Zebra Facts

Zebra Facts Zebras (Equus spp), with their familiar horse-like physique and their distinct black and white striping pattern, are among the most recognizable of all mammals. They are native to both the plains and mountains of Africa; mountain zebras climb over 6,000 feet high. Fast Facts: Zebras Scientific Name: Equus quagga or E. burchellii; E. zebra, E. grevyiCommon Names: Plains or Burchells Zebra; Mountain Zebra; Grevys ZebraBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: Grevys and plains, 8.9 feet; mountain, 7.7 feet  Ã‚  Weight: Plains and Grevys zebra, about 850–880 pounds; mountain zebra, 620 poundsLifespan: 10–11 yearsDiet:  HerbivorePopulation: Plains: 150,000–250,000; Grevys: 2,680; mountain: 35,000Habitat: Once widespread in Africa, now in separate populationsConservation Status: Endangered (Grevys zebra), Vulnerable (mountain zebra), Near Threatened (plains zebra) Description Zebras are members of the genus Equus, which also includes asses and horses. There are three species of zebra: Plains or Burchells zebra (Equus quagga or E. burchellii), Grevys zebra (Equus grevyi), and mountain zebra (Equus zebra). Anatomical differences between the zebra species are fairly sparse: In general, the mountain zebra is smaller and has evolutionary differences associated with living in the mountains. Mountain zebras have hard, pointed hooves that are well-suited for negotiating the slopes and they have conspicuous dewlaps- a loose fold of skin underneath the chin seen often in cattle- which the plains and Grevys zebras do not. Various species of asses, including the African wild ass (Equus asinus), have some stripes (for instance, Equus asinus has stripes on the lower portion of its legs). Zebras are nonetheless the most distinctively striped of the equids. Westend61/Getty Images Species Each species of zebra has a unique stripe pattern on its coat which provides researchers with an easy method for identifying individuals. Grevys zebras have a thick black hairy strip on their rump that extends towards their tail and a broader neck than the other species of zebras and a white belly. Plains zebras often have shadow stripes (stripes of a lighter color that occur between the darker stripes). Like Grevys zebras, some plains zebras have a white belly. Zebras can cross breed with other members of equus: A plains zebra crossed with a donkey is known as a zebdonk, zonkey, zebrass, and zorse. The plains or Burchells zebra has several subspecies: Grants zebra (Equus quagga boehmi) and Chapmans zebra (Equus quagga antiquorum). And the now-extinct quagga, once thought to be a separate species, is now considered a subspecies of the plains zebra (Equus quagga quagga). Habitat and Distribution Most zebra species live in arid and semi-arid plains and savannas of Africa: Plains and Grevys zebras have different regions but overlap during migrations. Mountain zebras, however, live in the rugged mountains of South Africa and Namibia.  Mountain zebras are skilled climbers, inhabiting mountain slopes up to elevations of 6,500 feet above sea level. All zebras are extremely mobile, and individuals have been recorded to move distances of greater than 50 miles.  Plains zebras make the longest known terrestrial wildlife migration, a whopping 300 miles between the Chobe River floodplains in Namibia and the Nxai Pan National Park in Botswana. Diet and Behavior Regardless of their habitats, zebras are all grazers, bulk, roughage feeders that need to consume large daily quantities of grasses. They are also all full migrant species, migrating seasonally or year-round depending on seasonal vegetation changes and habitat. They often follow long grasses that grow after the rains, altering their migration patterns to avoid adverse conditions or find new resources. Mountain and plains zebras live in family groups or harems, typically consisting of one stallion, several mares, and their juvenile offspring. Non-breeding groups of bachelors and occasional fillies also exist. During parts of the year, the harems and bachelor groups join together and move as herds, the timing and direction of which are determined by seasonal vegetation changes in habitat.   Breeding males will defend their resource territories (water and food) that range between one and 7.5 square miles; the home range size of non-territorial zebras can be as large as 3,800 square miles. Male plains zebras ward off predators by kicking or biting them and have been known to kill hyenas with a single kick. Robert Muckley / Getty Images Reproduction and Offspring Female zebras sexually mature at the age of three and give birth to between two and six offspring over their lifetimes. Gestation periods are between 12 and 13 months, depending on species, and the average female gives birth about once every two years. Male fertility is far more variable.   Reproductive pairing is played out differently for different species. While plains and mountain zebras practice the harem strategy described above, Grevys zebra females do not join males in harems. Instead, they form loose and transitory associations with many other females and males, and females of different reproductive states group themselves into sets that use different habitats. Males do not ally with the females; they simply establish territories around water.   Despite their stable long-term harem structure, plains zebras often coalesce into herds, forming multi-male or uni-male groups, providing polygamous opportunities for males and polyandrous opportunities for females.  Ã‚   Diana Robinson Photography/Getty Images   Conservation Status The Grevys zebra is listed by the IUCN as Endangered; the mountain zebra as Vulnerable; and the plains zebra as Near Threatened.  Zebras once roamed all habitats in Africa, with the exceptions of rain forests, deserts, and dunes. Threats for all of them include habitat loss resulting from drought associated with climate change and farming, continuing political upheaval, and hunting. Sources About zebras. Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, 2018.Gosling, L.M., et al. Equus zebra. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species e.T7960A45171906, 2019.Hoekstra, Jon. Big Discoveries Still Happen – Zebras Make Africa’s Longest-Known Terrestrial Wildlife Migration. World Wildlife Fund, May 27, 2014.King, S.R.B. and P.D. Moehlman. Equus quagga. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species e.T41013A45172424, 2016.Rubenstein, D. et al. Equus grevyi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species e.T7950A89624491, 2016  Walker, Martha. Equus zebra: mountain zebra. Animal Diversity Web, 2005.

