Metazoa info

[frankiej]

It is also a very shit card.

[Duke Guilmon]

It is also a very shit card.

I used to love yu gi oh as a kid.

[sven]

That's really interesting stuff!
Most of the shark you can buy in the fish stores here in Gothenburg is of the smaller varieties. We don't get tiger sharks in the nordic countries. I once had the chance to taste Brugd which I believe is called 'Basking shark' in English. It is a shame that this animal's meat is wasted for making shark fin soup, oil and so on. Shark fin soup is a bland and unapetizing dish, like many other Chinese traditional foods. Swallow's nests, and so on. I can almost not believe that some of these noble animals are slaughered just for their fins. Apparently, sometimes they just dump the carcasses into the sea after harvesting the fins.
Brugd has a taste that is somewhat similar to Havskatt (Atlantic wolffish). It is a cutlet fish with a meat that is much firmer than cod, for example.

[Duke Guilmon]

That's really interesting stuff!
Most of the shark you can buy in the fish stores here in Gothenburg is of the smaller varieties. We don't get tiger sharks in the nordic countries. I once had the chance to taste Brugd which I believe is called 'Basking shark' in English. It is a shame that this animal's meat is wasted for making shark fin soup, oil and so on. Shark fin soup is a bland and unapetizing dish, like many other Chinese traditional foods. Swallow's nests, and so on. I can almost not believe that some of these noble animals are slaughered just for their fins. Apparently, sometimes they just dump the carcasses into the sea after harvesting the fins.
Brugd has a taste that is somewhat similar to Havskatt (Atlantic wolffish). It is a cutlet fish with a meat that is much firmer than cod, for example.

Thanks. I could never eat sharks, it is one of the animals I never could even thinking of eating. I think that animals like that should be left alone. Tomorrow I will do one on a animal you won't even know is one.

[Whateverist]

Love this thread! My first reading obsession was on animals, their behavior and anything else known about them. Took me from late elementary to early adulthood. I've since moved on to the plant world. A little further removed from ourselves but on the other hand I can grow almost anything I like whereas I can not keep many animals. I can make the plants happy and create a sense of place with them. Animals are harder to satisfy and you can't just go collecting what you like.

What range of creature are you comfortable with including? Just chordates or are you also interested in insects, mollusks and so on? I suspect this isn't the place for members of the plank kingdom.

Some of the animals that have caught my fancy at one time or other: Komodo monitor lizards, Aye-Aye, Okapi, asian rhinos, sloth, marmoset, gibbons, mole rats, ant eaters, lily trotters, Keas the ground parrot - speaking of which I just saw such a funny video of a wild one in New Zealand. Let me see if I can find it.

http://youtu.be/ckakgzLh76M

[sven]

That's really interesting stuff!
Most of the shark you can buy in the fish stores here in Gothenburg is of the smaller varieties. We don't get tiger sharks in the nordic countries. I once had the chance to taste Brugd which I believe is called 'Basking shark' in English. It is a shame that this animal's meat is wasted for making shark fin soup, oil and so on. Shark fin soup is a bland and unapetizing dish, like many other Chinese traditional foods. Swallow's nests, and so on. I can almost not believe that some of these noble animals are slaughered just for their fins. Apparently, sometimes they just dump the carcasses into the sea after harvesting the fins.
Brugd has a taste that is somewhat similar to Havskatt (Atlantic wolffish). It is a cutlet fish with a meat that is much firmer than cod, for example.

Thanks. I could never eat sharks, it is one of the animals I never could even thinking of eating. I think that animals like that should be left alone. Tomorrow I will do one on a animal you won't even know is one.

Heh. Well, as a Gothenburger I tend to think of all fishes as potential food. I am looking forward to going out fishing for mackerel soon, for example. A few years ago we actually caught a small shark on our 'dragdurk' line for mackerel (no idea what dragdurk that's called in english) but we threw it back.
Looking forward to that post!

[Duke Guilmon]

Love this thread! My first reading obsession was on animals, their behavior and anything else known about them. Took me from late elementary to early adulthood. I've since moved on to the plant world. A little further removed from ourselves but on the other hand I can grow almost anything I like whereas I can not keep many animals. I can make the plants happy and create a sense of place with them. Animals are harder to satisfy and you can't just go collecting what you like.

What range of creature are you comfortable with including? Just chordates or are you also interested in insects, mollusks and so on? I suspect this isn't the place for members of the plank kingdom.

