ancient wallpaper

Sunday, December 26, 2010

snakes pictures

Friday, December 24, 2010

cassowary birds world most dangerous birds

The cassowary (genus Casuarius) is a very large flightless bird native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia.[2]

The Southern Cassowary is the third tallest and second heaviest living bird, smaller only than the ostrich and emu.

Cassowaries feed mainly on fruits, though all species are truly omnivorous and will take a range of other plant food including shoots, grass seeds, and fungi in addition to invertebrates and small vertebrates.

Cassowaries are very shy, but when disturbed, they are capable of inflicting serious injuries to dogs and children

cassowary birds

cassowary birds
Cassowaries (from the Malay name kesuari)[3] are part of the ratite group, which also includes the Emu, rheas, ostriches, and kiwis, and the extinct moas and elephant birds. There are three extant species recognized today and one extinct:

Casuarius casuarius, Southern Cassowary or Double-wattled Cassowary, found in southern New Guinea, northeastern Australia, and the Aru Islands,[2] mainly in lowlands.
Casuarius bennetti, Dwarf Cassowary or Bennett's Cassowary, found in New Guinea, New Britain, and on Yapen,[2] mainly in highlands.
Casuarius unappendiculatus, Northern Cassowary or Single-wattled Cassowary, found in the northern and western New Guinea, and Yapen,[2][4] mainly in lowlands.
Casuarius lydekki Extinct[1]
Presently, most authorities consider the above monotypic, but several subspecies have been described of each (some have even been suggested as separate species, e.g., C. (b) papuanus).[4] It has proven very difficult to confirm the validity of these due to individual variations, age-related variations, the relatively few available specimens (and the bright skin of the head and neck–the basis of which several subspecies have been described–fades in specimens), and that locals are known to have traded live cassowaries for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, some of which are likely to have escaped or deliberately introduced to regions away from their origin.[4]

cassowary birds

cassowary birdsThe Northern and Dwarf Cassowaries are not well known. All cassowaries are usually shy birds of the deep forest, adept at disappearing long before a human knows they are there. Even the more accessible Southern Cassowary of the far north Queensland rain forests is not well understood.

Females are bigger and more brightly coloured. Adult Southern Cassowaries are 1.5 to 1.8 metres (59–71 in) tall, although some females may reach 2 metres (79 in),[5] and weigh 58.5 kilograms (129 lb).[6]
All cassowaries have feathers that consist of a shaft and loose barbules. They do not have retrices (tail feathers) or a preen gland. Cassowaries have small wings with 5-6 large remeges. These are reduced to stiff, keratinous quills, like porcupine quills, with no barbs.[6] A claw is on each second finger.[7] The furcula and coracoid are degenerate, and their palatal bones and sphenoid bones touch each other.[8] These, along with their wedge-shaped body, are thought to be adaptations to ward off vines, thorns and saw-edged leaves, allowing them to run quickly through the rainforest.[

cassowary birds

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

tiger snakes pictures

Sunday, December 19, 2010

dangerous animals

Which animals kill the most people in the wild?
by Debra Ronca

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Ronca, Debra. "Which animals kill the most people in the wild?" 15 December 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. 19 December 2010.
Inside this Article
Which animals kill the most people in the wild?
The Most Deadly Animals: Mosquitoes
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Sources

"A-Z Animal Directory." National Geographic. 2008. (Dec. 4, 2008)
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/a-to-z
Bailey, Ronald. "North America's Most Dangerous Mammal." Reason Online. Nov. 21, 2001. (Dec. 4, 2008)
http://www.reason.com/news/show/34914.html
"Bear Attack Statistics for USA & Canada." Black Bear Heaven. 2008. (Dec. 4, 2008)
http://www.blackbearheaven.com/bear-attack-statistics.htm
"CDC Activities." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jun. 2, 2006. (Dec. 4, 2008)
http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/cdcactivities/index.htm
"Dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever." World Health Organization. May 2008. (Dec. 4, 2008)
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en/
"Destinations." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nov. 5, 2008. (Dec. 4, 2008)
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationList.aspx
"Eradication of Malaria in the United States (1947-1951). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. April 23, 2004. (Dec. 4, 2008)
http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/history/eradication_us.htm
"Hippopotamus." Destination Kruger Park. 2008. (Dec. 4, 2008)
http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa-hippopotamus.html
"Hippopotamus." How Stuff Works. April 23, 2008. (Dec. 4, 2008)
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/hippopotamus-info.htm
Long, Dr. Douglas. "The Great White Shark." University of California Museum of Paleontology. 2008. (Dec. 4, 2008)

dangerous animals

Saturday, December 18, 2010

sun bears pictures

sun bears

Monday, December 13, 2010

devils flowers mantis

Flower Mantis is a common name given to various species of praying mantis that mimic flowers including:

Acromantis formosana (Taiwan flower mantis[1])
Blepharopsis mendica (devil's flower mantis[2], Egyptian flower mantis [3])
Chloroharpax modesta (Nigerian flower mantis [4] )
Creobroter gemmatus (jewelled flower mantis [5][6])
Creobroter pictipennis (Indian flower mantis [5][6])
Idolomantis diabolica (giant devil's flower mantis [7])
Pseudoharpax Virescens (Gambian spotted-eye flower mantis [8])
Theopropus elegans (banded flower mantis[2][9])

devils flowers mantis