Results tagged “terra” from HAWT action [hot ak-shuhn]
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and
embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there.
"Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you
probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to
fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover the cheetah.
When I launched this blog a year ago, there were a few posts I knew I had coming, and this post was at the top of the list. You could say the entire Terra series was created so I could write this post. The amazing cheetah. This animal is evolution perfected, and it makes me giddy. It's the perfect way to continue our week's celebration of HAWT's Anniversary.
In order to become the fastest in the world, the cheetah dumped all non-essential parts. They don't even have room for extra muscle. I mean, look at them! An adult male only weighs up to 65 kg (140 lbs). Place a cheetah next to its not-friendly neighbor, the lion, and they don't look like the same species. Male lions grow to over 245 kg (540 lbs). Every additional pound the cheetah has is an additional pound they have to carry to -- and maintain at -- their sprinting speed of 120km/hr (75 m/hr). If there is a muscle in its body, you can be sure it makes them run faster. Nothing else.
Because of that, they are very weak and only have one sure-fire way to kill prey. Their favorite food is the Thompson's gazelle, also one of the fastest land animals in the world, getting over 80 km/hr (50 m/hr). (Oh, evolution, how great you are.) To hunt a gazelle, the cheetah chases it down (not that much of a problem if within a certain distance) and takes a swipe at the prey’s rump to knock them off balance. As the gazelle flips around in the desert dirt, the cheetah finds the wind pipe and bites on it to suffocate the animal. That's the only way they kill. They can't break its neck or disembowel it, like lions and wild dogs do, respectfully. They can only use that small mouth and teeth to halt windpipe flow and wait for the animal to fall into death.
When I launched this blog a year ago, there were a few posts I knew I had coming, and this post was at the top of the list. You could say the entire Terra series was created so I could write this post. The amazing cheetah. This animal is evolution perfected, and it makes me giddy. It's the perfect way to continue our week's celebration of HAWT's Anniversary. In order to become the fastest in the world, the cheetah dumped all non-essential parts. They don't even have room for extra muscle. I mean, look at them! An adult male only weighs up to 65 kg (140 lbs). Place a cheetah next to its not-friendly neighbor, the lion, and they don't look like the same species. Male lions grow to over 245 kg (540 lbs). Every additional pound the cheetah has is an additional pound they have to carry to -- and maintain at -- their sprinting speed of 120km/hr (75 m/hr). If there is a muscle in its body, you can be sure it makes them run faster. Nothing else.
Because of that, they are very weak and only have one sure-fire way to kill prey. Their favorite food is the Thompson's gazelle, also one of the fastest land animals in the world, getting over 80 km/hr (50 m/hr). (Oh, evolution, how great you are.) To hunt a gazelle, the cheetah chases it down (not that much of a problem if within a certain distance) and takes a swipe at the prey’s rump to knock them off balance. As the gazelle flips around in the desert dirt, the cheetah finds the wind pipe and bites on it to suffocate the animal. That's the only way they kill. They can't break its neck or disembowel it, like lions and wild dogs do, respectfully. They can only use that small mouth and teeth to halt windpipe flow and wait for the animal to fall into death.
Continue reading Terra: Cheetah.
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and
embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there.
"Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you
probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to
fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover the albatross.
Now, now. You've seen terra posts about animals like nudibranch, kangaroo, polar bear, giraffe, sea otter, chameleon, platypus and spider silk. Why would HAWT take Terra to the albatross? How can they really be on the same list as these sassy animals?
Yeah. We can. I'm gonna blow your mind.
Lets start with something simple, eh? What about their wingspan. It's the largest in the world. Your guess? 1 meter long? 2 meters? 6 feet? 8 feet? Hahah. Peanuts. The largest albatross has got an amazing 3.5 meter wingspan. (11.5 feet for the non-metric-minded.) Stick that in your brain. Their wings are wider than a basketball hoop is tall. And yet, their wings are only 15-23 centimeters (6-9 inches) wide.
Oh, there's more in this video-heavy Terra post.
