Hello, so as you can see, we are back. We are going to try and start writing again, I am sorry that we were gone for a while. We are going to be bringing back Mountain Rants, and we will try to post on it weekly.
We also have Cruising Rag Tops, (www.cruisingragtops.com) which is a website my dad made, to indulge his interest in classic cars and photography. He uses the site to highlight pictures he takes at local car shows, and writes about them. We also have a Valhalla's Wharf, (https://valhallaswharf.mn.co/feed) this is our attempt at creating a social network. While it works similar to Facebook, it is a private network and works by invitation only. If you would like to join, send an email to: [email protected] There are no fact checkers, and your posts won't get taken down, unless it is something that is illegal. We are going to be coming back to Mountain Rants, and we will be trying to post twice a week. Bye! -Ashleigh
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The basking shark is the second largest living shark in the world, and is one of three known plankton-eating sharks, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adult basking sharks can reach 26 ft or more in length.
The basking shark has a crescent moon-shaped tail, a pointed snout, and fins that can reach near two meters in length. The basking shark’s body is a grey-brown color and pale on the underbelly. The shark’s mouth can open to about 1 meter wide, and contains more teeth than any other shark has, though these teeth are small, and hooked in shape. The basking shark is a coastal shark, found throughout the world in arctic waters, as well as more temperate places. This might be why these sharks are typically seen at the water’s surface, basking in the sun. It can be found throughout the world, though always close to the shoreline. From frigid waters, to relatively warm waters, this shark has a migrating nature. The basking shark resides in the Western Atlantic and Western Pacific oceans, the Gulf of Alaska, and the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). The basking shark feeds on plankton, using a special technique called passive feeding. This means that it can swim through the water with its mouth open, and the plankton will become trapped in the gill rakers as the water passes over the gills. A basking shark can filter roughly 2,000 tons of water per hour, which helps the shark to feast quickly as the giant fish drifts through the water. Ashleigh Worms have a tube-like body, with no limbs, and no eyes.
Because worms don't have teeth, a lip-like covering over the mouth helps direct food into the mouth, where the muscular pharynx (throat) grabs it, coats it with saliva and pushes it down the esophagus into the crop, where it's stored before moving on to the gizzard. In the worm world, these awesome earth-loving creatures have five blood pumping organs in their small, hard working bodies. Though, a worms' hearts doesn't refill with blood the way humans do, it only squeezes the 2 blood vessels which help to circulate the blood through it's body. Earthworms are hermaphrodites. Each has both male and female sex organs, but they can't fertilize themselves. Earthworms spend most of their time creating complex burrow networks underground. They create an important contribution to soil fertility and are therefore vital in gardens and of farm land. A team of Swedish researchers has uncovered evidence that worms do indeed feel pain, which worms have developed a chemical system almost like that of citizenry to guard themselves from it. the assembly of those substances by an animal is believed to assist the animal endure pain. Ashleigh Like all the ocean bunnies within the group containing J. parva, called the dorid nudibranchs, the ocean bunny steals its toxic defenses from its food. Sea bunny slugs will often eat sponges, which contain toxins; a number of these toxins are utilized in cancer treatments. Sea Bunnies are often even as hazardous dead as alive. Always treat them with respect if you discover one in your tank and never touch one without gloves and/or tongs. Even a dead slug can provides a powerful sting.
Sea bunnies don't have any eyes or sensory system then rely solely on their 'ears' and 'fur' to navigate their surroundings. The bunny's tail is actually actually its gills then it quite literally breathes through its backside. The average lifespan of a sea bunny slug is between a few of months and a year. the ocean bunny slug may be a fascinating underwater creature that has little in common with an actual rabbit, despite its appearance. Sea bunnies do not have to stress much about predators during their brief life because "they're very, very toxic," the ocean slug expert says. "Anybody who attempts to eat one goes to possess a hard time after." Ashleigh Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which usually have a really short projecting "tail", usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They sleep in all the world's oceans, in water , and ashore , are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and have one pair of pincers.
