Titanoboa

From deep underground in a Colombian coal mine, in a layer dating to 65 million years ago, scientists have uncovered remains of the largest snake in the world, Titanoboa cerrejonensis. Measuring 48 feet long and weighing in at 2,500 pounds, this massive predator could crush and devour a crocodile! Fossil plants and animals found at the site reveal the earliest known rain forest, teeming with life and dating to the Paleocene, the lost world that followed the demise of the dinosaurs. Featuring a full-scale model of Titanoboa and clips from a Smithsonian Channel documentary, the exhibition delves into the discovery, reconstruction, and implications of this enormous reptile.





sources: http://www.si.edu/Exhibitions/Details/Titanoboa-Monster-Snake-4820,

Giant Squid

Giant squids can grow to a tremendous size. Recent estimates put the maximum size at 13 m (43 ft) for females and 10 m (33 ft) for males from caudal fin to the tip of the two long tentacles.  The arms and tentacles account for much of the squid's great length, making it much lighter than its chief predator, the sperm whale. It is common to find circular scars from the suckers on or close to the head of sperm whales that have attacked giant squid. Giant squid have small fins at the rear of their mantles used for locomotion. Like other cephalopods, they are propelled by jet – by pulling water into the mantle cavity, and pushing it through the siphon, in gentle, rhythmic pulses. They can also move quickly by expanding the cavity to fill it with water, then contracting muscles to jet water through the siphon. Giant squid breathe using two large gills inside the mantle cavity. The circulatory system is closed, which is a distinct characteristic of cephalopods. Like other squid, they contain dark ink used to deter predators. It also has the largest eyes of any living creature except perhaps colossal squid – over 30 cm (1 ft) in diameter. Adult giant squids' only known predators are sperm whales, but pilot whales may feed on them, also. Juveniles are preyed on by deep-sea sharks and other fish because sperm whales are skilled at locating giant squid. Scientists have tried to observe them to study the squid. Giant squid are very widespread, occurring in all of the world's oceans. They are usually found near continental and island slopes from the North Atlantic Ocean, especially Newfoundland, Norway, the northern British Isles, Spain and the oceanic islands of the Azores and Madeira, to the South Atlantic around southern Africa, the North Pacific around Japan, and the southwestern Pacific around New Zealand and Australia. Specimens are rare in tropical and polar latitudes.





sorces: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_squid

watch 1. first then number 2.

1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=U2s3C0lkQE0

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=NR53smpV_xg

Mimick octopus

It grows up to 2 ft. Their tentacles are around 25 cm in length and no more than pencil thick. It was not discovered officially until 1998. Based on observation, the mimic octopus may decide which animal to impersonate depending on local predators. For example, when the octopus was being attacked by damselfish, the octopus was observed to appear as a banded sea snake, a damselfish predator. The octopus impersonates the snake by turning black and yellow,burying six of its arms, and waving its other two arms in opposite directions. The mimic octopus lives exclusively in nutrient-rich estuarine bays of Indonesia and Malaysia full of potential prey. It uses a jet of water through its funnel to glide over the sand while searching for prey, typically small fish, crabs, and worms. Mimics stalk their prey or the mimic octopus often by covering an area of sand under a disc of webs while using the tips of its fine arms to flush small animals into its suckers. It can probe its arms deep into burrows or holes to search for prey which it can then pass to its mouth. This octopus mimics venomous sole,lion fish, sea snakes, sea anemones, and jellyfish.  For example, the mimic is able to imitate a sole by pulling its arms in, flattening to a leaf-like shape, and increasing speed using a jet-like propulsion that resembles a sole. When spreading its legs and lingering on the ocean bottom, its arms trail behind to simulate the lion fish's fins. By raising all of its arms above its head with each arm bent in a curved, zig-zag shape to resemble the lethal tentacles of a fish-eating sea anemone, it deters many fish. It imitates a large jellyfish by swimming to the surface and then slowly sinking with its arms spread evenly around its body. its scientific name: Thaumoctopus mimicus. Their preferred habitat is relatively shallow water normally less than 15 metres deep where there is a sand or silt substrate, so often this means near river mouths or estuaries. Unlike other reef-dwelling octopuses habitats, there are not hiding places galore within the habitat. Despite this, the mimic forages in daylight which one would expect makes this soft bodied, non venomous creature a prime target for predators. However the mimic clearly thrives in its environment and many believe this boldness is possible only because of its ability to impersonate other venomous creatures.
In mating, the male octopus inserts its hetocotylus, a specialised and extended arm, into the female's mantle cavity, where he deposits packets of sperm. Soon after the hectocotylus falls off and before too long the male will die. The female fertilises, and then carries the eggs in strings while continuing to feed, a feature unusual for octopus. The larvae hatch and shortly thereafter the female dies. The larvae drift as plankton until they mature, when they sink and begin life on the ocean floor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=t-LTWFnGmeg

Sources: , http://www.dive-the-world.com/creatures-mimic-octopus.php, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimic_octopus.

