Tuesday, January 6, 2009

35 Beautiful Nature’s Rarest White Animal Through The World

35 of nature’s rarest albinoand white creatures to you. Beautiful animals are very rare in nature, and man has long had a fascination for these creatures since ancient times. Some cultures regard albinos as sacred animals, and they have even been the basis of great legends and folklore. Due to their uniqueness and rarity, albino animals are some of the most valuable attractions in zoological centers and circuses throughout the world.

Beautiful White Peacock

Gorilla

Snowflake was an albino Western Lowland Gorilla, and the most popular resident of the Barcelona Zoo in Spain, where he spent most of his life. He was known worldwide, mentioned in tourist guides and put on postcards, becoming the unofficial mascot for the city.

Snowflake was an albino Western Lowland Gorilla

Albino Squirrel

Known as the “White Squirrel Capital of the World,” Olney, Illinois, is home of the world’s largest known albino squirrel colony. Kenton, Tennessee is home to about 200 albino squirrels. There are also albino squirrels on the main campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Brevard, North Carolina and Marionville, Missouri have a substantial population of white (not albino) squirrels.

Known as the “White Squirrel Capital of the World

Kangaroo

The kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia — its emblem is used on the Australian coat of arms, on some of its currency, and by some of Australia’s best known organizations, including Qantas.

The kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia

Albino Deer

Deer generally have lithe, compact bodies and long, powerful legs suited for rugged woodland terrain, making them excellent jumpers and swimmers. They are ruminants, or cud-chewers — the teeth are adapted to feeding on vegetation, and like other ruminants, they lack upper incisors, instead having a tough pad at the front of their upper jaw.

Deer generally have lithe

The elk, or wapiti, is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family, only the moose is larger, and the “Sambar” deer can rival the elk in size.

The elk, or wapiti, is one of the largest species

Albino Moose

The North America moose is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males — other members of the family have antlers with a “twig-like” configuration.

The North America moose is the largest extant species in the deer family

Albino (White) Billy Goat

Most goats naturally have 2 horns of various shapes and sizes depending on the breed. While horns are a predominantly male feature, some breeds of goats have horned females, and polled (hornless goats) are not uncommon. Their horns are made of living bone surrounded by keratin and other proteins which are used for defense, dominance, and territoriality.

Most goats naturally have 2 horns of various shapes and sizes

Albino (White) Llama

The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a pack animal by the Incas and other natives of the Andes mountains. llamas are still used as beasts of burden today In South America, as well as for the production of fiber and meat.

The llama is a South American camelid

Albino Alpaca

Along with Camels and Llamas, the Alpaca are classified as Camelids, and have been domesticated for thousands of years. The closest living species are the wild Vicuna, also native to South America. Alpacas are smaller than the other Camelid species, but they are however larger than the wild Vicuna. The Moche people of Northern Peru often used Alpaca images in their art.

Along with Camels and Llamas, the Alpaca are classified as Camelids

Albino Camel

Camels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus, native to the dry desert areas of western Asia, and central and east Asia, respectively. The dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the Bactrian camel has 2 humps.



Albino (White) Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths frequently circle artificial lights. One hypothesis for this behavior is that moths use a technique of celestial navigation called transverse orientation. By maintaining a constant angular relationship to a bright celestial light, such as the Moon, they can fly in a straight line. When a moth encounters a much closer artificial light and uses it for navigation, the angle changes noticeably after only a short distance.

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly

Albino Hedgehog

A hedgehog is any of the small spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 16 species of hedgehog found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand. There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to North America — those in New Zealand are introduced. Hedgehogs have changed little over the last 15 million years. Like many of the first mammals they have adapted to a nocturnal, insectivorous way of life.

A hedgehog is any of the small spiny mammals

Albino Cat

The “C” gene codes for the enzyme tyrosinase, the first step in pigment production. Its recessive alleles determine whether a cat is a complete albino (pink-eyed) or a temperature sensitive albino. The temperature sensitive albino genotypes are cbcb Burmese, cscs Siamese, and cbcs Tonkinese. The cscs gene can turn a cat’s eyes blue due to a reduced number of melanocytes, affecting pigmentation of the eyes. If a cat has the dominant C allele, then the cat is non-albino and full pigment production occurs.

