View allAll Photos Tagged pigmentation
Some of these baby iguanas had depigmented skins. I've never seen an adult so lightly colored, so I figure it's just developmental variability.
This was a nesting ground on an isolated islet off the coast of Isabela. In the background is a small channel full of white tip sharks. I figured they were waiting for baby iguanas to clamber in and get a nice meal, but our guides said the sharks were merely resting in the calm waters and rarely feed on iguanas. Darwin hypothesized that the reason you can't scare a marine iguana into the water is because that's were its only predators are (thet are actually predated by hawks on land too though). A more likely reason would probably be that diving into the water forces one to loose copious amounts of body heat. Only large marine iguanas will dive into the water to feed, as they can retain body heat more easily, and smaller iguanas will feed more in the intertidal zones during low tide. This also helps explain their dark pigmentations, which would help gain heat rapidly during basking after a cold swim.
Hector's dolphin seen from the Black Cat in Akaroa harbour, day two of my friends visit from London. I took them over the Port hills to Akaroa. We had such a beautiful day and they enjoyed the trip.
The cruise is packed with highlights including the rare, NZ native dolphin - the Hector's Dolphin, as well as penguins and other sea birds. And you'll see giant volcanic sea cliffs and hear about Akaroa's fascinating past. Cruises depart every day, weather permitting.
The Back Cat is modern catamaran, the 60 foot /20 metre Black Cat (previously the Canterbury Cat), is perfect for viewing the natural wonders of Akaroa Harbour.
For More Info: www.blackcat.co.nz/akaroa-harbour-nature-cruises.html
Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus and is found only in New Zealand. At approximately 1.4 m in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans, and New Zealand's only endemic cetacean.
Hector’s dolphin is the smallest of the dolphins. Mature adults have a total length of 1.2–1.6 m (3 ft 10 in–5 ft 3 in) and weigh 40–60 kg (88–130 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic, with females being slightly longer and heavier than males. The body shape is stocky, with no discernible beak. The most distinctive feature is the rounded dorsal fin, with a convex trailing edge and undercut rear margin.
The overall appearance is pale grey, but closer inspection reveals a complex and elegant combination of colours. The back and sides are predominantly light grey, while the dorsal fin, flippers, and flukes are black. The eyes are surrounded by a black mask, which extends forward to the tip of the rostrum and back to the base of the flipper. A subtly shaded, crescent-shaped black band crosses the head just behind the blowhole. The throat and belly are creamy white, separated by dark-grey bands meeting between the flippers. A white stripe extends from the belly onto each flank below the dorsal fin.
At birth, Hector’s dolphin calves have a total length of 60–80 cm (24–31 in) and weigh 8–10 kg (18–22 lb). Their coloration is the same as adults, although the grey has a darker hue. Four to six vertical pale stripes, caused by fetal folds affecting the pigmentation, are present on the calf’s body until an age of about six months.
For More Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector%27s_dolphin
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BellaBloom's matte lipstick collection offers a range of stunning shades to suit every mood and occasion. From the sultry deep reds and purples to the playful pinks and nudes, each shade provides a smooth, velvety finish that lasts all day. Whether you're going for a bold statement or a subtle touch, BellaBloom's matte lipsticks ensure your lips look fabulous with their rich pigmentation and hydrating formula. Elevate your makeup game with BellaBloom, where every shade tells a story of elegance and charm.
An exquisite processional ‘Mater Dolorosa’ figure in glorious robes
Estimate: PHP 700,000 - 750,000
18th century
Bicol
Molave wood, polychrome and paint, gesso
112 x 35 x 26 cm (44 x 13 3/4 x 10 1/4 in)
This is a superlative depiction of the Virgin Mary as the ‘Mater Dolorosa’ or the Sorrowful Mother. Exquisitely carved in classical style, she exhibits unfeigned hallmarks found in diminishing 18th century specimens. She has strong facial features – swelling ‘pop’ eyes, long pointed nose, and slightly gaping mouth. The beautiful rendition of the crisp folds, deep crevices and texture of her robes, and the protruding clasped hands as she pulls them away from her center, heightens the dynamic movement and energy to her contrapposto pose as she leans to her left. The original blue and red pigmentations are visible through the many layers of overcoat paint over the centuries, with the topmost layers remaining strong and vibrant. Blue and red were the traditional colors of 17th and 18th century Virgin Mary depictions in art produced in Spanish colonies, including Mexico and the Philippines; they’re the same colors favored and followed sympathetically by the Bicol school.
As a processional image, a substantial portion of the back was hollowed out to reduce its overall weight and minimize the movement of the wood as it swells and contracts due to humidity fluctuations that can result in cracks to develop. There are holed-out openings at the base – two in front and two at the back – wherein thick abaca ropes passed through to secure the image to the carozza. Nails on her shoulders, meanwhile, were used to anchor her to the wall to prevent it from toppling over.
Lot 276 of the Salcedo Auctions live and online auction on 8 March 2025. For more information and to place an online bid, please see www.salcedoauctions.com
You know, sometimes I wonder, I have no fear of these caterpillars no matter how icky they are, but show me a moth, and I'll run away like a little girl!
I found this caterpillar by chance on a plant and I noticed the blue pigmentation and that's when I thought it'd be cool to shoot it! (with my D60 of course)
Dark circles laser treatment are not actually harmful but can give your face a dull & untidy look so it is important that they should be removed with some effective methods.
www.dubailasertreatments.com/dark-circles-treatment-shoul...
Blemish Control Cream is designed to treat localised pigmented and blemished areas such as post-acne pigmentation, melasma, cholasma and marks left by insect bites and gentle skin abberations.
Skin Lightening & Toning
Key Ingredients : Pistachio extract, Saffron extract, Bearberry extract & Coconut Milk.
Action : Aryanveda Fairness Pack de-accelerates skin pigmentation and synthesis of melanin. It has free radical scavenging properties that enhances the skin tone.
For more information visit: www.aryanveda.in
Scientific Name: Ursus maritimus
Description : Polar bears are considered the largest land carnivores in the world, matched only by very large individual Kodiak brown bears. Both sexes differ in size throughout their range; males being much larger than females and continuing to grow for a longer period of time. These bears have long, massive skulls, necks and bodies with long legs and large paws. Ears and tail are short. The nose is more prominent or “Roman†with a black rhinarium (nose pad). The tongue is black and the eyes brown. The surface of the skin is also black. Fur colour varies slightly with the season: new coats grown just prior to the winter season are very white appearing as slightly creamy white against the stark white of their icy winter environment. This pelage is thick, coarse and long with dense underfur. Guard hairs, found throughout the pelage, are shiny, almost glossy, oily and waterproof and have hollow shafts. Polar bears moult annually between the end of May and August. The coat becomes thinner and has a yellow wash or is almost a golden colour.
Male polar bears weigh between 400 – 600 kg, and have been recorded up to a maximum of 800 kg. Females are smaller than the males weighing up to 300 kg, and when pregnant up to 460 kg. Polar bears are 2.5 – 3.5 m long.
Distribution : The polar bear is circumpolar in distribution, inhabiting all Arctic seas and coastlines. It is found on the pack-ice off the Alaskan coast north of Bering Strait, off the coasts of Greenland and along the Eurasian Arctic coast from Spitsbergen to Wrangell Island. Rare stragglers reach Iceland. Individual bears have been seen on the frozen Arctic Ocean as far as latitude 88 degrees North, only 2 degrees from the North Pole. In Canada, they are found along the Arctic coasts from Alaska to Labrador and from the tip of James Bay to northern Ellesmere Island. Polar bears do roam as far as 150 kilometres inland into the coniferous forests, where they live very differently from the polar bears which belong to the high Arctic.
Habitat : They prefer areas of annual ice, which they use as a hunting platform and protective cover. This includes snow-drifted pressure ridges, refrozen cracks and areas of open water surrounded by ice. In areas where the pack ice melts by mid to late summer they come inland and live in coniferous forest areas. Here they remain until the ice re-freezes. Areas of solidly frozen sea ice and the open seas are avoided. Generally they are most common along coastal areas. Some do enter the permanent pack ice.
Food : The ringed seal is by far the most common prey. They also eat bearded seal, harp seal and hooded seal. Young walrus are sometimes taken. During the summer months they feed upon the shoreline carrion, fish, mussels, crabs, starfish, lemmings and the eggs and nestling young of waterfowl and cliff-dwelling birds. They will also graze on kelp, grasses and eat mushrooms and crowberries.
