Okapi Facts (Okapia johnstoni)

The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) has stripes like a zebra, but it is actually a member of the family Giraffidae. It is most closely related to the giraffe. Like giraffes, okapis have long, black tongues, hair-covered horns called ossicones, and an unusual gait of stepping with front and back legs on one side at a time. However, okapis are smaller than giraffes and only the males have ossicones. Fast Facts: Okapi Scientific Name: Okapia johnstoniCommon Names: Okapi, forest giraffe, zebra giraffe, Congolese giraffeBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 5 feet tall at the shoulderWeight: 440-770 poundsLifespan: 20-30 yearsDiet: HerbivoreHabitat: Democratic Republic of the CongoPopulation: Fewer than 10,000Conservation Status: Endangered Description The okapi stands about 4 feet 11 inches tall at the shoulder, is about 8 feet 2 inches long, and weighs between 440 and 770 pounds. It has big, flexible ears, a long neck, and white stripes and rings on its legs. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism. Females are a couple of inches taller than males, reddish-colored, and have whorls of hair on their heads. Males are chocolate brown and have hair-covered ossicones on their heads. Both males and females have gray faces and throats. Okapis have long tongues. Males have horn-like growths on their heads. Andra Boda / EyeEm / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Okapis are native to canopy rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. However, the species is now extinct in Uganda. Okapis may be found in forests at altitudes between 1,600 and 4,000 feet, but they will not remain in habitats near human settlements. Okapis live in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. U. Schrà ¶ter /  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Diet Okapis are herbivores. They feed on rainforest understory foliage, including grasses, ferns, fungi, tree leaves, buds, and fruit. Okapis use their 18-inch tongues to browse for plants and groom themselves. Behavior Except for breeding, okapis are solitary animals. Females stay within small home ranges and share common defecation sites. Males continuously migrate throughout their large ranges, using urine to mark territory as they move. Okapis are most active during daylight hours, but may forage a few hours during darkness. Their eyes contain a large number of rod cells, giving them excellent night vision. Baby Okapi at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Safari Park Reproduction and Offspring Mating may occur at any time of the year, but females only give birth every two years. Rut and estrous occur every 15 days. Males and females court each other by circling, licking, and smelling each other. Gestation lasts 440 to 450 days and results in a single calf. The calf can stand within 30 minutes of birth. Calves resemble their parents, but they have long manes and long white hairs within their stripes. The female hides her calf and nurses it infrequently. Calves might not defecate for the first couple of months following birth, presumably to help them hide from predators. The calves are weaned at 6 months of age. Females reach sexual maturity at 18 months, while males develop horns after one year and are mature at 2 years of age. The okapis average lifespan is between 20 and 30 years. Imran Azhar / Getty Images Conservation Status The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies the okapi conservation status as endangered. The population has been declining dramatically, so there may be fewer than 10,000 remaining animals in the wild. Its difficult to count okapis because of their habitat, so population estimates are based on dung surveys. Threats The okapi population was devastated by a decade-long civil war in their habitat. Although protected under Congolese law, okapis are poached for bushmeat and for their skins. Other threats include habitat loss from mining, human settlement, and logging. While okapis face dire threats in their natural habitat, the Okapi Conservation Project works with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to conserve the species. Around 100 okapis live in zoos. Some of the zoos participating in the program are the Bronx Zoo, Houston Zoo, Antwerp Zoo, London Zoo, and Ueno Zoo. Sources Hart, J. A. and T. B. Hart. Ranging and feeding behaviour of okapi (Okapia johnstoni) in the Ituri Forest of Zaire: Food Limitation in a Rain-Forest Herbivore. Symposium of the Zoological Society of London. 61: 31–50, 1989.Kingdon, Jonathan. Mammals of Africa (1st ed.). London: A. C. Black. pp. 95–115, 2013. ISBN 978-1-4081-2251-8.Lindsey, Susan Lyndaker; Green, Mary Neel; Bennett, Cynthia L. The Okapi: Mysterious Animal of Congo-Zaire. University of Texas Press, 1999. ISBN 0292747071.Mallon, D.; Kà ¼mpel, N.; Quinn, A.; Shurter, S.; Lukas, J.; Hart, J.A.; Mapilanga, J.; Beyers, R.; Maisels, F.. Okapia johnstoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T15188A51140517. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T15188A51140517.enSclater, Philip Lutley. On an Apparently New Species of Zebra from the Semliki Forest. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. v.1: 50–52, 1901.

Comparison Of Romulus And Remus And The Story Of Cain And...

