This image is focused on the body of the snake right after it had swallowed a lizard. As the lizard moved down it caused the scales to expand revealing different colors. It was very interesting to watch. Thanks for the look. This was shot Monterey Bay Aquarium.

(Especially made for the FlickrSocial topic, challenge and Take Over)

There are some branches of Photography that, in my opinion, are particularly challenging, especially shooting:

- jewels

- vine & liquor bottles with their tags or labels

- shoes

- tech devices (PC, tablets, laptops, phones etc.)

- macro food

Willing to shoot directly on the spot and not in studio, this has been more difficult because premises have never the right lighting and, obviously, I had not my whole equipment. Therefore, it's been twice the fun to conceive some ideas to make it nonetheless. 😊

Right on top of the tartare I have put a mini roll of Futomaki Fumo (see description in previous post), decorated with a non-traditional light cheese cream.

On the tartare surface there is an row egg of quail spread with some sesame seeds. Due to the row egg, I could not eat this spicy dish but I though had fun to rearrange the display, rolling a leaf, putting a rice roll with light cheese decoration on top and photographing the dish from different angles. In 2nd row, as a bokeh, I've placed two Maki rice rolls, one with tuna, one with salmon, just to obtain a more DOF effect.

The white plate with semi-sphere shaped concave cavity is in ceramics.

Shooting location: directly on the spot at a Japanese Restaurant in the suburbs of Padua, Italy (Padova).

This has been challenging, not the right lighting, I had no tripod, it was crowded, the background was messy and not suitable.

Backstage unzipped: with the help of the waiters, since I had no tripod with me, I borrowed some additional empty trays to overlap and create a solid basement for my camera, just set in front of the served plate. I also requested some black fabric towels and covered the tablet to make a temporary background panel. I moved my table until reaching the position of a spot light in the ceiling. I used lots of patience and refrained from eating from other dishes, served in the meantime, until I was done :)

Macro and still life are mine. No flash applied.

Calami rhizomata ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%BE%D1%8F%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%8...

Hawthorn fruits are a classic "heart" remedy.

This medicinal plant is especially valued for its complex positive effect on cardiovascular diseases.

Hawthorn fruit infusion has cardiotonic and antispasmodic effects, moderately lowers blood pressure, and calms the nervous system.

This combination of medicinal properties, especially in combination with a high content of vitamin C, makes it an important element of complex therapy for cardialgia, neurocirculatory dystonia, and other disorders of the heart and blood vessels.

About the pharmacological action.

Hawthorn fruits are a classic "heart" remedy. This medicinal plant is especially valued for its complex positive effect on cardiovascular diseases. Infusion of hawthorn fruits has cardiotonic and antispasmodic effects, moderately lowers blood pressure, and calms the nervous system. This combination of medicinal properties, especially in combination with a high content of vitamin C, makes it an important element of complex therapy for cardialgia, neurocirculatory dystonia, and other disorders of the heart and blood vessels.

Interesting facts.

The use of hawthorn for medicinal purposes has been known since the time of Dioscorides (1st century AD) as a treatment for heart disease, insomnia, dizziness, and shortness of breath.

Hawthorn fruits are also used in cooking to make jam, preserves, marmalade, jelly, coffee and tea substitutes. Flour from dried berries is added to dough to obtain bread with a fruity flavor.

Liquid alcohol extract of hawthorn fruits was recommended for use in medicine during the Great Patriotic War by E.Yu. Chassom for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In Chinese folk medicine, hawthorn fruits have been used for centuries to improve digestion in diseases of the stomach and intestines, and in combination with wine - for heart disease. Hawthorn was prescribed with great success for various neurotic disorders as a sedative.

Цвет боярышника во время захода солнца в Борисовке.

Calami rhizomata ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%BE%D1%8F%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%8...

Плоды боярышника — классическое «сердечное» средство.

Это лекарственное растение особенно ценится за свой комплексный положительный эффект при болезнях сердечно-сосудистой системы.

Настой плодов боярышника оказывает кардиотонический и спазмолитический эффекты, умеренно понижает артериальное давление, успокаивает нервную систему.