Reproduction and Development : Normally they are solitary animals outside the breeding season, the exception being a mother with cubs. Polar bears mate in mid-summer. Females first start to breed at 3 to 5 years of age. In April and May adult females are in oestrus and ready to accept a mate. They are polyandrous, meaning one female will mate with more than one male in one breeding season. Males fight among themselves for the female’s attention and a couple will pair off for a period of a few days to two weeks. With females, delayed implantation occurs, the fertilized egg does not implant in the uterus until mid-September to mid-October. Embryonic development begins at this time. Gestation periods, therefore, vary a great deal when including this period of delay. Females choose suitable locations to build their maternity dens in mid-October and retreat to them for the winter season. They give birth to one to four cubs somewhere between late November and early January. Twins are most common. The newborns are small; 25 to 30 cm long and weigh less than 1 kg. They are covered with very fine hair, appearing almost naked and their eyes are closed. Their eyes open at 6 weeks. Growth is very quick; at two months their fur has thickened; they weigh about 5 kg and move about the den. By mid-March to early April, when the den is opened, the cubs weigh about 10 kg and are surprisingly strong. The cubs suckle for nine months, occasionally one year. They are very dependent on their mother and stay with her for two years. At that time they weigh 90 - 180 kg and are half grown.
Adaptations : Polar bears are wonderfully adapted to their Arctic surroundings.
Locomotion. On land a shuffling walk may be increased to a rolling gallop of 40 km/h and can outrun caribou over a short distance. Bears are often seen standing high on their hind legs, necks stretched to scan the landscape. On thin ice, legs are spread to distribute body mass. Thickly padded and furred soles allow the bear to move quietly as well as providing good traction. Small bumps and cavities on the soles act like suction cups keeping bears from slipping on the ice. The claws are used to dig into icy slopes and to grip prey. They are strong swimmers, paddling with their forefeet only and trailing their hind feet which act as a rudder. They can stay submerged for over one minute, keeping their eyes open. They swim at a speed of approximately 6.4 km/h, often covering long distances.
Insulation. Polar bears have a thick layer of sub-cutaneous fat and very dense underfur with several layers of glossy guard hair on the outside. Their pelt is much thicker in winter and provides excellent insulation. The fat layer also adds to buoyancy in the water. Water is shed easily from the oily waterproof fur. Small, furry ears have a heavy network of blood vessels, keeping them warm and conserving heat. The tail is short and rounded also conserving heat. Fur is very dense around the soles of the feet.
Pelage. The creamy white appearance of the coat allows the bear to be inconspicuous when hunting seal. Each hair is similar to an optical fibre; colourless and hollow. Being translucent, it reflects the heat from the sun down to the base of the hair, where it is absorbed by the black skin. Whiteness comes from reflection of light rather than pigmentation.
Hunting. Bears use their keen sense of smell to detect seal breathing holes. These can be up to a kilometer away and covered by a layer of snow and ice. They will stand or lie by the seal’s blowhole in the ice for hours; they may swim towards seals resting on the ice flows with only their nose showing above the water. They will dive quietly, then swim up to the ice edge and jump out on the seal, and will also crawl towards a sunbathing seal using every piece of raised ice to conceal the approach.
Denning. Both sexes occupy dens for shelter. Topographic factors influence the den sites. In Canadian core areas, dens frequently occur on south-facing slopes where northerly prevailing winds create the best drifts, where the wind-chill is least and insulation from received solar radiation is greatest. One of the three largest denning areas worldwide is in Canada. There are three main types of winter refuges: maternity dens, temporary dens and winter shelters. During the winter any bear may dig a temporary den and use it for a few days during a storm, or take shelter in a natural cavity. Winter shelters are used for longer periods of time as resting places. This type of shelter is usually roomier with additional features such as alcoves, porches and ventilation holes. Bears do not hibernate in the strict sense of the word; they have the ability to slow down their metabolism to conserve energy at any time of year. The state of self-induced lethargy while in the shelter allows them to preserve their vital fat reserves. During this time, the body temperature of the polar bear decreases by a few degrees from normal and the respiration rates are markedly reduced. Maternity dens are built and occupied by pregnant females and can vary in size. The denning chamber is at the upper end of an entrance tunnel 1 to 2 m long. It averages 1.5 m in diameter with a height of 90 to 100cm in the middle. Drifting snow seals the entrance. The chamber is higher than the tunnel, trapping bear body heat inside. Dens not only provide a safe place to give birth to her cubs, but are also a place of protection for the cubs during their first few months. During this time she does not leave the den, remaining with her cubs and living on her reserves of fat. In the spring, with her fat severely depleted she must leave to find food to sustain herself and her cubs. After they leave the maternity den she will build temporary refuges in which to nurse, rest and shelter her young cubs and warms them as they all sleep together. She heads with her cubs towards the nearest supply of food, usually towards pack ice.
Sight and sounds. Polar bears have good eyesight. Their eyes have inner eyelids that keep the glare of the sun on snow and ice from blinding them. When defending a food source from other bears they use a deep growl. They hiss and snort to show aggression. Angry bears use loud roars and growls. Mothers scold cubs with a low growl.
Threats to Survival : Polar bears are one of the animals most threatened by global warming. They depend entirely on sea ice as a platform from which to hunt seals. Reduction of the total ice cover in the Arctic is a serious concern globally. When the ice does not form or forms too late in the season many polar bears starve. In Hudson Bay, scientists have found the main cause of death for cubs to be either lack of food or lack of fat on nursing mothers. Exploitation of minerals and fossil fuels in the Arctic pose a continuous threat. Of the oil and natural gas deposits globally, 20% are located in the Arctic. As the ice cap recedes these become more accessible. Countries are competing which each other in claiming ownership of Arctic and its resources. This can only result in further and more drastic impact on polar bear habitat.
Status : IUCN: Vulnerable; CITES: Appendix II; COSEWIC: Special Concern
Zoo Diet : Toronto Zoo carnivore diet, dog chow, jumbo smelt and herring, carrots, bean sprouts, Vitamin E and Thiamine supplements.
Toronto Zoo Website
A Savvy skin-care LLC , gilbert Esthetician,licenced Esthetician certified Esthetician , corrective peels, chemical peels,anti aging, acne,hyper pigmentation.
Bolivia, Flamencos, Laguna Colorada (Surface elevation 4,278 m)
Laguna Colorada (Red Lagoon) is a shallow salt lake in the southwest of the altiplano of Bolivia, within Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve and close to the border with Chile.
The lake contains borax islands, whose white color contrasts with the reddish color of its waters, which is caused by red sediments and pigmentation of some algae.
Laguna Colorada is part of the Los Lípez (formerly Laguna Colorada) Ramsar wetland. It was listed as a "Ramsar Wetland of International Importance" in 1990. On, July 13, 2009 the site was expanded from 513.18 to 14,277.17 km2 (5,512.45 sq mi) to include the surrounding high Andean endorheic, hypersaline and brackish lakes and associated wetlands
A Savvy skin-care LLC , gilbert Esthetician,licenced Esthetician certified Esthetician , corrective peels, chemical peels,anti aging, acne,hyper pigmentation.
Laguna Colorada
Laguna Colorada (Red Lagoon) is a shallow salt lake in the southwest of the altiplano of Bolivia, within Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve
The lake contains borax islands, whose white color contrasts nicely with the reddish color of its waters, which is caused by red sediments and pigmentation of some algae.
James's Flamingos abound in the area. Also it is possible to find Andean and Chilean flamingos, but in a minor quantity.
www.drguida.com/skin/laser-skin-resurfacing/
Time, gravity and excess sun exposure can cause deepening of facial lines and uneven pigmentation. This gives an older, tired look to an otherwise youthful complexion. Laser skin resurfacing can reduce, and often remove, much of this damage to the skin and literally "turn back the clock". A tired looking, sun damaged face can obtain an entirely new, fresh look with healthy, glowing smooth skin. This is the goal of laser resurfacing.
There are different levels of laser resurfacing available, depending on the patient's condition, the level of "down time" or recovery period a patient can tolerate, and cost.
For Hector's dolphin's on the Black Cat in Akaroa harbour, day two of my friends visit from London. I took them over the Port hills to Akaroa. We had such a beautiful day and they enjoyed the trip.
The cruise is packed with highlights including the rare, NZ native dolphin - the Hector's Dolphin, as well as penguins and other sea birds. And you'll see giant volcanic sea cliffs and hear about Akaroa's fascinating past. Cruises depart every day, weather permitting.
The Back Cat is modern catamaran, the 60 foot /20 metre Black Cat (previously the Canterbury Cat), is perfect for viewing the natural wonders of Akaroa Harbour.
For More Info: www.blackcat.co.nz/akaroa-harbour-nature-cruises.html
Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus and is found only in New Zealand. At approximately 1.4 m in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans, and New Zealand's only endemic cetacean.
Hector’s dolphin is the smallest of the dolphins. Mature adults have a total length of 1.2–1.6 m (3 ft 10 in–5 ft 3 in) and weigh 40–60 kg (88–130 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic, with females being slightly longer and heavier than males. The body shape is stocky, with no discernible beak. The most distinctive feature is the rounded dorsal fin, with a convex trailing edge and undercut rear margin.
