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It would have been so easy whilst on safari to focus directly on the animal subject and forget about the environment. Occasionally I remembered this and reduced my use of zoom.
In this photo taken on the Amboseli National Park a Masai Giraffe is seen in the open in between a series of thorn bushes. The giraffe do feed on these bushes so they must have quite the digestion system.
this female Northern Goshawk is mantling its prey as there are Common Buzzards in the area.
A mantling bird of prey is spreading its wings and tail over a kill to conceal it from other birds of prey. This is mostly done when they are feeding on the ground in a a somewhat open area.
This behavior is often combined with eating rapidly to limit the time they are exposed. A part of the meat is stored in their crop for later digestion
also called Goshawk
accipiter gentilis
havik
autour des palombes
Habicht
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A veces los cocodrilos y caimanes comen , o más bien «tragan», piedras enteras, incluso grandes. Este hábito, compartido con otros animales (incluidos pájaros y focas ), se debe a que las piedras en cuestión, llamadas gastrolitos (o «piedras del vientre»), una vez en el estómago ayudan a triturar la comida, facilitando su digestión.
De hecho, por mucho que sorprenda, los grandes dientes de los cocodrilos no son adecuados para masticar, sino solo para bloquear a la presa y cortarla en grandes trozos, que se tragan enteros. En ese punto, los gastrolitos , como las piedras de molino, ayudan a romper la carne y los huesos.
Curioso ¿no?
Da internet…e angelostella.........
Nel linguaggio dei fiori la Genziana indica determinazione caparbietà e forza d'animo. Questo fiore cresce tra le pietre di montagna dove l'escursione termica, il vento che soffia forte, l'acqua che scorre via non trattenendo l'umidità, rendono la vita un'eterna lotta, ma la Genziana continua a vivere sfidando le avversità.
E’ in grado di stimolare la digestione, usata dagli antichi Egizi e Romani per stimolare l’appetito, come detergente antisettico per le ferite, per le affezioni epatiche
La MEDICINA CINESE la usa ancora oggi per disturbi della digestione, per la faringite, per la cefalea e per la artrite
Besides the ability to sooth your throat, quench your thirst, and relief the heat, the drink also provides some health benefits such as improving appetite & digestion and possibly inhibiting the buildup of lactic acid in the body.
Acercarse hasta aquí
es disponerse a tomar
ese plato de regusto
que no pasa por la boca,
sino a través de los ojos
te penetra hasta dentro
y te hace disfrutar.
Y este gozoso plato mixto,
montaña, mar y paseo,
logra una digestión
que el mejor gourmet
puso a tu disposición,
para que sin atragantarte,
disfrutes tranquilamente,
mirando y reteniendo,
cada bello ingrediente
de tan deliciosa degustación.
Johann Pachelbel - Canon (André Rieu feat. Hout Bay Music Project).
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. Pepsi was first invented in 1893 as "Brad's Drink" by Caleb Bradham, who sold the drink at his drugstore in New Bern, North Carolina.
It was renamed Pepsi-Cola in 1898, "Pepsi" because it was advertised to relieve dyspepsia (indigestion) and "Cola" referring to the cola flavor. Some have also suggested that "Pepsi" may have been a reference to the drink aiding digestion like the digestive enzyme pepsin,[ but pepsin itself was never used as an ingredient to Pepsi-Cola.
Los alimentos picantes han tenido siempre cierta mala fama por estar relacionados con hacer malas digestiones, provocar úlceras o incluso obesidad.
Sin embargo, recientes estudios -como uno publicado por el British Medical Journal- han desterrado estos mitos y puesto sobre la mesa los innumerables beneficios para la salud de añadir un poco de picante a nuestros platos. Desde controlar el hambre, hasta fortalecer los músculos o mejorar el estado de ánimo. Los alimentos picantes y las especias son grandes aliados para quienes buscan bajar de peso de forma saludable, añadiendo calidad a los años de vida.
