Monday, May 31, 2010
Amazing facts about India
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The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat. INDIA has been called Bharat even in Satya yuga ( Golden Age ) More INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT India : -
- The name `India’ is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.
- The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name `Hindustan’ combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
- The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.
Top 10 Prehistoric Fish Alive Today
Top 10 Prehistoric Fish Alive Today
10 Hagfish
According to the fossil record, hagfish have existed for over 300 million years, which means they were already old when dinosaurs took over the world! Found in relatively deep waters, these animals are sometimes called slime eels, but they are not really eels, and actually, they may not even be fish at all,according to some scientists. They are very bizarre animals in all regards; they have a skull but lack a spine, and they have two brains. Almost blind, they feed at night on the carcasses of large animals (fish, cetaceans etc) which fall to the sea bottom. They owe their “slime eel” nickname to the fact that they produce a slimey substance to damage the gills of predatory fish; as a result, they have virtually no natural enemies.
9 Lancetfish
The lancetfish has a very obvious “prehistoric” appearance, with those fierce-looking, sharp teeth on its jaws and the sail on its back, reminiscent of that of some dinosaurs (although, in the lancetfish the sail is actually an enlarged dorsal fin). Even its scientific name has a dinosaurian sound to it (Alepisaurus ferox). Up to two meters (6' 6?) in length, this predator is found in all the oceans except for polar regions; very voracious, it feeds on smaller fish and squid, and has known to feed on members of its own species sometimes.
How to leave Pakistan-Life and People of Pakistan
While Pakistan first neighbor India looks to the future after launch its first unmanned moon mission, next door things seem to be spiraling downwards. People are forced to escape, look how!
Nostradamus predictions
Nostradamus predictions
NOSTRADAMUS, the French Christian Jew who lived in France in the 16th century, made many accurate forecasts, including the two World Wars. 18 of his 950 quatrains refer to a third world war. Some Nostradamus experts had given the date for the start of such a war as mid-1999, referring to the Balkan conflict surrounding Kosovo. They obviously misinterpreted the quatrains. Their attention then turned to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on
the World Trade Center in New York.
NOSTRADAMUS
Born Michel de Notredame on 14 December 1503 in St Remy, France, he was the oldest of five sons. His grandfather, Jean, taught him Latin, Greek, Hebrew, mathematics and astrology at an early age. Nostradamus received a medical degree in 1529 and became physician-in-ordinary to Charles IX during the bubonic plague. He is said to have had extraordinary healing abilities.
Nostradamus was in his late 40s when, it is told, he frequently went into a meditative state and had visions of the future. He began to document the visions in a mixture of Lain, French, and Greek quatrains, publishing his famous “Centuries” in 1558.
Nostradamus was married twice, losing his first wife and two children to the plague. He died on 2 July 1566. “Centuries” was translated into English in 1672. In 1781 it was banned by the Roman Catholic Church. Ironically, in 1553, when Nostradamus encountered a group of Franciscan monks he threw himself on his knees, clutching at the garment of one of the monks, Felice Peretti. When asked why he had done this he replied that he must yield “before his Holiness.” Nineteen years after the death of Nostradamus, Peretti became Pope Sixtus V.
What the experts say Nostradamus predicted about the Balkan war
The war prophecy is reserved for someone whom Nostradamus refers to as “the tyrant.” He predicted that the Slavs will “change their prince” and “raise an army in the mountains,” suggesting a guerrilla war. He speaks of “when the north pole is united” (perhaps NATO?), and there are many geographical references to the Balkans, such as Greece, Italy and the Mediterranean.
The war is linked to when the “eagle” (United States) and the “cock” (France) stand together. There also is specific reference to the time when England, Poland and Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) “form a new alliance.” The former Eastblock countries recently joined NATO.
He predicted that the Allies will win, that the war will be protracted, lasting seven months, and that it may go beyond the Balkans, toward the north, but that after the war there will be “peace on earth for a long time.”
