10 Fascinating facts about Mosquito

Ah, mosquitoes, the insects that are universally hated the world over. These pesky, disease-carrying pests make a living by sucking the blood out of just about anything that moves, including us. But take a moment to look at things from the mosquito's perspective – it's a pretty interesting life.

1. Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on Earth.

That's right, more deaths are associated with mosquitoes than any other animal on the planet. Mosquitoes may carry any number of deadly diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis. Mosquitoes also carry heartworm, which can be lethal to your dog.

2. Only female mosquitoes bite humans and animals; males feed on flower nectar.

Mosquitoes mean nothing personal when they take your blood. Female mosquitoes need protein for their eggs, and must take a blood meal in order to reproduce. Since males don't bear the burden of producing young, they'll avoid you completely and head for the flowers instead. And when not trying to produce eggs, females are happy to stick to nectar, too.

3. Some mosquitoes don't bite humans, preferring other hosts like amphibians or birds.

Not all mosquito species feed on people. Some mosquitoes specialize on other animals, and are no bother to us at all. Culiseta melanura, for example, bites birds almost exclusively, and rarely bites humans. Another mosquito species, Uranotaenia sapphirina, is known to feed on reptiles and amphibians.

4. Mosquitoes fly at speeds between 1 and 1.5 miles per hour.

That might sound fast, but in the insect world, mosquitoes are actually rather slow. If a race were held between all the flying insects, nearly every other contestant would beat the pokey mosquito. Butterflies, locusts, and honey bees would all finish well ahead of the skeeter.

5. A mosquito's wings beat 300-600 times per second.

This would explain that irritating buzzing sound you hear just before a mosquito lands on you and bites.

6. Mosquito mates synchronize their wing beats to perform a lover's duet.

Scientists once thought that only male mosquitoes could hear the wing beats of their potential mates, but recent research on Aedes aegypti mosquitoes proved females listen for lovers, too. When the male and female meet, their buzzing synchronizes to the same speed.

7. Salt marsh mosquitoes may travel up to 100 miles from their larval breeding habitat.

Most mosquitoes emerge from their watery breeding ground and stay pretty close to home. But some, like the salt marsh mosquitoes, will fly lengthy distances to find a suitable place to live, with all the nectar and blood they could want to drink.

8. All mosquitoes require water to breed. Some species can breed in puddles left after a rainstorm.

Just a few inches of water is all it takes for a female to deposit her eggs. Tiny mosquito larva develop quickly in bird baths, roof gutters, and old tires dumped in vacant lots. If you want to keep mosquitoes under control around your home, you need to be vigilant about dumping any standing water every few days.

9. An adult mosquito may live 5-6 months.

Few probably make it that long, given our tendency to slap them silly when they land on us. But in the right circumstances, an adult mosquito has quite a long life expectancy, as bugs go.

10. Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide from 75 feet away.

Carbon dioxide, which humans and other animals produce, is the key signal to mosquitoes that a potential blood meal is near. They've developed a keen sensitivity to CO2 in the air. Once a female senses CO2 in the vicinity, she flies back and forth through the CO2 plume until she locates her victim

Intresting Facts About Ants

1. They have superhuman strength!

Yes, you did read that correctly. Ants are ridiculously strong. They have the ability to carry between 10 and 50 times their own body weight!  The amount an ant can carry depends on the species. The Asian weaver ant, for example, can lift 100 times its own mass.

Why are ants strong?

This amazing strength is a result of their small size believe it or not. The Arizona State University report that because of their small size, ants’ muscles have a greater cross-sectional area relative to their body size compared to larger animals. This means they can produce more force.

2. Ants don’t have lungs

Due to their small size, ants don’t have the room to accommodate a complex respiratory system such as ours. Instead, they have their own ways of respiration to help transport oxygen around their bodies.

How do ants breathe?

Ants breathe in oxygen through spiracles which are a series of holes located around the sides of their bodies.

The spiracles are connected through a network of tubes which help distribute the oxygen to almost every cell in their body.

Their movement helps the oxygen to circulate through the tubes, with the released carbon dioxide exiting through said tubes as well.

3. Ants don’t have ears

Unlike other pests such as rats, ants don’t have ears. But that doesn’t mean they are deaf.

How do ants hear?

Ants use vibrations to hear, using it when foraging for food or as an alarm signal. They use the vibrations in the ground to hear by picking them up in the subgenual organ which is located below the knee.

4.There are a lot of ants in the world

I think the phrase “a lot” is an understatement when describing the amount of ants current in existence. To put things in perspective, it is estimated that there are around 1 million ants for every 1 human in the world!

Ants have pretty much conquered the entire globe. With the exception of Antarctica, the Arctic, and a handful of islands, there are at least one native species found on every continent.

