HELLEN KELLER - LADY WITH THE RADICAL VISION

Helen Keller was born in Tusumbia, Alabama in USA in 1880. She lost her hearing and sight due to a illness when she was less than two years old. She was plunged into a  dark silent world , from which  she was rescued by the perseverance and love of a woman called Anne Sullivan. An educator for the blind. she became Helen Keller's teacher and life-long companion. Anne made ! Helen hold a doll in one hand and spelt the word on to her other hand. Soon Helen mastered her first word DOLL. Helen willed herself to learn to speak and write, She completed her-college education with distinction. Thereafter, she devoted her tile to the cause of the blind, becoming an inspiration to the disabled the world over Her first book, an autobiography, The Story of My Life  was published in 1902. This was followed by other books, The World I Live In, Out Of the Dark , Hellen keller’s Journal and Let Us Have faith. Keller lived to the old age of 88.

The waterwheel plant is a free-floating aquatic plant. It is carnivorous and traps its prey with the help of clam-like  lobes present on the tip of each whorl of the leaf. The loblis Ira lined with trigger hairs. When small aquatic invertebrates floating In the water come Into contact with these hairs, the lobes snap shut. This process of trapping the  prey takes less than half  a second, one of the fastest examples of plant movement ever recorded. The waterwheel plant is So called because its leaves are arranged in 5-9 wheels around the stem. The floating stems of the plant reach a length  of  6-10  cm and air sacks in the petioles of the leaves help it to float rapidly. 

Long-horned Grasshopper -katydids

KATYCHOS are insects related to the cricket family. They are sometimes called long-horned grasshoppers due to their unusually long antennae winch may sometimes exceed their body length. The Insects live In bushes and trees and are powerful jumpers. Although many species do not fly. they Butter their wings while taking long leaps. Many katydids have wings that look like leaves. Others that are pink or brown too display remarkable camouflage skills to  avoid predators. Katydids are known to reproduce frequently and some species are considered agricultural pests. The name katydid is believed to have originated from its calls which sound like the words 'katy did'. The insect is found in tropical regions of the world.

Fiddler crabs

SOME years ago a scientist studying the courtship of Fiddler crabs observed that there was one particular female that seemed to attract all the males the moment she came out of her burrow. At about the same time another scientist in another part of the world who was studying cuttlefishes noticed that whenever a certain female cuttlefish swam by, all the males in the area gravitated towards her, even those who were already courting other females. Glamorous females,  it appears, come in all shapes, sizes and species!

The Secretary Bird

 

THE Secretary bird is so called because its crest of black feathers resembles a quill-pen which European clerks in the last century used to stick in their wigs. The bird has to run to launch itself into the air but once air-borne it flies well. The Secretary bird, however, spends most of its time on the ground striding up and down in grassy areas looking for food which consists of insects, rodents and snakes which it tramples to death with its powerful feet. The Secretary bird is an inhabitant of Africa.

Proboscis Monkey

Proboscis Monkey

 

 

 

 

The Proboscis Monkey AT around the seventh year of its life a strange thing starts happening to the nose of the male proboscis monkey: it changes colour and starts growing longer. The nose might eventually grow to about 7 inches and hang below the mouth like a trunk. Sometimes, the monkey has to hold his nose aside while feeding! The nose development occurs only in the males and the purpose of the long nose has still not been determined.

King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah snake

Location and Habitat

King cobras are located throughout southeast Asia. They can be found in parts of India, China, Malaysia and Indonesia. They also live on some of the islands of southeast Asia such as Java and Borneo. Their habitats include dense forests and bamboo thickets, usually near swamps, rivers or streams. They may also be found in fields or agricultural areas.

Diet

A large portion of king cobras' diets consists of other snakes. They may also feed on rodents or lizards. The venom of king cobras is not the most toxic in the world; however, they can inject large amounts of venom when they strike.

Size and Description

King cobras are the longest venomous snakes in the world. They average between 10 - 15 feet in length, and have the ability to lift one-third of their bodies straight into the air while the rest of their bodies remain on the ground. King cobras are smaller than some types of pythons and constrictors, but are very dangerous nonetheless. They are among the most venomous snakes in the world, and a bite from a king cobra can be deadly.

King cobras are visually intruiging. They may be various colors, from a light tan or green color to a dark brown color. The scales on king cobras' heads resemble armor plates, and often have a shimmery apprearance. Below the head of the snakes are ribs. These ribs can spread and become the most famous aspect of king cobras, the "hood". By opening their hoods, they will give the appearance of being larger than they actually are in an effort to drive predators away without conflict. This is mainly a defensive mechanism.

King cobras have very good eyesight, and can see prey as far as 300 feet away. They also can flick their tongues to pick up scents. By combining these two different senses, king cobras are deadly predators. King cobras have two short fangs that they will use to inject venom into their victims. This will paralyze their victims and eventually kill them. Once the victims have been struck, king cobras will swallow them whole.

Reproduction

Adding to their "kingly" stature, female king cobras build large nests for their eggs, and may be the only snakes in the world that do so. They will usually lay 20 or more eggs in the nest, and then the females will incubate and protect the eggs until they hatch by coiling their long bodies in the nests on top of them.