There are over 70,000 types of spiders spinning their webs in the world. 

A  South American Giant Anteater eats over 30,000 ants, per day. 

There are presently over a million animal species upon planet earth. 

The reptiles have 6,000 species crawling in their habitats; and more are discovered each year. 
          
There are over 70,000 types of spiders spinning their webs in the world. 

There are 3,000 kinds of lice. Yes, it is the lice we are prone to get due to lack of hair hygiene. 

Each of the 600 million people there is about 200 million insects crawling and  flying... 

Mammals are the only creatures that have flaps around their ears. 

The world has approximately one billion cattle, of which about 200 million belong to India. 

The life of a housefly is only 14 days. 

A dog was the first animal to up in space. 

A sheep, a duck and a rooster were the first animals to fly in a hot air balloon. The oldest breed of a dog known to mankind is the ‘Saluki’. 

An ostrich is the fastest bird and can run up to 70 km/h. 

Never get a camel angry, for he or she will spit at you. 

There are crabs that are the size of a pea. There are known as ‘Pea Crabs’. 

The lifespan of 75 percent of wild birds is 6 months. 

Denmark has twice as many pigs as there are people. 

You do not need cotton buds to clean a giraffe ears. It can do so with its own 50cm-tongue. 

A  South American Giant Anteater eats over 30,000 ants, per day. 

The sailfish can swim at the speed of 109 km/h, making it the fastest swimmer. 

The Sea Horse is the slowest fish, drifting at approximately 0.016 km/h. 

The small car on the road is probably the size of the heart of a blue whale. 

The length of an elephant is the same as the tongue of a blue whale. 

The crocodile's tongue is unmovable, as it is attached to the roof of its mouth.

Crocodiles, through their life grow new teeth that replace the old set! 

A crocodile can never stick its tongue out of its mouth. 

Each species of grasshopper has its own song. This is important, as the varied species cannot breed with each other. The female needs to be aware that she is listening to a male from her own species. 

Compass termites of Northern Australia build tall nests that are wedge-shaped. They measure up to 3.5 m in length. 

Flying frogs change color in the day. They are greenish-blue in sunlight and green in the evening. At night there are black. 

Boas, as well as many other snakes have special heat-sensitive organs that are called pits. These pits are on their heads. They can detect the heat given by a warm-blooded animal standing close to them. 

The king Cobra can grow to the length of 5.5 m, and is regarded as the largest poisonous snake in the world. A tiny amount of its poison can kill up to 30 people. 

Anteaters protect their long claws by walking on their knuckles. This makes them look as if they are limping. 

Bats eat all types of food.

The hippopotamus’s eyes, ears and nostrils are on the top of its head. This enables it to stand or sit, almost completely covered by water with as little as possible showing above the surface. 

The hippopotamus’s skin is protected by its own pink oily secretion known as ‘Pink sweat’.

A horse weighing approximately 1,200-pounds, eats approximately seven times it's own weight, in a year. That amounts to almost 8,400-pounds of food.

Apart from human’s even chimpanzees can learn to recognize their own image in a mirror. 

A cow can give far more milk than a human can consume their lifetime. Almost 200,000 glasses full of milk! 

While there are so many cows grazing in the world, no two cows will ever be found with identical pattern of spots. 


lion’s roar is so loud that it can heard upto a distance of five miles. 

Cheetahs maybe large and fast, but when they roar they chirp. This sounds more like a bird or a yelping dog. Beware, it is loud enough to be heard upto a mile away. 

The tusks of elephants grow through their life. The tusks weigh over 200 pounds. 

Only the male Asian elephants have tusks. 

The male and female African elephants have tusks. 

The largest ever lobster to be found weighed 19 kg. It was found in 1934. 

The largest recorded jellyfish measured 2,3 m across its bell. Its tentacles measured 36 m (120 feet) in length. 

The largest giant squid ever found weighed 4 tons. It was traced in the in the North Atlantic in the year 1878.

A single cow lets out the amount of harmful methane gas, which can fill about 400-liter bottles; that too in a single day.

