The Genus Varanus komodoensis, or more commonly known as the Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard on Earth. The Komodo dragon belongs to the class reptilian and the phylum Chordata. They are a species of Monitor Lizard that have been isolated for millions of years on the islands in Indonesian Archipelago and were not discovered until the First World War (Diamond, 1994).
The Komodo dragon is an immense reptile that can grow up to an average of three meters long and weigh 150kg. They have a complete digestive system and an internal skeletal system composed of both bone and cartilage. They are astonishingly powerful with long, thick bodies, short, muscular legs and a powerful tail. They are capable of speeds up to 15 mph. Komodos teeth are specialized for a carnivorous diet. Their teeth are curved inward, which makes it better for catching and holding prey in its mouth. What makes their teeth unique is that they can grow an unlimited number of teeth. It is estimated they grow over 200 new teeth each year. The Komodo dragon has long, sharp, curved claws that are used for digging and has gray and brown skin, which, is covered in thick scales. They have rather small heads compared to their body size; however, the cerebrum is relatively large, which his allows for more complex actions that aren't found in amphibians. They have extremely powerful jaws that contain a deadly bacterium in their saliva. The saliva contains 40 different bacteria’s and an anti-coagulant. Komodo dragons have really good eyesight, however, they rely mainly on their sense of smell, which they do with their tongue. It does this by flicking its tongue out of its mouth, and by doing this is able to "taste" scent particles in the air. The tongue does not mov...
... middle of paper ...
...entricle is able to pump both oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood at the same time because of the number of folds found in the ventricle.
Males are usually larger than females, but there are no obvious physical differences that mark their sexes. There is only one very slight difference in the pattern of scales in front of the cloaca. Though it is difficult for researchers to identify the sexes, the Komodos seem to have no trouble. They mate between the months of May and August. The female lays about 30 eggs and the incubation cycle is roughly 9 months (Benyus, 1992).
According to their website, the Komodo dragon has a population of about 3,000 to 6,000 on the islands of Komodo, Gila Motang, Rinca, and Flores (National Geographic). However, with the rise of poaching, human encroachment, and natural disasters, it has driven the species to endangered status.
The book Michael Vey: Hunt For Jade Dragon by Richard Paul Evans is about a group of teengers the call themselves The Electroclan. Most of the teens in that group have special powers from a machine that was in use in the hospital that they were all born at. Other teens in the group are friends of members of The Electroclan. A girl named Jade Dragon figured out how to make more electric children, so Hatch wants to hunt her down. The Electroclan’s mission is to rescue Jade Dragon so Hatch doesn’t make an army of electric youth's. The Elgen then attack and capture the Electroclan in their hotel. It seems as if Nichelle sold them out to the Elgen, but she didn’t, she actually helped them. When Michael is captured by the Elgen Tara, Taylor’s twin sister thats works with Hatch, disgued
Slaying the Dragon gave the audience a look inside the world of Asian actresses. The entertainment industry is very different for women of Asian descent. I never realized how difficult it was for these women in the earlier years of the film industry. Even today, when asked to name famous Asian actresses, I had a hard time thinking of more than two or three.
Though the dragon may be large (approximately 45 feet long, 10 feet wide), it is extremely light and aerodynamic. The dragon's wings are the longest limbs on the body; measuring approximately 25 feet in diameter (each wing). The wings are coated with a transparent covering that absorbs the humidity in the air, and keeps moist. The largest muscle in the dragon's body is directly connected to the wings. The muscle, in fact, divides into five large muscles, measuring 8 feet in diameter.
“Slaying the Dragon” by Deborah Gee is a comprehensive look at media stereotypes of Asian and Asian American women since the silent era. From the racist use of white actors to portray Asians in early Hollywood films, through the success of Anna May Wong’s sinister dragon lady, to Suzie Wong and the ‘50s geisha girls, to the Asian-American anchorwoman of today. The movie also shows how stereotypes of exoticism and docility have affected the perception of Asian-American women.
Now here is some background information on the dinosaur that is causing this stir because of its heart. The dinosaur is a Thescelosaurus, which means wonderful lizard. The average length of the Thescelosaurus is three to four meters, nine to twelve feet, long with an average weight of three-hundred kilograms, or about six hundred and sixty two pounds. They lived from the Campanian age to Maastrichtian age which are the later stages of the Cretaceous period. Another distinguishing physical feature of Willo is the bird-hips that the dinosaur has instead of the lizard hip. They have primarily been found in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. As far as their remains are concerned there is one complete skeleton, eight partial skeletons, elements, and teeth (Dinosauricon).
Although the Hippocampus spp. are placed into the same class as other organisms more traditionally viewed as fish, their morphology bears distinct differences in comparison to other bony fish. The various species belonging under the genus Hippocampus range in maximum size from 20 mm to 300 mm(Foster 8). Their physical appearance is distinct from other members of its class due to their "horse-like head, monkey-like tail, and kangaroo-like pouch."( Lourie et al 12) Morphologically, seahorses do not have scales like traditional fish, but rather posses bony plates covered by skin. The appearance of bony extrusions and skin ...
