The Giraffe – a “High Blood Pressured” Mammal

Giraffe derives from the Arabis work “Xirapha”, meaning “one who walks swiftly”. While they are unable to maintain high speeds for long periods of time, they can run up to 35 miles an hour. This is useful to quickly move away from lions and other predators. On average giraffes can live from 20-28 years in captivity, and 10-15 years in the wild. There are 9 known subspecies living in various African regions of the family Giraffidae. The Angolan, Baringo, Kordofan, Masai, Nigerian, Nubian, Reticulated, Southern, and Thornicroft are all types of giraffes, and have different color patterns.

Giraffes begin their lives by falling 6 feet to the ground, and are roughly 6 feet tall at birth. The animal will continue to grow; most females average 14 feet tall and the males average 20 feet, making the giraffe the tallest land mammal in the world. Giraffes have just as many vertebrae in their neck as humans; however, each of the seven vertebrae is about 5 inches long giving them a neck roughly 6 feet long. These large animals will weigh anywhere from 3,000-4,000 (males), and 1,500-2,500 (females) pounds.

In order to get to that weight and size giraffes will consume roughly 77 pounds of food on average each day. Giraffes are herbivores, and seem to prefer twigs and leaves from the acacia tree which contain a great deal of water in the leaves. Luckily giraffes are able to go for days without water; this reduces their chance of being attacked by predators at a watering hole. However, when they do drink, an average adult giraffe will consume 12 gallons of water in one sitting. This is a challenging and dangerous task for a giraffe. In order to reach a watering hole they must sprawl their front legs to lower their neck and upper body. Once in this position, giraffes loose the advantage of being able to see predators approaching and are unable to quickly maneuver upright to sprint off if the need arises.

A giraffe’s tongue is close to 2 feet long, and they can use it clean their own ears. In addition, their heart is also almost 2 feet long, and will weigh in around 20-25 pounds. Do to their large size giraffes have one of the highest blood pressures of all mammals. Their heart must pump around 20 gallons of blood per minute, and their blood pressure is 2-3 times that of an average healthy human adult male.

Do Snakes Make Good Pets?

People of an older generation may very well recall a time when the family pet was a cat, a dog, or in some cases, a tortoise in a box. These pets have remained a strong staple of the modern family, but exotic pets have become so common and widely loved that it could be argued that they are no longer exotic at all. Pets such as lizards and rare birds can be found in chain pet stores and are extremely affordable both in terms of upfront cost and weekly care. However, this does mean that the term 'exotic' is relative, and those wishing to have the most interesting pets will seek stranger, rarer and in some cases, ethically unsound, pets to buy and care for.

However, there is one pet that has remained both exotic and common, in part to the inherent taboo that surrounds its very nature. The pet in question is a snake. Pet snakes can range from simple grass snakes to huge yellow pythons - although some states will not permit creatures of this size! Some people dislike snakes because they have a reputation of being "slippery" both in texture and character. While it may be true that a snake will never be a snuggly pet, not all pet owners need their pets to be snuggly, and a snake is the perfect companion for them. Snakes make good pets for those that simply wish to observe the wonder of nature. Watching a snake live, shed its skin, and consume live animals may be gruesome to some, but to others it represents the full beauty of life and can be very fascinating.

Of course, simply choosing a snake based on how disgusted one may or may not be is not the only consideration. A snake may be a good pet if the owner is not around much, as snakes do not need human companionship - they simply need maintenance time, which varies from snake to snake. There is also a financial consideration - some snakes require large tanks and lots of light and heating equipment to keep them content. This is not only expensive, but can be quite time consuming during when the owner needs to repair/replace the equipment. However, these things are all relative pending the financial stability of the owner, and the amount of free time that they have.

It's very important that when buying a pet the proper research is conducted and serious consideration is gone into the long term consequences of taking on a new life. Some may just see it as a snake, but that snake will be dependent upon its owner for food, heat, medical attention, and just about anything else.

The Eagle – Relentless Predator of the Sky

The eagle is one of the most ferocious predators in the world. Considered to hold a place at the top of the food chain, this fearsome creature is known for its ability to scavenge food from all over the land, sea and sky in order to survive.

Unfortunately, this ability does come with certain downfalls. Many animals carry certain diseases that are passed to them from other animals either above or below them in the food chain. Because the eagle is at, or near, the top, the eagle often contracts many toxic diseases through the prey that it eats.