The forecasts by Nostradamus seemed to be confirmed by other seers, including Nicolaas van Rensburg, the famous South African seer who lived 1862 to 1926. At the turn of the 20th Century Van Rensburg had also predicted the use of electricity, the massacre of six million Jews, the Chernobyl disaster, the rise and fall of Russia, and the European Union – in the last two instances accurately describing the flags before they were designed. Of the third world war, he predicted that England would left weakened, while Germany would rise to become the world’s most powerful nation. Further such predictions by the famous American seer Edgar Cacey are available in the book Predictions for the 21st Century
What the experts say Nostradamus predicted about the WTC attack
“In the year of the new century and nine months, from the sky will come a great king of terror. The sky will burn at 45 degrees… fire approaches the great new city… there will be thunder… The third big war will begin when the city is burning.”
So it is quoted among rumor mongers. The facts are:
Nostradamus appears not to have made predictions about the World Trade Center attack or, at least, none that could easily be understood from the quatrains. He did not mention “the new century,” or “nine months” and New York is not at 45 degrees; the Manhattan latitude is 40° 47′ N. For more, see Skeptic’s Dictionary
What then?
Of course, not only have the “experts” on the prophets not always been correct – the seers themselves have not always been quite so accurate in their forecasts. In fact, many predictions have missed the mark.
Time will tell if the Kosovo conflict or, indeed, the World Trade Center attack had put the spark to a bigger barrel. As for the end of the world… Nostradamus predicted it to be the year 3786 or 3797, depending on which Nostradamus expert you believe.
Cryptic numerology:
After the WTC attack on 11 September 2001, Uri Geller asked everyone to pray for 11 seconds for those in need. Why?
The first plane to hit the towers was Flight 11 by American Airlines;
Flight 11 had 92 on board: 9 + 2 = 11;
Flight 77 had 65 on board: 6 + 5 = 11;
New York City – 11 Letters;
State of New York – 11th State added to the Union;
the World Trade Center in New York.
NOSTRADAMUS
Born Michel de Notredame on 14 December 1503 in St Remy, France, he was the oldest of five sons. His grandfather, Jean, taught him Latin, Greek, Hebrew, mathematics and astrology at an early age. Nostradamus received a medical degree in 1529 and became physician-in-ordinary to Charles IX during the bubonic plague. He is said to have had extraordinary healing abilities.
 Nostradamus |
Nostradamus was married twice, losing his first wife and two children to the plague. He died on 2 July 1566. “Centuries” was translated into English in 1672. In 1781 it was banned by the Roman Catholic Church. Ironically, in 1553, when Nostradamus encountered a group of Franciscan monks he threw himself on his knees, clutching at the garment of one of the monks, Felice Peretti. When asked why he had done this he replied that he must yield “before his Holiness.” Nineteen years after the death of Nostradamus, Peretti became Pope Sixtus V.
What the experts say Nostradamus predicted about the Balkan war
The war prophecy is reserved for someone whom Nostradamus refers to as “the tyrant.” He predicted that the Slavs will “change their prince” and “raise an army in the mountains,” suggesting a guerrilla war. He speaks of “when the north pole is united” (perhaps NATO?), and there are many geographical references to the Balkans, such as Greece, Italy and the Mediterranean.
The war is linked to when the “eagle” (United States) and the “cock” (France) stand together. There also is specific reference to the time when England, Poland and Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) “form a new alliance.” The former Eastblock countries recently joined NATO.
He predicted that the Allies will win, that the war will be protracted, lasting seven months, and that it may go beyond the Balkans, toward the north, but that after the war there will be “peace on earth for a long time.”
 Nicolaas van Rensburg |
What the experts say Nostradamus predicted about the WTC attack
“In the year of the new century and nine months, from the sky will come a great king of terror. The sky will burn at 45 degrees… fire approaches the great new city… there will be thunder… The third big war will begin when the city is burning.”