Red Pandas

Native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China and is related to raccoons , skunks and weasels. The head and body length of red pandas measures 50 to 64 cm , and their tail is 28 to 59 cm. Males weigh 8.2 to 14 lb and females weigh 6.6 to 13 lb. The red panda has strong, curved and sharp semi-retractile claws. Shortly after waking, red pandas clean their fur like a cat, licking their front paws and then rubbing their backs, stomachs and sides. They also rub their backs and bellies along the sides of trees or rocks.
Red pandas are excellent climbers, and forage largely in trees. They eat mostly bamboo and may eat small mammals, birds, eggs, blossoms, and berries. In captivity, they were observed to eat birds, blossoms, maple and mulberry leaves, and bark and fruits of maple, beech and mulberry. Red pandas are able to reproduce at around 18 months of age, and are fully mature at two to three years. Adults rarely interact in the wild except to mate. Both sexes may mate with more than one partner during the mating season from mid January to early March.

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver was born in 1864 in Diamond Missouri. He was born into slavery. He made over 100 things out of peanuts. George Washington Carver invented a hybrid species of cotton, which became known as "Carver's Hybrid" that grew quickly. As a young boy George was interested in insects, reptiles and plants. he made over one hundred uses from sweet potatoes and about seventy five uses for pecans. He was the youngest of 1 sister,2 brothers. George Washington Carver was a famous botanist, educator, and an unofficial spokesperson. He died from falling down a stair case on January 1943.            

                                                                                                                         

Tse Tse Fly

This large blood sucking fly is the primary carrier of African Sleeping Sickness. They can kill up to a quarter of a million people every year. Fossilized tsetse have been recovered from the Florissant Fossil Beds in Colorado. When at rest, tsetse fold their wings completely one on top of the other. There are 22 different species of tsetse fly, and they live only in Africa. Tsetse flies produce their young in a different manner than most flies. The female lays a single egg but keeps it inside her and It hatches into a maggot inside her body. Then it grows larger and larger as the female feeds on the blood of mammals. When the maggot fills its mother's abdomen, she releases it into the soil. It burrows and pupates immediately. The word ‘tsetse’ comes from Tswana, a language of Southern Africa, and in that language, the word means fly. Tsetse flies have been on this earth for 34 million years.                                              

Viper fish

It has needle like teeth and hinged lower jaws. They can grow from 12 inches to 24 inches. It's believed to lure its prey with a light producing organ. They are believed to live 30 to 40 years. The lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw. Its teeth on the lower jaw are so big that they can't fit in its mouth.

Pitcher Plant

Pitcher plants are carnivores. Bats use pitcher plants as a toilet. They eat mostly insects, but sometimes small birds,frogs,rodents and rarely small monkeys. They are found in tropical areas of South America, many different areas of North America, and coastal areas of Australia. The insect or other prey is lured to the pitchers by the sweet nectar inside the pitcher. As it tries to drink nectar from the lid of the pitcher, it slides inside the pitcher into the liquid. There are small hairs pointing down into the base of the pitcher preventing the insect's escape by poking the insects in its face. The base of the pitcher is filled with rainwater which wets the insects wings, making it hard to escape. After struggling for several minutes, a liquid acid drowns the insect and digests it. In about 2-3 hours there is nothing left but the hard skin and bones.

stick bugs

Stick bugs can live up to 3 years. They can be as long as 0.46 to 12.9 inches. It looks like a twig. There are about 3,000 species of stick bugs. They are the longest bug in the world. If stick bugs camouflage fails, it will fall from the branch it is on and play dead on the ground. Stick bugs have many predators such as birds, rodents and reptiles. They can be found in forests, rainforest and jungles all around the world. After mating the female will lay up to 1,500 eggs. When the eggs hach the baby stick bug looks like a smaller version of the adult.

Tiger sharks

Tiger sharks can live up to 50 years old. Their predators are humans because some people hunt sharks for a sport. The tiger sharks favorite food is squid. They can reach a speed of 20 mph. Female sharks mate every 3 years. The tiger shark lives in tropical waters. It eats mainly fish. The tiger shark can have up to 10 to 80 pups. Tiger sharks are endangered because humans hunt them. They are solitary and mostly hunt at night.