Is Elephant dangerous?

I never see elephant in person since I was young. But it is good to see them in pictures. I wish there is an elephant here in Philippines but I did not see or hear any. Africa has full of wild life and I like Africa. I like desert as long as the weather is good like balance temperature. I hope the article I share here with you today will help you find the answer of your research. It is my pleasure to always help or write an article about interesting topic like this. As you can see the photo elephant is a big animals and it is much bigger that water buffalo. Be aware of elephant they might attack you. Last month ago I been watching movie and there was an elephant on the news. It said elephant attacked human. I believe to that animals attack especially if they think you are not belong with them...lol.

African elephants are the species of elephants in the genus Loxodonta (Greek for 'oblique-sided tooth'[1]), one of the two existing genera in Elephantidae. Although it is commonly believed that the genus was named by Georges Cuvier in 1825, Cuvier spelled it Loxodonte. An anonymous author romanized the spelling to Loxodonta and the ICZN recognizes this as the proper authority. Size of African elephants are bigger than Asian Elephants. Males stand 3.6 m (12 ft) tall at the shoulder and weigh 5,400 kg (12,000 lb), while females stand 3 m (9.8 ft) and weigh between 3,600 and 4,600 kg (7,900 and 10,000 lb).However, males can get as big as 6,800 kg (15,000 lb).

Teeth of African Elephant - Elephants have four molars; each weighs about 5 kg (11 lb) and measures about 30 cm (12 in) long. As the front pair wear down and drop out in pieces, the back pair shift forward and two new molars emerge in the back of the mouth. Elephants replace their teeth six times. At about 40 to 60 years of age the elephant no longer has teeth and will likely die of starvation, a common cause of death.Their tusks are teeth; the second set of incisors become the tusks. They are used for digging for roots and stripping the bark off trees for food, for fighting each other during mating season, and for defending themselves against predators. The tusks weigh from 23–45 kg (51–99 lb) and can be from 1.5–2.4 m (5–8 ft) long. Unlike Asian elephants, both male and female African elephants have tusks.The enamel plates of the molars are lesser in number than in Asian elephants.

Conservation - Poaching significantly reduced the population of Loxodonta in certain regions during the 20th century. An example of this poaching pressure is in the eastern region of Chad—elephant herds there were substantial as recently as 1970, with an estimated population of 400,000; however, by 2006 the number had dwindled to about 10,000. The African elephant nominally has governmental protection, but poaching is still a serious issue.

Human encroachment into or adjacent to natural areas where bush elephants occur has led to recent research into methods of safely driving groups of elephants away from humans, including the discovery that playback of the recorded sounds of angry honey bees are remarkably effective at prompting elephants to flee an area. Some elephant communities have grown so large, in Africa, that some communities have resorted to culling large amounts to help sustain the ecosystem.

Is Actaea poisonous? Find out more

Plants and animals is my favorite article to share around the internet. Today I'm going to share about Actaea that is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. The popular name of Actaea is baneberry. The reason it is popular with that name because the fruits are poisonous if eaten even though they look highly delectable. every little white berry contains a dark dot and this is the derivation of the other popular name of doll's eye.
Actaea (baneberry or bugbane) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.The genus is closely related to Cimicifuga and Souliea, and many botanists include those genera within Actaea (e.g. Compton et al. 1998, Compton & Culham 2002, Gao et al. 2006, RHS Plant Finder, 2007) based on combined evidence from DNA sequence data, similarity in biochemical constituents and on morphology; if included, the number of species in Actaea rises to 25-30. Other botanists (e.g. Hoffman 1999, Wang et al. 1999, Lee & Park 2004) reject this merger because only one group (Actaea) have fleshy fruit while the remainder have dry fruit. The genus is treated here in its broader sense.
Selected species Actaea asiatica