Humans daydream with their eyes open, and dolphins actually sleep with their eyes wide open. 

Bulls are known to be colorblind. It’s a black-and-white life for them! 

The sweat glands of a cow are in its nose. 

You will not believe this one! A mosquito has 47 teeth. 

The Poison Arrow frog has enough poison stored in it that it can harm 2,200 people at one go. 

A garden caterpillar has 248 muscles in its head. 

The memory span of goldfish is just about 3 seconds. 


An angry horned-toad squirts blood from its eyes.

A scallop has 35 eyes that are blue in color. 

A headless cockroach can survive for a couple of weeks. Its life would finally end due to starvation! 

A standing 4-foot child can fit into the open of a hippopotamus. 

A coin is heavier than a hummingbird! 

It would take just one night for a mole to dig a tunnel measuring 300 feet in length. 

A snail can sleep for three years, at a stretch. 

A housefly regurgitates the food it eats and then eats it again! 

left-handed people – they are not the only ones, as all polar bears are left-handed. 

An ostrich’s brain is smaller than its eye. 

The taste buds of a butterfly are in its feet. 

Place a black light over a cat’s urine and watch it glow.

The donkey’s eye placement helps it see all its four feet at a time. 

The chow is the only dog that does not have a pink tongue.

Thalassemia

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterized by less hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells in your body than normal. Several types of thalassemia exist, including  alpha-thalassemia, beta-thalassemia, Cooley's anemia and Mediterranean anemia.

Hemoglobin is the substance in your red blood cells that allows them to carry oxygen. The low hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells of thalassemia may cause anemia, leaving you fatigued.

If you have mild thalassemia, you may not need treatment. But, if you have a more severe form of thalassemia, you may need regular blood transfusions.

 Symptoms

§           Fatigue

§          Weakness

§         Shortness of breath

§         Pale appearance

§         Irritability

§        Yellow discoloration of skin (jaundice)

§       Facial bone deformities

§      Slow growth

§      Abdominal swelling

§      Dark urine

The signs and symptoms you experience depend on the type and severity of thalassemia you have. Some babies show signs and symptoms of thalassemia at birth, while others may develop signs or symptoms during the first two years of life. Some people who have only one affected hemoglobin gene don't experience any thalassemia symptoms. In most cases, thalassemia can't be prevented. If you have thalassemia, or if you carry a thalassemia gene, consider talking with a genetic counselor for guidance before you have or father a child.

You may contract thalassemia from one or both parents. When contracting the blood disorder from one parent the disease is called thalassemia minor and you will only carry the disease and not suffer any symptoms. Thalassemia major is inherited from both parents and you can suffer symptoms and carry the disease.

Causes

Thalassemia is caused by mutations in the DNA of cells that make hemoglobin — the substance in your red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout your body. The mutations associated with thalassemia are passed from parents to children.

The mutations that cause thalassemia disrupt the normal production of hemoglobin and cause low hemoglobin levels and a high rate of red blood cell destruction, causing anemia. When you're anemic, your blood doesn't have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues — leaving you fatigued.

Types of Thalassemia 

The type of thalassemia you have depends on the number of gene mutations you inherit from your parents and which part of the hemoglobin molecule is affected by the mutations. The more mutated genes, the more severe your thalassemia. Hemoglobin molecules are made of alpha and beta parts that can be affected by mutations.

Alpha-thalassemia 
Four genes are involved in making the alpha hemoglobin chain. You get two from each of your parents. If you inherit:

§     One mutated gene- you'll have no signs or symptoms of thalassemia. But, you're a carrier of the disease and can pass it on to your children.

§      Two mutated genes- your thalassemia signs and symptoms will be mild. This condition may be called alpha-thalassemia minor, or you may be told you have an alpha-thalassemia trait.

§     Three mutated genes- your signs and symptoms will be moderate to severe. This condition is also called hemoglobin H disease.

§      Four mutated genes-the condition is called alpha-thalassemia major or hydrops fetalis. It usually causes a fetus to die before delivery or a newborn to die shortly after birth.