Parenting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Parenting - Essay Example Nancy talks about different gadgets that help parents make sure that they are protecting their children from danger but since our children know about technology a lot more than parents, thus these gadgets are of no big use. Our children will always know how to escape the security fences that we will build around them. After this, Nancy states that our kids will start cheating us if we will act as if we do not trust them. Nancy ends her article ironically praising how her daughter tells everything to Facebook which she would never have told her mother. In my opinion, parents must restrict themselves from being extra careful about their kids if they really want them to survive in this harsh world. The hard conditions and circumstances life offers later in life take its toll on those persons who have been brought up extra pampered. This is called the â€Å"pampered child syndrome†. For example, when a child gets his parents’ attention all the time, he will grow up into a confused and dependent sort of personality when he will not find his parents’ love to the same extent due to other siblings or unfortunate circumstances. Technology has provided a lot of security tools and gadgets to the parents which Nancy has also talked about in her article. Yet, in my opinion although children might know how to escape those, yet they are quite helpful tools in making sure that the children are safe. This is not about extra-pampering; instead, this is about taking care of your kid sensibly. Children might know how to escape all restrictions but parents must play their part. I agree that children are bigger gurus than their parents in the field of technology, and this is what has made them put trust in social networking sites more than their parents. I remember myself calling my friends late at night because my mother did not like my using the phone. This is all a part of growing up. Our parents might have done the same sort of things in their