Actaea pachypoda – White Baneberry, White Cohosh, Doll's Eyes
Actaea racemosa – Black Cohosh, Black Bugbane
Actaea rubra (syn. Actaea erythrocarpa) – Red Baneberry
Actaea spicata (syn. Actaea alba) – Baneberry, Herb Christopher
The name Actaea alba (L.) Mill. is a confused one (Fernald 1940); although described as an American species (now named A. pachypoda), the illustration on which the description was based was actually a picture of the European A. spicata, and strictly, the name is therefore a synonym of the European species. Some texts however still treat A. pachypoda under this name.Actaea is recorded as a food plant for the larva of the Dot Moth.
Use and Toxicity - Baneberry contains cardiogenic toxins than can have an immediate sedative effect on human cardiac muscle tissue. The berries are the most poisonous part of the plant (hence the name baneberry). Children have been poisoned by eating the waxy, shiny red or white berries. Ingestion of the berries can lead to cardiac arrest and death. The berries are harmless to birds, the plant's primary seed disperser. Actaea species are closely related to plants in the genus Aconitum, a highly toxic plant genus which contains wolfbane and several varieties of monkshood.The roots of A. rubra contain β-sitosterol glucoside, [and they were used medicinally by Native Americans as an alternative to Black Cohosh, (A. racemosa), for menstrual cramping and menopausal discomfort.

Pictures and information about Cobra Snake

Today I will share something about animals. And this kind of animals is a dangerous one. According to the bible a snake is a creature that being punished by God. In the story of Adam and Eve when God created them. God put them into the paradise and said to them to live according the law of God. Eve was tempted by Satan by using the snake ement to tempt Eve to eat the fruit from the garden. God told them to live according to his rules and not eat the single fruit at the garden which is apple. So here I hope you enjoy to read the article I share today.

A cobra (About this sound pronunciation (help·info)) is a venomous snake, which is a member of the family Elapidae (elapids). The name is short for cobra de capelo, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood," or "hood-snake. When disturbed, most of these snakes can rear up and spread their neck (or hood) in a characteristic threat display. However, not all snakes referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family.

Cobra may refer to:

* Any member of the genus Naja, also known as typical cobras (with the characteristic ability to raise the front quarters of their bodies off the ground and flatten their necks in a threatening gesture), a group of venomous elapids found in Africa and Asia.
* Any member of the genus Boulengerina, a.k.a. water cobras, a group of venomous elapids found in Africa.
* Any member of the genus Aspidelaps, a.k.a. shield-nosed cobras or coral snakes, a group of venomous elapids found in Africa.
* Any member of the genus Pseudohaje, a.k.a. tree cobras, a group of venomous elapids found in Africa.
* Paranaja multifasciata, a.k.a. the burrowing cobra, a venomous elapid species found in Africa.
* Ophiophagus hannah, a.k.a. the king cobra, a venomous elapid species found in India and southern Asia.
* Hemachatus haemachatus, a.k.a. the spitting cobra or ringhals, a venomous elapid species found in Africa.
* Micrurus fulvius, a.k.a. the American cobra or eastern coral snake, a venomous elapid species found in the southeastern United States.
* Hydrodynastes gigas, a.k.a. the false water cobra, a mildly venomous colubrid species found in South America.
* A taxonomic synonym for the genus Bitis, a.k.a. puff adders, a group of venomous vipers found in Africa and in the south of the Arabian Peninsula.

Snakes are elongate legless carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with many more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads with their highly mobile jaws. In order to accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca.

Living snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica and most islands. Fifteen families are currently recognized comprising 456 genera and over 2,900 species.They range in size from the tiny, 10 cm long thread snake to pythons and anacondas of up to 7.6 metres (25 ft) in length. The recently discovered fossil Titanoboa was 13 metres (43 ft) long. Snakes are thought to have evolved from either burrowing or aquatic lizards during the Cretaceous period (c 150 Ma). The diversity of modern snakes appeared during the Paleocene period (c 66 to 56 Ma).Most species are non-venomous and those that have venom use it primarily to kill and subdue prey rather than for self-defense. Some possess venom potent enough to cause painful injury or death to humans. Those which are non-venomous either swallow prey alive or kill it via constriction.