If the wild decapod crustacean is fortunate enough to measure his life in his natural habitat, he can live up to 30 years. A crab in captivity may have a way shorter life, not even reaching 1 year. However, with proper care, your crab can live up to twenty years. Crabs start as eggs and enter various larval and adult life stages. Each stage of growth makes them vulnerable to differing types of predators. Small fish and jellyfish will eat blue crab larvae, while birds, mammals and bigger fish will eat older crabs. Crabs aren't picky eaters. they're going to eat everything from dead and living fish to barnacles, plants, snails, shrimp, worms and even other crabs. They use their claws to grab food particles and put the food into their mouths. this is often almost like the way humans eat using their hands or utensils. Ashleigh The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a cattle herding dog breed that originated in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is one of two breeds known as a Welsh Corgi. The other is the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, and both descend from the line of northern spitz-type dogs.
Pembroke Welsh Corgis (also called Pembrokes, PWCs or Pems) are the smallest of the American Kennel Club's Herding Group, and are also recognized by the United Kennel Club. Their coats can be red, sable, fawn or tri-colored (red, black and tan), usually with white markings on the legs, chest, neck, muzzle and belly. They also may have a narrow blaze on their heads. Pembroke heads are shaped much like the head of a fox. Their eyes are oval-shaped and dark, and their ears are erect. For most of us, the easiest way to tell the difference between a Pembroke and a Cardigan is to look at the tails. Pembrokes' are docked and Cardigans' are long. (Remember it this way: the Pembroke has a "broke" tail; the Cardigan has a long tail like the sleeves of a cardigan sweater.) Although Pembrokes are still used as working dogs, they are most often seen as family pets these days. They are known for being happy, loving, and intelligent, but with a stubborn or independent streak at times. They are easy to train, but don't expect your Pembroke to be subservient. They like to think for themselves. Although they want to please their owners, food is a great motivator for them when training. Proceed with caution: Pembrokes love to eat and can become obese if their food intake isn't moderated. Ashleigh Honeybees are relatively quiet and almost cute as they go about their work. Wasps, hornets and yellow jackets, on the other hand, are noisy and aggressive. People don’t like them because they build nests near homes and can damage shrubs and trees. Mostly, though, people are afraid of their painful stings. And even worse, they live everywhere except Antarctica!
Wasps do have a useful purpose though. Wasps are fierce predators and they hunt and eat almost every insect pest that harms crops. Wasps eat grasshoppers, aphids, flies and other bees. They also eat nectar, tree sap and fruit. Some wasps eat human food, which is why they can be a nuisance at picnics. Wasps make nests from paper. They chew up strips of bark and spit it out again to form a rough paper. Some wasps make nests in basements, sheds or dark, cool places. You should get rid of the nest as fast as you can because, unlike bees, wasps can sting as many times as it wants. A queen starts a new colony each spring. She raises a few worker wasps first to make the nest larger and bring food. Then she starts laying eggs. A colony can grow to 50,000 wasps in one summer. In the fall, all the wasps die except for a few new queens. The new queens spend the winter in an old log or burrow. In the spring, they make new colonies. There are 4,000 kinds of wasps in the United States. Typically, wasps are most active during the day and usually return to their nests at dusk. These pests are often seen flying around during the second half of summer and early fall when the colonies search for food that will sustain their queens during the winter. Ashleigh Anthias fish prefer warm water climates as they can be found in or around warm bodies of water such as the Mediterranean Sea and Black sea. Many of the sea perch are also exhibited to be living in the East Atlantic, off the coast of Africa.
In the home aquarium Anthias should be fed vitamin enriched brine shrimp, other small crustaceans, and frozen meaty food for marine fish. They need to be fed fairly often. Sometimes new specimens are reluctant to eat when first brought into captivity. Males can reach up to 4.7 inches (12 centimeters), with females being slightly smaller. They tend to be aggressive so only one male per tank should be the maximum, along with several females, a ratio of 1:5 is a good starting point. Would there be aggression towards other anthias who are different? Yes. There is always a pecking order, but you can. There are worse fish to combine, anthias are not too aggressive, and after the initial bullying, all will be fine. Ashleigh The Gray Catbird has dark grey body with black cap and rust-colored underside of the tail. Males and females look alike. Gray catbird has slightly curved elongated black beak, a long tail and a wingspan of 8.7 to 11.8 inches.