Deinos, Greek for fearfully great; awe-inspiring and sauros meaning a lizard. From these words “Dinosaur” is created. When imagining a dinosaur, do thoughts of a large Tyrannosaurus Rex, a swift Velociraptor, or a gliding Pterodactyl appear? Or are those thoughts composed of an image of a small Compsognathus? Do visions of the dinosaurs that we often saw in our childhood come to mind? The amiable brightly colored friends in cartoons or the fearsome bloodthirsty experiments in movies? Were those dinosaurs portrayed accurately? There are features such as size that was changed to appeal more to popular media and for creativity. The Dilophosaurus is a dinosaur that became popular in the the public due to Michael Crichton’s novel “Jurassic Park”. Dilophosaurus means “Two crested lizard”. It was named this because of the two crests on it’s head.The Dilophosaurus in Jurassic Park, both in the movie and book, has a false depiction of size, abilities that no one can prove, and features which are unlikely.
Practically every culture on Earth has dragons of some kind. The broadest way of categorizing dragons is into Western and Eastern dragons, though some of the dragons in the media have distinct characteristics as well. And then, of course, is the ultimate question: do they exist? Western dragons are the storybook monsters that most Americans recognize. The most common variety has four legs, two bat-like wings, a long tail, and a lot of teeth.
Elaborate: The cardiac cycle of the heart is divided into diastole and systole stages. Diastole refers to the period of relaxation experienced by the atria and ventricles. Systole is the contraction of the atria and ventricles. The pattern of blood flow starts in the left atrium to right atrium then into the left ventricle and right ventricle. During its course, blood flows through the mitral and tricuspid valves. Simultaneously, the right atrium is granted blood from the veins through the superior and inferior vena cava. The job of the superior vena cava is to transport de-oxygenated blood to
The heart serves as a powerful function in the human body through two main jobs. It pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout the body and “blood vessels called coronary arteries that carry oxygenated blood straight into the heart muscle” (Katzenstein and Pinã, 2). There are four chambers and valves inside the heart that “help regulate the flow of blood as it travels through the heart’s chambers and out to the lungs and body” (Katzenstein Pinã, 2). Within the heart there is the upper chamber known as the atrium (atria) and the lower chamber known as the ventricles. “The atrium receive blood from the lu...
The circulatory system and respiratory system share a highly important relationship that is crucial to maintaining the life of an organism. In order for bodily processes to be performed, energy to be created, and homeostasis to be maintained, the exchange of oxygen from the external environment to the intracellular environment is performed by the relationship of these two systems. Starting at the heart, deoxygenated/carbon-dioxide (CO2)-rich blood is moved in through the superior and inferior vena cava into the right atrium, then into the right ventricle when the heart is relaxed. As the heart contracts, the deoxygenated blood is pumped through the pulmonary arteries to capillaries in the lungs. As the organism breathes and intakes oxygenated air, oxygen is exchanged with CO2 in the blood at the capillaries. As the organism breathes out, it expels the CO2 into the external environment. For the blood in the capillaries, it is then moved into pulmonary veins and make
Throughout the old world, people had feared creatures with the body of a large lizard, snake-like eyes, large wings, and that can emit fire from their mouth. They was thought to be the embodiment of evil, greed, lust, violence, and the dark side of humanity. These mythical creatures are called dragons, but the dragon have a different reputation in the Eastern world. In China it was highly respected in the kingdom, a fairly common motif in eastern art for its heavenly related background.
Most reptiles have ventricles that are mostly separated, but still allow right to left shunting of the blood. Crocodiles have ventricles that are completely separated, but can still shunt blood between the pulmonary and systemic circuits (Axellson, Franklin). This shunting can be completed using the foramen of Panizza, which allows and regulates blood flow from either the left or right ventricle into the left or right aorta. Blood flows from the left ventricle to the right aorta, dorsal aorta, right subclavian artery and the common carotid artery. The right ventricle moves blood into the pulmonary trunk which then separates blood into the left and right pulmonary arteries (Axellson, Franklin). During diving, crocodiles develop a slight bradycardia and develop a right to left shunt once right ventricular pressure rises to a certain threshold. Resting rates of oxygen consumption are maintained and muscular lactate levels do not increase (Grigg). This ability to dive for extended periods of time is made possible by right to left shunting by way of the foramen of Panizza, in addition to the ability to maintain muscular lactate levels. Crocodilian hearts have the ability to keep oxygenated and deoxygenated blood within the heart. Blood pressures are also kept higher in the systemic circuit than the pulmonary circuit (Grigg). These heart adaptations are not seen in other reptiles, but rather in mammalian and avian
Cartilaginous and bony fishes were abundant. Large fishes and marine reptiles were common; the largest bony fish ever to live existed at this time called the Leedsichthys, coming in at a mindboggling size. Estimates of the size of this fish range from 20 to 27 meters and mass from 20 to 50 tons (Owen). This species is the largest bony fish ever to have ever existed and swam in what is now near England. Jurassic pliosaurs are some of the largest carnivorous reptiles ever discovered, even rivaling Tyrannosaurus which lived during the Cretaceous Period, although the pliosaurs was not a dinosaur but distant cousins of modern turtles ranging from 4 to 15 meters. The ichthyosaurs were at their height, sharing the oceans with the plesiosaurs, huge marine reptiles covering the globe.