No landed aliens, though. These are the sewage digestion tanks of the wastewater treatent plant Gut Großlappen, behind the A9 Autobahn.
In these digestion tanks, each 14,500 cubic metres huge, the previously thickened waste sludge is fermented in absence of oxygen for approximately 20 days at 38 °C, producing combustible biogas.
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT AND FAVES
ON THE REACTIONS I WILL TRY TO RESPOND BACK
De vrucht is een rozerode, vier- of vijfhokkige doosvrucht, die opensplijt waarbij de vlezige, oranje zaden tevoorschijn komen. De zaden worden door vogels gegeten, die de zaden na vertering weer uitscheiden waardoor deze verspreid worden.
Alle delen van de plant zijn voor mensen giftig.
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The fruit is a pink-red, four- or five-stemmed capsule, which splits open to reveal the fleshy orange seeds. The seeds are eaten by birds, which after digestion excrete the seeds so that they are spread.
All parts of the plant are poisonous to humans.
Common dandelion ... Still beautiful but not for much longer.
Dandelion leaves act as a diuretic, increasing the amount of urine your body makes. The leaves are used to stimulate the appetite and help digestion. Dandelion flower has antioxidant properties. Dandelion may also help improve the immune system.
In Flickr's Explore.
Blog: Shaki's Korner
BLOG NAME: Lemonade!
DESIGNERS: InsurreKtion & United Colors
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Benefits of lemonade: Lots of Vitamin C, aids with weight loss, improves digestion, treats kidney stones and makes your skin shine!
Today's Features:
DECOR: [IK] If live gives you lemons Set @Shiny Shabby
CLOCK: [IK] Shabby Entrance Industrial Clock
SIGN: [IK] Grandfather Clock Set Sign
TOP: UC Joline Top @Uber
Lemon decor set includes the following pieces in alpha order: auxiliary table, frame 1-3, garland, laundry cart, mantel and wood holder. High quality, low land impact, copy and mod. What a fun set!
Joline top is rigged for Legacy, Perky & Maitreya and comes in 18 colors or all in 1 pack. Matching shorts also available. These are fun because they are two layers of mesh and can be colored so many ways by mixing the 18 colors or you can hide inner layer for a sheer sexy look. Love them! See My Korner #861 for top and shorts.
Links:
As it is one year to the day since I put up my first photo, I blew a bubble in celebration!! :^))
This is the second of these tiny flies that I have caught blowing a bubble - I put one up last year which I will link below, but this is a much clearer photo and additionally I upscaled it x2 so that you can see really clearly, it did a pretty good job - worth a double click.
It is a very small fly indeed, not like a house fly and I had no idea he was blowing the bubble, I just took several photos and this was the only one in proper focus. Last time someone suggested it was perspiration, but that doesn't convince me, I rather think it has more to do with feeding and digestion. Just before moving to the petal he was mooching around the centre of the flower which is a small dahlia. I can't say if that was the same with the other one, which was on a Crane's-bill Geranium but I suspect it was.
Any suggestions as to the purpose - beyond celebratory, please add a comment.
A quick search just now and a science mag says it is to cool them down - so I guess *the science* is in then! I'm still not convinced - there, that should set the science police on me, what a rebel I am! Gosh! Who'd have thunk we can think for ourselves? I still think something to do with aiding digestion.
.....Further research diptera.info proposes perspiration or food digestion. He or she was definitely feeding just prior so I still plump for some kind of oxidization aid to digestion. If you look closely there appears to be some sort of debris / food / matter in the bubble. Also it seems they do not secrete the bubble, they pull it back in which doesn't seem to fit with perspiration.
The other photo is here -
www.flickr.com/photos/magoo7/52523052146/in/dateposted-pu...
