Lungless and luckless frogs

There are several salamaders that are known to be lungless. They rely entirely upon their skin to get their oxygen supply. It is believed that the lunglessness has evolved in their specialized habitat of fast-flowing cold streams. Cold water is able to carry more dissolved oxygen, and also the presence of lungs may put the animal at the risk of being carried away in the current because it would float more easily. Lungless salamanders are found in several parts of North and South America, some parts of Europe and in the Korean peninsula.

In addition to the salamanders, a species of "caecilians" is also lungless. These are worm-like limbless amphibians, living in dark, moist habitats in south america, , some parts of central africa, and south east asia.

However, a recent surprising discovery has been made is of a lungless frog. This is the first frog that has been shown to have no lungs. This Bornean Flat-headed Frog, also called Barbourula kalimantanensis, relies totally on its skin for all its respiration. It was found on an island in Borneo. Though the frog has been reported before, it was extremely rare. The other adaptation that the frog has that it has a lower metabolic rate as well, which reduces its requirement for oxygen. The loss of the lungs also has resulted in a modified anatomical features, like the shifting of the spleen, stomach towards the normal location of the lungs.

As with several other amphibians, this frog is high on the threatened list of amphibians, and likely to be lost in case drastic measures are taken. Here's the entry for the frog in the Red List

The Atlas Mountains and the Barbary Lion

The barbary lions used to be found in the Atlas mountains. See the picture below for the location of the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. All the wild lions that used to roam these mountains have been killed. The last wild Barbary lion was hunted down in early 1920s. Since then, they are only in zoos all over the world.

The Atlas Mountains of North Africa

This image is a WikiCommons image.

Origin of the word Barbary

We use the word "barbary" like Barbary Ape, Barbary Lion, Barbary States and so on. The word Barbary was used to describe the Northern African states on the mediterranean coast between Egypt and Gibralter, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. This usage was common in the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. However, the origin of the word is far from clear. It is clear however, that the name "Berber" refers to the indigenous people of the North African States. The word "Berber" seems to be a word in the native Kabyle language of Algeria.

Barbary Lion / African Lion / Nubian Lion

This is a subspecies of lion that is now extinct in the wild. There are now less than 100 individuals left and all of them are in zoos all over the world. If you look closely you can see the hair on the belly of the lion as well. This is one of the distinguishing features of barbary lions.


Here's another picture of a barbary lion,
(Picture credit to http://www.cattales.org/images/Zamba.jpg)

Gestation Times for Selected Animals

Gestation times for some animals are shown here. Ass, Bactrian Camel, Cat, Chimpanzee, Cow, Dog, Asian and African Elephants, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Gorilla, Kangaroo, Mouse, Oppossum, Rhino, Sperm Whale

Average Life Spans of some Adult flies

Here are some average life span ranges of adult flies. The life cycle of flies consists of 4 stages, egg, larva, pupa adult. This data is only for the adult stage.

Average Life Span of Selected Reptiles

Here are some average life spans of selected reptiles. Giant Tortoise, Box turtle, Snapping Turtle, Alligator, Cobra and Cottonmouth.

Average Life Span of Selected Fishes

Here are some average life spans for some fishes. Catfish, Eel, Carp, and Mosquito Fish.

Average Life Span of Selected Amphibians

Here are some life spans of selected amphibians. Salamander, Toad, Bullfrog, Mud Puppy. Green Frog and the Newt.

Average Life Span of Selected Birds

Here are some average life spans of some birds. Turkey Buzzard, Swan, Parrot, Great Horned Owl, Eagle, English sparrow, canary, Hummingbird

Average Life Span of Selected Mammals

Here are average life spans of some selected mammals. Elephant, horse, hippo, chimpanzee, grizzly bear, bison, lion , tiger, elk, mountain, beaver, wolf , squirrel, chipmunk, cottontail, mouse

Sticky feet inspire unsticky tape

The feet of tree frogs are sticky enough to hold on to a variety of surfaces. So what? We have our conventional tape for several different surfaces as well. The everyday tape cracks when pulled out. Frog’s feet however do not get pulled off so easily, and happily for the frog, do not lose their stickiness. This is in part due to the microstructure of the foot.

Here’s a good close-up of the foot of the Trinidadian Tree Frog Phyllomedusa trinitatis, taken in Trinidad, West Indies

http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/imagebank/uploaded_images/VictoriaOgilvy_PhyllomedusaTrinitatis.jpg

Photograph Credit: Vicky Ogilvy, Centre for Bioscience ImageBank

The toes of tree frogs contain microscopic patterns that prevent cracking. Such a tape, that captures the physics of sticky feet has been developed by Indian researchers. Researchers led by Abhijit Majumder at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India, studied the toe pads of tree frogs to figure out what makes them stick to surfaces, and copied the idea. Its strong and resusable. Its more than 30 times more adhesive as well. This is another example of scientists taking a cue from nature.