Boa Constrictor Facts

Boa constrictors are reptiles and reside mainly in Central and South America. Their scientific name, Boa constrictor, is derived from the Greek words meaning type of snake (boa) and to grasp (constrictor). They are known for their gigantic size and for killing their prey by squeezing them to death with their muscular bodies. Fast Facts: Boa Constrictor Scientific Name: Boa constrictorCommon Names: Red tailed boa, boasOrder: SquamataBasic Animal Group: ReptilesDistinguishing Characteristics: Large, heavy-bodied, beige blotches on brown bodySize: 8-13 feet in lengthWeight: 20-100 poundsLife Span: 20-40 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Tropical forests, grasslandsConservation Status: Least concernFun Fact: Boas are excellent swimmers, but they avoid water as much as possible Description Boa constrictors are non-venomous snakes best known for their large size and for squeezing their prey to death. They can climb surfaces well, swim, and travel up to speeds of one mile per hour. These reptiles have a life span of roughly 30 years, but the oldest ones have lived to 40 years. They can grow up to 13 feet in length and weigh from 20 to 100 pounds. The colors of their skin, such as pinkish-tan with patterns of brown and red, help to camouflage them well in their environment. Habitat and Distribution Boa constrictors live in Central and South America in habitats such as tropical forests, savannas, and semi-deserts.  Boas hide in the burrows of rodents at ground level during the day to rest. They are also semi-arboreal and spend time in the trees to bask in the sun. Diet and Behavior The tail of a rat hangs from the mouth of a boa constrictor as it ingests the body of the rat.   Joe McDonald/Corbis Documentary / Getty Images Boas are carnivores, and their diet consists mainly of mice, small birds, lizards, and frogs when they are young. As they mature, they eat larger mammals, such as rodents, birds, marmosets, monkeys, opossums, bats, and even wild pigs.   At night, boas hunt using sensing pits on their face that allow them to detect their preys body heat. Because they move slowly, boas rely on ambushing their prey; for instance, they may attack bats as they sleep in trees or as they fly by. They kill by using their powerful muscles to squeeze their victims body. Scientists thought this squeezing suffocates their prey, but recent findings show that the powerful pressure from the snakes actually constricts blood flow in the animal. The pressure is so powerful that the prey’s heart is not able to overcome it and it dies within seconds. Once the animal is dead, these snakes swallow their prey whole. They have special tubes in the bottom of their mouth that allow them to breath as they eat their meal. Boa constrictors digest their food with their powerful stomach acids. After a large meal, they will not need to eat for several weeks. Since they are nocturnal and solitary creatures, boas hide in rodent burrows during the day to rest, but may spend several hours in trees basking in the sun. During colder weather, they can become almost completely inactive. Reproduction and Offspring Boa constrictors reach mating age at around 3-4 years. The breeding period for them is during the rainy season. Males slither across the female’s body to stimulate the cloaca with his vestigial legs. Females produce anywhere from 20 to 60 young. These reptiles are ovoviviparous, which means that they give birth to young that are fully formed. The female eats very little during the gestation period, which lasts roughly 100 days. When the eggs are ready to be born, they push out the cloaca and must break open the protective membrane they are still encapsulated in. At birth, the young are about 20 inches and can grow to 3 feet during the first several months of life. They can survive on their own and demonstrate natural instincts for hunting and hiding from predators. Conservation Status Boa constrictors are designated as least concern under CITES Appendix II, but they have not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The biggest threat to boas comes from humans who harvest them for their skin as part of the leather trade. In tropical parts of the Americas, people may bring boas into their homes to manage rodent infestations. Species There are over 40 species of boas. A few examples of species are the rubber boa (Charina bottae), the rosy boa (Charina trivirgata), and the red-tailed boa (Boa constrictor constrictor). Rubber boas live in western North America. As their name suggests, these boas have rubbery skin, and they burrow into the ground. The rosy boa’s habitat ranges from California and Arizona to Mexico. The red-tailed boa is the species of boa constrictor that is most commonly used as a pet. Boa Constrictors and Humans Workers displaying yellow boa constrictor at a festival in Bowie, Maryland.   