Sunday 8 June 2014

Fin Whales; Ths World's Fastest Whale



Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are the 2nd largest living mammals on our earth, just after blue whales. When you consider that the average fin whale needs to hurl its 80+ tons and 89+ feet out of the water and into the air, the spectacle becomes even more incredible. As one of the fastest whales in the world, the fin can reach cruising speeds of 23 mph with short bursts up to 29 mph. (The Sei whale may beat it for short sprints up t0 40mph, but not for cruising speed. Their remarkable speed has given Fin whales the nickname "greyhounds of the deep." Fin whales appearance is mild sexual ‘dimorphism’ with females measuring longer than males by 5-10%. Adults can weigh between 80,000-160,000 pounds (40-80 tons). 

Fin whales are found in all the oceans of the world, but their migration process is not well understood. In the Southern Hemisphere, fin whales migrate south to feed on krill and other plankton in the summer, and north to likely give birth in warm waters closer to the Equator in the winter. Though, it is not well defined whether all of the population engages in this migration every year.In the Northern Hemisphere there’re related north-south migrations, and several whales appear to return to the same feeding grounds every year, but the pattern is not so clear-cut, maybe because of the influence of the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic. Populations of northern and southern hemispheres never meet.Fin Whale has been sternly impacted worldwide by commercial whaling when about more than 750,000 animals were killed in areas of the Southern Hemisphere only in between 1904 and 1979, and they’re rarely seen these days. Their current status is unidentified in most areas outside of the North Atlantic. 

Well, Fin whales colors are dark grey to brownish black, with pale or white undersides. Some fin whales have a pale grey chevron on each side behind the head and there may be a dark stripe running up and back from the eye, and a light stripe arching down to where the flipper joins the body. This mammal has a unique characteristic among mammals, famous as asymmetrical pigmentation: the lower right jaw is bright white, the lower left jaw black. The reason for this unusual coloring is unidentified, but specific researchers have speculated that fin whales circle schools of fish with the white side facing the prey and frightening them into denser schools that are easier for the whale to catch.

Fin whales are pelagic and coastal species, sometimes occurring in shallow waters (30 m), most observed as single animals, but sometimes see in pairs or groups. Young fin whales nurse for 6-7 months, and sexual maturity is reached in between 6 to 11 years. The life span of a fin whale is around 85 to 90 years. It has been assumed that breeding occurs in warm waters, but no exact breeding grounds have been observed. Females give birth every 2-3 years and the gestation period is 11 to 11.5 months. In winter and autumn there’s no feeding and whales are found in lower latitudes. Herring, capelin and other shoaling fish are eaten in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific, along with squid, and euphausiids and copepods which are small crustaceans. The fin whale, like other baleen whales, strains its food from the water through baleen plates.

Friday 6 June 2014

A Cool Art Installation in Madison Square Park



Brooklyn based artist Orly Genger, comes to Manhattan with a multicolor installation of hand knotted nautical rope covered in paint. The beautiful work features is to converting the park’s lawns into colorfully-lined chambers.  This remarkable installation comprises of 1.4 million feet of rope which length equating to approximately 20 times the length of Manhattan covered in over 3,000 gallons of paint, and weighing over 100,000 pounds. The vivid colors like, Red, Yellow and Blue are re-purposed rope collected from hundreds of miles up and down the Eastern seaboard, bringing elements of the coastline to the urban setting of Madison Square Park. Along with, three separate structures of layered rope shaped on-site by the artist will redefine the landscape of the park, producing interactive environments that will invite adults and children alike to explore both exposed and hidden spaces, encouraging them to navigate and experience Madison Square Park. The visitors can really enjoy the artistic abilities.

Yareta; 3000 Years Old Alien-looking Ooze That is Actually A Plant



There is something green and alien looking, growing in South America. However; on first inspection you might consider that it is some extraterrestrial species, using the remote grasslands of the continent to start a foothold on planet Earth. Yet though alien this looks, this green mass of cells has its origins very much on this world.  This is called Yareta and it lives in colonies which can be thousands of years old.

The rocks on the highlands of the Andes look like they’re covered with moss. In fact, they’re a type of flowing plant recognized as “Yareta” and it lives in colonies which can be thousands of years old. Yareta (Azorella compacta) also famous as "Llareta" is a flowering plant that belongs to the family of Apiaceae. The plant is grows in the cold Puna grasslands of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile, and western Argentina at altitudes between 3,200 and 4,500 meters, where the wind blows continuously and the cold cracks even granite. 

Therefore; to survive the severe conditions, Yareta grows in packs so dense that its stems can take the weight of a human. The plant keeps near to the ground in order to retain as much heat in as possible. This also supports to resist the powerful high altitude wind, which will tear up the roots of any plant. To prevents moisture loss through evaporation the Yareta has wax covered leaves. This is another trick the Yareta has cultured to survive the inhospitable mountains of the Andes is to grow exceptionally slowly, almost at a geological speed of 1.5 cm a year. A large blob of Yareta growing on the rocks can thus be thousands of years old. Many Yaretas are projected to be over 3,000 years old. Yareta is dry and dense, and it burns well, like peat, and was traditionally harvested for fuel. The amount of Yareta being removed had become so noteworthy that it threatened the very existence of the plant. Yareta is now a protected species and being such a slow grower, it has also made it to the endangered list.

Sunday 1 June 2014

Astonishing Photographs of Different Mushrooms



The New South Wales of Steve Axford works in “Northern Rivers Area” brilliantly uses his camera to capture the astonishing visual diversity of fungi and other living things. Steve reveals there’re far more types of fungi than the pale, umbrella-shaped variety that most of us are used to seeing.

Several rare specimens look absolutely out of this world. He captured fungi of all different shapes, sizes, textures, and colors, from glowing fungi to fuzzy fungi to tiny, transparent fungi. Various species have never been documented in Australia before, and certainly not in the artistic way that that Axford does so. His intriguing pictures draw the viewer into a miniature world filled with wonder and life, making us appreciates the diversity that exists on our planet. 

The nature supporter, who enjoys traveling to isolated locations to shoot everything from volcanos to plant life, uses camerawork as his avenue of exploring the world. He says "While doing this I have developed an acute interest in the way things fit together and nothing exists in isolation and the more you look, the more you find."Source: Mymodernmet