...ALLIGATORS- Organism Physiology Jennifer Ayoub http://www.daufuskieislandconservancy.org/index.php?page=american-alligator The organism that I am going to discuss in this paper is the Alligator. The name "alligator" is an anglicized form of el lagarto, the Spanish term for "the lizard", which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator. The alligator The alligator is from the crocodilia family and is found normally in the north and even the south. Alligators can grow as big as 14ft and 970 lbs. The largest alligator is in Lousiana and is 72 yrs old. When the alligators reproduce their populations they are found as far in the north as 35 degrees latitude in the freshwater marshes and rivers of coastal North Carolina, and they are also found in the far south as 25 degrees latitude in the Florida Keys. Some of the alligators live in the ocean and they are known as “Salties”. They can't live in the salt water because they dont have the saltwater glands. These different areas are exposed to very different annual thermal cycles. Alligators stop eating when the water temperature drops below 16 degrees C. This anorexia lasts for about 6 months at 35 degrees latitude. In southwest, Louisiana alligators stop feeding in October and they do not resume feeding until the late March or early April. The only time that the alligators grow is in the warmer months, this is their growing season, because they are constantly feeding during this...
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...Florida Alligators…… Are They Really That Scary????? By: Krista Source: Me with the help of Florida and some alligators My First Time What would you do if you walked into a store and saw three alligators lying on the floor? Well that is exactly what happened to me, and like every other human being, I freaked out at first. At this store you were able to hold an alligator for five dollars. After watching my mom and best friend hold one I thought that I couldn’t miss this opportunity, and I’m glad I didn’t. About Alligators! How many teeth do you have? Well, alligators have 80 teeth. Their jaws are very special. You probably think that they are stronger than anything. But you’re wrong an alligators jaw is strong enough to close on something big, but if something is holding it together it is not strong enough to open. Alligators have many special facts about them. The black bumps around an alligator’s mouth are called nerves. Therefore an alligator can feel every single touch. Alligators are very sensitive because they spend a lot of their time underwater. If a gust of wind came and the alligator’s mouth was open the wind would act its senses and the jaw would automatically snap shut. Alligators have two sets of eyes. One set is for under water and the other is for above water. An alligator can stay under water for approximately 40 minutes to 2 hours if needed. When they are under water there heart rate slows down to 3 to 5 beats per minute. Everglade Ride ...
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...THE ALLIGATOR RIVER STORY As most stories begin: Once upon a time, there was a river that was practically overflowing with alligators. As you may have guessed, it was called the Alligator River. A girl named Aurora lived on the bank of this river, and on the opposite bank lived Greg. Aurora and Greg were much in love with each other, and wanted very much to see each other. But there was one slight complication: No boat, and an alligator-filled river stood between them. Aurora decided to seek help so that she could see her friend Greg. So she approached Bong, who owned a boat. Now this was very fortunate for Aurora, because Bong’s boat was what exactly she needed to get across the river. She explained her situation to Bong, who then replied: “Sure you can borrow my boat, but only under one condition. The condition is that you sleep with me tonight. Now this startled Aurora, because she didn’t want to sleep with Bong. She just wanted to borrow his boat so she could see Greg. After Aurora had told Bong “Nothing doing”, she wandered down the road until she came upon Henry. Aurora explained her predicament (her desire to see Greg and Bong’s response) to Henry. He replied: “That’s not my concern I’ve got other things to do. Leave me alone”. A despondent Aurora, her options exhausted, finally decided to go back to Bong. She slept with him that night. The next morning, Bong, true to his word, loaned his boat to...
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...and muscle. Then they swim off, into mucky, filthy water and yet they still do not get any kind of major infection. Humans exposed to the same type of battles and the same disgusting water they would have a devastating outcome, possibly death. This gave him and others ideas to check into their blood to see if they had something humans lacked. In 1998, Dr. Merchant found that American Alligators have a powerful antibiotic in their blood. Dr. Merchant demonstrated the “unscientific” evidence suggesting that reptile are resistant to bacterial infection. He identified reasons these creatures were immune to infection. Like humans, they have a natural defense system against invading bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which involves a group of proteins called the complement system. So Dr. Merchant tested his theory by exposing the alligator blood to pathogens such as HIV, West Nile Virus, and E Coli. His results- it started to kill the bacteria. As it turned out the alligator complement system is much more effective than that of humans. The problem: no possibility of isolating the crocodile or alligator cell(s) that could be given to...
