Aztec Culture

Aztec Nation The Aztec Nation A distant sound is heard. It sounds like a deep drum being hit with a heavy instrument. You hear it again and strain your eyes in the direction of the sound. All around you is dense jungle. Snakes slither between your legs. You hear the sound once again. In front of you is a dense stand of ferns. You part them and look down into a wide open valley. The valley gets so wide and it is so green that it takes your breath away. But that is not what you are looking at. You are staring at a huge city with glittering buildings shining in the spring sunlight. Smoke rises up from some of the many houses. You can see and hear children playing in the wide open fields in front of the shining buildings. Lamas and chickens are being bought and sold. You see bags of gold jewelry being bought and sold. Beyond the market place you can watch a religious ceremony. You hear the scream of a person being sacrificed to one of the gods. Beyond the city there are roads made of stone and canals full of pedestrians and canos. Who are these people and what are they doing here you wonder? The above paragraph describes what an early explorer in Mexico might have seen between 1400 and 1500 AD. The Aztec nation is one of the largest and most advanced Indian nations to ever exist on earth. Just about every part of the Aztec life was advance to such a state that at that time of the world the people were living better than many European nations. The Aztec nation is unique in its history, economy, environment, and way of life then any other nation at that time. Perhaps three to four thousand years ago, small bands of hunting-gathering peoples made their way across the land bridge that was the frozen Bering Strait, migrated southward through what is now Alaska, Canada, the United States, Central America, South America, and Mexico, settling along the way. One such hunting- gathering group settled in the Central Valley of what is now Mexico (Nicholson 1985). There is a long history of civilizations in the Central Valley of Mexico; as early as several centuries before Christ agricultural tribes had already settled, and by the birth of Christ had established as their great religious center Teotihuacán. The history of the Central Valley after circa the tenth century A.D. is one of tribal conflict and superiority. About the time of the fall of this agricultural civilization, which flourished from approximately the second to the tenth centuries A.D., a new tribe, who we know as the Toltecs, settled at Tula, Hidalgo. They belonged to a larger group known as the Nahua, or Nahuatl- speaking, and seem to have entered the Central Valley from the north or northwest. The Toltec civilization gradually replaced the older, agricultural civilization, as Toltec influence was felt as far as the Yucatán Peninsula and other areas occupied by the Mayan peoples. Yet by the eleventh century A.D., another tribe, the Chichimecs, had already begun to eclipse the Toltecs as the dominant group of the Central Valley. By approximately the thirteenth century, the Chichimecs had replaced the Toltecs (Wolf 1998). About this time, another Nahua tribe known as the Aztecs began their migration, in c. 1168. They left their mythical mysterious homeland called Aztlán, place of the herons, or Chicomoztoc, place of the seven caves, and migrated southwards through Michoacán (León-Portilla 1992). The Aztecs, or Crane People, arrived in the Central Valley and obtained permission to settle at Chapultepec in c. 1248 (Caso 1958). The tradition of tribal conflict in the Central Valley was continued; however, it seems that the Aztecs, at first, were practically enslaved by the other Nahua tribes inhabiting the Central Valley. The Aztec culture would not be subjugated, however, and continued in its struggle for power. By the fourteenth century the Aztecs had founded two settlements on islands in lakes: Tlaltetalco and Tenochtitlán. The traditional founding date of Tenochtitlán is 1325; the quest for the sacred site on which to found Tenochtitlán is relayed to us by an Aztec myth, ...[its] beginning is found in ancient times, when a humble tribe was banished-- by the original Aztecs (Castillo 1908)-- from a mysterious homeland it called Aztlán(place of the herons) or Chicomoztoc(place of the seven caves). During the long exile the Mexicas wandered among hostile strangers while anxiously searching for the divine sign, whose presence, prophesied by their god, would mark their arrival in the promised land. The tale continues with the discovery of the omen and the subsequent founding of Mexico-Tenochtitlán on the sacred site. (León-Portilla 1992) By the fifteenth century Tenochtitlán had become the center of the Aztec world-- the center of Aztec growth, conquest, and expansion. As early as the sixteenth century Tenochtitlán dominated all other cities in the Central Valley and had reached the height of its power and magnificence (Caso 1958). The center of the Aztec empire was located near the Lerma river which is near the southern part of the Mexican plateau. The plateau is the largest of Mexico's land regions and it is the most varied region consisting of five sections. The Volcanic Axis is located across the southern part of the plateau. Many of the volcanoes are still active. This area receives a lot of rain and the soil is fertile. This area is the main area where corn and beans were grown for the Aztec empire. The Bajio lies north of the volcanic axis and has an average elevation of 7,000 feet. This region houses the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán. Here there is very little rain and thus the