Bearded Reedling - Panurus Biarmicus
Norfolk Titchwell
aka Bearded Tit. (M)
This species is a wetland specialist, breeding colonially in large reed beds by lakes or swamps. It eats reed aphids in summer, and reed seeds in winter, its digestive system changing to cope with the very different seasonal diets.
Often having to take grit in order to help digestion.
The bearded reedling is a species of temperate Europe and Asia. It is resident, and most birds do not migrate other than eruptive or cold weather movements. It is vulnerable to hard winters, which may kill many birds. The English population of about 500 pairs is largely confined to the south and east with a small population in Leighton Moss in north Lancashire. In Ireland a handful of pairs breed in County Wexford. The largest single population in Great Britain is to be found in the reedbeds at the mouth of the River Tay in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, where there may be in excess of 250 pairs.
Other Breeding areas include Norfolk and Somerset and Alkborough Flats, lincolnshire.
Population:
UK breeding:
630 pairs
Europe:
232 - 437,000 birds
Le centre monégasque de soins des espèces marines (CMSEM) a ouvert au musée océanographique de Monaco le 27 avril 2019. Il est accessible au public.
Cinq bassins sont en place pour accueillir des tortues blessées. Une centaine seraient repêchées en détresse chaque année en Méditerranée.
Les tortues blessées sont facilement reconnaissables : elles flottent et ne peuvent pas plonger en raison de troubles de digestion liés à l'ingestion de bouts de plastique.
Le nouveau centre monégasque propose aux plaisanciers et aux pêcheurs de les ramasser et de les alerter afin de les prendre en charge. Une fois soignées, les tortues sont relâchées en mer.
On rencontre en Méditerranée plusieurs centaines d'espèces de tortues marines. Elles peuvent atteindre 400 kg et 130 cm et évoluent à une quarantaine de kilomètres au large du littoral azuréen.
The Monegasque Center for the Care of Marine Species (CMSEM) opened at the Monaco Oceanographic Museum on April 27, 2019. It is open to the public.
Five pools are in place to accommodate injured turtles. A hundred would be recovered in distress each year in the Mediterranean.
Injured turtles are easily recognizable: they float and can not dive because of digestive disorders related to ingestion of plastic tips.
The new Monegasque center offers boaters and fishermen to pick them up and alert them to take care of them. Once treated, turtles are released at sea.
In the Mediterranean there are several hundred species of sea turtles. They can reach 400 kg and 130 cm and evolve about forty kilometers off the azure coast.
le Martin pêcheur d'Europe est un oiseau qui se nourrit de petits poissons et de petits animaux aquatiques. C'est pourquoi il vit à proximité des étendues d'eau, où il peut se nourrir en abondance. Sa proie repérée, généralement depuis un perchoir, il plonge en percutant violemment la surface de l'eau, l'attrape, puis l'avale tête la première dans le sens des écailles . Si elle n'est pas dans le bon sens, il la lance en l'air et la rattrape avec agilité dans le sens qui lui convient. Il ingurgite sa proie d'un seul coup. Après digestion, il rejette par la bouche une pelote de réjection constituée des arêtes des derniers poissons digérés. Le rejet de cette pelote est précédé de ce qui ressemble à des bâillements.
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the Martin Fisherman of Europe is a bird that feeds on small fish and small aquatic animals. This is why he lives close to water bodies, where he can feed in abundance. Its spotted prey, usually from a perch, plunges violently into the surface of the water, catches it, then swallows it head first in the direction of the scales. If it is not in the right direction, it throws it in the air and catches it with agility in the direction that suits it. He swallowed his prey in one fell swoop. After digestion, it rejects by the mouth a ball of rejection constituted of the edges of the last digested fishes. The rejection of this ball is preceded by what looks like yawning.
and a good digestion :-)
Eve Arnold
HMM! HPPT!
hybrid camellia, 'Winter's Joy', sarah p duke gardens, duke university, durham, north carolina
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LAS OCAS
Las ocas o también conocidas con el nombre de ánsar común o gansos son un tipo de ave, de la familia anátida, que pueden llegar a ser un animal doméstico. Su apariencia es muy similar a la de los patos, pero las ocas tienen unas características particulares.