Такая комбинация лечебных свойств, особенно в сочетании с высоким содержанием витамина С, делает его важным элементом комплексной терапии при кардиалгии, нейроциркуляторной дистонии и других нарушениях работы сердца и сосудов.

О фармакологическом действии.

Плоды боярышника – классическое «сердечное» средство. Это лекарственное растение особенно ценится за свой комплексный положительный эффект при болезнях сердечнососудистой системы. Настой плодов боярышника оказывает кардиотонический и спазмолитический эффекты, умеренно понижает артериальное давление, успокаивает нервную систему. Такая комбинация лечебных свойств, особенно в сочетании с высоким содержанием витамина С, делает его важным элементом комплексной терапии при кардиалгии, нейроциркуляторной дистонии и других нарушениях работы сердца и сосудов.

Интересные факты.

Применение боярышника с лекарственной целью известно со времен Диоскорида (I век нашей эры) как средства лечения сердечных заболеваний, бессонницы, головокружения и одышки.

Плоды боярышника применяются и в кулинарии для приготовления варенья, джема, повидла, киселя, суррогата кофе и чая. Муку из сушеных ягод добавляют в тесто для получения хлеба с фруктовым привкусом.

Жидкий спиртовой экстракт плодов боярышника был рекомендован к применению в медицине во время Великой Отечественной войны Е.Ю. Шассом для лечения сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний.

В китайской народной медицине плоды боярышника на протяжении ряда столетий использовали для усиления пищеварения при заболеваниях желудка и кишечника, а в сочетании с вином — при болезнях сердца. Боярышник с большим успехом назначался при различных невротических расстройствах в качестве успокаивающего средства.

Barley Spiked Root Veggie Casserole

Servings 6

3 WWPP per serving

Barley Spiked Root Veggie Casserole –

Crock Pot Style

2 golden beets

4 carrots

2 cups green squash, cubed

2 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp salt (I used sea salt)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup barley, rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

2 cups vegetable broth

1. Peel & Chop carrots into 1/2 inch rounds. I didn’t peel them…besides a little grit is good for digestion

2. Remove top and bottom from each golden beet to make them easier to peel. Then peel & cube them. This works your muscles so enjoy the pretty colors while you sweat…just on on the beets.

3. Toss both into crockpot and add cubed green squash (leave skin on for fiber). I lucked out that my mom froze a ton of this for me this summer so it is still fresh.

4. Add barley, olive oil, pepper, salt, garlic and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

5. Add tomatoes with juice and vegetable broth. Stir one last time to combine…making sure the barley is under the liquid.

6. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Zwei Ostereier - Two Easter eggs 😀

Faulbehälter der Kläranlage Dortmund-Deusen

• Die Kläranlage im Stadtteil Deusen reinigt zu etwa drei Vierteln industrielles Abwasser, nur ein Viertel ist häusliches Abwasser. Die Anlage wird über neu verlegte Abwässerkanäle beschickt und nimmt bei Trockenwetter oder geringen Niederschlägen - an durchschnittlich neun von zehn Tagen - auch die Abwässer aus der Emscher auf.

• Digestion tank of the sewage treatment plant Dortmund-Deusen

Around three quarters of the sewage treatment plant in the Deusen district cleans industrial wastewater, and only a quarter is domestic wastewater. The plant is fed through newly laid sewage channels and in dry weather or low rainfall - on average nine out of ten days - also absorbs the waste water from the Emscher.

"The health benefits of rowan berries may include its potential ability to boost the immune system, strengthen the respiratory system, improve digestion and various bacterial infections."

Orthétrum bleuissant

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.

... reads a sign in Algonquin Park. Large numbers of various types of finches are scavenging along the roadways. The grit aids in their digestion. Here a White-Winged Crossbill kicks up snow as he scurries along.

This morning, the vet hadn't yet decided to operate on Chester as she would like to avoid the operation. She is going to give him some solid food as he doesn't vomit anymore. If his digestion works properly from beginning to the end, he'll be back home tonight, otherwise it'll be the operration.

So I just wish this string will have been expelled naturally when I ring the vet tonight so I can have him in my arms tonight

And Baloo will be glad as well because he keeps wandering about in the house like a poor soul lookinig for him

Thanks to all of you for your nice comments and support, it's so kind of you all

TUESDAY EVENING UPDATE: Chester seems to have heard all your prayers and positive thoughts ! He's much better, ate solid food without being sick and did his business proprely as well The vet is just keeping her another night with an intraveinous with medecine to prevent him from being sick and if he is fine as he is now, he will be back home tomorrow morning.. : ))) I keep my fingers crossed!

