American River Otter in Zoo Setting Essay Example for Free

American River Otter in Zoo Setting Essay Otters are endemic to America and stay in American river systems. They can be found in all Watersheds of America. Moreover, their decrease is attributed to unregulated harvest, water pollution and habitat destruction. As a result, river otters have now become an endangered species. Nevertheless, Otters are still maintained by most people as pets, making them an interesting species. As a matter of fact, otters are the favorite animals in many zoo collections. However, they are also difficult to keep in a healthy condition and surprisingly there is very little knowledge about them. Otters are held in captivity for the purpose of breeding for likely reintroduction into the wild and for public education. This paper focuses on American river otters. Geographical, Classification and Range                  American river otters can be found in Alaska, inland waterways and coastal areas of Canada, the Pacific Northwest, the Atlantic State and the Gulf of Mexico. Otters belong to the family Mustelidae, which comprises mink, badgers, skunks, martens, wolverines and weasels. They are categorized under the subfamily Lutrinae, which has a total of thirteen species in six genera. The American otter exhibit permits visitors to observe the feeding habits and swimming capabilities of the otters. Moreover, visitors can see various species of otters in different colors frolicking in the water (Becker, 2002). Habitat                  River otters are found in a variety of aquatic habitats, both in the coastal marine such as rivers, lakes, coastal shorelines, estuaries and marshes and in fresh water. The otter can tolerate a wide range of elevations and temperature. The primary needs of a river otter are a regular supply of food source and tranquil access to a body of water. They select their habitats grounded on the amount of shelter and food. It is for this reason that their habitat can change depending on the season. For example, they can move from temporarily flooded marshes to cypress swamps with permanent foods. Otters, are very sensitive to pollution, meaning that if the water is populated, the river otter will not be capable of surviving. It is for this reason that in captive setting, fresh and quality water is maintained. Growth of pollution, man-made poisons and cities destroy the otter habitat and decline their numbers (Niemuth, et al ) In most cases, river otters stay in a den or a holt, built in the burrows of other animals or in a natural hollows setting like in river banks, dens comprises of burrow dug by marmot monax, red foxes, nutria or beaver and muskrat lodges. They may also utilize logs or trees, rock creations, flood debris, undercut banks and backwater sloughs. The utilization of resting and den sites is primary opportunistic, though locations that gives seclusion and protection are highly preferred for otters. They also walk for great distances over land and through water to look for food. River otter; the weasel family hunt during the night and feed on whatever might be present. Fish are the favorite food for otters, though they also eat amphibians, crayfish and turtles. Otters love to playfully slide down snow-covered, muddy hills, or icy, which always end with a splash in the water. Pups enjoy such funs, which also demonstrates survival skills (Niemuth, et, al 2008). River otters stay in a small family group when they have a litter of pups. Nevertheless, they have strict territories, which they preserve from others otters of the same sex. Male territories can overlap with female territories, but male territories do not overlap with other male territories. When families are comprised of an adult female and her offsprings, the male also introduces their own social groups. Nevertheless, females and males usually build separate hierarchies, putting up each other, but not escorting one another. Young pups love to play through wrestling and chasing one another. However, river otters do not have territories, and distinct groups tend to avoid one another. Biological Tythms And/Or Migration, Navigation Orientation                  The river otters do go through a winter slow-down. They build ground beds or nests in hardwood swamps or dense thickets. Otters males and non-pregnant females do not appear to enter into a true hibernation. Rather, they enter a physiological state referred to as walking hibernation or denning. These otters will bed down for a few days, months or weeks, but they can be awakened on warm winter days for forage. Pregnant females go into hibernation state, especially in mid December to early January and do not awaken till late April or early May. Nevertheless, whether in a true hibernation or denning, the otters body temperature and metabolic and heart rates decline. The otters may lose up to 25percent of their body weight while hibernating (Williams et al, 2006). Reproduction                  River otters sexually mature between 2 to 3 years. In most cases, river otters mate in the fall or spring, with birth taking place the next year of mating. Nevertheless, river otters have deferred implantation cycle, which distinct them them from any other associated otter species. Though