So it is quoted among rumor mongers. The facts are:
Nostradamus appears not to have made predictions about the World Trade Center attack or, at least, none that could easily be understood from the quatrains. He did not mention “the new century,” or “nine months” and New York is not at 45 degrees; the Manhattan latitude is 40° 47′ N. For more, see Skeptic’s Dictionary
What then?
Of course, not only have the “experts” on the prophets not always been correct – the seers themselves have not always been quite so accurate in their forecasts. In fact, many predictions have missed the mark.
Time will tell if the Kosovo conflict or, indeed, the World Trade Center attack had put the spark to a bigger barrel. As for the end of the world… Nostradamus predicted it to be the year 3786 or 3797, depending on which Nostradamus expert you believe.
Cryptic numerology:
After the WTC attack on 11 September 2001, Uri Geller asked everyone to pray for 11 seconds for those in need. Why?
The first plane to hit the towers was Flight 11 by American Airlines;
Flight 11 had 92 on board: 9 + 2 = 11;
Flight 77 had 65 on board: 6 + 5 = 11;
New York City – 11 Letters;
State of New York – 11th State added to the Union;
Video: Nostradamus: His Life and Prophecies
“To predict is difficult; especially about the future” – Chinese proverb
Boiling point of water
Boiling point of water
In 1841, Anders Celsius defined his temperature scale on the melting and boiling temperature of water. Although Celsius did not discover the thermometer – both Philo and Hero of Alexandria (who also mentioned steam power in 50 BC) described such a principle – his design was much more precise than any previous such invention. Celsius scaled his measurements as 0 for boiling point and 100 for freezing point but the order was later reversed.
You might have been told that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius (212F) but the boiling point of water actually depends on the oxygen content and atmospheric pressure. The higher the altitude, the lower the temperature at which water boils. People who live at high altitudes, like Tibetans, drink their tea while it is bubbling with boiling. Many Tibetans who moved to India suffered serious burns when they drank their boiling tea at sea-level.British Standard 6008 and International Standard ISO 3103 advise that tea is best made with water that is freshly boiled. Prolonged boiling of water, or water that is boiled twice, drives off the dissolved oxygen in the water, making the tea taste flat.
Tea is said to have been discovered in 2737 BC by a Chinese emperor when some tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water. The teabag was introduced in 1908 by Thomas Sullivan of New York.
World population facts
World population facts
Every second 5 people are born and 2 people die, a net gain of 3 people. At this rate, the world population will double every 40 years and would be 12 billion in 40 years, 24 billion in 80 years, and more than 48 billion in 120 years. However the United Nations estimate that world population will stabilize at 12 billion in 120 years, citing that effective family planning will result in a universally low birth rate. Education plays a key role: almost half of the 6 billion people are under age 25.
At the beginning of the second millennium (1000 AD) the world population was 400 million. In 1750 there were about 800 million people in the world. In 1850 there were a billion more, and by 1950, another billion. Then it took just 50 years to double to 6 billion. In another 50 years the world population is expected to be 9 billion, which means that a decrease in growth of the world population is expected.
The recent global population explosion is not only the consequence of increased birth rates but also the result of an unprecedented decrease in death rate. Significant advances in public health and medicine, phenomenal agricultural yields and the expanding global economy contributed to the population explosion as the lifespan average continues to increase.
Only one in ten people lived in cities in 1900. By 1994 the figure had grown to one of every two people, creating megalopolies of millions to tens of millions inhabitants. More than 400 cities have a population of more than a million people. Managing such large cities, and better management of the planet’s resources, could become the most difficult problem of this century.
In spite of the population increase and desertification, famines have actually become less frequent in the past 200 years. The famines in Africa seen on TV are due to the political strife and civil wars (see current conflicts between countries) that disorganize the economy, paralyze transportation, and prevent emergency food drops. In fact, out of the 40 poorest and hungriest nations on earth, 36 actually export food to richer countries.
 | Every day 200 million couples make love, 400,000 babies are born, and 140,000 people die, 25,000 because of starvation People and Planet World population Day is celebrated on July 11th. |  |
How many friends do you have?
How many friends do you have?
