Mihir's Blogspot: A brief study on coral reefs

Mihir's Blogspot: A brief study on coral reefs: Coral reefs Describe coral reefs:  Coral reefs are large colonies of coral polyps bonded together. coral polyp            ...

A brief study on coral reefs

Coral reefs

• Describe coral reefs: 

• Coral reefs are large colonies of coral polyps bonded together.

coral polyp                    Group of coral polyps

• Where they are located 
• Coral reefs are located in warm, temperate and shallow waters in oceans. 
• How they are built and what they are made of?
• They are made of calcium carbonate, coral reefs begin to form when free swimming coral larvae attach to submerged rocks or other hard surfaces along the edges of island or continent.
• why they are important as an ecosystem and as a resource?
• 
  
• Coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth. Coral reefs support more species per unit area than any other marine environment, including about 4,000 species of fish, 800 species of hard corals and hundreds of other species. Scientists estimate that there may be another 1 to 8 million undiscovered species of organisms living in and around reefs (Reaka-Kudla, 1997).

1. In what parts of the world are coral reefs located?

Coral reefs are located in these tropical parts of the world.The largest coral reef is located near Australia and it called the great barrier reef.

2. Are there any coral reefs in the Arctic Ocean ?

No, Coral reef are not located in those cold areas. they are only found in 30n and 30s latitude

3. What is coral? (what kind of organism)

Corals are not living organisms coral polyp is the living organism that forms a coral reef

5. What are cnidae and nematocysts?

Cnidae and Nematocyst: minute, elongated, or spherical capsule produced by exclusively by members of the phylum Cnidaria, (E.G., jellyfish, corals sea anemones). Several such capsules occur on the body surface. Each is produced by a special cell called a Cnidoblast and contains a coiled, hallow, usually barbed thread, which quickly turns outward (i.e.. is reverted) from the capsule upon proper stimulation. The purpose of the thread , which often contains poison, is to ward off enemies or to capture prey. 

6. How does coral get food? What does it eat?

A coral polyp is a filter feeding animal which means it eats plankton. It catches plankton by its tentacles.

7. What are zooxanthellae and why are they important? 

These are unicellular organisms closely related to algae they grow in the body of animals such as corals and other benethic organisms. These tiny organisms provide nutrients they make from photosynthesis and give some of it to the host so the host gives it a place to live, this is very important for the growth of animals such as corals, jellyfish, anemones and etc. 
 

8. How does coral grow and reproduce? How do reefs form?

Corals form when free swimming coral polyps attach to submerged rocks.
Coral reefs can reproduce sexually and asexually, in asexual reproduction, new clonal polyps bud off parent polyps to begin new colonies.
 

9. How much does a coral reef usually grow in a year?

A coral reef only grows nearly a few millimetres a year
 

10. Why are coral reefs so important? Give at least two reasons?

Coral reefs are so important because it provides nursery areas and breeding places for animals but the main thing is it provides places for thousands of animals.

POEM: If I was a......

If I was a........

If I was a frog

I would hop, hop, hop

If I was a chef 

I would chop, chop, chop

If I was a baby

I would sob, sob, sob

If I was a farmer 

I would crop, crop, crop

If I was a singer

I would pop, pop, pop

But I am a boy

who can clap, clap, clap

-Mihir.R.Shreshti

POEM : IN MY DREAM.......

in my dream….

i can fly

i can fly

fly in the high sky

 

touching the moon

seeing the sun

in the lovely sunshine

in the breeze

do not freeze

dance in the cold rain

 

opened my eyes

when the birds cried

saying to my dream, GOOD BYE

-         by mihir r shresti



australia

Australia

Name: Australia

Capital: Canberra

Flag:

Population: 22.68 Million

Continent: Australia

National animal: Kangaroo

National bird: Kiwi

Language: English

Currency: Australian dollar

Info: Australia is the only continent in the world to have only one country its famous for its kangaroos and beaches

Pollution in the Oceans

Pollution in the oceans

Pollution in the oceans mean that garbage is polluting the oceans, but not only garbage is polluting the oceans but oil spills, toxic wastes and garbage three of them are polluting the most.

 

The grey spots you see in the picture are the famous garbage spots that were known to be as big as Hawaii last year but today the garbage spots have grown so large that Hawaii is a small spot under it.

 

As you can see I have enlarged the photo for it to be easier to read for you.

 

Now the animals are confusing them as their food because some of the garbage looks as if its their food, for example surfboards look like large fish or seals sharks try to eat them and albatrosses confuse small toxic wastes as zooplankton and eat them, and a turtle's favorite food is jellyfish which they confuse for plastic bags.

Characteristics of Living things



Characteristics of Living things

We live on a planet called earth which is the only planet which can keep life on it. There are billions of living things on earth from gigantic whales to small microbes. Lets see how to spot the difference between living and non living things.

