The cheetah, also known as Acinonyx jubatus in the scientific world, is one of the most speedy, agile, and fiesty animals on land. It is the oldest feline out of the thirty seven different species of cats, originating over four million years ago. With the start of the last Ice Age, approximately 10,000 years ago, all the cheetah in North America, Europe, and most of those in Asia and Africa perished. Fossils have been discovered in what is now Nevada, Wyoming, and Texas. From those that did survive this epic Ice Age, and from evolution of closely related animals, descended the cheetah that we recognize today.
Bailey Pearman Professor Stemple Bio Lecture 102 March 27, 2013 Animal Research Paper: Giraffes Giraffes have many obvious physical adaptations that make them perfect to survive in the African savannas. These primary consumers belong to Phylum Chordata. They have a notochord (noto=back, cord=string) present in all embryos that may be absent or reduced in adults, and also have a post anal tail that extends beyond the anus (Carter 1). Giraffes belong to the subphylum vertebrata and class mammalia. The main characteristics of this class include: fur/hair, mammary glands that evolved from sweat glands to produce milk for their young, a diaphragm to aid in respiration, they are endothermic, and bear live young.
Giraffes are one of the most fascinating and different animals on earth. They are also the tallest animals on earth. They can be found in the wild in the savanna on the continent of Africa. Giraffes are truly giant animals. They can grow up to 17 feet tall and weigh as much as 3,000 pounds.
This suggests that genetic monomorphism did not prevent the cheetah from flourishing across two continents for thousands of years. The cheetah likely evolved in Africa during the Miocene epoch (26 million to 7.5 million years ago), before migrating to Asia. Recent research has placed the last common ancestor of all existing populations as living in Asia 11 million years ago, which may lead to revision and refinement of existing ideas about cheetah evolution. The now-extinct species include: Acinonyx pardinensis (Pliocene epoch), much larger than the modern cheetah and found in Europe, India, and China; Acinonyx intermedius (mid-Pleistocene period), found over the same range. The extinct genus Miracinonyx was extremely cheetah-like, but recent DNA analysis has shown that Miracinonyx inexpectatus, Miracinonyx studeri, and Miracinonyx trumani (early to late Pleistocene epoch), found in North America and called the "North American cheetah" are not true cheetahs, instead being close relatives to the cougar.
We all know about Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution by natural selection, so eloquently expressed in his “Origin of Species”, published in 1859. Darwin rightly postulated that humans evolved in Africa, and that a “missing link” remained to be discovered. Several“missing links” have been found in Africa, among them in the 1950s “Zinj”(Zinjanthropus), and “Handy Man”(Homo habilis), both discovered in Olduvai Gorge, Kenya by Louis Leakey, as well as “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis) discovered by Don Johansen in Ethiopia in 1974, to “Turkana Boy”(Homo erectus), discovered by Richard Leakey in Kenya in the 1980s. Each in its own time had been hailed as “the missing link”, and as our direct ancestor. Many discoveries have been made since, and the ‘family tree’ has proved to be quite ‘bushy’, as it were.
However, the Maasai are the largest of the Ma speaking tribes, and are said to have nearly a million members living between the two countries they inhabit. The Maasai are also one of the best known tribes in Africa, and have been studied in numerous western studies. Although the people thrive on a rich history, the Maasai face many difficulties in today’s modern world. Since Kenya (which is the country the Maasai primarily inhabit) gained independence in 1963, the Maasai people have struggled to acclimate to growing western influences. Today, the Maasai people face many challenges as they struggle for rights to land, as well as the increased need for infrastructure amongst this impoverished nation.
The island is also home to around 170 palm species, three times as many as are found on mainland Africa; 165 of these are endemic. Many native plant species are used as effective herbal remedies for a variety of afflictions, including the Madagascar periwinkle, which has recently been established as the most effective treatment for leukemia and Hodgkin's disease. [16] The traveler's palm, endemic to the eastern rain forests,[21] is highly iconic of Madagascar and is featured in the national emblem as well as the Air Madagascar logo. [22] Like its flora, Madagascar's fauna is likewise diverse and exhibits a high rate of endemism. Lemurs have been characterized as "Madagascar's flagship mammal species" by Conservation International.
The Era is made up of six Geologic periods, the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, and the Permian. Much of the plants and animals that exististed and evolved was due to the climate and location of the continents. At the beginning of the Paleozoic period, the continents were far apart, but by the end they were close together and on the way in forming the supercontinent called Pangaea. The land was moving by Plate Tectonics. Four hundred and thirty million years ago there was glaciation; this caused an ice sheet to cover what is now North Africa.
Cheetahs thrive for areas with vast expanses of land, warm weather, and abundant prey. Cheetahs have been found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, savannahs, dense vegetation, and mountainous terrain. Today, only 12,000 to 15,000 remain in Africa, and few may survive in Iran. The country with the largest population is Namibia, home to about 3,000 cheetahs. Cheetahs are one of the most popular animals in zoos.
Until recently, the Chauvet cave paintings in France were believed to be the oldest, dating back to approximately 32,000 BCE; however, using carbon dating of the calcium deposits formed over the mineral-based paint, the cave paintings found in Spain’s are now believed to be over 40,000 years old [ (Than, 2012) ]. There has been speculation that these older paintings are the first evidence that Neanderthals could have been the first cave