The world’s worst traffic jam occurs during the summer on the road from Paris to Toulouse, France. The year 2000 record of a traffic jam 604km long was well beaten in 2001 when holiday makers jammed up for 661km. That would give one ample time to call your friends – providing you stay within the law and do it on a handsfree set, of course.How many friends would you call? Maximum 150. Why? Research by Robin Dunbar, professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University, shows that throughout history the human brain can only handle about 150 friends. More than that and the relationships might be less meaningful. This fact is known as the Dunbar Number.
The number could be of particular interest if you’re from Argentina or Hong Kong. According to a Plaxo®, Inc., creator of the smart address book, an Argentinian has on average 479 contacts in his/her address book. In August 2006, Plaxo released their Connected Index which ranks the level of connectedness between people, country by country, based on the average number of contacts in their Plaxo smart address book. The most connected peoples are -
| 1. Argentina 2. Hong Kong 3. Austria 4. South Korea 5. Italy 6. Venezuela 7. Germany 8. Switzerland 9. Brazil 10. Czech Republic 11. Chile 20. United Kingdom 29. United States | 479 390 384 369 367 366 364 362 361 358 357 319 293 |
Oops! Feeling slightly left out? Get a new job – make new friends.
The seven wonders – old, modern and new
The seven wonders – old, modern and new
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World that still survives. Can you name the other six wonders?
They are:
1) The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were built on the banks of the Euphrates river by King Nebuchadnezzar II.
2) The gigantic gold statue of Zeus was built by the sculptor Pheidias at Olympia.
3) The temple of Artemis was erected in the Asia Minor city of Ephesus in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature.
4) The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a huge tomb constructed for King Maussollos, Persian satrap of Caria.
5) The Colossus of Rhodes was a massive statue erected by the Greeks in honor of Helios the sun-god.
6) The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos.
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built near the ancient city of Memphis for Pharaoh Khufu in the period of the Fourth Dynasty, between 2613 and 2494BC. The Greeks referred to it as the Pyramid of Cheops. A true wonder, it is immense: according to Mysteries of the Unknown, it covers a ground area of 13.1 acres (32,4 hectares), composed of some 2.3 million limestone blocks average two-and-a-half tonnes each, enough stone to build a wall of foot-square cubes two-thirds around the globe at the equator, a distance of 16,600 miles (26 500km).
The oldest statue in the world is the Great Sphinx of Egypt. Carved out of limestone, it stands 65 ft (19,8 metres) high and is 240 ft (73 metres) long.
Modern Wonders
A list of the seven wonders of the modern world was compiled after World War One (after 1918). The motorcar was omitted from the list, instead naming:
World’s largest water bomber and heli firefighters
World’s largest water bomber and Heli-firefighters
Earth is getting hotter. The 2000s was the warmest decade in a thousand years. Global temperature, in general, keeps increasing, creating conditions that intensify wildfire danger, by warming and drying out vegetation and by stirring the winds that spread fires. Fast fires are hard to contain and likely to expand into residential areas. Already about 1 billion people live in areas prone to natural disasters.The United States suffer from one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world, with more than 2 million fires reported each year. More than 4,000 Americans, including 100 firefighters, lose their lives and another 26,500 are injured annually as the result of fire.
Fire Departments around the world call on “water bombers” to fight large fires. Carrying huge amounts of water and retardants, they actually are more cost-efficient than most other fire fighting methods.
One of these water bombers is the Erickson Helitanker. It can deliver 2,000 gallon (7,500 litres) of water in one drop, and refill from any water source 18 inches (45 cm) deep in about 45 seconds. The Helitanker can precision deliver 30,000 gallons (110,000 litres) per hour.
Other aircraft are used too, such as the C-130, Martin Mars and DC-6. But the largest and fastest of the water bombers is the turbofan jet Ilyushin-76TD (Il-76). It can reach a fire anywhere in the world within 12 hours. Carrying 11 gallons (42,000 litres) of water and fire retardants – 4 times as much as a C-130 – it can, in one run, dump enough water to cover 6 double-wide football fields, or an area 0.7 miles (1,1 km) in length.
