Nature & Form studies Swanand Kalugade PG Sem 4

Relative sizes of the species shows the population in comparison to others

Kingfisher details

A kingfisher perches or hovers over water, watching below signs of movement. When it sees a fish, it plunge-dives head-first and grabs – never spears – its prey.

large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails

Size relative to a tea cup:

Size: Length 16-17cm, wingspan 24-26cm

Diet: Predominantly fish, tadpoles, shrimps and aquatic insects

Weight: 35-50g

Lifespan: Maximum 15 years, Avg. 7 years

Fast facts

Characteristics

Skeleton of bird

Anatomy of bird

Structure Kingfisher

Flight pattern of a Kingfisher bird

Beak of kingfisher

The natural buoyancy and swift down-stroke of its wings enables kingfisher to come out of water.

Kingfisher catches its prey in less than 1/10th of a second, which is normal reaction time for fish. Its diving speed can range upto 60mph.

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Fast Facts:

Source: National Geographic Squirrel

details

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2

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1. A squirrel grabbing a nut with her claws 2. Skeleton of a squirrel showing arrangement of teeth 3. Claws of a squirrel usually in pairs of 2 and 3

Skeleton of a squirrel

Muscular structure of a squirrel

Chameleon details

Chamaeleo zeylanicus

Diet: locusts, mantis, crickets, and other insects

Characteristics: a long tongue, feet that are shaped into bifid claspers, a prehensile tail, independent eye movement and the ability to change skin colour

Cut section of chameleon’s leg showing different layers

#1 special cells called Chromatophores have pigments, situated in layers under the chameleon’s outer skin.

#2 top layers of chromatophores have red or yellow pigment, while lower layers have blue or white pigment

Fast Facts:

Internal anatomy of a female lizard

Tulip details

they are perfect flowers containing both Male and Female parts in structure.

Structures of tulip flower protect their pollen from rain by various physical structures.

Anatomy of flower

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1. Stamen 2. Top vies of tulip 3. Close-up shot of pistil, stamen

Anther contains pollen

Conch details

Mollusks live in the sea having a hard, calcium carbonate rich shell to protect their soft body.

Mollusks

Shellfish Gastropods Cephalopods

oysters

mussels

cockles

slugs

snails

limpets

conches

nautilus

cuttlefish

squid

octopus Gastropod mollusks

thousands of tooth-like protrusions called denticles scrape algae into its mouth

Diet:

Modify Adapt/Optimize Optimize space/materials

Biomimic Taxonomy:

Increasing size by adding to an edge

Conch are herbivores, they use a tough tongue-like organ called a radula in its proboscis to feed. As it feeds, thousands of tooth-like protrusions called denticles scrape algae into its mouth.

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#2 Shell growth can be left handed or right handed

Fast Facts:

Function

Protection

Enclosure

Geometry

Shell revolves around central pillar

Growth pattern

Incremental Spirals formation

Proportions

Relative Incremental Double to previous

Color & Texture

White Tan

Spiral lines

#1 Can you really hear the sea in a seashell?

The wave-like sound we hear is actually a concentration, within the shell, of certain frequencies of our surrounding environment. The seashell captures this noise, which then resonates inside the shell. The actual sound we hear, therefore, will depend on its size and shape, as different shells accentuate different frequencies – larger seashells produce lower pitched sounds, whilst smaller shells will tend to produce higher pitches.

http://healthmad.com/health/miracles-of-a-conch-shell/

one who blows a conch shell daily is cured of respiratory disorders such as asthma. He shall not be affected with lung disorders.

Some interesting things conch

A boy listening to sound of sea from a conch

#2 Health tip

ROCOCO Decoration: The radiating shape of a clamshell has been used to decorate an arched recess.

History conch

# Conch shells are occasionally used as a building material, either in place of bricks, or as bulk for landfill.

# In the Bahamas, broken or up-turned conch shells are imbedded into the tops of outdoor walls in an effort to maintain home security; the broken or up-turned shells are sharp enough to cut any intruder who attempts to jump or crawl over the wall.

White conch: One of the eight auspicious Symbols from Buddhism

A saint using conch

In Indian epic Mahabharata, conch was worshipped on religious occasions as well as blown to announce battle.

Cultural relevance conch

Hindu god Vishnu holding the conch