Project: Report Project

Josh Inga's Notable Species
Project Name : Josh Inga's Notable Species
Description :
Carbon Reduction : 0.00
Gambassa Point : 66.00
Manager
Ken Pitts
Ken Pitts
Implementor
Josh Inga
Josh Inga
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Josh Inga's Favorite Species Project
Report:

Most Invasive

There are over four million wild pigs vastly spread out across about fourty states, with the largest populations residing in California, Texas, and the Southeast. Due to their rugged features and their ability to eat anything they can swallow, feral pigs have been acting like a true non-native species, producing multiple litters of feral piglets a year(2). The feral pigs are able to produce thick, bristly coats that are dark in coloration and in some cases tusks to survive winter conditions(1). 

The controversial effect of feral hogs on several states in the United States have caused them to declare feral pigs to be an invasive species. These select states will have very minimal, or in some cases no hunting regulations in regards to the feral pigs. For example, in Michigan, there is no need for a special hunting permit to hunt the feared feral hogs. Consequently hunters may kill as many of them as they like with any weapon they can get their hands on, and it is legal to kill them if they invade your property. The Michigan Department of Conservation requests that hunters who encounter feral hogs shoot them on sight(1).

Feral pigs can cause exceptional damage to trees and other vegetation, consume and destroy large ammounts of agricultural crops which harbors an extreme hatred by farmers, replacing the native species mostly by feeding on the eggs of birds that nest on the ground and various species of turtles, and can carry very harmful diseases that are transferable to humans(3).

When only two generations pass by after domestic pigs escape from captivity, the domestic pigs can lose their pinkish coloration and grow long coarse hairs and become aggressive, allowing them to mix with the already established feral populations. In newly found research, evidence was found that had to do with the exposure to the parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella, in the blood of over eighty feral pigs killed in North Carolina between 2007 and 2009. These parasites can cause fatal heart and breathing problems and even death(2).

Common Name: Feral Pig
Scientific Name: Sus Scrofa
Where on Earth is it a problem:

Feral Pigs were introduced for hunting in the United States, where they interbred with free roaming domestic pigs. This factor is also a major problem in South America, New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia, and other small islands.
Where did it come from?: The greater part of Northern and Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia.

Most Endangered

The Hawaiian monk seal population is rapidly diminishing at a rate of four percent per year and the species is projected to have less than 1,200 individuals by 2011. Many leading biologists predict this species will fall far below the thousands in the next few years, placing this species among the most endangered of the whole world(4).

The Hawaiian monk seal is among the rarest marine mammals you can find. It is considered a member of the true seal family and sadly is one of only two remaining monk seal species alive today. The other species is the Mediterranean monk seal, and the last monk seal species is the Caribbean monk seal, that has been extinct since the early 1970's(4).

Humans have invaded many of the vital and ecologically productive coastal habitats that these animals once inhabited, due to the fact that open coastline is very valuable in regards to price and location. This additionally shows how these animals are being removed from their breeding grounds and are very endangered(5). Geographically isolated from their own species about fifteen million years ago, Hawaiian monk seals are believed to be a living fossil due to their interesting evolutionary backstory(4).

Mother monk seals are highly family oriented and care for their seal pups non-stop for the first five or six weeks of their young lives. By continuously feeding and caring for their pups, they don't eat during this time and can lose up to hundreds of pounds. This also shows a reason why the Hawaiian monk seal is so endangered because it stays with its young for such an extended period of time(5).
Common Name: Hawaiian Monk Seal
Scientific Name: Monachus Schauinslandi
Where does it live?:

The Hawaiian monk seal's entire range is within the waters of the United States. The majority of monk seals live within six main breeding subpopulations in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Those islands include the Kure Atoll, the Midway Islands, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Lisianski Island, Laysan Island, and the French Frigate Shoals.

Favorite Keystone
  • Malaysian fruit bats provide the enviroments and its inhabitants with a multitude of key environmental services and for that reason I view them as my favorite keystone species. Fruit bats visit flowers in search of nectar, then bats collect and deposit the pollen as they fly from flower to flower, pollinating them and giving the seeds what they need to germinate and various fruits to grow. In addition to this service, fruit bats can scatter the seeds of fruits by eating the fruit and distributing the seeds in their droppings as they fly over the ground. Since fruit bats can fly very far, they are able to reach large ammounts of flowering trees that are spread apart, helping to increase the diversity of the forest in Malaysia and to regenerate deforested ares at a major level(6).

  • There are certain types of fruits including bananas, breadfruit, avocados, dates, figs, mangoes, and peaches that rely heavily on the fruit bats for pollination and seed dispersal. Malaysian fruit bats contain genetic material that scientists use to treat disease resistant strains and fruit bats are the animal of choice because of their very high immune systems. They also boost the production of commercial products by pollinating and producing many different beneficial plants that can be sold on an international level(7). 

  • Studies in relation to fruit bats have contributed to the manufacturing capabilities of navigational aids for the blind, stemming from their use of sonar to detect the fruit and flowers they prey upon. Lastly, birth control products, artificial insemination procedures, and various types of vaccines are acquired from bats both on a biological and physical level. Interestingly enough, in some areas human cultures consider fruit bats as a delicacy. Also, in other areas of the world the same bats are considered to be detrimental to crops due to the fact that they consume and damage fruit that is vital for the survival of the community(7).