The overall appearance is pale grey, but closer inspection reveals a complex and elegant combination of colours. The back and sides are predominantly light grey, while the dorsal fin, flippers, and flukes are black. The eyes are surrounded by a black mask, which extends forward to the tip of the rostrum and back to the base of the flipper. A subtly shaded, crescent-shaped black band crosses the head just behind the blowhole. The throat and belly are creamy white, separated by dark-grey bands meeting between the flippers. A white stripe extends from the belly onto each flank below the dorsal fin.
At birth, Hector’s dolphin calves have a total length of 60–80 cm (24–31 in) and weigh 8–10 kg (18–22 lb). Their coloration is the same as adults, although the grey has a darker hue. Four to six vertical pale stripes, caused by fetal folds affecting the pigmentation, are present on the calf’s body until an age of about six months.
For More Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector%27s_dolphin For Hector's dolphin's on the Black Cat in Akaroa harbour, day two of my friends visit from London. I took them over the Port hills to Akaroa. We had such a beautiful day and they enjoyed the trip.
The cruise is packed with highlights including the rare, NZ native dolphin - the Hector's Dolphin, as well as penguins and other sea birds. And you'll see giant volcanic sea cliffs and hear about Akaroa's fascinating past. Cruises depart every day, weather permitting.
The Back Cat is modern catamaran, the 60 foot /20 metre Black Cat (previously the Canterbury Cat), is perfect for viewing the natural wonders of Akaroa Harbour.
For More Info: www.blackcat.co.nz/akaroa-harbour-nature-cruises.html
Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus and is found only in New Zealand. At approximately 1.4 m in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans, and New Zealand's only endemic cetacean.
Hector’s dolphin is the smallest of the dolphins. Mature adults have a total length of 1.2–1.6 m (3 ft 10 in–5 ft 3 in) and weigh 40–60 kg (88–130 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic, with females being slightly longer and heavier than males. The body shape is stocky, with no discernible beak. The most distinctive feature is the rounded dorsal fin, with a convex trailing edge and undercut rear margin.
The overall appearance is pale grey, but closer inspection reveals a complex and elegant combination of colours. The back and sides are predominantly light grey, while the dorsal fin, flippers, and flukes are black. The eyes are surrounded by a black mask, which extends forward to the tip of the rostrum and back to the base of the flipper. A subtly shaded, crescent-shaped black band crosses the head just behind the blowhole. The throat and belly are creamy white, separated by dark-grey bands meeting between the flippers. A white stripe extends from the belly onto each flank below the dorsal fin.
At birth, Hector’s dolphin calves have a total length of 60–80 cm (24–31 in) and weigh 8–10 kg (18–22 lb). Their coloration is the same as adults, although the grey has a darker hue. Four to six vertical pale stripes, caused by fetal folds affecting the pigmentation, are present on the calf’s body until an age of about six months.
For More Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector%27s_dolphin
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Scientific Name: Ursus maritimus
Description : Polar bears are considered the largest land carnivores in the world, matched only by very large individual Kodiak brown bears. Both sexes differ in size throughout their range; males being much larger than females and continuing to grow for a longer period of time. These bears have long, massive skulls, necks and bodies with long legs and large paws. Ears and tail are short. The nose is more prominent or “Roman†with a black rhinarium (nose pad). The tongue is black and the eyes brown. The surface of the skin is also black. Fur colour varies slightly with the season: new coats grown just prior to the winter season are very white appearing as slightly creamy white against the stark white of their icy winter environment. This pelage is thick, coarse and long with dense underfur. Guard hairs, found throughout the pelage, are shiny, almost glossy, oily and waterproof and have hollow shafts. Polar bears moult annually between the end of May and August. The coat becomes thinner and has a yellow wash or is almost a golden colour.
Male polar bears weigh between 400 – 600 kg, and have been recorded up to a maximum of 800 kg. Females are smaller than the males weighing up to 300 kg, and when pregnant up to 460 kg. Polar bears are 2.5 – 3.5 m long.
Distribution : The polar bear is circumpolar in distribution, inhabiting all Arctic seas and coastlines. It is found on the pack-ice off the Alaskan coast north of Bering Strait, off the coasts of Greenland and along the Eurasian Arctic coast from Spitsbergen to Wrangell Island. Rare stragglers reach Iceland. Individual bears have been seen on the frozen Arctic Ocean as far as latitude 88 degrees North, only 2 degrees from the North Pole. In Canada, they are found along the Arctic coasts from Alaska to Labrador and from the tip of James Bay to northern Ellesmere Island. Polar bears do roam as far as 150 kilometres inland into the coniferous forests, where they live very differently from the polar bears which belong to the high Arctic.
Habitat : They prefer areas of annual ice, which they use as a hunting platform and protective cover. This includes snow-drifted pressure ridges, refrozen cracks and areas of open water surrounded by ice. In areas where the pack ice melts by mid to late summer they come inland and live in coniferous forest areas. Here they remain until the ice re-freezes. Areas of solidly frozen sea ice and the open seas are avoided. Generally they are most common along coastal areas. Some do enter the permanent pack ice.
Food : The ringed seal is by far the most common prey. They also eat bearded seal, harp seal and hooded seal. Young walrus are sometimes taken. During the summer months they feed upon the shoreline carrion, fish, mussels, crabs, starfish, lemmings and the eggs and nestling young of waterfowl and cliff-dwelling birds. They will also graze on kelp, grasses and eat mushrooms and crowberries.
Reproduction and Development : Normally they are solitary animals outside the breeding season, the exception being a mother with cubs. Polar bears mate in mid-summer. Females first start to breed at 3 to 5 years of age. In April and May adult females are in oestrus and ready to accept a mate. They are polyandrous, meaning one female will mate with more than one male in one breeding season. Males fight among themselves for the female’s attention and a couple will pair off for a period of a few days to two weeks. With females, delayed implantation occurs, the fertilized egg does not implant in the uterus until mid-September to mid-October. Embryonic development begins at this time. Gestation periods, therefore, vary a great deal when including this period of delay. Females choose suitable locations to build their maternity dens in mid-October and retreat to them for the winter season. They give birth to one to four cubs somewhere between late November and early January. Twins are most common. The newborns are small; 25 to 30 cm long and weigh less than 1 kg. They are covered with very fine hair, appearing almost naked and their eyes are closed. Their eyes open at 6 weeks. Growth is very quick; at two months their fur has thickened; they weigh about 5 kg and move about the den. By mid-March to early April, when the den is opened, the cubs weigh about 10 kg and are surprisingly strong. The cubs suckle for nine months, occasionally one year. They are very dependent on their mother and stay with her for two years. At that time they weigh 90 - 180 kg and are half grown.
Adaptations : Polar bears are wonderfully adapted to their Arctic surroundings.
Locomotion. On land a shuffling walk may be increased to a rolling gallop of 40 km/h and can outrun caribou over a short distance. Bears are often seen standing high on their hind legs, necks stretched to scan the landscape. On thin ice, legs are spread to distribute body mass. Thickly padded and furred soles allow the bear to move quietly as well as providing good traction. Small bumps and cavities on the soles act like suction cups keeping bears from slipping on the ice. The claws are used to dig into icy slopes and to grip prey. They are strong swimmers, paddling with their forefeet only and trailing their hind feet which act as a rudder. They can stay submerged for over one minute, keeping their eyes open. They swim at a speed of approximately 6.4 km/h, often covering long distances.
Insulation. Polar bears have a thick layer of sub-cutaneous fat and very dense underfur with several layers of glossy guard hair on the outside. Their pelt is much thicker in winter and provides excellent insulation. The fat layer also adds to buoyancy in the water. Water is shed easily from the oily waterproof fur. Small, furry ears have a heavy network of blood vessels, keeping them warm and conserving heat. The tail is short and rounded also conserving heat. Fur is very dense around the soles of the feet.
Pelage. The creamy white appearance of the coat allows the bear to be inconspicuous when hunting seal. Each hair is similar to an optical fibre; colourless and hollow. Being translucent, it reflects the heat from the sun down to the base of the hair, where it is absorbed by the black skin. Whiteness comes from reflection of light rather than pigmentation.
Hunting. Bears use their keen sense of smell to detect seal breathing holes. These can be up to a kilometer away and covered by a layer of snow and ice. They will stand or lie by the seal’s blowhole in the ice for hours; they may swim towards seals resting on the ice flows with only their nose showing above the water. They will dive quietly, then swim up to the ice edge and jump out on the seal, and will also crawl towards a sunbathing seal using every piece of raised ice to conceal the approach.