"The Spined assassin bug is found across Canada, throughout the United States and into northern Mexico. It hangs out in sunny grasslands and agricultural fields, where it feeds on the adults, larvae/nymphs, and eggs of a wide variety of insects – crop pests and “good bugs” alike these.

It feeds in the time-honored bug fashion – puncturing its prey with its sharp “beak,” injecting saliva that softens its prey’s innards (“external digestion”), and then slurping out the liquefied tissue. It often waits vertically, head down, on flowers. Goldenrod is a common perch in fall."

Information from: COLLEGE OF LETTERS & SCIENCE

Field Station, 2022 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee website

The Goat Moth gets its English name from the strong 'goaty' odour of the caterpillar.

The caterpillar burrows into the trunks of various deciduous trees, and feeds on the wood. Because of the long digestion period required for this food matter, the larvae often live for up to five years before pupating.

Digging up some old roots from the tree suddenly this big caterpillar emerged. Took few snaps and put it back to the soil :)

Moths coming tomorrow.

A Hawaiian Monk Seal hauled out to rest on Ke'e Beach, the most endangered seal in the world. It is illegal to approach the seal by more than 100 feet. Hence, the zoom came in handy.

Ke'e Beach, Kauai

Don't feed beavers bread!

Beavers are vegetarians, and their diet consists of tree bark, young branches, and grass. Bread is an unusual food for them, and adjusting their digestion to it can take a significant amount of time, which can be harmful to their health.

The season really is moving on now that the Rosemary bushes are beginning to flower!

A sun-loving shrub whose scent evokes the Mediterranean, rosemary has needle-like leaves that can be picked all year round.

Fresh or dried leaves can be used to flavour meat, soups and many other dishes, while sprigs steeped in olive oil give it a distinctive flavour.

Tea made by infusing chopped leaves in boiling water is said to help digestion though I prefer to use fresh where possible!

Lovely as the first little flower of the Rose Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) is, the fragrant leaves are where the plant’s true interest lies. I just crush them in passing and use them as a refreshing yet calming tea, also said to be good for digestion, but never remember to try them as a remedy for insect bites and or use them in a herb vinegar. They are said to be antiseptic and good for colds, flus and inflammations of all sorts. They are used in perfume and the essential oil is popular in aromatherapy. Cuttings root easily and I find it is happiest outdoors in the summer, although it needs to come in for the winter until the risk of frost has passed. Rich soil was wasted, rewarded by an excess of luxuriant foliage that was noticeably less fragrant and quickly covered in greenfly, which I have not otherwise noticed taking an interest in it.

Bohemian Waxwings wonder the North hemisphere in search for berries. When they find them in winter the high sugar content makes them eat a lot of snow to help with digestion.

Alkborough Flats, Lincolnshire. Has a good reputation for beardies - after a bit of pinging they were down for a serious gritting session - which helps in the digestion of their winter seed diet. After 15-20 minutes of this they dispersed back in to the reeds but were still occasionally visible until the weather changed to cloudy/breezy.

Ce rapace ( dont j'hésite sur l'identification) est venu se poser sur le mur chez le voisin.

Il ma laissé le temps d'aller chercher mon appareil photo et d'ouvrir la fenêtre pour le prendre en photo.

Merci aux spécialistes de m'indiquer l'espèce, personnellement j'hésite entre une Buse variable, une Buse à queue rousse ou un Autour des palombes immature .....

www.harris73.com/pages/rapaces/autour-des-palombes.html

The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant native to subtropical wetlands on the East Coast of the United States in North Carolina and South Carolina. It catches its prey—chiefly insects and arachnids—with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves, which is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap prepares to close, snapping shut only if another contact occurs within approximately twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against wasting energy by trapping objects with no nutritional value, and the plant will only begin digestion after five more stimuli to ensure it has caught a live bug worthy of consumption.