Living things are things that are alive things that are alive must have these characteristics:

Movement: Yes a little bit

Growth: Yes

Reproduction: Yes

Needs food: Yes ( Chloroplasts a special sugar )

Respiration: Yes

Excretion: Yes ( releases air and water )

Sensitivity: Yes ( to light )

These are the 7 main characteristic that a living thing has, if it doesn't have one of these its not a living thing.

Movement

All living things can move on their own even plants - they just move very slowly.

Nutrition

Nutrition means energy, energy comes from proteins and vitamins. All living things need energy to do work. Even breathing takes a little bit of energy

Excretion

All living things throw wastes out of their bodies. The wastes are the things that doesn't have any nutrition left in it, it is commonly said as poo, or excretion means throwing wastes from our body

Respiration

Respiration is also called as breathing. Every living thing needs oxygen to breath

Sensitivity

Sensitivity means sense. When we touch a touch me not it closes its leaves because it senses our touch

Reproduction

Reproduction means making copies of its own kind it means giving birth to its own species.

a species would become extinct if not reproduced

Growth

Growth means becoming bigger. Think that if you are a child and you are 50 inches and when you grow up you will become 100 inches



starlinator galaxy life

Starlinator

Damage: 1500

Health: 1200

Size: 20

Target: Turrets

Hit type: Ground

Fire rate: 1 bullet per 0.80 per second

Speed: 0.5

Hit type: Shot

Range: 115

My opinion: Good for a first attack because it destroys all the turrets starting only and then you can attack with marines if wanted.

 

 

Heavy unit. Specialized in taking down turrets 

kamikaze galaxy life

Kamikaze

Damage: 4000 per hit

Health: 600

Size: 30

Target: Walls

Hit type: Ground

Speed: 0.9

Hit type: Area

Range: 45

Training time: 5 minutes

My opinion: Not good to attack, first of all it takes so late to be trained and it will first attack walls and then others.

 

Ideal for taking down walls. Explodes when it gets close to its target

Bazooka galaxy life

Bazooka

Damage: 400 damage per shot

Health: 160

Size: 20

Target: Anything that comes in their way

Hit type: All units

Fire rate: 1 missile/0.50 seconds

Speed: 0.5

Hit type: Blast

Range: 160
Training time: 45 seconds

 

Fires slowly but deals serious damage defensive backup is recommended 

Flamethrower galaxy life

Flamethrower

Damage: 90 damage per second

Health: 280

Size: 10

Target: Defenses

Hit type: Ground

Fire rate: 1 bullet per 1.42 seconds

Speed: 0.5

Hit type: Throw

Range: 90

Training time: 18 seconds

 

Short range heavy unit. Specialized against defense turrets

Looter galaxy life

 Looter

Damage: 110 per second

Size: 15

Health: 180

Target: Resources

Hit type: Suck

Fire rate: 1/second

Speed: 0.5

Loot type: Ground

Range: 90

Training time: 6 seconds
 

Looting masters who target resources. Bodyguards are recommended

marine galaxy life

Marine

Damage per second: 60 Damage per second

Health: 150

Target: Anything that comes in their way

Hit type: ground

Size: 10

Fire rate: 1 bullet per second

Speed: 0.5

Hit type: Shot

Range: 120

 

Standard infantry, stronger when deployed in high number.

Cuttlefish

Scientific name: Sepiida

Habitat: Near coral reefs

Diet: Small Fish, Crabs and lobsters

Predators: Sharks and big Fish

Rank in food chain: Consumer

Type of water it lives in: Saltwater

Size: 1-5 feet

Class: Mollusks

Relatives: Octopus and Squid

 

Fact: Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda, which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. 'Cuttle' is a reference to their unique internal shell, the cuttlebone. Despite their name, cuttlefish are true molluscs.
Cuttlefish have large, W-shaped pupils, eight arms, and two tentacles furnished with denticulated suckers, with which they secure their prey. They generally range in size from 15 to 25 cm (5.9 to 9.8 in), with the largest species, Sepia apama, reaching 50 cm (20 in) in mantle length and over 10.5 kg (23 lb.) in weight.
Cuttlefish eat small molluscs, crabs, shrimp, fish, octopuses, worms, and other cuttlefish. Their predators include dolphins, sharks, fish, seals, seabirds, and other cuttlefish. Their life expectancy is about one to two years. Recent studies indicate cuttlefish are among the most intelligent invertebrates.Cuttlefish also have one of the largest brain-to-body size ratios of all invertebrates.^[2]
The 'cuttle' in 'cuttlefish' comes from the Old English word cudele, meaning 'cuttlefish', which may be cognate with the Old Norse koddi ('cushion') and the Middle Low German küdel ('pouch').The Greco-Roman world valued the cephalopod as a source of the unique brown pigment the creature releases from its siphon when it is alarmed. The word for it in both Greek and Latin, sepia, is now used to refer to a brown pigment in English.

