Saturday, February 25, 2012

Animal Adaptations

 Picture:
This is a picture of a bird that adapted throughout its generations. You can see the bird adapted with the bright feathers.
Summary: All animals live in habitats. Habitats provide food, water, and shelter which animals need to survive, but there is more to survival than just the habitat. Animals also depend on their physical features to help them obtain food, keep safe, build homes, withstand weather, and attract mates. These physical features are called called physical adaptations. Physical adaptations do not develop during an animal's life but over many generations. The shape of a bird's beak, the number of fingers, color of the fur, the thickness or thinness of the fur, the shape of the nose or ears are all examples of physical adaptations which help different animals to survive.

Reflection/Opinion:

I don't understand how animals are able to adapt. It is an odd thing because animals can adapt to their surroundings. I wonder how their bodies know to do this so they can survive better or be able to do this to eat. The physical adaptations has become nice designs or as i saw in another photo a bug with a face on it.

Questions:

Why do you think that adaptations are necessary for animals survival? Explain.

Why do you think the bird in this picture adapted to have brighter feathers?

Do all animals and humans adapt?







Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Decline & Recovery of the Hawaiian Monk Seal

http://www.mcbi.org/what/what_pdfs/sealDecline.pdf 


Picture: This picture shows the Hawaiian Monk Seal tangled in ropes and strings in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Summary: Hawaiian monk seals are one of the most endangered species in America. Over the last 50 years the Hawaiian Monk Seal’s population has declined more than 60 percent, reaching the lowest level in recorded history. In America there are approximately a total number of 1,100 Hawaiian monk seals still left in the world. At the current rate of decline the population size will be below 1,000 in the next few years. Human and environmental factors have contributed to the decline such as, overfishing, habitat loss, shark predation, entanglement, and food availability. The Hawaiian monk seals have been on endangered list since 1976. The Hawaiian monk seals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act; offenders can be fined as much as $50,000 for harming, harassing or killing the seals. A recovery team for the seals was formed by the NOAA. They are finally starting to move forward with the Hawaiian monk seal recovery plan. In this recovery plan they want to improve female survival and reduce shark predation.

Reflection/Opinion: I don’t understand how the Hawaiian monk seal population became so slow without anyone doing anything. They knew the Hawaiian monk seals were on the endangered species but decided to do something years later. Since the humans have an impact on the decline of the hawaiian monk seals I believe the humans should work harder to make it right. I am surprised that harming one of the seals can be cost somebody so much money. It really puts it in perspective how serious the NOAA is about protecting the remaining Hawaiian monk seals.

Question:

1.      Why do you think that a part of the recovery plan is to improve female monk seals survival?

2.      What do you think would happen if the Hawaiian Monk Seal became extinct?

3.      Do you think that the laws and acts will actually improve the Hawaiian Monk Seals population?


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

In Marine Wildlife Preserves, a Balancing Act
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/in-marine-wildlife-preserves-a-balancing-act/?scp=5&sq=ecosystems&st=cse
A dolphin off the coast of Bangladesh.

Picture: A dolphin off the coast of Bangladesh.
Summary: Bangladesh is creating wildlife marine sanctuaries for endangered freshwater dolphins, which typically live in the Sundarbans, which is also the world’s biggest mangrove ecosystem. The Irrawaddy and Ganges River dolphins are the main freshwater dolphins surviving in Asia, and the Yangtze River dolphin hasn’t been seen in nearly 10 years. The article goes on to talk about other wildlife sanctuaries for marine life around the world, and how this particular one is estimated to protect almost 20 miles of channels. The mammals are facing threats from dam construction and other human activity among and in their habitat. The total number of marine protected areas in the world, about 5,000, only makes up 1 percent of the earth’s surface, 1,600 of them are in American waters. Convention on Biological Diversity defines this situation and these areas as ‘‘reserved by legislation or other effective means, including custom, with the effect that its marine and/or coastal biodiversity enjoys a higher level of protection than its surroundings.’’ Which in Bangladesh, creating a space for only a certain species is almost an impossible act without coming across overlapping conflicts.
Opinion/Reflection:
I didn't even know that there were dolphins in Asia's rivers, let alone that they are in the midst of going extinct. By the dolphins going extinct, that could propose a negative chain reaction in their natural habitat.I learned in global studies that they are building the dam to make things easier on the humans and their culture, but they obviously didn't look too deep into how that affects the natural surroundings in areas in and around the dam.
Questions:
1. The world today is pretty much based on economics, and with global warming the focus is starting to shift slowly. Why do you think we didn't account for these things years ago while modernizing society?
2. How would the dolphins going extinct affect their habitat and surrounding areas?
3. What are some other ways we could protect the dolphins?