Beta-thalassemia 

 Diagram showing one example of how beta thalassemia is inherited. The beta globin gene is located on chromosome 11. A child inherits two beta globin genes-one from each parent. In this example, each parent has one altered beta globin gene. 

Two genes are involved in making the beta hemoglobin chain. You get one from each of your parents. If you inherit:

§     One mutated gene- you'll have mild signs and symptoms. This condition is called beta-thalassemia minor or referred to as a beta-thalassemia trait.

§     Two mutated genes- your signs and symptoms will be moderate to severe. This condition is called beta-thalassemia major or Cooley's anemia. Babies born with two defective beta hemoglobin genes usually are healthy at birth, but develop signs and symptoms within the first two years of life.

Risk

Factors that increase your risk of thalassemia include:

§      Family history of thalassemia. Thalassemia is passed from parents to children through mutated hemoglobin genes. If you have a family history of thalassemia, you may have an increased risk of the condition.

§     Certain ancestry. Thalassemia occurs most often in people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Asian and African ancestry.

§   

Complications

Possible complications of thalassemia include:

§     Iron overload. People with thalassemia can get too much iron in their bodies, either from the disease itself or from frequent blood transfusions. Too much iron can result in damage to your heart, liver and endocrine system, which includes glands that produce hormones that regulate processes throughout your body.

§     Infection. People with thalassemia have an increased risk of infection. This is especially true if you've had your spleen removed.

In cases of severe thalassemia, the following complications can occur:

§     Bone deformities. Thalassemia can make your bone marrow expand, which causes your bones to widen. This can result in abnormal bone structure, especially in your face and skull. Bone marrow expansion also makes bones thin and brittle, increasing the chance of broken bones.

§     Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly). The spleen helps your body fight infection and filter unwanted material, such as old or damaged blood cells. Thalassemia is often accompanied by the destruction of a large number of red blood cells, making your spleen work harder than normal, causing it to enlarge. Splenomegaly can make anemia worse, and it can reduce the life of transfused red blood cells. If your spleen grows too big, it may need to be removed.

§      Slowed growth rates. Anemia can cause a child's growth to slow. Puberty also may be delayed in children with thalassemia.

§      Heart problems. Heart problems, such as congestive heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), may be associated with severe thalassemia.

 

 

Tests and diagnosis

If your child has thalassemia, blood tests may reveal:

§     A low level of red blood cells

§      Smaller than expected red blood cells

§      Pale red blood cells

§        Red blood cells that are varied in size and shape

     Red blood cells with uneven hemoglobin distribution, which gives the cells  a bull's-eye appearance under the microscope

Blood tests may also be used to:

§     Measure the amount of iron in your child's blood

§      Evaluate his or her hemoglobin

§     Perform DNA analysis to diagnose thalassemia or to determine if a person is carrying mutated hemoglobin genes

Prenatal testing 
Testing can be done before a baby is born to find out if it has thalassemia and determine how severe it may be. Tests used to diagnose thalassemia in fetuses include:

§     Chorionic villus sampling. This test is usually done around the 11th week of pregnancy and involves removing a tiny piece of the placenta for evaluation.

§     Amniocentesis. This test is usually done around the 16th week of pregnancy and involves taking a sample of the fluid that surrounds the fetus.

Assisted reproductive technology 
A form of assisted reproductive technology that combines pre-implantation genetic diagnosis with in vitro fertilization may help parents who have thalassemia or who are carriers of a defective hemoglobin gene give birth to healthy babies. The procedure involves retrieving mature eggs from a woman and fertilizing them with a man's sperm in a dish in a laboratory. The embryos are tested for the defective genes, and only those without genetic defects are implanted in the woman.

 

Treatments

Treatment for thalassemia depends on which type you have and how severe it is.

Treatments for mild thalassemia 
Signs and symptoms are usually mild with thalassemia minor and little, if any, treatment is needed. Occasionally, you may need a blood transfusion, particularly after surgery, after having a baby or to help manage thalassemia complications.

