Polar Bear

Assalamualaikum and Peace be upon all of you.
Welcome to my blog.

For this winter season, I think it’s best for me to cover the Flora and Fauna segment to wildlife from the extreme condition of the North Pole. Feast your eyes to the biggest bear of the bear family, The Polar Bear. This special white bear can only live in the Artic circle. It is also the biggest carnivore ever to find on land.

There are about 20 000 – 25 000 number of Polar Bear around the world. The biggest threat to Polar Bear is indeed Global Warming. If nothing is made to the global warming effect or at least reducing it, two-third of the current polar bear population will be disappear by 2050.


BIOLOGY


Polar Bear is the biggest carnivore in the world, with male adults can weight almost 350 – 680 kg and female is about 150 – 249 kg (499 kg when pregnant). The white polar bear fur consists of a layer of a layer of dense underfur and an outer layer of guard hairs. The sense of smell is extremely well-developed sense of smell; ranging about 1.6km and can smell underneath the snow about 3 ft. It is also an excellent swimmer.

Most of polar Bear diet consists of Ringed and Bearded Seals.

The average age for Polar Bear is about 25 years old and rarely lives beyond that. The oldest wild bear died at 32 years old, while a record of captives bear is a female died at 41 years old in 1991. Polar Bear becomes sexually actives at 4 years old for female and 6 years old for male.

The mating seasons for the Polar Bear started in April and May, and the partners will stay together and mate repeatedly for an entire week. In August and September, a pregnant female will eats an amount of food and gaining weight at least 200 kg. Later, each pregnant female will digs a maternity den. Cubs are born between November and January. The cubs are born blind, weighting about 0.9 kg. Average, each mom has two cubs.

The maternity den of Polar Bear

The family will stay in the den until mid-February to mid-April, and the mother is in its fasting period and will feed its cubs by rich fat milk. The cubs will weigh about 10-15 kg when the mother breaks open the entrance. For 12 to 15 days, the family will stay outside where the mother will fed on vegetation and the young will get used to walking and playing.

Later, they will begin the long walk to the sea where the mother can catch seals once again. According to circumstances, the mother probably can fast about 8 months. The cubs will stay with their mother until they are two and the half years old.

After the mother leaves, sibling cubs sometimes travel and share food together for weeks or months.

CONSERVATION STATUS


Even though the population of Polar Bear is relatively stable in recent years, but the threat from global warming makes the conservation status changed from least concern to vulnerable in 2006.

Norway is the only country has banded all kind of Polar Bear hunting.

Bird of Paradise

Assalamualaikum and Peace be upon all of you.
Welcome to my blog.

This month Flora and Fauna segment will bring you among the beautiful birds in the world, The Bird of Paradise. It is the name of the groups of birds belongs to the Paradisaeidae family. The species is found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Torres Straits Islands and eastern Australia. The members of this family are perhaps best known for the plumage of the males of most species, in particular highly elongated and elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings or head.

In Malay, it is called as Cenderawasih.


BIOLOGY


The species live in tropical forests, including rainforest, swamps and moss forest. In most species, the diet consists predominantly of fruit, although riflebirds and sicklebills also favour insects and other arthropods.

Birds of paradise build their nests from soft materials, such as leaves, ferns, and vine tendrils, typically placed in a tree fork. Clutch size is somewhat uncertain. In the large species, it is almost always just one egg. Smaller species may produce clutches of 2-3. Eggs hatch after 16–22 days, and the young leave the nest at between 16 and 30 days of age.


CONSERVATION STATUS


Today the birds enjoy legal protection and hunting is only permitted at a sustainable level to fulfill the ceremonial needs of the local tribal population. Hunting for plumes and habitat destruction have reduced some species to endangered status; habitat destruction due to deforestation is now the predominant threat.


GALERIA


The types of Bird of Paradise, the VU symbol is currently near endangered species:-

Lesser Bird of Paradise (LC)

Greater Bird of Paradise (LC)

Raggiana Bird of Paradise (LC)

Goldie's Bird of Paradise (NT)

Red Bird of Paradise (NT)

Emperor Bird of Paradise (NT)

Blue Bird of Paradise (VU)

World's Largest Flower

Assalamualaikum and Peace be upon all of you.
Welcome to my blog.

The Flora and Fauna segment for this month will cover the topic about World Largest flower. Many of us may think that Rafflesia is the biggest flower in the world, but it is not an easy win. There are 2 other competitors compete for the title. Let’s go check it out.


RAFFLESIA

It is named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the leader of the expedition when the flower is discovered in Indonesian rain forest. It’s consists about 27 sub-species and all found in sub eastern Asia, on the Malaysia Peninsular, Borneo, Sumatra and the Philippines. The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots. Rafflesia Arnoldi has the biggest flower about 100 cm in diameter and the smallest is R. manillana with 20 cm in diameter. Rafflesia is an official state flower of Indonesia, also Sabah state in Malaysia, as well as for the Surat Thani Province, Thailand.

