Reptiles Tortoises

Monday, June 9, 2008

Exploring Australia's Kakadu National Park

Kakadu National Park is one of the most famous parks in the world. It is located in the Northern Territory of Australia and is about 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of Darwin. It was the 1986 movie "Crocodile Dundee" that brought the park into the forefront, and today it is very popular tourist destination.

The park is the ancestral land of a tribe of aborigines known as Gagjudju. In 1978, the tribe leased the land to the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service. In 1979, the park became a National Park and now it also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The park is spread over 7,304 square miles (19,000 square kilometers) and you can see diverse range of flora and fauna. The park boasts of 1,000 kinds of plants, 50 mammals, 275 species of birds, 75 kinds of reptiles, 25 species of frogs and 55 different kinds of fish. It is best to hire the services of a guide who will be able to point out rare species of birds, animals and plants. Another place of attraction for visitors is the hundreds of termite mounds which range from small to 20-feet. You can also enjoy the scenic waterfalls and gorges.

The largest tourist center in Kakadu National Park is Jabiru. This was built along with a uranium mine and facilities include lodgings, medical center, shopping center and a service station. There is also a small airport but unfortunately there is no air service from Darwin. However, you can enjoy a scenic drive on the 900 kilometer road that will take you through park, city of Katherine and back to Darwin.

There is no dearth of accommodation in Jabiru. You can choose anything from a campsite to an up-market suite. There is resort aptly named Kakdu where you walk through the jaws of 273-yard (250-meter) crocodile to get to the lobby. If that is not suitable, you can also opt for a villa with cascading bougainvillea and flowering bushes in Cooinda. This resort is just an hour's drive to the south. Both, Kakadu and Cooinda, also display some of the finest aboriginal art collection.

About Author: Pauline Go is an online leading expert in travel industry. She also offers top quality travel tips like :

Find First Class Air Jamaica Flights And Vacation ,
When Was The Great Wall Of China Built?,
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Baby Snapping Turtles - What You Should Know Before Getting One

Are you thinking of getting a baby snapping turtle? You may have seen one at a local pet store. It is also common for people to pick some of these turtles up from their backyards or surrounding areas. You may think it would be nice to keep the cute babies as pets. You should know though that there is a lot to keeping a snapping turtle as a pet. You should consider keeping them only if you are capable of doing so. Here's what you should know about snapping turtle pets.

Baby Snapping Turtle Growth and Size

The most common mistake of potential pet owners is that they think snappers stay cute. They are later surprised to learn that snapping turtles can become very large. On average, these turtles can grow up to 8-16 inches. There have been some however that have reached more or less 20 inches. Their average weight is 30 lbs. but some can reach to double the average weight. These turtles grow fast. From a mere 2 inches as babies, they can grow to their full minimum average length in two years.

It is when the turtles are at their maximum growth that they become difficult to take care of. Pet owners become even more alarmed when they find out that these turtles can live for very long. From the moment they are born, snapping turtles can live for four decades more. Unprepared pet owners eventually realize that they got more than they bargained for. They may therefore abandon their pets, leave them in zoos or put them up for adoption.

Baby Snapping Turtle Habitat

The maximum growth capacity of a baby snapping turtle is not your only concern. You also need to think about where it is going to live. In the beginning, your baby turtle may be comfortable with just a ten-gallon tank. You then have to add ten gallons for every inch that your turtle grows. You may have to prepare a hundred gallon tank.

Snapping turtles also can't be house trained like dogs and cats. Although they are enclosed in an aquarium or pond, they can quickly make their environment dirty. Aside from the large volumes of waste that they excrete, they also have the tendency to churn up their habitat bottoms. They can also muddle up the decorations and items that you have set up in the aquarium. This means that you will have to constantly monitor and clean their environment.

Baby Snapping Turtle Temperament

Snapping turtles are generally mild mannered when in their natural water environment. When the occasion calls for it though, they can bite people and eat other animals. They could also hiss and take an aggressive stance. A snapping turtle pet is capable of doing the same thing. It could bite you or other animals around it, including other snapping turtles. This means you may have to take the extra effort to provide a completely separate home for your snapping turtle.

These are only some of the basic considerations when taking care of a snapping turtle. It is already obvious however, based on these points alone that it is no joke to decide to take in a baby snapping turtle. Do think your decision over a couple of times. You certainly want to provide a clean and happy home for your turtle.

Don't end up with a turtle you don't want. Learn more about the Snapper Turtle and how to care for it at: http://www.TurtleTanks.Org/snapper-turtle.html

A Walk in the Woods - Exploring Stone Cairns and Stone Piles

It is not uncommon when hiking in local conservation lands, town forests, and state parks in northeastern United States to discover old stone cairns and stones piles. It is estimated that there over 100,000 just in New England alone. Who built them, when, and why?

The short answer is that cairns have been built over the past 5,000 years in New England by Native Americans for ceremonial purposes, and stones piles have been built over the past 400 years by farmers clearing fields and building stones walls. How do you tell the difference?