Albino Cat

White Bengal Tiger

White tigers have a genetic condition that nearly eliminates pigment in the normally orange fur, although they still have dark stripes. Another genetic condition in snow-white or ‘pure white’ tigers also makes the stripes of the tiger very pale. When a tiger inherits 2 copies of the recessive gene for the paler coloration, they may have a pink nose, pink paw pads, grey-mottled skin, ice-blue eyes, and white to cream-colored fur with black, grey, or chocolate-colored stripes.

White tigers have a genetic condition

White Lion

The white lion is not a separate subspecies nor is it albino, but a rare color mutation of the Kruger subspecies of lion that has been perpetuated by selective breeding in zoos around the world. They’re occasionally found in wildlife reserves in South Africa, and white cubs have sporadically turned up among tawny lions in the Timbavati and Kruger National Park regions.

The white lion is not a separate

Rare White Lion Cubs Greet the World

Two rare white lion cubs are feted at the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia, December 2008.


Albino Bison

Bison is a taxonomic group containing 6 species of large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Only 2 of these species still exist — the American bison and the European bison, or wisent, each with 2 subspecies. The American and European bison are the largest terrestrial mammals in North America and Europe.

Bison is a taxonomic group containing

Albino Ferret

The ferret is a domestic mammal. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur, an average length of approximately 20 inches (51 centimeters) including a 5 inch (13 centimeter) tail, and weigh between 1.5 to 4 pounds (0.8 to 2 kilos). Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females.

The ferret is a domestic mammal

Albino Dingo

The Dingo, or Warrigal, is a feral domestic dog rather than a separate species, which mostly lives independently from humans. They have features in common with both wolves and modern dogs, and are regarded as more or less unchanged descendants of an early ancestor of modern dogs.

The Dingo, or Warrigal, is a feral domestic dog rather

Albino Koala

The Koala is a thickset arboreal marsupial herbivore native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae, found in coastal regions of eastern and southern Australia, from near Adelaide to the southern part of Cape York Peninsula, but are not found in Tasmania or Western Australia.

The Koala is a thickset arboreal marsupial

Albino Seal

The true seals or earless seals are one of the 3 main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia, and sometimes called crawling seals to distinguish them from the fur seals and sea lions of family Otariidae. Fur seals are much more closely related to sea lions than true seals, and share with them external ears, relatively long and muscular foreflippers, and the ability to walk on all fours. They’re marked by their dense underfur, which made them a long-time creature of commercial hunting.

The true seals or earless seals

Albino Whale

Whales are marine mammals which include the blue whale — the largest animal alive today. Orcas, colloquially referred to as killer whales, and pilot whales have whale in their name but for the purpose of classification they’re actually dolphins.

Whales are marine mammals which include the blue whale

Albino Fish

The leucistic Long Finned Oscar is native to Peru, Colombia, Brazil and French Guiana and occurs in the Amazon river basin, along the Amazonas, Iça, Negro, Solimoes and Ucayali river systems, and also in the Approuague and Oyapock drainages. In its natural environment the species typically occurs in slow moving white-water habitats, and has been observed sheltering under submerged branches. Feral populations also occur in China, northern Australia, and Florida, US, as a by-product of the ornamental fish trade.

The leucistic Long Finned Oscar is native to Peru

Albino Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines, their body mostly shielded by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs. The earliest known turtles date from 215 million years ago, making turtles one of the oldest reptile groups and a more ancient group than lizards and snakes. About 300 species are alive today, but some are highly endangered.

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines

Albino Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura, characterized by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits (fingers or toes), protruding eyes, and the absence of a tail, most noticeable by their call, which can be widely heard during the night or day, mainly in their mating season. Most frogs have a semi-aquatic lifestyle, but move easily on land by jumping or climbing.

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura

Snakes

Snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica and range in size from the tiny, 4-inch (10 centimeter) long thread snake to pythons and anacondas of up to 25 feet (7.6 meters) in length. In order to accommodate snakes’ narrow bodies, paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side.