Son muy leales y protectoras. Se cuenta incluso que años atrás, en situaciones de guerra, alarmaban cuando se acercaban los enemigos..
¿Qué comen las ocas?
Las ocas son aves herbívoras. Principalmente, comen hierbas, pasto y grano, que contiene mucha fibra. Y al pastar a veces también ingieren pequeñas piedras; las cuales ayudan a su digestión.
Otros alimentos que les gusta mi son la alfalfa, la col, el trébol y las hortalizas en general. Otro dato importante es no darles pan, ya que esto les hace engordar fácilmente.
Dónde viven mejor?
Normalmente, en verano viven en Asia Central, China, Rusia, Mongolia y Asia. Y en invierno emigran al sur de Europa, ya que allí las temperaturas son más suaves y cálidas..
Características físicas
Al nacer el color de sus plumas es de color pardo, pero a medida que crecen sus plumas son de color gris. La cabeza, el cuello y las alas tienen un tono más oscuro que el resto del cuerpo
Otras curiosidades sobre las ocas que seguramente no conocías.
En periodos de reproducción, tanto el macho como la hembra actúan muy protectores con sus crías. La hembra cuando tiene que dejar el nido, tapa con ramitas los huevos. Y el macho se queda vigilando, atento a que ningún depredador se acerque.
Suelen poner 5 huevos y empollan durante 1 mes
Son muy hábiles para volar y lo hacen en forma de V. Suele haber una oca líder que guía al resto. Y cuando el líder se cansa, deja que otro ocupe su posición. Sin duda, es un trabajo de equipo que ayuda a las aves a recorrer trayectos migratorios largos sin demasiado esfuerzo
Cuando vuelan en bandadas, emiten graznidos para animar a los que están cansados. Y si alguno no puede seguir por enfermedad o cansancio, algunas ocas abandonan la formación y van a auxiliarlo. Y se quedan a su lado hasta que se encuentra mejor.
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
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Wasp Spider in its web with a freshly caught poisoned and paralyzed grasshopper. It all happens during making this picture. I couldn´t capture it because it happend in a split second.
I assume the spider wait for the internal digestion because Spiders paralyze and kill their prey with poison and digestive juices. This means that the prey is digested internally and the spider sucks up the almost liquid mush.
If you've seen this guy floating in a number of photostreams it's because there was a very friendly pintail hanging out with 100 Mallards at a local marina. Isolating the bird was the challenge as he became used to people feeding him. Sadly this diet included the worst possible food for birds - white bread. Please don't feed ducks bread or chips, I've seen many people do it thinking they are doing these birds a favour, but they aren't as white refined carbs are not good for these bird's digestion. Frankly with a little research white bread isn't even good for ours either....
A female, likely feeding on grit which aids in digestion. According to Cornell an individual bird can consume up to 3,000 conifer seeds each day. Late September 2022, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
In the winter season in south and central Ontario we see small and large flocks of Snow Buntings searching across our open croplands, fields and pastures scratching and digging for seeds and grains both on bare ground and in the snow. Often they will be in mixed flocks of Horned Larks, Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings all in attendance. They fly together, land together and flush together as one fleeting unit. Roadsides are commonplace for them as well where they pick up grains of sand or gravel to assist in the digestion of the abundance of hard seed they consume.
The Snow Bunting is one of the toughest little breeders traveling further north to their breeding grounds than any other songbird species. Some of the males show up in early April to establish and defend their favored territory prior to the females arrival.
This bird is gleaning seeds in a farm yard while wintering locally.
I love this stuff. These grebes are so precious to watch. This episode is about feather-feeding. The purpose isn't fully known, but likely has to do with digestion. The little grebelets know it too - they love feathers as much as fish.
