nature, infinite beauty

Okavango Delta

19:07 |

Okavango Delta

The Jewel of the Kalahari

It is one of the places most fascinating and perplexing in the black continent, where the water meets the sand of the Kalahari desert forming a small universe of unique and extraordinary wildlife.

From the highlands of Angola, the Okavango river run soft before dying in the Kalahari desert, more than a thousand miles away. This exceptional event is what makes its delta one of the most amazing and extraordinary in Africa.

Is an oasis in the arid territory. The subtropical periodic rains cause flooding of the river Cubango of central Angola, Namibia at the name of Kuvango river and finally entering Botswana as the Okavango River in Mohembo, in the north. These floods reach about 11 billion cubic meters of water each year that drain the great delta of 15000 km2 through a maze of lagoons, canals and islands before disappearing into the sands of the Kalahari Desert, in southern.

The delta is divided between a permanently flooded area in the north and a seasonally flooded area in the south. The northern area contains riverside forest immediately adjacent to shore arid Kalahari woodlands. The area seasonally flooded have large deciduous trees.

These different habitats are given the opportunity to develop a wildlife and vegetation surprisingly varied and rich in species of mammals, birds and amphibians, and a wide range of different plant species.

In the northwest of Delta, 60 km short of the border with Namibia is Tsodilo Hills, famous for its sacred character for the Khoisan, with over 350 sites with rock paintings, some as curious as the zebra which appears in the Botswana's national emblem, or paintings of whales and penguins that suggest contact between Khisas and other coastal towns almost a thousand miles distant.

The Okavango Delta in Botswana, is considered one of the last paradises left on Earth. There, a rich variety of organisms living in natural balance in a landscape that is not very different from that in which the first living beings evolved for four or five million years. But all is not well in Eden. Agriculture invasive, water diversion, pests and pollution threatens the microcosm in principle virgin: it is the same attacks.

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zebra

19:00 |

Zebra

Zebra, mammal native to Africa well known for its distinctive striped fur. It is smaller than its relative the horse and very similar in appearance and habits of the wild donkey.

The zebra striped coat is different in each individual, and has the mission to confuse predators because the stripes blur the outline of the individual when it is coupled with other zebras forming a family.

The zebra is a gregarious mammal, lives in groups formed by the male, 10 or more females and the calves.

The zebra is herbivorous, isn’t ruminant and tolerate poor quality grazing with a high percentage of hard stems. Mainly feeds on grasses and sometimes eats leaves from trees and bushes. In times of drought digs to unearth bulbs and roots. Much depends on the water and is usually away from the ponds, because you need to drink every day.

In the regions where they live, usually find the necessary food, but not always plentiful, if food becomes scarce in a particular area move to places more conducive. Indeed, like many other animals, undertake periodic migrations as drought kills all the greenery of the plains subdesertic that constitute their preferred living areas.

At three years the females are ready to mate, the female gives birth to a baby weighing 30kg at the time of birth. During the breeding season, males fight for control of females to mate.

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wolf

18:57 |

The wolf

The gray wolf is one of the oldest species on earth - has more than 100,000 years living in this world. The gray wolf is currently restricted to a few large forests of eastern Europe, some mountain refuges in the Mediterranean region, mountains and deserts of the Middle East, and barren areas in Asia and North America. This decline is the result of human persecution and habitat destruction.

The wolves measure between one and two meters, and its color can be white to black, with combinations of gold, brown and red. A litter of wolf pups can be of many colors. Wolf's fangs can measure up to 6 cm. in length.

The wolf lives from 6 to 12 years within an established territory that belongs to his flock and usually includes 150 to 1000 km2.

Mark their territory as they stroll, through the foot glands that emit an odor, and their urine. The wolf has some blood vessels in your legs to control his body temperature and prevents the formation of ice balls between their feet, even during the winter.

Wolves are animals very social. Live, travel and hunt in highly organized groups, usually 6 to 12 animals. Every group has a dominant pair whose dominant male dominates the males and dominant female dominates other females.

The dominant partner is the only one that can have puppies. About three weeks before calving, the female digs a tunnel in the earth creating a shelter. After giving birth to her cubs, it stays there with them until 8 to 10 weeks. The female must choose carefully where do the shelter, a place where the other wolves in the group can hunt and defend without problem, and that is near a water source.

The Wolves take only milk for a month and then eat pre-engineered food by other members of the group.

When the cubs are still very small, some wolves of the pack make of babysitter, caring for the wolves when the mother goes to drink water, exercise or do their business.

Wolves have several ways to communicate through howling, growling, barking, smell and body language. Use their tail to transmit force, submission, aggression and fear. Wolves use their howls to announce their presence and warn intruders. Group members also howl to locate each other when they are away. Some people even believe that wolves made his famous howl just for fun.

Wolves eat a wide variety of foods. In the taiga and the tundra, the typical prey, are moose, deer and caribou, animals weighing up to ten times more than the wolf and are hunted by packs. Young or old animals or the weakest, are the most likely victims. The smaller mammals such as badgers and hares, are often important prey especially in summer.

Habitat:   Forests, grasslands and deserts of northern Mexico, using rocks, caves and burrows as shelter.

The gray wolf today is found in zoos in the United States and Mexico, fortunately in breeding programs and in the process of release into the wild. The wolf was exterminated by control agents predators authorized by the government, the pursuit of human self-indulgent hunting, habitat destruction and capture for zoos.

