The Giant Killer_African Rock Python

Did you know the giant python can kill if it wants to kill you?

The Giant African Python is the most powerful/longest snake in Africa. The Giant African Python can kill a Springbok at 5ft and the giant African is 23ft (7m). They can grow to 23ft (7m). An adult human being is only 5ft (1.4m).The giant African Python are know to kill a springbok and does not eat for 1 year.

The African rock pythons were initially thought to be a few escaped pets that could be contained--but the recent spate of discoveries shows that they may indeed be a brand new breeding population in the Everglades.

State environmental officials worry that the rock python could breed with the Burmese python, which already has an established foothold in the Everglades. That could lead to a new "super snake," said George Horne, the water district's deputy executive director.

In Africa, the rock python eats creatures as large as goats and crocodiles. There have been cases of the snakes killing children.

According to local wildlife experts, the rock python is "bigger and meaner than the Burmese python." Which is precisely why fears are stirring that a hybrid python may be on the rise in the Everglades?

A new species of invasive snake--the African rock python has recently been found on the loose as well. At least five rock pythons, one that measured 14 ft long, have just been captured in Miami-Dade county.  

Now, experts' fears are mounting that the Burmese and African rock pythons will begin breeding--and give rise to a new, dangerous 'super snake.' Article Source: Brianlean & treehugger

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Attractive Tourism Place_Part-2

Most Tourism Place in our beautiful Planet

Part # 2

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four (24) hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited.

Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2008, there were over 922 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 1.9% as compared to 2007. International tourism receipts grew to US$944 billion (euro 642 billion) in 2008, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 1.8%.

1. Iguazu Falls

[Argentina & Brazil]

Iguazu Falls, in Iguazu River, are one of the world’s largest waterfalls. They extend over 2,700 m (nearly 2 miles) in a semi-circular shape. Of the 275 falls that collectively make up Iguassu Falls, "Devil’s Throat" is the tallest at 80 m in height.



Iguazu Falls are on the border between the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones, and are surrounded by two National Parks (BR/ARG). Both are subtropical rainforests that are host to hundreds of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna.

2. Vesuvius

[Italy]

Mount Vesuvius is a volcano east of Naples, Italy. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting.  

Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It has erupted many times since and is today regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. 

3. El Yunque

[Puerto Rico]

El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest, is located on the island of Puerto Rico. It is also the name of the second highest mountain peak in the Forest.

El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System. 

4. Galapagos

[Ecuador]

The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator, 965 kilometres west of continental Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean.

The islands are all part of Ecuador’s national park system. They are famed for their vast number of endemic species 

5. Uluru

[Australia]

Uluru (Ayers Rock) is one of Australia’s most recognizable natural icons.

The world-renowned sandstone formation stands 348 m high above sea level with most of its bulk below the ground, and measures 9.4 km in circumference. Uluru appears to change color as the different light strikes it at different times of the day and year. 

6. Milford Sound

[New Zealand]

Milford Sound, located in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island, is located within the Fiordland National Park. It runs 15 km inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1200 m or more on either side.

Among its most striking features are Miter Peak, rising 1,692 m above the sound, the Elephant at 1,517 m and resembling an elephant’s head, and Lion Mountain, 1,302 m, in the shape of a crouching lion. Lush rain forests cling precariously to these cliffs, while seals, penguins and dolphins populate the water. 

7. Yushan

[China]

Yushan, part of Yushan National Park, is a central mountain range in Chinese Taipei and it also the name of the highest point of the range. It is also called Jade Mountain and its height is 3,952 m above sea level.

The park is also known for its diverse wildlife and ecology. The environment around Yushan itself spans from sub-tropical forests at its base to alpine conditions at its peak. 

8. Grand Canyon

[United States]

The Grand Canyon, created by the Colorado River over a period of 6 million years, is 446 km long, ranges in width from 6 to 29 km and attains a depth of more than 1.6 km.

During prehistory, the area was inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves.

9. Table Mountain

[South Africa]

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark. It is next to the city of Cape Town in South Africa.

Table Mountain is an important tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway to take a ride to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park. 

10. Puerto Princesa Underground River

[Philippines]

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river.  

A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences.  

The underground river is reputed to be the world’s longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water’s edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave. Article Source: Fulldhamaal

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Strangest Animals! [Episode_3]

Strangest Animals! [Episode_3]

Animals are a major group of mostly multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently. All animals are also heterotrophs, meaning they must ingest other organisms for sustenance.