A Japanese night heron (Gorsachius goisagi) slowly twisted its waist as if it was dancing. There are some explanations to this behavior, such as helping digestion of foods. An interesting one is to frighten earthworms promoting their escape to the surface. However, nothing happened, and the bird dissapeared to a dense forest. In Central Japan.
ミゾゴイがゆっくりと腰を捻ってダンスのような仕草をしていました。
Wombats are herbivores and nocturnal. They emerge from their burrows to eat mostly grasses, roots, herbs and bark. Their incisor teeth resemble those of rodents and grow constantly as they are adapted for gnawing on tough vegetation. Wombats have a very slow metabolism which is an adaptation to help their survival in arid conditions. It takes around 8 to 14 days for them to complete digestion.
The main predators of wombats are Tasmanian devils and dingoes. Wombats initially avoid being caught by having a very tough rear hide, with most of the rump made of cartilage. This prevents teeth or claws from easily grasping the wombat. Their very short tail also makes it difficult for a predator to catch them.
Wombats try to drive off attackers with two-legged kicks, like a donkey or horse. If chased, wombats dive into a nearby tunnel and use their hardened rump to block the attacker. In some cases, wombats allow the attacker to force their head over the wombat’s back, and then use their powerful legs to crush the skull of the attacker against the tunnel roof.
Réalisé le 12 février 2020 à la Forêt Montmorency, Réserve faunique des Laurentides, Québec.
Les fringillidés sont attirés l'hiver et le printemps le long des chemins où le sel épandu sur les routes leur fournit un apport de calcium. Ils en profitent aussi pour avaler le gravier qui leur servira à émietter les graines dans leur gésier avant qu'elles ne soient dirigées vers l'estomac pour poursuivre la digestion. Sur cette photo, nous voyons très bien le rôle de la langue dans l'absorption du sel ou la prise du gravier. Ce comportement saisonnier explique la présence occasionnelle d'oiseaux morts sur la route. Alors que la bande décolle à l'approche d'un véhicule, il arrive qu'un retardaire ne puisse éviter la collision.
Fringillidae are attracted in winter and spring along paths where the salt spread on the roads provides them with a supply of calcium. They also take the opportunity to swallow the gravel which will crumble the seeds in their gizzards before they are directed towards the stomach to continue the digestion. In this photo, we can see very clearly the role of the tongue in the absorption of salt or the taking of gravel. This seasonal behavior explains the occasional presence of dead birds on the road. As the group of birds takes off when approaching a vehicle, it can happen that one of them cannot avoid the collision.
cliquer sur l'image pour l'agrandir / click on the photograph to enlarge it.
Taken on February, 12th / 2020 at Foret Montmorency, Réserve faunique des Laurentides, Québec.
This was another finalist in my 2022 calendar selections. The doting Clark's Grebe parent carefully feeds the little grebeling a feather while the other parent looks on. The parents do actively share duties, and the little families are sometimes accessible for hours of adorable entertainment. I guess that's why I find them so endearing, because I'm able to watch the doting and lessons. 2021 was more difficult than the year before where there seemed to be fewer families, and they just stayed so darn far away. This was some of the nearer action, yet it's way across the lake arm, and mostly against the sun. (It's possible too I was more distracted by the antics of our Spring weasel family.) Anyway, feather feeding probably has to do with aid in digestion, by the way.
www.flickr.com/photos/184806716@N02/51944265559/in/pool-i...
Hibiscus Flower: A Symbol of Beauty and Diversity
The hibiscus flower, with its vibrant colors and striking appearance, has captivated cultures and societies around the world for centuries. This beautiful flower belongs to the mallow family (Malvaceae) and is native to tropical and subtropical regions, making it a common sight in various countries and climates.
Characterized by its large, trumpet-shaped petals and prominent stamens, the hibiscus flower comes in a wide array of colors, including red, pink, yellow, orange, and white. Each hue carries its own symbolism and significance, often representing emotions, celebrations, or cultural customs.
