The "ONE HEALTH" Concept, There is no Heath But "ONE HEALTH"

 THE ONE HEALTH CONCEPT

'One Health' is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes. The “One Health” concept was introduced at the beginning of the 2000s. In a few words, it summarised an idea that had been known for more than a century; that human health and animal health are interdependent and bound to the health of the ecosystems in which they exist.

This concept is envisaged and implemented by the OIE as a collaborative global approach to understanding risks for human and animal health (including both domestic animals and wildlife) and ecosystem health as a whole. The OIE builds upon the intergovernmental standards which it publishes and the worldwide information on animal health that it collects as well as its network of international experts and programmes for strengthening national Veterinary Services. Moreover, it collaborates synergistically with more than 70 other international organisations, particularly those which play a key role in the human–animal–ecosystems interface.

The areas of work in which a One Health approach is particularly relevant include food safety, the control of zoonoses (diseases that can spread between animals and humans, such as flu, rabies and Rift Valley Fever), and combatting antibiotic resistance (when bacteria change after being exposed to antibiotics and become more difficult to treat).

 Why do we need a One Health approach?

Many of the same microbes infect animals and humans, as they share the eco-systems they live in. Efforts by just one sector cannot prevent or eliminate the problem. For instance, rabies in humans is effectively prevented only by targeting the animal source of the virus (for example, by vaccinating dogs).

Animals, humans and diseases (All are Interrelated)

Diseases of animal origin that can be transmitted to humans, such as avian influenza, rabies, Rift Valley fever and brucellosis, pose worldwide risks to public health. Other diseases which are mainly transmitted from person to person also circulate in animals or have an animal reservoir, and can cause serious health emergencies, such as the recent epidemic of Ebola virus. These risks increase with globalisation, climate change and changes in human behaviour, giving pathogens numerous opportunities to colonise new territories and evolve into new forms.

Drug-resistant microbes can be transmitted between animals and humans through direct contact between animals and humans or through contaminated food, so to effectively contain it, a well-coordinated approach in humans and in animals is required.

Who makes the One Health approach work?

Many professionals with a range of expertise who are active in different sectors, such as public health, animal health, plant health and the environment, should join forces to support One Health approaches.

Role of Veterinarians and Veterinary Science in One Health :

Veterinary Services, in both their public and private components, play an essential role in the development and implementation of policies to manage animal health risks. In protecting animal health and welfare, they meaningfully contribute towards improving human health, as well as food safety and security. 

The veterinary profession has the independence, integrity, knowledge and skills to provide the consumer with reassurance that their expectation of high food safety, human and animal welfare as well as environmental standards has all been met – all the way from farm to fork.
Because of their expertise, veterinarians play critical roles in the health of animals, humans, and even the environment, but these roles are often overlooked or unrecognized. Nonetheless, veterinary medicine is the only profession that routinely operates at the interface of these three components of One Health. 

What are the solutions??

Protecting animals to preserve our future

Controlling zoonotic pathogens at their animal source – that is, pathogens that can be transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa – is the most effective and economic way of protecting people. Consequently, global strategies to prevent and control pathogens must be developed if we are to protect public health. These should be coordinated at the human–animal–ecosystems interface and applied at the national, regional and global levels, through the implementation of appropriate policies.

One World=One Health

Let's Move Together

Let's Move Together, Work Together, Let's Collaborate and Create a Healthy World , A healthy Planet To Live, let's Live together.

This article is Written / Authored by : Sahidul Islam on 5th April, 2021

(All copyrights belongs to vetuniverse.blogsopt.com)

(No part of this article should be modified, reproduced, changed, reformed, copied in any forms without the proper permission from the author )

REGENERATION in the living world

 What is Regeneration?

Regeneration is one of the processes in which if an organism is cut into several pieces, each of its parts regrows to the original state. This process is carried out by specialized cells called stem cells. It takes place in organisms that have a very simple structure with very few specialized cells.

The cells divide quickly into a large number of cells. Each cell undergoes changes to form various cell types and tissues. This sequential process of changes is known as development. The tissues form various body parts and organs.

Types of Regeneration

There are two types of regeneration:

i) Morphallaxis

This type of regeneration has little growth and depends upon tissues repatterning. For eg., Hydra grows by loss of cells from its end and by budding. When cut into two, the upper part develops into foot while the lower part develops into the head. The formation of nearby heads is inhibited by the head region.

ii) Epimorphosis

This type of regeneration depends upon the growth of new and properly patterned structures. For eg., regeneration of a vertebrate limb. It involves cell dedifferentiation and growth. The epidermal cells form a blastema. The blastema gives rise to structures with positional distal values. Retinoic acid changes proximal-distal values in limb regeneration.

Which Organisms can Regenerate?

Regeneration occurs in organisms like hydra, flatworms, tapeworms. They have highly adaptive regenerative capabilities. When an organism is wounded, its cells are activated and the damaged tissues and organs are remodelled back to the original state.