Treatment for moderate to severe thalassemia 
Frequent blood transfusions.-More-severe forms of thalassemia often require frequent blood transfusions, possibly every few weeks. Over time, blood transfusions cause a buildup of iron in your blood, which can damage your heart, liver and other organs. To help your body get rid of the extra iron, you may need to take medications that rid your body of extra iron.

§     Stem cell transplant.- Also called a bone marrow transplant, a stem cell transplant may be used to treat severe thalassemia in select cases. Prior to a stem cell transplant, you receive very high doses of drugs or radiation to destroy your diseased bone marrow. Then you receive infusions of stem cells from a compatible donor. However, because these procedures have serious risks, including death, they're generally reserved for people with the most severe disease who have a well-matched donor available — usually a sibling.

Lifestyle

 

If you have thalassemia, be sure to:

§      Avoid excess iron-Unless your doctor recommends it, don't take vitamins or other supplements that contain iron.

§      Eat a healthy diet- Eating a balanced diet that contains plenty of nutritious foods can help you feel better and boost your energy. Your doctor may also recommend you take a folic acid supplement to help your body make new red blood cells. Also, to keep your bones healthy, make sure your diet contains adequate calcium and vitamin D. Ask your doctor what the right amounts are for you, and whether you need to take a supplement.

§     Avoid infections- Protect yourself from infections with frequent hand-washing and by avoiding sick people. This is especially important if you've had to have your spleen removed. You'll also need an annual flu shot, as well as the meningitis, pneumococcal and hepatitis B vaccines to prevent infections. 

Take your iron chelation medicine. This is important because the leading cause of death among people with thalassemias is heart disease caused by iron overload. Iron buildup can damage your heart, liver, and other organs. Although the iron chelation treatment can take time and be mildly painful, it's important that you don't stop taking your medicine.

Several chelation treatments are now available, including injections and pills. Your doctor will talk to you about which treatment is best for you.

The Mysterious Place On Earth: Bermuda Triangle

The Mysterious Place On Earth: Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle also known as the Devil‘s Triangle is a name given to an area off the Eastern Coast of the United States of America, and is synonymous for the unusual effects that many planes and aircraft have experienced whilst travelling in and above the area.

 The area is one of the most heavily-sailed shipping lanes in the world, with ships crossing through it daily for ports in the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean Islands. Cruise ships are also plentiful, and pleasure craft regularly go back and forth between Florida and the islands. It is also a heavily flown route for commercial and private aircraft heading towards Florida, the Caribbean, and South America from points north.

 Christopher Columbus was the first person to document something strange in the Triangle, reporting that he and his crew observed "strange dancing lights on the horizon", flames in the sky, and bizarre compass bearings in the area. The Bermuda Triangle is unquestionably, more renowned for the many crafts that have,”disappeared there, without a trace.”

Martin Caidin, who was flying around Bermuda Trianlge on June 11th, 1986  reported an extraordinary encounter that took place in his life..
He says that it is real, detailed, witnessed and established without a shadow of a doubt.
He was flying with others from Bermuda to Jacksonville Naval Air Base in Florida, equipped with an array of navigational equipment, and were receiving many satellite photographs of the area that they were flying in.
It was a warm and sunny day when they took off.
Quite suddenly Caidin was unable to see the outer portion of the left wing of the aeroplane, and then later the right wing, although he knew that according to the satellite read-outs that it should not of been obscured by mist.
He then noticed around him that the blue sky had turned to a creamy yellow version of a “whiteout” and that all the instruments within the aeroplane were, “going crazy”. Even more extraordinary , Caidin was able to see a tunnel-like hole straight up above the plane through which he could see the blue sky and a similar hole pointing down to the visible ocean, yet these holes were pacing the plane exactly.
It was, he said, “a long pipe had extended from the surface to the sky above.”
It was very fortunate that Caidin, his wife and the rest of the crew remained as calm as possible under the circumstances, and carried on to fly as professionally and safely as they could.
This extraordinary ‘phenomenon’ lasted for four hours!
Then suddenly it cleared and they were once again flying in a, “perfect crystal clear air” again.
Immediately they swung the aeroplane around to see where they had come from and the sky behind them was clear for as far as they could see.
The equipment immediately came back to life, and continued the flight safely, landing at the naval air station without further incident.
Of the many planes that have been able to report their difficulties before becoming lost in the ‘Bermuda Triangle’, a great number of them have reported that their instruments have failed or showed signs of distortion and also:
The sky turning “yellow”.