Now, now. You've seen terra posts about animals like nudibranch, kangaroo, polar bear, giraffe, sea otter, chameleon, platypus and spider silk. Why would HAWT take Terra to the albatross? How can they really be on the same list as these sassy animals?Yeah. We can. I'm gonna blow your mind.
Lets start with something simple, eh? What about their wingspan. It's the largest in the world. Your guess? 1 meter long? 2 meters? 6 feet? 8 feet? Hahah. Peanuts. The largest albatross has got an amazing 3.5 meter wingspan. (11.5 feet for the non-metric-minded.) Stick that in your brain. Their wings are wider than a basketball hoop is tall. And yet, their wings are only 15-23 centimeters (6-9 inches) wide.
Oh, there's more in this video-heavy Terra post.
Continue reading Terra: Albatross.
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and
embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there.
"Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you
probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to
fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover the mosquito.
Few animals have a globe presence. Insects have been quite adept. Ants? Check. Beetles? Hella check. Mosquitoes? Check. Though they prefer the warmer climates of the tropics, mosquitoes haven't been deterred from traveling the planet and evolving into 3,000 species over the past 30 million years. (To put that in perspective, there are about 5,400 mammal species over the past 125 million years.)
Some see an insect that leaves us itching. Some see the most deadly disease vector in the history of the planet. I see it as an animal tuned perfectly for its survival.
Few animals have a globe presence. Insects have been quite adept. Ants? Check. Beetles? Hella check. Mosquitoes? Check. Though they prefer the warmer climates of the tropics, mosquitoes haven't been deterred from traveling the planet and evolving into 3,000 species over the past 30 million years. (To put that in perspective, there are about 5,400 mammal species over the past 125 million years.)Some see an insect that leaves us itching. Some see the most deadly disease vector in the history of the planet. I see it as an animal tuned perfectly for its survival.
Continue reading Terra: Mosquito.
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and
embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there.
"Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you
probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to
fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover the platypus.
The platypus (duckbill platypus) is a living piece of history. Back in the day, eggs were the standard baby-delivery system, even for mammals. Now I haven't known a dog or human to lay an egg in a whiiiiiile, so it seems like we've moved on, but the platypus? Pas d'evolution, as the French say. Their DNA shows how they are stuck as a pre-historic mix of everything. (Platypus Genes? They Reflect Platypus Appearance. Surprise!)
One look at the animal, and you see what a hodgepodge it is. It's hairy. It spends time in water (semi-aquatic). It has a duck bill and a beaver's tail. We could just throw details and characteristics to you, but it'd be like drinking from a fire hose. What we need is order to ease consumption. No other Terra post has contained such content. So, we'll start at the bottom and move our way up to the top. First step, the beaver tail that's wandered onto the platypus.
The platypus (duckbill platypus) is a living piece of history. Back in the day, eggs were the standard baby-delivery system, even for mammals. Now I haven't known a dog or human to lay an egg in a whiiiiiile, so it seems like we've moved on, but the platypus? Pas d'evolution, as the French say. Their DNA shows how they are stuck as a pre-historic mix of everything. (Platypus Genes? They Reflect Platypus Appearance. Surprise!)One look at the animal, and you see what a hodgepodge it is. It's hairy. It spends time in water (semi-aquatic). It has a duck bill and a beaver's tail. We could just throw details and characteristics to you, but it'd be like drinking from a fire hose. What we need is order to ease consumption. No other Terra post has contained such content. So, we'll start at the bottom and move our way up to the top. First step, the beaver tail that's wandered onto the platypus.
Continue reading Terra: Platypus.
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and
embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there.
"Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you
probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to
fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover spider silk.
Spider silk. Gossamer. It's one of nature's marvels that lab-coats
have mesmerized over since they found out what, exactly, it is.
In fact, it would be considered one of the pinnacles of scientific
duplicated it in a lab. What it is? Why is it so interesting? What's
the potential? Anybody out there?
Spider silk. Gossamer. It's one of nature's marvels that lab-coats
have mesmerized over since they found out what, exactly, it is.