If its judges by weight, the Rafflesia Arnoldi gains the title as “The World Largest Single Flower” from any flowering plants.


TITAN ARUM

The Titan Arum or Amorphophallus titanum is indigenous in Sumatran Rainforest. It is also thrives at the edges of rainforest near the open grassland. Due to its fragrance, it is known as a carrion flower or corpse flower (in Indonesian = Bunga Bangkai). The titan arum's inflorescence can reach over 3 metres (10 ft) in circumference. Both male and female flowers grow in the same inflorescence. The female flowers open first, and then a day or two following, the male flowers open. This prevents the flower from self-pollinating. The corm is the largest known, weighing around 50 kilograms (110 lb).

The Titan Arum gains the title as “The World largest unbranched inflorescence” from any flowering plants.


TALIPOT PALM

The Talipot Palm or Corypha umbraculifera is a species of palm, native to southern India (Malabar coast) and Sri Lanka. It is one of the largest palms in the world; individual specimens have reached heights of up to 25 m, with stems up to 1.3 m in diameter. The Talipot palm is cultivated throughout southeast Asia, north to southern China. Historically, the leaves were written upon in various Southeast Asian cultures using an iron stylus to create palm leaf manuscripts. The leaves are also used for thatching, and the sap is tapped to make palm wine. In Malabar Coast, the palm leaves were used to make traditional umbrellas for agricultural workers and students in rural areas until a few decades ago. The tree is known as "Kudapana" in Malayalam Language, which in turn means "Kuda" = Umbrella + "Pana" = palm tree.

Talipot palm bears the largest inflorescence of any plant, 6-8 m long, consisting of one to several million small flowers borne on a branched stalk that forms at the top of the trunk. Thus, it’s known as “The world largest branched inflorescence”, containing thousands of flowers. This plant is monocarpic, meaning that individuals die after flowering.

Malayan Tiger

Assalamualaikum and Peace be upon all of you.
Welcome to my blog.

This is the special series of Flora and Fauna sections for Independence Month. Before this we have see the National Flower of the country, today we will see the National Animal of Malaysia and also one of the symbol in our Coat of Arm, Tiger. Officially, it is known as the Malayan Tiger.

The Malayan Tiger also known in Malay as Harimau Belang. The scientific name for the species is Panthera tigris jacksoni. It is not considered as a sub-species in its own right until 2004. Recent counts showed there are 600-800 Malayan tigers in the wild, making it the most common tiger subspecies other than the Bengal and perhaps also the Indochinese tigers.

It is, nevertheless, still an endangered sub-species.


CHARACTERISTICS

The Malayan tiger, along with the Sumatran tiger, is perhaps the smallest extant subspecies of tiger. Its stripe pattern is similar to the Indochinese tiger but its size is closer to the Sumatran tigers, with an average weight of 120 kg for adult males and 100 kg for females. Male Malayan tigers measures around 237cm in length from head to tail and female Malayan tigress around 200cm in length.


BIOLOGY


Malayan tigers prey on sambar deer, barking deer, wild boar and livestock. Tigers in Taman Negara also prey on sun bear. Whether their principal prey includes gaur and tapir is unknown. Tigers occur at very low densities 1.1-1.98 tigers per 100km² in the rainforest as a result of low prey densities, thus in order to maintain viable tiger populations of minimum of 6 breeding females, reserves need to be larger than 1000km².

Biological/ecological research on the Malayan tiger is still in infancy. For example, information on dietary preference, morphological measurements, demographic parameters, social structure, communication, home range sizes, dispersal capabilities are all lacking


HABITAT

It is usually found in the southern and central part of Peninsular of Malaysia.


NATIONAL ICON


The Malayan tiger is depicted in the coat of arms of Malaysia, symbolising the government and appears in various heraldry of Malaysian institutions such as Maybank, Proton and FAM. It symbolizes bravery and strength to Malaysians. The tiger has been given various nicknames by Malaysians, notably "Pak Belang," which literally means "Uncle Stripes."

Pak Belang features prominently in folklore as one of Sang Kancil's ("The Mouse Deer's") adversaries.

Maybank logo

Proton

FAM

National Flower

Assalamualaikum and Peace be upon all of you.
Welcome to my blog.

Today Flora and Fauna segment will cover about our national flower, Hibiscus. Maybe most of us have known it, but how many of us actually knew about it? Its scientific names, sub-species and plus, not only Malaysia adopt its as National Flower.

Are you ready to see it? Let’s go check it out.