There is, unquestionably:

Something very unusual, occurring around the are of the Bermuda Triangle, and has been the attention of reported U.F.O. sightings and mysterious unexplained encounters.
More evidence came from a ‘Seasalt’ satellite which was launched in June, 1978.
Part of its function was to measure the contours of the ocean surface.
The Satellite mapped ridges and troughs on the waters surface and discovered that the area in the ‘Bermuda triangle’ , there was a virtually perfect ‘circular depression’ some twenty-five miles across and fifty feet deep.
One theory to explain this discovery, was that a large meteorite had buried itself at that location, creating a magnetic anomaly and gravitational effect.
Or:

Could it be something else??
“The Truth Is Out There.”……J

BARRINGER METEORITE CRATER

   BARRINGER METEORITE CRATER

The Barringer Meteorite Crater (also known as "Meteor Crater") is a gigantic hole in the middle of the arid sandstone of the Arizona desert.The site was formerly known as the Canyon Diablo Crater.
Location-Arizona,United States
Age-50000years
Weight-300,000tons
Diameter-1.18k kilometers
Elevation Above Sea Level-1740m
Speed Of Travelling-28,600miles per hour(12-kilometers per second)
Impact Of Explosion-Equal to 2.5 megatons of TNT,or about 150 times the force of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima
First Discovered By-European Settler in the 19^th century
Closest Community To The Crater-Canyon Diablo,but now is a ghost town.

Despite its importance as a geological site ,the crater is not protected as a national monument, a status that would require federal ownership.   A rim of smashed and jumbled boulders, some of them the size of small houses, rises 150 feet above the level of the surrounding plain. It is believed that about half of the impactor's  300,000 metric tons bulk was vaporized during its descent, before it hit the ground.

If the same meteorite hit our earth again. Our town.What will happen to us??
Finnnnnissshhhh….Sayur la al of us..

World’s Most Amazing Waterfalls

 Victoria Falls-located in Victoria National Park in Arfica.This world famous waterfall is truly breathtaking. At 350 feet high and 5700 wide the falls appears to be a falling sheet of water.

-Niagara Falls probably the most famous waterfall in the world,Niagara Fall is found on the border of the United States and Canada. Niagara Falls is actually three different falls, the American Falls, Luna Falls and Horseshoe Falls. Horseshoe Falls is located in the Canadian side of the falls, while the other two are located in New York.

Yosemite Falls -this top tourist attraction is located in Yosemite National Park in California.  Yosemite Falls reaches a top height of 2425 feet, with 3 separate drops. Yosemite Falls contains a plunge, cascades and a horsetail.

Sutherland Falls - one of the most famous waterfalls in New Zealand, Sutherland Falls.Reached a top height of 1904 feet. This tiered type waterfall contains an 885 drop

.

Tugela Falls - the second largest waterfall in the world is Tugela Falls.Located in South Africa. It reaches a total height of 3110 feet, with the tallest drop reaching 1350 feet.

Kahiwa Falls - this Hawaiian treasure reaches a height of 2165 feet, with 6 different drops.

Inga Falls - this waterfall is made up of a series of rapids that makes it one of the largest waterfalls in the world. Located on the Congo River in Africa.

Boyoma Falls - also known as Stanley Falls.This is another rapids waterfall. Located on the Lualaba River in the Congo, Africa.

Papala Falls -located in Waipio Valley on the island of Hawaii.This waterfall is 1800 feet tall.

Place Creek Falls - this tiered waterfall reaches a height of 1375 feet. It is located on the Gates Lake, in British Columbia  in Canada.

Angel Falls - located in Canaima National Park in Venezuela.This beautiful waterfall claims the honor of tallest waterfall in the world. 