Stone cairns are compact mounds of stone built by carefully placing one stone at a time. Each cairn was made for a specific purpose like a boundary marker or Native American ritual cairn. In contrast, stone piles are loose piles of stone created as the result of being dumped from a wagon. They generally exhibit stones scattered around their edges. These piles are a byproduct of field clearing or stone wall building activities.

Clearing rocks from a field is a very labor intensive process. Farmers only cleared fields they intended plow or cut for hay. Fields for pasturing livestock were generally not cleared of stone. The rocks being cleared were thrown in a wagon or onto a heavy duty sled and transported to the edge of the field or to a non farmable spot in the middle of the field and unceremoniously dumped. Loose piles of rock with stone scattered around the edges found along the edges of old farm fields are almost always field clearing stone piles.

Occasionally, you find a series of stone piles placed from 10 to 25 feet apart in a straight line. If you follow this line of piles many times you will come to the end of a stone wall. What you have discovered is a stone wall in the process of being built but never finished. Stone piles placed in a line along side a broken down stone wall generally mean the wall was in the process of being repaired.

If you find a single stone cairn about 2 to 3 feet in diameter with a metal pipe in it or marked by surveyors orange paint, then you have found an old property boundary marker.

If you find a few cairns together in an irregular layout you have found Native American cairns. The cairns may be placed on the ground, on top or against a boulder, or even crammed into a split in the boulder. The cairn may only be a few stones placed on top of a boulder, a small pile on the ground, or a huge cairn with thousands of stones. Stop and look around. You will generally find more of them. What you have found is a Native American ceremonial site. A place where Native Americans came to pray, hold ceremonies, and practice their religion. Think of it as an outdoor church or shrine. We know this because early Christian missionaries and travelers mention in their diaries and letters that their Indian guides would stop and solemnly add a stone to these cairns as a religious observance. In addition, in recent years, both the Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes have publicly stated that these cairn sites were built by their ancestors.

The Native Americans still consider these places sacred to their spiritual beliefs. Please be respectful when exploring cairn sites by not digging, removing or adding stones or artifacts. Instead, take photographs and leave everything as you found it. Photographs are great because you can easily share them with friends and family.

Most of New England with the exception of rocky, sandy, and swamp land was farmed at one point or another in the past 400 years. So it is not uncommon to find a Native American cairn site on old farm land. If the cairns were not in their way most farmers left them untouched out of superstition, curiosity, or even respect. In many cases it was simply easier to graze the cows among the cairns then to remove them. A few of these cairn sites on farms were built during the 1700 and 1800's. These farms were owned by Native Americans who quietly continued to practice their tradition beliefs out of sight of their Christian neighbors.

Basic Safety

(1) When exploring old farm sites be sure to locate all the wells first and make sure everyone knows where they are especially any children.

(2) Take appropriate precautions against poison ivy and ticks. Both are commonly found when hiking in the woods.

(3) Do not climb on or enter unstable stone structures.

(4) Do not put your hand into any dark space or enter a cave without first checking it with a flash light. Snakes, porcupines, and other creatures like to use these for their dens. If you hear a high pitched steam whistle like sound then you have come too close to a timber rattlesnake.

Mary Gage and James Gage (mother & son research team) are the authors of A Handbook of Stone Structures in Northeastern United States. Their book is a comprehensive field guide for identifying, documenting, and interpreting historic and prehistoric stone structures. The book is extensively illustrated.

Caresheet For Sandlizards - Lacerta agilis

Subspecies and spreading:

Lacerta agilis agilis , West Europe and western middle Europe.

Lacerta agilis argus, Eastern middle Europe and north Balkan, northeast Italy.

Lacerta agilis boemica, Northeastern Caucasus.

Lacerta agilis bosnica, Jugoslavian mountains, Bulgaria and north Greece.

Lacerta agilis brevicaudata, Transcaucasia and northeast Turkey.

Lacerta agilis exigua, Easter of Dnjepr river and northern of Caucasus, east of Lake Baikal and to Issyk-Kul and nothwest China.

Lacerta agilis grusinica, Caucasian coast of Black sea and adjacent coast of northeast Turkey.

Lacerta agilis chersonensis, Bulgarian and Romanian lowlands, eastern Poland and western Russia.

Lacerta agilis ioriensis, Upper reaches of river Iori in Caucasus.

Description:

Snout-Ventral Length ( SVL) of approximatley 8 cms and tail about 1,5 times the SVL.
Colours and patterns vary between subspecies and populations. Predominant brown of gray ground-colour with numerous dark brown or black spots, particulary along a darker dorsalstripe. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism witch is particulary apparent in the breedingseason, when the males turn vivid green along the flanks. Males have a broader head, are stockier built and are on average slightly larger than females. Juveniles are similar in colour to the adults but lack green pigmentation. Hatchlings measure about 2 cms SVL, about 5,5 cms to 6,5 cms in total length.
Maximum life span is 12 years.