Snakes are found on every continent except

Albino Alligator

The alligator has been described as a ‘living fossil’ from the age of reptiles, having survived on earth for 200 million years. An average American alligator’s weight and length is 800 pounds (360 kilos) and 13 feet (4.0 meters) long, but can grow to 14.5 feet (4.4 meters) long and weigh 1,000 pounds (450 kilos).

The alligator has been described as a ‘living fossil’

Albinism in Birds

Albinism in birds is rare, occurring to any extent in perhaps 1 in 1800 individuals, though near Prypiat, Ukraine most sparrows have slight albinism. Albino birds have white feathers in place of colored ones on some portion of its body. A bird that’s naturally white, such as a swan, goose, or egret, is not an albino, nor is a bird that has seasonally alternating white plumage.

Albinism in birds is rare

Albino Mockingbird

Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family, best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of insect and amphibian sounds as well as other bird songs, often loudly and in rapid succession.

Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family

Snowy Egret

The Snowy Egret is a small white heron, and the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas. Adults are typically 24 inches (60 centimeters) long. They have a slim black bill and long black legs with yellow feet. The area of the upper bill in front of the eyes is yellow, but turns red during the breeding season when the adults also gain re-curved plumes on the back, making for a ’shaggy’ effect.

The Snowy Egret is a small white heron

White Heron

The herons are wading birds in the Ardeidae family. Some are called egrets or bitterns instead of herons. However, egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons, and tend to be named differently because they’re mainly white and / or have decorative plumes, and while having the same build as the larger herons, tend to be smaller. Some members of this group nest colonially in trees, others, notably the bitterns, use reedbeds.

The herons are wading birds in the Ardeidae family

Albino Kookaburra

Kookaburras, or Cookaburras, are large to very large terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea, with a total length of 11 to 17 inches (28 to 42 centimeters). They’re generally not closely associated with water, found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savanna, as well as suburban and residential areas near running water and where food can be searched for easily.

Kookaburras, or Cookaburras, are large to very large terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea

Albino Owl

Owls are an order of birds of prey classified in the order Strigiformes, in which there are over 200 extant species, found in all regions of the Earth except Antarctica, most of Greenland, and some remote islands. Owls are mostly solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions such as the Burrowing Owl. They typically hunt small mammals, insects, and other birds, though a few species specialize in hunting fish.

<br />Owls are an order of birds of prey classified in the order Strigiformes

Albino Ostrich

The ostrich is a large flightless bird native to Africa (and formerly the Middle East), and share the order Struthioniformes with the Emu, kiwis, and other ratites. It’s distinctive in its appearance with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at speeds of about 46 mph (74 km/h) — the top land speed of any bird. The ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any bird species.

The ostrich is a large flightless bird native to Africa

Albino Penguin

Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater. They spend about half of their life on land and half in the oceans.

Penguins are a group of aquatic

Surprise Star Formation Establish Near Black Hole

Surprise Star Formation Establish Near Black Hole

This artist's concept shows young, blue stars encircling a supermassive black hole at the core of a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way. The background stars are the typical older, redder population of stars that inhabit the cores of most galaxies (including our own). CfA astronomers caught two stars in the act of forming within a few light-years of the Milky Way's center. Their find demonstrates that stars can form at our galaxy's core despite the powerful gravitational tides generated by the black hole. Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Schaller (for STScI)Two embryonic stars discovered just a few light years away from the Milky Way's center show that stars can form in the potentially destructive reach of the powerful black hole at our galaxy's center.

Astronomers have long known that young stars could be found near the center of the galaxy, but they had no idea how the stars got there.

The region wasn't thought to be conducive to star formation because of the powerful gravitational tides stirred up by the 4 million solar-mass black hole at the galaxy's center. Scientists had figured that the tides would rip apart any gas clouds that could act as stellar nurseries.

An alternative explanation, that the stars fell in toward the galaxy's center after forming elsewhere, was thought to be a rare event.

But the new discovery, presented here today at the 213th annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society, shows that the stars did form in place.