Some of the animals that have caught my fancy at one time or other: Komodo monitor lizards, Aye-Aye, Okapi, asian rhinos, sloth, marmoset, gibbons, mole rats, ant eaters, lily trotters, Keas the ground parrot - speaking of which I just saw such a funny video of a wild one in New Zealand. Let me see if I can find it.

http://youtu.be/ckakgzLh76M

Thank you sir. I will be doing animals of every phylum, like cnidarian, and sponges. All animals will be included/

[Duke Guilmon]

ANNOUNCEMENT I have changed the rules. Every sunday will be a double sunday in which I will post two animals instead of one.Thursdays will be parasite day, in which I do something on parasites(i.e heart worm)

[Duke Guilmon]

Phoronis psammophila

No unscientific name

Height: 19 centimeters

Weight:unknown

Life expectancy:unknown

First appeared: Yet to be known but may have appeared in the Devonian

Location: These animals can be found around the world, and they like to live on find sand with moderate silt in the inter tidal zone

Taxonomy:

Phylum: Phoronida
Family: Phoronide
Genushoronis
Specieshoronis psammophila

Diet: This animal is a filter feeder and it eats diatoms micro algae. flagellates, invertebrate larvae and detritus. This animal uses cilia to capture its food.

Anatomy: The most interesting organ of this animal is the cilia. The little appendages help it catch food.

Behavior: This animal does not do much but eat.

Reproduction: Phoronis psammophila reproduces both sexually and asexually. They are dioecious meaning that they use a bi parental reproduction. The gametes a first released into the metacoel, where they mature. Eventually the sperm is released into the water through nephridopores. The sperm eventually become spermatophores. They become ameoboid when dispersed. They will enter the wall of an adult worm and fertilize in the metacoel. Eventually they become planktonic larvae after passing out of the nephridiopores and may be brooded in a n egg mass, which will be located in the lophophoral cavity.

Asexual reproduction takes place by transverse fission. When using the mode of reproduction they become close to each other and may become tangled together.

The larva is named actinotrocha sabatieri, as it was once thought to be an adult species. The metamorphsis of this animal only takes half an hour. The larva are transparent and it cililated tentacles are behind its mouth.

Relationship with other animals: Only animal to interact with this one that is known are humans, and it is for research.



Just chilling


http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p...&id=128552

Sorry on the sources hard to find.

---

Human



Scientific Name:Homo Sapiens

Height: 2ft-8ft

Weight:lightest human was 4.7lbs- the heavist is 1,345lbs

Life expectancy:average 67.2 years, females tend to live longer

First appeared in the plestocene 0.195 million years ago

Location:There is no escaping them,they have a worldwide location


Taxonomical Classification

Class:Mammalia
Subclass:Theria
Infraclass:Eutheria
Subcohort:Exafroplacentalia
Magnorder:Boreoeutheria
Superorder:Euarchontoglires
Grandorder:Euarchonta
Mirorderrimatomorpha
Orderrimates
Suborder:Haplorrhini
Infraorder:Simiiformes
Parvorder:Catarrhini
Superfamily:Hominodiea
Family:Hominidae
Tribe:Hominini
Subtribe:Hominina
Genus:Homo
Species:Homo sapiens
Subspecies:Homo sapiens sapiens


Diet: Omnivore,but what is eaten varies region to region

Anatomy: The humans most amazing organ is the brain. Humans are the most intelligent animal so far. The human brain is complex, and this complexity has enabled humans the skills used for making tools, tools so skillfully made compared to other animals that they can even leave the planet all life has evolved on. The human brain can also understand how the world works, in fact humans can tell how the universe started using these tools. Humans are beginning to understand the core essence of the universe and the world, past, present, and can predict and understand the future. However humans are the weakest of all extant hominidae. Because evolution tends to give one great ability at the cost of wakening another one. Due to our tool making abilities, we didn't need to be super strong like our extant relatives. Humans also vary in skin and hair, however this difference is not much in the biology of humans and is not much except in Human social behavior.

Behavior: Humans are social apes. Humans are mixed however in their social behavior. Humans that work at a job, they will work together without even knowing each other names and will only talk to each other if it is needed for the job. During human wars, humans may work together with their own enemies if it means that they can both win the war. Humans when playing in a team game will tend to work with other humans they get along with. Humans form social bonds through sharing interest,playing,and helping each other out. Communication is the most important way of forming social bonds in Humans. Humans tools making abilities have formed one of the most amazing way of communication in the animal kingdom. Computers,cellphones,game consoles, and mail are some examples of this. Humans are also a very egocentric species. Humans believe that they are the most powerful animal on earth, to the point that humans use there beliefs to justify this. Religion for example. Certain religions will teach that what every deity that is worshiped that the whole universe was made just for humans, and that other animals are here to be under you. Humans are a force to be reckoned with when they work together.