Tom Carter/Photolibrary/Getty Images Plus In the U.S., boa constrictors are often imported as pets and sometimes bred to produce more colorful snakes. While this pet trade may not pose a threat to boas, an unfortunate risk is that some owners simply release their pets into the environment because they do not realize how quickly these animals grow. This is particularly dangerous because boas can adapt well to new environments so long as the temperatures are conducive to them thriving. As a result, they can become an invasive species and pose serious threats to the new environment, which could lead to the disappearance of other indigenous species. Sources â€Å"Boa Constrictor.† Boa Constrictor, www.woburnsafari.co.uk/discover/meet-the-animals/reptiles/boa-constrictor/.â€Å"Boa Constrictor.† Kids National Geographic, 1 Mar. 2014, kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/boa-constrictor/.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Boa Constrictor.† Smithsonians National Zoo, 28 Nov. 2018, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/boa-constrictor.  Boa Constrictor Facts and Information. SeaWorld Parks, seaworld.org/animals/facts/reptiles/boa-constrictor/.  Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. â€Å"Boa.† Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 14 May 2019, www.britannica.com/animal/boa-snake-family.

I Choose For This Report Is Call Infidel An Autobiography...

The book I choose for this report is call Infidel an autobiography of Ayann Hirsi Ali. My literature professor recommend this book to me about a year ago and I never got around to reading it. Then when we were assigned this report I know that it was a good book for this paper. I’m excited that I finally got to around to reading it. Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Mogadishu, Somalia where she spent her early childhood years living with her mother, brother, sister, and grandmother. Her father at that time was in prison. Although he does escape prison and ends living in Ethiopia for a while before morning to Saudi Arabia. When he moves there his family eventually moves there to join him. Ayaan Hirsi Ali was raised in a strict Muslim family. She has endured civil war, female mutilation, brutal beatings, and a life of moving from one troubled country to another that were unstable and ruled by dictators. Application of Ecological System Theory Microsystem Protective factors. Her sister was a protective factor. Ayaan’s sister would try to help learn what was appropriate and what wasn’t in their culture. By doing this her sister was trying to help her stay out of trouble or in this case to keep the number of times she was beaten to a minimum. Later on in her life she went to Germany to visit relatives while waiting for her papers to go to Canada she decides to run away after remembering the story a friend told her about how her and her husband ran traveled together and become

What Is 1984 About - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 964 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/04/10 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: 1984 Essay Did you like this example? Book 1984, before beginning with this incredible story, lets talk about, what is the book 1984? Is most of the famous book ever in worldwide except in United States of America (USA), the world 1984 is one in which eternal warfare is the price of bleak prosperity, in which the Party keeps itself in power by complete control over mans actions and his thoughts, As the lovers Winston Smith and Julia learn when they they try to evade the Thought Police, and then join the underground opposition, the Party can smash the last impulse of love, the last flicker of individuality. But why is this famous not famous in the USA? Well, this is the million question, because here is why this essay would be the best essay ever, and this is where this story begins.. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "What Is 1984 About?" essay for you Create order The U.S has been most of the top powerful countries, because of the money, because of the big land and of course of the technology. The U.S has cameras on every single street, and on every single alleys. That is why, the book 1984 relates to the actually parts of the world, but more in the U.S.A. The U.S wants actually to be one of the top powerful country within technology, they want to watch every single day if their people are being good people and loyal to the country. The book 1984 is about a man that controls everyone, watching them through cameras. This man is named as Big Brother, he is the most powerful person in the story. The U.S head leaders wants to be like Big Brother, they want to control everything even animals we could suggest, and of course they want to have all the money, so they can be powerful and pay for any person that wants to discover if