed at the versatility of creative recycling. There is an enormous variety of discarded material just waiting to be reconstructed and given a new identity, especially Val's favourite material of drinks can metal. Intricate constructions and interesting textures are key elements found in her work, humour is also an added ingredient whenever possible.
Through experimentation, ingenuity and skill her work is always changing as she discovers new techniques and ways of constructing recycled materials to signal a new meaning. Her works recycles a diverse selection of throwaway material, from these she creates a fascinating selection of large and small sculptural pieces which are both appealing and informative.
Despite her use of manufactured materials, her main inspiration comes from the natural world. Val has a special interest in endangered and extinct species and most of her work reflects this. She makes animals, exotic birds, dinosaurs, insects and species of flora all on the edge or now extinct.
The increasing awareness of the effects of pollution, climate change, plastic in the Ocean and environment destruction on the habitat have influenced Val's work. She now dedicates her making to highlighting the plight of species that are on the edge or gone forever in her touring educational exhibition 'Endangered and Extinct'...
Val's work has been shown in exhibitions around the UK, Denmark, Japan, United Emirates, USA and toured overseas with the British Council. She has work in many permanent collections."