Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Iguana Facts

Iguana Facts There are over 30 species of iguanas which belong to the class Reptilia. Depending on the species, iguanas’ habitats range from swamps and lowlands to deserts and rainforests. Iguanas are organized into nine broader categories of species: the Galapagos marine iguanas, Fiji iguanas, Galapagos land iguanas, thorntail iguanas, spiny-tailed iguanas, rock iguanas, desert iguanas, green iguanas, and chuckwallas. Fast Facts Scientific Name: IguanidaeCommon Names: Common Iguana (for green iguana)Order: SquamataBasic Animal Group: ReptileSize: Up to 5 to 7 feet (green iguana) and as small as 5 to 39 inches (spiny-tailed iguana)Weight: Up to 30 pounds (blue iguana)Life Span: 4 to 40 years on average depending on speciesDiet: Fruits, flowers, leaves, insects, and snailsHabitat: Rainforests, lowlands, swamps, desertsPopulation: A small number of individuals to several hundred per hectare (green iguana)Conservation Status: Least Concern (green iguana), Endangered (Fiji iguanas), Critically Endangered (Fiji crested iguana)Fun Fact: Marine iguanas are excellent swimmers. Description Iguanas are cold-blooded, egg-laying animals and are some of the largest lizards found in the Americas. Their size, color, behavior, and unique adaptations vary depending on the species. Some, like the Fiji banded iguana, are bright green with white or light blue bands while others have dull colors.  Marine iguanas have black coloration to help warm their bodies after swimming in cold ocean waters. Iguana on a rock. Shikhei Goh / Getty Images The most abundant and well-known type of iguana is the green iguana (Iguana iguana). Their average size is 6.6 feet, and they weigh up to 11 pounds. Their green color helps camouflage them in undergrowth, and they have a row of spines on their body which function as defense. Habitat and Distribution Depending on the species, iguanas live in a variety of habitats including deserts, rocky regions, swamps, rainforests, and lowlands. Green iguanas are found throughout Mexico down to Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and southern Brazil. The iguana species inhabiting the Caribbean islands are collectively known as the rock iguanas. Desert iguanas are found in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, while two genera of marine iguanas inhabit the Galapagos Islands. Diet and Behavior Most iguana species are herbivores, eating young leaves, fruits, and flowers. Some eat insects like the wax worm, while marine iguanas dive into the ocean to harvest algae from plants. Some species house bacteria in their digestive systems which allow them to ferment the plant material they eat. Green iguanas are omnivores when they are young but shift to almost entirely herbivorous diets as adults. Young green iguanas eat mostly insects and snails and shift to eating fruits, flowers, and leaves as adults. They have sharp teeth that allow them to shred leaves. Green iguanas also live high in the tree canopy and inhabit higher altitudes as they grow older. Another interesting fact about iguanas is that they can detach their tails when in danger and regrow them later. Fiji crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) on Viti Levu Island, Fiji. It is critically endangered species of iguana found on some Fijian islands. Donyanedomam / Getty Images Reproduction and Offspring Iguanas generally reach the age of sexual maturity at 2 to 3 years and can lay anywhere from 5 to 40 eggs per clutch depending on the species. For green iguanas, males establish mating pairs with females during the rainy season and leave the tree tops to fertilize the eggs during the beginning of the dry season. Most iguana species dig a burrow in sunny areas to lay their eggs inside and cover them. The ideal temperature range for incubation of these eggs is between 77 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit. After 65 to 115 days, depending on the species, these young hatch at the same time. After digging out of their burrows, the newly hatched iguanas begin their lives on their own. Species Marine iguana feeding on an algae covered rock. Wildestanimal / Getty Images There are roughly 35 living species of iguanas. The most abundant species is the Common or Green iguana (Iguana iguana). Iguanas are grouped into 9 categories based on their habitats and adaptations: the Galapagos marine iguanas, Fiji iguanas, Galapagos land iguanas, thorntail iguanas, spiny-tailed iguanas, rock iguanas, desert iguanas, green iguanas, and chuckwallas. Threats The Fiji iguanas are an endangered species, with the Fiji crested iguana listed as critically endangered. The biggest factor in the decreasing numbers of Fiji iguanas are predation by feral cats (Felis catus) and the black rat (Rattus rattus) invasive species. Additionally, crested iguanas are critically endangered due to the rapid decrease in their habitat of dry healthy forests in the Fiji Islands. This habitat reduction is due to clearing, burning, and conversion of forests to farmlands. Conservation Status The green iguana is designated as least concern according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). All species of the Fiji iguanas group are designated as endangered according to the IUCN, with the Fiji crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) listed as critically endangered. Iguanas and Humans Green iguanas are the most common reptile pets in the U.S. However, because they are hard to care for, many of these pets die within the first year. In Central and South America, green iguanas are bred on farms and eaten by people. Their eggs are considered a delicacy, often referred to as the â€Å"chicken of the tree.† Sources Green Iguana. National Geographic, 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/g/green-iguana/.Green Iguana Facts And Information. Seaworld Parks Entertainment, 2019, https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/reptiles/green-iguana/.Harlow, P., Fisher, R. Grant, T. â€Å"Brachylophus vitiensis†. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2012, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/2965/2791620.Iguana. San Diego Zoo, 2019, https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/iguana.Iguana Species. Iguana Specialist Group, 2019, iucn-isg.org/species/iguana-species/.Lewis, Robert. Iguana. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/animal/iguana-lizard-grouping.

