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Hainan Black Crested Gibbon
By: Janaki P., Shreeja S., and Isha P.
By: Janaki P., Shreeja S., and Isha P.
Have you ever wanted to meet an endangered monkey? Probably not, right? That’s because you don’t know their amazing features and habitats, and the main reason they are endangered.
What is the Hainan black crested gibbon?
What is the Hainan black crested gibbon?
The Hainan black crested gibbon is an endangered gibbon species. Male Hainan gibbons are completely black, whereas females are a golden-orange tint color. They spend their entire lives living on the forest canopy, which is the highest stage of the forest. Their bodies are specially adapted to survive on the top of the forest. Hainan gibbons are found only in China.
Diet
Diet
The diet of the Hainan Gibbon is restricted to the availability of the select rainforests that
they reside in. They are known as frugivores, meaning they primarily feed on fruits and fruiting trees such as Lychee, a Chinese tropical tree with pink and white fruit. They eat the fruits of over 40 different plants and sometimes including the leaves, shoots, buds, and insects on or in the plants. Occasionally Hainan Gibbons will eat proteins but in insufficient quantities. When gibbons drink, they use their limbs to dip in water and then lick it off of their fur. They also use their hands to cup water and drink it. The Hainan Gibbons spend much of the day foraging for food. All the while they must also compete for food with other primates and fruit-eating birds, especially during the months between February and April when tree species are limited to less than a quarter of the 40 food plants available.
Habitat
Habitat
Currently, since Hainan black crested gibbons are endangered, they are located in the Bawangling National Nature Reserve in China. Hainan gibbons are endemic to China and are not found anywhere else. The entire population of about 28 individuals is located in a 15 km2 fragment of suboptimal forest in Bawangling National Nature Reserve on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. They naturally live in broad-leaved forests and semi-deciduous monsoon forests. They like swinging on high tree branches like monkeys usually do. But, they are NOT monkeys.
Do Hainan gibbons live in groups?
Do Hainan gibbons live in groups?
A group of gibbons is known as a family, but not specifically known as a group. One “group” is usually known to have 3-4 members in each family. The majority of families are monogamous, which means they only have one mate for life. Each family usually has a male and a female that pairs and then mates for life and have offspring every 2-4 years.
Why Are Hainan gibbons endangered?
Why Are Hainan gibbons endangered?
Unfortunately, Hainan gibbons are endangered! This is because they are losing their habitat due to too much deforestation! Humans are cutting down way too many trees every day. Also, sadly, humans poach Hainan black-crested gibbons! This is causing their population to decline greatly.
Sources: discoverwildlife.com
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Exploring Our Dark Universe: The Euclid Space Mission
By: Lolithya K.
By: Lolithya K.
Our universe is extraordinary, it has wonders we see and wonders we don’t. Those things we don’t see are dark matter. They can’t be seen directly from your eyes. You would need a special camera to see dark matter. So, what if we send a spacecraft with a special camera to scan and see how much of this dark matter is in our universe? Well, that’s what the Euclid project by the ESA, also known as the European Space Agency, does!
Euclid was the name of the Greek mathematician who was famous for creating the basic rules of geometry. He is also known as the “father of geometry”. The spacecraft will be about 4.5 meters tall and 3.1 meters wide.
The Euclid spacecraft will be launched on a Falcon 9 in July 2023. Once the spacecraft launches it’ll be put into orbit and then sent off to space. After its takeoff into space, the spacecraft will use its camera to questions we have about dark matter and the universe.
Although the launch hasn't happened yet, people hope this project led by the ESA will help us learn more about our universe and more.
Sources:https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid_overview#:~:text=Euclid%20will%20launch%20on%20a,Cape%20Canaveral%2C%20Florida%2C%20USA
Endangered Animals 101
By: Brielle J. & Riya M.
By: Brielle J. & Riya M.
Have you ever wondered why you can never find other animals? Well, that's because they’re extinct. In this article, we will talk about a few endangered animals.
The Amur Leopard
The Amur Leopard
The Amur leopards’ scientific name is Panthera Pardus Orientalis. These mammals weigh 70 to 105 pounds and can grow up to be 7 feet. A male’s mass is 70 to 110 and a female’s mass is 55 to 94. Their diet is carnivorous, so they eat deer, boar, and rodents for meals.
They can live for 10 to 15 years. These leopards sleep during the day in cool caves or sheltered spots, so they can hunt in the cold”, “dark night. Get this – an amur leopard can tackle a deer from 10 feet away. Amazing, right?!?!
This animal is going extinct because of habitat degradation, poaching and prey depletion, inbreeding and disease, and competitive interactions with tigers.
The African Forest Elephant
The African Forest Elephant
This animal is one of the top endangered species with only a few elephants left. This elephant is a vegetarian, or to say it's a herbivore. You might just assume that they eat vegetables. They do, but they eat bark from trees, too. Sometimes they eat seeds that are good for these elephants.