The Gray Catbird mostly insects and berries. Especially in early summer, eats many beetles, ants, caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, true bugs, and other insects, as well as spiders and millipedes. Nestlings are fed almost entirely on insects. They aren't typically feeder birds, but you can possibly bring them in by offering fruit. Catbirds might also eat softened raisins. Catbirds prefer a dense vegetative substrate, especially if thorny vegetation is present. Scrub-lands, woodland edges, overgrown farmland and abandoned orchards are generally among the preferred locations of the Grey Catbird. In Bermuda, its preferred habitats are scrub and myrtle swamp. Studies have shown a roughly 60 percent annual survival rate for catbirds. If your backyard catbird has a lucky streak, you could see the same bird coming back for many seasons. The longevity record for a catbird is 17 years, 11 months. Ashleigh This is a quote by William James. William James was an American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the late nineteenth century, one of the most influential philosophers of the United States, and the "Father of American psychology".
Here is what I think this quote means. I think It means, don't do something beacause your happy, be happy because you did something. Here is an example: Don't dance beacause your happy, Be happy beacause your dancing.(Sorry I'm not good at examples and that was the best I could do.) I love this qoute, beacause It reminds me of music. I love Music. Every weekend I take my computer to my room, put my volume to 100% and blast my music. It helps calm my mind from all the math I have to do every week. Ashleigh The Gila monster and the Mexican beaded lizard are two types of poisonous lizards found in North America. These large, thick-bodied lizards have short, stubby limbs. Poisonous lizards do not generally bite unless they are handled. Lizards bite with teeth rather than fangs.
Lizards live in deserts, forests, prairies, marshes, and rocky areas. Most lizards live on the ground or in trees. Lizards are fun and easy to watch. They are most active on warm, summer days. Many lizards are carnivores, which means they eat meat. A typical diet for a lizard includes ants, spiders, termites, cicadas, small mammals and even other lizards. Caiman lizards eat animals with shells, such as snails. Birds, cats (including bobcats and other wild cats), snakes, possum, raccoons, dogs (including coyotes and other wild dogs), toads, fish, and so on. It varies by where in the world you're talking about, but basically anything in the lower-middle tier of predators will eat lizards. Ashleigh Grasshoppers are an insect from the suborder Caelifera and the order Orthoptera. Locusts are actually species of short-horned grasshoppers, they often gather in large swarms and can destroy entire fields of crops, because a single grasshopper can eat half its body weight in plants per day.
Grasshoppers can jump about 25cm high and around 1 meter long. If humans could jump as far as grasshoppers do, relative to size, then we could leap more than the length of a football field. The grasshopper can jump as far as it does because its hind legs act like miniature catapults. Grasshoppers do not bite human beings or other animals. Grasshoppers are equipped with biting and chewing type mouthparts. The grasshoppers, therefore do not bite a material other than their legitimate food. Grasshoppers can live as long as 7 weeks or perhaps 51 days as an adult. They have quite many predators in the wild. Natural predators of grasshoppers include birds, lizards, mantids, spiders, and rodents. Ashleigh Today I am going to be doing the characterization and settings on the book "A spell for chameleon" by Piers Anthony. Lets begin!
Main characters: Bink, Trent, Chameleon, and Sorceress Iris. Bink: Bink is a 25 year old human, though does not have magic. Most people have magic, but he doesn't. He is kind, smart and caring about other people. Everyone knows he has no magic and some even pick on him for it. Because he has no magic he was banished from Xanth (the place he lives/used to live.) Trent: Trent is the Evil Magician who was also banished from Xanth. He is the opposite of the popular image, he is handsome, strong and urbane. He can transform things into anything he wants that is within 6 feet of him. Chameleon: Chameleon is a girl that can change from ugly and smart to pretty and dumb. Its a curse she has that she can't break. She can switch from a girl named Fanchon, to a girl named Dee to a girl named Wynne. She changes a little every day. She is nice, caring and not always smart but not always dumb. Lastly Sorceress Iris: Sorceress Iris is a Sorceress... and she has the power of illusion. (She can make things appear that are not there.) She is pretty, and evil. Ashleigh Being the adaptive creatures they are, turtles can survive in pretty much any conditions. While most of the species are found in southeastern America and South Asia, they can still be found in other parts of the world. Sea turtles can sometimes end up in the European Arctic, but you won’t find any in Antarctica. The leatherback turtle is the most widely distributed turtle, venturing into the Arctic Circle, and as far south as the bottom of New Zealand.