Tanker comparisons
| Tanker | Gallons | Knots |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il-76 | 11 000 | 400 | |
| Martin Mars | 7 200 | 165 | |
| KC-97 | 4 500 | 210 | |
| C-130 | 3 000 | 250 | |
| DC-6 | 3 000 | 235 | |
| Heli- tanker | 2 000 | N/A |
The Il-76, the world’s largest water bomber. Outfitted with a twin-tank system capable of carrying 135,000 pounds of liquid, it can be filled and be ready for takeoff in 15 minutes.
The Helitanker can refill from any water source 45 cm (18 inches) deep.
Also See:-
Replica Of Bear Grylls' Former Camel Carcass Residence Displayed In Sydney
Camelot – A Replica of Bear Grylls’ Famous Camel Carcass
If you’re a fan of Discovery Channel, you know about Bear Grylls’ crazy adventures from “Man vs. Wild”, and particularly about the famous camel carcass he used to protect himself in the Sahara Desert.In an original advertising move to promote the new season of “Man vs. Wild”, Discovery Channel placed a replica of the camel carcass in Sydney’s Wynyard Park and put it up for rent, on a popular website.
Passers-by had the chance to crawl inside the carcass, dubbed Camelot, to see how Bear felt during his survival test in Sahara, and also fill in a form telling Discovery why they would be the best tenant for this unusual property, for the chance to win a holiday voucher worth $2,500.
In this handout image provided by the Discovery Channel, a passer by inspects "Camelot", a replica camel carcass simulating that used by adventurer Bear Grylls to shelter in the Sahara desert during an episode of the Discovery Channel's "Man Vs Wild", in Wynyard Park on March 1, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The stunt sees the Discovery Channel put the animal skin shell "residence" up for rent on an Australian rental website, complete with today's "Open House" inspections, to promote the channel's new season of "Man Vs Wild".
(February 28, 2010 - Photo by Handout/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Photos by Handout/Getty Images AsiaPac via Zimbio
The African Giant Snail – The Largest Snail On Earth
The African giant snail, also called as the giant tiger land snail, is the largest snail from its family. The Giant Ghana snail is native to the forest of Ghana, Africa. Those snails are hermaphrodites, like almost all pulmonate gastropods. The shells of these snails grow s to 18 centimeters of length with a diameter of 9 centimeters, however, there are also bigger examples.
Those snails lives in tropical condition where they do not have natural enemies. Each of those gigantic snails lays up to twelve hundred eggs per year that causing a big problem in natural habitat for the other, normal size snails that we have used to.
Biggest and smallest islands
Biggest and smallest islands
The largest island in the world is Greenland. Australia is considered a continent because it has unique plant and animal life. Antarctica also is a continent – larger than Europe and Australia. Greenland, although quite big, shares the habitat features of Northern America.The smallest island in the world – according to the Guinness Book of Records – is Bishop Rock. It lies at the most south-westerly part of the United Kingdom. It is one of 1040 islands around Britain and only has a lighthouse on it. In 1861, the British government set out the parameters for classifying an island. It was decided that if it was inhabited, the size was immaterial. However, if it was uninhabited, it had to be “the summer’s pasturage of at least one sheep” – which is about two acres.
A lot of standing room – not much else.
This is Bishop Rock, the world’s smallest island.
The size of the sun in comparison
The sun never cease to amaze us with its theatrics, its lava flares dancing across its surface in a ballet of nuclear fusion, sometimes leaping millions of miles into the air. And although the sun is big, its intense heat and light makes it difficult to capture good images with normal instruments. So NASA scientists use an Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager and an Atmospheric Imaging Assembly detector to view the ultra-violet (UV) and extreme ultra-violet lithography (EUV) wavelengths released by the sun. The resulting images are spectacular.
Full disk image of the sun. Ain’t it beautiful?!