Entomologist Ted Schultz says that the ants presence across the world is “arguably the greatest success story in the history of terrestrial metazoa”.

5. Some ant species are Asexual

Rather than going down the traditional route of reproduction, some Amazonian ants have taken to reproduce via cloning. It is reported that the queen ants copy themselves to genetically produce daughters, resulting in a colony with no males.

6. Ants are farmers

You may be thinking “what?!”. But it’s true, besides humans, ants are the only creatures which will farm other creatures.

Just like we raise cows, sheep, pigs, chicken and fish in order to obtain a food source, antswill do the same with other insects. The most common occurrence of this is with aphids.

Ants will protect aphids from natural predators, and shelter them in their nests from heavy rain showers in order to gain a constant supply of honeydew.

7. Ants have two stomachs

That’s right ants have two stomachs, and it’s not because they are greedy.  One of their stomachs is for holding food for their own consumption, whilst the second one is to hold food to be shared with other ants.

This process is known as trophallaxis and allows a colony to work extremely efficiently. It allows for the ants who forage for food to feed those which stay behind and tend to the duties of the queen and the nest.

8. Ants can swim

Well, not all ants can swim, it depends on the species. They haven’t mastered the butterfly or breaststroke, yet, but they do have the ability to survive in water by using their own version of the doggy paddle, and can also float for long periods of time.

To put it simply, ants are amazing survivors. Not only can they hold their breath underwater for long periods of time, but they will also build lifeboats to survive floods.

Intresting Facts About Nepal

Nepal is a beautiful country rightfully called a paradise on earth. The enigmatic country boasts its diverse ethnicity, rich culture and awe-inspiring natural beauty. With a wide variety of flora and fauna in the country, Nepal holds some of the rarest species like the one-horned Rhino, the Bengal tiger and the national flower Rhododendron. Nepal is truly a god’s playground with stunning landscapes, majestic mountains and mesmerizing lakes.

Here we are listing the most fun and interesting facts about Nepal. The most baffling fact about Nepal is that all of the following happens within the limited area of 147,181 sq. km (56,827 sq. mi).

a) Geography:

1. Nepal has 8 out of the world’s 14 highest mountains including the Mount Everest.

2. The highest mountain in the world, The Mount Everest is in Nepal. Everest is called Sagarmatha in Nepali which translates to “Forehead of the Sky.” In the local Sherpa and Tibetan language, Everest is called Chomolungma, which means “Goddess Mother of the World.” The word Everest comes from George Everest, a British surveyor general of the Himalayas.

3. In a span of 100 km going from South to North at any part of Nepal you can experience hot tropical climate to bone chilling Artic type weather.

4. Nepal is the only country with altitudinal variation that ranges from 70 meters to 8848 meters.

5. Nepal boasts the most extreme places on the earth such as the highest lake on the earth (Tilicho 4800 meters), the deepest gorges (1200 meter) in Kaligandaki, the highest valley on earth (Arun valley) and the tallest grassland in the world in Chitwan.

6. Kaligandaki is the river older than the Himalayas. Therefore, it acts as a major ecological dividing line of the whole eastern and western Himalayas.

7. Nepal is a four season destination.

b) Bio-diversity:

Nepal is called an Amazon of Asia. The hidden treasure of its rich biodiversity is not yet fully explored. Many new species could be discovered from Nepal.

1. Nepal has more than 360 species of Orchid which constitutes over 2% of the world’s orchids.

2. Nepal has 8 % of the total species of birds found in the world.

3. Nepal comprises 6% of the world’s rhododendron species.

4. Nepal harbors 5980 species of flowering plants which covers 2.4% of the world’s total. Over 250 species of the flowering plants are endemic in Nepal (i.e. It is not found elsewhere else in the world.)

5. Nepal has one of the largest concentrations of Royal Bengal Tiger in the world after India and Bangladesh.

6. It is said that Nepal has largest moth in the world (Atlas Moth)

7. Some of the largest wild honeybees are found in Nepal.

8. The only natural breeding ground of the Long Snouted Gharial crocodile exists in Nepalese river.

9. Nepal has nearly 870 species of birds, which arguably more than the whole continent of Europe and North Africa combined.

10. Nepal has 4.2% of the world’s butterfly species which is over 650 species of butterflies.

11. Thirty six percent of the world’s Meconopsis species “poppy” including Blue Poppies are found in Nepal of which four are endemic, only found in Nepal. In Nepal, one of the Blue poppy grows as high as 5400-meter altitude. This is perhaps one of the highest limits for the poppy to be found in the world.

12. The mysterious creature of the Himalayas called Yeti is said to be spotted in the Nepalese Himalayas by many. Sir Edmund Hillary even led an expedition to find the Yeti in 1958.