Evolotion - he fossil record of snakes is relatively poor because snake skeletons are typically small and fragile, making fossilization uncommon. However 150 million-year-old specimens, readily identifiable as snakes, yet with lizard-like skeletal structures, have been uncovered in South America and Africa.There is consensus, on the basis of comparative anatomy, that snakes descended from lizards. Fossil evidence suggests that snakes may have evolved from burrowing lizards, such as the varanids or a similar group during the Cretaceous Period. An early fossil snake, Najash rionegrina, was a two-legged burrowing animal with a sacrum, and was fully terrestrial.One extant analog of these putative ancestors is the earless monitor Lanthanotus of Borneo, although it also is semi-aquatic.Subterranean forms evolved bodies that were streamlined for burrowing and lost their limbs.According to this hypothesis, features such as the transparent, fused eyelids (brille) and loss of external ears evolved to cope with fossorial difficulies such as scratched corneas and dirt in the ears. Some primitive snakes are known to have possessed hindlimbs, but their pelvic bones lack a direct connection to the vertebrae. These include fossil species like Haasiophis, Pachyrhachis and Eupodophis, which are slightly older than Najash.

Overview about African Buffalo and images

I am a Filipino and I love to search something about animals and plants. I am a farmer who manage to take care our land and animals. Today I would like to talk about Buffalo in Africa and Philippines. When I search about Buffalo in Africa there is great differences between Philippines Buffalo. The horn are pretty much different. Philippines Buffalo the horn grown from inside while African Buffalo their horn grown over the top of their head. African Buffalo is little bit bigger than Philippines Buffalo. If you have research about Buffalo I hope the article below will help you. Have a good time reading the article below and if you have comments feel free to leave them at the bottom of this article. The African Buffalo, Affalo or Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large African bovid. It is not closely related to the slightly larger Wild Asian Water Buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear. Owing to its unpredictable nature which makes it highly dangerous to humans, it has not been domesticated, unlike its Asian counterpart, the Domestic Asian Water Buffalo. The African Buffalo is a very robust species. It is up to 1.7 metres high, 3.4 metres long. Savannah type buffaloes weigh 500–900 kg, with males, normally larger than females, reaching the upper weight range. Forest type buffaloes are only half that size.Savannah type buffalo have black or dark brown coats and their horns are curved to a closed crescent. Forest type buffalo are reddish brown in color with horns that curve out backwards and upwards. Calves of both types have red coats. The African buffalo is one of the most successful grazers in Africa. It lives in swamps, floodplains as well as mopane grasslands and forests of the major mountains of Africa. Buffalo can be found from the highest mountains to sea level areas, and prefer habitat with dense cover such as reeds and thickets. Herds have also been found in open woodland and grassland. While not particularly demanding with regard to habitat, they require water daily and therefore depend on perennial sources of water. Like the Plains zebra, the Buffalo can subsist on tall, coarse grasses. Herds of buffalo will reduce grass level to the height that is preferred by selective grazers. When feeding, the buffalo makes use of its tongue and wide incisor row to eat grass more quickly than most other African herbivores. Buffalo do not stay on trampled or depleted areas for long. Other than humans, African buffalo have few predators and are capable of defending themselves against (and sometimes killing) lions. Lions do kill and eat buffalo regularly, but it typically takes multiple lions to bring down a single adult buffalo. The Nile Crocodile will typically attack only old solitary animals and young calves.The leopard and spotted hyena are a threat only to newborn calves, though spotted hyenas have been recorded to kill full grown bulls on occasion. Herd size is highly variable. The basic herds consist of related females, and their offspring, in an almost linear dominance hierarchy. The basic herds are surrounded by sub-herds of bachelor males, high-ranking males and females, and old or invalid animals. The young males keep their distance from the dominant bull, who is recognizable by the thickness of his horns. Adult bulls will spar in play, dominance interactions or actual fights. A bull will approach another slowing with his horns down and wait for the other bull do the same thing. When sparring the bulls twist their horns from side to side. If the sparring is for play the bulls may rub each other's faces and bodies during the sparring session. Actual fights are violent but rare and brief. Calves may also spar in play but adult females rarely spar at all. When chased by predators a herd will stick close together and make it hard for the predators to pick off one member. Calves are gathered in the middle. Buffalo will try to rescue a member that has been caught. A calf's distress call will get the attention of not only the mother but also the herd. Buffalo will engage in mobbing behavior when fighting off predators. They have been recorded treeing lions for two hours, after the lions have killed a member of their group. Lion cubs can get trampled and killed. In one videotaped instance, a calf survived an attack by both lions and a crocodile after intervention of the herd. How does Buffalo reproduce? Buffalo mate and give birth strictly during the rainy seasons. Birth peak takes place early in the season while mating peaks later. A bull will closely guard a cow that comes into heat, while keeping other bulls at bay. This is difficult as cows are quite evasive and attract many males to the scene. By the time a cow is in full estrous only the most dominant bull in the herd/subherd is there. Cows first calve at five years of age, after a gestation period of 11.5 months. Newly born calves remain hidden in vegetation for the first few weeks while being nursed occasionally by the mother before joining the main herd. Calves are held in the centre of the herd for safety.The maternal bond between mother and calf lasts longer than in most bovids. However when a new calf is born the bonding ends and the mother will keep her previous offspring out of the way with horn jabs. Nevertheless the yearling will still tag along for another year or so. Males leave their mothers when they are two years old and join the bachelor groups. he current status of African Cape Buffalo is dependent on the existence of the animal's value to both trophy hunters and tourists, paving the way for conservation efforts through anti-poaching patrols, village crop damage payouts, and CAMPFIRE payback programs to local areas.The current total number of Cape Buffalo is spread throughout non-desert Africa, from Chad in the North to South Africa in the South. The cape buffalo are estimated to number around a million, but accurate counts are not possible with the lack of research funding in places like Sudan, Chad, Congo, and Benin. Most professional hunters, safari outfitters, and wildlife professionals believe the number to be only representing the actual Cape subspecies, and not counting the Nile, North-East, or Forest buffalo. Buffalo's attack human. Known as one of the "big five" or "Black Death" in Africa, the African Buffalo is widely regarded as a very dangerous animal, as it gores and kills over 200 people every year. Buffalo are sometimes reported to kill more people in Africa than any other animal, although the same claim is sometimes made of Hippopotami, or Crocodiles.Buffalo are notorious among big game hunters as very dangerous animals, with wounded animals reported to ambush and attack pursuers.

