Fascinating Animal Tactics and Behaviours
Here are some pix of some remarkable animals.
This article features some wonderful animals and plants.
We can't help ourselves get fascinated with amazing animals since most of them has special features to boot as they strut their wares in making us beam with ahs and ohs... All of these animals, however, have a role to play in the ecological balance. Some may use elaborate and truly effective defense mechanisms, while others prefer uncanny attacking skills to secure their food.
DADDY KNOWS BEST
The Giant Arapaima (Arapaima Gigas) of the Amazon Jungle is the largest freshwater predatory fish in the world and it is a "living fossil" of freshwater fishes, a distinction also given to the legendary saltwater fish, the Coelacanth.
The giant arapaima can grow to an average length of 6 to 8 feet, but length exceeding 8 feet was been recorded, and could weigh as heavy as 440 pounds or more. Unlike their neighbors arowana, these graceful swimmer, the giant arapaima does not jump up out of the water surface to snatch a perching insect above.
It prefer to chase their prey (fishes and even waterfowls) and gulps them whole with their very wide mouth. The giant arapaima are capable of adapting to any water condition and like mudfish and catfish they can withstand drought until next rainfall comes by aestivating under muddy substrates.
he giant arapaima are great parents too. Research shows that the adults emit pheromones from their head to attract their offspring. The male does the brooding most of the time, a strategy that gives the juveniles extra protection and food (giant arapaima can secrete delectable microworms on their body that serves as an instant meal to their offspring). The giant arapaima would accompany their babies even when they reach 12 inches or more in length. This remarkable display of bonding makes them a sight to behold, a scene where you can see a giant fish schooling with its offspring. The female parent is also never far away, together they form a formidable tandem in repelling and chasing away hungry intruders.
DEADLY TRAPS
Venus Fly Trap
One of the most amazing gems in the planet, is the Venus Fly Trap. This plant would literally ensnare unsuspecting with its convex shaped trap. This specie of plant, quoted by Charles Darwin as "One of the most wonderful in the world", is able to capture an insect with its clamlike leaves in just 100 milliseconds or about 0.1 second, faster than an eyeblink, hehehe.
Pitcher Plant
The Pitcher Plant's leaves has indeed a pitcherlike structures which are utilized to the hilt to attract insects and tp drag victims down to the bottom of the traps where enzymes are waiting will to digest them.
Sundew Plant
Sundew Plants trap insect in a manner different from Venus Fly Trap. They will use a sort of tentacles erected from it leaves that secretes sticky substance to capture small insects. After an insect got stuck, the tentacles bend inward toward the middle of the leaf to digest its prized catch.
THE PIRATES OF THE AIR
Raptors refers to predatory birds like hawks, falcons, owls and the mighty eagles. They are swift, agile and brave warriors of the air. They have a relatively sharp sight to see targets with relative ease and armed with talons that could rip through smaller animals. These feisty hunters just do their part in the cycle, carrying out the roles given by them, by controlling the population of their prey.
One of the most wonderful eagle is the Amercican Bald Eagle, the USA's national symbol for courage and freedom. This majestic bird of prey was proclaimed as the National emblem on June 20, 1782 by Continental Congress. Many oppose the choice, including Benjamin Franklin. Even ornithologist Arthur Cleveland Bent, was saddened with the choice, a century later, aware of the survival instinct nature of this eagles like eating carcass of dead animals and its habit of stealing food from the smaller and weaker counterparts the ospreys, had said " Hardly inspire respect and certainly do not exemplify the best in American character."
The American Bald Eagle, value patience and can wait for several hours making decisive and crucial moves, many might perceive this as laziness, but you may call this as efficiency and stealth. Most species of birds would rather patrol a certain area to search for food as precious energy can be wasted and consumed doing that. The American Bald Eagle on the other hand would rather sit all day long because they are capable of securing food for survival anytime a prey would surface. The American Bald Eagle is capable of eating carrion but their uncanny skills in hunting makes them ferocious as well they can capture prey in mid air and willing to give small land animals a run for their dear lives. Eagles are truly food thiefs but who are we to judge these magnificent creatures, they are just doing their role in the system, and they do it with sheer cleverness and unparalleled competence.
MOSAIC IN THE SKY
Immense flocks of starlings or murmutions are capable of making spectacles in air, they can be frequently seen creating a display of choreographed movements in the skies of Southern European towns and cities. This marvelous sight of birds forming different kinds of animals or shapes like giant chicken, doves or other predatory birds is their way of keeping predators at bay and allows the other members of the flock to rejoin the main group.
This is my seventh entry to the hubchallenge...
A breathtaking view of flocks of starling.
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