Platypus Facts (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is an unusual mammal. In fact, when its discovery was first reported in 1798, British scientists thought the creature was a hoax made by stitching together parts of other animals. The platypus has webbed feet, a bill like a duck, lays eggs, and males have venomous spurs. The plural form of platypus is a matter of some dispute. Scientists typically use platypuses or platypus. Many people use platypi. Technically, the proper Greek plural is platypodes. Fast Facts: Platypus Scientific Name: Ornithorhynchus anatinusCommon Names: Platypus, duck-billed platypusBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 17-20 inchesWeight: 1.5-5.3 poundsLifespan: 17 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Eastern Australian including TasmaniaPopulation: ~50,000Conservation Status: Near Threatened Description The platypus has a keratin bill, a broad flattened tail, and webbed feet. Its dense, waterproof fur is dark brown, becoming paler around its eyes and on its belly. The male has one venomous spur on each hind limb. Males are larger than females, but size and weight varies considerably from one individual to another. The average male is 20 inches in length, while females are around 17 inches long. Adults weigh anywhere from 1.5 to 5.3 pounds. The male platypus has a venomous spur on its hind limb. Auscape, Getty Images Habitat and Distribution The platypus lives along streams and rivers in eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It is extinct in South Australia, except for an introduced population on Kangaroo Island. Platypuses live in diverse climates, ranging from tropical rainforests to cold mountains. Platypus distribution (red: native; yellow: introduced). Tentotwo, Creative Commons License Diet and Behavior Platypuses are carnivores. They hunt worms, shrimp, insect larvae, and crayfish at dawn, dusk, and night. The platypus closes its eyes, ears, and nose when it dives and moves its bill from side to side, much like a hammerhead shark. It relies on a combination of mechanosensors and electrosensors in its bill to map its surroundings. The mechanosensors detect touch and movement, while the electrosensors sense tiny electrical charges released by muscle contractions in living organisms. The only other mammal to use electroreception to seek prey is a species of dolphin. Reproduction and Offspring Except for the echidna and platypus, mammals give birth to live young. Echidnas and platypuses are monotremes, which lay eggs. The platypus mates once each year during the breeding season, which occurs between June and October. Normally, a platypus lives a solitary life in a burrow above the water level. After mating, the male departs for his own burrow, while the female digs a deeper burrow with plugs to control environmental conditions and protect her eggs and young. She lines her nest with leaves and grass and lays between one and three eggs (usually two). The eggs are small (under half an inch) and leathery. She curls around her eggs to incubate them. The eggs hatch after about 10 days. The hairless, blind young drink milk released by pores in the mothers skin. The offspring nurse for about four months before emerging from the burrow. At birth, both male and female platypuses have spurs and teeth. The teeth drop out when the animals are very young. The females spurs drop off before she is a year old. A platypus reaches sexual maturity in its second year. In the wild, a platypus lives at least 11 years. They have been known to reach 17 years of age in captivity. Conservation Status The IUCN classifies the platypus conservation status as near threatened. Researchers estimate the number of mature animals anywhere between 30,000 and 300,000, usually settling on a number around 50,000. Threats Although protected since 1905, platypus numbers have been decreasing. The species faces habitat disruption from irrigation, dams, and pollution. Disease is a significant factor in Tasmania. However, the most significant threat is reduced water availability from human use and droughts caused by climate change. The Platypus and Humans The platypus is not aggressive. While its sting may be fatal to smaller animals, such as dogs, there has never been a documented human fatality. The animals venom contains defensin-like proteins (DLPs) that cause swelling and excruciating pain. Additionally, a sting results in heightened pain sensitivity that may persist for days or months. If you want to see a living platypus, you have to travel to Australia. As of 2017, only select aquariums in Australia house the animals. The Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria and the Taronga Zoo in Sydney have successfully bred platypuses in captivity. Sources Cromer, Erica. Monotreme Reproductive Biology and Behavior. Iowa State University. April 14, 2004.Grant, Tom. The platypus: a unique mammal. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0-86840-143-0.Groves, C.P. Order Monotremata. In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 2, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.Moyal, Ann Mozley. Platypus: The Extraordinary Story of How a Curious Creature Baffled the World. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0-8018-8052-0.Woinarski, J. A.A Burbidge. Ornithorhynchus anatinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T40488A21964009. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T40488A21964009.en