It is now considered a priority for recovery between animals that are cataloged in Endangered Species.

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Hippos

18:43 |

Hippos

Hippos are African mammals. They live most of the time in the water and just leave the river to go to late afternoon to graze in the bush a few miles from the banks. You can walk straight up to 10 miles at night. They are very voracious and eat up to 60 kilos of plants in one night.

At dawn they are back in the water, that free parasites, keeps them cool and protected from the African sun and also helps them support their enormous weight. They feed on grass that grows on the banks of rivers and aquatic plants.

These animals are good swimmers but sometimes in shallow areas instead of swimming prefer walking or running on dirt, rocks, plants or sand or what is in these shallow areas. The eyes and nostrils are at the top of the head, allowing them to see and breathe while keeping most of the body under water.

The hippopotamus is an extremely sedentary animal, a large part of the day resting in the water passes; Hippos also rest on the banks and secrete an oily substance in red, so it is sometimes said that south blood. However, it is a sunscreen that moisturizes your skin and protects against germs.

The baby hippo last 8 months gestation and at birth weigh about 45 kilograms and can be nursed on land and in water, closing their ears and nostrils. Females usually have one calf every two years. After birth, mother and son join the group, which will protect them from crocodiles, lions, hyenas, etc.

In your group, the hippo is well structured. The females and young males are located more or less together in the water. Older males are placed around them, keeping a respectful distance, as they are very aggressive.

The fights between them are so violent, but rarely end with death.

The inferred deep wounds in the fighting rarely become infected and heal quickly.

Is one of the largest mammals on earth (only get over it the whale and the elephant), and also large are extremely dangerous, if disturbed not hesitate to kill, an adult hippopotamus is capable of killing an alligator without a problem.

It has a weight between 2600 and 4500 kg, a length of 5 m and a height of 1.5 m. The cross It has a lifespan of between 40 and 50.

Hippos live in small herds of no more than ten to fifteen copies. Despite this, very favorable areas have seen herds of more than one hundred individuals. Although some males also prefer to live alone.

This species like most in the world is beginning to disappear and as with other species the cause of their possible extinction is man.

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Hachiko

18:25 |

Hachiko

The faithful friend

Hachiko was born in November 1923 in the prefecture of Odate, Akita province, north of Japan.

Hachi went from the Akita Prefecture to Shibuya station where would come to the teachers home Eisaburō Ueno, traveled for two days by train, in a box and when they were to withdraw

Professor servants, they thought that the dog was dead.

However, when they got home, the teacher approached to the dog a glass of milk, and he revived. The teacher picked him up in his lap and noticed that the front legs were slightly deflected, so he decided to call Hachi (eight in Japanese) by the similarity with the Kanji (Japanese letter) used to represent the number eight (八).

In fact the dog was destined to the professor's daughter, who promptly left the family home when she became pregnant and married to go live in the family home of her husband. Thus, at first, Hachi would be given away, but the teacher soon became fond of the dog he loved so strongly so decided to adopt as its mascot. Since then, every day Hachiko dismiss him from the front door when Ueno went to work, and went to say hello him at the end of each day at the front gate of Shibuya station.

This routine, which became part of the life of both, it was not unnoticed by the people who passed by the place or by the owners of the shops around, and they all came to appreciate the singular form link became established between the dog and its owner.

On May 21, 1925, Professor Ueno did not return, had suffered a brain hemorrhage that killed him while teaching at Imperial College, but Hachi stayed there, in place, waiting. Gone are the days that turned into months, and months into years, and Hachi still came true and on time to wait for his master, no matter if it was cold or heat, just waiting to see him again, loyalty to his human friend never perished.

The devotion that Hachiko had for his deceased master touched those around him, who nicknamed it the faithful dog. He became a hero, the beloved figure of the area. Travelers who were absent for a long period always asked for him on his return.

In April 1934 the kindly habitants of Shibuya hired Teru (Shou) Ando, a famous Japanese sculptor, to conduct a statue in honor of his friend Hachiko. The sculptor was delighted to make this work and the own Hachiko was present the day of filing the statue, which was placed in front of the station, where Hachiko would wait.

During the war all the statues were cast for the production of weaponry, the statue of Hachiko did not escape this fate and unfortunately the sculptor was killed. But the people of Shibuya continued remind Hachiko and his message of loyalty. So it was decided to form a Society for the replacement of the statue of Hachiko, and that company hired the son of Teru Ando, Takeshi Ando, who was also a great sculptor. The new statue was erected in August 1947 and still remains.

On March 8, 1935, Hachiko died of Filariasis. His body was found in front of Shibuya station, after waiting vainly for his master for ten years. His remains were deposited in a stone house

that was built at the foot of the tomb of Professor Ueno in Aoyama Cemetery, Minmi-Aoyama, Minato-Ku, Tokyo.

Although, later, his body was taken to be exhibited at the Museum of Natural Sciences of district Tokiota of Ueno after being restored and dissected.

Today, the exquisite statue of Hachiko stands in the middle of the square in front of Shibuya station. We can find about her sources, newspaper and magazine stands and smiling people telling the story of Hachiko to small or not.

March 8, each year is commemorated Hachiko on the square in front of to Shibuya train station.

The remains of Chuken Hachiko (in Japanese faithful dog Hachiko) rest beside those of his master Eusaburo Dr. Ueno. In one corner of the grave of its owner in Aoyama Cemetery, Minmi-Aoyama, Minato-Ku, Tokyo.

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