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Fotografo: Juan Manuel Restrepo

Arte, produccion, creativa: Andrea Fernandez

Retoque Digital: Camilo Jaramillo

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.

un trago de ausencia cae bien para la digestión de lo cotidiano. Prometo regresar más viejo.

Gracias siempre

am was. are leaves few this. is these a or

scratchily over which of earth dragged once

-ful leaf. & were who skies clutch an of poor

how colding hereless. air theres what immense

live without every dancing. singless on-

ly a child's eyes float silently down

more than two those that and that noing our

gone snow gone

yours mine

. We're

alive and shall be:cities may overflow(am

was)assassinating whole grassblades,five

ideas can swallow a man;three words im

-prison a woman for all her now:but we've

such freedom such intense digestion so

much greenness only dying makes us grow

~ e.e.cummings ~

Reino:Animalia

Filo:Arthropoda

Clase:Arachnida

Orden:Araneae

Suborden:Araneomorphae

Familia:Theridiidae

Género:Latrodectus

Nombres comunes: Viuda negra,Araña del trigo,Araña capulina

NOMBRE INGLES: Black Widow Spiders

Especie:L. mactans

Fabricius, 1775

Lugar de captura: Fondo Paradí, Oviedo, Pedernales.

Por.; Cimarron mayor Panta

LA VIUDA NEGRA:Black Widow Spiders

La viuda negra americana (Latrodectus mactans) es una especie de araña araneomorfa de la familia Theridiidae.1 También se conoce como araña del trigo o araña capulina o viuda negra (en México) y araña casanpulga (en El Salvador)

La hembra mide hasta unos 35 mm con las patas extendidas, es de color negro carbón brillante y posee una mancha de color rojo en forma de reloj de arena en la cara inferior del abdomen. El macho mide 12 mm y pesa 30 veces menos. Las patas son grandes y cada empalme es marrón anaranjado en el medio y negro en los extremos. En los lados del abdomen hay cuatro pares de rayas rojas y blancas. La combinación de colores rojos y negros se interpreta como una coloración de advertencia (aposematismo).

Las crías jóvenes son anaranjadas, marrones y blancas; adquieren su color negro con la edad, o con cada muda.

Se encuentra principalmente en el este de Norteamérica. Su hábitat es terrestre, suele vivir cerca de la tierra y en puntos abrigados y oscuros. Sin embargo, también prepara sus cuevas sobre plantas. La tela de la viuda se puede encontrar en hendiduras debajo de piedras, en plantas, en grietas o agujeros, en terraplenes de suciedad y en graneros.

Las viudas negras no son agresivas y no tienen el instinto de morder; son tímidas, sedentarias, solitarias, caníbales y nocturnas. La única vida social que muestran es al aparearse. Reciben el nombre popular de viuda negra debido a que generalmente la hembra se come al macho después del apareamiento, aunque a veces el macho escapa y logra aparearse de nuevo; pero generalmente el macho se queda en la tela de la hembra para servirle de alimento y asegurar una buena puesta. Durante las horas de la luz, esta araña pasa su tiempo en su túnel de seda, que es la base de la trampa. La viuda cuelga al revés en su tela; su marca roja es una señal de peligro visible. Esta araña cae de su tela con la vibración más leve y finge que está muerta. La viuda negra es generalmente torpe cuando no está en contacto directo con su tela. Esta última es irregular y gruesa, y en ella se pueden reconocer tres niveles estructurales: un complejo de hilos de soporte, una zona central de hilos de rosca y de una zona más baja de la trampa. La viuda negra también es muy activa en los meses de otoño y su tela se extiende por todas partes. La mayoría de estas arañas vive solo un año.

Son exclusivamente carnívoras y antagónicas entre ellas. Se alimentan habitualmente de insectos; sin embargo, también se alimentan de chinches de madera y otros arácnidos. Normalmente la viuda negra caza a sus presas con su tela, caen y se enredan, aprovechan esto para realizar un acercamiento, se dan la vuelta y sueltan hilo para enredar a sus víctimas ayudándose con sus patas traseras. Cuando están sujetas, la araña se acerca y les asesta un pequeño mordisco inyectándole una dosis de su letal veneno. Una vez muerta la presa, la viuda se acerca y va inyectando sus jugos gástricos, haciendo que se disuelva para poder absorberla. El proceso entero de la digestión ocurre fuera del cuerpo de la araña.