they are doing something bad or if they are hiding something. As a great teacher said once, they are doing something good on one hand, but they are actually doing something else on the other hand. Today, there are a lot of cameras in everywhere, supposedly the head leaders says that those cameras are for our safety, but that is actually true, thats an advantage for us if something happen, like just in case, so this is an example of how the head leaders are doing a good thing on a hand. Another reason for the cameras are for watching us, watch what are we doing in every single second, minute, hour, day, etc. There is not an actually reason of why do they want to watch us, but this is an example of how they are doing something else, in the other hand, while people are focusing on the first example. The head leaders had payed to people to be quiet, to dont say anything if they find something, so this is practically the same on 1984, because the Big Brother (BB) urged people to be in his side, paying them good enough for their entire life, he urged them to be in his side, so they will gain good things, so that is how Big Brother is doing a good thing is one hand, while he is destroying the life of Londons people on the other hand. This book is very popular in a lot countries in worldwide, except in the U.S, but why? Its not popular because is practically describing of how people is treated within the country. They cannot do something for themselves because they already know that either someone is watching them. They have no privacy and that is very frustrated to live in that kind of life, so a lot of people say that they dont recommend the U.S as a wonderful place to live or work, because is actually a terrible lifestyle living there. A lot of people prefered to leave the country, pack up their stuff and star thinking living in another country or in another continent, like Europe or they just prefered to live in Central America, like in Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica or Panama, or just going straight down to South America. Perhaps, in the 1984s world, the people would like to leave the country, they would like to live in another continent, in another perspective, they would like to just be free. They would like to just do whatever they want without being watched, just doing what they prefered, like personal things. There are other things that this book has, that related to daily life, it appears, prostitute, people killing people, fights, poverty, and slavery. This main thing was like describing some parts of the U.S.A, maybe not the entire country but just some parts that has either one or the entire examples, thats why the americans head leaders didnt like the book, because it was exposing the whole truth, oh how the head leaders takes everything and let people do whatever they want but also being watch. Conclusion In Summary, this book is talking of how the world and more the U.S.A is controlling everything, their people, their moves, what do they do in every single day. That is why the book 1984 is related to it, because has parts that are talking about Big Brother and how he is controlling everything, so the author wants to make the readers to think in their country, if anything from it relates to your country or either everything. The author wants the readers to think for a little while of how the head leaders are doing something in one hand, and something else in another hand. The author also wants the readers to think for a little while as well, in thinking of how the technology can be an advantage for the human being, and disadvantages as well.

Yeats And The Irish Literary Revival - 889 Words

W.B. Yeats and the Irish Literary Revival The Irish Literary Revival, or Celtic Revival, began in the late nineteenth century and lasted throughout the early twentieth century. The term refers to a renewal of Irish national identity, which the British had tried to repress. This time in Irish cultural history spawned a plethora of talented authors who chose to champion this Irish national identity, including William Butler Yeats. Some other authors who were popular during that time includes Synge, Hyde, Joyce, and Pearse. The revival was preceded by a series of authors in the nineteenth century who contributed to creating an Irish national consciousness. This national consciousness sparked the imagination of the authors of the revival, which led their works to be both rich in Irish folklore as well as political themes. William Butler Yeats was one of the most prolific authors of the revival. He was born in Dublin in 1865, son of a distinguished painter. He spent much of his childhood in County Siglo, which is where he developed an interest in the romantic images of country life. As he grew, he attended school in London and Dublin and took an interest in literature and writing. His mentors, O’Leary and