Apart from its aesthetic allure, hibiscus holds diverse cultural importance. It is often regarded as a symbol of beauty, purity, and delicacy in many cultures. In some countries, the hibiscus is associated with love, passion, and the fleeting nature of life. In Hawaii, for instance, the hibiscus is the state flower and is widely used in traditional ceremonies, arts, and crafts.
Moreover, the hibiscus flower is valued for more than just its appearance and cultural symbolism. It has a long history of medicinal use in traditional systems of medicine. Its extracts are believed to possess various health benefits, such as aiding digestion, boosting the immune system, and supporting cardiovascular health. Additionally, hibiscus tea, made from dried hibiscus flowers, is a popular beverage known for its tart and refreshing flavor, often enjoyed both for its taste and potential health properties.
In certain regions, hibiscus is also utilized as a natural dye, imparting vibrant colors to fabrics and crafts. Its versatility extends to the world of gardening and landscaping, where it is a favored choice due to its adaptability and ease of cultivation.
As we appreciate the hibiscus flower's allure and significance, we are reminded of the richness and diversity found in nature, which continues to inspire and enchant us in many different ways. Its timeless beauty and cultural significance make it a cherished and celebrated flower across the globe.
Bearded Reedling - Panurus Biarmicus
Norfolk Titchwell
aka Bearded Tit. (M)
This species is a wetland specialist, breeding colonially in large reed beds by lakes or swamps. It eats reed aphids in summer, and reed seeds in winter, its digestive system changing to cope with the very different seasonal diets.
Often having to take grit in order to help digestion.
The bearded reedling is a species of temperate Europe and Asia. It is resident, and most birds do not migrate other than eruptive or cold weather movements. It is vulnerable to hard winters, which may kill many birds. The English population of about 500 pairs is largely confined to the south and east with a small population in Leighton Moss in north Lancashire. In Ireland a handful of pairs breed in County Wexford. The largest single population in Great Britain is to be found in the reedbeds at the mouth of the River Tay in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, where there may be in excess of 250 pairs.
Other Breeding areas include Norfolk and Somerset and Alkborough Flats, lincolnshire.
Population:
UK breeding:
630 pairs
Europe:
232 - 437,000 birds
Mosca asesina de la familia asilidae.
Son moscas robustas con espinas en las patas, un bigote de setas densas y con tres ocelos en una depresión entre los dos grandes ojos compuestos. Las setas sirven para proteger la cara cuando combate con sus presas. La probóscide es corta y fuerte, con ella inyecta una saliva con enzimas neurotóxicas y proteolíticas a sus presas. La saliva sirve para paralizar a las víctimas y para prepararlas para la digestión. Se puede apreciar que tiene capturada una presa.
Foto tomada con el 100-500 RF con duplicador y sin flash a dos metros de distancia.
Paraje natural de Las Salinas del Pinet.
This Clark's Grebe family is a joy to watch, but they really don't want photos. They stay on the far side of the lake, the rascals. I watched them again today (a week after this pic), same far away place, same special family.
The behavior here is feather feeding. The babies go for those feathers like they're as tasty as fish. The purpose is likely to do with digestion or stomach lining or something like that.
Happy Fence Friday (HFF)
Stubbing Moor is adjacent to the hamlet of Wothersome, West Yorkshire
The grass is grown to feed the local anaerobic digestion plant The trees are part of Stubbing Moor Plantation
The Wothersome Grange anaerobic digestion plant became operational in September 2015, using maize, grass and whole-crop wheat silage grown on the Bramham Park Estate's home farm, to produce methane gas. The methane fuels an electricity generator to export electricity to the National Grid, while the waste heat from the generator is used to dry wood-chip for biomass boilers
Asilidae - Mosca ladrona, asesina.