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...The American alligator is native to many states that are in the south in the United States. Alligators like to live in the southern states where it is warmer even during the winter for example; Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Texas. The water is much warmer in the south since is closer to the equator. Not only do they like to live in warm water but also in freshwater. They create burrows that go as deep as 20 feet on the bottom. Alligators live in rivers lakes and other small bodies of water. All Alligators and every other animal have to start somewhere there are 4 different life stages of the American Alligator. To begin the Alligators life it starts in the egg stage. Like any other living organism it needs to be able to go and develop enough inside its mother to survive growing all the necessary organs to live. The second stage is the juvenile stage. This stage is when the Alligator hatches from the egg and starts its life living in the world. As soon as they come out of the egg the mother brings them straight to the water there they start their hunting life even though they are small. Moving along in their life is the stage called adulthood. Adulthood is when they are now old enough to produce their own eggs be on their own and breed with other Alligators. In addition to the life stages of the Alligator is how long the Alligator will live its life for. Alligators depending on the condition Alligators can live anywhere from...
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...rabbit from there a new species comes on to eat the snake which would be a hawk. And then from there a hawk gets hunted down by humans which then humans eat the wild bird. The second reason why we should care for the Everglades more for is because of its wild life that it has growing on it. Many things live in the Everglades such as many fish like piranha, snapper, and many more. The Everglades is also home to many birds such as vultures, bald eagle, and herons. Many snakes live in the Everglades also such as anacondas, pythons, and the most common one out there the boa constrictors. Other types of creatures live in the Everglades as well such as crocodiles, alligators, many lizards, and many other species out there. The Everglades is said to be the only place in the world where the American Crocodile and the American Alligator co-exist in the wild. So why would anyone would want to throw this away? Well most people that never really thought about the environment in the Everglades would want to build other thing such as highways, roads, house, and buildings and may even sell the skin of these creatures to make clothing. The final reason why we should cherish the Everglades is because of its wetlands. A wetland is where water and land are combined together to form a sort of muddy beach. Most people refer to the wetlands as wastelands because they have nothing good in them only gross bacteria and harmful diseases. Well that is not true because the wetlands is where most new life...
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...Evolution of the Alligator Evolution of the Alligator One of the most highly evolved animals on the Earth today is the alligator. Found mainly in the swamps and warmer climates of the earth, these predators are one of the few animals left that existed when the dinosaurs roamed the planet. Over the millennia, they have evolved into one of the most feared and interesting creatures today. However, the modern alligator is a far cry from its ancestral roots. Today, by looking at the anatomy of the alligator there are many similarities between alligators and humans. (Jones, 2011) Most of their internal organs are located in roughly the same place as a human. The liver and spleen are just above the stomach while the intestines are below, and their spine runs down the middle of their back. The most interesting feature of the alligator is the mouth. The most noted feature often is the long nose and mouth. The nose and mouth is long for two reasons. First, it allows for the alligator to breathe while the rest of his body is underwater, and second to handle the force load of its powerful jaws when it closes. The bite of an alligator has been measures at over 2,100 pounds. That’s the equivalent of a car landing on top of a human. (Viegas, 2003) The mouth has evolved of the centuries to handle the pressure exerted. It is believed that alligators were first primarily land creatures that ranged in size from cats to bears. At the time, there were also some species that lives...
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...Mekong River's development may flow into conflict By Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK - The six Asian countries that share the waters of the Mekong River risk being swept into a regional conflict if their governments ignore flashpoints that have surfaced and do not coordinate actions that affect the river, experts here say. A potential trigger is the irregular flow of the Mekong's waters, which experts at a discussion marking World Water Day on Friday said was due to both natural factors and man-made development in countries upstream of the river, including dam development by China. "Unless we have a mechanism to regulate water use and support and develop it, we are bound to witness conflicts among countries that share the river," said Joern Kristensen, chief executive officer of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), an inter-governmental body that manages the river's lower basin. The most troubling period for the lower Mekong countries - Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos - is the annual dry season. So changes in river flows during this time hit them the hardest. "In the dry season, if one country upstream takes water for its own purpose, it affects the countries downstream," Kristensen said at a discussion on "Water and Conflict" at the United Nations Conference Center. The MRC's research has shown that during the dry months from around November through May, the 4,400-kilometer-long Mekong - which flows from the Tibetan plateau down to Vietnam and out to the South...
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...of the river. 3. To investigate the impact of humans downstream. methodology On this field trip we went to Wag Water River. We use material such as rulers, stop watch, sketches and description of sites was made; method of observation was used to see how humans use the river for various reasons. Along the river channel group of student did the following at different points; Velocity: we measure the velocity of the river atleast three times to get an accurate measurement, we calculate the average. The velocity of the river was measured with a half filled bottle of water placed in the water at a given distance of 30m for some seconds (velocity=distance/time (seconds).The stream was also measured before and after tributary to show effect of tributaries, and deposit load which affects flow of the river stream and this was calculated by (cross section x velocity), then we compare the stream discharge at different sites and accounted for the differences. After we did that we also measured the depth of the river, we used the meter rule for this measurement, for every meter we measured the depth then we find the average. Rock samples were also taken to classified as: very angular, angular, sub-angular, sub- rounded, rounded and well-rounded and measured with a meter. Hence fort the student identifies bed loading at the three different across the width of the channel (atleast fifteen for each stop). WHEN: November 29, 2012 Where: We went to Golden spring, Toms River and Board...