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Very Short History of Tanzania

A Very Short History of Tanzania It is believed that modern humans originate from the rift valley region of East Africa, and as well as fossilized hominid remains, archaeologists have uncovered Africas oldest human settlement in Tanzania. From around first Millennium CE the region was settled by Bantu speaking peoples who migrated from the west and north. The coastal port of Kilwa was established around 800 CE by Arab traders, and Persians similarly settled Pemba and Zanzibar. By 1200 CE the distinctive mix of Arabs, Persians and Africans had developed into Swahili culture. Vasco da Gama sailed up the coast in 1498, and the coastal zone soon fell under the control of Portuguese. By the early 1700s Zanzibar had become a center for the Omani Arab slave trade. In the mid 1880s, the German Carl Peters began exploring the region, and by 1891 the colony of German East Africa had been created. In 1890, following its campaign to end the slave trade in the region, Britain made Zanzibar a protectorate. German East Africa was made a British mandate after World War I, and renamed Tanganyika. The Tanganyika African National Union, TANU, came together to oppose British rule in 1954 they achieved internal self-government in 1958, and independence on 9 December 1961. TANUs leader Julius Nyerere became prime minister, and then, when a republic was proclaimed on 9 December 1962, he became president. Nyerere introduced ujamma, a form of African socialism based on cooperative agriculture. Zanzibar won independence on 10 December 1963 and on 26 April 1964 merged with Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanzania. During Nyereres rule, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Revolutionary State Party) was declared the only legal political party in Tanzania. Nyerere retired from the presidency in 1985, and in 1992 the consitution was amended to allow multi-party democracy.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Equal access to computing technology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Equal access to computing technology - Case Study Example But the sad fact is that majority of the people are deprived of this new opportunities. They either do not have physical access to ICTs or do not have the necessary skills to make use of it. To deal with digital divide, the two most important things we need to create are the following. Ensure physical access to ICTs for everybody Whether ICTs are a solution to digital Divide? ICTs may be introduced when they are helpful in meeting the basic requirements of the people. When majority of the world’s population are suffering from poverty and illiteracy, physical access to internet or broadband alone is meaningless to them. So first priority shall be given to satisfying the basic requirements of the people and ICT could be introduced when it could meet some of their requirements. More than simply having physical access, providing various ICT based services could raise the standard of life of poor and illiterate people. Provide education so that everyone could develop skills to live in a digitalized world Education is the most important means through which we can deal with digital divide. Students can learn necessary skills from schools. So children in all schools and colleges should be provided access to computers and broadband connection. Through education we can deal with two types of digital divide.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 14