Denning. Both sexes occupy dens for shelter. Topographic factors influence the den sites. In Canadian core areas, dens frequently occur on south-facing slopes where northerly prevailing winds create the best drifts, where the wind-chill is least and insulation from received solar radiation is greatest. One of the three largest denning areas worldwide is in Canada. There are three main types of winter refuges: maternity dens, temporary dens and winter shelters. During the winter any bear may dig a temporary den and use it for a few days during a storm, or take shelter in a natural cavity. Winter shelters are used for longer periods of time as resting places. This type of shelter is usually roomier with additional features such as alcoves, porches and ventilation holes. Bears do not hibernate in the strict sense of the word; they have the ability to slow down their metabolism to conserve energy at any time of year. The state of self-induced lethargy while in the shelter allows them to preserve their vital fat reserves. During this time, the body temperature of the polar bear decreases by a few degrees from normal and the respiration rates are markedly reduced. Maternity dens are built and occupied by pregnant females and can vary in size. The denning chamber is at the upper end of an entrance tunnel 1 to 2 m long. It averages 1.5 m in diameter with a height of 90 to 100cm in the middle. Drifting snow seals the entrance. The chamber is higher than the tunnel, trapping bear body heat inside. Dens not only provide a safe place to give birth to her cubs, but are also a place of protection for the cubs during their first few months. During this time she does not leave the den, remaining with her cubs and living on her reserves of fat. In the spring, with her fat severely depleted she must leave to find food to sustain herself and her cubs. After they leave the maternity den she will build temporary refuges in which to nurse, rest and shelter her young cubs and warms them as they all sleep together. She heads with her cubs towards the nearest supply of food, usually towards pack ice.
Sight and sounds. Polar bears have good eyesight. Their eyes have inner eyelids that keep the glare of the sun on snow and ice from blinding them. When defending a food source from other bears they use a deep growl. They hiss and snort to show aggression. Angry bears use loud roars and growls. Mothers scold cubs with a low growl.
Threats to Survival : Polar bears are one of the animals most threatened by global warming. They depend entirely on sea ice as a platform from which to hunt seals. Reduction of the total ice cover in the Arctic is a serious concern globally. When the ice does not form or forms too late in the season many polar bears starve. In Hudson Bay, scientists have found the main cause of death for cubs to be either lack of food or lack of fat on nursing mothers. Exploitation of minerals and fossil fuels in the Arctic pose a continuous threat. Of the oil and natural gas deposits globally, 20% are located in the Arctic. As the ice cap recedes these become more accessible. Countries are competing which each other in claiming ownership of Arctic and its resources. This can only result in further and more drastic impact on polar bear habitat.
Status : IUCN: Vulnerable; CITES: Appendix II; COSEWIC: Special Concern
Zoo Diet : Toronto Zoo carnivore diet, dog chow, jumbo smelt and herring, carrots, bean sprouts, Vitamin E and Thiamine supplements.
Toronto Zoo Website
This is a croton-leaved coleus with purple/burgundy centers and red/purple stems, very similar in shape to "fright night." It has the best color in full sun with some afternoon shade. In shade, the pigmentation is mostly green.
Astyanax fasciatus (Cuvier, 1819) (or Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853), depending on one's taxonomic preferences) - Mexican blind cavefish from southern Mexico (captive, Newport Aquarium, Newport, Kentucky, USA).
Many caves are known to have blind fish in subterranean bodies of water. Members of several unrelated families have become blind cavefish. This is the Mexican blind cavefish, Astyanax fasciatus (sensu lato), which has been recorded from throughout Central America. It completely lacks eyes (eyes are useless in a permanently dark environment) and also has no pigmentation (hence the pinkish color from blood). However, this species does still possess the genes for eyes. Why? It’s ancestors did have eyes - they’ve been lost through evolution. This is the ultimate fate for all vestigial organs. However, the genes for lost structures are often retained for long geologic intervals of time (for example, chickens still have genes that code for teeth, despite the lack of teeth in chicken beaks).
New info. - recent published research has determined that young cavefish of this species do have functioning eyes and have a light-sensitive area in their brains. The eyes degenerate with ontogeny, as does the light-sensitive area in the brain. The adults have zero light sensing ability.
Classification: Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Actinopterygii, Cypriniformes, Characoidei, Characidae
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The black slug also known as black arion, European black slug, or large black slug, scientific name Arion ater, is a species of large land slug, a terrestrial slug in the family Arionidae, the roundback slugs.
The size of the slug varies from 10 to 15 cm. Maturity is reached at about 2.5 cm.
The color of the black slug is generally black, but the colouration is very variable and this slug can even be white. The general trend is for a darker pigmentation the farther north the species is found. The classification of brown-coloured and rust-coloured "black" slugs is somewhat disputed; the brown variation is sometimes considered to be a separate species, Arion rufus (Red Slug). Young specimens of black slug do have a brown colour, which is later lost if and when the slug changes color to the mature state.
The slug covers itself in a thick foul-tasting mucus which serves as both protection against predators as well as a measure to keep moist. It is somewhat difficult to wash off.
Like other members of the family Arionidae, the black slug has a pneumostome (breathing hole) on the right side of its mantle through which it breathes. This mantle is the part which in snails secretes a shell, and in this species of slug the mantle contains a resilient protective structure of calcareous granules.
Leucism is caused by a partial loss of pigmentation, resulting in white feathers on a bird.
Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin.
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Scientific Name: Ursus maritimus
Description : Polar bears are considered the largest land carnivores in the world, matched only by very large individual Kodiak brown bears. Both sexes differ in size throughout their range; males being much larger than females and continuing to grow for a longer period of time. These bears have long, massive skulls, necks and bodies with long legs and large paws. Ears and tail are short. The nose is more prominent or “Roman†with a black rhinarium (nose pad). The tongue is black and the eyes brown. The surface of the skin is also black. Fur colour varies slightly with the season: new coats grown just prior to the winter season are very white appearing as slightly creamy white against the stark white of their icy winter environment. This pelage is thick, coarse and long with dense underfur. Guard hairs, found throughout the pelage, are shiny, almost glossy, oily and waterproof and have hollow shafts. Polar bears moult annually between the end of May and August. The coat becomes thinner and has a yellow wash or is almost a golden colour.
Male polar bears weigh between 400 – 600 kg, and have been recorded up to a maximum of 800 kg. Females are smaller than the males weighing up to 300 kg, and when pregnant up to 460 kg. Polar bears are 2.5 – 3.5 m long.
Distribution : The polar bear is circumpolar in distribution, inhabiting all Arctic seas and coastlines. It is found on the pack-ice off the Alaskan coast north of Bering Strait, off the coasts of Greenland and along the Eurasian Arctic coast from Spitsbergen to Wrangell Island. Rare stragglers reach Iceland. Individual bears have been seen on the frozen Arctic Ocean as far as latitude 88 degrees North, only 2 degrees from the North Pole. In Canada, they are found along the Arctic coasts from Alaska to Labrador and from the tip of James Bay to northern Ellesmere Island. Polar bears do roam as far as 150 kilometres inland into the coniferous forests, where they live very differently from the polar bears which belong to the high Arctic.
Habitat : They prefer areas of annual ice, which they use as a hunting platform and protective cover. This includes snow-drifted pressure ridges, refrozen cracks and areas of open water surrounded by ice. In areas where the pack ice melts by mid to late summer they come inland and live in coniferous forest areas. Here they remain until the ice re-freezes. Areas of solidly frozen sea ice and the open seas are avoided. Generally they are most common along coastal areas. Some do enter the permanent pack ice.
Food : The ringed seal is by far the most common prey. They also eat bearded seal, harp seal and hooded seal. Young walrus are sometimes taken. During the summer months they feed upon the shoreline carrion, fish, mussels, crabs, starfish, lemmings and the eggs and nestling young of waterfowl and cliff-dwelling birds. They will also graze on kelp, grasses and eat mushrooms and crowberries.
Reproduction and Development : Normally they are solitary animals outside the breeding season, the exception being a mother with cubs. Polar bears mate in mid-summer. Females first start to breed at 3 to 5 years of age. In April and May adult females are in oestrus and ready to accept a mate. They are polyandrous, meaning one female will mate with more than one male in one breeding season. Males fight among themselves for the female’s attention and a couple will pair off for a period of a few days to two weeks. With females, delayed implantation occurs, the fertilized egg does not implant in the uterus until mid-September to mid-October. Embryonic development begins at this time. Gestation periods, therefore, vary a great deal when including this period of delay. Females choose suitable locations to build their maternity dens in mid-October and retreat to them for the winter season. They give birth to one to four cubs somewhere between late November and early January. Twins are most common. The newborns are small; 25 to 30 cm long and weigh less than 1 kg. They are covered with very fine hair, appearing almost naked and their eyes are closed. Their eyes open at 6 weeks. Growth is very quick; at two months their fur has thickened; they weigh about 5 kg and move about the den. By mid-March to early April, when the den is opened, the cubs weigh about 10 kg and are surprisingly strong. The cubs suckle for nine months, occasionally one year. They are very dependent on their mother and stay with her for two years. At that time they weigh 90 - 180 kg and are half grown.
Adaptations : Polar bears are wonderfully adapted to their Arctic surroundings.
Locomotion. On land a shuffling walk may be increased to a rolling gallop of 40 km/h and can outrun caribou over a short distance. Bears are often seen standing high on their hind legs, necks stretched to scan the landscape. On thin ice, legs are spread to distribute body mass. Thickly padded and furred soles allow the bear to move quietly as well as providing good traction. Small bumps and cavities on the soles act like suction cups keeping bears from slipping on the ice. The claws are used to dig into icy slopes and to grip prey. They are strong swimmers, paddling with their forefeet only and trailing their hind feet which act as a rudder. They can stay submerged for over one minute, keeping their eyes open. They swim at a speed of approximately 6.4 km/h, often covering long distances.