The Existential Movement Of The Stranger Essay - 1966 Words

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Sdasdsa Essay Example For Students

Sdasdsa Essay The first piece of material I gathered was a picture via the internet. This picture is of the River Rouge assembly plant in Dearborn, Michigan. This picture shows the manufacturing of the fender for a Ford Motor Companyproduct. It also shows the facilities of the Rouge plant and how the plantit self was state of the art. This plant was the largest of its kind at the time of its construction. The Ford Motor Company at the time was one of the leaders in laborrelations. This picture shows the size of the plant as well as the workingconditions in the facility. When viewing the photograph you can see the array of pipes and collectiondevices to aid in the circulation of air and the collection of dust andother by products made in the plant. The next component I found is another picture of the interior of the Rougeplant. This picture is one of many conveyer belts in the plant. This beltis moving engine parts from the engine assembly to the final assembly. Henry Ford was a pioneer in the use of the assembly line in the automobileindustry, and the Rouge plant was the ultimate in that use of the assemblyline. This photo shows the depth of the plant, being able to manufactureall components of the cars without having to ship parts to or from otherlocations in the country. The next collection of photographs is of the exterior of the Rouge plant. These photos were obtained from the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. These pictures are of the Rouge during the switch of all production, fromthe Highland Park plant, to the Rouge. It was also the time that the ModelA was beginning production. This collection shows examples of four exterior views of the plant, alludeto the many different factories within the Rouge plant. The Rouge was asteel mill, a foundry, a power producer and, an assembly line. This allencompassing idea helped ford relegate all aspects of the production oftheir product. Along with the exterior, the interior showed the extent of the allencompassing Rouge plant. The interior photographs, which were also careof the Henry Ford Museum, show more factories within the factory. Forexample, the four photos in this collection display metal forming, andmetallurgical operations. These pictures included forging, the blastfurnaces, removal of slag and, even salvaging scrap from metal ships. The interior had two collections to view and the second reaffirmed what thefirst portrayed. The second collection displays more metal workingproduction including the hydraulic shear, which was used for sheet metal,the open hearth ladle and the hearth building. These photos gave animpressive direction of the inner workings of the Rouge plant. As said before the Rouge was the largest manufacturing complex in thenation when it was built. An aerial photograph of the plant reaffirms thatfact. The photo was taken in 1930 and you can see by the photo the plantis very impressive. The caption that accompanies the picture gives anactual figure of the Rouges square footage, the total is 6,952,484 squarefeet. Before the Rouge plant Fords main manufacturing plant was Highland Park. The Rouge and Highland Park were similar in the way of utilizing theassembly line to produce the Ford product. Many collections of photos werefound of the assembly line at Highland. One collection shows the finalmating of the model T, which is similar to the final mating of the model A . .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff , .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff .postImageUrl , .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff , .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff:hover , .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff:visited , .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff:active { border:0!important; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff:active , .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u063e9e551899994806e942310521ccff:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Booker T. Washington (587 words) EssayAlso the one day production of the Highland Park plant, which was dwarfedby the Rouge one day production total. The next collection of Highland Park photos displays the typical proceduresin installing components to the automobile. Each of the four picturesshows the installation to the car. From the engine to the tires the sameprinciples that were used at Highland Park were used at the Rouge plant. The final piece of material that was compiled through the search of theInternet and other sources was the National Historic Landmark of Michiganweb page. This page has a link to an informational page on the Rouge plant. The plant is listed as a national landmark since 1978 and a Michiganlandmark since 1976. Also listed on the site is the date the property wasbought by Henry Ford and, the date all production was shifted from HighlandPark to the Rouge complex. A significant statement is given about theRouge on the marvel of its creation and the full integration of all aspectsof automobile manufacturing to achieve vertical integration and selfsufficiency. In conclusion the River Rouge manufacturing complex in Dearborn, Michiganwas and is one of the great marvels of the early twentieth century. HenryFord was the man who introduced the assembly line to the automobileindustry and the Rouge was his crowning achievement. The major Internetsites used for this compilation was the Henry Ford Museum and GreenfieldVillage home page at http://wwwhfmgv.org and, the National HistoricLandmark in Michigan home page athttp://www.sos.state.mi.us/history/preserve/phisite/riverrouWords/ Pages : 810 / 24