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Where can we find the perentie, the fastest reptile?

Generally considered the fastest recorded reptile, the perentie, is most commonly found in Australia. It is Australia’s largest lizard, and grows to over 2.5 metres in length. It has a long neck with a stout and robust body, and has a long, tapering tail as well. Perenties have a yellow body, or a cream body with tawny brown rosettes edged in dark brown on their back. They have dark limbs with white spots, with a head and neck that are pale creamy- white with a reticulated pattern of black lines and flecks.

Perenties are found in the arid parts of South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory, where they are usually found around rocky hills and outcrops. They often find their shelter in burrows that they dig themselves. These burrows can be extensive and have several escape exits.

The diet of younger perenties include lizards, insects, and small mammals. As they grow, they will spontaneously attack large venomous snakes, rabbits, birds and their eggs, and even small marsupials such as wallabies. They are rarely seen as they are extremely shy and live in remote areas away from human habitation. They are considered to be a species of least-concern according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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Which is the fastest bird?

The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird in the world. Its diving speed during flight can reach above 300 km per hour, making it the world’s fastest animal. The bird has breeding populations on every continent except Antarctica and some oceanic islands, which gives it the credit of being the most widely distributed species of bird of prey.

For a long time, captive peregrine falcons have been used in the sport of falconry. After World War II, the bird suffered a huge decline in population across the globe. In most regions, including North America, the major reason for this loss of population is traced to the pesticide DDT, which the birds accumulated from their prey. The chemical concentrated in the bird’s tissues, which affected the deposition of calcium in the eggshells, making them abnormally thin and easily breakable.

In the British Isles, another pesticide named dieldrin caused direct death of peregrine falcons and thus contributed to their decline. Following the banning or minimising the use of organochlorine pesticides, their populations have increased in many regions.

The peregrine has been listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2015.

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Why is the cheetah known as the fastest mammal on land?

Cheetahs are the fastest mammals that live upon the planet and can run at speeds as high as 113 km per hour in short distances.

Their bodies are designed with a lot of agility. They can make quick turns while running at high speeds. Their spines are extremely flexible, giving them the ability to have long strides. Their slender limbs and hard footpads are also excellent tools that aid their agility and speed.

Cheetahs are covered in bold black stripes all over their body and each cheetah has a unique pattern over its skin. They have a tear-like pattern that runs from the inner corners of their eyes down to both sides of their mouths. The ends of their tails have black rings as well. These cats have great eye sight, making them dangerous predators.

Their unique coat is also a great way to blend with the tall, dry grass of the plains and helps them remain hidden during the hunt. The cheetahs live in a range of habitats across eastern and southern Africa, but they are usually found in open grasslands. At one point, they were found throughout Asia and Africa, but they are currently facing extinction due to loss of habitat. Their lives are threatened by the declining number of prey due to the destruction of the natural environments.

Although cheetahs are considered to be among the big cats, they are unable to roar- they can only purr. Like the other big cats of the family, they also usually prey on small- to medium-size animals such as hares, impalas, wildebeest calves, and gazelles.

The cheetah chases its prey at only about half of its maximum speed and often has to rest for at least half an hour before it can eat so as to catch breath. The pronghorn, also called the American antelope, is the fastest long-distance runner in the animal kingdom.

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Which is the lowest lying national capital in the world?

Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan is located 28 metres below sea level, making it the lowest lying national capital in the world. Baku is also the largest city in the world that is below sea level. The name Baku is supposedly a shorter version of the Persian ‘bad kube’ (‘blown upon by mountain winds’). The city’s importance lies in its oil industry and its administrative functions. Baku’s urban population was calculated to be about two million people in 2009. About 25 per cent of all inhabitants in Azerbaijan live in Baku’s city area. Baku is the one and only metropolis in the country.

Baku’s economy is mostly based on petroleum. Presence of oil in the city was known since olden days. The city is also a major cultural and educational centre. It is home to the Baku State University (founded 1919), Khazar University (1991), and Azerbaijan Technical University (1950); there are also many other institutions of higher education, including one specializing in the oil industry.