Soft drink inventions
Soft drink inventions
The term “soda water” was coined in 1798. The soda fountain was patented by Samuel Fahnestock in 1819, with the first bottled soda water available in 1835. The first ice-cream soda was sold in 1874 in the US. The first cola-flavored beverage was introduced in 1881. Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia by Dr. John S. Pemberton. Pepsi-Cola was invented by Caleb Bradham 12 years later. In 1929, the Howdy Company introduced its “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Sodas,” which became 7 Up, which was invented by Charles Leiper Grigg. Red Bull was introduced by Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz and Chaleo Yoovidhya, from Thailand, in 1987. It is based on the Thai drink called Krating Daeng which means red bull.
The first diet soft drink, called the “No-Cal Beverage” is launched in 1952. Aluminum cans were introduced in 1957 and two years later the first diet cola went on sale.
The pull-ring tab was invented in 1962 and the re-sealable top in 1965. Plastic bottles were first used for soft drinks in 1970. The Polyethylene Terephthalate bottle was introduced in 1973. The stay-on tab was invented in 1974.
The most popular beverage in the world is tea.
The first diet soft drink, called the “No-Cal Beverage” is launched in 1952. Aluminum cans were introduced in 1957 and two years later the first diet cola went on sale.
The pull-ring tab was invented in 1962 and the re-sealable top in 1965. Plastic bottles were first used for soft drinks in 1970. The Polyethylene Terephthalate bottle was introduced in 1973. The stay-on tab was invented in 1974.
The most popular beverage in the world is tea.
Role of oxygen in breathing
Role of oxygen in breathing
For thousands of years people did not know why we breathe air. Plato and Aristotle believed that nutrients from food were burned in the heart, making the flame that brought warmth and life to the body. They thought that the air that we breathe helped to keep the fire controlled. Oxygen was discovered to be a chemical element, and vital in breathing, by 18th century scientists such as Joseph Priestley, Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier. It was Lavoisier, who is regarded as the founder of modern chemistry, who named oxygen.
Oxygen is necessary for the chemical reactions inside a cell. (The word oxygen is from the Greek meaning acid burning.) These cellular respirations break up nutrients from food and set free the energy for driving the cell’s life process. A pretty important process considering you breathe up to 23 000 times a day.
Oxygen is necessary for the chemical reactions inside a cell. (The word oxygen is from the Greek meaning acid burning.) These cellular respirations break up nutrients from food and set free the energy for driving the cell’s life process. A pretty important process considering you breathe up to 23 000 times a day.
What is the difference between Frogs and Toads?
Frogs and Toads
One of the most common questions is, "What is the difference between Frogs and Toads?"
Most are surprised to hear that all Toads actually are Frogs!
![[Frog]](http://allaboutfrogs.org/weird/pictures/frogaaa.gif) Generally speaking, though, when we think of frogs, we generally picture what are called "True Frogs".... members of the family Ranidae, containing more than 400 species. These frogs have the characteristics of:
Members of this family include the bullfrog, common frog, green frog, leopard frog, marsh frog, pickerel frog, and wood frog. | ![[Toad]](http://allaboutfrogs.org/weird/pictures/toadaaa.gif) The term toads tends to refer to "True Toads".... members of the family Bufonidae, containing more than 300 species. These types of frogs have are characterized by:
Besides Bufo, the family includes 25 genera, all of which, like the frogs, are anura! |
Cows burps and global warming
Cow burps and global warming
Although a cow has no upper front teeth, it grazes up to 8 hours a day, taking in about 45 kg (100 lb) of feed and the equivalent of a bath tub full of water. A healthy cow gives about 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.
A cow has four stomachs: the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. The rumen is the largest stomach and acts as a fermentation chamber. The abomasum is last of the four and is comparable in both structure and function to the human stomach.
Cows and global warming
With all its grazing and many stomachs, it is no wonder that cows are one of the main contributors to the hole in the ozone layer. Apart from CFC, the biggest culprit is hydrocarbon emissions from cars and cows. Yes, cows! Cows release some 100 million tons of hydrocarbon annually – by releasing gas. To give you an idea of how much gas a cow emits: if the gas of 10 cows could be captured, it would provide heating for a small house for a year.