Regeneration is very prominent among metazoans. Starfish, crayfish, reptiles, and amphibians also exhibit signs of tissue regeneration. It is not the same as reproduction. In some animals such as the lizard, the shed limb regrows into the original organ.

Regeneration can happen in many different ways using pluripotent stem cells. Some regeneration does not require stem cells. After amputation, stem cells accumulate at the site of injury. The cells then start dividing to form the missing tissue. But not all animals use the pluripotent cells for regeneration.

Regeneration in Different organisms:

i) Algae

One of the most outstanding feats of regeneration occurs in the single-celled green alga Acetabularia. This plant-like protist of shallow tropical water consists of a group of short rootlike appendages; a long thin “stem,” up to several centimetres in length; and an umbrella-like cap at the top. The entire organism is one cell, with its single nucleus situated at the base in one of the “roots.” If the cap is cut off, a new one regenerates from the healed over stump of the amputated stem. The nucleus is necessary for this kind of regeneration, presumably because it provides the information needed to direct the development of the new cap. Once this information has been produced by the nucleus, however, the nucleus can be removed and regeneration continues unabated.

Regeneration in lower Plants

If the nucleus from one species of Acetabularia is added to a cell-body of another species, and the cap of the recipient cell is amputated, the new cap that regenerates will be a hybrid because each nucleus exerts its own morphogenetic influences. On the other hand, if the nucleus from one species is substituted for that in another, regeneration reflects the properties of the new nucleus.

ii) Protozoans

Most single-celled, animal-like protists regenerate very well. If part of the cell fluid, or cytoplasm, is removed from Amoeba, it is readily replaced. A similar process occurs in other protozoans, such as flagellates and ciliates. In each case, however, regeneration occurs only from that fragment of the cell containing the nucleus. Amputated parts that lack a nucleus cannot survive. In some ciliates, such as Blepharisma or Stentor, the nucleus may be elongated or shaped like a string of beads. If either of these organisms is cut in two so that each fragment retains part of the elongated nucleus, each half proceeds to grow back what it lacks, giving rise to a complete organism in less than six hours. The way in which such a bisected protozoan regenerates is almost identical with the way it reproduces by ordinary division. Even a very tiny fragment of the whole organism can regenerate itself, provided it contains some nuclear material to determine what is supposed to be regenerated.

iii) Green plants:

The mechanisms by which vascular plants grow have much in common with regeneration. Their roots and shoots elongate by virtue of the cells in their meristems, the conical growth buds at the tip of each branch. These meristems are capable of indefinite growth, especially in perennial plants. If they are amputated they are not replaced, but other meristems along the stem, normally held in abeyance, begin to sprout into new branches that more than compensate for the loss of the original one. Such a process is called restitution.

Plants are also capable of producing callus tissue wherever they may be injured. This callus is proliferated from cambial cells, which lie beneath the surface of branches and are responsible for their increase in width. When a callus forms, some of its cells may organize into growing points, some of which in turn give rise to roots while others produce stems and leaves.

iv) Coelenterates

The vast majority of research on coelenterates has been focussed on hydras and some of the colonial hydroids. If a hydra is cut in half, the head end reconstitutes a new foot, while the basal portion regenerates a new hydranth with mouth and tentacles. This seemingly straightforward process is deceptively simple. From tiny fragments of the organism whole animals can be reconstituted. Even if a hydra is minced and the pieces scrambled, the fragments grow together and reorganize themselves into a complete whole. The indestructibility of the hydra may well be attributed to the fact that even the intact animal is constantly regenerating itself. Just below the mouth is a growth zone from which cells migrate into the tentacles and to the foot where they eventually die. Hence, the hydra is in a ceaseless state of turnover, with the loss of cells at the foot and at the tips of the tentacles being balanced by the production of new ones in the growth zone. If such an animal is X-rayed, the proliferation of new cells is inhibited and the hydra gradually shrinks and eventually dies owing to the inexorable demise of cells and the inability to replace them.

Regeneration in Hydra 

In colonial hydroids, such as Tubularia, there is a series of branching stems, each of which bears a hydranth on its end. If these hydranths are amputated they grow back within a few days. In fact, the organism normally sheds its hydranths from time to time and regenerates new ones naturally.

v) Flatworms

Planarian flatworms are well-known for their ability to regenerate heads and tails from cut ends. In the case of head regeneration, some blastema cells become brain tissues, others develop into the eyes, and still others differentiate as muscle or intestine. In a week or so, the new head functions almost as well as the original.

Regeneration in planaria

The blastema that normally gives rise to a single head is, under certain circumstances, even capable of becoming two heads if the stump of a decapitated flatworm is divided in two by a longitudinal cut. Each of the two halves then gives rise to a complete head. Thus, each blastema develops into an entire structure regardless of its size or position in relation to the rest of the animal.