1. Gila monster

(Image Source: toyzone)

The Gila monster is found in the desert areas of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The Mexican Gila monster is normally found in the dense forests of southern Mexico. The Gila monster is a tenacious biter. Quite often, the victim must be cut free from this aggressive lizard. 

Patients who have the misfortune of being bitten by a Gila monster experience severe pain at the site of the bite. Systemic symptoms include blue-tinged skin; respiratory problems such as shallow, rapid breathing; irregular heartbeat; ringing in the ears; fainting; nausea; vertigo; and weakness. If a fatal bite is received, patients will go into respiratory arrest and die.

2. Elephant Seal Bull

(Image Source: Arkive)

The Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) patrols the beaches – dominant bull males are known as “beachmasters” – of Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, Antarctica and the islands of the Southern Ocean. Graceful and powerful swimmers, Elephant Seals are also champion divers, plunging as deep as 6,000+ feet (2,000+ meters) in search of squid, octopi, skates, rays, and eels. They’ve been known to supplement their diets with penguins and even the odd small shark. 

Male Elephant Seals grow much larger than the females, in fact the largest Elephant Seal ever recorded tipped the scales (probably literally) at 11,000 lb or 5,000 kg; and measured 22.5 ft (6.9 m) from the tip of its “trunk” to the end of its tail. Numbers like these make Elephant Seals the largest carnivores on Earth. Perhaps the ugliest as well: between its jiggling fleshy proboscis, fulsome blubbery girth and drab gray coloration, bull Elephant.

3. Mata Mata Turtle

(Image Source: bexandrob)

The Mata Mata inhabits slow moving, black water streams, stagnant pools, marshes, and swamps ranging into northern Bolivia, eastern Peru, Ecuador, eastern Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern and central Brazil. The mata mata is strictly an aquatic species but it prefers standing in shallow water where its snout can reach the surface to breathe. 

Mata Mata turtle may grow to be about seventeen and a half inches long. The mata mata turtle is often mistaken for rocks and sunken logs. Their brown, black, golden yellow and orange shells give them this appearance. The adult turtles are usually brown or black.

4. Warthog

(Image Source: The Web)

Cross a hog with a toad and mix in a little rhino just for fun, and what you get is a Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus). This wild member of the pig family has got a face that makes barnyard porkers look like movie stars. Warthogs are considered to be non-endangered and are commonly found roaming Africa’s savanna grasslands for young green shoots and tubers. Their “warts” are actually bony protrusions on their skulls, more prominent in males where they are used to fight with rivals. Warthogs also have several pairs of tusks – actually overgrown canine teeth that curve wickedly like sabers.

At least somebody loves warthogs. Much like the way cleaner birds are allowed to remove parasites from creatures such as rhinos and crocodiles, warthogs will tolerate Banded Mongooses grooming them, either singly or in groups. The mongooses reward? All the tasty tics, fleas and other skin parasites they can eat.

5. Adder Venom

(Image Source: toyzone)

Location: South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Benin and Niger in the western part of the continent and portions of east Africa as well.

Often an adder bite goes unnoticed or is confused with an insect sting until the ensuing pain gets the victim’s attention. Unfortunately, at that point, administering anti-venom may be too late. Adder venom attacks the blood and nervous system. The venom of an adder bite is less toxic than that of a puff-adder, but it is far more toxic when injected intravenously. 

Victims of viper bites exhibit the same symptoms as victims of cobra bites. In addition to bleeding from the gums, chills and fever, severe poisoning is indicated by swelling or haemorrhaging above the elbows or knees. These symptoms normally appear within two hours of the bite. Following a bite on the hand, the entire arm will become swollen within a half hour and skin will become purple. The victim will perspire heavily, vomit blood, and collapse within an hour. The nose and eyes bleed and loss of vision occurs, with subsequent loss of consciousness. Death, caused by cardio-respiratory arrest is inevitable if the anti-venom is not administered quickly.  

6. Elephant Shrew

(Image Source: sharenator)

The Elephant Shrew, also known as Golden-rumped, are widely distributed across the southern part of Africa.  

The Elephant Shrew although common nowhere, can be found in almost any type of habitat, from the Namib Desert to boulder-strewn outcrops in South Africa to thick forest.

