The Bengal Tiger: By Evan Hall
The Bengal Tiger is a beautiful animal. It reaches maturity at the age of five, and the life span of the tiger is about 15 years and can get up to ten feet long and three feet tall. The Bengal is a carnivore. It eats boars, wild oxen, monkeys, and other animals which eat plants , which are part of the food web. So it helps balance the web. It can catch big animals, but prefers killing either young or old animals because they don’t run as fast. The Bengal tiger is a nocturnal and greatly feared predator. The Bengal tiger lives in the Sundarban regions of India, Bangladesh, China, Siberia, and Indonesia, and lives in the rainforest area.
In the year 1900 there were 50,000 tigers on the earth, but now there is only 4,000 left in the world. So you can see that the population has decreased because of poachers and hunting. The reason why poachers and other people hunt beautiful animals like tigers is because the eyes, bones, and even whiskers are very valuable to researchers who are making medicine to treat or cure human ailment, and to give people a longer life.
Emanoil, Mary. Encyclopedia of Endangered Species , Detroit: Gale Research Co. 1994
Worrall, Mary. Oxford Children’s Encyclopedia volume 5. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1991
“The Tiger Page”,http://www.mtsu.edu/~jpurcell/Walker/Wildlife/tigers.html,
“White Tigers.” ,White Tiger in Jungles,White Tiger in Indian Jungles. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. Pic.
Rafflesia Arnoldii By: Collise Dennis
Southeast Asia has flora that is very diverse and a lot different than plants of lands around the world. The fauna is varied throughout the region and unique.
The largest flower in bloom right now is the Rafflesia arnoldii. Several species of this plant can be seen all over the rainforests of Indonesia. Every single plant is either threatened or endangered. This rare flower can grow up to 3 feet wide and can weigh up to 15 pounds. It is parasitic which means that no leaves, roots or stems are visible. The plant attaches itself to another plant to get nutrients and water. While in bloom the Rafflesia sends off a foul odor that smells something like that of rotting meat.
Lehmann, Karl. “Rafflesia Arnoldii in Bloom. Photographed in West Sumatra, Indonesia.” Lost World Arts Gallery of Fine Photography. Wildlife, Nature, Landscapes Andcultures of the World. Web. 24 Apr. 2012.
“Rafflesia Arnoldii Page.” The Parasitic Plant Connection. 29 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2012.
“What Is the Largest Flower in the World?” What Is the Largest Flower in the World? (Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress). 23 Aug. 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2012.
Irrawaddy Dolphins
By Grace Reddick
The Irrawaddy dolphin lives in small populations around Southeast Asia. Main threats of extinction for these creatures are from fisheries bycatch and habitat loss. They are usually found in freshwater river systems.. This dolphin can be identified by having a large forehead, short beak, and a pectoral fin that is triangular. They are distributed in shallow, near-shore tropical and subtropical marine waters. They are usually found in bays close to mangrove forests. They usually swim in groups up to 10 and they are rarely seen alone. When looking for food they usually eat fish and crustaceans. The dolphins in the Mahakam River are severely threatened by fisheries and habit degradation. Many get severely injured from these fisheries happening in the rivers. Because of the Irrawaddy dolphins are close to extinction, the WWF is working with the Cambodian government’s Department of Fisheries to implement the Cambodian Mekong Dolphin Conservation Strategy. They work to include raising public awareness about the dolphin research and encourage others to become involved.
Grace-Irrawaddy Dolphin Citation:
Unknown. “Irrawaddy Dolphin.” WWF –. WWF. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/about/irrawaddy_dolphin/>.
Grace-Irrawaddy Dolphin Picture Citation:
Unknown. “Irrawaddy Dolphins.” Thousands of Rare Irrawaddy Dolphins Found. Telegraph Media Group, 2 Apr. 2009. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/bangladesh/5091797/Thousands-of-rare-Irrawaddy-dolphins-found.html>.
Learning Team 1-4 