Livy’s rendition of Romulus and Remus and the story of Cain and Abel in the bible are two stories that, at first glance, appear to be comparable to each other. However, with deeper examination, both of the stories have differing deeper meanings, and begin to drift apart with more digging. Both stories have different purposes, with the myth Romulus and Remus giving a mythological origin to the Roman civilization. Meanwhile, the story of Cain and Abel revolves around favoritism and criticism. These two different interpretations are only one of the many differences between the two tales. However, both of them can be classified as creation myths, with Romulus and Remus creating the city of Rome, and Cain creating the city of Enoch. With this†¦show more content†¦The lack of an age gap that exists in Cain and Abel is what reinforces this point, if one brother was supposed to be superior to another, then there would have been an age gap signifying the older brother as the s uperior brother. Although this does hinge on whether one thinks the story was created or just a piece of history, but the sentiment is there. This idea can be extended into their interactions with God. Both of the stories hinge upon the key interaction with God that triggers the quarrel between the brothers in both stories. Romulus and Remus both had comparable signs from god, with one coming earlier, but the other coming stronger. Because of this, the signs can be seen as equal, and therefore they both had an equal claim to the throne of Rome. This is an interesting idea because it could be foreshadowing for the end of the king in Rome, and perhaps could have implied that both Romulus and Remus should have reigned together as consuls. This is alluded to in some variants of the Romulus and Remus story where both brothers are said to have ruled together. When it comes to Cain and Abel however, their sacrifices were not received as equal, and Abel’s sacrifice was clearly preferred. This is simply because Cain brought and sacrificed some random pieces of fruit that he found on the ground (Genesis 4:3), and Abel brought the fats from the firstborn of his sheep (Genesis 4:4). Ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s clear that Abel’s offering outweighs Cain’s

Comparing war poems Harold Begbie Fall in and Whos for the game by Jessie Pope Essay Example For Students

Comparing war poems: Harold Begbie Fall in and Whos for the game? by Jessie Pope Essay In World War 1 Britain had a small army and they needed to get men to join up, they did this mainly by using recruiting poems, which appeared in newspapers and music hall songs. In the recruiting poems the poet usually uses either street language, catchy rhythm, simple rhyme scheme and easy to understand and remember. In my essay I will look at some pro-war poems and see how they are countered by the anti-war poems of Wilfred Owen. The first poem that we looked at was a pro war poem by Harold Begbie called Fall in. In this poem the poet does not mention the bad things about the war e. . that you could get killed. The poet focuses on the good points and says that it is good to go to war he said But I went, thank God, I went? . He also mentions if you dont go what will happen he says With a girl who cuts you dead he tries to shame them. The second poem that we looked at is another pro war poem by Jessie Pope it was a poem used to recruit people in World War 1, the poem is called Whos for the game?. The poet has no idea about war, she thinks war is just a big game, she starts off by saying Whos for the game, the biggest thats played. Games are usually meant to be fun but she must think that the war is just fun and games, but it is not. Jessie Pope also compares war to a show she says And who wants a seat in the stand? this also shows that Jessie Pope has know idea about the war. The country is compared to a female in the poem so that it will make you feel sorry for it. What also shows Jessie Popes lack of knowledge about the war is she says who would much rather come back with a crutch than lie low and be out of the fun this means that the worst that can happen is that you would come back with a broken leg when actually you could die. I am now going to look at three anti-war poems by Wilfred Owen called Dulce Et Decorum Est, Disabled and Exposure. I am going to comment on what he says about war, the first poem I am going to look at is called Exposure. Wilfred Owen says at the start of Exposure that the soldiers need to be awake at night incase people attack, he says Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent. He also describes the atmosphere and also makes people feel sorry for the soldiers by comparing wind like soldiers stuck in barbed wire, we know this because he says Watching, we hear the mad gusts tugging on the wire, like twitching agonies of men among its brambles. Wilfred Owen describes the weather as war he says We only know war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy I think that this either means that you cant stop the war or that they know very little about the war. In the beginning of Exposure Wilfred Owen uses sibilances by using lots of Ss this increases the effect and makes the poem seem more sharp and cold, he says Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us. He also uses personification to increase effect, he describes the whether to a person by saying Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces. Owen also shows how pointless the war is by saying what are we doing here? he also shows that war is very boring and that nothing ever happens by saying Worried by silence, sentries whisper, curios nervous But nothing happens. .