The city is famous for its harsh winds, which gave it the nick name, the “City of Winds”. Baku is the birthplace of Lev Davidovich Landau, who won the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physics.

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What is special about Neelakurinji?

Strobilanthes kunthiana cover grassland slopes and shola forests of specific regions on the Western Ghats. These purplish blue flowers bloom once in 12 years, attracting wide-eyed visitors. But did you know that different varieties of Strobilanthes have different bloom cycles? Here are interesting and concerning facts about this genus.

  1. DIFFERENT VARIETIES: The word neelakurinji refers to the shrub Strobilanthes kunthiana, which grows in the shola forests of south Indian Western Ghats. It is part of the genus Strobilanthes, belonging to the family Acanthaceae. In addition to the neelakurinji, the Strobilanthes genus includes at least 300 flowering species such as Strobilanthes sessilis and Strobilanthes callosa. As mentioned earlier, the neelakurinji usually refers to Strobilanthes kunthiana, but in several instances (including news reports), different species of Strobilanthes are referred to as neelakurinji.
  2. BLOOMING PATTERNS AND TYPES: Many of the Strobilanthes species are 2 marked by unusual flowering patterns-blooming only once every one year to 16 years. While Strobilanthes kunthiana blooms once every 12 years. some other species may bloom once in four years, or 11 years, or 16 years, etc. Such species that take a long interval to bloom are scientifically referred to as plietesials. Apart from the time it takes for the shrub to bloom, what is fascinating is also the type of flowering that happens. The shrub witnesses two types of flowering-gregarious, where the flowering covers a very large area. and sporadic or isolated, where the flowering happens over a small area.
  3. A VITAL SHRUB: After they bloom,  strobilanthes species produce fruits, seeds, and then perish-only to be born again after the set interval. When the flowers bloom, especially on a large scale, they feed different types of larvae, and insects such as honeybees, butterflies, and moths. Since many of these are also pollinators, the blooming has a crucial role to play in the ecosystem. In addition, the flowers are said to have medicinal properties, though not much information is available on this aspect.
  4. SEVERAL THREATS:  The habitats of Strobilanthes bear the brunt of being used for plantation such as tea and coffee. Apart from this, issues such as encroachment, heavy tourist footfalls, water depletion, plastic waste, pollution, invasive species, and climate change threaten the species.
  5. WHEN NEXT? Notable blooming of 5 strobilanthes kunthiana happens in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In 2006 and 2018, its blooming was witnessed in places such as Ervaikulam National Park in Kerala and Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu. Given that this species has a 12-year flowering cycle, the next one can be expected in 2030. This September, Strobilanthes bloomed over a large area in Chikkamagaluru of Karnataka. However, reports suggest that it was not Strobilanthes kunthiana but Strobilanthes sessilis, believed to have last bloomed in 2006, a good 16 years ago!

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Why is ATMA Atyrau Airport special?

Located 8 km northwest of Atyrau in Kazakhstan, the ATMA Atyrau Airport is the lowest international commercial airport in the world. It is 22 m below sea level and is the only airport in Atyrau.

In 1994, the company named ATMA got the operational rights of the airport when it was privatised as a build and operate model. In 2007, the company completed the construction of the new terminal building along with a new, longer runway. The terminal has a total area of 2,000 square metres and can serve 600 passengers in an hour. As per data available, it was the 5th busiest airport in Kazakhstan in 2009, where 937,032 passengers passed through the airport.

The airport and its surrounding areas are crucial for Kazakhstan’s economy because of the oil exploration sites and platforms on the Caspian Sea that are located nearby. The city is the base town for the oil and construction companies of the region.

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Heatwaves to make regions uninhabitable within decades

Heatwaves will become so extreme in certain regions of the world within decades that human life there will be unsustainable, say UN, Red Cross.

