Watchful eyes, thoughtful mind

7 Nov 2009

Almost gone ... Aye-aye

Guest post series 'Almost gone ...' by Scott Bright (@Speciesguy)

The aye- aye needs our help

I recently discovered a species from an island located at the bottom right of South Africa, Madagascar, called the Aye Aye. Isn’t that a strange name for an animal? It’s a nocturnal lemur that eats seeds and grubs. I felt quite moved to share about what’s going on with them. The only place on earth that they exist is on is on this isolated island of Madagascar. The species needs some worldwide focus at this time.

Folklore

The people of Madagascar have some strong folklore in place. It depends which people you talk with on the island. Because some people there think it is a good omen to see one. But some believe that if an aye- aye points at you with its middle finger, you will die. So, they are killed at sight. Come on! It’s only a seed and grub eating nocturnal lemur.

Foraging method is ingenious

Their method of foraging food is pretty amazing. Their middle finger is three inches longer than the other fingers and it taps quite rapidly on trees to look for grubs. Hey, someone has to be assigned to the task. I wonder how many years of evolution did it take for them to figure out this behavior? A Woodpecker does the same thing, only with their beak. Personally, I think they have the un kept hair of Einstein, so they have that going for them! Lets try to do our best to share information about this rare animal.

No beauty contests

As you can plainly see from the picture, the only beauty contest they you could consider entering them in would be in October. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

They are being bred

Whew! This is good news. I’m glad there are people out there that know the time to breed this animal is now. Else they will be lost to us forever!

Aye-aye in the media

I found a video of a baby aye-aye that has been bred in the U.K. Its name is Kintana (meaning star in Malagasy). The aye-ayes are also flourishing at the Duke Lemur Centre in the US. More cool videos about various endangered species that I handpicked plus some interesting and informative blogs are showcased on my website.

Launch Passion For Endangered Species

I’ve started a cause for endangered species on Facebook. It’s a place for kids to learn plus dialog with each other. Please share this with your kids. I just started the cause and am asking for your help. Come on kids!

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Race To Save The Races
Kids Books For Endangered Species
Twitter.com/speciesguy

5 Nov 2009

9 types of intelligence

[Image source]

When we talk about someone intelligent, we usually mean it in a way that the person has done well in studies, academics or some such intellectual faculty. Would you call someone who has great sense of direction and never needs a GPS, intelligent? Would you call someone with a great ear for music and composition, intelligent? Or how about a hiker with incredible stamina? I'm sure most of you would go, "What? No! These things have got nothing to do with intelligence." Well, think again.

Melissa Breyer writes in Care2's 'Healthy and green living' section about 9 types of intelligence. Dr. Howard Gardner is the Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has developed the theory of multiple intelligences, going beyond the IQ test to discover the many ways humans are smart. He identified intelligent abilities including language, music, spatial reference, kinesthesia, naturalistic, and possibly existential intelligence.

Once you read this article and Dr. Gardner's theory (and may be even more depending on how interested you get) I am sure you're way of judging someone as 'not intelligent' will change. I also think knowing that we possess different kind of intelligences which are not necessarily reflected on our marksheets is important. So many people would realise that they have at least one, if not more, kind of intelligence in them. You would think yourself much more worthy than you did till now. And more importantly, I hope, you will stop making your kids slog insane hours to get that A grade in academic subjects. And would appriciate their A grade in sports equally.

3 Nov 2009

TED Tuesday: From redwoods to north pole

Science writer Richard Preston talks about some of the most enormous living beings on the planet, the giant trees of the US Pacific Northwest. Growing from a tiny seed, they support vast ecosystems -- and are still, largely, a mystery.

Lewis Pugh talks about his record-breaking swim across the North Pole. He braved the icy waters (in a Speedo) to highlight the melting icecap. Watch for astonishing footage -- and some blunt commentary on the realities of supercold-water swims.

31 Oct 2009

Have a spoooooky halloween!

Almost gone ... Sharks

Guest post series 'Almost gone ...' by Scott Bright (@Speciesguy)

About five months ago I learned about shark fin soup. Over one hundred million sharks are being removed out of the ocean every year to this soup and long lining. The kids of the world have a right to know what's going on with the shark, they are, after all, are going to be the next stewards of this blue sphere. Parents, please share this with your kids so they can take action.

I studied about a number of different sharks and discovered that each species has great purpose. Ironically, what's being removed is what makes them so profoundly unique. I learned so much about the value of this species while writing the blog which is written for kids and all. So parents, please share this important information with your kids. I learned recently that sharks have been around for four hundred million years. They are such an evolved species, they can detect electrical signals under the sand, and lunch is served. But they will be gone in five if a billion of us don't join together and say enough is enough. My heart goes out to the shark at this time. More than ever before in their history of being on our humble planet, they need people to speak for them.

Cool information about sharks

There is nothing quite like a kid that is passionate about something. When you and your kids learn why the sharks have immense value, they can share that with their friends, and maybe even a leader! And if a lot of kids get enthused, the sharks will be around for a long to come.

Check this out! This is amazing. Sharks have different kinds of tails because they are assigned different jobs in the ocean. This is the Tiger Shark. It needs to move slowly for cruising, and sudden burst of power and speed. This shark has to do a lot of twist and turns.

Why is that so important?

Well, lets look at what they eat: Fish, seals, birds, and smaller sharks. Oh, and don't forget squids and turtles. Turtles! Yeah, I know I love the guys just as much as you. If the turtle is not eaten, then there will be too many of them. It is all part of the balance my friend.

The tail makes the difference

Kids, the design of the tail are why the tiger shark is great at catching these ocean critters. I also read that this shark will eat pretty much anything, like tires and car license plates. And this guy can grow to 11 to 17 feet and weigh as much as 1700 lbs. That is huge!

Share this one with your dentist

Some sharks replace their teeth, up to 30,000 in their life- time! They have a conveyor belt of them. If only we had that feature, because we would be able to say, look mom, no cavities!

Yes indeed, sharks eat things

They are what are referred to as a keystone species. If you've read my stuff, I mention this a lot. The sharks eat things, and they are the professionals. But each shark is assigned to eating specific things in the ocean. Can you see why ALL sharks are important?

Different tails for different jobs

This is the Short fin Mako Shark. It can swim at speeds of thirty plus miles an hour! That is fast underwater. Why do they swim so fast? Well, I'm sure they eat things that swim at that speed. Yep, they eat things that swim fast like tuna, mackerel, and the great swordfish. But they also eat porpoises, sea turtles and seabirds. Remember, it's all about balance. Plus, they have a way of keeping they're body warmer with the use of some red muscle that's located near the centre of its body. And this generates heat. If they didn't have this feature, they could not swim, catch and eat what it is made to do.

Can you see the value of each shark in the ocean? To learn more, look at the books I have on my site, and buy the DVD called, "Shark Water." This series says that sharks are not the monsters of the sea that we have all been taught to fear. I have a place on my humble site where kids and all can write to the President of the United States, and the Minister of Environmental Protection of China. Hey, if just one kid shares with passion why they are speaking for sharks, shark fin soup will be a thing of the past! I know fisherman make a hefty profit for the fins, but to have the entire species go extinct is unconscionable!

Bottom Line

Please sign this petition to write to the minister of environmental protection in China, Mr. Zhou Shengxian. This is one of the most important letters your kids or you could write. 100 million sharks leave the ocean for good every year to shark fin soup. And don't forget to include long lining. Come to my site and write to President Obama. Just click the cute moving blue bird at RaceToSaveTheRaces.com. Think about it. The shark has been around for four hundred million years, and will be gone forever in five if we don't act!