Reproduction: Humans are one of the most sexual animals on the planet. Even at young ages humans can become sexual. The age of sexual maturity in humans starts at age 12 or 13. Humans have made laws to control when humans are allowed to mate. Human partners also depend. Humans are mainly monogamous, having one mate at a time, however humans can also be polygamous, meaning they have multiply mate weather it be a male or female. Humans are also pleasure them selves with no reproductive sexual acts, weather it be with someone of the opposite or same gender. Most of the time humans will have one baby at a time, though humans have been documented to have more. The unborn young of a human takes 9 months on average to develop. Humans take care of their offspring,but who takes care of it depends on the young's situation.

Relationships with animals: Humans interact with almost every animal that is extant today. Humans major relationships are with Domesticated Cats(Felis Silvestris Catus)
and Domesticated Dogs(Canis Lupis Familiaris). Both of these animals have been domesticated by humans. Cats are used mainly for company, while dogs were used for work but also keep humans company. The relationship between humans and these animals have grown to the point where humans have worshiped them.Another group of animals that share a relationship with humans are cattle(Bos Primigenius), the domestic goat(Capra Aegagrus) domestic sheep(Ovis aries),chickens(Gallus Gallus Domesticus) and the domestic pig(Sus Scrofa domesticus). These animals are used as food for humans and where also worshiped. These animals may make a great lunch for humans, but they also make great companions for them.

Animals that humans don't have such a good relations ship with are with human pest. Rats(Genus Rattus) and mice(Genus Mus) are both pest to humans, as both live in human homes and eat their food. However both of these animals have been domesticated by humans and kept as pets.

The humans arch nemesis are the house cockroaches(Family Blattidae). These insects can over run a human house and can even destroy one. Even the weapons of humans will do little to cockroaches and the best weapon against them that humans have is their own body strength when crushing them.

Human parasites include ticks(Order Ixodida) and tapeworms(Class Cestoda). Animals like spiders(Order Araneae) and snakes(Suborder Serpentes) tend to cause fears in humans. Animals like Trichoplax adhearnensis which is part of the phylum Placazoa, are really only important to humans to quench their thirst for curiosity.



humans fighting for sport

Other sources about humans:
http://anthropology.si.edu/
http://humanorigins.si.edu/human-characteristics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd9sjZNfRCk

[Duke Guilmon]

Spotted Hyena



Crocuta Crocuta

Length: 44in to 73in

Weight: 110 to 190lbs

Life Expectancy: 25 years in the wild,41 in the zoo

First appeared: Late pliocene 3 to 2 million years ago.

Location: Hyenas are scattered across Africa mostly living in areas like Kenya and Somalia, and prefer to live on the Savannah



Taxonomy

Class:Mammal
Subclass:Theriiformes
Clade:Eutheria
Magnorder:Boreoeutheria
Superorder:Laurasiatheria
?: Zooamata or Euungulata
not yet ranked:Ferae
Order:Carnivora
Suborder:Feliormia
Family:Hyaenidae
Subfamily:Hyaeninae
Genus:Crocuta
Species:Crocuta Crocuta

Diet: Hyenas eat animals like zebras and wildebeest. Even dangerous animals like Rhinos and Cape Buffalo are hunted by spotted hyenas.

Anatomy

The skull of the spotted hyena is large and has a narrow sagittal crest,other hyenas don't have. The reason its skull has taken this path of evolution is due to the diet that it eats. The premolars and carnassials have evolved for bone crushing. The premolars have evolved so that they can crush bone while eating. The carnassials are located behind the premolars so that they don't take damage when they hyena is eating bones. The skull of the Spotted hyena gives the hyena a bite that is super dangerous. The muscle attachments of the hyena skull help the hyena have one of the strongest bite forces having a 800 kgf/cm2 bite force. This beats bears when it comes to biting through bone. Hyenas also have the strongest bones out of the entire kingdom of carnivora.

The strangest of all the Spotted hyena organs is the reproductive organs. Female hyenas have a reproductive organ the mimics that of the male hyena. This is another thing exclusive to spotted hyenas that other hyenas don't have. The reason for this is still being discovered, however some scientist say that the large amount of testosterone in the females might have something to do with it.