GENEVA A HOW United Nations Red Cross report into climate change alludes to certain parts of the world becoming so hot within a matter of decades that human beings will be unable to survive there.

The bleak joint report predicts extreme heatwaves could become so fierce that they exceed human physiological and social limits in parts of Latin America, central Africa and south and southwest Asia.

The world’s lowest-income countries- those least responsible for climate change-are already experiencing a disproportionate increase in extreme heat, as was witnessed this year with the heatwave catastrophes in Somalia and Pakistan

The report is published by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) ahead of Novembers COP27 climate change summit in Egypt.

What can be done?

IFRC secretary-general Jagan Chapagain urged countries at COP27 to: invest in climate adaptation and mitigation in the regions most at risk.

OCHA and the IFRC suggested five main steps to help combat the impact of extreme heatwaves, including: providing early information to help people and authorities react in time and finding new ways of financing local-level action.

They also included humanitarian organisations testing more “thermally-appropriate emergency shelter and “cooling centres, while getting communities to alter their development planning to account of likely extreme heat impacts.

OCHA and the IFRC said there were limits to extreme heat adaptation measures. Some, such as increasing energy-intensive air conditioning, are costly, environmentally unsustainable and contribute themselves to climate change. The report concludes that if greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change, are not aggressively reduced now, the world will face previously unimaginable levels of extreme heat.

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Are all fats bad?

Did you know that a balanced diet must include fat? Why? Read on to find out.

Not all fats are unhealthy. A balanced diet must include fat as it is a source of energy and helps our body to absorb other nutrients.

Healthy fats like monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids help to lower cholesterol. The richest sources of unsaturated fats are cooking oils like olive, soybean and peanut oils, nuts and tofu.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in oily fish, nuts, seeds and leafy green vegetables. They are essential nutrients not produced by our body, but vital for normal growth in young children. Bad fats like saturated fats raise our cholesterol levels, clog our arteries and increase our risk of heart disease in addition to making us obese. We get saturated fats from animal products: red meat and whole-milk dairy products like cheese, ice cream and butter. However, they are also an important source of vitamins and minerals. Hence, we should limit, not eliminate our consumption of saturated fats.

Trans fats, also known as hydrogenated fats, are found in processed foods, like French fries and cookies. They raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol. Next time you buy snacks, check for the term partially-hydrogenated oil in the list of ingredients – those are the items you must avoid.

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Is irradiated food safe for consumption?

Research has proved that irradiated food does not retain any radioactive property. Absolutely. The process of food irradiation involves exposing the food to the energy from short-wave radiations like gamma rays, x-rays or electrons. But research over the last 40 years has proved that irradiated food does not retain any radioactive property and hence is completely safe. Moreover, irradiation does not diminish the nutritive value of the food.

This technology is used to destroy the bacterial, fungal or viral growth in food that can spoil it or cause diseases. Irradiated food thus has a longer shelf life. As irradiation is a cold process it causes no change in the freshness or texture of the food unlike certain other procedures that involve heat. In fact, it is difficult to tell an irradiated apple from a normal one as it remains as juicy and crisp. Presently over 40 food items such as fruits, vegetables, spices, seafood, grains, meat and poultry are available in irradiated form. Many specially-marked irradiated fruits and vegetables are commercially sold in the U.S., France, China, South Africa and the Netherlands.

Although the process of irradiation greatly reduces the growth of bacteria it does not completely eliminate it. Hence irradiated poultry needs refrigeration. As for irradiated fruits, refrigeration is not essential though they will last much longer in a refrigerator.

Around 20,000 million tonnes of food and allied products are irradiated in India annually. These include agricultural produce such as onion, potato, mango, grains and other products such as onion powder, garlic powder, spices, Ayurvedic products and animal feed.

DID YOU KNOW?

*The Radura logo is an international symbol that indicates a food product has been irradiated. The logo, usually green in colour, depicts a flower represented by a dot and two leaves within a half-broken circle.

* Around 20,000 million tonnes of food are irradiated in India annually.

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