In fact, it would be considered one of the pinnacles of scientific
duplicated it in a lab. What it is? Why is it so interesting? What's
the potential? Anybody out there?
Continue reading Terra: Spider Silk.
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and
embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there.
"Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you
probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to
fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover the nudibranch.
Nudibranch. Latin for nudis (naked). Greek for brankhia (gills). The name is accurate because they breathe with organs on their backs that act as external gills.
Essentially, they are aquatic snails without a shell. They are poisonous, armed with stinging cells and toxic secretions. Most announce their poisonous capabilities with their strong colors. Some make their own poison, but some take them from the animals they eat. Yeah, they are carnivores. So, they slime across the ocean floor to find food; if they eat a poisonous sponge, they store the poison and excrete it from their skin. They'll even eat other nudibranchs. These bad boys/girls cannibals are found at all depths of the ocean. I say boys/girl because nudibranchs are hermaphroditic, so they have male and female reproductive organs. (They rarely impregnate themselves.) They vary in size from 1 to 24 inches (2 to 60cm) in length. There are over 3,000 species of these guys/girls.
Nudibranch. Latin for nudis (naked). Greek for brankhia (gills). The name is accurate because they breathe with organs on their backs that act as external gills. Essentially, they are aquatic snails without a shell. They are poisonous, armed with stinging cells and toxic secretions. Most announce their poisonous capabilities with their strong colors. Some make their own poison, but some take them from the animals they eat. Yeah, they are carnivores. So, they slime across the ocean floor to find food; if they eat a poisonous sponge, they store the poison and excrete it from their skin. They'll even eat other nudibranchs. These bad boys/girls cannibals are found at all depths of the ocean. I say boys/girl because nudibranchs are hermaphroditic, so they have male and female reproductive organs. (They rarely impregnate themselves.) They vary in size from 1 to 24 inches (2 to 60cm) in length. There are over 3,000 species of these guys/girls.
Continue reading Terra: Nudibranchs.
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and
embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there.
"Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you
probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to
fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover the kangaroo.
We pretty much know that they jump, they box and they carry their lazy-arse kids around in a pouch. For an animal that size (the Red species can get over 6 feet tall and 200 lbs) to brave the heat and dryness of the outback, it's got to be finely adapted. (Did I mention it's hot and dry there?)
Let's start off with a doozey: female kangaroos are continuously pregnant and can start "developing" the fertilized egg whenever they want. Wow. So, a joey (baby) sits in the pouch for nine months before it even starts leaving, then it spends another nine jumping in and out. All the while, the mother is pregnant, freezing the development of the embryo. Once the baby's starts jumping out, the mother (given the right environmental conditions, too... like it has just rained), can let the egg start developing. I can't do that.
We pretty much know that they jump, they box and they carry their lazy-arse kids around in a pouch. For an animal that size (the Red species can get over 6 feet tall and 200 lbs) to brave the heat and dryness of the outback, it's got to be finely adapted. (Did I mention it's hot and dry there?)Let's start off with a doozey: female kangaroos are continuously pregnant and can start "developing" the fertilized egg whenever they want. Wow. So, a joey (baby) sits in the pouch for nine months before it even starts leaving, then it spends another nine jumping in and out. All the while, the mother is pregnant, freezing the development of the embryo. Once the baby's starts jumping out, the mother (given the right environmental conditions, too... like it has just rained), can let the egg start developing. I can't do that.
Continue reading Terra: Kangaroo.
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and
embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there.
"Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you
probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to
fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover the polar bear.
Let's get this out of the way: Polar bears look white because snow sticks to their fur, and they have nails on their paws that fuse together in the shape of blades so they can ice skate across the Antarctic. Got the giggles out of the way? Good. Now let's deal with facts, like we do on HAWTaction.
The polar bear is the largest land carnivore on the planet. The male can weigh in up to 1,500 lbs and be up to 10 feet long... which is insanely huge. Like anything other animal that lives in a cold environment, the bear has short limbs, ears and tail to minimize heat loss. (Think seals and penguins.) Their feet, though, are another issue. They are giant, so big, I included a photo to give some perspective.