Facilities Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Facilities Management - Essay Example Use of ‘going green buildings’ will serve to address these measures and concerns. (Cooper, ‘The Future is Bright Green’) The article provides a clear definition of the requirements of what developers should encompass in designing a green building. The building should ensure improvement of interior air quality, reduction of green house gas emission, conversion of waste to energy, reduction of water consumption, improvement of energy efficiency and reduction of waste through reuse or recycling. With these factors in mind, buildings will enhance productivity as a result of their environmental friendly nature and the wellbeing of people, both inside and outside the buildings. These factors have facilitated the development of ‘intelligent’ buildings which are adaptable and easy to use and manage. The article further demonstrates how the initiative has been embraced by shopping centers. The buildings are designed in the image of ‘going greenâ₠¬â„¢, as they are green in nature. These latest design and technological developments have ensured that buildings have increased their asset performance as well as their value (Cooper, ‘The Future is Bright Green’). The initiative reduces the element of the building depreciating and thus the building is a good value for investment. As a result of the success of green building in shopping centers, developers are eager to spread the development of these ‘intelligent’ buildings to other retail sectors that would be better suited for this initiative. The measures are mainly intended for the offices as it has been revealed that the use of the going green initiative would best be implemented in the office sector. The high level of interaction between people, machinery and systems in the offices, has called for the office sector to integrate going green measures, so as to improve the performance and effective operations of workers (Cooper, ‘The Future is Bri ght Green’). The success of the green buildings in shopping centers serves as evidence that the measure is applicable in buildings that require a lot of systems and people to co-exist, hence applying the initiative in offices would be easy and effective. In conclusion, green buildings have proven to be a success in shopping centers, and as a result, it is very ideal for the technology to be applied in the other sectors. It is important for buildings to become part of the ‘future is bright green’, as this will provide a catalyst effect to going green initiative, which seeks to protect the environment. In so doing, the world will be a healthier place to live (Cooper, ‘The Future is Bright Green’). It is evident that the effects of green gas emissions, has facilitated the death of humans and parts of the environment. Risk-Based Maintenance The article is an illustration of how risk assessment is applied in the operation of a manufacturing plant. It reve als the measures that can be applied as well as their application in increasing the level of production. Application of risk assessment by a maintenance manager can help a firm save a lot of money by reducing its production costs. In the article, risk maintenance is demonstrated using scenarios of how the application of risk assessment measures would serve to improve operations. Important equipments and machineries should be grouped, and their risk priorities established so as to ensure that they are kept running at capacity. (Barr, ‘

Strategic Mangement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Mangement - Essay Example Basically, the company has witnessed a steady growth in the Australian Wine Industry and is one of the leading export industries especially to the United States. 2. Yellow Tail operates in an environment where there are also competitors who offer the same products and in this case, a SWOT analysis is more appropriate for this task of analysing the environmental factors that affect the organisation’s operations. It defines the relationship between the internal and external environmental factors that can affect an organisation in a bid to deal with its strategic analysis (Robinson 1997). Basically, SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses which represent the internal environment of the firm while opportunities and threats are external environmental factors. The major strengths of the company include the following: The name is unique and interesting, the packaging depicts the famous kangaroo and the pricing is low among other factors. The company is able to offer satisfactory products to its customers abroad as well. Its weaknesses are; it heavily relies on export market, it has limited brands and cannot continue attracting customers over a long period and the fact that it uses limited advertisements is another major weakness which can negatively impact on the organisation. There are different opportunities for the company. The distribution pattern in global markets is a very big opportunity for the company compared to other locally based players in the industry. Using new technology in brewing wine is another opportunity for the company. The other opportunity is the need for adoption of new information and communication technology tools such as the internet to effectively market its products. It can utilize the internet to reach the customers who are beyond the local markets. Through specially designed websites, it can also be possible to market other products that are not found in the local stores. However, one notable threat to Yellow Tail is the

