The king of Forts is
a fort in Skardu city in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan that dates from
the 16th century CE. For construction of this Engineering Miracle of that age
goes to the famous ruler of Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Sher Khan Anchan (1560 – 1625
AD). A Beautiful ancient mosque is also present inside the fort. The fort and
its mosque are situated on the eastern face of the Khardong Hill around 1400 feet
above Skardu city. An amazing view from these monuments brings into vision the
entire valley, the Indus River and the scenic beauty of Skardu City.Photo Credit
Friday 13 June 2014
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.
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