Habitat:

The species prefer heathlands with sand or sandy soil, it also inhabits sand-dune habitats in a few areas. This species also have a preference for southerly facing slopes especially at the northley altitudes. Theese areas are also needed for egglaying and incubating eggs during the breedingseason.

Terrarium:

Indoor:

A pair should be kept in a terrarium measuring minimum 50 cms X 30 cms X 30 cms with sand as substrate, a part of it kept moisted and a part dry at a depth of 10 - 15 cms. Moisted sand of this depth ensures the females to excavate burrows in witch they lay their eggs, also to increase the relative humidity in the enclosure. Note that the males are territorial, so only one male / enclosure.

Pieces of bark, pieces of claypots, low branches and leafs are also added to provide cover and climbing-possibility.
Provide a waterbowl, but also spray water every morning or evening to ensure that the animals are drinking.

A spotlight over a piece of bark makes a good baskingspot, the species need UV-B lighting. Temperatures ranging from 25 C to 27 C daytime, and reaching 35 C on the baskingspot. Night temperature drop to 14 C to 18 C. Daytime photoperiod remains at a constant 12-14 hours / day in the summer.

Outdoor:

An enclosure measuring 3 X 4 meters can hold 2 males and 2 females of this species.
Enclosure should be well planted with a variety of vegetation to mimic natural habitats. Logs / heavy roots and flat stones / rocks or slabs for basking spots and for cover needs to be provided. Flowering plants are good to use to attract insects for variated natural food. Feed with some crickets every now and then to ensure that the animals are getting as much food as needed. Use a watering can to give the enclosure and the animals a gentle shower of drinking water once every day.

Reproduction:

This species require a hibernatingperiod, in order to trigger matingbehaviour in the springtime. This is done by putting the animals in a aerated box with deep moisted Sphagnum-moss layer/bedding. The box is put in the refridgerator at a temperature of approximatley 4 C for about 4 - 5 months, November to April.

Mating take place between March and May and the eggs are laid from late May to July.
Northern populations lay a single clutch of eggs, and more southern populations up to 2 clutches a year. 4 to 18 eggs /clutch, witch take about 12 weeks to hatch.

Food:

The lizards will accept allmost all kind of insects, earth worms and occasionally sweet fruit and flowers. All food that is not from the outdoor enclosure should be dusted with vitamines and calsiumsupplements.

Miqe Erikzn 2007
http://www.terrariummorbidum.se

Less Common Aspects of the Forensic Work

In previous articles we explored some of the most commonly known areas in which forensic experts carry out their daily duties. Among these, we mentioned forensic anthropology, forensic pathology, forensic dentistry, forensic nursing and forensic chemistry or toxicology. Forensic Science, however, is a very broad field of study and involve many other disciplines that on a daily basis contribute to solve crimes. Let us now take a brief survey of other, less known aspects of Forensic Science.

Forensic Entomology: Even though mostly disregarded (at best), insects can result highly informative and even critical for certain forensic investigations. Many insects develop through a complex series of stages from egg to adult, but most important is that these life cycles are highly consistent, the different stages occur always in the same way and take the same time to complete. Knowing this, an entomologist (someone who is expert in insect biology) can make a number of useful observations and establish conclusions based on the insect larvae and adults that are present in a corpse. Insect evidence can provide estimations of the time passed since death. It is also possible to determine how long a body has been dead or whether or not a body has been moved after death.

Forensic Botany: Plants or certain vegetal matter can often be very informative about the decaying process of human bodies and their surroundings. Botanists can analyze seeds, pods, roots, leaves, stems, and more to determine when and where a body died, if a body was moved after death. Under certain conditions they can also establish estimates of time since death and location of death estimations based on plant evidence.

Forensic Photography: Although it has changed a lot since the golden age of police TV serials and movies, photography is still a crucial component of forensic work. A forensic photographer must carry out meticulous and comprehensive visual documentation of death scenes, crime scenes and accident scenes. This include the general scenario but also many details that are often disregarded at first glance but can result very important at later stages of the investigation. The intuition of the photographer is very important in this case. Forensic photography makes use of special equipment and techniques such as macrophotography when it is necessary to record images of small evidentiary materials such as bullets or other projectiles, blood spatter, or any sort of close-ups of evidence at death scenes. These professional exhibit profound knowledge and skill in general photography, film developing, digital photography, videography, digital imaging and other, more focused techniques.

Homicide Detective, Crime Scene Investigator. This is a less defined but important part of the forensic work. These workers are usually in charge of organizing the investigation of death scenes and performing collection of evidence associated with death(s). They also conduct or supervise further stages such as processing of evidence and all the administrative work associated with investigating deaths and crimes. In some institutions or departments, these positions are occupied by sworn officers that have received the appropriate training to supervise the scientific aspects of resolving a criminal case and can be under the jurisdiction of a senior officer or an attorney.

Ernesto Guevara is a web publisher and helped many people develop a successful career in forensics. He researches and writes about forensics jobs and educational programs in forensic science.

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