HIBISCUS

The Hibiscus or ‘Bunga Raya’ in Malay is our National Flower. But please takes notice because Hibiscus has many colors and our national flower is the Red Hibiscus. Still remember the controversial Malay Keris which usually well known as Malaysia symbol? Many of Malaysians objects the idea because its looks like it’s only make the Malaysia more MALAY. But never fear my friends, How many of us actually knew or simply forgot or doesn’t even want to know that our National Flower sub-species is actually known as “The Chinese Hibiscus”.

The red hibiscus scientific name is Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and known colonially as Chinese Hibiscus, China rose and shoe flower. In Indonesia it is called as Kembang Sepatu. It is native in East Asia.

It was introduced in Malaysia in 12th century and has been nominated as National Flower in 1958 by Ministry of Agriculture with few other flowers such as ylang ylang, jasmine, lotus, rose and Bunga Tanjung. In 1960, it is declared by government of Malaysia that Hibiscus is our national flower.

The reason is, Hibiscus known as ‘Bunga Raya’ which literally means ‘Big Flower’. The red of the petals symbolizes the courage, life, and rapid growth of the Malaysian, and the five petals represent the five Rukun Negara of Malaysia.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is considered to have a number of medical uses in Chinese herbology.


OTHER NATIONAL SYMBOL

Other than Malaysia, Hibiscus is also a national flower of South Korea and known as 'mugunghwa'.

Hibiscus syriacus is the national flower of South Korea. The flower appears in national emblems, and Korea is compared poetically to the flower in the South Korean national anthem. The flower's symbolic significance stems from the Korean word mugung, meaning "immortality". Hibiscus syriacus is a widely cultivated ornamental shrub in the genus Hibiscus.

Common names include Rose of Sharon (especially in North America), Shrub Althea, and Rose of Althea.

Arapaima Gigas

Assalamualaikum and Peace be upon all of you.
Welcome to my blog.

It is good to finally find a suitable topic for my Flora and Fauna sections as it is already 2 months since my last post. This month Flora and Fauna section will cover about a giant fresh water fish called as Arapaima Gigas. Still remember the “Dragon Fish” that currently still terrorizing Tasik Kenyir? In June 2009, according to the local townsfolk, the Arapaima Gigas is claimed to be responsible for the mysterious drowning of 2 men. The local (at Tasik Kenyir) refers the fish as ‘Dragon Fish’ or ‘Kenyir Monster’.

The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche (Arapaima gigas) is a South American tropical freshwater fish. It is one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world.


CHARACTERISTIC

Arapaima can reach lengths of more than 2 m (6.6 ft), in some exceptional cases even more than 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and over 100 kg (220 lbs). The often cited maximum length of 4.5 m (14.8 ft) comes from a single second-hand-report from the first half of the nineteenth century, and is not confirmed. The maximum-cited weight for the species is 200 kg (440 lbs). As one of the most sought after food fish species in South America, it is often captured primarily by handheld nets for export, by spearfishing for local consumption, and, consequently, large arapaima of more than 2 m are seldom found in the wild today.


HABITAT

The fish is native at South America primarily at the flooded rainforest along the Amazon River. The arapaima has also been introduced for fishing in Thailand and Malaysia.


ECOLOGY


The diet of the arapaima consists of fish, crustaceans, and other small animals. The fish is an air-breather, using its swim bladder, which is rich in blood vessels and opens into the fish's mouth, an advantage in oxygen-deprived water that is often found in the Amazon River. This fish is therefore able to survive in shallow waters with dissolved oxygen as low as 0.5 ppm.

Due to the geographic range that arapaima inhabit, the animal's life cycle is greatly affected by the seasonal flooding that occurs. The arapaima lays its eggs during the months of February, March, and April when the water levels are low or beginning to rise. They build a nest approximately 50 cm wide and 15 cm deep, usually in muddy bottomed areas. As the water rises the eggs hatch and the offspring have the flood season to prosper, during the months of May to August. Therefore, the yearly spawning is regulated seasonally. The arapaima male is supposed to be a mouthbrooder, like its relative the Osteoglossum spp., meaning the young are protected in its mouth until they are older. The female arapaima helps to protect the male and the young by circling them and fending off potential predators.


IMPORTANCE


Arapaima are harpooned or caught in large nets and the meat is said to be delicious. Since the arapaima needs to swim up to breathe air, traditional arapaima fishers often catch them by first harpooning them and then clubbing them dead. One individual can yield as much as 70 kg of meat.

It is also considered an aquarium fish, although it obviously requires a large tank and ample resources. This animal also appears in the pet trade, although to keep an arapaima correctly requires a large tank and can prove quite difficult.