the gestation period takes around 60-63 days, the entire period of pregnancy can differ from 245-380 days.. The life cycle continues whereby the Otter pups weigh approximately 4.5ounces when born. The pup nurse for around 3 to 4 months and start to swim 2months after birth. It is natural for the young pups to swim, though the mother must lure them into the water for their first swim. The mother carries the pups on its back during the first days of swimming, thus coaxing them to swim. Usually, the pups move away from their mother when they are about 1 year old and ready to look for their own territory. Behavioral Development                  American river otters have adapted to an aquatic lifestyle just like fish. They are well fitted to dive and swim in water, just like how a dolphin fish does. However, otters have a slippery hydrodynamic nature, which exemplifies the perfect adaptation to an amphibious culture. As mentioned earlier, their webbed feet help them to swim with small dexterous front feed and large powerful hind feet. The muscular tail is somehow thick and flat at the base, tapering to a point. River otters utilize their hind limbs and undulating movement of their tail as the primary source of propulsion through the water. As a matter of fact, they also utilize their forelimbs for paddling. The common features for all otters is that they contain sleek waterproof fur, short hair, which is soft and dense. They also have perfect vision, particularly underwater, which aid them to capture their prey such as fish. Another adaptation is that they have stiff whiskers that are very sensi tive to water turbulence. (Niemuth et al, 2008) This helps them to find prey in muddy water or dark waters. Likewise, the thumbs on the front paws help them to move freely and can only be opposed when the otter is picking up, or holding small things such as when the otter is eating. Social Systems and Communication of River Otters                  River otters mostly forage in the water, where they hunt their prey, they are similarly on land because they can also run quickly. But, when they are moving on land, they bound in a sprinting fashion, with their backs bowed. Fortunately, they combine running with sliding in the mud, snow, or ice, whenever it is possible for them to do that. This makes them move fast and reach their destination, also, it has made them to be the most playful of the Mustelidae family. Nevertheless, river otters are also extremely vocal, and communicate with one another using diversity of calls such as staccato chuckles, twitters, chirps and buzzes (Niemuth et, al, 2008). When river otters develops and become solitary, they utilize scent marking to differentiate territorial boundaries. This is because, they have a pair of scent glands at the base of their tail that provides them with a heavy musky smell. Scent is very important for the otters because it gives the convey, the identity, sexual receptivity and sex of the otters. During the breeding season a male otter can utilize the sex makings of a female in estrus for beyond eight kilometers. However, though otters can be tolerant of other otters, the male otters do not contest for breeding preferences. There also slight commonality of territorial boundaries between the otters adults of similar sex. However, males exercise slight commonality of territories of various females (Esbensen, 1993). In conclusion, the river otters are one of the social carnivores in the world. It is clear because, the river otters in the zoo setting have been seen to tend to respond to human in distinct manner than do wild otters. The biggest threat to otter species is trapping excessive fur. Also, other species progresses to decline due to overfishing, destruction of the otters habitat and water pollution. Thus, the only hope for the future of the river otters is by breeding the otters in a zoo setting. Nevertheless, it is only the most perfect breeding program where the pups are brought up by their mothers on natural prey in a zoo setting, can hope to raise and breed otters than can successfully accommodate to wild status. Therefore, careful considerations should be taken when breeding the otters. Chasing of other otter species progresses worldwide, making the species become an endangered species. Today, all the otter species are now an endangered species, though the North American river otter is not considered and endangered species, but it is clear that its population has extremely decline. References Becker, J. (2002). North American river otters. San Diego, CA: Kidhaven Press. Esbensen, B., Brown, M. (1993). Playful slider: The North American river otter. Boston: Little, Brown, and. Greene, C., French, M. (1993). Reading about the river otter. Hillside, N.J., U.S.A.: Enslow. Niemuth, J., Sanders, C., Mooney, C., Olfenbuttel, C., Deperno, C., Stoskopf, M. (2008). Nephrolithiasis In Free-Ranging North American River Otter () In North Carolina, USA. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 110-117. Williams, T., Ben-David, M., Noren, S., Rutishauser, M., Mcdonald, K., Heyward, W. (2006). Running energetics of the North American river otter: Do short legs necessarily reduce efficiency on land? Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular amp; Integrative Physiology, 203-212. Source document