Su veneno es neurotóxico, lo que significa que bloquea la transmisión de impulsos nerviosos, paralizando el sistema nervioso central y produciendo dolores musculares intensos. Si la viuda negra es presionada contra la piel humana, reacciona naturalmente mordiendo para su defensa.

Los efectos más comunes de la mordedura comprenden dolor abdominal, espasmos musculares abdominales e hipertensión. En algunos varones mordidos se han reportado casos de priapismo, que cedieron con la administración del antídoto.2 Aunque el veneno de esta araña es peligroso, raramente llega a ser letal. Si es correcta y puntualmente tratada, la víctima se recupera totalmente. La mordedura de una viuda negra es distinguida por una herida doble. Los niños y los adultos que no están en buenas condiciones físicas sufren más la mordedura pudiendo tener en estos casos consecuencias mortales.

Los antídotos tradicionales producen efectos colaterales y los dolores pueden seguir hasta 72 horas después. El Instituto de Biotecnología de la UNAM en Morelos desarrolló entre 1998 y 2000, empleando la ingeniería genética, un antiveneno llamado Aracmyn que realiza su efecto en 15 minutos. Este antídoto ha sido aprobado en Colombia, México, Panamá, Perú, Venezuela y Estados Unidos.

Cabe mencionar que el Instituto Bioclon, filial del laboratorio Silanes, es dueño de la patente del antiveneno Aracmyn, parte de cuyo desarrollo e investigación ocurrieron en las instalaciones del mencionado Instituto.[cita requerida] Aracmyn, junto con otros anti venenos faboterápicos, se exporta actualmente a África, Centroamérica y Sudamérica. En los Estados Unidos, la FDA ya autorizó la venta de Aracmyn, Alacramyn y Antivipmyn.

Merci pour votre passage sur ma page, mais aussi pour les favoris et vos commentaires.

Dank für Ihren Besuch auf meiner Seite, aber auch für die Favoriten und Ihre Kommentare.

Receive my thanks for your visit to my page, but also for the favorites and your comments.

Collared Dove / streptopelia decaocto. Northumberland. 18/06/24.

'WHY.'

Really not a bird I associate with rocky shores, so I was surprised when this Collared Dove kept dropping down to the beach!

I watched it pecking between some of the pebbles, though what it was finding I have not idea. I've read since that Collaed Doves aren't fussy eaters and will peck at pretty much anything.

Other bird species noticeably focussed their feeding efforts on the strand line, where there were plenty of invertebrates to be found. However, you can see the CD's chosen spot looks quite barren. Perhaps it may have been swallowing larger grains of sand, to aid digestion?

All ideas welcomed ...

BEST VIEWED LARGE.

Over time, a cuckoo's stomach becomes matted with caterpillar hairs that stick in the lining. Eventually this felt becomes so dense that it inhibits digestion, so the cuckoo sheds its whole stomach lining and grows it anew.

en guise de digestion

This amazing kaleidoscope of butterflies (a collective name for a group of butterflies also referred to as a swarm or rabble) were seen here in Texas on the side of the Guadalupe River in a mud puddle. These are most likely all males. Why do they do this? Butterflies seen imbibing moisture from muddy patches are almost always males. They hone in on sources of sodium and nitrates which are found dissolved in mud or damp sand. This process is commonly called "mud-puddling". The sodium is vital for physiological functions including digestion, reproduction, & flight. Urine-soaked ground, carnivore dung and bird droppings are especially rich in these minerals, and can attract large aggregations of males. Males usually mate with more than one female so after mating they need to puddle again to replenish lost salts. Typically just one or two males will chance upon a suitable feeding spot, but other butterflies flying past seem able to recognize their brethren on the ground, and swoop down to join them. The bright patch of colorful butterflies quickly becomes a magnet to every passing male of the same species. Females do not normally "mud-puddle" they feed instead on nectar, fallen fruit, and other organic matter. They obtain their sodium from the males during mating. The females can then concentrate on searching for good oviposition sites. See: www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Butterfly Facts 3.htm

This was truly and amazing sight to see. When someone

walked past and stirred them up they flew around like a

whirlwind until they were able to land again.