The Alligator Snapping Turtle is as scary as it sounds. These bad boys weigh over 200 pounds and they’re not to be messed with!Their huge powerful beaks can completely amputate the body part that they attack, which is no surprise considering their bite force is 1,000 pounds.Fortunately, they don’t actively attack unless they are threatened. To get their food, they lay on the bottom of a riverbed with their huge mouths open. Then, they wiggle their red tongues that look like worms, which attract fish to swim right into their mouths! Turtles are among the animals that live longer in the wild. In captivity, the longest their life span can be anywhere from 10-80 years!However, wild sea turtles take a really long time to grow up! They don’t reach reproductive maturity for almost 50 years. Generally, sea turtles can live to around 150 years. However, it is difficult for scientists to determine the age of a turtle, so it’s possible some sea turtles are even 400-500 years old! Turtles are sensitive to the earth’s magnetic field, which is like a map to turtles. In a magnetic field, there is the strength of the field, and the angle of which the field lines cross the earth. Turtles can detect both components and figure out where in the ocean they are, so really their sense of direction is even stronger than a compass! Ashleigh This is a story that I made up, but It has characters from a book called Wondla.
Once upon a time, in a city in New York most call Albany, a 12-year-old girl named Eva Nine, sat on her bed, reading a book. *knock*knock* "Come in" said Eva. Muthr entered the room, carrying Otto, their pet dog. "Would you like to come to the new burger joint?"Muthr asked, putting Otto down. "Sure" Eva said, jumping out of bed, and putting on her shoes. "Lets go." At the burger joint, Eva got a cheese burger while muthr got a hamburger. After eating, they left to go home which was a small apartment in the middle of a huge hotel, located on a hill, overlooking the city. When they got home, Eva yelled "Otto!?" like she always does when they get home from somewhere. Usually, Otto would come running to her, but not this time. Eva started going through the house calling "Otto!" After checking the whole house, Eva noticed a draft coming from the window. Eva looked closer and saw that the window was unlocked. "We never have it unlocked" thought Eva. "Muthr?" Eva said, "Did you unlock the window?" ''No'' she said. "Then that means Otto isn't missing, he was dog napped!" Eva gasped! "What are we going to do!?" Eva said, panicking. "Calm down! We can just put up MISSING posters." said Muthr. "But he's not missing!'' Eva screamed, trying to be calm. ''You're overeacting. Come on, I'm sure someone has seen someone with Otto."Muthr said, trying to calm eva down, then she called the cops and told them everything. She then called Rovender, their close friend. Rovender lived in New York, but not in Albany. He lived in Rochester. When he heard the news, he rushed right over. When the cops got there, they had a detective with them, named Sherlock Holmes. He found footprints going to their next door neighbors house. His name was Besteel and he always complained about Otto. The cops searched the whole apartment and found Otto in his closet. Soon Besteel was in prison for dog napping. The end. Ashleigh While most caterpillars are harmless, even though some may look menacing (such as the hickory horned devil), there are a few that can cause mild to moderate stings. Just remember, while the caterpillars are dangerous, adult moths are not and do not have stinging hairs/spines.
You can find caterpillars almost everywhere from sandy beaches to meadows to mountain forests, worldwide. There are even caterpillars in some Arctic areas. Caterpillars, the larvae of butterflies and moths, feed almost exclusively on plants. You will find most caterpillars munching happily on leaves, though some will feed on other plant parts, like seeds or flowers. The predators of caterpillars are birds, ladybird beetles, yellow jackets and human beings. Caterpillars serve as a primary food source for numerous birds, such as the warbler species, tanagers and canopy-dwelling birds. Here are some random facts about caterpillars because i don't know what to write. Caterpillars only have six true legs. Caterpillars eat a lot. Caterpillars shed their skin. Caterpillars drool out silk for a cocoon. Caterpillars have six pairs of eyes. Caterpillars don't have lungs. Caterpillars move like no other animal. Caterpillar's gut moves independently. Ashleigh Squirrels are dangerous, not necessarily to humans but to their property. Squirrels will chew through and damage the structure of homes and personal property, including electrical wiring, which is a fire hazard.
