3 Questions that I've been asked: WEEK ONE

Why is the scientific name for the Red Kite Milvus Milvus?
Because the person who named the Genus (Milvus) also named the bird.

Why do snails and slugs leave a trail?
Because if they didn't, they might injure themselves. The trail (Or slime) creates a track for the snail to slide on.

What causes the Dawn Chorus?
Well, It's just natural. Some say it is that in warmer countries this is most likely in spring when the male birds are either defending a breeding territory or trying to attract a mate.

Did you know? Birds perching higher in the trees and birds with larger eyes tend to pipe up first.

Enjoy that? Well, if you did, cool. And the comments are always open for questions.

Bye!

-UrbanJungle

The Humble Bumble Bees- Do we really need them?

Almost everybody knows what a Honey Bee is- buzzing around the garden or park, helping the world go round. Now picture a world without them.

Some would think of a desolate, starving world. Others imagine life going on, just with less of some of our favourite fruits. But what would really happen? I'm going to ask some websites.

"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."          -Albert Einstein

            

(Opinion 1) "Bumblebee Conservation Trust says: 
Bumblebees help pollinate many wildflowers, allowing them to reproduce. Without this pollination many of these plants would not produce seeds, resulting in declines in wildflowers. As these plants are often the basis of complex food chains, it is easy to imagine how other wildlife such as other insects, birds and mammals would all suffer if bees disappeared."

(Opinion 2) But Quora user @Akshay Singh Jamal says: 
"No.
There are an estimated 20,000 species of bees worldwide.
Honey bees comprise only a handful. Off the top of my head, the few  species that I can name excluding subpecies and hybrids are Apis  mellifera (the most common bee used by beekeepers), Apis cerana, Apis  dorsata and Apis florea. The notion  that we'd have an apocalypse due to the disappearance of a few species  is a little silly. What is concerning, however, is that pollinators in general are declining worldwide."

Who do you agree with? (Personally,I agree with opinion 2.) Or do you have another idea? The suggestion box (Comment section) Is now open. I'll also put a poll up.

See Ya!

-UrbanJungle

Rhinos- What is happening to them?

One of the most endangered type of animal is the Rhino. But why are they so endangered?
Here are some reasons: 

Poaching for their horns, but why?

• Medicine
• Dagger handles*
• Cups
• Buttons
• Belt buckles
• Paperweights
• And even hairpins!

Makes sense, right?

Anyway- that's it for now. sorry for not posting as much recently.

See ya! 

-UrbanJungle

*The material, whose luster increases with age, is used for the handles of curved daggers called “jambiya,” which are presented to Yemeni boys at age 12.

Book Review: Encyclopaedia Prehistorica

So this week, I'm doing something different. 'But Wait' I hear you cry 'This is your 7th post!' Well, I'm going to do a book review for a great book, called Encyclopaedia Prehistorica!


When you open the book, the first thing you notice is: Pop-ups. Normally, pop-ups remind me of those little kiddy books you read when you're 4. But in the Encyclopaedia Prehistorica, that isn't the case. With over 50 pop-ups (all about dinosaurs!) and vibrant illustrations, it's unlikely you'll forget about it any time soon. But it's very informative, too!

Let me copy a passage from it: 

The front cover and a page on
long-necked giants

"Long Necked Giants
The undisputed heavyweight champions on land, sauropods (SAWR-uh-podz) needed hundreds of pounds of food each day to maintain their immense bulk. For sauropods, a forest of pine trees was an all-you-can-eat buffet, and their long, graceful necks made it easy to munch without taking a step!"

See? Imformative. Anyway, I need to round this off now, but I rate this book 9.5/10, (0.5 off for slight inconvenience closing, with sticking out pop-ups) How about you? Have you read it yet? Tell me in the comments below!

Bye for now!

-UrbanJungle

Fun Stuff

This Weeks' Fun Thing:

Endangered Animals!

E O N Q O U N K C R G O B Z B Y N R I V E R D O L P H I N E E G C I W H I T E R H I N O S P T P T N D O K X T L R D D R M B E N G A L T I G E R X F V D B U M B L E B E E O B W S U F N A E R Y I I X C R D H R T A F R I C A N E L E P H A N T K C F D D G C P T C Z R L I U R X Q E U Y T N F D Y M L F H R A X P P U E W M P G Z D F N I N U Q Z W V H G J D Y T U E S E A T U R T L E S Z J X P S A D N A P T N A I G Y N N G H G P V W A C A M E U L B B S B

AFRICAN ELEPHANT  BENGAL TIGER  BLUE MACAW  BUMBLE BEE    GIANT PANDA  PUFFIN  RIVER DOLPHIN        SEA TURTLE  WHITE RHINO

Fossil Find!

Ok, So recently I went to the Jurassic Bay in Dorset to try and find some interesting things. To cut a long story short, I found them.

But definitely the most interesting? Fossilized Poo. Yes, you heard me right. Dinosaur poop. I spoke to an expert at a fossil fair after, and they even confirmed my find as a Coprolite (say Cop-Rul-Ite)(Fossilized Dung) Containing Iron Pyrite. Anyway, the Coprolite was found in some Shale cliffs, along with a lot of dust and half an Ammonite, which just about proved they are awesome for finding stuff in. Anyway, less about me and more about this poop! (You don't have to read if you don't want to)

Coprolites are kind of wrinkly and brown, usually ranging in size from 6mm to 5m long.

Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behavior -in this case, it's the creature's diet- rather than Morphology (basically the form and structure of an animal). There's also Paleofeces and Urolites, But they are both different things.The fossil hunter Mary Anning had noticed that "bezoar stones" were often found in the abdominal region of ichthyosaur skeletons found in the Lias formation at Lyme Regis (a place for yet more fossil hunting. Highly recommended) She also noted that if such stones were broken open they often contained fossilized fish bones and scales as well as sometimes bones from smaller ichthyosaurs. 

Well, hope you enjoyed. I will post pictures when I can. Also, I rate this find 4.5/5, What about you?

(Thanks Wikipedia for telling me more about them.) 

Feed the Fish!

Have you seen the new footer yet? It's called Feed the Fish, and It's INTERACTIVE!