These elephants, scientific name Loxodonto Cyclotis, can live about 60 years. Their mass, like all animals, changes often, so we can’t estimate what an elephant's mass is, but they can grow beyond 15 feet!
The bigger one elephant, the warmer it can be. This is different from other animals because other animals depend on their fur to keep them warm, while these animals rely on their size. This doesn’t mean that smaller animals aren’t able to stay warm. It means that they need another source to stay warm.
The Yangtze Finless Porpoise
The Yangtze Finless Porpoise
This animal isn’t one with land. More like with the sea. The Yangtze Finless Porpoise needs to eat like all animals. So what do they eat? They eat animals from the ocean such as clownfish and other underwater mammals. Finless porpoises need an abundant food supply for survival. These animals are usually found in China in the Yangtze River area. Though the animals are cool, there are currently only below 3,500 of them left in the wild.
Quokka 101
By: Janaki P.
By: Janaki P.
If you’re lucky enough to meet a Quokka, you’ll probably break out in a grin at the adorable creature. Quokkas are known for their irresistibly cute smiles, deeming these creatures the “World’s Happiest Animal”. These mammals are one of the smallest wallaby species in Australia. They have thick gray-brown, short, rounded ears, a 24-31 cm long tail, and shorter hind legs than most macropods. Their bodies are 40-54 cm long and weigh about 2.7-4.2 kg.
Quokkas are herbivores, so they eat the native grasses and munch on a mixed group of stems, barks, leaves, and shoots. But these creatures tend to prefer newly-grown plants to old ones, which is why they live in areas corresponding to fires. A study found that flowering plants of the genus Guichenotia are one of the quokka's favorite foods. As anyone who has been to Rottnest would know, fresh water is in short supply, so it's just as well that Quokkas can survive on very little of it – lasting up to a month without a drink. They also have a remarkable ability to regulate their body temperature, being able to cope with temperatures as high as 44°C.
Since Quokkas only live for 10 years, they start breeding at about 18 months. In the wild, female Quokkas can produce 17 offspring over a lifetime, with about two joeys being born each year. However, the breeding season on Rottnest Island is shorter, so the mother Quokka only gives birth to one joey each year. The young will remain in the pouch for about 6 months. After the joey leaves the pouch, it will continue to feed on its mother’s milk for about an extra 2 months or so. Joeys are taught to eat other food at the age of 8 months.
The Quokkas are listed as vulnerable. Generally speaking, human impact has also affected Quokka numbers. Human activities such as clearing for agricultural development, the spread of housing, and logging have contributed to this, as well as recreational activities like camping. Quokkas inhabit wetlands, shrublands, and forests. Most Quokkas take shelter in thickets or other cool, shady, protected areas during the day.
They return to the same shelter to sleep in at night after the day’s adventures. In the summer, when it is hot, male and female Quokkas may fight aggressively to determine the ownership of the best, shady area.
It's no surprise that the largest Quokka population is on Rottnest Island, specifically located on the sandy beaches and forests of a car-free oasis.
Natural predators of the Quokkas are dingoes and birds of prey; introduced dogs, cats, and foxes have led to sudden population declinations in the wild. When under attack it appears that the Quokkas have a strategy to avoid conflict in the first place. The strategy is to run through dense grasses and shrubs.
In the end, Quokkas are the world’s happiest animals which are unfortunately endangered.
Sources: Fun facts about the Quokka, the happiest animal on earth
Meteor Crash Reveals Hug Chunks Of Ice On Mars
By: Aayush K.
By: Aayush K.
On December 24, 2021, NASA's InSight lander recorded a meteor crash on Mars. At first, scientists had no idea what had caused the earthquake. That changed in February 2022 when the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted a new crater on Mars's surface.
Researchers realized that a meteor had struck Mars. The space rock is believed to be about 16 to 39 feet in diameter.
The small rock would have burned in Earth's atmosphere. However, the meteor easily pierced through the thin Martian atmosphere. The 492-foot wide and 70-foot deep crater is not Mars's most prominent, but the biggest one formed since NASA scientists began observing Mars.
The space rock helped uncover vast chunks of ice buried by the martian equator. The crazy thing is that it’s by the equator. By examining this ice, scientists can better understand prior climate conditions on Mars, and how the ice remained there for so long. The crater from this meteor's impact is 150 meters across and 21 meters deep. Some of the crater material was launched as far as 37 kilometers away.
The images captured by the orbiter and seismic data recorded by InSight make the impact one of the largest craters in our solar system ever observed.
Many people had reactions. "The image of the impact was
unlike any I had seen before, with the massive crater, the exposed ice, and the dramatic blast zone preserved in the Martian dust," said Liliya Posiolova, Orbital Science Operations lead for the orbiter at Malin Space Science Systems.”
Ingrid Daubar, InSight impact science lead, said, ''It was immediately clear that this is the biggest new crater we've ever seen.” She also said, "It's about 500 feet wide or about two city blocks across.”