The tongue of this fish is thought to have medicinal qualities in South America. It is dried and combined with guarana bark, which is grated and mixed into water. Doses of this are given to kill intestinal worms. In addition, the arapaima's bony tongue is often used to scrape cylinders of dried guarana, an ingredient in some beverages, and the bony scales are used as nail files.

In Malaysia and Thailand, the arapaima has been introduced for fishing


COMMENT


Personally, I am still searching for the conservation status for this fish. It doesn’t look like that this fish is actually an endangered species.

How the arapaima which is native in Amazon is found living in Kenyir Lake?

A popular rumor stated that, the fish is kept in one of the resort at the lake. And the fish somehow manage to escape into the lake. After the mysterious drowning of 2 men is revealed, the Terengganu Government has officially announce a RM 10 000 reward for someone who able to capture it. It is to prevent the fish to somehow destroy the ecosystem in the lake. (Of course... the fish is supposedly not belonging at the lake).

Anyway.. good luck guys..!

Dugong

Assalamualaikum and Peace be upon all of you..
Thanks for viewing my blog.

Today Flora and Fauna will bring you the unique species of Dugong. Yes, the same species of the once popular animal in Malaysia that called "Si Tenang" a few years ago which is found by fisherman lost at the Straits of Johor from its colony.

CHARACTERISTICS

The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. dugong is the only strictly-marine herbivorous mammal, as all species of manatee utilize fresh water to some degree.

The dugong has been hunted for thousands of years, often for its meat and oil. Despite being legally protected in many countries throughout their range, the main causes of population decline remain anthropogenic, and include hunting, habitat degradation, and fishing-related fatalities. With its long lifespan of 70 years or more, and slow rate of reproduction, the dugong is especially vulnerable to these types of exploitation. In addition, dugongs are threatened by storms, parasites, and their natural predators, sharks, killer whales, and crocodiles.

HABITAT

Its habitat range into almost 37 countries throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Groups of 10,000 or more are present on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, at Shark Bay, and in Torres Strait south of New Guinea. Before 1970, it is thought that large populations were also present in Mozambique and coastal Kenya, but these have dwindled. Palau also has a small population. On January 22, 2003, an individual was found (weight 300 kg, length 2 m) off the coast of Tanzania.

A small number of dugongs are also found in the Straits of Johor, in the Philippine provinces of Palawan, Romblon, Guimaras and Davao Oriental, in the Arabian Sea along Pakistan and in the Red Sea in Egypt provinces Marsa Alam at Marsa Abu Dabbab. The remaining dugongs in the Persian Gulf were reportedly further endangered by repeated U.S.-Iraq conflicts.

An endangered population of 50 or fewer dugongs survives around Okinawa.

ECOLOGY AND LIFE

Feeding -
As a herbivors, dugong diets and mainly on sea-grass, hence being called as 'sea-cows'. They will also go to any fresh water sources for drinking. Without these fresh water sources, many would not survive. The amount of these fresh water sources, however, is beginning to decline.

Migration -
During the winter, a few herds of dugongs will move to warmer places in the northern countries, such as bays and canals. Dugongs also live in warmer waters of many other countries near the equator.

Reproduction -
Gestation in the Dugong lasts around 13 months, and results in the birth of a single young. The calf is not fully weaned for a further two years, and does not become sexually mature until the age of 8-18, longer than in most other mammals. As a result, despite the longevity of the Dugong, which may live for fifty years or more, females give birth only a few times during their life, and invest considerable parental care in their young.

TRIVIA

Dugong has a long history with the human and it is proved by the 5000-year old painting at Gua Tambun, Perak.

COMMENT

Dugong was the only surviving species from the family of once diverse dugongidae. If a serious conservation did not take place. This unique species will someday extinct.

Here is a video of greenpeace activist trying to preserve the natural habitat of Dugong at Okinawa, Japan.

Tiger Orchid

Assalamualaikum and Peace be upon all of you..
Thanks for viewing my blog.

A brand new topic has been introduced today! Flora and Fauna. It is a topic about all the magnificent creation that roaming the earth other that humans. Supposedly this topic will focused on special species, endangered and commercialised flora and fauna.

Yes, it is an orchid. Or commonly known as The Tiger Orchid. Its scientific names is Rossioglossum grande (previously known as Odontoglossum grande). It is native in Mexico and Honduras. As "Tiger Orchid" is a common names, probably it shares the name with other orchids.

The plant may grow four to eight flowers, each may reach up to 13 inches in diameter. The flowers are a glossy bright golden yellow with brown barring. Larger pedals are yellow with the lower half red-brown. The lip is white and sometimes flecked with red-brown. It prefers hot, wet summers and cool, dry winters.

It mainly flowers in the winter.

GALERIA

Some of the pictures of the orchids.