However, eagles are able to live on in large quantities through their fierce ability to hunt successfully in a range of environments and survive in some of the world’s most brutal environments. Eagles are particularly opportunistic in this sense, and one perfect example of this is something that one can sometimes see on nature shows: the fish swoop. This is when the eagle will hover over a sea, river or lake and, at the right moment, swoop down and capture a fish swimming by and fly off with it. This level of opportunism also extends to certain scavenging traits whereby they feast upon the remains left behind by other creatures. Naturally, an eagle is not going to win a fight with an antelope, but wherever there is an antelope corpse, an eagle will surely be there to prey upon the remains.

The eagle is also able to hunt in the sky; taking on other birds is something that eagles do well and will typically time an attack to their advantage. They will calculate the best odds of winning a tasty prize in the air, and then go in for the kill. This form of attack is somewhat more strenuous than the scavenging that the eagle is known for, but it is a somewhat more productive way of being fed.

Eagles are known to attack dozens of times a day, and not all of these attacks result in a successful feeding. This is not to say that the eagle is not a fearsome predator, but more that it is a relentless predator. Despite this seemingly constant rate of attack, the eagle does find time to rest and recharge, and in fact 80% of its time is spent quietly resting away from the eye of other predators, offering its prey a brief chance to catch its breath.

How to Create a Stencil Graphic T-shirt Design

If you are looking for an affordable and simple way by which you can create a stencil graphic t-shirt design, then this is the information that you have been looking for. If you want a small number of t-shirts at an affordable cost, then outsourcing screen printed t-shirts to a professional is not an option. Learning this technique can help you create a small batch of custom designed t-shirts in no time at all.

This method may sound out-dated but has some definite advantages; apart from the low cost, the process is also quick and easy making it ideal for youngsters who want to wear fashionable stuff to college without spending big bucks. The products that you will need for making a stencil graphic t-shirt design are plain t-shirts of any color, spray paint, spray mount and a sharp scalpel.

It is best to create a stencil using digital methods but if you are good at drawing, you can make a cut out by hand too. The advantage of a digital print is the definite edges and also sharp clarity of the drawing. So pick out a design of your choice and make a digital print using your favorite application. An important thing to keep in mind is to plan the design ahead especially about areas that need to be cut out, split and also about negative spaces to be connected. Once the print of the desired size is ready, print it out onto a card.

The next step is to place this card inside the plain t-shirt so that it falls directly behind the chest area. Next, reverse and fold the material and stick the card into position using a tape. This is done to avoid the spray paint splattering on other regions of the shirt and will also stop paint from seeping through the front to the back of the t-shirt. The next task is to cut out the stencil very carefully using a scalpel. Take your time and do this job to ensure that you cut it out neatly. Apply a coat of spray mount to the rear area which will enable the stencil to stick down to the t-shirt and thus prevent over-spray.

After positioning the stencil, use tape and newspaper to cordon off the remaining area or else you could end up over-spraying. Thoroughly shake the spray-paint can so that the propellant gets activated and mixes well with the paint. Do a couple of test-sprays on a piece of paper before spraying the t-shirt. Slowly, build up the paint on the t-shirt by spraying a couple of times carefully. The next is the drying stage; make sure that the paint has dried completely and thoroughly before peeling the stencil away to prevent smearing. Remove the tape and newspaper and open out your t-shirt to see the beautiful graphic t-shirt design that you have created. You can experiment as much as you like with the designs and also with colors which adds to the fashion and fun element.

Give the Horse its Due

Just how intelligent are horses anyway? Well, they are not as intelligent as humans which are blessed with a complex frontal cortex that allow them to worry about such things as how the tax rate on the rich will affect their future employment opportunities. Horses, on the other hand, don't have such worries. Indeed, horses don't think about much more than the here and now, as their lack of a developed frontal cortex makes them incapable of planning ahead or cheating on their taxes. This is not to say, however, that horses are not without intelligence.

People often compare the intelligence of horses unfavorably to that of cats and dogs. This is an unfair comparison. Cats and dogs are predatory animals that have instincts developed to find, attack, and eat prey. They are aggressive by nature. Horses are prey animals, react or be eaten has been their evolutionary path – there is no fight or flight conundrum – just run. This instinctive characteristic, however, does not preclude the horse from having cognitive capabilities, as research is showing in spades.

Historically, mankind has viewed the horse as a dumb animal. Recent research, however, has shed new light on equine intelligence. It is clear that horses are capable of not only dealing with daily tasks but mental ones as well. In the wild, horses must learn the challenges brought upon by predators, or that of a changing environment. They must learn and contend with new surroundings.