The Bipolar Brain and the Creative Mind Essay example -- Biology Essay

The Bipolar Brain and the Creative Mind "Our hospital was famous and had housed many great poets and singers. Did the hospital specialize in poets and singers, or was it that poets and singers specialized in madness? ... What is it about meter and cadence and rhythm that makes their makers mad?" (1) The link between madness and creativity is one that has been hotly debated in both medical and literary circles for a long time. The two most common types of mental illness theorized to be an influence on creative people such as writers, artists, and poets were schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (2). However, various studies comparing the characteristics of schizophrenics, bipolars, and writers have concluded that schizophrenics do not share a common thought process with writers (2). In comparison, a study conducted at the University of Iowa declared that while both bipolar patients and writers tended to "sort in large groups... arbitrarily change starting points, or use vague distantly related concepts as categorizing principles" (p 107), the two differed in their abilities to control their thoughts (2). Where the exactly this line of control is located – or indeed if there is a line at all – is the debate in question. Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, is a complex and often cruel illness that takes sufferers on a rollercoaster ride of emotional highs and deep depressions. During the mania period, either euphoria or irritability manifest themselves, and sometimes a combination of the two, called "mixed mania"(3). A person in a manic phase can also exhibit symptoms known to physicians as the DIGFAST symptoms: distractibility is heightened; insomnia is present due to increased energy; grandiosity occurs in delus... ..., 1993. 3)Medscape article, facts on bipolar disorder http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/151096 4)An article on the Pendulum website, about the possible links between bipolar disorder and creative personalities http://www.pendulum.org/articles/creativity_troubled.htm 5)A website to support those with bipolar illness, with a list of famous manic-depressives http://users.frii.com/parrot/dead.html 6)The Serendip webpage, an article entitled "Creativity and Psychopathology" http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/serendipia/Serendipia-Preti.html 7)A website to support those with bipolar disorder, with an essay by a teenage girl about her bipolar illness http://www.pendulum.org/writings/label_maker.htm 8)An article posted from the Science News, about the relationship between creativity and bipolar illness http://users.lycaeum.org/~martins/M2/creativ2.html

Knowledge and Emotion Essay

Emotion plays a big role in gaining knowledge even though when we do not realize it. Therefore, I agree with the quote, â€Å"There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be aware of a truth, yet until we have felt its force, it is not ours.† by Arnold Bennett, an English novelist. First of all, with the part, â€Å"There can be no knowledge without emotion1†, it can be proved by our experience. For example, we know about plate tectonics but until you feel it, you can’t have knowledge. Earthquakes prove that the plate tectonics are moving towards each other, away from each other or slide past each other. Since I live in Japan, earthquakes can be felt often and I have the knowledge of what it is like to be in an area with lots of earthquakes. Also, for example, we can prove that we have knowledge from genes. Sometimes, I feel that I have the same characteristic as my mother when I am talking to my pets. I talk with them in a softer voice than when we talk to other people. Also, my mother’s family loves animals and I was also brought up with an animal always beside me. Finally I can also see evidence from learning physics. I learned that the energy is transferred into other energies. Before, I wondered why bouncy balls bounced lower each time. When I learned about the energies, I gained the knowledge that the potential energy was transferred into heat, sound and other energies. From gaining these truths and experiencing it, it gives us knowledge of what it is like. By experiencing these things, it influences our emotion and gives us the knowledge. Though some people disagree that knowledge can be gained without emotion, I argue that the statement is not true. Though when you learn something, until you have realized what it is and accepted the information, then it is not knowledge. We have to know the information to gain the knowledge so to gain the knowledge we have to experience it. For example, I know the truth that floods occur and the consequences as well as the effects of it but since I have not experienced it before, I do not have the knowledge of what it is like to be in an area, which flooded. Furthermore, by learning biology, I know that there are diseases such as thrombosis, a blood clotting disease but since I have not experienced it I do not what it feels like to have thrombosis. As a result, I do not yet have the knowledge. Knowledge can be gained by other ways of knowing such as