In the case of flatworms there is still considerable disagreement concerning the origins of the blastema. Some investigators contend that it is derived from neoblasts, undifferentiated reserve cells scattered throughout the body. Others claim that there are no such reserve cells and that the blastema develops from formerly specialized cells near the wound that dedifferentiate to give rise to the blastema cells. Whatever their source, the cells of the blastema are capable of becoming many different things depending upon their location.

Regeneration in flatworms occurs in a stepwise fashion. The first tissue to differentiate is the brain, which induces the development of eyes. Once the head has formed, it in turn stimulates the production of the pharynx. The latter then induces the development of reproductive organs farther back. Thus, each part is necessary for the successful development of those to come after it; conversely, each part inhibits the production of more of itself. If decapitated flatworms are exposed to extracts of heads, the regeneration of their own heads is prevented. Such a complex interplay of stimulators and inhibitors is responsible for the successful regeneration of an integrated morphological structure.

vi)Annelids:

The segmented worms exhibit variable degrees of regeneration. The leeches, as already noted, are wholly lacking in the ability to replace lost segments, whereas the earthworms and various marine annelids (polychaetes) can often regenerate forward and backward. The expression of such regenerative capacities depends very much on the level of amputation. Anteriorly directed regeneration usually occurs best from cuts made through the front end of the worm, with little or no growth taking place from progressively more posterior bisections. Posteriorly directed regeneration is generally more common and extensive. Some species of worms replace the same number of segments as were lost. Hypomeric regeneration, in which fewer segments are produced than were removed, is more common, however.

Regeneration in Annelids

Anterior regeneration depends upon the presence of the central nerve cord. If this is cut or deflected from the wound surface, little or no forward regeneration may take place. Posterior regeneration requires the presence of the intestine, removal of which precludes the formation of hind segments. Thus, it would seem that no head will regenerate without a central nervous system, nor a tail without an opening.

vii) Arthropods:

Many insects and crustaceans regenerate legs, claws, or antennas with apparent ease. When insect legs regenerate, the new growth is not visible externally because it develops within the next proximal segment in the stump. Not until the following molt is it released from its confinement to unfold as a fully developed leg only slightly smaller than the original. In the case of crabs, regenerating legs bulge outward from the amputation stump. They are curled up within a cuticular sheath, not to be extended until the sheath is molted. Lobsters and crayfish regenerate claws and legs in a straightforward manner as direct outgrowths from the stumps. As in other crustaceans, however, these regenerates lie immobile within an enveloping cuticle and do not become functional until their sheath is shed at the next molt.

Regeneration in insects

In all arthropods regeneration is associated with molting, and therefore takes place only during larval or young stages. Most insects do not initiate leg regeneration unless there remains ample time prior to the next scheduled molt for the new leg to complete its development. If amputation is performed too late in the intermolt period, the onset of regeneration is delayed until after shedding; the regenerate then does not appear until the second molt. Metamorphosis into the adult stage marks the end of molting in insects, and adults accordingly do not regenerate amputated appendages.

ix) Crustaceans :

Crustaceans often tend to molt and grow throughout life. They therefore never lose the ability to grow back missing appendages. When a leg is lost, a new outgrowth appears even if the animal is not destined to molt for many months. Following a period of basal growth, during which a diminutive limb is produced, the regenerated part eventually ceases to elongate. Not until a few weeks before the next molt does it resume growth and complete its development, triggered by the hormones that induce molting.

x)Fishes:

Many different parts of the fish’s body will grow back. Plucked scales are promptly replaced by new ones, and amputated gill filaments can regenerate easily. The “whiskers,” or taste barbels, of the catfish grow back as perfect replicas of the originals. The most conspicuous regenerating structures in fishes, however, are the fins. When any of these are amputated, new fins grow out from the stumps and soon restore everything that was missing. Even the coloured stripes or spots that adorn some fins are reconstituted by new pigment cells that repopulate the regenerated part. Fin regeneration depends on an adequate nerve supply. If the nerves are cut leading into the fin, regeneration of neither the amputated fin nor excised pieces of the bony fin rays can take place.

regeneration of fins

xii) Amphibians:

Salamanders are remarkable for their ability to regenerate limbs. Larval frogs, or tadpoles, also possess this ability, but usually lose it when they become frogs. It is not known why frog legs do not regenerate, and under appropriate stimuli they can be induced to do so.