But unlike what you think, cows release hydrocarbon mostly by burping.
Cow factoids
The average lifespan of a cow is 7 years. The oldest cow ever recorded was Big Bertha. She reached 48 in 1993. She also holds the record for producing 39 calves.
There are more than a billion cattle in the world, about 200 million in India.
Cows that are called individually by name and cows that are played classic music to provide more milk.
Twelve cows are known as a “flink.”
Also see Netvet’s big cow site
A cow has four stomachs: the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. The rumen is the largest stomach and acts as a fermentation chamber. The abomasum is last of the four and is comparable in both structure and function to the human stomach.
Cows and global warming
With all its grazing and many stomachs, it is no wonder that cows are one of the main contributors to the hole in the ozone layer. Apart from CFC, the biggest culprit is hydrocarbon emissions from cars and cows. Yes, cows! Cows release some 100 million tons of hydrocarbon annually – by releasing gas. To give you an idea of how much gas a cow emits: if the gas of 10 cows could be captured, it would provide heating for a small house for a year.
But unlike what you think, cows release hydrocarbon mostly by burping.
Cow factoids
The average lifespan of a cow is 7 years. The oldest cow ever recorded was Big Bertha. She reached 48 in 1993. She also holds the record for producing 39 calves.
There are more than a billion cattle in the world, about 200 million in India.
Cows that are called individually by name and cows that are played classic music to provide more milk.
Twelve cows are known as a “flink.”
Also see Netvet’s big cow site
The amazing ants
The amazing ants
Ants eat almost anything, but prefer sweet foods. When ants find food, they lay down a chemical trail, called a pheromone, so that other ants can find their way from the nest to the food source. The Dalmatie ant cooks its food by chewing it into patties and baking them in the sun.
Ants can carry 5 to 20 times their body weight, and will work together in small or large groups to move heavier things. When they come across potholes, they smooth out the track by filling the holes with their bodies, accellerating the delivery of their goodies back to the nest.
It is estimated that there are about one quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) ants in the world. The biggest ant colony was found on the Ishikari Coast of Hokkaido: 306 million ants and 1 million queens lived in 45,000 interconnected nests over an area of 2.7 square kilometres (1,7 square miles).
Most of the 11,000 ant species are ferocious, except for the Messor Aciculatus ant, which rarely fights. The Formica yessensis ant attacks other insects, but does not fight with ants of the same species, even if they come from a different ant nest.
Ant lifespan
The study of ants is called myrmecology. In a book based on two decades of revolutionary research, a Stanford professor maintains that the ant queen is not in charge: there are no leaders in an ant colony. Worker ants live for only a few weeks but some ant species workers live up to 5 years. Ant queens live for about 6 years with some species of ant queens living for 25 years and more.
Gakken’s ant pages explains that ants are found all over the world except on Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, some parts of Polynesia, and a few other remote islands in the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Ants can carry 5 to 20 times their body weight, and will work together in small or large groups to move heavier things. When they come across potholes, they smooth out the track by filling the holes with their bodies, accellerating the delivery of their goodies back to the nest.
It is estimated that there are about one quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) ants in the world. The biggest ant colony was found on the Ishikari Coast of Hokkaido: 306 million ants and 1 million queens lived in 45,000 interconnected nests over an area of 2.7 square kilometres (1,7 square miles).
Most of the 11,000 ant species are ferocious, except for the Messor Aciculatus ant, which rarely fights. The Formica yessensis ant attacks other insects, but does not fight with ants of the same species, even if they come from a different ant nest.
Ant lifespan
The study of ants is called myrmecology. In a book based on two decades of revolutionary research, a Stanford professor maintains that the ant queen is not in charge: there are no leaders in an ant colony. Worker ants live for only a few weeks but some ant species workers live up to 5 years. Ant queens live for about 6 years with some species of ant queens living for 25 years and more.