reason, sense perception and language. Though I agree with this, I think these all involve the ways of knowing of emotion. When we have a reason to gain knowledge, we gain the knowledge by realizing it and experiencing it. When we gain knowledge by sense perception it is done by experiencing something and realizing what is going on in our surroundings. Finally for language, we are experiencing it since we are talking or listening to the language. Since all these involve the action of experiencing, it all involves emotion. If someone did things unconsciously, I wonder if they can get knowledge. People who sleepwalk have been seen eating, dressing, driving cars, and many other things. Their brain is not fully shut down. Sleepwalking occurs before they are in the state of rapid eye movement, or the moment they are dreaming.2 They have their eyes open to recognize their surroundings. Therefore, I think they are using their sense perception when they are sleepwalking. Though they may not remember it when they wake up and get confused but I think their brain remembers it since the brain is not fully shut when people sleepwalk. Therefore knowledge is gained from experiencing things even if they are sleepwalking which is done unconsciously. Reflexes are also done unconsciously. They are done because we have the knowledge of what to do best to have the least damage to ourselves. That is why we pull our hands back when we touch something hot to reduce the possibility of burning our hand. We try to reduce it because we have the knowledge of what is going to happen if we do not. If we do not take our hand back, we know we are going to burn our hand and feel the pain. When I wake up, I have the reflex of stopping the alarm clock because I have the knowledge that I have to wake up to go to school. This reflex was done because I had the emotion that I did not want to go to school since I had to wake up at six o’clock in the morning. Therefore as a conclusion, I agree to an extent with the quote by an English novelist, Arnold Bennett of â€Å"There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be aware of a truth, yet until we have felt its force, it is not ours.† Emotion is connected to the other ways of knowing and everything we do in our lives. Experiencing things give knowledge to us which gives us emotion whether we do things consciously or unconsciously.

The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho - 1358 Words

There was a time in my life when I rejoiced this subtle, innocent concept from an international bestselling book - â€Å"when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.† I read the book twice and also listened to its audio book. Many students in the class might have also read this simple, inspiring book. It is â€Å"The Alchemist† by Paulo Coelho. There was a time when I used to read Paulo Coelho books, write didactic Nepali poems and got excited about physics and chemistry in middle school. Trying lame things like Aristotle hairstyle, making criterion for the evolution of the soul, making unfunny puns in leisure, sitting in the library and reading every piece of news from three leading newspapers, it was a very†¦show more content†¦In some ways, he inspired me to think different. Then one day, he talked about freewill and the controversy surrounding it. I was mesmerized. I kept on thinking and wondering the possibilities and their implications. It became the quest of my life. This philosophical inclination really gained momentum when I decided to do a research project on Buddhism. During a month long research period, I became exposed to the core of eastern philosophies and spiritualism. It changed everything for me. I started to spend more time alone and think about abstract concepts like karma, soul, reincarnation, nirvana, the theory of cause and effect and so on. At times, I used to get out of my dormitory late at night to think about things in utter silence and solitude of the night. In the coming months, I began spending more time alone in the library and grassland thinking the â€Å"abstract†. It coincided with the start of high school. So, I had no one whom I would call â€Å"friend† at that time. When my peers used to talk about sports, girls and Facebook memes, I lacked any interest. I found it not only difficult to socialize, but to some degree unnecessary. Teenage conversations can be so much lame, juvenile and intellectually bereft. I hated small talks and discussions about people or events. In short, I did not fit there. After months of exploring new kinds of philosophies, I was reading western materialistic philosophies and scientific journals. I came acrossShow MoreRelatedThe Alchemist By Paulo Coelho1652 Words   |  7 Pages Enlightening The Alchemist One day a young Buddhist on his journey home, came to the banks of a wide river. Staring hopelessly at the great obstacle in front of him , he pondered for hours on just how to cross such a wide barrier. Just as he was about to give up his pursuit to continue his journey he saw a great teacher on the other side of the river. The young Buddhist yells over to the teacher Oh wise one, can you tell me how to get to the other side of this river? The teacher ponders for aRead MoreThe Alchemist by Paulo Coelho1003 Words   |  5 Pagessubstance. Once an author is aware of this, they should be able to achieve pathos- the persuasion of the audience by appealing to their emotions. (Comp. Notes) Paulo Coelho had recognized this, which is why his novel, The Alchemist, has sold more than 30 million copies in 56 different languages worldwide. (Wikipedia) Although The Alchemist is written in such a way that it can be easily understood, the novel’s structure and substance is for more complex and profound, making use of interconnected fablesRead MoreThe Alchemist By Paulo Coelho885 Words   |  4 PagesLove in the Alchemist In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho implies a secondary theme of love through Santiago and Fatima’s clear expressions of love for each other. Santiago’s expression is shown in his early confession and request for Fatima’s hand in marriage (Coelho, web). Fatima’s expression is through selflessness, in encouraging Santiago to follow and chase his dream (Coelho, web). This gives Coelho’s readers a peek into his own personal views on love, and confirms aspects of what professionalsRead MoreThe Alchemist By Paulo Coelho2307 Words   |  10 Pagesusually get what they want! Life is not easy and sometimes it knock us down, the most important thing is to be strong and to get back up. Sometimes we fail to achieve what we want, but the failure is not a failure if we learn from it! In the Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho the boy named Santiago faces a lot of obstacles to achieve his own dream which was to visit the pyramids in Egypt and to find the treasure that he saw in his dream. During his journey, Santiago meets a lot of people and he learns a lot fromRead MoreThe Alchemist By Paulo Coelho1555 Words   |  7 PagesThe Alchemist In Paulo Coelho book the Alchemist it stated how we all have come into this world for a reason, but we come across situations that interrupts or affects our path that leads us to our personal legend and along the way we should stay strong and never lose faith in ourselves. We should never give up and fight for what we want. When we are young we are so sure that when we grow up we will become whatever we dream of, such as working for specific careers, travel, or something that willRead MoreThe Alchemist by Paulo Coelho1168 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Alchemist† was originally written in Portuguese by a famous Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. The book’s original title is â€Å"O Alqumistia†. The book was first published in 1988 which is since then been translated into 56 different languages and is one of the bestselling books of the history. This translation of the book was written by Alan R. Clarke and was first published by Harper Collins Publishers in 1993. T he genres of the book are fiction, fantasy, psychology, drama. The writer followingRead MoreEssay on The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho822 Words   |  4 PagesThe Alchemist by Paulo Coelho The book I read is called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The Alchemist is about a boy from Spain, whose name is Santiago and is a shepherd. The book tells how he gets around countries, and how he deals with his problems and how he solves them. It shows how he follows his dreams, and who helps him along the way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Santiago leaves his family to become a shepherd, before leaving his dad gives him money he has saved up, Santiago buys sheep with the money. As aRead MoreAnalysis Of The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho2137 Words   |  9 PagesThe novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was about a shepherd by the name of Santiago, who through a dream found where his â€Å"treasure† would lay. The author of the book Paulo Coelho, was born in Brazil, and has written sixteen books including The Alchemist, and has sold over one hundred and forty million books worldwide. What attracted me to the novel was how there were some supernatural aspects throughout the book. In addition, the supernatural aspects also made the book more enjoyable to read, becauseRead MoreAnalysis Of Paulo Coelho s The Alchemist 1378 Words   |  6 Pages ASSIGNMENT NAME: Abhishek Aggarwal DIVISION AND ROLL NUMBER: C-003 DATE OF SUBMISSION: 9th MARCH 2016 Title of the book: ‘The Alchemist’ Written by: Paulo Coelho WHY THIS PARTICULAR BOOK? I have always been interested in books and movies which have a strong message.According to the critics’ review,Paulo Coelho’s books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people. It tells people that they should follow their dreams and should not be afraid of theRead MoreThe Theme of â€Å"The Alchemist,† by Paulo Coelho Essay529 Words   |  3 PagesThe Theme of â€Å"The Alchemist,† by Paulo Coelho is, always follow your dreams and listen to your heart. At the start of the novel Santiago does not know what he should do when he is confronted by his dream. But by the end of the novel Santiago completely trusts his heart to guide him though life. Santiago’s story shows him learning and living out the theme of the novel. I think Paulo passed on his message about following your heart quite well. Through Santiago he showed that you must endure some