A female orange-bearded bluebottle in New Ferry Butterfly Park. It is one of two common UK bluebottle species characterised by the orange hairs visible below the eye. I think it's scientific name results from its unsavoury eating habits which involve pre-digestion by being sick over potential food items.

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.

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.

Successful reproduction by Indian pangolins has been reported from several zoos, including Calcutta Zoo, Oklahoma Zoo, and Nandankanan Zoological Park. Pangolins were found to not show any significant morphological changes during pregnancy. Births in captivity have been reported throughout the year except for May and June. At birth a baby pangolin weighed 235 g and measured 30 cm in total length, including 12.5 cm of tail. A three-day-old Indian pangolin born at Oklahoma Zoo measured 310 mm from tip to tip with a 125 mm tail.

The Indian pangolin is solitary, mostly nocturnal, and terrestrial. In habitats such as Sri Lankan rainforests, they may be more arboreal, using their claws and prehensile tails as supports to readjust fore legs as they climb. These pangolins dig their own burrows in the ground, at depths of 1.5–6 m; these are frequently under large rocks and the entrance is often hidden with soil. When in danger, they roll up into balls, with their large tails pressed tightly against face and belly to help protect themselves. Longevity of this animal in captivity can exceed 19 years.

These pangolins are not often observed in the wild due to their solitary, secretive, and nocturnal nature. A loud emission of a hissing sound has been reported when they are frightened or angry. M. crassicaudata possesses anal glands which emit a strong and musky-smelling yellow fluid, possibly used for marking or defense.

Indian pangolins are nocturnal and mostly active intermittently between 17:00 and 05:00 hr. The peak period of activity was observed between 20:00–21:00 hr in captive individuals with some one individual variation.

Although the Indian pangolin is protected by national legislation in many protected areas throughout its range, it is heavily exploited for its flesh, scales, and skin. Illegal demand has increased over the past 20 years. Populations are declining due to hunting and poaching for both subsistence and international trade. As they only have a single offspring per year, this high demand is starting to seriously endanger populations. Various parts of the pangolin are valued as sources of food and medicine. The scales are used as an aphrodisiac, or made into rings or charms. The skins are used to manufacture leather goods, including boots and shoes. The majority of hunting is carried out by nomads and trained local hunters.

Pangolins are the most heavily trafficked CITES-protected mammal. The two other Asian species of pangolins (Manis javanica and Manis pentadactyla) are also declining due to the market in Chinese traditional medicine.

A miserable drizzly day here in Amsterdam but there's always something to be seen in the Hortus Botanicus so off I went.

Here in the small patch devoted to Carnivorous Plants - though there was no Sun at all - I saw this very wet Fork-Leaved Sundew. The inset shows you whence the name given it by that intrepid naturalist Jacques Julien Houtou de Labillardière (1755-1834). He was one of the scientists attached to Bruni d'Entrecasteaux's expedition sent to Oceania by France in 1791 to explore and to find the lost and ill-fated La Pérouse Expedition (1785-not yet returned in 2016...). They didn't. But he and his men were avid collectors of naturalia. In northern Tasmania, then still called Van Diemen's Land, Labillardière found this Sundew in early 1793, and he described it in his flora published after his return to France.

The photo shows the nectar glands which secrete those little drops of sweet mucilage. It attracts insects and then traps them in stickiness. Trying to escape, the insect's struggles activate other filaments of those glands, which secrete digestive liquids that dissolve its soft body tissues. The mixture is then sucked in for our plants' nutrition.

Not only was the morning raindrop-wet for me myself but also for, I think, a Hoverfly, but it's come to a Happy End at least for our Sundew! Me? I tore myself away from the garden for a vegetarian lunch...

"Llorar a lágrima viva. Llorar a chorros. Llorar la digestión. Llorar el sueño. Llorar ante las puertas y los puertos. Llorar de amabilidad y de amarillo. Abrir las canillas, las compuertas del llanto. Empaparnos el alma, la camiseta. Inundar las veredas y los paseos, y salvarnos, a nado, de nuestro llanto." Oliverio Girondo

Las moscas predadoras o asílidas son dípteros de la familia Asilidae. Esta familia tiene más de 7.100 especies y es de distribución mundial. Son moscas robustas con espinas en las patas, un bigote de setas densas, 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.