"We literally caught these stars in the act of forming," said Elizabeth Humphreys of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass.

Because the gas and dust between Earth and the galactic center blocks visible light from getting out, astronomers use infrared and radio wavelengths to peer into the region.

Humphreys and her colleagues (at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany) used the Very Large Array of radio telescopes to search for water masers — radio signals that signal proto-stars still embedded in their birth cocoons.

The team found the proto-stars at seven light-years and 10 light-years from the galactic center (a light-year is the distance light will travel in a year, about 6 trillion miles, or 10 trillion kilometers). Combined with one previously identified proto-star, the objects show that star formation is taking place near the Milky Way's center.

The finding suggests that the molecular gas at the center of the Milky Way from which the stars form is denser than previously thought. The higher density gas makes it easier for the self-gravity of the condensing cloud to overcome the strong pull of the black hole and to collapse to form new stars.

The discovery also supports recent supercomputer simulations that showed star formation within a few light years of the Milky Way's central black hole.
Surprise Star Formation Establish Near Black Hole

This 0.6 by 0.7-degree infrared photograph of the galactic center shows a large population of old, red stars. However, the discovery of two young protostars within a few light-years of the center of the Milky Way shows that stars can form there despite powerful gravitational tides due to the supermassive black hole. Credit: 2MASS/E. Kopan (IPAC/Caltech)
"We don't understand the environment at the galactic center very well yet," Humphreys said. "By combining observational studies like ours with theoretical work, we hope to get a better handle on what's happening at our galaxy's core. Then, we can extrapolate to more distant galaxies."

Sunday, January 4, 2009

How Diamonds Found In Sierra














Top weirdest species and creatures in the world | Top 10 Strangest Animals

From a sea-slug that runs on solar power, to a bug that lives in total isolation; from the world's smallest snake to a one-tonne rodent - here are the 10 oddest species from 2008.

Bone-breaking horror frogBone-breaking horror frog

"Amphibian horror" isn't a movie genre, but on this evidence perhaps it should be. In May, biologists described a hairy frog that actively breaks its own bones to produce claws that puncture their way out of the frog's toe pads, probably when it is threatened.


Solar-powered sea slugSolar-powered sea slug

This little guy leads the eco-movement by example. Elysia chlorotica is a lurid-green sea slug with a gelatinous leaf-shaped body that lives along the Atlantic seaboard of the US. When it feeds on algae it absorbs chlorophyll and steals some plant genes that let it live for up to a year on sunlight alone.


World's smallest snakeWorld's smallest snake

You wouldn't get many luxury handbags out of the world's smallest snake, Leptotyphlops carlae. Barely the girth of a strand of spaghetti, it was discovered by Blair Hedges, of Pennsylvania State University, who also discovered the world's smallest gecko and helped find the world's smallest frog.


Sex-pest guppiesSex-pest guppies

They may look innocent, but male guppies are the ultimate bullies. Having invaded the territory of another fish species, they have taken to sexually harassing and possibly even maiming resident females. Researchers believe the guppies are using sex as a way of suppressing the native fish population.


Zombie caterpillarsZombie caterpillars

Technically, this story gives you a pair of odd animals: a parasitoid wasp that specialises in manipulative behaviour and a zombie caterpillar. Having partially developed inside them, the wasp larvae chemically manipulate the caterpillars into acting as zombie bodyguards, with some impressive moves to boot.


World's only lungless frogWorld's only lungless frog

You would be forgiven for not even seeing Barbourula kalimantanensis as it sat perfectly camouflaged on a rock. But you would be missing something extraordinary. The little frog with big eyes has no lungs and gets all the oxygen it needs through its skin.


Self-sufficient goldmine bugSelf-sufficient goldmine bug

Nicknamed "the bold traveller", Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator lives 2.8 kilometres down inside a goldmine, in 60 °C water, completely isolated from the rest of the world. And with neither light nor oxygen. The discovery that it has all the genes it needs to survive on its own, completely isolated from any other form of life, set the world of astrobiologists abuzz: could this be what alien life will look like?