Acacia baileyena is a delicate tree, I like it

Wow! its really pretty, has a lot of blooms and does not grow tall. It looks like a flower but its not really a flower. It is such a pretty delicate tree that is robust when grown in the Mediterranean. Acacia is suitable only for mild areas like in Britain and Ireland. Acacia baileyana is used in Europe in the cut flower industry. It is also used as food for bees in the production of honey. isn't that cool?

How you do you cultivate this plant? Acacia baileyena is adaptable and easy to grow. Unfortunately it has an ability to naturalize into sorrounding bushland. It is also hybridizes with some other watttles, notably the rare and endangered Sydney Basin species Acacia pubescens. A prostrate weeping form is in cultivation. Its origin is unknown, but it itself is a popular garden plant, its cascading horizontal branches good for rockeries.The fine foliage of the original Cootamundra wattle is grey-green, but a blue-purple foliaged form, known as 'Purpurea' is very popular.
Acacia baileyana, commonly known as Cootamundra Wattle, is a shrub or tree in the legume family. The scientific name of the species honors the botanist Frederick Manson Bailey. It is but one of nearly 1000 species of Acacia found in Australia. The Cootamundra Wattle is indigenous to a small area in southern New South Wales but has been widely planted in other Australian states. In many areas of Victoria, Cootamundra Wattle has become naturalised and is regarded as a weed, outcompeting indigenous Victorian species.Almost all wattles have cream to golden flowers. The small flowers are arranged in spherical to cylindrical inflorescences, with only the stamens prominent. Wattles have been extensively introduced into New Zealand and are regarded by many New Zealanders as one of the most typical features of their home landscape.

