Hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii)

Hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) is a species of plant in the Araucariaceae, a large tree, can live up to 450 years, up to 60 meters tall, cylindrical and straight trunk, brown bark, easy to peel, naturally split, widely grown in dry rainforests.

A. cunninghamii has young leaves shaped like awls, 1-2 cm long, about 2 mm thick at the base, like scales and curved. Adult leaves are 1-2 cm long and 4 mm wide.

The fruit is oval, 8-10 cm long, 6-8 cm in diameter and takes about 18 months to mature. The fruit disintegrates when ripe to release edible seeds like nuts.

High quality wood that is very important for the plywood industry and is also used for furniture, veneer, joinery, paneling, particle board, flooring and boats.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Araucariaceae
Genus: Araucaria
Section: Eutacta
Species: Araucaria cunninghamii
Variety: Araucaria cunninghamii var. cunninghamii, Araucaria cunninghamii var. papuana

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Sweetpotato bug (Physomerus grossipes)

Kutu ketela or sweetpotato bug ( Physomerus grossipes ) is an insect species in Coreidae, brown with black legs, adults growing about 2 cm long, oval shaped, segmented antennas, heavily veined membranes, metathoracic odor glands and enlarged rear tibia. P. grossipes generally live in Leguminosae and Convolvulaceae especially sweet potato ( Physomerus grossipes ), pink morning glory ( Ipomoea carnea ), purple beans ( Vigna unguiculata ), Asian pigeonwings ( Clitoria ternatea ) and common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ). Sweetpotato bugs suck liquid from the stem which causes plants to wither and disrupt fruit production. P. grossipes places eggs at the bottom of the leaves or stems or grass around them. Females are very protective of their children, keeping eggs and nymphs from predators as the most famous example of maternal care in Coreidae. Even so, about 20% of eggs are eaten by predators such as ants and 13% are lost by parasitoid predation by chalcid wasps which lay eggs in egg...

Yellow potter wasp (Delta campaniforme)

Yellow potter wasp ( Delta campaniforme ) is a species of animal in Vespidae, solitary wasp, shiny yellow, shiny black, dull black and brown with a yellow striped belly, a long and narrow waist, a nest built using mud and a circle attached to a cliff. D. campaniforme has a black head with a yellow plot in the center and two transverse plots on the right and left. A pair of black eyes. A pair of antennas, long, yellow with a black base and tip. The back is yellow and black. A large black plot semicircle at the top of the front. The two plots form a circular line at the top of the back. A pair of wings is brownish black and transparent. The stomach has the shape of a water droplet, pointed tip, black with yellow and black segments, alternating to form stripes. Linear folds on the sides. The underside of the front is brown and large. The middle section has alternating yellow and black segments that form stripes. The stomach and back are connected by a long, narrow, downward curved pipe...

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