Tadpoles and salamanders can replace amputated tails. Tadpole tails have a stiff rod called the notochord for support, whereas salamanders possess a backbone, composed of vertebrae. Both tails contain a spinal cord. When the salamander regenerates its tail, the spinal cord grows back and segmental nerve-cell clusters (ganglia) differentiate. Tadpoles also regenerate their spinal cords, but not the associated ganglia. If the spinal cord is removed or destroyed in the salamander, no tail regeneration occurs; if it is removed from the tadpole tail, however, regeneration can proceed without it.

xii) Reptiles:

Lizards also regenerate their tails, especially in those species that have evolved a mechanism for breaking off the original tail when it is grasped by an enemy. When the lizard tail regenerates, however, it does not replace the segmented vertebrae. Instead, there develops a long tapering cartilaginous tube within which the spinal cord is located and outside of which are segmented muscles. The spinal cord of the lizard tail is necessary for regeneration, but the regenerated tail does not reproduce the ganglia that are normally associated with it. Occasionally, a side tail may be produced if the original tail is broken but not lost.

xiii) Birds:

Regeneration of amputated appendages in birds is not known to occur; however, they do replace their feathers as a matter of course. While most species shed and regenerate feathers one at a time so as not to be grounded, flightless birds, such as penguins, may molt them all at once. Male puffins cast off their colorful beaks after the mating season, but grow new ones the following year. In like manner, the dorsal keel on the upper beaks of male pelicans is shed and replaced annually.

Regeneration of birds

ix) Mammals:

Although mammals are incapable of regenerating limbs and tails, there are a few exceptional cases in which lost tissues are in fact regenerated. Not the least of these cases is the annual replacement of antlers in deer. These remarkable structures, which normally grow on the heads of male deer, consist of an inner core of bone enveloped by a layer of skin and nourished by a copious blood supply. During the growing season the antlers elongate by the proliferation of tissues at their growing tips. The rate of growth in some of the larger species may surpass one centimetre (0.39 inch) per day; the maximum rate of growth recorded for the elk is 2.75 centimetres (1.05 inches) per day. When the antlers have reached their full extent, the blood supply is constricted, and the skin, or velvet, peels off, thus revealing the hard, dead, bony antlers produced by the male deer in time for the autumn mating season. The regeneration of elk antlers spans about seven months. The following spring, the old antlers are shed and new ones grow to replace them.

Still another example of mammalian regeneration occurs in the case of the rabbit’s ear. When a hole is punched through the external ear of the rabbit, tissue grows in from around the edges until the original opening is reduced or obliterated altogether. This regeneration is achieved by the production of new skin and cartilage from the margins of the original hole. A similar phenomenon occurs in the case of the bat’s wing membrane.

Regeneration in Humans:

The regrowth of lost tissues or organs in the human body is being researched. Some tissues such as skin regrow quite readily; others have been thought to have little or no capacity for regeneration, but ongoing research suggests that there is some hope for a variety of tissues and organs .Human organs that have been regenerated include the bladder, vagina and the penis.

As are all metazoans, humans are capable of physiological regeneration (i.e. the replacement of cells during homeostatic maintenance that does not necessitate injury). For example, the regeneration of red blood cells via erythropoiesis occurs through the maturation of erythrocytes from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow, their subsequent circulation for around 90 days in the blood stream, and their eventual cell-death in the spleen. Another example of physiological regeneration is the sloughing and rebuilding of a functional endometrium during each menstrual cycle in females in response to varying levels of circulating estrogen and progesterone.

However, humans are limited in their capacity for reparative regeneration, which occurs in response to injury. One of the most studied regenerative responses in humans is the hypertrophy of the liver following liver injury. For example, the original mass of the liver is re-established in direct proportion to the amount of liver removed following partial hepatectomy,which indicates that signals from the body regulate liver mass precisely, both positively and negatively, until the desired mass is reached. This response is considered cellular regeneration (a form of compensatory hypertrophy) where the function and mass of the liver is regenerated through the proliferation of existing mature hepatic cells (mainly hepatocytes), but the exact morphology of the liver is not regained. This process is driven by growth factor and cytokine regulated pathways.

Regeneration in liver

Adult neurogenesis is also a form of cellular regeneration. Even in adult myocardium following infarction, proliferation is only found in around 1% of myocytes around the area of injury, which is not enough to restore function of cardiac muscle. However, this may be an important target for regenerative medicine as it implies that regeneration of cardiomyocytes, and consequently of myocardium, can be induced.

Another example of reparative regeneration in humans is fingertip regeneration

Yet another example of regeneration in humans is vas deferens regeneration, which occurs after a vasectomy and which results in vasectomy failure.

(note: I tried to present all important points, facts, examples of  some of the phyllum in the animal kingdom very briefly and with a good accuracy)~ the author, vetuniverse.blogspot.com

This article is Written / Authored by : Sahidul Islam on 1st dec, 2020

(All copyrights belongs to vetuniverse.blogsopt.com)

(No part of this article should be modified, reproduced, changed, reformed, copied in any forms without the proper permission from the author )

Cheetah -The fastest animal on land. Here are interesting fact about it.