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a , .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a .postImageUrl , .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a , .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a:hover , .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a:visited , .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a:active { border:0!important; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a:active , .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud01f14e5327c5bb43e0270922f26587a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Comparison between Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess EssayHe says that bullets are less deadly than the snow by saying Sudden successive fights of bullets streak the silence. Less deathly than the air that shudders black with snow in this sentence he also uses alliteration and in the poem he describes the whether as mainly being more deadly than the snow. Wilfred Owen makes us pity the soldiers by saying that they always worry about the next day and he uses a very moving word which is poignant he says the poignant misery of dawn begins to grow. The poem that I am going to look at now by Wilfred Owen is called Disabled it is a moving poem about a boy who got disabled in the war he lost both his arms and his legs Wilfred Owen is trying to say what war can do to you. We know that he has lost both of his arms and both of his legs because it says Legless, sewn short at elbow. The poem shows what the disabled boy used to be able to do and it makes people feel sorry for the boy, it says Through the park Voices of boys rang saddening like a hymn, Voices of play and pleasure after day. Wilfred Owen also talks about how everything used to be when he wasntt disabled he says About this time Town used to swing so gay When glow-lamps budded in the light blue trees, And girls glanced lovelier as the air grew dim, In the old times, before he threw away his knees. . Wilfred Owen also tries to make us have pity for him when he says about what the disabled person used to be able to do when he wasnt disabled and he describes him as a strange disease he says Now he will never feel again how slim Qirls waist are, or how warm their subtle hands; All of them touch him like some queer disease. also when Wilfred Owen is comparing his old life to his new life it makes the whole war seem pointless because the disabled persons life has been ruined because he used to be able to do so much things and now he cant do anything just because of the war. In Disabled Owen blames the boy and his friends for what happened to himself because it was his and his friends fault that he joined up because he lied about his age and he wanted to join up we know this because it says Smiling they wrote his lie; aged nineteen years. Germans he scarcely thought of; all their guilt. In Disabled Owen tries to shock the readers with graphic descriptions for example when he says Now, he is old: his back will never brace: Hes lost his colour very far from here ,Poured it down shell-holes till the veins ran dry these are effective because they give the reader an image of what could happen to them if they joined the war. The last poem I am going to look at is called Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen. In the first section, British soldiers are leaving the trenches after an exhausting span of duty and Owen compares them to old beggars by saying Bent double, like old beggars under sacks. In the second section there is a gas attack, Wilfred Owen makes the gas attack seem real for the readers by using detailed descriptions and he also describes the atmosphere he says Dim, through misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning also seems real because he describes it as if he was someone in the gas attack. .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 , .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 .postImageUrl , .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 , .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3:hover , .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3:visited , .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3:active { border:0!important; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3:active , .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3 .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7a25fb52df0f9ed50ee891ed2238edb3:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Importance of Music During the Civil War EssayHe also uses an excellent description when he sais as under a green sea because it means that there is a lot of gas. I think Owen was successful in his aims in some ways because a lot of people didnt sign up for the war when they read his poems because his poems describe what the war was like but a lot of people still joined up for the war. His poems were so powerful because of his use of language and brilliant his choice of words.