Indeed, domestication has likely led to even greater mental challenges for horses, as the demands of stable living are counter to the instincts developed over the 4 million years the horse with which mankind is familiar has been around. Horses exhibit habituation, the ability to become accustomed to stimulation such as daily interactions in the stable and to “block it out” as necessary (no mean feat for a flight first response animal). Also they exhibit Pavlovian responses (yes, just like the dogs) to stimuli that indicate the arrival of food or other positive outcomes. Finally, they are capable of operant conditioning - that is behavioral learning through consequence training – which is the means that humans learn to do such things as pay taxes.

So, although Secretariat did not understand the implications of winning the Triple Crown, he knew enough to adapt, learn and selectively apply his instincts to his environment to provide a comfortable long life at stud. Smart indeed.

Is the Giraffe an Endangered Species?

With so much information on endangered animals, people often wonder if the giraffe is an endangered species as well. With the title of the ‘tallest’ animal in the world, the giraffe has always been an animal that holds a special fascination for most people. With its graceful long neck and beautiful spotted fur, the giraffe is an animal that many around the world hope to keep safe from extinction.

The natural habitat for the giraffe is in Africa. There are many different species of giraffes in the continent. As of right now, two types of giraffe species are endangered in Africa. The West African and Nigerian giraffes are experiencing a rapid population decline and are currently labeled as endangered. The other species of giraffes are not yet classified as being endangered.

One of the reasons for the endangerment of the West African and Nigerian giraffe is poaching. Giraffe tails are known as good luck charms in certain parts of Africa. The meat of the giraffe is also very desirable, and is even considered a delicacy in certain parts of Africa. The fur of the giraffe is highly prized and is used for a variety of products such as clothing, rugs, purses, and even jewelry.

Although giraffes are frequently hunted by lions, humans that hunt giraffes for sport has significantly contributed to the population decline. In some countries, hunting a giraffe is considered fun for the entire family. Some families pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of hunting a giraffe. The giraffe is a very beautiful animal and considered a valuable prize in trophy hunting. Laws against hunting giraffes vary greatly across African countries, and even when illegal, there is little or nothing done to deter the hunters.

To ensure that the giraffe does not become another animal that has become extinct, action must be immediately taken. There need to be clear laws in place against the hunting of giraffes for sport. Many are conflicted because some families in need only hunt the giraffe for survival. Even still, guidelines for the amount of giraffe hunted need to be put in place immediately. Of course these laws will not be effective if they are not strictly enforced.

The countries in Africa should make it a priority to join together in conservation efforts to protect the West African and Nigerian giraffe, although this is something which is rarely top of the political agenda.

What is the Difference Between Alligators and Crocodiles?

People often wonder what the difference is between an alligator and a crocodile. First, alligators are only found in the southern parts of the United States and are also found in China. In contrast, crocodiles can be found almost anywhere in the entire world. The animal’s locales are one of the biggest differences between the two species.

In addition, another obvious difference between alligators and crocodiles lies in the teeth and jaws. Alligators have teeth that disappear when the mouth is closed. Crocodile’s sharp teeth are constantly visible, whether the mouth is closed or not. Crocodiles have a lighter brown color and alligators tend to be a darker grayish black color. There are many small differences in appearance between the two reptiles. The snout of the alligator is on the broader side and the crocodile has a much thinner snout.

Alligators are not necessarily the violent predators of humans that most assume them to be. If encountered by a human in its natural habitat, the alligator is more likely to run away than to pursue and harm the human. In contrast, crocodiles are widely known to kill humans who approach them. The crocodile is easily the more aggressive of the two animals.

Although the alligator and the crocodile both live and hunt primarily in water; the alligator prefers a fresh water habitat. Crocodiles prefer salt water environments due their functioning lingual salt glands. Alligators lay eggs in plants and vegetation near the water. The crocodile likes to reproduce in mud and even in the sand.

There are probably much more similarities between crocodiles and alligators than there are differences. For instance, crocodiles and alligators both reptiles are from the Crocodilian family. All Crocodilians share several common characteristics. Alligators and crocodiles both live in water, can hold their breath for extremely long periods of time, are superior hunters, and can eat almost anything that crosses their path.

The alligator and the crocodile are both fascinating animals and despite their differences are very similar. If encountering a crocodile or an alligator, one would not stay around long enough to decipher their subtle differences. Perhaps this is what causes so much confusion. Nevertheless, the alligator and crocodile are some of the largest reptiles in the entire world, and it is understandable that they are sometimes referred to interchangeably.

Lovers of these fantastic animals and other reptiles can find very high quality t-shirts of animals at http://www.mytshirtdesigns.com.