Cheetah- The fastest Land animal

Scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus

Type: Mammals

Diet: Carnivore

Average Life span: 10 to 12 years (in wild)

Size: 3.5 to 4.5 feet; tail: 25.5 to 31.5 inches

Weight: 35 to 65 kgs

IUCN RED LIST STATUS: Vulnerable

Current trend in population: Decreasing 

Physical Character: The cheetah is a lightly built, spotted cat characterised by a small rounded head, a short snout, black tear-like facial streaks, a deep chest, long thin legs and a long tail. Its slender, canine-like form is highly adapted for speed, and contrasts sharply with the robust build of the big cats (genus Panthera). Cheetahs typically reach 67–94 cm (26–37 in) at the shoulder and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m (3.6 and 4.9 ft).The weight can vary with age, health, location, sex and subspecies; adults typically range between 20 and 65 kg . Cubs born in the wild weigh 150–300 g at birth, while those born in captivity tend to be larger and weigh around 500 g .Cheetahs are sexually dimorphic, with males larger and heavier than females, but not to the extent seen in other large cats.

The coat is typically tawny to creamy white or pale buff (darker in the mid-back portion). The chin, throat and underparts of the legs and the belly are white and devoid of markings. The rest of the body is covered with around 2,000 evenly spaced, oval or round solid black spots, each measuring roughly 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in). Each cheetah has a distinct pattern of spots which can be used to identify unique individuals. Besides the clearly visible spots, there are other faint, irregular black marks on the coat. Newly born cubs are covered in fur with an unclear pattern of spots that gives them a dark appearance—pale white above and nearly black on the underside.

 Head is small and more rounded compared to the big cats. Saharan cheetahs have canine-like slim faces. The ears are small, short and rounded; they are tawny at the base and on the edges and marked with black patches on the back. The eyes are set high and have round pupils.The whiskers, shorter and fewer than those of other felids, are fine and inconspicuous.The pronounced tear streaks (or malar stripes), unique to the cheetah, originate from the corners of the eyes and run down the nose to the mouth. The role of these streaks is not well understood—they may protect the eyes from the sun's glare (a helpful feature as the cheetah hunts mainly during the day), or they could be used to define facial expressions. The exceptionally long and muscular tail, with a bushy white tuft at the end, measures 60–80 cm (24–31 in). While the first two-thirds of the tail are covered in spots, the final third is marked with four to six dark rings or stripes.

The Speed: The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal. With acceleration that would leave most automobiles in the dust, a cheetah can go from 0 to 60 miles an hour in only three seconds. These big cats are quite nimble at high speed and can make quick and sudden turns in pursuit of prey. The cheetah is the fastest land animal. Estimates of the maximum speed attained range from 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph).A commonly quoted value is 112 km/h (70 mph), recorded in 1957, but this measurement is disputed. In 2012, an 11-year-old cheetah (named Sarah) from the Cincinnati Zoo set a world record by running 100 m (330 ft) in 5.95 seconds over a set run, recording a maximum speed of 98 km/h (61 mph) 

Diet & Hunting:

Cheetahs are active mainly during the day, whereas other carnivores such as leopards and lions are active mainly at night. Before unleashing their speed, cheetahs use exceptionally keen eyesight to scan their grassland environment for signs of prey—especially antelope and hares.  The diet of the Asiatic cheetah consists of livestock as well as chinkara, desert hare, goitered gazelle, urial and wild goats; in India cheetahs used to prey mostly on blackbuck This big cat is a daylight hunter that benefits from stealthy movement and a distinctive spotted coat that allows it to blend easily into high, dry grasses.

When the moment is right a cheetah will sprint after its quarry and attempt to knock it down. Such chases cost the hunter a tremendous amount of energy and are usually over in less than a minute. If successful, the cheetah will often drag its kill to a shady hiding place to protect it from opportunistic animals that sometimes steal a kill before the cheetah can eat. Cheetahs need only drink once every three to four days.

Breeding and Population:

The diploid number of chromosomes in the cheetah is 38, the same as in most other felids. Female cheetahs typically have a litter of three cubs and live with them for one and a half to two years. Young cubs spend their first year learning from their mother and practicing hunting techniques with playful games. Male cheetahs live alone or in small groups, often with their littermates.

Most wild cheetahs are found in eastern and southwestern Africa. These populations are under pressure as the wide-open grasslands they favor are disappearing at the hands of human settlers.

This article is Written & presented by: Sahidul Islam , 26th nov , 2020 (vetuniverse.blogspot.com)

(for more information and to contact please visit the author's profile)

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No two zebras are alike-The Zebra fingerprint, the importance of zebra stripes and other interesting facts. Learn here.

Some fast facts about zebras:

Phylum: Chordata

Family name: Equidae

Classification: Mammal

IUCN status: Plains zebra: Least Concern. Grevy’s zebra: Endangered. Mountain zebra: Vulnerable

Lifespan (in wild): 25 years

Weight: 200-450 kg

Body length: 2.2-2.5m

Top speed: 65km/h

Diet: Herbivore

Habitat: Grassland

A zebra

Is a zebra a horse?

Zebras are closely related to horses but they’re not the same species. They’re both in the Equidae family and they can even breed with each other.