13. Second largest population of One-horned Rhino is found in Nepal.

14. Nepal has one of the best habitats for Snow Leopard.

15. Sukla Phanta in West Nepal harbors the world largest herd of Swamp deer.

c) Culture, Lifestyle and pride:

1. Nepal is the birthplace for the Lord Gautam Buddha, the light of Asia. Siddhartha Gautam (Buddha) was born in Kapilvastu, Lumbini which lies in Nepal. Lumbini is a sacred place for Buddhists.

2. Nepal was never under any foreign invasion. Thus Nepal does not have an independent day because Nepal was never colonized. Nepal is also the oldest country in South Asia.

3. Nepal has the densest concentration of World Heritage Sites. Kathmandu valley alone has 7 World Heritage Cultural sites within a radius of 15 kilometers. No wonder Kathmandu is called the living cultural museum of the world.

4. Nepal is the only country with a non-rectangular flag. Nepal’s flag is maroon with two triangular shapes stacked on one another with blue border. The upper triangle consists of moon and the lower triangle consists of the sun. The current flag has been in place since 1962 although the basic design has been used for over 2,000 years in Nepal.

5. Cows are sacred in Nepal. Recently turned secular, Nepal still has the highest proportion of Hindus in the world. Cow is considered the national animal of the country. In Nepal, cows are not eaten and it is considered illegal to kill the animal. Due to this fact, it is not uncommon to see a cow wandering around the streets of Kathmandu.

6. Nepal has the only living goddess in the world called Kumari. Kumari literally means virgin in Nepali.

7. People in Nepal greet one another by saying “Nasmaste” or “Namaskar” with their palms together and bow their forehead. Namaste is directly translated as ‘I salute the God in youˇ. Like “Namaste” is common in the Hindu influenced culture, “Tashidele” is a common greeting in the culture close to Tibetan culture.

8. Elephant polo game was originated in Meghauli, Nepal. Tiger Tops in Nepal is the headquarters of elephant polo and the site of the World Elephant Polo Championships.

9. Some of the highest permanent human habitat exists in Himalayan region of Nepal.

10. Nepal has over 80 ethnic groups and 123 Languages (Mother Tongue) .

11. Nepal opened its borders in 1949.

d) Environment:

1. Over nineteen percent of the total country’s landmass is protected under National Park and Protected Area in Nepal.

2. Shivapuri National Park at Budhanilkantha in Kathmandu is the only World’s National Park close to the capital and international airport.

3. In the last 25 years of conservation work, Nepal has managed to save Blackbuck from extinction, successfully increased the tiger population, and brought back endangered wildlife species such as Gharial, Indian bison, wild buffalo and many others to a healthy and viable population.

4. Chitwan National Park and Everest National Park is listed in World Heritage Site.

5. Multi conceptual park management system was first successfully implemented in Annapurna Area and now ACAP is the world model for conservation and sustainable development.

6. During 70s, there were less than 80 rhinos in Nepal, now Nepal has more than 500 remnants. This is undoubtedly an excellent result in the context of global wildlife conservation record.

e) Adventure:

1. Nepal boasts few of the world’s most popular trekking trails such as Annapurna Circuit trekking and Everest Base Camp Trek.

2. Nepal is one of the best arenas for Extreme & Adventure Sport tourism such as mountaineering, cannoning, paragliding, mountain biking, kayaking, rafting, bungee jumping, high altitude marathon etc.

3. Karnali in Simikot is one of the best rivers in the world for kayaking and most of the upstream Nepalese rivers offer the best rapids for white-water rafting.

f) Facts about the Himalayas:

1. The word ‘Himalaya” in Sanskrit means abode of snow.

2. The geological age of the Himalaya is approximately 70 million years. It is the youngest Mountain Range in the world.

3. According to Hindu mythology, God Shiva resides in the Himalaya.

4. Nameha Barwa peak is the easternmost and Nanga Parbat is the westernmost peak of the Himalaya.

5. Kumbhakarna is the new name of mount Jannu (7,710 m).

6. Gosainthan (8046 m) is the Nepali name for Shisha Pangma.

7. The ideal height gain per day for mountaineers is 1,000 ft above 10,000 ft.

8. The Himalayas are the source for rivers such as the Indus, the Yangtze and the Ganga-Brahmaputra. All three are the major river systems of the continent of Asia.

9. The Himalayas are the third largest deposit of ice and snow in the world, after Antarctica and the Arctic. There are approximately 15,000 glaciers located throughout the range.

10. The Himalayas are alive geographically! The Indo-Australian plate is still moving at 67 mm per year, and over the next 10 million years it will travel about 1,500 km into Asia.