Cucumber

It's raining outside since I got up this morning. I have nothing to do much today so I decided to take time to search about cucumber. I know a lot of people like cucumber. I like cucumber a lot too. When I was in my country Philippines I ate a lot of cucumber because my aunt has planted a lot of cucumber and they always give us. I hope the information here will help expand your research.According to new world encyclopedia Cucumber is the common name for a widely cultivated creeping vine, Cucumis sativus, in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, characterized by large leaves, thin tendrils, and a typically elongated, green-skinned fruit with tapered ends.

The term also is applied to the edible, cylindrical fruit of this plant.In advancing their own individual purpose of continuation as a species, cucumbers also provide value for humans.
They are eaten raw or cooked, or they can be pickled, providing a nutritional food source. In turn, humans have spread their cultivation, over the past 3,000 years, from Asia to Europe, Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, and have created numerous varieties. Cucumbers also serve as a source of food for insects and other animals.Several other plants also utilize "cucumber" as part of their common name, such as the squirting cucumber, Ecballium elaterium.

In the United States, wild cucumber refers to Manroot (genus Marah).According to wikepedia The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon.Botany -The cucumber is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up trellises or other supporting frames, wrapping around ribbing with thin, spiraling tendrils. The plant has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit.The fruit is roughly cylindrical, elongated, with tapered ends, and may be as large as 60 cm long and 10 cm in diameter. Cucumbers grown to be eaten fresh (called slicers) and those intended for pickling (called picklers) are similar. Cucumbers are mainly eaten in the unripe green form. The ripe yellow form normally becomes too bitter and sour.Having an enclosed seed and developing from a flower, cucumbers are scientifically classified as fruits. Much like tomatoes and squash, however, their sour-bitter flavor contributes to cucumbers being perceived, prepared and eaten as vegetables, which is the accepted culinary term citation needed.Various myths have arisen with regard to how bitterness may be removed from cucumbers. Among these myths includes slicing off the ends of a cucumber, and rubbing the now-exposed ends of said cucumber with the sliced-off ends until it appears to froth. Another such urban legend states that one ought to peel a cucumber away from the end that was once attached to a vine, otherwise one risked spreading the bitterness throughout the cucumber.

Flowering and pollination - A few varieties of cucumber are parthenocarpic, the blossoms creating seedless fruit without pollination. Pollination for these varieties degrades the quality. In the US, these are usually grown in greenhouses, where bees are excluded. In Europe, they are grown outdoors in some regions, and bees are excluded from these areas. Most cucumber varieties, however, are seeded and require pollination. Thousands of hives of honey bees are annually carried to cucumber fields just before bloom for this purpose. Cucumbers may also be pollinated by bumblebees and several other bee species.Symptoms of inadequate pollination include fruit abortion and misshapen fruit. Partially pollinated flowers may develop fruit which are green and develop normally near the stem end, but pale yellow and withered at the blossom end.Traditional varieties produce male blossoms first, then female, in about equivalent numbers. New gynoecious hybrid cultivars produce almost all female blossoms. However, since these varieties do not provide pollen, they must have interplanted a pollenizer variety and the number of beehives per unit area is increased. Insecticide applications for insect pests must be done very carefully to avoid killing off the insect pollinators.

History - Cucumbers originated in India.Therefore, the English word cucumber is derived from Indian word "kachumbar". Large genetic variety of cucumber has been observed in different parts of India.[4] It has been cultivated for at least 3,000 years in Western Asia, and was probably introduced to other parts of Europe by the Romans. Records of cucumber cultivation appear in France in the 9th century, England in the 14th century, and in North America by the mid-16th century. For more information about cucumber check this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber.

Squash

I have nothing to share about my garden this time. I hope you like to read what I share here. Last two days I been thinking to share about squash and now I am going to share it here. I hope this article can help expand your research. I know a lot of students has science lessons and I know this article is related.