The breeding between Zebra and horse: The offspring (zebroids) have different names dependent on the parents. A male zebra and female horse produces a zorse, and a female zebra and male horse produces hebra. 

Zebra Crossed with Horse

(Zebras can also breed with donkeys, to produce a zedonk.)

A zebra crossed with a donkey

Offspring of all crossovers are sterile, as zebras, horses and donkeys have different numbers of chromosomes.

The purpose of the zebra's unique black-and-white coat: Some have suggested that the stripes may help zebras camouflage themselves and escape from lions and other predators; avoid nasty bites from disease-carrying flies; or control body heat by generating small-scale breezes over the zebra's body when light and dark stripes heat up at different rates.

How do a zebra's stripes act as camouflage?

When all the zebras keep together as a big group, the pattern of each zebra's stripes blends in with the stripes of the zebras around it. Zoologists believe stripes offer zebras protection from predators in a couple of different ways.

The first is as simple pattern-camouflage, much like the type the military uses in its fatigue design­. The wavy lines of a zebra blend in with the wavy lines of the tall grass around it. It doesn't matter that the zebra's stripes are black and white and the lines of the grass are yellow, brown or green, because the zebra's main predator, the lion, is colorblind. The pattern of the camouflage is much more important than its color, when hiding from these predators. If a zebra is standing still in matching surroundings, a lion may overlook it completely.

This benefit may help an individual zebra in some situations, but the more significant means of protection has to do with zebra herds. Zebras usually travel in large groups, in which they stay very close to one another. Even with their camouflage pattern, it's highly unlikely a large gathering of zebras would be able to escape a lion's notice, but their stripes help them use this large size to their advantage. When all the zebras keep together as a big group, the patte­rn of each zebra's stripes blends in with the stripes of the zebras around it. This is confusing to the lion, who sees a large, moving, striped mass instead of many individual zebras. The lion has trouble picking out any one zebra, and so it doesn't have a very good plan of attack. It's hard for the lion to even recognize which way each zebra is moving: The lion's inability to distinguish zebras also makes it more difficult for it to target and track weaker zebras in the herd.

Zebra stripes: zebra stripes actually help zebras recognize one another. Stripe patterns are like zebra fingerprints: Every zebra has a slightly different arrangement. Zoologists believe this is how zebras distinguish who's who in a zebra herd. This certainly has significant benefits. A zebra mare and her foal can keep track of each other in the large herd, for example, and a zebra can very quickly distinguish its own herd from another

The species: Our planet is home to three different species of zebra, the plains zebra, Grevy’s zebra and mountain zebra, all three species are native to Africa.

The most common species is the plains zebra, which roams grasslands and woodland of eastern and southern Africa. The Grevy’s zebra can be found in dry, semi-desert areas of Kenya and Ethiopia, and the mountain zebra lives in mountainous and hilly habitats in Namibia, Angola and South Africa.

Food Habit: These cool creatures are herbivores and spend most of their day eating grass, and sometimes leaves, shrubs twigs and bark, too. Their teeth are well adapted for grazing, with sharp incisors at the front of their mouth to bite the grass, and large molars at the back for crushing and grinding.

Zebras are constantly on the move for fresh grass to eat and water to drink. Super stealthy creatures, they’ll travel thousands of kilometres in search of green pastures where they can fill their bellies and quench their thirst!

The sociality of zebras: Zebras are social animals and live together in large groups, called herds. As they migrate to new feeding grounds, ‘super herds’ may form consisting of thousands of individuals. They may team up with other grazers on their travels, too, such as antelope and wildebeest.

Within a herd, zebras tend to stay together in smaller family groups, made up of a dominant male, several females (called ‘mares’) and their young (called ‘foals’). When they are between one and three years old, males (or ‘stallions’) leave to join ‘bachelor herds’ (all-male groups), where they stay until they’re old enough and strong enough to compete for females.

A Zebra with it's Young one (Foal)

Their fierce fighting skills and strong social bonds help to protect zebras from predators, which include lions, leopards, hyenas and cheetahs. When under threat, these awesome animals form a semi-circle facing the attacker, and prepare to strike if need be. And if one of the group is wounded or injured, other zebras will circle around and attempt to drive off the hungry attacker. All for one and one for all!

A herd of Zebras (Really confusing )

Authored & published by: Sahidul Islam (vetuniverse.blogspot.com)

Dated : the 25th nov 2020

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Dolphins- Friends of Human but Why are they aggressive sometimes??

What are dolphins? They Look like Fish. Are they Fish?? 

Dolphins may swim through the water as gracefully as any fish, but they are not fish. 

Dolphins are mammals. Because they:

i) are warm-blooded,

ii) breathe through lungs, not gills. Dolphins, like whales, need to periodically come to the surface to replenish their air supply. They have blowholes that they close while diving, and then open at the surface for air.

iii) give birth to live young, produce milk for their young, 

iv) have body hair (doesn’t look like it, but they do!), 

v) Their body is able to regulate its own temperature, so they stay warm even when the water temperatures around them are cold. 