Reef Sharks

Reef Shark

Scientific name: Carcharhinus melanopterus

Habitat: Near coral reefs

Diet: Small Fishes, Crabs and Lobsters, reef fish, squid, cephalopods and shrimp

Predators: Bigger Sharks, Killer whales and Octopus

Rank in food chain: Consumer

Type of water it lives in: Saltwater

Size: 1/2 mtrs

Relatives: White tip reef shark and grey reef sharks


Reef sharks inhabit tropical waters and lagoons near coral reefs. They are found in Indo-Pacific waters and the Caribbean. Like all sharks, reef sharks are efficient predators. They are at the apex of their food chains and are therefore an important indicator species for marine ecosystems as a whole.


Reproduction All reef sharks are viviparous - they give birth to live pups, with an average of 1-5 pups per litter. Gestation periods can be longer than 1 year, and the pups do not reach maturity until at least the age of 5.

What are the main threats to Reef sharks?

Slow reproduction rates and a limited habitat makes reef sharks particularly vulnerable to both commercial and artisanal fishing. They are often caught as by catch and discarded, making a true assessment of population status difficult.
Watch a video of Reef Shark Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejguPpeVK-k


 

Killer whale

Killer whale

Scientific name: Orcinus orca

Habitat: All oceans

Diet: Sharks, Octopuses, Fishes (big - Small), Squid, Crabs, Seals, Sea lions, Penguins and Turtles

Predators: Humans

Rank in the food chain: Top predators

Type of water it lives in: Saltwater

Biggest type of dolphin: Killer whale

Smallest type of dolphin: Maui's dolphin

Size: 10 mtrs

Did you know: Delphinus orca was the earliest name for the killer whale. It meant demon dolphin.

Class: Mammals

Icefish

 

Icefish

Scientific name: Notothenioidei

Habitat: Atlantic ocean

Diet: Krill and Plankton

Predators: Polar Bear, Dolphins and big Fishes

Rank in food chain: Consumers

Type of water it lives in: Saltwater

Size: 10 Inches-50 inches

Relatives: Mackerel Icefish and Mackerel
Class: Fish

Ocean animals-2 Octopus

Octopus

Scientific name: Octopoda

Habitat: All over the world



Diet: Crabs, Squids, Plankton and small Fish

Predators: Sharks, Whales, bigger Octopuses and bigger Fish

Special Abilities: Some octopuses squirt ink like the squid and all the octopuses can change color very fast

Rank in the food chain: Secondary consumers  

Type of water it lives in: saltwater

Biggest type of Octopus: Enteroctopus

Smallest type of octopus: Wolfi

Size: 1/2 feet-7mtrs

Did you know: Octopuses are thought to be the most intelligent animals without a back bone, or invertebrates. They can recognize various shapes and said to be have a good memory. They can even plan and open the lid of a jar.   



Relatives: Cuttlefish and squid
Class: Mollusks

An octopus is a sea animal with eight arms. There are more than 150 species, or types, of octopus. They belong to the group of animals called Mollusks, which also includes squid, clams, and oysters. Octopuses live in seas throughout the world.

An octopus has a soft, baglike body and large eyes. Its long, slender arms reach out in all directions. Each arm has two rows of cuplike suckers with great holding power.

Octopuses vary greatly in size. The smallest are only about 2 inches (5 centimeters) long. The largest may be 18 feet (5.5 meters) long and have a 30-foot (9-meter) arm span.

An octopus can change color quickly depending on its surroundings or its mood. It can be gray, brown, pink, blue, green, or even an angry red if it is suddenly frightened.

An octopus usually crawls along the ocean bottom on its arms searching for food. It eats mainly crabs and lobsters. Skillful hunters, octopuses also attack large prey such as sharks. If an octopus is in danger, it shoots a jet of water out of its body. This moves the octopus backward very quickly. An octopus also may release an inky fluid to darken the water and confuse an enemy.

A female octopus lays her eggs under rocks or in holes. She guards the eggs for four to eight weeks. Upon hatching, the young drift for several weeks before going to the ocean bottom

This video has been taken by me @ CineAqua, Paris, France. 