Clean Air Act Essay Example For Students

Clean Air Act Essay 1990, the federal Clean Air Act was passed to improve air quality in the United States. President Bushs proposed amendments to the Clean Air Act initially would have led to the introduction of alternative, non-petroleum fuels. The petroleum and oxygenate industries responded by offering a reformulated gasoline program as a substitute for most of the alternate fuel proposals. As a result, the amendments to the federal Clean Air Act adopted in 1990 required steps to achieve lower vehicle emissions, including programs to oxygenate and reformulate gasoline. Oxygenated gasoline is designed to increase the combustion efficiency of gasoline, thereby reducing carbon monoxide emissions. Since January 1995, the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments require areas that have the most severe ozone pollution to use reformulated gasoline containing fuel oxygenates to improve air quality. Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether is one of the most commonly used fuel oxygenates because it is produced in very large amounts from isobutylene, a waste product in the refining process. MTBE can be easily produced at the refinery, at a low cost, and can be transferred through existing pipelines once it has been blended with gasoline. In contrast to other gasoline additives used in the past, MTBE is a member of a class of chemical compounds, ethers, whose unique properties are enhanced solubility in water and chemical attraction to water molecules. These properties, along with widespread use of MTBE, have resulted in frequent detection of MTBE in samples of shallow groundwater from urban areas throughout the United States. MTBE moves quickly to shallow groundwater because it is not attached to soil particles, and is chemically attracted to water molecules. MTBE the potential to impact regional groundwater sources and may present a cumulative contamination hazard due to its mobility and apparent recalcitrance. The United States Geological Survey, in a paper presented to the American Chemical Society in San F rancisco in April 1997, noted that MTBE can move from shallow to deeper aquifers with time. MTBE enters the environment, and eventually the groundwater, mainly from leaking underground fuel tanks and associated piping, but also from incomplete combustion in internal combustion engines, spilling and evaporation during transportation and refueling, and watercraft exhaust. Atmospheric precipitation may be another potential source of MTBE in groundwater, because MTBE percolates easily through soil due to its small molecular size and solubility in water, allowing it to move rapidly into groundwater. The Environmental Protection Agency has classified MTBE as a possible human carcinogen, but no drinking-water regulation has been established for the compound. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a drinking water advisory of 20- 40 micrograms per liter, based upon odor and taste thresholds, and to provide a large margin of safety from carcinogenic effects. Since February 1997, the California Department of Health Services has required public water suppliers to monitor their drinking water sources for MTBE. As of December 1997, about 23%of drinking water sources in California had been sampled for MTBE contamination. Of those sites tested, 33 or 1.3%, had detectable levels of MTBE. Of the contaminated sites tested, 36% had MTBE levels above the states proposed drinking water standard. Some water systems only test every three years for volatile organic compounds, such as MTBE, so it will be the end of 2000 before all systems will have been tested. For MTBE, this frequency of impact to public drinking wells may not be a reliable indicator of future trends because it reflects a history of releases, including those involving gasoline formulations containing no or only low volumes of MTBE. It also appears that dissolved benzene plumes were of larger regulatory concern than MTBE in previous studies. Most studies have indicated that MTBE does not biodegrade easily under various environmental conditions. If a research investigation determines that a compound does not degrade, a half-life is not reported and the compound is classified as recalcitrant. MTBE is generally reported as recalcitrant, and there are no widely accepted estimates of the half-life. Investigators have reported that MTBE is recalcitrant in anaerobic laboratory studies including denitrifying conditions, sulfate-reducing conditions, methanogenic-reducing conditions, and anaerobic conditions in landfill-affected aquifer material, soils, and sludges. One 1995 result indicated there was no degradation of MTBE in an aerobic laboratory study after more than 100 days of incubation. Degradation of MTBE has been reported on occasion and this indicates that some microorganisms are able to degrade MTBE. Resent research has demonstrated that bacterial populations and certain pure bacterial strains, when isolated from biotre ated sludges and other sources, have the ability to use MTBE as a sole carbon source. Engineers in the laboratory of Marc Deshusses, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at University of California at Riverside, are studying how microorganisms with an affinity for MTBE degrade the additive under various conditions. They found the biodegradation rate of MTBE in both laboratory flasks and bioreactors was greatly improved by adding trace amounts of peat humic substances, large organic molecules that can be extracted from peat. The substances seem to stimulate the microbes, but scientists do not yet know how. There are no studies of effects on humans of long term exposure to MTBE. Studies used to determine the hazards have been done with laboratory animals, which creates many limitations and uncertainty. Animal tests performed in 1997 were not conducted by exposing animals to MTBE in drinking water, but rather by introducing oil containing MTBE directly into their stomachs sev eral times a week. The Environmental Protection Agency determined, although useful for identifying potential hazards, limitations of the reported studies do not allow confident estimates of the degree of risk MTBE may pose to humans from low-level drinking water contamination. In 1997, the California Legislature addressed several issues surrounding MTBE. Four bills passed the Legislature and were signed by Governor Wilson. These bills included SB 521, which paid University of California to determine the risks and benefits of MTBE to human health and the environment, and required the governor to take appropriate action once these determinations were made about the safety of MTBE. SB 1189 required the Department of Health Services to set primary and secondary standards for drinking water, and require public notification if contamination occurs. AB 592 required several actions related to the contamination and clean up of groundwater by MTBE, and the funds to reimburse owners of contaminated drinking sources. AB 1491 prohibited delivery of gasoline to any underground fuel storage tank not in compliance with state and federal standards after January 1, 1999. As a result, Governor Gray Davis ordered MTBE to be banned in California by December 2002. Many water su ppliers now want to blame the oil industry for the contamination of their drinking water. On June 20, 2000, the city of Santa Monica, Ca filed a lawsuit against 18 oil companies for 200 million dollars for the estimated costs of cleanup of the cities polluted drinking water wells. In November 1997, Mr. Bordvick of the Tosco Corporation testified at a public hearing of the Assembly of Natural Resources Committee that Toscos position was in support of the ban of MTBE because of concern of the potential liability the company would face if MTBE contaminated drinking water. Several months earlier, a U.S. District Court in Wilmington, North Carolina, awarded 9.5 million dollars to the 178 residents of a mobile home park because MTBE had contaminated their drinking well. Although it was known that MTBE was a menace in the 1980s, the petroleum and oxygenate industries knew that MTBE was the only hope of achieving the requirements of the Clean Air Act. Non-petroleum fuels are the future of t his planet, yet these companies are stubbornly resisting to accept the fate of our future. Environment Essays