Insulation. Polar bears have a thick layer of sub-cutaneous fat and very dense underfur with several layers of glossy guard hair on the outside. Their pelt is much thicker in winter and provides excellent insulation. The fat layer also adds to buoyancy in the water. Water is shed easily from the oily waterproof fur. Small, furry ears have a heavy network of blood vessels, keeping them warm and conserving heat. The tail is short and rounded also conserving heat. Fur is very dense around the soles of the feet.
Pelage. The creamy white appearance of the coat allows the bear to be inconspicuous when hunting seal. Each hair is similar to an optical fibre; colourless and hollow. Being translucent, it reflects the heat from the sun down to the base of the hair, where it is absorbed by the black skin. Whiteness comes from reflection of light rather than pigmentation.
Hunting. Bears use their keen sense of smell to detect seal breathing holes. These can be up to a kilometer away and covered by a layer of snow and ice. They will stand or lie by the seal’s blowhole in the ice for hours; they may swim towards seals resting on the ice flows with only their nose showing above the water. They will dive quietly, then swim up to the ice edge and jump out on the seal, and will also crawl towards a sunbathing seal using every piece of raised ice to conceal the approach.
Denning. Both sexes occupy dens for shelter. Topographic factors influence the den sites. In Canadian core areas, dens frequently occur on south-facing slopes where northerly prevailing winds create the best drifts, where the wind-chill is least and insulation from received solar radiation is greatest. One of the three largest denning areas worldwide is in Canada. There are three main types of winter refuges: maternity dens, temporary dens and winter shelters. During the winter any bear may dig a temporary den and use it for a few days during a storm, or take shelter in a natural cavity. Winter shelters are used for longer periods of time as resting places. This type of shelter is usually roomier with additional features such as alcoves, porches and ventilation holes. Bears do not hibernate in the strict sense of the word; they have the ability to slow down their metabolism to conserve energy at any time of year. The state of self-induced lethargy while in the shelter allows them to preserve their vital fat reserves. During this time, the body temperature of the polar bear decreases by a few degrees from normal and the respiration rates are markedly reduced. Maternity dens are built and occupied by pregnant females and can vary in size. The denning chamber is at the upper end of an entrance tunnel 1 to 2 m long. It averages 1.5 m in diameter with a height of 90 to 100cm in the middle. Drifting snow seals the entrance. The chamber is higher than the tunnel, trapping bear body heat inside. Dens not only provide a safe place to give birth to her cubs, but are also a place of protection for the cubs during their first few months. During this time she does not leave the den, remaining with her cubs and living on her reserves of fat. In the spring, with her fat severely depleted she must leave to find food to sustain herself and her cubs. After they leave the maternity den she will build temporary refuges in which to nurse, rest and shelter her young cubs and warms them as they all sleep together. She heads with her cubs towards the nearest supply of food, usually towards pack ice.
Sight and sounds. Polar bears have good eyesight. Their eyes have inner eyelids that keep the glare of the sun on snow and ice from blinding them. When defending a food source from other bears they use a deep growl. They hiss and snort to show aggression. Angry bears use loud roars and growls. Mothers scold cubs with a low growl.
Threats to Survival : Polar bears are one of the animals most threatened by global warming. They depend entirely on sea ice as a platform from which to hunt seals. Reduction of the total ice cover in the Arctic is a serious concern globally. When the ice does not form or forms too late in the season many polar bears starve. In Hudson Bay, scientists have found the main cause of death for cubs to be either lack of food or lack of fat on nursing mothers. Exploitation of minerals and fossil fuels in the Arctic pose a continuous threat. Of the oil and natural gas deposits globally, 20% are located in the Arctic. As the ice cap recedes these become more accessible. Countries are competing which each other in claiming ownership of Arctic and its resources. This can only result in further and more drastic impact on polar bear habitat.
Status : IUCN: Vulnerable; CITES: Appendix II; COSEWIC: Special Concern
Zoo Diet : Toronto Zoo carnivore diet, dog chow, jumbo smelt and herring, carrots, bean sprouts, Vitamin E and Thiamine supplements.
Toronto Zoo Website
Specifications
1.Tattoo removal;
2.Pigmentation removal;
3.13 languagesl;
4.Embroider eyebrow.
The photo source:www.cnbeautyequipment.com/product/yag-laser-tattoo-removal-machine.html
Scientific Name: Ursus maritimus
Description : Polar bears are considered the largest land carnivores in the world, matched only by very large individual Kodiak brown bears. Both sexes differ in size throughout their range; males being much larger than females and continuing to grow for a longer period of time. These bears have long, massive skulls, necks and bodies with long legs and large paws. Ears and tail are short. The nose is more prominent or “Roman†with a black rhinarium (nose pad). The tongue is black and the eyes brown. The surface of the skin is also black. Fur colour varies slightly with the season: new coats grown just prior to the winter season are very white appearing as slightly creamy white against the stark white of their icy winter environment. This pelage is thick, coarse and long with dense underfur. Guard hairs, found throughout the pelage, are shiny, almost glossy, oily and waterproof and have hollow shafts. Polar bears moult annually between the end of May and August. The coat becomes thinner and has a yellow wash or is almost a golden colour.
Male polar bears weigh between 400 – 600 kg, and have been recorded up to a maximum of 800 kg. Females are smaller than the males weighing up to 300 kg, and when pregnant up to 460 kg. Polar bears are 2.5 – 3.5 m long.
Distribution : The polar bear is circumpolar in distribution, inhabiting all Arctic seas and coastlines. It is found on the pack-ice off the Alaskan coast north of Bering Strait, off the coasts of Greenland and along the Eurasian Arctic coast from Spitsbergen to Wrangell Island. Rare stragglers reach Iceland. Individual bears have been seen on the frozen Arctic Ocean as far as latitude 88 degrees North, only 2 degrees from the North Pole. In Canada, they are found along the Arctic coasts from Alaska to Labrador and from the tip of James Bay to northern Ellesmere Island. Polar bears do roam as far as 150 kilometres inland into the coniferous forests, where they live very differently from the polar bears which belong to the high Arctic.
Habitat : They prefer areas of annual ice, which they use as a hunting platform and protective cover. This includes snow-drifted pressure ridges, refrozen cracks and areas of open water surrounded by ice. In areas where the pack ice melts by mid to late summer they come inland and live in coniferous forest areas. Here they remain until the ice re-freezes. Areas of solidly frozen sea ice and the open seas are avoided. Generally they are most common along coastal areas. Some do enter the permanent pack ice.
Food : The ringed seal is by far the most common prey. They also eat bearded seal, harp seal and hooded seal. Young walrus are sometimes taken. During the summer months they feed upon the shoreline carrion, fish, mussels, crabs, starfish, lemmings and the eggs and nestling young of waterfowl and cliff-dwelling birds. They will also graze on kelp, grasses and eat mushrooms and crowberries.
Reproduction and Development : Normally they are solitary animals outside the breeding season, the exception being a mother with cubs. Polar bears mate in mid-summer. Females first start to breed at 3 to 5 years of age. In April and May adult females are in oestrus and ready to accept a mate. They are polyandrous, meaning one female will mate with more than one male in one breeding season. Males fight among themselves for the female’s attention and a couple will pair off for a period of a few days to two weeks. With females, delayed implantation occurs, the fertilized egg does not implant in the uterus until mid-September to mid-October. Embryonic development begins at this time. Gestation periods, therefore, vary a great deal when including this period of delay. Females choose suitable locations to build their maternity dens in mid-October and retreat to them for the winter season. They give birth to one to four cubs somewhere between late November and early January. Twins are most common. The newborns are small; 25 to 30 cm long and weigh less than 1 kg. They are covered with very fine hair, appearing almost naked and their eyes are closed. Their eyes open at 6 weeks. Growth is very quick; at two months their fur has thickened; they weigh about 5 kg and move about the den. By mid-March to early April, when the den is opened, the cubs weigh about 10 kg and are surprisingly strong. The cubs suckle for nine months, occasionally one year. They are very dependent on their mother and stay with her for two years. At that time they weigh 90 - 180 kg and are half grown.
Adaptations : Polar bears are wonderfully adapted to their Arctic surroundings.
Locomotion. On land a shuffling walk may be increased to a rolling gallop of 40 km/h and can outrun caribou over a short distance. Bears are often seen standing high on their hind legs, necks stretched to scan the landscape. On thin ice, legs are spread to distribute body mass. Thickly padded and furred soles allow the bear to move quietly as well as providing good traction. Small bumps and cavities on the soles act like suction cups keeping bears from slipping on the ice. The claws are used to dig into icy slopes and to grip prey. They are strong swimmers, paddling with their forefeet only and trailing their hind feet which act as a rudder. They can stay submerged for over one minute, keeping their eyes open. They swim at a speed of approximately 6.4 km/h, often covering long distances.
