Hunters of the sea.

This blog is on special request from my cute and sweet cousin sister who is 8 and lives in  USA. She wants me to write about sharks. 







Image courtesy of [ by AKARAKINGDOMS ] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


So, Nandika, in this above photograph, the biggest fish is the shark. They live in deeper oceans like Pacific ocean etc. They live on the ocean floor or in the middle part of the ocean  or even near the surface of the ocean. 

Nandika, now get ready to know the secrets of their life -

-  Shark's eggs are hard and not soft unlike most of other fishes.

-  Sharks are also one of the fastest swimmers. They can swim at
around 77km/hr as fast as humans swim.So,don't think that you
can out swim a shark.

- Fishes normally have scales. But, sharks have cartilage bones in place of scales.

-  Curious to know the smelling sense of a shark, it can detect one drop of blood under water. So, don't ever think that sharks cannot smell one tiny thing inside the water. Their sense of smell is more accurate than us.  

-  There isn't only one kind of fish called shark. There are more than 10 types of shark ranging from the bulky and giant
whale shark to small dwarf lantern shark.

-  Don't get afraid by hearing the name of shark. There are only a 
few species of sharks which are dangerous to humans but not all
like the whale shark is actually harmless. But the only species
which you need to be aware are the great white shark, tiger shark,
blue shark, hammerhead shark, bull shark.

-  Some species of sharks actually leap out of water to catch their
prey like the great white shark. It sounds odd as its weight
is large , but it can easily do it when it is hungry.

-  This will definitely sound incredible to you as the great white shark not only prefers other kinds of fish but it also prefers to prey on other sharks and also whales and dolphins. This is too incredible as it has a large food menu list.

 -  You might be thinking that other fishes are a popular human food. But, sharks here are no exception. Every year, many sharks 
are killed by humans for their food and also for their oils.

-  Is there any other animal that kills sharks? Your answer would be no, but here is the answer. There are many sharks who co- exist along side saltwater crocodiles. These hungry reptiles do feast on young ones of sharks if they get an opportunity. This situation is like a predator eating another predator.   

So, give your feedback after reading it and  quickly reply.
    








  

             

        

Beware before you click!

Well, here I am not talking about computer's mouse click. I am talking about the sound made by an SLR camera. Now you all 
might be wondering that what must be its connection with wildlife. Yes, I am exactly talking about the camera used by a wildlife photographer.

Just a few days back, I was reading about that profession andyeah, as you all might be knowing that it is also one of the most popular professions in the field of wildlife. And apart from that it can be a risky profession if proper precautions aren't taken.So, I am going to tell some necessary precautions required for this profession. Here we go-

Apart from being a trained photographer, he/she mustn't be 
wearing  clothes with flashy colours. The clothes must match the colour of the green mother earth to get well camouflaged. Also, never put scent on your clothes which is sufficient enough for attracting many beasts.

Apart from being in a right place,right time and at right position,
getting a guide from an expert photographer is a yes, yes. As
photographing some herbivores animals, like, deers, horses, giraffes etc. is easy. Yes, even small non- venomous amphibians and reptiles can be easily photographed but by using safety measures. Even birds too. But the real challenge comes when you are photographing bulky herbivores like hippopotami  and elephants closely as they can become highly aggressive and can even injure or endanger your life.Yeah, this is also true when he/she is photographing other creatures like-

• Wild cats and dogs.
• Bears.(Especially brown bears, polar bears and even sun bears which can become grouchy and aggressive). 
• Hyenas.
• Great apes like gorillas and orangutans.
• Many reptiles( All crocodilians , lizards like Komodo dragon, and even various snakes) etc.

Image courtesy of   [ by anankkml ] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Even you all can take a look at the above photo of India's national beast. The photographer might have clicked it by using 'tips and
tricks'. Thus, such skills are required to become an amateur animal photographer.

Odd one outs

Well, you all must be knowing that all the members of the cat
family- be it big or small - are partially nocturnal hunters. But,
 the odd one out or exception in this case is the cheetah which prefers to hunt during the day time i.e. it's a diurnal hunter.

Image courtesy of Bernie Condon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now in case of lifestyle and hunting, surely the " king of the
beasts" has its name in exception for three reasons. 

Obviously, the lion is the most social among all the cats. It lives and hunts in groups (Other cats are solitary).

Secondly, The hairy part of the above beast is also being discussed which is found at the end of its tail i.e. the tuft, which isn't  found in any other cat.

It is also an exception in being sexually diamorphic among all the cats with male being taller, majestic and handsome.