Mughal Emporor 3-Akbar The Great

 Akbar-Jodha

Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar

 

Born on October 15, 1542 in Umarkot, India, and enthroned at age 14, Akbar the Great began his military conquests under the tutelage of a regent before claiming imperial power and expanding the Mughal Empire. Known as much for his inclusive leadership style as for his war mongering, Akbar ushered in an era of religious tolerance and appreciation for the arts. Akbar the Great died in 1605

Date of birth:14 Oct 1542

Date of death: 27 October 1605
5-10-27)
Ruling period: 50 years

Battles fought: More than 100

Main achievements: Finding a new cast, Ruling 1/4 of Asia

Life period:  63 years

Successor: Jahangir

Grandson: Shah Jahan

Akbar's father: Humayun

Akbar's mother: Hamida Banu Begum

 Biography: Akbarnama and Ain-I-akbari

 

The Mughal emporors-2 Humayun

Humayun

Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun

2nd Mugal Emperor

Nasiruddin Humayun was the son of Babar. He belonged to Mughal dynasty and was the ruler of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northeastern part of India from 1530-1540 and again from 1555-1556. He succeeded his father, Babur, as a ruler of India in 1530, while his half brother Kamran Mirza got the territories of Kabul and Lahore. Upon his accession to the throne, Humayun had two main rivals namely Sultan Bahadur of East and Sher Shah Suri.

 

Sher Shah ruled India from 1540-1545, he died in 1545, and his son succeeded him to the throne, but he was a weak ruler, and he too died in 1554. With his death the empire began to disintegrate and Humayun, sensing the opportunity sent an army under the leadership of his able General Bairam Khan. Bairam Khan was successful in getting the control of Delhi along with other areas. Humayun set on the throne of Delhi once again on 23rd July 1555. But his period of happiness was short lived, just six months after the ceremonial accession to the throne of Delhi, Humayun met with an accident in his library and died three days later on 25th February 1556. He was succeeded by his son Akbar.

 

 

Date of birth: 17 Mar 1508

Date of death: 27 Jan 1556

Ruling period: 11 years

Battles fought: 22 battles
Main achievements:
Life period: 47 years
Places Babur ruled: Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northeastern part of India
Successor: Muhammad Zalaludin Akbar
Grandson: Jahangir
Humayun's father: Babur
Humayun's mother: Maham begum
Autobiography: Humayun-nama
 

 

Mughal Emperors of India 1: Babur

The Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ruled most of northern India from the 1526 to the 1857. The Mughal rulers practiced the religion of Islam. Most of the people they ruled practiced Hinduism. Even so, the Mughals were able to rule successfully.

 

The founder of the Mughal Empire was named Babur. He was descended from Genghis Khan, who had founded the Mongol Empire in Mongolia more than 300 years earlier. In 1526 Babur conquered the Indian sultanate, or kingdom, called Delhi. By his death in 1530 he controlled much of northern India.

   

Babur (1483-1530)

Ẓahīr ad-Dīn Muhammad Babur

 

1st Mughal Emperor

 

Date of birth: 23rd Feb. 1483
Date of death: 26th Dec 1530
Ruling period: 4 years
Battles fought: 2
Main achievements: 1st to establish Mughal empire in Hindustan which is now known as India.
Life period: 47 years
Places Babur ruled: Delhi
Successor: Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun
Grandson: Muhammad Zalaludin Akbar
1st battle fought: Panipat
Babur's father: Umar Shaik Mirza 2 (Ruler of  Fergana valley)
Babur's mother: Qutlugh Nigar Khanum
Autobiography: Babur-nama
 

Ocean Animals: SQUID

 

SQUID

Scientific name : Teuthida

• Habitat: all over the world
• Diet: Shrimps, small fish, squid and plankton
• Predators: sharks, bigger squids, octopuses and big fishes
• Special abilities: squirting ink on predators
• Rank in the food chain: secondary consumer
• Type of water it lives in: saltwater
• Biggest type: colossal squid
• Smallest type: Caribbean reef squid
• Size: 1cm-6mr
• Relatives: octopus and cuttlefish

 

Squid are mollusks that live in the ocean. Mollusks are a group of animals with soft bodies. Squid are closely related to octopuses, but they have 10 arms instead of eight. Squid can live either near the coast or deep in the ocean.

 

A squid has a long, tube-shaped body with a short head. A shell supports the body from the inside. Giant squid can be 60 feet (18 meters) long and weigh 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms). Some other squid are less than an inch (2.5 centimeters) long. A squid has large eyes, usually on the sides of its head. Two of a squid's 10 arms are longer than the others. Suckers on the long arms help the squid catch fish and shellfish to eat.

 

Squid can be fast swimmers, or they can just drift along. Whales, sea birds, and other animals eat squid. Squid often use their speed to escape enemies. They also can hide from enemies by changing color to blend in with rocks or seaweed. Like an octopus, a squid can spray a cloud of inky fluid into the water to confuse the enemy.

 

After mating, a female squid lays hundreds to thousands of eggs. The eggs are grouped together in jellylike strands. The female leaves the eggs alone to develop. Within several weeks they hatch into a small form of the adult.