The osprey (Pandion haliaetus), also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.
The genus name Pandion derives from PandΓΕn ΠανδίΟΞ½, the mythical Greek king of Athens and grandfather of Theseus, Pandion II. The species name haliaetus comes from Greek αΌΞ»ΞΉΞ¬Ξ΅ΟΞΏΟ haliΓ‘etos "sea-eagle".
The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Antarctica, although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.
As its other common names suggest, the osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It possesses specialised physical characteristics and unique behaviour in hunting its prey. Its unique characteristics classify it in its own taxonomic genus, Pandion, and family, Pandionidae.
The osprey has several adaptations that suit its piscivorous lifestyle:
- reversible outer toes
- sharp spicules on the underside of the toes
- closable nostrils to keep out water during dives
- backward-facing scales on the talons which act as barbs to help hold its catch
- dense plumage which is oily and prevents its feathers from getting waterlogged.
Photographer Prasenjeet Yadav was taking pictures in the Western Ghats in 2015 when he captured this breathtaking shot!
When you think of top ocean predators, you probably think of sharks. Thatβs wrong!
Originally orcas, which are the largest members of the dolphin family, where called killer of whales. Then the name transformed into killer whales, leading to people to believe that they belong to the whale family... Well they actually eat whales and sharks as well!
The armadillo girdled lizard (Ouroborus cataphractus), also commonly known as the armadillo lizard, the armadillo spiny-tailed lizard, and the golden-armadillo lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Cordylidae.
The species is endemic to desert areas along the western coast of South Africa. It can be a light brown to dark brown in coloration. The underbelly is yellow with a blackish pattern, especially under the chin. Its size can range from 7.5 to 9 cm (3.0 to 3.5 in) in snout-vent length (SVL). It may grow to a maximum size of 20 cm (8 in) SVL.
A blazar is an active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a relativistic jet (a jet composed of ionized matter traveling at nearly the speed of light) directed towards an observer.
Blazars are powerful sources of emission across the electromagnetic spectrum and are observed to be sources of high-energy gamma ray photons.
Blazars are highly variable sources, often undergoing rapid and dramatic fluctuations in brightness on short timescales (hours to days).
In 2009, a team of astronomers using the Swift spacecraft used the luminosity of S5 0014+81 to measure the mass of its super-massive black hole. They found it to be about 10,000 times more massive than the black hole at the center of our galaxy, or equivalent to 40 billion solar masses
Arkys lancearius, the triangular spider, is an Australian spider belonging to the family Arkyidae. It is an ambush hunter, commonly found resting on leaves and ferns or hanging from just a few threads of silk.
The front two pairs of legs are large, suited for grabbing small insects, while the rear pairs of legs are much smaller.
The body length of males is about 5.5 millimetres (0.22 in), while that of females are around 8 millimetres (0.31 in).
Body colour varies from yellow or orange to red with pale jewel-like markings on the heart shaped abdomen.
Egg sacs are produced in January or February and are a deep pinkish cream colour. They are usually around 8 mm in diameter and are covered in lighter coloured threads. Each sac contains about 70 eggs, each 0.7 mm in diameter