According to Wikepedia,Squashes generally refer to four species of the genus Cucurbita native to Mexico and Central America, also called marrows depending on variety or the nationality of the speaker. It is also natively grown in other parts of North America, and in Europe, India, and Australia. In North America, squash is loosely grouped into summer squash or winter squash, as well as autumn squash. Another name is cheese squash depending on whether they are harvested as immature vegetables.Summer squash or mature vegetables autumn squash or winter squash. Gourds are from the same family as squashes. Well known types of squash include the pumpkin and zucchini. Giant squash are derived from curcurbita maxima and are routinely grown to weights nearing those of giant pumpkins.

Scientific Name of Squash

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Cucurbitales

Family: Cucurbitaceae

Genus: Cucurbita

Species: C. maxima, hubbard squash, buttercup squash

C. mixta, cushaw squash
C. moschata, butternut squash
C. pepo, most pumpkins, acorn squash,
summer squash, zucchini

Cultivation - Archaeological evidence suggests that squash may have been first cultivated in Mesoamerica some 8,000 to 10,000 years ago [1][2], but may have been independently cultivated elsewhere, albeit later.[3] Squash was one of the "Three Sisters" planted by Native Americans. The Three Sisters were the three main indigenous plants used for agriculture: maize (corn), beans, and squash. These were usually planted together, with the cornstalk providing support for the climbing beans, and shade for the squash. The squash vines provided ground cover to limit weeds. The beans provided nitrogen fixing for all three crops.

Summer squashes, including young vegetable marrows (such as zucchini [also known as courgette], pattypan and yellow crookneck) are harvested during the growing season, while the skin is still soft and the fruit rather small; they are eaten almost immediately and require little to no cooking.

Winter squashes (such as butternut, Hubbard, buttercup, ambercup, acorn, spaghetti squash and pumpkin) are harvested at maturity, generally the end of summer, cured to further harden the skin, and stored in a cool place for eating later. They generally require longer cooking time than summer squashes. (Note: Although the term winter squash is used here to differentiate from summer squash, it is also commonly used as a synonym for Cucurbita maxima.) The squash fruit is classified as a pepo by botanists, which is a special type of berry with a thick outer wall or rind formed from hypanthium tissue fused to the exocarp; the fleshy interior is composed of mesocarp and endocarp. The pepo, derived from an inferior ovary, is characteristic of the Squash Family (Cucurbitaceae). In culinary terms, both summer and winter squashes are generally considered as vegetables, even though pumpkin may be used for pies.

In addition to the fruit, other parts of the plant are edible. Squash seeds can be eaten directly, ground into paste, or (particularly for pumpkins) pressed for vegetable oil. The shoots, leaves, and tendrils can be eaten as greens. The blossoms are an important part of native American cooking and are also used in many other parts of the world.

There are Types of Squash

Summer squash - are thin-skinned and bruise easily (think zucchini), so look for firm, blemish-free ones with taut skin. Typically, the smaller ones are sweeter and more tender. Summer squash are moister—they contain more water—than winter squash. Summer squash are good for about a week in the refrigerator before they begin to soften and wrinkle.

Winter squash - on the other hand, have hard, thick rinds (think acorn squash). They are so hardy that you may find yourself needing a hammer to tap the knife’s handle when trying to cut one in half. This thick skin puts longevity on their side: You can keep winter squash fresh in cool, dark places for one to three months. Winter squash are drier—they contain less moisture—than summer squash.

To see the whole details visit Squash more details. To get more information for your research visit Wikepedia.