7. Tasmanian Devil

(Image Source: LiveScience)

Tasmanian Devils are voracious eaters, known for loud vocalizing (especially when eating) and are prone to fight amongst one another – often when eating. Method of eating, Tasmanian Devils are mainly scavengers but can also bring down live prey such as wombats, small kangaroos and even sheep.

Devils can eat up to 40 percent of their weight at a sitting and they’re remarkably efficient, consuming meat, fur and bones using the strongest bite of any living mammal: up to 5,100 psi. Here’s a short video presentation on the Tasmanian Devil: Bite of the Tasmanian Devil, via National Geographic

Though ugly in appearance, disposition and deportment, Tasmanian Devils deserve our sympathies – they’re rapidly dying off from transmissible cancer and may become extinct in the next 20 to 40 years. Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) is spread when Tasmanian Devils meet, fight, and bite each other on the face – which is the standard greeting procedure. First seen in 1996, DFTD affects between 20 and 50 percent of Tasmanian Devils and has caused them to be declared Endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in 2009.

8. Narwhal

(Image Source: unknown)

The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is an Arctic species of cetacean. It is a creature rarely found south of latitude 70°N. It is one of two species of white whale in the Monodontidae family (the other is the beluga whale). It is possibly also related to the Irrawaddy dolphin.  

The English name narwhal is derived from the Dutch name narwal which in turn comes from the Danish narhval which is based on the Old Norse word nar, meaning "corpse." This is a reference to the animal's color. The narwhal is also commonly known as the Moon Whale. In some parts of the world, the Narwhal is colloquially referred to as a "reamfish."

9. Long-beaked Echidna

(Image Source: sharenator)

Echidnas are one of the two types of mammals that lay eggs (the other one is platypus). The long-beaked echidna is found in New Guinea, where it is widespread.  

The Long-beaked Echidnas are easily distinguished from short-beaked echidnas by their long snouts, which account for two-thirds of the length of the head.

10. Proboscis Monkey

(Image Source: roblind)

The Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus) also known as Long-nosed Monkey is a reddish-brown arboreal Old World monkey. It is the only species in monotypic genus Nasalis. The most distinctive trait of this monkey is the male's large protruding nose. The purpose of the large nose is unclear, but it has been suggested that it is a result of sexual selection. The female Proboscis Monkey prefers big-nosed male, thus propagating the trait.  

Males are much larger than females, reaching 72 cm (28 inches) in length, with an up to 75 cm tail, and weighing up to 24 kg (53 pounds). Females are up to 60 cm long, weighing up to 12 kg (26 lb).

The Proboscis Monkey also has a large belly, as a result of its diet. Its digestive system is divided into several parts, with distinctive gut flora, which help in digesting leaves. This digestive process releases a lot of gas, resulting in the monkey's "bloated" bellies. A side-effect of this unique digestive system is that it is unable to digest ripe fruit, unlike most other simians. The diet consists mainly of fruits, seeds and leaves.

11. Naked Mole Rat

(Image Source: Wikipedia)

Not only do Naked Mole Rats (Heterocephalus glaber) look bizarre, they ACT bizarre as well. The critters’ lifestyle is more akin to that of ants or bees than to mammals. They’re nearly hairless, have poor vision and lack the ability to feel pain. On the plus side, Naked Mole Rats do not appear to get cancer and health researchers consider them very attractive subjects. Nobody else does, though. 

This disgusting animal luckily spends a lot more time underground than the Star Nosed Mole. However, and as such has adapted to a life underground where it’s so dark physical beauty obviously doesn’t count for anything.

12. Sun bear

(Image Source: ucumari)

Standing 4 ft in length, found in tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia, makes this bear the smallest member of the bear family. Distinctive pale orange-yellow horseshoe shaped marking on a chest and same color around the muzzle and the eyes reflect its name.

The Sun Bear does not hibernate, and, as a result, it can reproduce year-round. The offspring reach sexual maturity after 3-4 years and may live up to 30 years in captivity.

13. Long-eared Jerboa

(Image Source: N02)

The Long-eared Jerboa, also known as “The Mickey Mouse of the desert” – mouse-like rodent with a long tail, long hind legs for jumping, and exceptionally large ears. The jerboa, found in the deserts of Mongolia and China, is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.  

