Friday, October 17, 2014
Penguins
Penguins are birds that do not fly, although they have wings.
Their wings are like flippers and their feet are webbed;
and they can swim very fast in the sea, as fast as 12 km/h.
Larger penguins can dive deep in case of need,
reaching depths of 565 meters for up to 22 minutes.
Penguins are adapted to life in the sea; they live and hunt
by the sea,
and are known as aquatic birds.
Penguins are invariably black on the back and white in front;
these give them the distinctive elegant tuxedo-like
appearance.
This countershading appearance offers them some sort of
camouflage from their enemies,
being white from below water against the sky and dark from
above.
Penguins are land creatures; they usually stand upright and erect,
and they are known as standing geese in Chinese.
Waddling is clumsy for penguins, and often they would rather
glide
on their fluffy puffy belly along the snow or downslopes,
like tobogganing.
They may also jump with both feet together
if they need to move more quickly or across steep or rocky
terrain.
Penguins are found almost exclusively in the southern
hemisphere,
where they catch their food underwater and raise their young
on land.
There are many species of penguins.
The largest living specie is the emperor penguin reaching a meter tall and weighing 35 kg.
The smallest penguin specie is the little blue penguin, also known as the fairy penguin,
which stands around 40 cm tall and weighs 1 kg.
Penguins are social birds. Many species feed, swim and nest
in groups.
Penguins may breed in large colonies that include thousands
of penguins.
Penguins form monogamous pairs for a breeding season,
and each penguin has a distinct call,
allowing individuals to find their mate and their chicks
even in large groups.
The staple diet of penguins consists of krill, fish and squid.
Those closer to the equator eat more fish and those closer to Antarctica eat more squid and krill.
Those closer to the equator eat more fish and those closer to Antarctica eat more squid and krill.
Toys of penguins used to be very popular, in soft cuddly form or spring-energy metal moving toys.
Sunday, October 05, 2014
Joy and Peace.
This Sunday's bible reading;
from a letter St. Paul to the Philippians 4.6-9.
Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.
Ron
Thursday, October 02, 2014
The cuttlefish
Cuttlefish or Sepias (Sepiidae)
The cuttlefish is a sea creature; it is not a fish but a
mollusk.
It is in the same class of marine animals known as
cephalopods, like the squid, the octopus and the nautilus.
The cuttlefish is nearer in similarity to the squid than the
octopus and the nautilus.
But while the squid has an internal transparent rigid pen
the cuttlefish has a cuttlebone.
This cuttlebone is shaped like a surfboard.
It is porous, and it enables the cuttlefish to regulate its
buoyancy.
This cuttlebone is very light and it often ends up as an art
object.
The cuttlefish has ten tentacles at the front of its head.
These consist of two big ones on the outer sides and six
smaller and shorter ones between them, and two others.
These two special ones which are normally not visible are
equipped with barbed suckers only at their end parts,
but they can shoot out at great speed to fasten on to its
prey.
The cuttlefish is able to change its colour very quickly and
camouflage itself just like the chameleon.
The eyes of the cuttlefish are also weird; their
appearance can change,
becoming slitty and sinister looking, like a flap covering
the dark mouth of a smiling fish.
The cuttlefish preys on small fish, mollusks, crabs, shrimp,
and worms.
Its predators include bigger fish, sharks, dolphins and
seals.
The cuttlefish is a bottom feeder.
It searches and exposes its prey by jetting a stream of
water at the sea bed,
and extending its two long tentacles to grab it.
Its other arms leave no escape for any prey thus caught.
Its ability to adapt its colour to its surroundings also
offers it its hunting stealth.
And
in times of danger it may squirt dark ink like a smokescreen and escape.
The cuttlefish may grow to over a foot long of its mantle
and weigh over ten kilograms.
It is not known to have a long lifespan, usually a few
years.
The cuttlefish can be a pleasant and enjoyable pet in an
aquarium.
It is peaceful, colourful and graceful at rest.
The wavy sides of its mantle undulate soothingly;
and it is exciting when it feeds on its live food.