Bell Pepper

I planted bell peppers in my garden area and they are now blooming. I thought they don't have time to grow as winter is close but it blooms. I am thankful to God for that. I love bell pepper and I plant a lot of them than any other veggies. I hope you like the article I posted here. I am hoping it help expand your study.Bell pepper is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, green and orange. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as "sweet peppers". Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Pepper seeds were later carried to Spain in 1493 and from there spread to other European and Asian countries. Today, Mexico remains one of the major pepper producers in the world.Scientific classificationKingdom: Plantae(unranked): Angiosperms(unranked): Eudicots(unranked): AsteridsOrder: SolanalesFamily: SolanaceaeGenus: CapsicumSpecies: C. annuumBinomial nameCapsicum annuumNomenclatureThe term "bell pepper" is the American name for some vegetables of the Capsicum annuum species of plants. The misleading name "pepper" (pimiento in Spanish) was given by Christopher Columbus upon bringing the plant back to Europe. At that time peppercorns, the fruit of Piper nigrum, an unrelated plant, were a highly prized condiment.

The term "bell pepper" or "pepper" or "capsicum" is often used for any of the large bell shaped capsicum fruits, regardless of their color. In British English, the meat is simply referred to as a "pepper", whereas in many Commonwealth of Nations countries, such as Australia, India, Malaysia and New Zealand, they are called "capsicum". Across Europe, the term "paprika", which has its roots in the word for pepper, is used—sometimes referred to by their color (e.g., "groene paprika", "gele paprika", in Dutch, which are green and yellow, respectively). Paprika also refers to the powdered spice made from the same fruit. In France it is called "poivron", with the same root as "poivre" (meaning "pepper"), or "piment.

" In Japan, the word ピーマン ("pîman, " from the French) refers only to green bell peppers, whereas パプリカ ("papurika, " from paprika) refers to bell peppers of other colors. In the United States and Canada, the fruit is often referred to simply as a "pepper" or referred to by color (e. g. "red pepper", "green pepper"), although the more specific term "bell pepper" is understood in most regions. In parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, the fruit is called a "mango"[1].

Bell peppers are botanically fruits, but are generally considered in culinary contexts to be vegetables. When cut off, the top of the bell pepper is referred to as a "pepper pan." Often the pan is filled with collagen to create a "pepper jiggler."In Russia it is commonly called болгарский перец (bolgarskiy perets), meaning Bulgarian pepper. In Denmark the bell pepper is referred to as "peberfrugt", meaning pepper-fruit. In Norway, Sweden, former Yugoslavia and the Netherlands it is known as "paprika".In Brazil it's commonly called Pimentão, meaning Big pepper. It's widely used in a variety of dishes, like pasta, rice and other dishes from Cuisine of Brazil.In Argentina it's called "Morrón", green and red bell peppers are usually found in small grocery stores, the yellow ones tend to be in the supermarket.

Grilled, they may form part of the traditional barbecue of this country, called "Asado" (Castilian Spanish for 'roasted' or 'grilled').In Costa Rica it's called "chile dulce" or sweet chili and many typical dished include it as part of it's ingredients.In Nepal it's called "bhede khursani". It is eaten with fried noodles, and is cooked and eaten with any vegetable, but bhede khursani is never eaten raw.In Sri Lanka it is called "Maalu Miris" in Sinhalese language and used in "curries" as a vegetable. "Miris" is Chilli, the hotter variety which is used as a hot spice, and "Maalu" means Vegetable, hence "Maalu Miris" indicates the less spicy version, which is suitable for cooking as a vegetable, instead of using as a spice. With the similar meaning, bell pepper is called "kaRi miLakaay" (கறிமிளகாய்) in Tamil language.

In Egypt it is commonly called "filfil akhdar", where "filfil" means pepper and "akhdar" means green. It is eaten as a raw snack, in salads, in various soups and stews, and is also cooked stuffed with a rice and beef filling.VarietiesThe color can be green, red, yellow, orange and, more rarely, white, purple, blue, pink, rainbow, aqua, violet, maroon, black and brown, depending on when they are harvested and the specific cultivar. Green peppers are less sweet and slightly more bitter than red, yellow or orange peppers.