The breeding period of the Long-eared Jerboa occurs twice per season, and this mating act happens right after one has awoken from hibernating. The average numbers of young ranges from two to six. Very little is known when it comes to how they take care of their young

14. Star-nosed Mole

(Image Source: wikipedia)

The Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) is a small North American mole found in eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States. It is the only member of the tribe Condylurini and the genus Condylura.

It lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and molluscs. It is a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, this animal digs shallow surface tunnels for foraging; often, these tunnels exit underwater. It is active day and night and remains active in winter, when it has been observed tunnelling through the snow and swimming in ice-covered streams. Little is known about the social behavior of the species, but it is suspected that it is colonial.

The Star-nosed Mole is covered in thick blackish brown water-repellent fur and has large scaled feet and a long thick tail, which appears to function as a fat storage reserve for the spring breeding season. Adults are 15 to 20 cm in length, weigh about 55 g, and have 44 teeth. The star, which is less than half an inch in diameter, is divided into a high resolution central fovea region and less sensitive peripheral areas. It is much larger than the nose of other mole species, covering 0.92 cm2 per touch, compared to 0.11 cm2 covered by the noses of other mole species. These are used to identify food by touch, such as worms, insects and crustaceans. Article Source: wikipedia, webecoist, itsnature, sharenator, iguides & toyzone

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Killer Plants

Some Deadly Poisonous Plants in the Earth

Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. They include familiar organisms such as trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The scientific study of plants, known as botany, has identified about 350,000 extant species of plants, defined as seed plants, bryophytes, ferns and fern allies. As of 2004, some 287,655 species had been identified, of which 258,650 are flowering and 18,000 bryophytes (see table below). Green plants, sometimes called Viridiplantae, obtain most of their energy from sunlight via a process called photosynthesis.

Moonseed

Images Source:  Missouri plants and paradisegardentx

A otherworldly name and a plant with often fatal effects. The seeds of this Eastern North American drupe (stone fruit) are extremely toxic to humans, although birds can eat them. Moonseeds first cause paralysis but are fatal in larger doses and/or if treatment is not sought immediately.

Castor Bean

Images via UCC, My Sunshine Garden and remarc

Castor oil – for anyone unlucky enough to have been force spoon-fed this healthy yet disgusting fluid as a child, you may be surprised to learn that an ingredient in the castor bean just happens to be the deadliest plant poison on earth. Literally. Just one tiny castor bean is enough to kill an adult within a few minutes. Castor oil is made safe (but not palatable) with the removable of the lethal compound known as ricin. Amazingly, castor bean plants are grown for decorative purpose all over the place, particularly in California.

Rosary Pea

Image source stellasmagazine

As if a deadly legume weren’t bad enough, the pulses aren’t so benign, either. The rosary pea may sound sweet and downright pious, but it’s actually one of the most dangerous plants on earth. Its seeds contain a particular lectin known as abrin; if chewed and swallowed, death will follow shortly. The seeds are easily identified with their distinctive bright red jacket and single black dot (almost like a reverse Black Widow spider). Abrin, which does its damage by inactivating ribosomes, is one of the most fatal toxins on earth. After the  vomiting, fever, nausea, drooling and G.I. dysfunction but before the bizarre hyperexcitability, edema and fatally convulsive seizures, renal tubular degeneration, bladder and retinal hemorrhage and widespread internal lesions typically develop.

Snakeroot

Images via Stellasmagazine

Snakeroot is most dangerous for livestock such as cattle and sheep. When cows consume the attractive fluffy white blooms and stems of the snakeroot, their milk and bones become saturated with the toxin tremetol and humans who consume these contaminated animal products will develop milk sickness (tremetol poisoning). In fact, milk sickness is what killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks.

Bushman’s poison

Images via plantzafrica

The aptly-named Bushman’s poison has famously been used by the Khoisan of South Africa to poison the tips of their arrows. Though the plant produces pleasantly scented flowers and a tasty plum-like berry, the milky sap can be fatal. The leaves, however, have medicinal properties. Bushman’s poison is also known as the wintersweet.

English Yew

Images via greenlover, c-r-alpacas, bomengids, and Britannica

The English Yew, or taxus baccata (“taxus” meaning toxin), is one of the deadliest trees on the planet. The evergreen has a majestic and lush appearance and is fairly common in forests of Europe. The yew is considered by scientists to be an odd and primitive conifer along with the monkey puzzle tree of Chile and Gingko biloba tree of Asia. The yew has a rather sad history. All parts – save for the flesh of the berries – are extremely poisonous. Because the toxin causes convulsions and paralysis, it was once used as an abortifacient.