Let's get this out of the way: Polar bears look white because snow sticks to their fur, and they have nails on their paws that fuse together in the shape of blades so they can ice skate across the Antarctic. Got the giggles out of the way? Good. Now let's deal with facts, like we do on HAWTaction.The polar bear is the largest land carnivore on the planet. The male can weigh in up to 1,500 lbs and be up to 10 feet long... which is insanely huge. Like anything other animal that lives in a cold environment, the bear has short limbs, ears and tail to minimize heat loss. (Think seals and penguins.) Their feet, though, are another issue. They are giant, so big, I included a photo to give some perspective.
Continue reading Terra: Polar Bear.
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and
embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there.
"Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you
probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to
fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover the sea otter.
My introduction to the sea otter was a boat tour of Monterey, CA, and I don't think I've forgotten one stat, even though it was over a decade ago. Thems is some amazing animals. For starters, it's cold in the Pacific and sea otters are smaller than, say, a humpback whale. In fact, they have no blubber to use as insulation. Not an ounce. To stay warm, they have the most dense hair in the animal kingdom with over 2.5 million hairs per square inch (humans average 100,000 on their entire head). Their hair grows in two lengths, and otters continually "groom" their hair so a pocket of air is locked between the two. Not only does that insulate the otters from the cold water, but it makes them extremely buoyant. The only part of their bodies without hair is their hands that they usually hold up (when floating on their backs) so the sun can warm them. They also lock hands, like in the photo above, to push the boundaries of cuteness and make sure they don't float off into the ocean.
My introduction to the sea otter was a boat tour of Monterey, CA, and I don't think I've forgotten one stat, even though it was over a decade ago. Thems is some amazing animals. For starters, it's cold in the Pacific and sea otters are smaller than, say, a humpback whale. In fact, they have no blubber to use as insulation. Not an ounce. To stay warm, they have the most dense hair in the animal kingdom with over 2.5 million hairs per square inch (humans average 100,000 on their entire head). Their hair grows in two lengths, and otters continually "groom" their hair so a pocket of air is locked between the two. Not only does that insulate the otters from the cold water, but it makes them extremely buoyant. The only part of their bodies without hair is their hands that they usually hold up (when floating on their backs) so the sun can warm them. They also lock hands, like in the photo above, to push the boundaries of cuteness and make sure they don't float off into the ocean.
Continue reading Terra: Sea Otter.
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and
embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there.
"Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you
probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to
fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover the chameleon.
Now is when I crush your impression that chameleons can change their color to match their surroundings, Bugs Bunny style. They can't. Impressions? Crushed. What happens is that they have evolved, like any other natural camouflage, to blend with their surroundings. When they change colors, they do it for communication and to express emotion. Not all of the 89 species of chameleon have the ability to change colors.
Now is when I crush your impression that chameleons can change their color to match their surroundings, Bugs Bunny style. They can't. Impressions? Crushed. What happens is that they have evolved, like any other natural camouflage, to blend with their surroundings. When they change colors, they do it for communication and to express emotion. Not all of the 89 species of chameleon have the ability to change colors.
Continue reading Terra: Chameleon.
Sometimes it's important to step back from the achievements and embarrassments of man to remind there's a sassy world out there. "Terra" posts will embrace that concept and highlight something you probably don't know about the planet's eco-systems, from weather to fauna and flora. Today, I'm going to cover the giraffe.
Those are some baby giraffes I'll start off by pointing out that giraffes fall 6 feet when they are born, only to land in a cushy pillow.... I mean on the earth. That fall is a way crappy way to meet the world, but it's what starts their breathing.
Those are some baby giraffes I'll start off by pointing out that giraffes fall 6 feet when they are born, only to land in a cushy pillow.... I mean on the earth. That fall is a way crappy way to meet the world, but it's what starts their breathing.
Continue reading Terra: Giraffe.