Adaptation: Marine mammals have also adapted in some special ways to thrive in an aquatic environment. For instance, dolphins exchange 80% of the air in their lungs with each breath, while humans are only capable of exchanging 17%. Marine mammals also have a greater capacity for oxygen storage in their lungs, blood, and muscles. All of this creates a more efficient use of the oxygen in their bodies and is what allows many species to dive for extended periods of time.

Live Birth: Dolphins give birth to live young and do not lay eggs. They can get pregnant on average every two to four years once they're mature, although some species can have 5-7 years between births. Dolphin calves tend to stay close to their mothers for a few years before venturing off on their own. However, some calves will stay with their mothers for a lifetime.

Nursing: Along with gestating their young, dolphins produce milk to nourish them. It may seem tricky for calves to nurse underwater, but dolphins have adapted some special physiological traits to work around this issue.

Body Hair: Newborn calves have hairs on their rostrum (their beak) that fall out soon after birth This is believed to be an evolutionary remnant from when they lived on land.

Are Dolphins Intelligent?

Dolphins are considered one of the world's most intelligent animals, and they have several cognitive abilities that set them apart. Many researchers consider intelligence to be a combination of perception, communication, and problem-solving. You can see dolphin intelligence in action in the way they communicate and use tools.

How do Dolphins Communicate?

One of the fascinating things about these marine mammals is their complex methods of communication. So how do dolphins communicate? There are three main ways: whistles, echolocation, and social communication. 

Communication is a big part of how dolphins socialize and hunt. They have the ability to echolocate with a series of clicks, allowing them to find other dolphins or similar species and prey even in the low-light conditions of the ocean. Dolphins also have a complicated method of communicating with each other. From an outside perspective, dolphins may seem to communicate much like humans. However, researchers are still investigating both how dolphins communicate and what information they are able to pass to each other. Dolphins communicate through more than just clicks and whistles. They can also slap the water's surface with their tail or bodies, which is officially termed breaching.

Dolphins can make squeaks, buzzes, whistles, clicks, and a wide array of other crazy noises.. These whistles can be heard by others of the species from miles away. Their whistle repertoire can change as they get older, and dolphins who bond with one another can learn each others signature whistles and often copy each other’s whistles.

 Mechanism of Dolphin communication and navigation: Echolocation serves for both communication and for navigation. Echolocation is seeing with sound, much like sonar on a submarine. The dolphin emits a sound and then listens for the echo as that sound bounces off of objects, these sound waves travel back to the dolphin. Dolphins are able to get much more information out of the sound than humans. This includes the size and shape of objects or obstructions near them and even what material they are made of.

Why Dolphins sometimes turns aggressive???

Dolphins are not water toys or pets. Truly wild dolphins will bite when they are angry, frustrated, or afraid. They are disturbed when people try to swim with them. Dolphins who have become career beggars can be pushy, aggressive, and threatening when they don't get the handout they expect. This can occur when a dolphin has been mistreated, has been isolated from its family and friends for an extended amount of time, when they are placed in small tanks for long periods of time or when they come into contact with loud and/or large object’s that are frightening and unfamiliar to them of such as loud boat engines or unfamiliar acoustic sounds. They show occasional signs of aggression when they have been isolated for long periods of time in an unnatural environment due to the fact that they are a very social species and prefer open space and freedom.

Fortunately dolphin attacks are extremely rare and the likelihood of being injured or seriously harmed by a dolphin is even less rare.

Protect Wild Dolphins: Admire Them from a Distance

It is against the law to feed or harass wild dolphins. For the dolphins' sake, and for your safety, please don't feed, swim with, or harass wild dolphins.

It is illegal to feed or harass wild dolphins.

Dolphins have a reputation for being friendly, but they are actually wild animals who should be treated with caution and respect. Interactions with people change dolphin behavior for the worse. They lose their natural wariness, which makes them easy targets for vandalism and shark attack. 

Let the Wild Ones Stay Wild

Feeding or attempting to feed wild dolphins is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and implementing regulations.

While many dolphins are often friendly, outgoing, curious or just sedentary they have been known to attack humans and other marine mammals when they feel threatened or are highly stressed due to unwelcome situations and/or circumstances.

(Authored/ Writen and Presented by: Sahidul Islam , dated : the 20th nov, 2020)

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The world's "Smallest" and "largest" birds. Know them here.

The World's smallest bird 

Intoduction: The World's smallest bird is The Bee Hummingbird ,zunzuncito or Helena hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is a species of hummingbird  , which is found only in Cuba, is an absolute miniature, even among hummingbirds. It measures a mere two and a quarter inches long. Bee Hummingbirds are often mistaken for bees. They weigh less than two grams — less than a dime. That’s half the weight of our backyard hummers, like the Ruby-throated or Rufous. Females weigh 2.6 g  and are 6.1 cm (2.4 in) long, and are slightly larger than males, with an average weight of 1.95 g and length of 5.5 cm (2.2 in).Like all hummingbirds, it is a swift, strong flier.