Insulation. Polar bears have a thick layer of sub-cutaneous fat and very dense underfur with several layers of glossy guard hair on the outside. Their pelt is much thicker in winter and provides excellent insulation. The fat layer also adds to buoyancy in the water. Water is shed easily from the oily waterproof fur. Small, furry ears have a heavy network of blood vessels, keeping them warm and conserving heat. The tail is short and rounded also conserving heat. Fur is very dense around the soles of the feet.
Pelage. The creamy white appearance of the coat allows the bear to be inconspicuous when hunting seal. Each hair is similar to an optical fibre; colourless and hollow. Being translucent, it reflects the heat from the sun down to the base of the hair, where it is absorbed by the black skin. Whiteness comes from reflection of light rather than pigmentation.
Hunting. Bears use their keen sense of smell to detect seal breathing holes. These can be up to a kilometer away and covered by a layer of snow and ice. They will stand or lie by the seal’s blowhole in the ice for hours; they may swim towards seals resting on the ice flows with only their nose showing above the water. They will dive quietly, then swim up to the ice edge and jump out on the seal, and will also crawl towards a sunbathing seal using every piece of raised ice to conceal the approach.
Denning. Both sexes occupy dens for shelter. Topographic factors influence the den sites. In Canadian core areas, dens frequently occur on south-facing slopes where northerly prevailing winds create the best drifts, where the wind-chill is least and insulation from received solar radiation is greatest. One of the three largest denning areas worldwide is in Canada. There are three main types of winter refuges: maternity dens, temporary dens and winter shelters. During the winter any bear may dig a temporary den and use it for a few days during a storm, or take shelter in a natural cavity. Winter shelters are used for longer periods of time as resting places. This type of shelter is usually roomier with additional features such as alcoves, porches and ventilation holes. Bears do not hibernate in the strict sense of the word; they have the ability to slow down their metabolism to conserve energy at any time of year. The state of self-induced lethargy while in the shelter allows them to preserve their vital fat reserves. During this time, the body temperature of the polar bear decreases by a few degrees from normal and the respiration rates are markedly reduced. Maternity dens are built and occupied by pregnant females and can vary in size. The denning chamber is at the upper end of an entrance tunnel 1 to 2 m long. It averages 1.5 m in diameter with a height of 90 to 100cm in the middle. Drifting snow seals the entrance. The chamber is higher than the tunnel, trapping bear body heat inside. Dens not only provide a safe place to give birth to her cubs, but are also a place of protection for the cubs during their first few months. During this time she does not leave the den, remaining with her cubs and living on her reserves of fat. In the spring, with her fat severely depleted she must leave to find food to sustain herself and her cubs. After they leave the maternity den she will build temporary refuges in which to nurse, rest and shelter her young cubs and warms them as they all sleep together. She heads with her cubs towards the nearest supply of food, usually towards pack ice.
Sight and sounds. Polar bears have good eyesight. Their eyes have inner eyelids that keep the glare of the sun on snow and ice from blinding them. When defending a food source from other bears they use a deep growl. They hiss and snort to show aggression. Angry bears use loud roars and growls. Mothers scold cubs with a low growl.
Threats to Survival : Polar bears are one of the animals most threatened by global warming. They depend entirely on sea ice as a platform from which to hunt seals. Reduction of the total ice cover in the Arctic is a serious concern globally. When the ice does not form or forms too late in the season many polar bears starve. In Hudson Bay, scientists have found the main cause of death for cubs to be either lack of food or lack of fat on nursing mothers. Exploitation of minerals and fossil fuels in the Arctic pose a continuous threat. Of the oil and natural gas deposits globally, 20% are located in the Arctic. As the ice cap recedes these become more accessible. Countries are competing which each other in claiming ownership of Arctic and its resources. This can only result in further and more drastic impact on polar bear habitat.
Status : IUCN: Vulnerable; CITES: Appendix II; COSEWIC: Special Concern
Zoo Diet : Toronto Zoo carnivore diet, dog chow, jumbo smelt and herring, carrots, bean sprouts, Vitamin E and Thiamine supplements.
Toronto Zoo Website
Mismo macho adulto de Alouatta p. palliata CN-1 sentado en una rama. Observese la coloración amarillenta en todo pelaje y la coloración más clara del rostro y las manos.
Código de individuo: CN-1 (probablemente mismo individuo fotografiado por César Sánchez en 2015). Alias del individuo: César
Lugar: Refugio de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro. Alajuela. Costa Rica. El animal fue observado durante un recorrido en bote a lo largo del Rio Frío, cerca del puente Caimán.
Coordenadas: ???
Hábitat: ???
Fecha de registro: 8 de mayo de 2018
Créditos: Dave Hamilton
Para consultas sobre el proyecto contactar al Dr. Óscar M. Chaves, Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica. Email: ochaba@gmail.com
San Francisco garter snake
Conservation status
Endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Suborder:Serpentes
Family:Colubridae
Genus:Thamnophis
Species:T. sirtalis
Subspecies:T. s. tetrataenia
Trinomial name
Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia
Cope, 1875
The San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) is a slender multi-colored colubrid snake. Designated as an endangered species since the year 1967,[1] it resides only in San Mateo County, California, and the extreme northern part of coastal Santa Cruz County, California. There are only 1,000 to 2,000 of the subspecies T. s. tetrataenia remaining. This garter snake prefers wet and marshy areas and is elusive to see or capture. It is a subspecies of the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis): a species found across the United States and into southern Canada.
Contents
1 Description
2 Range and habitat
3 Life cycle
4 Taxonomy and relation to other garter snakes
5 DNA analysis
6 Outlook for this subspecies
7 References
8 External links
The San Francisco garter snake presents a burnt orange head, greenish-yellow dorsal stripe edged in black, bordered by a red stripe, which may be continuous or broken with black blotches, below which is a black side stripe. Pigmentation of the underside ranges from greenish-blue to blue. Large adults can attain a length of one meter. The scales are keeled. Dorsal scales appear in 19 rows at maximum, whereas the other species of garter snake in the region (Thamnophis elegans and Thamnophis atratus) can range up to 21 scale rows. There is a single anal plate. There are seven upper lip scales. The side stripe is confined to the second and third tier scales. Distinguishing this species from other garter snakes are red markings between its dorsal and side stripes, yielding the appearance of a wide continuous stripe, If captured it thrashes about wildly, may bite, and smears its captor with excrement and odorous fluids from the anal scent glands.
Wetland habitat of the San Francisco garter snake in Millbrae, California
This subspecies of garter snake is found in scattered wetland areas on the San Francisco Peninsula from approximately the northern boundary of San Mateo County south along the eastern and western bases of the Santa Cruz Mountains, at least to the Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir, and along the Pacific coast south to Año Nuevo Point, and thence to Waddell Creek in Santa Cruz County. It is difficult to obtain reliable distribution information and population statistics for the San Francisco garter snake, because of the elusive nature of this organism and the fact that much of the remaining suitable habitat is located on private property that has not been surveyed for the presence of the snake. This subspecies is extremely shy, difficult to locate and capture, and quick to flee to water or cover when disturbed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has stated that many locations that previously had healthy populations of garter snakes are now in decline due to land development pressure and the filling of wetlands in San Mateo County over the last sixty years. This snake is also a rare species in addition to its endangered classification.
The snake’s preferred habitat is a densely vegetated pond near an open hillside where it can sun, feed, and find cover in rodent burrows; however, markedly less suitable habitat can be successfully used. Temporary ponds and other seasonal freshwater bodies are also appropriate. This subspecies avoids brackish marsh areas because its preferred prey, the California red-legged frog (Rana aurora) cannot survive in saline water. Emergent and bankside vegetation such as cattails, (Typha spp.), bulrushes (Scirpus spp.) and spike rushes (Juncus spp. and Eleocharis spp.) apparently are preferred and used for cover.[5] The zone between stream and pond habitats and grasslands or bank sides is characteristically utilized for basking, while nearby dense vegetation or water often provide escape cover. The subspecies occasionally uses floating algal or rush mats, when available.
San Francisco garter snakes forage extensively in aquatic habitats. Adult snakes feed primarily on California red-legged frogs, which is federally listed as endangered. They may also feed on juvenile bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana), but they are unable to consume adults; in fact, adult bullfrogs prey on juvenile garter snakes, and may be a contributing factor in the population decline of the San Francisco garter snake. Newborn and juvenile San Francisco garter snakes depend heavily upon Pacific treefrogs (Hyla regilla) as prey. If newly metamorphosed Pacific treefrogs are not available, the young garter snakes may not survive. San Francisco garter snakes are one of the few animals capable of ingesting the toxic California newt (Taricha torosa) without incurring sickness or death.
