electric eel

name: electric eel

Scientific name: Electrophorus electricus

More information: 

Electric eels can be found in the waters of South America. They are carnivorous fish that has the ability to generate a 500 volt electric shock through around 7m of still water.

Electric eel's life span in the wild is around 15 years. These solitary fishes can measure up to 2.5 m and weigh 22 kg. 

They feed on fishes and insects but death by humans by these animals are exremely rare :) 


Their conservation status : Least concern






IMAGE CREDITS:www.deviantart.com

Skunks

name: Skunk

Scientific name: Mephitidae

More information:

What are skunks known for? The stench they emit !

EWW

These mammals has an ability of spraying a liquid with a strong odour. It can be found around the North America region, and they can be quite a pest.

Skunks are omnivorous and eats mostly insects, but also birds, small mammals and plants.

Skunks can spray their stinky liquid up to around 3m! So you might never want to provoke one. Its average lifespan in the wild is 3 years.


Their conservation status : Least concern













image credits:www.northrup.org

Giant Clam

name: Giant clam

scientific name: Tridacna gigas

More information:

The giant clam is an enormous shell fish and the largest and heaviest species of mollusc. It can weigh up to 300 kg and can grow in length up to 1.3m!

Its average lifespan in the wild is , at least, a 100 years. Once it settles somewhere, it stays there for life.

Giant clams are omnivorous, and they feed on planktons, and algae that grows on it.

Currently, giant clams are under the Vulnerable classification in the IUCN Red List. This is due to fishing it for its meat and to supply the aquarium trade.

Where can you find giant clams then? Well, they live in warm tropical waters , such as those in the shallow waters in the Pacific Ocean.

image credits:weknowwearecute.undebug.org

Video credits:National Geographic

Resources: Google, ARKive. A-Zanimals

Vultures

name: Vulture

scientific name:  Cathartes aura

More information:

The vulture is a carnivorous bird that are scavenging. They have bald heads and weak claws and feed on carcasses of dead animals. They can eat carcasses at any point in the process of decaying.

There are 20 species of vulture. They weigh up to 12 kg and their life span in captivity is about 30 years!

King vultures are found from Mexico south to Argentina.

Some species of vultures are endangered, though. This is due to some drug in carcasses which they consume, killing them too. This is why its numbers are dwindling :(


image creds:www.chicagowilderness.org

Gila Monster

a gila monster

name: Gila monster

Scientific name: Heloderma suspectum

more facts:


1. Gila is pronounced as hee-luh

2. The gila monster is one of the worlds poisonous lizards.

3. It measures up to 60 cm

4. It weighs over 2 kg.

5. They can be found it Southwestern United States and Northwestern mexico.

6. Gila monsters are more likely to use their venom on its predator than its prey.

7. They mostly feed on newborn mammals.

8. They are able to go from months to years between meals.

9. They can live for 20-30 years in the wild.



image credits:www.asu.edu

The mimic octopus

Name: mimic octopus

Scientific name: Thaumoctopus mimicus

More information:

The mimic octopus is special. Why ?  It can impersonate other sea creatures!

a mimic octopus 

The mimic octopus was discovered in Indonesia in the 1990s. Though it was thought to be found only in Indonesia, the mimic octopus was also spotted at the Great Barrier Reef .

So what can this octopus change its body shape and its appearance to be? Well it can imitate a lion fish, which is poisonous, a sea snake, a flat fish and a jelly fish !

So here is a video from YouTube to help you understand better.

video credits: FullKanal

Image credits:blogs.scientificamerican.com

Resources: Wikipedia,Google

Mother Earth and Animals

Many people round the world
Take animals for granted

Hunt them, shoot them , kill them, eat them,
not one thought about their numbers.

People never realise how they have a heart too
How they have feelings
How they can feel pain
How they hurt.

Greed overcomes us.
We forget about nature
We forget about Mother Earth.

All that's in our mind is the money
The new leather handbag
The exclusive boots.

But while doing all these,
we forget the most important things

That we are indirectly killing Mother Earth
That we ourselves are animals
That we will ruin our home