Gakken’s ant pages explains that ants are found all over the world except on Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, some parts of Polynesia, and a few other remote islands in the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Video : David Attenborough shows how soldier ants protect their territory
The Big Five of wildlife
The Big Five of wildlife
The “Big Five” is a group of animals of Africa: cape buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino. The term “Big Five” was coined by hunters who referred to the difficulty in hunting these wild animals because of their ferocity when cornered.
Weighing 700kg (1,500lb), the African, or Cape Buffalo is unpredictable and dangerous if cornered. They have been known to ambush men and are often accused of deliberate savagery, but are placid if left alone.
The African elephant is the largest living land mammal. The muscular trunk serves as a nose, hand, an extra foot, signalling device and a tool for gathering food. With 40,000 muscles, the trunk performs movements as delicate as picking berries.
The Leopard is found in Africa and Asia. Its powerful limb and neck muscles enable it to carry a fully grown male antelope or even young giraffe, often weighing up to three times its own body weight, high into the tree tops.
The Lion stands out from the other big cats not just in its distinctive appearance but also in being the only felid that lives in organised social groups. Adult males weigh up to 225kg and grow up to 3m in body length. Prey consists of medium to large herd animals. Once the prey is taken it is common for the males to eat first even though they take no part in the hunting process. Lions are found only in Africa.
Rhino: These large, primitive-looking mammals have been hunted to near extinction; since 1970 the rhino population has declined by 90%. The white or square-lipped rhino, is one of two species. The black or hooked-lipped rhino, is an odd-toed ungulate (three toes on each foot). Both the black and white rhino have two horns.
Cape Buffalo
African elephant
Leopard
Lion
Rhino
Facts About Cows.....
 | Cows are referred to as the foster mothers of the human race because they produce most of the milk that people drink. | |||||||||||||||
 | The first cow in America arrived in Jamestown colony in 1611. Until the 1850's, nearly every family had its own cow. The first regular shipment of milk by railroad was between Orange County, New York, and New York City and began in 1841. | |||||||||||||||
In 1856, Gail Borden invented the condensed milk process. This process removed some of the water from milk so it would take up less space. Refrigeration came into use in 1880, and the first pasteurizing machine was introduced in 1895. | ||||||||||||||||
| Dairying has improved through the years. Today, one cow can produce the milk that it once took 10 cows to produce. Around 9.2 million cows are being milked on 110,000 farms in the United States. More than 99% of all dairy farms are family owned and operated. | ||||||||||||||||
| Cows are milked for an average of 3-4 years. A cow must have a calf in order to produce milk.Calves are fed milk until they are 8-9 weeks old. | ||||||||||||||||
 | The average cow is 2 years old when she has her first calf. Calves are fed milk until they are 8-9 weeks old. A young female cow is called a heifer. | |||||||||||||||
| Before milking machines were invented in 1894, farmers could only milk about 6 cows per hour. Today, farmers use machines to milk more than 100 cows per hour. | ||||||||||||||||
 Cows are ruminants, which are cud chewing mammals. Sheep and camels also are ruminants.  A cow chews her cud (regurgitated, partially digested food) for up to 8 hours each day. | ||||||||||||||||
 | Dairy cows provide 90% of the world's milk supply. The best cows give over 25 gallons of milk each day. That's 400 glasses of milk! U.S. cows give an average of 2,000 gallons of milk per year. That's over 30,000 glasses of milk! | |||||||||||||||
Contrary to popular belief, cows do not have 4 stomachs; they have 4 digestive compartments:
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| Cows drink about a bathtub full of water and eat around 40 pounds of food a day. | ||||||||||||||||
Cows have 32 teeth:
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 | Holsteins are black and white, and each has a unique pattern.
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Jerseys vary from dark brown or fawn, and sometimes are splashed with white.
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| The average body temperature of a cow is 101.5°F. Water buffalo, camels, goats, sheep, horses, and reindeer are also milked. | ||||||||||||||||
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