Adult snakes sometimes estivate (enter a dormant state) in rodent burrows during summer months when ponds dry. Along the Pacific Ocean coast, snakes hibernate during the winter, but further inland, if the weather is suitable, this species is known to be active year-round. Recent studies have documented San Francisco garter snake movement over several hundred meters from wetlands to hibernate in upland small mammal burrows. In spite of being primarily diurnal, captive specimens housed in an exterior setting were observed foraging nocturnally or crepuscularly on warm evenings.
The San Francisco garter snake mates in the spring or autumn, and the females give birth to live young in June through September, numbering up to two dozen, but averaging about 16 offspring. The young are approximately 12 to 18 centimeters in length and mature in two years time.
For a brief period from 1996 to 2000 there was confusion over the differentiation of the San Francisco garter snake from two other subspecies, known as the red-sided garter snake (T. s. infernalis) and the red-spotted garter snake (T. s. concinnus). Barry petitioned [6] the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) to suppress the changes proposed in 1996 to merge two of these species. In 2000, the ICZN agreed and voted to retain the historical taxonomic arrangement of subspecies within this evolutionary lineage. Accordingly, the subspecies tetrataenia was reaffirmed for the San Francisco garter snake and the races concinnus and infernalis retain their historical definition.
The San Francisco garter snake cohabits ecosystems that host two other species of garter snake: the coast garter snake (Thamnophis elegans terrestris), a subspecies of western terrestrial garter snake (T. elegans), and the Santa Cruz aquatic garter snake (Thamnophis atratus atratus) a subspecies of the aquatic garter snake (T. atratus). These three subspecies are known to prey upon same foods; however, their preferences are slightly different. Herpetologist Sean Barry notes that they divide up the food resource as follows:
The San Francisco garter snake eats primarily small frogs;
The coast garter snake eats principally slugs, and
The Santa Cruz aquatic garter snake eats preferentially minute fish and amphibian larvae.
While the findings of the ICZN have given the San Francisco garter snake unique taxonomic standing for now, a molecular study challenges the subspecific status of this population. Janzen [7] analyzed sequences in mitochondrial DNA to determine relationships within the common garter snake (T. sirtalis). Janzen found that molecular evidence differed, often sharply, with the territorial boundaries of subspecies named on phenotypic variation. He further deduced that local environmental forces were more significant in shaping the color patterns shown by the garter snakes than shared common ancestry, and concluded all morphologically based subspecies in the western U.S. to be subject to revision. This result strongly suggests that the color traits that are diagnostic for (T.s. tetrataenia) are the result of local selection rather than long-term isolation from other races of (T. sirtalis) in central California. On the other hand, the article places the three nearest populations of T. s. infernalis to T.s. tetrataenia in Sonoma County, Contra Costa County, and Santa Clara County into a separate group that exhibits an "elevated rate of molecular evolution". The authors suggest that sequencing nuclear DNA may provide a more precise analytical tool to crack some of the ultimate taxonomic quandaries of the San Francisco garter snake and its relatives.
Many of the factors that led to the listing of the San Francisco garter snake in 1967 continue to impact the organism. These environmental elements include loss of habitat from agricultural, commercial and urban development as well as collection by reptile fanciers and breeders. One of the largest populations of this species is located immediately west of the San Francisco International Airport and has been studied in relation to airport and airport infrastructure expansion plans. These studies have led to guidelines for land development and habitat mitigation to maximize the likelihood of species survival. Ironically, morphological data suggest that the airport population is made up of hybrid individuals. In September 2001, the accidental death of a single garter snake at the construction site delayed construction efforts 18 days and cost $1.07 million dollars.
Its from the internet not my info but interesting to know.
Pigmentation is an abnormal discoloration of the skin where dark brown patches are found. These patches were found because of the sunlight's rays, specifically UV rays. The main cause of skin pigmentation disorders is the overproduction of a pigment called melanin in the body. You can get rid of pigmentation with the help of laser treatment at Metamorphosis Clinic.
metamorphosis-clinic.com/all-skin-treatments/hyper-pigmen...
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Southern FL: This large male Eastern Mud Snake is Anerythristic, meaning it lacks the typical red pigmentation.
Leucistic Fur Seal pup, Right Whale Bay. Not an albino but a color morph (characterized by reduced pigmentation) that is fairly common on South Georgia Island. Many pixels were expended by our group on this pup as it interacted with adults and played with other pups on the snowing evening that we visited Right Whale Bay.
So, after the best part of five weeks doing little else than take photographs, I decided to spend Saturday painting the shed.
No I didn't, I went out orchiding.
Or did once we went to Tesco for the remainder of the shopping.
Another glorious warm day, that would be very good for photography,I thought.
Home for coffee and fruit for breakfast, before I packed my camera and headed to the Medway towns to meet up with two other people from my orchid group to hunt down some super rare orchids.
But then, they always are.
I drove up the A2/M2 to Chatham, turned off, and in a quiet residential area, I found Ian parked, so I pulled up behind him. Graham soon arrived too, and so we got out and set out down a narrow alleyway between the houses, into woodland behind.
Orchids are variable. Even the most common ones can produce spikes that are as rare as the rarest orchid species. And as all species can produce spikes with little or no pigmentation, they can also produce spikes with hyper-pigmentation.
Dactylorhiza fuchsii var. rhodochila, or a hyper-coloured Common Spotted Orchid. And in a colony where most spikes had strongly marked lips, there were four that really stood out, as the rings and dots had been covered by pigmantation, and the lips were a solid block of colour. I mean, I had seen shots of these, but to see them in person was something else.
We all took lots of shots, and then Graham said, I know of a colony of Lesser Butterfly orchids, would you like to see them?
We would.
The Lesser Butterfly at Barham have died out, and the ones at Stockbury seem to have had their flowers deliberately picked off this year, so another colony would be great to know about.
We drove in convoy for half an hour, met up in a pub car park, then drove in Graham's car to the end of a quiet, little used lane. A six-foot-sixer, Tony! And we set out on foot, a mile up the lane to a gate, where climbed over.
A car went by.
"What are you doing?"
We explained about the LBO and how rare they were and we knew they were in the wood. The gamekeeper knew about them too, and was happy to let us go, and if someone stopped us again, we could mention his name to say we had his blessing. We also said we would tell no one about the site.
We climbed over a fence into the wood, and shortly afterwards we saw the first of about twenty spikes, one measuring in at 68cm tall, and one that had a clear green colour to it.
We took shots of them all, though the humidity was getting to me, fogging the viewfinder and by glasses. Sometimes at the same time.
We walked back to the car, then droove back to the pub, so that we could go our separate ways. My plan was to head back to Dover, to call in at the council offices to see if the unusually marked Bee Orchid was showing.
It was, and had only just opened as the pollina had only just dropped and had not been visited by an insect yet.
I got shots, one of which came out rather well, even if i say so myself.
Then back home for a drink, then a bacon butty and a brew.
Phew, it was a scorcher.
I reviewed shots through the afternoon before we had Caprese again with the leftover bread from the day before.
Life was good.
We listened to Craig in the evening before heading up to bed at half eight.
Phew.
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The Common Spotted-orchid is one of the few species that are still thriving in Britain despite the ongoing environmental damage and habitat desctruction that has caused so many other orchids to decline. Its secret is an adaptability that enables it to colonise new areas. Few of us can have failed to spot the vast numbers of Dactylorhiza fuchsii on urban roadside verges and roundabouts - this orchid is living among us. It lives up to its common name on both counts: this orchid is indeed common, and its leaves are profusely marked with dark spots and blotches. Although best known from alkaline habitats such as fens, dune slacks, old quarries and lime pits, the Common Spotted-orchid is also tolerant of mildly acidic substrates and so can sometimes be found on heathland among heather. In Britain and Ireland this orchid flowers from mid May to the end of July. On mainland Europe the range of Common Spotted-orchid extends from Scandinavia in the north through central Europe and southwards to the Mediterranean.
Taxonomy & Hybrids
Pollination is highly successful, and a number of insects - particularly beetles - are attracted to the flowers' nectar.
The specific name 'fuchsii' refers to the German botanist Leonard Fuchs.
There is one subspecies found in Britain: Dactylorhiza fuchsii subsp. hebridensis which is found in Scotland, the Outer Hebrides and western Ireland.
There are a number of varieties and hybrids. Dactylorhiza fuchsii var. albiflora has unmarked white flowers and is fairly widespread. Dactylorhiza fuchsii var. alpina has small, darker flowers and is found in Scotland and parts of northern England; it has also been reported from Wales. Dactylorhiza fuchsii var. cornubiensis is a smaller plant with a relatively large infloresence and larger flowers; it is found in Cornwall. Dactylorhiza fuchsii var. albiflora has unmarked white flowers and unspotted leaves; it is widespread but uncommon. Dactylorhiza fuchsii var. okellyii is somewhat contentious: it resembles Dactylorhiza fuchsii var. albiflora but the leaves can be either spotted or unspotted; this variety is thought to be confined to western Ireland, the Isle of Man and parts of Scotland. Dactylorhiza fuchsii var. rhodochila is a widespread but rare hyperchromatic variant with excessive pigmentation; the lips of its flowers are reddish purple with a paler border, and the leaves can have either heavily marked or completely purple leaves.