Ayer me encontré en la galería con este bichito, esto he encontrado sobre él: "Estas moscas son conocidas como moscas ladronas. Se pueden encontrar sobre superficies al sol esperando la llegada de alguna presa. Pueden cazar desde moscas a abejas.
Un aspecto interesante de los asílidos es que tanto el adulto como la larva son depredadores de otros artrópodos. El adulto caza la presa y la sujeta fuertemente con sus patas provistas de espinas. Entonces les clava su trompa e inocula una saliva que contiene enzimas que desharán la presa por dentro. Esto le permite realizar una digestión externa y, luego, absorber el contenido"
Menos mal que dice que al ser humano no le pica.
Es un producto que no debe faltar nunca en la cocina
El ajo es mucho más que un condimento, es un espantaenfermedades cargado de propiedades nutritivas y beneficios para la salud (los compuestos sulfúricos y sus múltiples fitonutrientes, le dieron esta fama). De ahí que lo de colgar ristras de ajos en las casas no sólo se hacía para espantar a los vampiros, sino porque ya en la Antigua Grecia, Hipócrates, padre de la medicina moderna, lo utilizaba para tratar distintas enfermedades. Su consumo habitual puede ayudar a hacer mejor la digestión, a absorber mejor los nutrientes de los alimentos, y también optimiza las funciones del páncreas y del hígado.
Inky caps eat their own caps to release spores. Black goo forms during digestion, releasing the spores. If you want to have natural ink, put the mushroom into a saucer and store at room temperature for a few days. The mushroom disintegrates and becomes ink. To keep the ink longer, pour it into a bottle with one part of formalin to twenty of the ink.
The Indian pangolin, thick-tailed pangolin, or scaly anteater (Manis crassicaudata) is a pangolin found on the Indian subcontinent. It is not common anywhere in its range. Like other pangolins, it has large, overlapping scales on its body which act as armour. It can also curl itself into a ball as self-defence against predators such as the tiger. The colour of its scales varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings.
It is an insectivore, feeding on ants and termites, digging them out of mounds and logs using its long claws, which are as long as its fore limbs. It is nocturnal and rests in deep burrows during the day.
The Indian pangolin is threatened by hunting for its meat and for various body parts used in traditional medicine.
The Indian pangolin is a solitary, shy, slow-moving, nocturnal mammal. It is about 84–122 centimetres (33–48 in) long from head to tail, the tail usually being 33–47 cm long, and weighs 10–16 kg. Females are generally smaller than the males and have one pair of mammae. The pangolin possesses a cone-shaped head with small, dark eyes, and a long muzzle with a nose pad similar in color, or darker than, its pinkish-brown skin. It has powerful limbs, tipped with sharp, clawed digits. It is an almost exclusive insectivore and principally subsists on ants and termites, which it catches with a specially adapted long, sticky tongue.The pangolin has no teeth, but has strong stomach muscles to aid in digestion. The most noticeable characteristic of the pangolin is its massive, scaled armour, which covers its upper face and its whole body with the exception of the belly and the inside of the legs. These protective scales are rigid and made of keratin. It has 160–200 scales in total, about 40–46% of which are located on the tail. Scales can be 6.5–7 cm long, 8.5 cm wide, and weigh 7–10 grams. The skin and scales make up about one-fourth to one-third of the total body mass of this species.
The Indian pangolin has been recorded from various forest types, including Sri Lankan rainforest and plains to middle hill levels. The animal can be found in grasslands and secondary forests, and is well adapted to desert regions as it is believed to have a tolerance to dry areas, but prefers more barren, hilly regions. This pangolin species may also sometimes reach high elevations, and has been sighted in Sri Lanka at 1100 meters and in the Nilgiri mountains in India at 2300 meters. It prefers soft and semi-sandy soil conditions suitable for digging burrows.