O’Grady, opened up a world of native Irish literature to him and solidified the notion of Irish tradition as acceptable source of literary inspiration. Together, they lead Yeats to his conclusion that â€Å"the race was more important than the individual† (1916, 1). Yeats heldShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet 1465 Words   |  6 Pagesreflection of reality. During the 1890s, two strategies developed in an effort to restore the Celtic heritage in Ireland, the Irish Literary Movement and the Neo- Gaelic revival. It is for this reason that an Irish Literary Renaissance began spreading through Ireland. This renaissance was influenced by an increase in the national interest for Gaelic legends and myths. The revival of the old Gaelic heritage served as inspiration to the growing political nationalism. At the close of the 19th century,Read MoreThe Celtic Twilight And Celtic Revival1106 Words   |  5 PagesAlso called the Celtic twilight after W.B. Yeats’ The Celtic Twilight and the Celtic Revival, the Irish Literature Revival is a reverse step in literary history to the Celtic folklore for â€Å"authenticity in the construction of traditions (597)† as they â€Å"are continually redefined in response to political demands (597).† Since the Celtic people were known to be the first Europeans who inhabited the Western Eur ope, it implies â€Å"a discrete category of identity by virtue of having a name applied to themRead MoreEssay on William Butler Yeats846 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Butler Yeats One of Irelands finest writers, William Butler Yeats served a long apprenticeship in the arts before his genius was fully developed. He did some of his greatest work after he was fifty. Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland, on June 13, 1865. His father was a lawyer-turned-Irish painter. In 1867 the family followed him to London and settled in Bedford Park. In 1881 they returned to Dublin, where Yeats studied the Metropolitan School of Art. Yeats spent much time with hisRead More William Butler Yeats - His Treatment of Irish Concerns Essay1616 Words   |  7 Pages Discuss with reference to at least three poems, Yeats treatment of Irish Concerns Yeats changes his treatment of Irish concerns throughout his life and these changes are reflected in his poetry. Three poems that reflect these changes are September 1913, Easter 1916 and Under Ben Bulben. These poems show a transpositions in political thought. In September 1913 Yeats shows his aversion to democracy and capitalism, and expresses his belief in an aristocratic society preferably governed byRead More The Poetry of W.B. Yeats Essay examples2304 Words   |  10 PagesW.B. Yeats, a key figure of the modernist movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was born in Dublin in 1865. Although spending much of his childhood and youth in London, Yeats is seen as an inherently Irish literary figure. Through his early work, employing not only ancient Greek myth, but also Celtic legend, he sought to re-ignite in Ireland notions of heritage and tradition, which had diminished through the years. In Ireland, from around 1890 onwards, there was a very noticeableRead MoreIrish Nationalists Struggle for Independence from Britain957 Words   |  4 PagesIrish Nationalists attempted to establish continuity with what they believed to be appropriate or suitable aspects of Irish history and culture. These attempts lead to both the revival and invention of a culturally distinct Irish heritage not associated with British rule in order to justify a sense of nationhood and to support the Irish struggle for Independence (Hobsbawm in Laurence, A p176) (Laurence, A p.160). Whilst there is no single definition of Irish Nationalism, as the various groups andRead MoreIreland: The Invention of Tradition1063 Words   |  5 Pagescenturies. The Book of Invasions, (Lebor Gabala), tells how the mythical ancestors of the Irish, the God-like Tuatha Dà © Danann, wrestled Ireland (or Erin) from misshapen Fir Bolg in fantastic battles. The Fir Bolg were traditionally linked to Gaul and Britain so the analogy between them and the invading English was complete. The Ulster Cycle, (an Rà ºraà ­ocht), is concerned with heroic battles by great Irish warriors. The statue put up in the General Post Office in Sackville Street, Dublin, (nowRead MoreWilliam Butler Yeats Ageing Analysis1088 Words   |  5 PagesSailing) Who is William Butler Yeats? William Butler Yeats is regarded as one of the finest poets of the century. Also, his return to the past as one would say has helped him to have a place in the future. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and Yeats was educated there and in London as well. The young man was very immersed into the barren mountains, and in the mythology and the legends of Ireland. From the Poetry Foundation stated, â€Å"He belonged to the Protestant, Anglo-Irish minority that had controlledRead MoreEssay The Life and Work of William Butler Yeats2147 Words   |  9 PagesThe Life and Work of William Butler Yeats Born in Dublin in the year 1865, William Butler Yeats would go on to become universally recognized by his peers as the greatest poet of this century writing in the English language. This recognition would come as early as 1828, a decade before his death with the publication of arguably his finest volume, The Tower (Fraser, 207). The son of one time attorney and later well known painter John Butler Yeats, W.B. Yeats was of partially Cornish and GaelicRead More Easter 1916 Essay2187 Words   |  9 Pages quot;Easter 1916quot; The 1916 Easter Rebellion spoke to the heart of Irish nationalism and emerged to dominate nationalist accounts of the origin and evolution of the Irish State. The decision by a hand- full of Irish patriots to strike a blow for Irish independence mesmerized the Irish people in its violent intensity and splendor. According to Richard Kearney, author of Myth and Terror, suddenly everything was dated Before or after Easter Week. The subsequent executions of the sixteen rebel

Piano Concerto in a Major, K. 488 Free Essays

Mozart completed the Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 488, in March 1786 and it is a graceful piece in three movements. It used a small orchestra with two flutes, two clarinets in A, two bassoons, and two horns in A, along with the usual string orchestra. We will write a custom essay sample on Piano Concerto in a Major, K. 488 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The first movement embodies the form called a â€Å"sonata form with double exposition. † This form is common in concerti and one feature of this form is that the first exposition does not end with a double bar and repeat sign indicating a literal repeat of the exposition. Instead the first exposition is for the orchestra without the soloist, and does not modulate to and conclude in the dominant, but stays in the tonic key throughout. When the soloist enters a second exposition begins which does modulate to the dominant key (or relative major if the work is in a minor key), and the second exposition does indeed cadence in the dominant. The only other variance from a standard (non-concerto) sonata form is the traditional cadenza, which occurs near the end of the recapitulation of the movement. The second theme is presented following a transitional section. In the first exposition it is in the key of A, but in the second exposition it is heard in the dominant key of E Major. This phrase ends with a half cadence, and the following phrase ends with a PAC, creating a double parallel period. The closing theme is more intense in character and features interplay between the winds and strings as well as frequent use of the borrowed subdominant chord. It includes a number of different melodic ideas and concludes with a strong beat PAC in A Major in measure 62. The second exposition begins in measure 67 with the first theme stated by the solo pianist. The major difference in this exposition is the modulation to the dominant key of E Major, which takes place in the Transition section in measures 82-98. This second exposition ends in a surprising way in measure 142 with the half cadence falling on the fourth beat of the measure and the music abruptly ceasing, creating a dramatic pause that is followed by an entirely new theme, which begins the development section. This new theme is in E Major and provides virtually all of the melodic harmony heard throughout the development section. Following this embellished theme in E Major, the music begins to fragment this new theme and moves into key areas associated with the key of A minor as opposed to A Major. The keys touched on include E minor, C Major, F Major, and D minor. An especially nice passage is found in mm. 170-178. It features the clarinet and flute in a canon based on the ‘new’ theme, while the soloist maintains a running sixteenth note figure. Harmonically it begins in the key of D minor and traces the circle of fifths to a cadence on an E major chord in measure 178. Since E Major is the dominant chord of A Major this initiates a prolongation of the dominant of A Major in measures 178-189. A sort of â€Å"mini-cadenza† occurred in 189-198, which leads to the Recapitulation beginning in measure 198. The Recapitulation restates all of the themes heard in the exposition, now all in the key of A Major, with the soloist and orchestra interacting, unlike the first exposition. A particularly long Coda section begins in measure 261 with the reintroduction of the development section’s ‘New’ theme, presented now by the soloist alone, and in the key of A Major for the first time. Like the beginning of the development section, including the dramatic pause, it is followed by the placid restatement of the ‘New’ theme by the orchestra (290). This breaks off though and leads through a series of forte chords to the traditional tonic 6/4 chord paving the way for the cadenza. The cadenza is fundamentally a greatly expanded prolongation of the V chord. Following the cadenza the orchestra enters in a forte tutti statement with material drawn from the closing theme first presented in measure 49. A decisive PAC in A Major occurs in m. 309 followed by a prolongation of the tonic chord to the movement’s end. How to cite Piano Concerto in a Major, K. 488, Essay examples