There are also several hybrids. Dactylorhiza x transiens is the hybrid with Heath Spotted-orchid Dactylorhiza maculata. Dactylorhiza x kernerorum is the hybrid with Early Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza incarnata. Dactylorhiza x mixtum is a rare hybrid with the Frog Orchid Dactylorhiza viridis. Dactylorhiza x venusta is the hybrid with Northern Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella. Dactylorhiza x grandis is the hybrid with Southern Marsh-orchid and is widespread in southern Britain. Dactylorhiza x silvae-gabretae is the hybrid with Narrow-leaved Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza traunsteinerioides. Dactylorhiza x braunii is the hybrid with Irish Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza occidentalis and is recorded from County Clare.
There is also an intergeneric hybrid. X Dactylodenia st-quintinii is the hybrid with Fragrant Orchid Gymnadenia conopsea and possibly with Britain's other two Fragrant Orchids.
www.hardyorchidsociety.org.uk/hos%201012/orchidphotos/dac...
now they are older the pigmentation is beginning to appear. the father is unknown but i think the pink ones may be fawn and white spotted or they may just be white.
time will tell
there are still eight so they are doing well.
mumma mouse is a bit protective, i saw her bash up another mouse who was just minding its own business walking past.
not a good example for her children to follow.
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Ambas apresentam a síndrome de Waadenburg. Uma síndrome não tão rara e que é apresentada também em humanos.
A Síndrome de Waanderburg, descrita em 1951 pelo oftalmologista e geniticista holandês J.P. Waanderburg é uma condição autossômica dominante.
Os sinais clínicos são:
- deslocamento lateral do canto interno dos olhos,
- raiz nasal proeminente e alargada,
hiperplasia da porção medial dos supercílios,
- mecha branca frontal,
- heterocromia total ou parcial da íris (um olho azul outro escuro),
- surdez congênita.
Mais informações busque: Martins, C.H.F. et alli, Rev. Bras. de Otorrinolaringol. V69, n1, 117-9, jan - fev 2003.
disponível em:
www.scielo.br/pdf/rboto/v69n1/a19v69n1.pdf
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Waadenburg´s Syndrome, first described in 1951 by J.P. Waanderburg, is an autossomal dominant condition.
The clinical signis are lateral displacement of the inner canthi of the yees, confluent eyebrows, brad and proiminent nasal root, pigmentation changes of the irises and skin (one eye blue and another dark ), sensorineural deafness, white forelock or early graying of the hair.
For more information: Martins, C.H.F. et alli, Rev. Bras. de Otorrinolaringol. V69, n1, 117-9, jan - fev 2003.
or visit:
Please Note: If you are interested in going on a Whale Watching trip in the Monterey Bay, I highly recommend contacting Kate at:
www.blueoceanwhalewatch.com/index.html
Did You Know?
Males sing complex songs on wintering grounds in Hawaii, that can last up to 20 minutes and be heard 20 miles (30 km) away!
In the Pacific, humpbacks migrate seasonally from Alaska to Hawaii--they can complete the 3,000-mile (4,830 km) trip in as few as 36 days!
Species Description:
Weight:25-40 tons (50,000-80,000 pounds; 22,000-36,000 kg);
newborns weigh about 1 ton (2,000 pounds; 900 kg)
Length:Up to 60 feet (18 m), with females larger than males;
newborns are about 15 feet (4.5 m) long
Appearance: Primarily dark grey, with some areas of white
Lifespan:About 50 years
Diet:Tiny crustaceans (mostly krill), plankton, and small fish; they can consume up to 3,000 pounds (1360 kg) of food per day
Behavior:Breaching (jumping out of the water), or slapping the surface
Humpback whales are well known for their long pectoral fins, which can be up to 15 feet (4.6 m) in length. Their scientific name, Megaptera novaeangliae, means "big-winged New Englander" as the New England population was the one best known to Europeans. These long fins give them increased maneuverability; they can be used to slow down or even go backwards.
Similar to all baleen whales, adult females are larger than adult males, reaching lengths of up to 60 feet (18 m). Their body coloration is primarily dark grey, but individuals have a variable amount of white on their pectoral fins and belly. This variation is so distinctive that the pigmentation pattern on the undersides of their "flukes" is used to identify individual whales, similar to a human fingerprint.
Humpback whales are the favorite of whale watchers, as they frequently perform aerial displays, such as breaching (jumping out of the water), or slapping the surface with their pectoral fins, tails, or heads.
In the summer, humpbacks are found in high latitude feeding grounds, such as the Gulf of Maine in the Atlantic and Gulf of Alaska in the Pacific. In the winter, they migrate to calving grounds in subtropical or tropical waters, such as the Dominican Republic in the Atlantic and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific. The Arabian Sea humpback does not migrate, remaining in tropical waters all year.
Humpback whales travel great distances during their seasonal migration, the farthest migration of any mammal. The longest recorded migration was 5,160 miles (8,300 km); seven animals, including a calf, completed this trek from Costa Rica to Antarctica. One of the more closely studied routes is between Alaska and Hawaii, where humpbacks have been observed making the 3,000-mile (4,830 km) trip in as few as 36 days.
During the summer months, humpbacks spend the majority of their time feeding and building up fat stores (blubber) that they will live off of during the winter. Humpbacks filter feed on tiny crustaceans (mostly krill), plankton, and small fish and can consume up to 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg) of food per day. Several hunting methods involve using air bubbles to herd, corral, or disorient fish. One highly complex variant, called "bubble netting" is unique to humpbacks. This technique is often performed in groups with defined roles for distracting, scaring, and herding before whales lunge at prey corralled near the surface.
In their wintering grounds, humpback whales congregate and engage in mating activities. Humpbacks are generally polygynous "having multiple female mates" with males exhibiting competitive behavior on wintering grounds. Aggressive and antagonistic behaviors include chasing, vocal and bubble displays, horizontal tail thrashing, and rear body thrashing. Males within these groups also make physical contact, striking or surfacing on top of one another. These bouts can cause injuries ranging from bloody scrapes to, in one recorded instance, death. Also on wintering grounds, males sing complex songs that can last up to 20 minutes and be heard 20 miles (30 km) away. A male may sing for hours, repeating the song several times. All males in a population sing the same song, but that song continually evolves over time. Humpback whale singing has been studied for decades, but scientists still understand very little about its function.
Gestation lasts for about 11 months. Newborns are 13-16 feet (4-5 m) long and grow quickly from the highly nutritious milk of their mothers. Weaning occurs between 6-10 months after birth. Mothers are protective and affectionate towards their calves, swimming close and frequently touching them with their flippers. Males do not provide parental support for calves. Breeding usually occurs once every two years, but sometimes occurs twice in a three-year span.
Habitat
During migration, humpbacks stay near the surface of the ocean.
While feeding and calving, humpbacks prefer shallow waters. During calving, humpbacks are usually found in the warmest waters available at that latitude. Calving grounds are commonly near offshore reef systems, islands, or continental shores.
Humpback feeding grounds are in cold, productive coastal waters.
Distribution
Humpback whales live in all major oceans from the equator to sub-polar latitudes.
In the North Pacific, there are at least three separate populations:
California/Oregon/Washington stock that winters in coastal Central America and Mexico and migrates to areas ranging from the coast of California to southern British Columbia in summer/fall;
Central North Pacific stock that winters in the Hawaiian Islands and migrates to northern British Columbia/ Southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound west to Kodiak; and Western North Pacific stock that winters near Japan and probably migrates to waters west of the Kodiak Archipelago (the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands) in summer/fall. There is some mixing between these populations, though they are still considered distinct stocks.
Threats
Humpback whales face a series of threats including:
entanglement in fishing gear
Whale watch harassment
Habitat impacts
Harvest
Humpbacks can become entangled in fishing gear, either swimming off with the gear or becoming anchored. We have observed incidental "take" of humpback whales in the California/ Oregon swordfish and thresher shark drift gillnet fishery. Potential entanglement from gear from several fisheries can occur on their long migration from Hawaii to Alaska. Humpbacks in Hawaii have been observed entangled in long line gear, crab pots, and other non-fishery-related lines.
Inadvertent ship strikes can injure or kill humpbacks. Whale watching vessels may stress or even strike whales. The central North Pacific stock is the focus of a whale-watching industry on their wintering grounds in the Hawaiian Islands. The feeding aggregation in southeast Alaska is also the focus of a developing whale-watching industry that may impact whales in localized areas.
Shipping channels, fisheries, and aquaculture may occupy or destroy humpback whale aggregation areas. Recreational use of marine areas, including resort development and increased boat traffic, may displace whales that would normally use that area. In Hawaii, acoustic impacts from vessel operation, oceanographic research using active sonar, and military operations are also of increasing concern.
Source: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/whales/humpback-whal...