American History - Essay Example New England and Chesapeake regions were highly settled by people of English origin prior to 1700. However, by 1700 the regions evolved into two distinct societies due to the diverse reasons that had forced the different societies to flee in the regions by 1700. Religion and economic were the two factors that had motivated the settlers in New England and Chesapeake regions. The settlers in New England had fled to the region for religious freedom from Britain due to the persecution of Protestants and Catholics after the Church of England deviated from Catholicism under Henry VIII. Thus, the reputation of the region for religion tolerance saw the region been settled by a majority of white English people fleeing from religious persecution in England. This implied that the settlers in New England were highly fleeing to the region for religious freedom. In contrast, the English settlers in Chesapeake were motivated by an economic factor due to the thriving tobacco industry, and mining indu stry. The two diverse reasons that prompted the English settlers in the two regions saw two distinct societies evolving by 1700. New England by 1700 was highly dominated by English whites Puritans, Catholics, and Quakers due to the religious freedom reputation. In contrast, the Chesapeake region was predominantly populated by the black slaves. The economic motivation of the Chesapeake settlers had seen the slavery industry growing to provide cheap labor that caused the high number of black slaves in the region.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

A Website Review on the American Cultural History 1960-1969 Webpage Essay Example for Free

A Website Review on the American Cultural History 1960-1969 Webpage Essay Kingwood College Librarys American Cultural History 1960-1969 webpage (http://kclibrary. nhmccd. edu/decade60. html) is a webpage dedicated to the dessemination of information regarding the 1960s. It dubs itself a web and library guide, and is hosted and managed by the Kingwood College Library, an educational organization in Kingwood, Texas. Its stated purpose is to â€Å"help the user gain a broad understanding and appreciation for the culture and history of the 1960s† (Goodwin, para. 2). The site itself is authored by Susan Goodwin. Unfortunately, no information in the site listed Ms. Goodwins credentials, and checking the Kingwood College Library for any information regarding the author proved futile as well. The webpage is primarily aimed for the general public, with information that is collected and compiled from different sources which are mostly official or scholarly in nature (some information, however, are linked from Wikipedia, a source generally not accepted by the academia). As such, the information can be considered valid and true, and is presented clearly and matter-of-factly, without any embellishments or personal views and opinions, and without any technical jargon that may confuse the lay reader. At the start of the page, the reader is immediately treated to a fact sheet of the decade, with hard facts about the population, the national debt, and the average salary, among others. Information is also placed in major categories, providing a coherent and easy to follow structure to the whole article. Since content is generally collected from the various sites off the internet and books, information and content ranges from the common to the not-so-common, but all are generally interesting and well-presented. Most of the major points are presented as links which redirect to another website discussing that particular subject matter. This is where most of the webpages problems lie, as a significant number of links (25, to be exact) are either broken or non-existing, redirecting the reader to the main site instead. One of the links even redirects to the wrong article. For an information-driven webpage run by an educational organization, such mistakes reflect poorly on the structure and management of the webpage itself. Another thing some people (especially researchers wanting complete information) might have an issue with is how the webpage cites its sources. After every category, the author lists the books which have more information on the subjects presented in that category. However, the author did not list the specifics of the book, ie. , date of publication, author, actual page information, etc. For a researcher who needs these information, this is a great omission on a website that considers itself a bibliographic essay. Also, the website design can be improved; as it is, it is presented in a simple and drab manner. Inspite of the faults stated above, the webpage gives enough historical information and data for any general aspect of popular culture in the stated era. And with how it is presented, via links and redirects, the reader can just connect on other links on the given website for more information about that particular subject matter. The webpages goal is to give out as much information as it can, in a concise and direct manner. In this regard, it has succeeded rather well. References Goodwin, S. (2006). American Cultural History 1960-1969. Retrieved December 20, 2007, from http://kclibrary. nhmccd. edu/decade60. html