Female fruit bats use their teeth to bite off the center part of certain bundles of palm fruit, until they hang down, which is the method they use to build a shelter in the forest. Male fruit bats can spend over two months chewing on the stems of certain leaves and palm fronds until they fall to form a habitable shelter. If the fruit bats die out the ecosystem will suffer greatly to the point it might never recover. This will be increasingly prevalent in the fruit agriculture business, which has a strong hold in the economies of many tropical countries(6).
Common Name: Malaysian Fruit Bat
Scientific Name: Cynopterus Brachyotis
Where does it live?: Tropical rain forests of Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo to the Phillipine Islands. In warm, wet areas where food is available year round. 

Coolest Predator Adaptation

Snowy Owls have the coolest prey adaptation because they can maintain an average body temperature  of about 35 to 40° C, even when the temperature in the surrounding are is as low as -50° C(9). The owls have the ability to capture their prey in a variety of mediums including on the ground, in the air, or on the surface of bodies of water like lakes and streams. When hunting their favorite prey, snow hares, the snowy owl will drive its dangerously sharp claws into the hare's back and shake it until it physically drained of energy. The Owl will then simultaneously break its neck with its sharp beak, thus completing the kill(8).

Snowy Owls are even smart enough to steal trapped animals and even bait from traplines and in some cases are known to follow traplines regularly. They also have the ability to catch fish straight from the water with their talons mentioned before. The owls are able to swallow small prey whole, while larger prey have to be ripped into bite-sized chunks(8). 

Lemmings and voles are the snowy owls' prey of choice and when these prey are scarce they are opportunistic feeders and are able to consume a vast array of small mammals and birds including mice, hares, muskrats, marmots, squirrels, rabbits, prairie dogs, rats, and moles. The birds they prey upon include ptarmigan, ducks, geese, shorebirds, ring-necked pheasants, grouse, American coots, grebes, gulls, songbirds, and short-eared owls. Snowy Owls will also live off of fish and in extreme cases, carrion meat(8).

Snowy owls also have learned to keep clear of their nests when they are on the hunt. Other birds, such as snow geese, have adapted to nest nearby the snowy owl to take advantage of how the owls drive off dangerous predators such as foxes(8). The owls have feathers located at the tips of their wings are very jagged at the ends. This adaptation reduces the amount of noise created when the snowy owl flaps its wings during flight to accelerate towards the prey without being heard(9).
Common Name: Snowy Owl
Scientific Name: Bubo Scandiacus
Where does it live?: The Snowy Owl is a bird of Arctic tundra or open grasslands and fields in North America. Snowy Owls breed in the western Aleutian Islands, and from northern Alaska, northern Yukon, and Prince Patrick and northern Ellesmere islands south to coastal western Alaska.

Coolest Prey Adaptation

Fireflies by far have the coolest adaptation and that is their ability to produce light. Male fireflies mostly use this adaptation to attract mates and in order to accomplish this awe-inspiring task, male fireflies have to flash their abdomens in distinct methods, in hopes of wooing a female living in the undergrowth. A captivated female will repeat the exact pattern, helping guide the lovestruck male to her in the darkness of night(10).

However, some female fireflies use this adaptation for more ominous reasons. A female of a certain species of firefly will copy the distinct flashing patterns of another species of firefly, luring a male of another lineage into her deadly clutches. When the male shows up ready to reproduce and further his species, the illusive female eats him. The reason the female firefly does this is because male fireflies are filled with chemicals used to fight against predators, which she eats and uses later to secure her eggs(10).

The majority of fireflies do not eat members of their own species in spite of that fact. In some cases females live just a few forlorn days waiting for a male in the grass, and some species do not even attempt to grow wings(10). 

Many species of fireflies use abhorrent poisons to discourage their predators from considering them as their next dinner, like jumping spiders or even certain kinds of birds. These chemicals, called lucibufagins, make any organism that decided to eat the firefly immediately throw up the contents of its stomach, an incident it will not want to relive, and will always remember the next time it comes in contact with a firefly(10).
Common Name: Firefly
Scientific Name: Lampyridae 
Where does it live?:

Fireflies live in both temperate and tropical climates throughout the world. About 2,000 species of Lampyrids are known globally.
Bibliography:
Project Information
1) http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/07/oink-feral-pigs-growing-problem/
2) http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/05/110502-wild-pigs-parasites-animals-pork-science-health-nation/
3) http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/animals-behaving-worse/americas-least-wanted/911/
4) http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/pinnipeds/hawaiianmonkseal.htm
5) http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/hawaiian-monk-seal/
6) http://www.batconservancy.org/learn-about-fruit-bats-biology-conservation-threats.php
7) http://whozoo.org/students/dansch/fruitbat.htm
8) http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Bubo&species=scandiacus
9) http://www.buzzle.com/articles/snowy-owl-adaptations.html
10) http://insects.about.com/od/beetles/p/lampyridae.htm

Appendix:

Please provide constructive feedback/notes.
Amazing job on choices of species, representative images, and especially writing.  10 pts ec for great job on writing!
Grade
110 %
Greentorch photoluminescent exit signs help the environment by using no electricity, no batteries, and last longer than other self-luminous exit signs. Gambassa's "Energy efficiency and exit signs" project curriculum teaches students how to generate income by using available utility retrofit rebate programs to replace incandescent exit signs. Earn while you learn.