Langston Hughes Impact on an Era Essay Example for Free

Langston Hughes Impact on an Era Essay Langston Hughes contributed a tremendous influence on black culture throughout the United States during the era known as the Harlem Renaissance. He is usually considered to be one of the most prolific and most-recognized black poets of the Harlem Renaissance. He broke through barriers that very few black artists had done before this period. Hughes was presented with a great opportunity with the rise black art during the 1920s and by his creative style of poetry, which used black culture as its basis and still appealed to all ethnicities. Until the Harlem Renaissance, poetry and literature were dominated by white people and were all about white culture. However, during the 1920s, there was an explosion of black literature and, art poured from black artists and activists who represented black pride and individuality from the white dominance (The Harlem Renaissance, Washington Online). This movement was sparked in the lower and upper Manhattan sections of New York City. Originally known as the New Negro Movement, it later became known as the Harlem Renaissance due to where it was birthed and seemed to be the area that it burned the most intense. One of the reasons why there was a rise in black culture in the Harlem area is due to the great migration of blacks to Northern cities during the early 1920s. Racial discrimination, segregation, and interracial tension were also contributing factors to the Harlem Renaissance. Blacks were tired of being part of white America and wanted to break free and express not only black pride but, black culture as well. Langston Hughes emerged as one of the front men of the black movement of expression and art through the use of his poetic writing (Harlem Renaissance Online). Hughes wrote novels, plays, short stories, essays, and childrens books but, he focused most of his attention on poems. Most of Hughes better-known poems were written at the height of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, where he was raised primarily by his mother (Howes and Slovey 56). In 1921 Hughes enrolled at Columbia University in New York City. While in New York, Hughes became more intrigued with the rise of black culture in Harlem as opposed to his schoolwork. During the course of the next few years Hughes would make a name for himself with some of his famous  works such as the poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers and his book The Weary Blues (Howes and Slovey 58). However, he first gained recognition from some of his poems that were put in an anthology called The New Negro. He gained praise from not only blacks but, also from white supporters of the Harlem Renaissance (Strickland 31). He had made his way into the mainstream of great poets and was making an impact for not only himself but for the black community with his creative poetic style (Wagner 386). How could one black man stand above all the other emerging black artists as much as Langston Hughes did? Hughes wanted to speak for the black community which he was so immersed in. He wanted to do it in a way though that the readers, especially blacks, were able to relate on a personal level to his poems. He did this by use modern forms such as free verse where he did not have to follow a pattern or use rhymes. He sought to make his poetry easy to understand but at the same time portray black culture with both realism and dignity (Howes and Slovey 59). He also wrote in black dialect and used black culture such as jazz to present his poems. He would not only use the freedom in his poems like jazz did but, he would also write to the rhythm and beat of jazz music which made it flow with a different style. He spoke of both the low times and the good times of the black community (Strickland 32). The style, the simplicity, and the culture that was presented in Hughes poems are what made him shine above other black artists. This is how one man went off on his own path and affected black literature as much as he did. Hughes affected the world of poetry during an era that was enriched with the rise black culture by using his own creative style. He drew not just the black communities praise but, the dominating white cultures as well. He has proven by his success to be one of the greatest influences during the Harlem Renaissance. He made a path for both the black community in general and the world of poetry on the whole. Works Cited Harlem Renaissance. MSN Encarta. 3 November 2004 . Howes, Kelly, and Christine Slovey, eds. Harlem Renaissance. San Francisco: Gale Group, 2001. Kovacs, Joe. The Harlem Renaissance, Washington, DC and the Rise of Langston Hughes. Literary Traveler. 3 November 2004 . Strickland, Michael. African-American Poets. Berkeley Heights: Enslow Publishers, 1996. Wagner, Jean. Black Poets of the United States from Paul Laurence Dunbar to Langston Hughes. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1973.

