|
Mermaids
The manatee and the dugong are
strange-looking sea animals belonging to the same
natural order: sirenids. They have existed on Earth
for millions of years, but their future is quite gloomy.
These mammals are adapted to
the aquatic ecosystem, where they spend their entire
lives because they are incapable of movement on land.
According to information found on the Internet, their
earliest ancestors date back 60 million years.
Although their likeness to the
mermaids of myth may seem unlikely, it is true that
ancient seafarers confused them with mermaids when
they first saw these unique beasts. The website Discovering
the Mermaid cites a passage from Christopher Columbus's
travel log in 1493, when he wrote that he had seen
three mermaids that were not as beautiful as stories
claimed, but did have somewhat of a human face.
Sirenids
are sea mammals with corpulent bodies. Four species
have been identified: the West African manatee, the
Amazon manatee, the Caribbean manatee and the dugong.
There was another, known as the Steller sea cow, but
hunters exterminated the species.
Threats to this family of "mermaids"
arise mostly from the loss or deterioration of their
natural habitat as a result of human activities. The
problems range from poor water quality to illegal
hunting. International treaties protect all sirenids.
A quick look at the Internet
shows that there is worldwide concern about the future
of these animals, evident in the existence of organizations
like Savethemanatee.org and Sirenian.org.
This year, the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP) launched a global
alert to protect the dugong.
Species
Profile: Manatee
Online
Zoologist: Sirenids
UNEP/Dewa:
Dugong Report
Sirenews
Save
the Manatee
Sirenian.org
UNEP
- Kids Only: Manatee and Dugongs
Manatees:
Discovering the Mermaid
Global
Alert to Save the Dugong
Dugong
Pages
Meso-America
The Meso-American Biological
Corridor that extends across the countries of Central
America and southern Mexico is an important project
for the future of the planet. It seeks to halt the
environmental degradation of a region that is home
to eight percent of all known species.
Several international organizations
are working with the governments of the zone in the
Meso-American
Biological Corridor crusade encompassing the countries
under the slogan "naturally united" in the search
for ways to protect biodiversity and foment sustainable
development.
The Meso-American
region , approximately 800,000 square km, covers
the seven Central American nations (Belize, Costa
Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
and Panama) and the five states of southeast Mexico
(Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco y Yucatan).
A glance at the information about
the project available on the Internet reveals the
interest of international bodies like the World
Bank , the United Nations Environment Program
(UNEP) and the US aerospace agency NASA.
The strategy behind the creation
of the Corridor across the various countries arose
from evidence of ecological destruction of habitat
due to the use of areas for human activities, like
farming, raising livestock and tourism, over-exploitation
of resources and the fragmentation of natural areas.
According to some estimates published
on the websites related to the project, the rate of
deforestation is so high that if immediate action
is not taken to halt the destruction, the forests
and jungles could disappear by the year 2015.
The specific goals of the project
are varied. In seeking better conservation methods,
efforts are under way to raise the population's awareness
about the problem, and to collect geographical information,
monitor changes, standardize government policies and
promote sustainable development, among many other
endeavors.
Meso-American
Biological Corridor: Naturally United
World
Bank: Central American Environmental Projects
World
Resources Institute: Defining Common Ground
NASA/CCAD:
Meso-America
The
Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
Stars of the Sea
Starfish are fantastical creatures:
they look like inhabitants of the heavens and the
scientific name that identifies them, "asteroidea",
only furthers that image. The shapes and colors of
these mysterious beings capture the imagination.
The name asteroidea
encompasses some 1,500 species grouped in several
families. They are part of the echinoderms,
which also include other mysterious ocean residents,
such as the sea cucumbers, which are close relatives
of the sea stars.
One Internet site dedicated to
starfish states that they have inhabited the Earth
for some 500 million years, a history that is corroborated
by the great number of star
fossils that have been found.
A large portion of the asteroidea
species have five tentacles extending out from a center,
creating their lovely star shape. However, some species
have many more arms, even dozens of them, such as
the crown-of-thorns,
which some studies indicate can affect coral reefs.
The nucleus or central disk of
the sea star is where the mouth is located. They are
an animal species with a primary nervous system, meaning
they do not have a brain. In order to process what
is occurring around them, stars have sensors that
can detect light and touch.
One of the most amazing characteristics
of the sea stars is their regenerative capacity, which
enters into action when they lose one of their arms.
And there are some species that can even regenerate
from a single tentacle.
On the Internet, sea stars have
generated a great quantity of information. You can
study their characteristics
on the web, contemplate their different shapes,
or even find answers to the most basic question: just
what IS a sea star?
Starfish
Science
Sea
Stars, gallery and descriptions
Starfish,
Asteroidea
Crown-of-Thorns:
Questions and Answers
Echinodermata
Star
Fossils
Asteroidea
Family
REEF:
Echinoderms
|