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...Integrated Commercial Waterfront. Case: Sabarmati River, Ahmedabad. PRELIMINARY REPORT Thesis Guide Ajay Kaushik Submitted by: Shrikant Sharma 0806025 INTRODUCTION A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including stream, creek, brook, rivulet, tributary and rill; there is no general rule that defines what can be called a river, although in some countries or communities a stream may be defined by its size. A river is part of the hydrological cycle. Water within a river is generally collected from precipitation through surface runoff, groundwater recharge, springs, and the release of stored water in natural ice and snowpack’s (e.g., from glaciers). Potamology is the scientific study of rivers. The water in a river is usually confined to a channel, made up of a stream bed between banks. In larger rivers there is also a wider floodplain shaped by flood-waters over-topping the channel. Flood plains may be very wide in relation to the size of the river channel. This distinction between river channel and floodplain can be blurred especially in urban areas where the floodplain of a river channel can become greatly developed by housing and industry. WATERFRONT The term “Riverfront” comes under the generic term “Waterfronts”...
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...------------------------------------------------- Freshwater ecosystem From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Freshwater angelfish Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems. They include lakes and ponds, rivers, streams, springs, and wetlands. They can be contrasted with marine ecosystems, which have a larger salt content. Freshwater habitats can be classified by different factors, including temperature, light penetration, and vegetation. Freshwater ecosystems can be divided into lentic ecosystems (still water) andlotic ecosystems (flowing water). Limnology (and its branch freshwater biology) is a study about freshwater ecosystems. It is a part of hydrobiology. Original efforts to understand and monitor freshwater ecosystems were spurred on by threats to human health (ex. Cholera outbreaks due to sewage contamination). Early monitoring focussed on chemical indicators, then bacteria, and finally algae, fungi and protozoa. A new type of monitoring involves differing groups of organisms (macroinvertebrates, macrophytes and fish) and the stream conditions associated with them. Current biomonitering techniques focus mainly on community structure or biochemical oxygen demand. Responses are measured by behavioural changes, altered rates of growth, reproduction or mortality. Macroinvertebrates are most often used in these models because of well known taxonomy, ease of collection, sensitivity to a range of stressors, and their overall value to the ecosystem...
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...or too many drinks the care was not in his control having to get his car fixed unfortunately. Some of the words Herman Maclean had written that intrigued me was “No fish could live out there where the river exploded into colors and curves that would attract photographers. The fish were in that slow backwash, right in the dirty foam, with the dirt being one of the chief attractions. Part of the speckles would be pollen from pine trees, but most of the dirt was was edible insect life that had not survived the waterfall.” This quote is a great description of what Herman had seen and how he analyzed his surroundings when fishing. In his writings he even adds in quotes that he said or the people he was with and what he was saying in his mind to...
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...I concur with Bill McEwen’s article “ River Plan Too Fishy for my Taste Buds” on the San Joaquin River Restoration Program. The San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP) planned on restoring the water flow to San Joaquin River from Friant Dam and its convergence with the Merced River, and revitalize the Chinook Salmon. McEwen has a much more superior expertise due to his 35 year career at Fresno Bee. He has become one of the papers biggest illustrious personalities as a sports and news columnist and opinion page editor.With an extremely further experience in the journaling world, it has won him an award-winning in reporting and he has a deep understanding of Fresno politics. His article was published in the Fresno Bee, located in Fresno,...
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...The river that the mills used for power was the Merrimac River. There were water blocks to control the water flow; too hard or too slow would affect the speed of the wheels and therefore the accuracy of the looms. This was better known as the gate house. The river would also be strained once a week or so when the mills were not is use, in an attempt to clean some of the sewage out. People dumped most of their trash and pollution in the river, making it black and smell bad. In fact, most of the city was quite messy. The flowers and nice brick walkways that are along the river in Lowell now are recent additions, and none of that sort of thing was to be seen in the Lowell before. Most of the buildings are made of brick or wood. The tall and large...
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...Kissimmee River in Florida and the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in Louisiana. I will evaluate the necessity and effectiveness of each of these public works projects and analyze what these projects can tell us about the Army Corps of Engineers as an entity. I will determine whether the actions of the Army Corps of Engineers’ were detrimental, justifiable, or somewhere in between. Finally, I will make specific recommendations that would improve the Corps ability to work on river projects such as these. The Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency under the Department of Defense. It was founded in 1802 to execute large-scale public works projects. Since the...
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