Another powerful organ of the hyena is the heart. The hyenas heart makes up 1% of its body weight. The large heart gives the spotted hyena more endurance meaning that even with its slow run,it can run long enough to catch up with its prey.

Spotted hyenas also have a special organ that they use to make a smell. This organ is a anal gland. Using this gland the hyenas can make a identifications of themselves. The smell can show age, strength, gender of the hyena and are used to mark territory. No two hyena smells are alike and this can help with identification.

The Spotted hyena also has a long digestive tract. This has evolved so that the hyena can absorb all the nutrients of its food and so that it can digest the bones that it eats.

Behavior:

Hyenas are social animals, that hang in large groups called clans. Unlike its social relatives, hyenas tend to have groups similar to that of baboon troops. Hyena clans can grow up to more then 40 individuals. Hyenas of a clan make loud calls so that when needed, the can call for reinforcements. Each hyena clan has a ranking system. No matter what male spotted hyenas always rank lower then the females. In fact the alpha male is as high in rank as the lowest female hyena, if not lower. The ranking system in hyenas clans are to make sure that there is not chaos. Feeding also depends on rank. The queen eats first and then it goes down the latter of rank. Hyenas of lower rank that have a successful hunt will try to eat as much as they can before their superiors arrive. Even the young inherit rank. The queens children will become the highest ranking out of all the cubs and will be the most aggressive, while lower ranking cubs will be less aggressive and may get picked on by their superiors. Each clan is also different and not just in size. Fur can be different, for example one clan may have very little spots and dark fur, while another will have a lot of spots and light fur. Behavior in each clan is also different. Some clans will play with each other, while other will have violence or even death between their own clan members. Parenting can differ as well. Females in one clan may only nurse their own offspring, while another females will nurse offspring that isn't theirs.


Despite the myth, hyenas aren't huge on scavenging. Most of the time hyenas hunt. However their strategy is different. They don't stalk their prey they walk right in the middle of the crowd. Hyenas tend to not scare big predators when their is only one. But hyena are searching for the weak,old,sick, and young. When they find what they're looking for they attack. Hyenas may not be fast but they run long so that they can tire out their prey. Hyenas however don't kill their prey when they catch it, they eat it alive.

Hyena clans will come into conflict with each other. Many times it is violent other times it's not. Most of the conflict between hyenas are for food. The most common stand off for food is the when hyenas try to take over the food by intimidating each other. However when hyenas do fight it gets violent. Hyenas will lose ears, limbs, and even faces during these fights.

Reproduction: Spotted Hyenas do not have a breeding season, though most births happen during the wet season. Hyena mating is difficult because of the females pseudo penis. The male must enter his penis very carefully into it so that he may be able to mate. All females in a clan are able to have young, but the dominant female gets a better area to give birth. Gestation takes about 3 months. Mothers are the only ones to really take care of their cubs, but depending other members may also help with raising them.

Interactions with other animals:

The two most dangerous animals to spotted hyenas are humans(homo sapiens) and lions(panthera leos). Humans do kill hyenas either on purpose or by accident. Human development may also infringe on the hyenas habitat. Lions are the hyenas nemesis. Lions will steal many hyena kills. The male lions will even kill the hyena queen for sport. However hyenas also kill female lions and may even steal some lion kills.

Another group of animals hyenas interact with are the cheetah(acinonyx jubatus) and the african leopard(panthera pardus pardus). Unlike the lion these two wild cats can't do much to the hyena. Cheetahs do have their kills stolen by hyenas and their is very little one can do. Even a single hyena can take on three cheetahs. The cheetah will slam its front paws on the ground repeatedly, but this does very little to hyenas. Leopards however fair better. They can't fight back against hyenas but they can drag their prey up into the trees with them, and this is good because hyenas can't climb. However if the spotted hyena catch up to them before they make the climb the leopard must then just climb with no food to eat.

Hyenas also have a thing with vultures. Vultures in Africa like the lappet-faced vulture(torgos tracheliotos) will fly over dinner. Hyenas look to the sky and head in the direction that the vultures are located. Hyenas must be careful though because they don't want to be attacked by them. However hyenas will get their way with vultures and get the free meal that the vultures found.


Are they playing or fighting?

Other sources:
http://www.arkive.org/spotted-hyaena/crocuta-crocuta/

http://www.youtube.com/user/ClanHyena

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/ac...a_crocuta/

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/an...als/hyena/