The taste of ripe peppers can also vary with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment; the sweetest are fruit allowed to ripen fully on the plant in full sunshine, while fruit harvested green and after-ripened in storage are less sweet.For more information about Bellp pepper visit Wikepedia

Abelia and its Uses

Informations about Aardwolf

Good morning people, today I will share the article about wild life. Aardwplf is a small animals as you can see in the photo beside this article. They look like a small dog or cat. I hope the article I share here today serve as helpful information for your research or study. Have fun and enjoy.The aardwolf (Proteles cristata) is a small, insectivorous hyena-like mammal, native to Eastern and Southern Africa. The name means "earth wolf" in Afrikaans/Dutch. It is also called "maanhaar-jackal" and "protelid". Unlike other hyenas, the diet of the aardwolf almost completely consists of termites, other insect larvae and carrion.

The aardwolf is the only surviving species of the subfamily Protelinae. Two subspecies are recognized: Proteles cristatus cristatus of Southern Africa, and Proteles cristatus septentrionalis of eastern and northeastern Africa. It is usually placed in the Hyaenidae, though formerly separated into a monotypic family, Protelidae. The aardwolf lives in the scrublands of eastern and southern Africa. These are the areas of land covered with stunted trees or shrubs. The aardwolf hides in a burrow during the day and comes out at night to search for food. It is related to hyenas, but unlike its relatives, it does not hunt large prey. This unusual animal is a mass killer-of insects. It feeds mainly on termites and can eat more than 200,000 in a single night, using its long, sticky tongue to collect them.

Interaction with humans - Agriculture may create a negative impact on their population due to use of poisons by farmers. They are often considered useful, non-dangerous animals by farmers. However, in some areas the aardwolf is hunted for its fur. Encounters with dogs are another threat.

Physical characteristics - The aardwolf looks most like the Striped Hyena, but is significantly smaller with a more slender muzzle, sharper ears utilized in the hunt for harvester termites, black vertical stripes on a coat of yellowish fur, and a long, distinct mane down the middle line of the neck and back, which is raised during a confrontation to make the aardwolf's size appear bigger. It is 55–80 cm long, excluding its bushy 20–30 cm tail, stands about 40–50 cm at the shoulder, and weighs between 9 and 14 kg. Its front feet have 5 toes, unlike other hyenas which have four toes. Its teeth and skull are similar to that of the hyena, although the cheek teeth are specialised for eating insects, and its tongue for licking them up.As the aardwolf ages, it will normally lose some of its teeth, though this has little impact on their feeding habits due to the soft nature of the insects they consume.[3] It has two glands at the rear that secrete a musky fluid for marking territory and communicating with other aardwolves.

Behavior - Aardwolves are shy and nocturnal, sleeping in underground burrows by day.They usually use existing burrows of aardvarks, Old World porcupines or spring hares, despite being capable of creating their own. By night, an aardwolf can consume up to 200,000 harvester termites using its sticky, long tongue. They take special care not to destroy the termite mound or consume the entire colony, which ensures that the termites can rebuild and provide a continuous supply of food. They will often memorise and return to nests to save the trouble of finding a new one. They are also known to feed on other insects, larvae, and eggs, and occasionally small mammals and birds. Unlike other hyenas, aardwolves do not scavenge or kill larger animals.

The adult aardwolf is primarily solitary while foraging for food, necessary because of the scarcity and homogeneous distribution of their insect prey. They have often been mistaken for solitary animals. In fact, they live as monogamous pairs, with their young, defending the same territory. Young aardwolves generally achieve sexual maturity after two years, and the breeding season varies depending on their location, but normally takes place during the autumn or spring. During the breeding season, unpaired male aardwolves will search their own territory as well as others' for a female to mate with. Dominant males will also mate opportunistically with the females of less dominant neighboring aardwolves. This can often result in conflict between two male aardwolves when one has wandered into another's territory. Gestation lasts between 90 and 110 days, producing one to five cubs (most often two or three) during the rainy season, when termites are active. The first six to eight weeks are spent in the den with the mother. After three months, they begin supervised foraging and by four months are normally independent. However, they will often use the same den as their mother until the next breeding season. They can achieve a lifespan of up to 15 years when in captivity.