A Hummingbird

Physical Appearance: The male has a green pileum and bright red throat, iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, bluish upper parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly greyish white. The male is smaller than the female. The female is green above, whitish below, with white tips to the outer tail feathers. Compared to other small hummingbirds, which often have a slender appearance, the bee hummingbird looks rounded and plump.

The brilliant, iridescent colors of the bee hummingbird's feathers make the bird seem like a tiny jewel. The iridescence is not always noticeable, but depends on the viewing angle. The bird's slender, pointed bill is adapted for probing deep into flowers. 

Flight: In flight, the Bee Hummingbird’s tiny wings beat 80 times a second. And during a courtship flight, they beat up to 200 times per second! 

Diet:

The bee hummingbird has been known to visit 10 plant species. I am placing scientific names of these as because local names varies from place to place. These flowers include Hamelia patens , Chrysobalanus icaco, Pavonia paludicola , Forsteronia corymbosa , Lysiloma latisiliquum , Turnera ulmifolia , Antigonon leptopus , Clerodendrum aculeatum, Tournefortia hirsutissima , and Cissus obovata . They occasionally eat insects and spiders. In a typical day, bee hummingbirds will consume up to half their body weight in food.

The bee hummingbird feeds mainly on nectar, and an occasional insect or spider, by moving its tongue rapidly in and out of its mouth.

Ecological Importance:  In the process of feeding, the bird picks up pollen on its bill and head. When it flies from flower to flower, it transfers the pollen. In this way, it plays an important role in plant reproduction. In one day, the bee hummingbird may visit 1,500 flowers.

Habitat and distribution:

The bee hummingbird is endemic to the entire Cuban archipelago, including the main island of Cuba and the Isla de la Juventud in the West Indies. Its population is fragmented, found in Cuba's mogote areas in Pinar del Rio province and more commonly in Zapata Swamp (Matanzas province) and in eastern Cuba.

Breeding: The bee hummingbird's breeding season is March–June. They lay up to two eggs at a time. Males in the “bee” hummingbird clade court females with sound from tail‐feathers, which flutter during display dives. Using bits of cobwebs, bark, and lichen, the female builds a cup-shaped nest that is about 2.5 cm (0.98 in) in diameter. Nests have been built on single clothespins. She lines the nest with soft plant fibers. There she lays her eggs, which are no bigger than a coffee bean. She alone incubates the eggs and raises the young. The female lays only two eggs at a time, each about the size of a coffee bean.

Coevolution with flowersThe bee hummingbird interaction with the flowers that supply nectar is a notable example of bird–plant coevolution with its primary food source (flowers for nectar).

Eggs of Hummingbird  (Size comparision, image representation)

A hummingbird size representation

A hummingbird size representation (image)

The world's largest bird

Introduction: Struthio is a genus of birds in the order Struthioniformes, whose members are the ostriches. It is part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There are two living species of ostrich, the common ostrich and the Somali ostrich. They are large flightless birds of Africa who lay the largest eggs of any living land animal. With the ability to run at 70 km/h (43.5 mph), they are the fastest birds on land. It is farmed worldwide , particularly for its feathers as they are used as decoration and feather dusters. Its skin is also used for leather products.

Distribution and habitat:

Today ostriches are only found natively in the wild in Africa, where they occur in a range of open arid and semi-arid habitats such as savannas and the Sahel, both north and south of the equatorial forest zone. The Somali ostrich occurs in the Horn of Africa, having evolved isolated from the common ostrich by the geographic barrier of the East African Rift. 

Species: There are nine known species in this genus, of which seven are extinct.

The living  species are: Struthio camelus (Common ostrich) and Struthio molybdophanes (Somali ostrich)

Ostrich on run

Ostrich egg size (left) vs chicken egg size(right)

Ostrich with her young ones

Ostrich guarding her Eggs

The largest extant bird species is the ostrich (Struthio camelus), a member of the Struthioniformes family from the plains of Africa and Arabia. A large male ostrich can reach a height of 2.8 metres (9.2 feet) and weigh over 156 kilograms . Ostrich eggs can weigh 1.4 kg  and are the largest eggs in the world today.

Notable: Donot confuse with The extant bird with the largest wingspan (Largest Flying bird), the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) of the sub-Antarctic oceans. 

(I shall be wring on it in upcoming times, stay tuned)

Written/Authored and Presented by: Sahidul Islam (visit the profile of the blog for more info and contact)

dated: The 17th Nov, 2020

(All copyrights belong to https:vetuniverse.blogspot.com, No part of this writing should be transformed, copied, reproduced in any form without proper persmission from the author.)