Midnights children salman rushdei Essay Example For Students

Midnights children salman rushdei Essay 1. Comment on the author’s style and characterization. Are the characters believable or paper cutouts? Comic or tragic or both? Are their dilemmas universal to human nature or particular to their situation? Rushdies narrator, Saleem Sinai, is the Hindu child raised by wealthy Muslims. Near the beginning of the novel, he informs us that he is falling apartliterally: I mean quite simply that I have begun to crack all over like an old jugthat my poor body, singular, unlovely, buffeted by too much history, subjected to drainage above and drainage below, mutilated by doors, brained by spittoons, has started coming apart at the seams. In short, I am literally disintegrating, slowly for the moment, although there are signs of an acceleration. In light of this unfortunate physical degeneration, Saleem has decided to write his life story, and, incidentally, that of Indias, before he crumbles into (approximately) six hundred and thirty million particles of anonymous, and necessarily oblivious, dust. It seems that within one hour of midnight on Indias independence day, 1,001 children were born. All of those children were endowed with special powers: some can travel through time, for example; one can change gender. Saleems gift is telepathy, and it is via this power that he discovers the truth of his birth: that he is, in fact, the product of the illicit coupling of an Indian mother and an English father, and has usurped anothers place. His gift also reveals the identities of all the other children and the fact that it is in his power to gather them for a midnight parliament to save the nation. To do so, however, would lay him open to that other child, christened Shiva, who has grown up to be a brutish killer. Saleems dilemma plays out against the backdrop of the first years of independence: the partition of India and Pakistan, the ascendancy of The Widow Indira Gandhi, war, and, eventually, the imposition of martial law. 2. What is the most important theme of the work? Spittoons appear through out Midnights Children. The motif of the spittoon allows the narrative to circle back on itself without losing its forward momentum; by reintroducing it in different contexts, Rushdie builds meaning into the image and provides the reader with a reference point and familiar angle of insight into the meaning of his tale. One particular spittoon, and extraordinary silver spittoon inlaid with lapis lazuli, appears at the beginning of the story at the house of the Rani of Cooch Naheen, and follows the course of the narrative almost until the end, where it is eventually buried under the rubble of civic reconstruction by a bulldozer. Rushdies character Saleem comments on the significance of the spittoon at several junctures in the novel, though spittoons and betel-nut chewing (the Indian version of BeechNut chewing) take on wider and vaguer significance in other sections. The silver spittoon becomes a link to reality for Saleem. The following quotation occurs when Parvati-the-Witch has dematerialized Saleem:What I held on to in that ghostly time-and-space: a silver spittoon. Which, transformed like myself by Parvati-whispered words, was nevertheless a reminder of the outside . . . clutching finely-wrought silver, which glittered even in that nameless dark, I survived. Despite head-to-toe numbness, I was saved, perhaps, by the glints of my precious souvenir. (p. 456)The following quotation occurs near the end of the book, at the event of the spittoons loss:I lost something else that day, besides my freedom: bulldozers swallowed a silver spittoon. Deprived of the last object connecting me to my more tangible, historically verifiable past, I was taken to Benares to face the consequences of my inner, midnight-given life. (p. 515)These two quotations illustrate that the spittoon represents the same thing for Saleem that it does for the reader. It is a point of return, a lovely but mundane (after all , it is for spitting in!) reminder of reality in a world that threatens to overwhelm with the sheer volume and variety of its voices and experiences. Saleem is subjected to the voices of the thousand and one Midnights Children, that threaten to drown out his sense of himself as an individual human, as well as to the