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Hurricane Strikes - Original Writing Essay -- Papers

A Hurricane Strikes - Original Writing It was an ordinary Sunday morning. The rays of golden sunlight shone on the modest but lively village. The constant murmur of chatting filled the morning air. As children played and laughed, the men relaxed with their noses in their Sunday papers and the old ladies gathered to exchange the latest gossip. The huge trees looked protectively down on the village below and their leaves danced proudly in the breeze. In the distance, all the identical cottages had smoke rising from the chimneys. Outside one of these cottages, a tiny tanned sparrow skipped along the concrete path that led up to the welcoming front door. The cottage was set into the grassy bank and branches full with sycamore leaves stretched out from the woodland and occasionally tapped on the old-fashioned window panes. From a cloudless blue sky, the sunlight beamed down onto the cottage’s thatched roof, under which the swallows had happily secreted a nest for their squawking young. Surrounding the cottage was a crooked fence from which dirty-white paint was peeling. Above all the clattering and chattering of the children, the little old lady could be heard, as she shouted at the youngsters to get off the fence. The morning sun disappears as a monstrous, jet-black blanket of cloud suddenly appears; even the wicked and evil ravens hurry to escape the impending storm. The rain lashes down and the shrieking wind hurls itself against the helpless trees, constantly pounding them and quickly removing the remains of the once proud foliage. Everyone immediately senses disaster; suddenly panic-stricken. Screams, shouts and squeals brea... ...ls the boys off for sitting on her fence. The clouds begin to disperse and a frail beam of sunlight marks the boy’s way as he scrambles out of the hole and steps into the world to find an unimaginable sight of destruction. The blissful and cheerful world that he once knew was now just a heap of bricks, rubble and remains of people’s homes. His mind drifts to happier times, when the village was full of rowdy children and the air was filled with constant chit-chat; when there was an essence of life rather than destruction! The boy looks for the fence expecting to see his brother but, to his shock, the fence is amongst the pile of rubble, along with the rest of the town. There, on top of all the ruins he sees a once adored doll. Her sad and lonely marble eyes gazing straight up into the clear, blue sky. Waiting...

Monday, November 11, 2019

High School and Younger Girls Essay

I chose to write this paper on bullying and its effect on school. In my middle school years, after I had moved here from Alaska, I was bullied a lot because I was new to the school and it was such a small town. It had effects on me that still affect me today. For example, if someone says my name or taps me on the back I don’t turn around because when I was younger girls would do that to me and then laugh at me. I feel bullying is a serious subject and that’s why I chose to look further in to it. The article I chose to do was Bullying in School: The Traumatic Effects of Bullying on Children by Dr. Terry Ehiorobo. The beginning of his article starts off by explaining how bullying has gotten out of hand and what is being done about it. For example, a child getting bullied ended up suing his school because on one was doing anything to stop the bullying, and he even won. In his article he explains different types of bullying situations using certain examples. Dr. Ehiorobo says in his article, â€Å"The world of bullying has a life of its own. It takes no prisoners and its effects can be long lasting and endemic in some cases.† Bullying is a very serious issue in today’s society and I’m glad something is being done to put a spotlight on it. If a stop is put to bullying kids will do better in school, therefor having a better effect on the rest of their lives. Works Cited Ehiorobo, Terry Dr. â€Å"Bullying in School: The Traumatic Effects of Bullying on Children.† CPI. n.p. 25 September 2013. Web March 2012. http://www.crisisprevention.com/Resources/Article-Library/Nonviolent-Crisis-Intervention-Training-Articles/Traumatic-Effects-of-Bullying-Children