Atlanta Braves :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people see the Atlanta Braves in different lights, by asking diverse people about them, you will get some vastly dissimilar answers. If you ask any young person who the Atlanta Braves are, you will most likely hear something like this: The best overall baseball team since I’ve been alive. But if you ask an older wiser person who the Atlanta Braves are, here’s the answer you’ll probably get: A baseball team that has come back incredibly from they’re not so grand past, a great story of a worst to first baseball team. However if you go to an informed person, someone who knows all about the Atlanta Braves and ask them the same question, I’m sure you’ll get an answer like this: The Atlanta Braves are a team with rich history, great victories, and superb leadership that has allowed them to capture 12 consecutive division titles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Atlanta Braves’ history is very deep and very interesting, with 3 moves 3 national titles and numerous stadiums, the Braves have been and will be one of the most fascinating teams in baseball.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Braves started in 1876 in Boston, known then as the ‘Red Stockings’. And in 1883 they became then ‘Beaneaters’ and then the now infamous ‘Braves’ in 1912. Then in 1914 the Boston Braves won they’re first national title, by sweeping Philadelphia.† (Atlanta.braves.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/atl/history/atl_history_timeline.jsp)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1953, the Braves moved to Milwaukee Wisconsin, and winning the franchise’s 2nd World Series only 4 years later in 1957. (Atlanta.braves.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/atl/history/atl_history_timeline.jsp)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966. The Braves didn’t have the best teams from 1966-1990, no World Series titles, just not up to where they had been in earlier years. In 1990 the braves had the worst record in baseball, and then in 1991, they went from worst to first, and went to the World Series. They went again in 1992, but unfortunately, they lost both times. However, in 1995 the Braves went to the Championship of baseball once again, they represented the National League, and the Cleveland Indians represented the American League. The Series went six games, and in game six the Braves won, beating the Indians, one to nothing, and winning the World Series.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I myself remember that game, I was in my living room with my family watching the game, and David Justice hit a solo home run, the only run of the game. Tom Glavine pitched a great game, I remember being so excited when they won.

Domestic Violence in America Essay -- Violence Against Women Essays

Domestic abuse in the United States is a large-scale and complex social and health problem. The home is the most violent setting in America today (Lay, 1994). Sadly enough, the majority of people who are murdered are not likely killed by a stranger during a hold-up or similar crime but are killed by someone they know. Not surprisingly, the Center for Disease Control and prevention has identified interpersonal violence as a major public health problem (Velson-Friedrich, 1994). Current estimates suggest that three to four million women are the victims of physical abuse by their intimate partners (Harris & Cook, 1994). According to the FBI, some form of domestic violence occurs in half of the homes in the United States at least once a year (Dickstein, 1988). In reality one out of every six marriages the wife is physically abused. Every fifteen seconds a women is battered in the United States. Daily, four American women lose their lives to their husbands or boyfriends, equaling more than one-third of all female homicide victims (WAC, 1994). These numbers report that too much violence is directed toward women. Historically, domestic violence has been a downplayed and, oftentimes, culturally condoned, American tradition. In the colonial period, laws derived from English common-law permitted a man to beat his wife when she acted in a manner that he believed to be inappropriate. For example, the so-called â€Å"Rule of Thumb† law, which permitted a husband to beat his wife with a stick that could be no larger than the circumference of his thumb, was in effect until the end of the nineteenth century (Dickstein, 1988). The issue of domestic violence, especially wife abuse, first gained national attention in 1974 with the publishing of Scream Quietly or the Neighbors Will Hear by Erin Pizzey, the founder of Chiswick’s Women’s Aid, a shelter in England for battered women. Pizzey’s work helped to stimulate feminist concern and outrage over wife b eating, verbal abuse, financial restrictions and social isolation of women by their husbands (Utech, 1994). Shortly thereafter, the women’s liberation movement, through the National Organization for Women (NOW), advocated for the end of violence against women and sought improved social services for battered wives. NOW also was actively engaged in promoting shelter homes and lobbying congressional leaders for legislation that would... ...t? Because they don’t have the protection they need. The criminal justice system needs to start a victim relocation program for domestic abuse victims. This would ensure their safety and allow them enough courage to leave a horrible situation. In a nation that detests racism and protests animal cruelty then why are women and children still subject to torture and violence in their own homes at the hands of their husbands and fathers? In a politically correct world too many of us still view women and children as inferior, as property. The media portrays women as sex symbols and often with a very noticeable lack of intelligence. Often doctors turn their backs on damage left as the result of abuse because of the fear of embarrassing their patients (WAC, 1994). It is time to declare war on domestic violence. Domestic violence will always be a part of our culture. Women are still not considered equal and historically it was acceptable to beat your wife if she was out of line. Wi th today’s broken marriages and extensive abuse of alcohol and drugs, the matter will only get worse. If strong initiatives are not instilled now, there will be many unnecessary deaths due to the rise in abuse.