ince then, scientists have theorized how the lemurs would have successfully crossed a large body of water, the Mozambique Channel, to inhabit Madagascar. One argument was that ancestors rafted from Africa on a “floating mat of vegetation” in a storm (Gunnel 2013, p214). If there was a strong enough wind, it could have pushed them away from the coast and let them float towards the island. One problem with this theory is that there is a long distance to be traveled from Africa to Madagascar which does not provide any freshwater or food for the animals (McCall 1997, p663). However, some lemur species can undergo torpor which lowers the metabolism placing them in hibernation-like state (Schmid 2000, p175). If their ancestor could also go into a torpor state as well, they could have survived a trip lasting several days without food. Another argument against rafting as a means of travel is that today’s ocean currents …show more content…
The DFZ forms a ridge that rises upward, making some areas only about 500 meters deep (McCall 1997, p663). Low sea levels could have revealed areas of the ridge to create an island trail for ancestor’s passage to Madagascar (p664). One problem with crossing by island hopping is that if lemur ancestors could do this, what would stop other African fauna from also crossing to Madagascar? Island hopping would bridge the two regions for any migration of animals including lemurs going back to Africa. Madagascar’s fossil records are limited so it may have been possible for other species to have crossed, but no fossil records of lemurs have been found in African sediment from that time period (Gingerich 1984, p65-66). If there is an open passageway between Africa and Madagascar, the only deterrent for other species to cross as well could be if they are proficient
Madagascar is one of the most diverse areas of land that has undergone evolution totally independent from surrounding continents. The plant and animal species located on the island are all endemic to the island, meaning all are native species. The amount of diversity is very high compared to that of other continents and the species found here cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Currently all organisms located on this island are in danger, even the humans. Much damage has already been done, yet each year the land seems to die even more. Many species are dying off rapidly and drastic measures will have to be taken to stop all of these species from becoming extinct.
On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, the most expensive hurricane in American history, made landfall in Louisiana with winds of one hundred and twenty-seven miles per hour (“Hurricane Katrina Statistics Fast Facts”). The sheer magnitude of the amount of lives and property lost was enormous, and it was triggered simply by warm ocean waters near the Bahamas ("How Hurricane Katrina Formed"). Nature was indifferent to whether the raging winds and rain would die off in the ocean or wipe out cities; it only follows the rules of physics. A multitude of American authors has attempted to give accounts and interpretations of their encounters with the disinterested machine that is nature. Two authors, Stephen Crane and Henry David Thoreau, had rather contrasting and conflicting interpretations of their own interactions with nature. Crane’s work, “The Open Boat,” is story based on his experience as a survivor
When many hear about a lemur, they immediately think of the movie Madagascar and the fun loving role that is played by the lemur King Julien; similarly, when hearing the name Madagascar, many think of the land of the lemurs. However, what would happen if there were no more lemurs? This is a harsh but readily approaching reality of Madagascar today. Lemurs are known as the world’s most endangered mammals, and specifically the Simpona, otherwise known as the Silky Sifaka lemur, is critically endangered. If treatments of Madagascar’s habitat, specificity the small mountainous area of northeastern Madagascar where the Simpona lemur reside, continue being treated as they are today, this will not only lead to the complete extinction of this rare Lemur, but it will also affect the economic standing in Madagascar as a whole. Therefore, it is vital to recognize the solutions and act on them in order to prevent these devastating occurrences.
There is no all-embracing definition of what is known as intense kayaking. This is because every definition will be on the experiences experienced by every kayaker. However, a closer look at intense kayaking will reveal that intense kayaking is generally considered by those kayakers who find a lot of fun kayaking is bustling waters. Keep in mind that intense kayaking will also warrant the need of very special kayaking skills.
The concept of transitional species is an important and complex notion in evolutionary biology. To begin with, there is no such thing as transitional species since all living things were always evolving in the past, not stopping at one stage or another, and they will continue to evolve in the future. In terms of evolutionary biology, we use the concept of transitional species as a way to dim ambiguity. Much like the use of the Linnean taxonomic system of species, we come up with concepts like transitional species to organize and classify species in order to understand their evolutionary roots and how those species changed through life’s history to become what they are today. “In the same way that the concept of species can be provisionally meaningful to describe organisms at a single point in time, the concept of transitional species can be provisionally meaningful to describe organisms over a length of time, usually quite a long time, such as hundreds of thousands or millions of years” (111). Though it can be difficult to distinguish what can be considered an ancestral species from another, the fossil record can show us how species change through time as they develop ways to adapt to stresses found in their environments. “In the modern sense, organisms or fossils that show intermediate stages between ancestral and that of the current state are referred to as transitional species” (222). The concept of transitional species is, in essence, fairly straight forward. This paper will outline the concept of transitional (or sometimes termed intermediate) species and the latter’s role in evolutionary biology, as well as go in depth about several common transitional species: Tiktaalik, an animal at the cusp between life in the water and ...