Electric fish that loves a shockElectric fish that loves a shock

Male elephant nose fish are known to lure females with the help of an electric field. This year, experiments showed that females fancy the electric aura of males of their own kind over the spark of closely related species.


One-tonne guinea pigOne-tonne guinea pig

Jumping on a chair would not have helped escape Josephoartigasia monesi - then again, when this one-tonne rodent roamed South America 2 million years ago there weren't any chairs to be had.


Newly discovered monkey already endangeredNewly discovered monkey already endangered

A species of monkey living in north-western Amazonia was named earlier this year - and scientists immediately called for it to be placed on the endangered species list. No wonder new species of primate are so rarely discovered.

7 Animal Finds of 2008


It’s the beginning of another year, when who knows what’s going to happen, what adventures we’ll have and what ground-breaking news will hit the headlines. It’s the perfect time to reminisce over events of the previous year and ponder new discoveries. At Environmental Graffiti because we’re besotted with the natural world it was good to see National Geographic’s list of their most read stories of the year include seven best animal finds of 2008. We thought we’d share them with you in case you missed them.
Elbowed Alien-like Squid Caught on Film

There was great excitement in November 2008 when a remote control submersible was investigating a deep oil-drilling site and captured the image of a long-armed and ‘elbowed’ Magnapinna squid. One had never been caught on camera before in their natural habitat.

Vampire Moth has Fruity Past


Researchers reported in October that a previously unknown population of vampire moths in Siberia could have evolved from solely fruit eating species. Vampire moths have hook-and-barb-lined tongues, which they tunnel into their prey to feed on blood. Researchers say there is only slight variations in wing pattern compared to a common species of moth found in central and southern Europe called Calyptra thalictri that eats only fruit.

Italian Wall Lizards Evolving at Lightening Speed


Not exactly an animal find but a new discovery nonetheless. In April 2008, researchers studying Italian wall lizards that had been introduced to a small island off the coast of Croatia have evolved in ways that would normally take millions of years in just a few decades. Records dating from 1971 show that the tiny lizards have developed a completely new gut structure, larger heads, and a harder bite.

Worms Go Supersize in the UK


A new breed of ‘superworms’ that feed on lead, zinc, arsenic, and copper were found at disused mining sites in England and Wales. It’s thought that the newly evolved worms and their toxic eating habits could help cleanse polluted industrial lands as their excretions produce different versions of the metals, which allows plants to grow. Scientists believe their ability to tolerate extremely high metal concentrations has affected their evolution.

Dog-size Deer Rediscovered in Sumatra


In October last year a tiny dog-sized deer was catapulted into the limelight when anti-poaching conservationists released a photograph of the animal caught in a trap in Sumatra. The Sumatran muntjac had not been photographed since 1930 so had almost completely been forgotten about by science. The mountain-dwelling deer is now on the global Red List of Threatened Species, so doubtful it will be neglected again.

Half-ton Colossal Squid Reveals Secrets of the Deep


In 2007, a 30 ft-long (10 m) squid was caught on a fishing line in Antarctic waters. The colossal squid was taken to New Zealand where an autopsy was performed on the half-ton female last August. The dissection revealed the squid was “a ‘giant gelatinous blob’, would have been sluggish and highly vulnerable to predators”, and was carrying partially developed eggs. Scientists believe she may have been feeding from the fishermen’s nets rather than hunting naturally because of her condition.

The same squid was found to have eyes the size of soccer balls – the biggest recorded – which were rimmed with light-emitting organs thought to play a role in cloaking the animal from prey.

Gizmo the Gremlin Hiding Out in Sulawesi



Many people may be familiar with this animal as it’s been likened to a cute’n’cuddly Gremlin (before the water). A group of three pygmy tarsiers were discovered on an expedition in Indonesia last summer. The tiny 57 gram (2 oz) carnivorous primates were last seen alive in the 1920s, so were thought to be extinct. Logging in the forested mountain slopes of Lore Lindu National Park, Sulawesi has destroyed much of their natural habitat and population. Lead researcher Sharon Gursky-Doyen, who found the primates, is hoping the find will inspire the Indonesian government to do more about protecting their native species.