Apothecaries would dry and powder the leaves and stems and give desperate women minute amounts in the days before birth control was available. Unfortunately, death would often result. The yew has been quite popular throughout history for a number of medicinal purposes at extremely dilute levels, but it is deemed too dangerous in modern medical practice to be of use. The yew’s primary toxin is taxine, a cardiac depressant. The yew acts rapidly and there is no antidote.

Narcissus

Images via the Guardian and the flower expert

Narcissists are toxic enough when they come in human form, but the plant for which they are named, also called the daffodil, is highly poisonous. Poet’s narcissus is more toxic than daffodil, but in both cases it is the bulbs, not the flower or stems, that cause illness. One famous fatal case in Toulouse in the early 1900s occurred when the bulbs were mistaken for onions and consumed. According to Botanical.com, “Socrates called this plant the ‘Chaplet of the infernal Gods,’ because of its narcotic effects. An extract of the bulbs, when applied to open wounds, has produced staggering, numbness of the whole nervous system and paralysis of the heart.” Yet, there are medicinal properties, and some cultures even believe they can cure baldness and serve as a potent aphrodisiac. (Do not try at home.) 

Strychnine tree

Images via motherherbs, BRAIN and wikipedia

Queen Cleopatra famously forced servants to commit suicide by means of a strychnine tree’s fruit seeds, which contain lethal levels of strychnine and brucine, in order to determine if it would be the best means for her own suicide. Upon seeing their agony (which included painful vomiting, facial contortions and convulsions) she opted for the apparently less horrific choice of the asp. (The asp was actually an ancient term for any number of poisonous snakes, but experts think it was probably the cobra that Cleopatra chose to end her life.) 

Daphne

Images via Bonnie Day and Island Net

This plant, also called the spurge laurel, is a favorite ornamental shrub in Europe. This drupe-producing evergreen with waxy, attractive foliage and gorgeously fragrant blooms is also highly toxic. Consumption of the leaves or red or yellow fruits will first cause nausea and violent vomiting, followed by internal bleeding, coma and death. The daphne plant is rich in the toxin mezerein.

Choke cherry

Images via Why Oh Why and BC

Chokecherry, or wild cherry, is a North American plant that is known for its large sprays of tiny white flowers. The cherries are small and not eaten. The plant’s woody stalks and leaves are full of hydrocyanic acid, which is fatal if consumed. The poison affects the respiratory system, and rapid breathing, choking and asphyxiation result. 

Jimsonweed

Image Source: ToyZone

Location: Jimson weed is usually found in warm climates. While it is not native to Britain, it can now be found growing in the gardens of southern England.

Jimsonweed was originally called Jamestown weed because the soldiers sent to quell "Bacon’s Rebellion" in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1666 ate the berries when food ran out and mass poisoning resulted. Another man was poisoned after he drank an herbal tea brewed from the leaves of this plant.

The funnel-shaped flowers of the jimsonweed plant are white or purple. The entire plant has an unpleasant odor, and the fruit, which appears in autumn, is prickly, ovoid or globular, and contains numerous wrinkled black seeds.

Effects and Symptoms: People who ingest parts of the jimsonweed plant will experience headache, vertigo, extreme thirst, dry burning sensation of skin, dilated pupils, blurred vision, loss of sight, involuntary motion, mania, delirium, drowsiness, weak pulse, convulsions, and coma. These symptoms, if left not treated properly can result in the death of the patient.

Fox Glove

Image Source: ToyZone

Location: Although it is sometimes cultivated in gardens, foxglove is frequently found wild in north central and north-eastern United States, as well as along the Pacific Coast, and in Hawaii.

All parts of the fox glove plant are toxic. Digitalis purpurea is a heteroside. The leaves contain digitalin, digitoxin, and digitonin. Severe poisoning comes about as a result of eating the leaves “”either dried or fresh “” which do not lose their toxicity through cooking.

Effects and Symptoms: Headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, delirium, slow or irregular pulse, distortion of colors, and death. Death is usually caused by ventricular fibrillation, excessively increasing the force of the heart’s contractions which in turn irritates the heart and stimulates the central nervous system.  Sources: whmentors.org, Live Science, How Stuff Works, Wikipedia  

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