Pangolin burrows fall into one of two categories: feeding and living burrows. Feeding burrows are smaller than living burrows (though their sizes vary depending on the abundance of prey) and are created more frequently during the spring, when there is a greater availability of prey. Living burrows are wider, deeper, and more circular, and are occupied for a longer time than feeding burrows, as they are mainly used to sleep and rest during the day. After a few months, the pangolin abandons the burrow and digs a new one close to a food source. However, it is not uncommon for the pangolin to shift back to an old burrow.
Unlike its African counterpart, the Indian pangolin does not climb trees, but it does value the presence of trees, herbs, and shrubs in its habitat because it is easier to dig burrows around them. Features that promote an abundance of ants and termites (grasses, bare grounds, bases of trees, shrubs, roots, leaf litter, fallen logs and elephant feces) are often present in pangolin habitats.
Few details are known about the breeding behaviour of the Indian pangolin. During the animal's mating period, females and males may share the same burrow and show some diurnal activities. Males have testes in a fold of the skin located in their groin areas. The female's embryo develops in one of the uterine horns. The gestation period lasts 65–70 days; the placenta is diffuse and not deciduate. Usually, a single young is born, but twins have been reported in this species. The young weigh 235–400 g at birth and measure roughly 30 cm. The newborn animals have open eyes, and soft scales with protruding hairs between them. The mother pangolin carries her young on her tail. When the mother and young are disturbed, the young pangolin is held against its mother's belly and protected by the mother's tail.
Central British Columbia
DID YOU KNOW? Feathers are fed to the grebe chicks almost immediately after hatching. In fact, feathers are very often the first item eaten by newly hatched chicks of many grebe species. So these grebes evolved to use their feathers as a way to slow down digestion. The feathers form dense balls in the digestive tract and appear to slow the passage of food long enough that the food can be safely liquified. The bird then regurgitates the tough bits within a ball of feathers.
You can see how close to the surface this giant fish likes to feed. We were told that they loiter near the surface to gain enough body heat energy from the sun to enable their digestion of plankton. You can see from the swimmers in the background that this fish is around 5m/16 ft long
Mom giving chick a bit of feather, supposedly to aid in digestion. Not sure how they would know that, but they all do it. Gotta love the crewcut. Click to enlarge.
Los asílidos (Asilidae) son una familia de dípteros braquíceros de distribución mundial con más de 7.500 especies descritas. Son moscas robustas con espinas en las patas, un bigote de setas densas y con tres ocelos en una depresión entre los dos grandes ojos compuestos. Las setas sirven para proteger la cara cuando combate con sus presas. La probóscide es corta y fuerte, con ella inyecta una saliva con enzimas neurotóxicas y proteolíticas a sus presas. La saliva sirve para paralizar a las víctimas y para prepararlas para la digestión. A continuación absorbe el alimento licuado.
Se alimentan de otras moscas, diversas abejas y avispas, libélulas, saltamontes y también de arañas.
Bearded Reedling - Panurus Biarmicus
Norfolk Titchwell
aka Bearded Tit. (M)
A Schedule 1 Bird.
This species is a wetland specialist, breeding colonially in large reed beds by lakes or swamps. It eats reed aphids in summer, and reed seeds in winter, its digestive system changing to cope with the very different seasonal diets.
Often having to take grit in order to help digestion.
The bearded reedling is a species of temperate Europe and Asia. It is resident, and most birds do not migrate other than eruptive or cold weather movements. It is vulnerable to hard winters, which may kill many birds. The English population of about 500 pairs is largely confined to the south and east with a small population in Leighton Moss in north Lancashire. In Ireland a handful of pairs breed in County Wexford. The largest single population in Great Britain is to be found in the reedbeds at the mouth of the River Tay in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, where there may be in excess of 250 pairs.
Other Breeding areas include Norfolk and Somerset and Alkborough Flats, lincolnshire.
Population:
UK breeding:
630 pairs
Europe:
232 - 437,000 birds