The Double-Crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum or Phalacrocorax auritus) is a large waterbird native to North America. The adult can be as long as 36 inches with black feathers, a very long neck, a hooked beak, and turquoise eyes. It may live as long as six years.

The long neck is thought to be advantageous to the bird as the long length allows it to reach out and catch the fish, the large size also accommodates bigger fish, it may aid in its digestion process, and it can used to herd fish in the capturing process.

The hook is useful in the capture of the fish. In some oriental cultures, the fishermen may use the Cormorant to herd fish into his net, providing fish for the fisherman's family.

The larger North American colonies of Cormorants are found around the Great Lakes. This photo was taken in Algonquin Provincial Park located at Algonquin Park, Ontario.

Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus minor), Mkhuze Game Reserve, South Africa

Ebird checklist:

ebird.org/checklist/S58698265

A geographically-variable, dumpy-bodied, brownish-gray bird with a long, scruffy tail. Differentiated from other mousebirds by its blackish face and gray-brown crest. It is often found scrambling through bushes and tangles, creeping around on short legs. In flight, it flutters rapidly, and its tail seems to drag it down, as if it were too heavy to make it to the next bush. Occurs in small, sociable groups in forest edge, savanna, thickets in grassland, and gardens, feeding on fruit, leaves, flowers, and nectar. After eating, birds may hang upside-down and expose the black skin on their bellies to absorb heat and aid digestion.

Source: Ebird

ebird.org/species/spemou2

It's been warm this week, and the koi are stirring out of their winter torpor. When the temperature gets below 50 degrees fahrenheit, their digestion slows down. Now, when they hear my footsteps, they come up to be fed. I'm happy to see that a couple of the yearlings show in this picture. The adult koi are 10 to 12 years old, and it's taken this long for them to reproduce, probably because they had to acclimate to the pond, which has good and bad features. It's 6 feet deep in the middle and about 25 to 30 ft. wide and about 35 feet long.

We estimate it at about 20,000 gallons. That's good. However, it's hard to avoid the redwood effect. The falling leaves in the pond increase the acidity of the water. The pond isn't filtered...it's too big for that, but it's been dug out of a raised small meadow that slopes down to ditches alongside our driveway. We can overflow the pond regularly with fresh water from a hose. Anyway, about half a dozen young koi are in evidence. Everybody looks healthy.That's very good.

This monkey at the temple pulled down all the leaves of this banana tree and started chewing the stem.

The Banana stem is really not a stem at all; it is the flower stalk of the banana plant. The thick stalks grow up from the ground and form the backbone of the herbaceous plant.

Banana Stem has lot of health benefits especially banana stem juice has many health benefits and can be made at home very easily.

Banana stem is cooked and eaten like a a vegetable in South India. The health benefits of banana stem are many :

-Detoxification and digestion.

- Juice of the banana stem helps in flushing out toxins

- Treating kidney stones and UTI. ...

- Weight loss. ...

- Managing cholesterol and blood pressure. ...

- Healing acidity and gastric problems.

This bighorn ram's drawn up lip is called the flehmen response. He is inhaling pheromones released by the ewe deep into his nose where her signal of breeding receptivity (or not, in this case) will reach the vomeronasal organ. Rut (the breeding season) is just about over but many of the rams are still trying.

In this photo it's easy to see that the ram only has incisors in his lower jaw, which is typical of sheep species. Pulling grass into his mouth with his bottom incisors against the hard toothless rim of his upper jaws is efficient. The grass will be ground by upper and lower molars, swallowed into a pouch called the rumen (that many other ungulates, including bovines, have) for partial digestion and returned to the chewing mouth as "cud" for further breakdown prior to digestion deeper into the alimentary tract.

The Vatican is certainly an amazing place. So vast and awe inspiring. No wonder people were so fearful of the church's power.

They were just closing off a section of the church for mass when one of the attendants walked right into the light - timing is everything:-)

I learnt so many facts during my visit - but one most of the most important things is that ice-cream is very good for the digestion - well that is according to Claudia - lol

Chick fed feathers to help with digestion of fish bones

quando si perdono le vocali per strada

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.