The ice beneath the Martian surface could be used for drinking water, and growing crops and plants by future astronauts. And the fact that the ice was found so near the equator, the warmest region on Mars might make it an ideal place to land missions to the red planet.
Current Events in Space
By: Daniel H.
By: Daniel H.
In a few decades, we might be able to go to Mars, but before that, what's going to happen? I love space and hopefully, there’s some space fans out there.
Visible Planets
The first thing is that you will be able to see Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn at night in November and December. We can see Neptune around 1:00 a.m. and Uranus at 6:09 a.m., but bring some binoculars.
Mars News
Now, we know that Nasa and SpaceX are helping man or womankind to go to Mars, so you ask what is happening, and I say what is going to happen? First, the Mars Curiosity rover has traveled about 3669 sols. Perseverance has been traveling for 86888.4 days. No missions are coming near today, but a mission in the future I’m hoping for is Dragonfly.
One Fact
The Artemis 1 rocket ship has orbited around the moon after 50 years. This historical event happened in November 16, 2022.
Source: Time and Date, NASA
NASA Artemis Missions: To the Moon, Mars, and Beyond
By: Lolithya K.
By: Lolithya K.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like after we colonize the Moon and Mars? This dream may be reality in a few years, thanks to NASA. Let’s find out how NASA could end up taking us to the Moon and Mars.
First, the name Artemis was picked because according to Greek mythology, Apollo was the sibling of Artemis, and the name Apollo was used for a group of missions during the 1950s and 60s. The first mission, which happened recently, had no crew, but in the future, the other missions will be crewed. The missions will start at Kennedy Space Center, the same place the Apollo missions started.
How this entire mission becomes reality is complicated but genius. The crew will be inside the Orion spacecraft, which will help them escape and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. The spacecraft will then be put into a rocket known as the SLS (Space Launch System). This rocket is more powerful than the Saturn V used during the Apollo missions in many ways. First, the rocket launches and escapes Earth’s atmosphere, later entering its orbit. Second, the rocket waits for the perfect moment to exit the orbit to
get to the Moon. Finally, it escapes the orbit flying to our moon. The orbit won’t be circular though; it will be elliptical, similar to an egg. A satellite will then be sent out of the aircraft. In future missions, people will be in the satellite to do work maintaining the systems inside it. The rocket will then return to Earth.
This is how they will colonize the moon. Colonization for Mars will happen. It’s just not going to happen right now.
Source: Nasa.gov
6 New Species You Probably Never Knew Existed
6 New Species You Probably Never Knew Existed
By: Saahir B. & Navath M.
By: Saahir B. & Navath M.
Do you think you’ve heard the weirdest animal's name? From a camouflaging slug to a millipede named after Taylor Swift, these animals will surprise you with their very existence!
Giant Keelback Slug
As the name Giant Keelback Slug suggests, this slug is pretty big: as big as a medium-sized carrot. This slug originates from Europe. It hasn't been discovered earlier because it acts like a spy. This slug's color varies from brick red to deep black, and it is just another slug, as we don’t know if this slug has any other abilities or features.
Chiriquí Fire Salamander
Though this salamander isn’t on fire, this aptly named creature’s skin is fire red. Its origin is in Panama and is being researched by Panamanian scientists. You probably want to see one, but chances are you won’t because they are a critically endangered species.
Rose-Veiled Fairy Wrasse
Looks like the story of the rainbow fish is true because this fish is full of
vibrant colors. At first, people thought this was just a variant of a regular fish -which it is - BUT NO! We had to have a real-life rainbow fish. This animal eats zooplankton and is located in the Maldives. So far, this species hasn’t been located anywhere else besides the Maldives. The real-life rainbowfish is pretty cool, and I think we should call it the real-life rainbowfish or its scientific name Realio Rainbowish Fisher.
Tapir Valley Tree Frog
This is the best frog that has ever existed. This frog is located in the Tapir Valley Nature Reserve giving its name, the Tapir Valley Tree Frog. This frog is part of a hylid species frog. Donald Valera Soto discovered this frog. One day, he heard a strange frog croak, and bam "the" world's best frog was found. Its voice is considered one of the most shrill calls.
Sponge Crab
This is the cutest crab ever, and crabs are pretty ugly. This crab was located near Denmark. This crab is covered by fur and has got to be one of the most stylish crabs in the ocean. This was discovered because one of these crabs washed up on a shore. This crab belongs to the Dromiidae family. Speaking of which, the Dromiidae family is the family of sponges in a sense.
Nannaria Swiftae
The moment you’ve all been waiting for…the millipede named after Taylor Swift! To top it all off, this millipede is located in America! The person who found the Swifttae is Dr. Derek Hennan, and he, as you can tell, is a huge Taylor Swift fan. He also named this millipede after his wife. Lastly, it is one of the 17 newest species.
Source: Discover Wildlife
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