Gocta - this tiered waterfall is located in Peru and is the 5th highest waterfall in the world

.

Rhine Falls - the largest waterfall in Europe, located in Switzerland.

Hannoki-no-taki - one of the tallest waterfalls in Japan .This single drop horsetail waterfall reaches a height of 1640 feet.

Alfred Creek Falls - located at Mount Alfred  in British Columbia, Canada this horsetail waterfall is 2296 feet tall.

Pitch Fork Falls – located in Goat Lake in Alaska. It has a cascade style and is 2093 feet tall.

Pocket Creek Falls - located in Glacier National park in Montana .This amazing waterfall reaches over 1100 feet.

Vinnufossen - located in Norway .This 2822 feet tall waterfall hosts 4 drops.

Sentinel Falls - one of the most impressive waterfalls in Yosemite Valley .This tiered waterfalls with 6 drops reaches a top height of 1920 feet.

Tin Mine Falls - located in Alpine National Park, in New South Wales Australia . It is 1381 feet tall.

Colonial Creek Falls - found in North Cascade National Park in Washington.This tiered waterfall is over 2500 feet in height.

Krimmler Falls - at 1248 feet in height, this is Europe’s  tallest waterfall. It can be found in Austria in Hone Tavern National Park. 

Snow Creek - located in Yosemite National Park.This is the second tallest waterfall in the Park. Located in the Tenaya Canyon its total height is 2140 feet.

Ribbon Falls - the tallest single drop waterfall in the United States.Located in the Yosemite National Park in California. Its total height (and also height of the single drop) is 1612 feet.

Langfoss - at 2008 feet tall, this impressive cascade waterfall is located in Norway and is 250 feet wide.

Iguassu Falls- on the border between Brazil and Argentina, is a breathtaking series of 275 individual cascades along the 2.5-mile rim of a crescent-shaped cliff in the Iguassu River. The largest cataract in the waterfall system is known as The Devil’s Throat, an awesome U-shaped cliff with an 82-metre drop.

Gullfoss- or Golden Falls, is a mighty double-cascade waterfall where the Hvítá River drops into a 32-metre crevice in southwestern Iceland. An area of outstanding natural beauty, the falls are one of the country’s most popular attractions; this photograph shows visitors admiring the scene in March, when the river’s banks are covered in snow and ice.

Kjerag Waterfalls-this waterfall drops 715 metres over a sheer cliff on Kjerag Mountain in Norway’s Rogaland County. Far below the cliff top a cruise ship can be seen breaking the serene blue waters of Lysefjord.

Hukou Waterfall-the strikingly coloured Hukou Waterfall is the second largest falls in China, found where the Yellow River flows through the Jinxia Grand Canyon.

Gocta Falls -is a 771-metre two-stage drop in a remote region of Peru. Although visible for miles around, locals were reluctant to reveal the fall’s location to the outside world because they feared the curse of a mythical blond mermaid said to live in the water.

Triberg Waterfall-the Triberg Waterfalls are a series of attractive cascades on the Gutach River that flows through the Black Forest in southwest Germany.

 Ruby Falls-Ruby Falls is a 44-metre underground waterfall falling through limestone caves inside Lookout Mountain in Tennessee, USA

Nachi Falls- is a 133-metre waterfall in Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture. Close to the base of the waterfall is a Tendai Buddhist temple, a sacred site and pilgrimage destination.

Powerscourt Waterfall-at 121 metres, Powerscourt Waterfall in County Wicklow is Ireland’s highest falls.

Irenggolo Waterfall-Irenggolo Waterfall is a pretty staircase cascade located in mountainous Indonesian forests

Smoo Cave Waterfall- 20-metre waterfall drops into Smoo Cave under the Scottish Highlands. Unusually, some parts of the cave system are formed by the action of seawater whilst others are carved by freshwater streams.

Trümmelbach Falls-high in the Swiss Alps, water drains off glaciers on the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains and pours into Trummelbach Falls. Huge volumes of ice melt flow through a series of ten waterfalls inside Trummelbach Mountain, with the underground cascades made accessible by illuminated tunnels and suspended walkways