Many people think that squirrels only eat nuts, but this isn't true. Squirrels are omnivores, which means they like to eat plants and meat. Squirrels mainly eat fungi, seeds, nuts and fruits, but they will also munch on eggs, small insects, caterpillars, small animals and even young snakes. Squirrels live in almost every habitat, from tropical rain forest to semiarid desert, avoiding only the high polar regions and the driest of deserts. They are predominantly herbivorous, subsisting on seeds and nuts, but many will eat insects and even small vertebrates. Some squirrels build nests in tree cavities rather than among the high branches. The squirrel begins by roughly weaving a platform of live green twigs. On top of this, soft, compressible materials like moss and damp leaves are added. Squirrels have plenty of predators, or natural enemies. They are often attacked by flying predators such as hawks and owls. On the ground, squirrels need to be on the lookout for all the foxes, coyotes, wildcats, weasels and snakes that eat them whenever they get a chance. Ashleigh Today I will tell you random facts about vegetables you probable didn't know. Lets begin! 1#, Tomatoes Were Once Considered Poisonous. For quite some time, people avoided eating anything from the nightshade family because they considered them to be deadly poisonous. In addition to tomatoes, the family includes potatoes, eggplants, and peppers. However, this belief was challenged when people were eating a lot of these vegetables out of desperation during a time of famine and nothing happened. Since then, tomatoes have been quite popular.
2#, You Can Use Cucumbers As Erasers.Supposedly if you make a mistake writing with a pen, you can use the outside skin of a cucumber to erase it. Cucumbers are also, of course, great for eating. They're 95 percent water so they are a great choice to eat when you're trying to stay hydrated. They are a good source of vitamin K, the B vitamins, copper, potassium, vitamin C, and manganese. Cucumbers contain an anti-inflammatory flavonoid called fisetin which seems to play an important role in keeping the brain healthy, by protecting the nerve cells from age-related decline and improving the memory. 3#, Eating Too Many Carrots Really Does Turn You Orange. You've probably heard this rumor before... because it's true. You would have to eat quite a lot of them for this to actually occur, but it's possible and it has definitely happened. Carrots and other orange vegetables are high in beta-carotene which is what gives them the color. If you ingest too much beta-carotene it will actually enter your bloodstream and since it does not get broken down in the body it gets deposited on the skin. 4#, Potatoes Were The First Food To Be Grown In Space. Potato plants were taken into space into 1996 on the Columbia space shuttle where they were grown. According to NASA, these “Quantum Tubers” involved “combining an agricultural technique from China with controlled environment technologies originally developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison for plant growth in space.” Funny extras: Fun fact about Brussel sprouts, Daddy thinks there best left in the trash. Ashleigh A giraffe's super muscular heart is two feet long and weighs about 25 pounds. It pumps 16 gallons a minute. A remarkable network of veins and one-way valves prevent back-flow, keeping blood from rushing to the head.
Giraffes can inhabit savannas, grasslands or open woodlands. Giraffes prefer areas enriched with acacia growth (a genus of shrubs and trees). Most giraffes live either in East Africa or in Angola and Zambia in southwestern Africa. Giraffes are herbivores, which means they eat only plants. Their long necks allow them to reach leaves, seeds, fruits, buds and branches high up in mimosa and acacia trees. They can eat hundreds of pounds of leaves per week. Lions are the main predators of giraffes. They attack both giraffe calves and adults. More than half of giraffe calves never reach adulthood and lion predation may be the leading cause of death. Lions hunt sub-adult and adult giraffes also, although people rarely see these attacks. A giraffe can take a single lion and they have been known to kill lions by swinging their heads like a golf club with the lion being the golf ball. This attack does a tremendous amount of damage and if done right, it can shatter important bones in a lions body. Ashleigh Monkeys can carry parasites and zoonotic diseases that are dangerous to humans. They may seem to be in perfect health, but when they inevitably bite or scratch you, you may end up with a variety of health issues passed to you from your monkey that were dormant in the monkey's system.
Monkeys live in forests, grasslands, high plains, and mountain habitats. Many monkeys spend most of their lives in trees.These monkeys use their strong arms and legs to help them live happily high in the treetops. They also have a tail that can grab and hold things. Others monkeys like baboons and macaques, live mostly on the ground. Monkeys are omnivores. This means that they eat meat and plant-based foods. Most monkeys eat nuts, fruits, seeds and flowers. Some monkeys also eat meat in the form of bird's eggs, small lizards, insects and spiders. Monkeys also have their own unique set of fingerprints just like humans do. Monkeys have a brain that is large for their size and it is part of the reason why they are so intelligent. They are believed to be smarter than other primates including Apes and Lemurs. Monkeys as smart as toddlers. Scientists say apes can understand abstract properties. Monkeys are as smart as a three-year-old child when it comes to solving puzzles. Scientists said the findings showed they have the basic intelligence of a human tot as they can understand abstract properties. Ashleigh |
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