Madagascar’s cuisine can be clearly marked by its sheer simplicity. The food is prepared without too many spices, but the lack of spices does not make the food dull and bland. Cuisines of France, China, India and also East African and Arabian cultures have all made their influence felt in Madagascar. The traditional cuisine of Madagascar consists mainly of rice. The rice is called “Vary” and it is typically eaten with some accompaniment, which is called the “Laoka”. As you move down the country towards the southwest regions, you will get to eat rice that may be supplemented or replaced by ground maize. However rice is the main diet of the natives, and is available in bounty. The native people have become very resourceful in developing huge numbers of scrumptious preparations with this one simple grain.
They evolved into 2 different species by many factors in nature. The factors include genetic drift, mutation, natural selection, and etc. Genetic drift involves the bottleneck effect and the founder effect. I hypothesize that a bottleneck effect took place in the island that the rodents were living in. A natural disaster must of happened and the rodents that had high fitness survived. Therefore since one population survived, that makes them two separate species. I also hypothesize that there was a founder effect in the population of the rodents. A small portion of rodents migrated to Nevis island and reproduced. When this happened this created a whole new population of rodents. Another reason that they could have been 2 different species can be due to gene flow. Some rodents could of migrated to Nevis island.
they also live in other types of forests in Madagascar. Lemurs can only be found living in
said, “Every time you dive, you hope you'll see something new - some new species. Sometimes the ocean gives you a gift, sometimes it doesn't.” As you are swimming under the ocean, imagine the sparkle of the water as you look up the surface from a hundred feet below; floating along with the current, slowly and deeply breathing while observing the sea life. Continue to imagine the ability to remain underwater for an hour or more, just swimming and observing the ocean. This is the life of a scuba diver. Many people think of Scuba Diving as a swim in the water, but in reality it is a very dangerous, and potentially fatal sport and activity. There are many types of Scuba
When reading the three stories from Madagascar, readers could come up with a why-based question to help interpret the stories. In the second story, the readers wonder, “Why did God call the zebus, rather than some other animal?” God called the zebus because they are special, and no one on earth is allowed to kill them. The opening line of the story illustrates this idea: “In olden times no one was allowed to kill a zebu or cut
No Bricks and No Temples: Coping with Crisis in “The Open Boat” Stephen Crane’s story “The Open Boat” concerns four people who are trying to reach land after surviving a shipwreck off the Florida coast. During the course of the story, they face dangers that are real physical threats, but they also have to deal with trying to make sense of their situation. The characters in this story cope with their struggles in two ways: individually, they each imagine that Nature, or Fate, or God, is behind their experiences, which allows them to blame some outside force for their struggle, and together, they form a bond of friendship that helps them keep their spirits up. . In “Becoming Interpreters: The Importance of Tone in ‘The Open Boat,’” Gregory Schirmer states that “‘The Open Boat has at its center two quite different views of man: as a helpless and insignificant being adrift in a universe that is wholly indifferent to him and his ambitions, and on the other hand, as part of a brotherhood that binds man to man in the face of that indifferent universe” (222).
After researching and observing the lives of orangutans I can support my hypothesis. The orangutans are restricted into a small area, fed when the trainers feed them, and live on the ground because there are no trees causing them to have a different lifestyle than the wild orangutans. The captive orangutans are taken care of by the trainer and never have to struggle to get food. They seem to sit and sleep at the same time, for majority of the time I was observing. There are no predators for them to have to fight off since they are separated, where in the wild they would have to protect themselves and in some cases their offspring. If an adult female were to give birth while in captivity, the offspring would grow up to have a completely different lifestyle than a juvenile in the wild. The juvenile is cared for and protected by the trainers more than they would be by their own mother. Being in captivity gives the primates the option of medicine in cases of sickness or an injuries. In the wild the primates have to live without the nurture of these trainers which is why they tend to live...
Darwin’s observations from the islands made him want to come up with some explanation to why this occurred. He began to do research of each the species that had lived on these islands and observe all of the characteristics that had. He noticed that the islands h...
There are about 70% of our earth is covered by water, and people just know a little part of it now. Underwater tourism is an excitement and adventure, and it is also a special tourism concept. The undersea world attracts people to explore the mysterious of the ocean, and the underwater tourism is growing very fast basic on the new technology. Travelers can join this tourism by many different methods, such as underwater restaurant, underwater hotel and underwater activity. There are many travelers will try to have the experience of underwater tourism and spend a lots of many for that. Travelers
There is nothing quite like traveling, going someplace new and finding out more about the world and yourself. Anyone can become a traveler it just takes a little bit of faith and courage. Traveling across the world or even across the country is a learning experience. When you are a traveler you see how people live and how different cultures work. It is the best educational experience you could give yourself. You see how the world works in a way no one can teach you. Seeing different cultures and people help build the person you want to be. If you are a traveler the world influences you, because when traveling, you see the good and the bad, and you learn from the right and the wrong. I am very lucky that I am able to be a traveler and see this