region is very dry. The Mesa del Norte area makes up for more then half of the plateau and has an average elevation of 9,000 feet. Since it is so high crops are always in danger of freezing. The Sierra Madre Occidental is a long mountain range that forms the western ridge of the plateau. It remained a barrier for the Aztecs and their enemies. Some of this region still has not been explored by people. The Sierra Madre Oriental is the plateau's eastern rim. The Aztecs had no use for this area but today there is a major coal and old industry in the area (Aschmann 1985). The average January temperatures of the plateau is from 10 to 15 degrees Centigrade while in July the average temperature is around 20 to 25 degrees centigrade. Thus the weather is much like B.C. Average precipitation is from 30 - 50 cm at the Aztec capital to less than 30 in the highlands. The central part of life for any Aztec citizen, man or woman, was religion. For example, if a baby was to become a priest, immediately after birth it was painted in black and a beaded necklace placed about its neck, and certain rites were conducted. The necklace was then removed and placed in a temple until the child came of age, when the child would then proceed in some type of ecclesiastical training. It was never doubted the child would become a priest; the Aztecs believed that the child's soul was caught in the beads, and that the soul would draw the child to the temple inexorably without regard to the will of the child. Similarly, if a child was to become a great warrior, it was decided at birth and similar ceremonies were carried out. Interestingly, these decisions about a child's future were made by the parents soon after birth. Therefore, from the moment a child was brought into the world she was surrounded by religion. The religion of the Aztecs was a complex one, but is generally characterized as polytheistic, based on the worship of a multitude of personal gods. It is interesting that the Aztecs attempted to incorporate the gods of conquered people into their religion; this was accomplished by considering the conquered peoples' gods simply as manifestations of the gods they already worshipped. Similarly, often in the lower Aztec classes people would create whole gods out of what was generally considered only a manifestation of an attribute of a single god (Caso 6-9). There is a dual creative principle found throughout the Aztec culture, split not surprisingly between the masculine and the feminine. This dual creative principle was expressed in the form of two gods, Ometecuhtli, two lord, and Omecíhuatl, two lady. Both resided in Omeyocan, meaning the place two (Caso 9). Aztec gods were created when Ometecuhtli and Omecíhuatl had four sons, to whom they entrusted the creation of the other gods, the world, and man. The sons were named Red Tezcatlipoca, also called Xipe or Camaxtle; Black Tezcatlipoca, commonly called Tezcatlipoca; Quetzlcoatl, the god of wind and life; and Huitzilopochtli, the Blue Tezcatlipoca. It is surmised that in ancient times Quetzlcoatl was replaced by a White Tezcatlipoca (Moctezuma 1988). One of the fundamental concepts in the Aztec religion was the grouping of all beings according to the four compass directions and the central direction of up and down. Ometecuhtli (heaven) and Omecíhuatl (earth) represented the central direction of up and down; this symbolizes the heavens and the earth. Their four sons were each associated with a different color and a different compass point. Black Tezcatlipoca was associated with the North, Blue Tezcatlipoca with the South, Red Tezcatlipoca with the East, and Quetzlcoatl with the West. Animals, trees, days, and also men and women were grouped in this manner. Men, according to the day on which they were born, belonged to one of the four regions of the world. Aztec mythology states that the world has been created several times, and eventually each creation is followed by a cataclysm that has destroyed mankind. This was necessary, they believed, because rarely is anything perfected on the first essay. Thus, they could not have a perfect creation after the first try. There are two Aztec myths that clearly illustrate two main tenets of Aztec culture. The first myth centers on Quetzlcoatl. The myth says that if man was to live, he must reciprocate by offering his own blood in sacrifice. This is because man came about from Quetzcoatl making a sacrifice. Sacrifice was essential in Aztec religion, for if no man could exist except through the creative force of the gods, the gods in turn need man to sustain them with human sacrifice. The second myth helps explain the warlike tendencies of the Aztecs. As explained by Caso, according to legend, Coatlicue, the old goddess of the earth, became a priestess in the temple living a life of chastity after having given birth to the moon and stars. One day when she was sweeping, Coatlicue came across a ball of down which she tucked into her waistband. When she finished sweeping, she looked for the ball of down but realized it was gone and that she was pregnant. When her children Coyolxauhqui, the moon, and Centzonhuitznáhuac, the stars, discovered this they became angry and decided to kill their mother. Coatlicue wept over her impending death, but the presence in her womb consoled her. When Coyolxauhqui and Centzonhuitznáhuac came to slay her, Huitzilopochtli was born, and with the aid of the serpent of fire(sun's rays) he cut off Coyolxauhqui's head and sent Centzonhuitznáhuac fleeing. Thus, when Huitzilopochtli was born he had to do combat with his brothers the stars and his sister the moon; armed with the serpent of fire he drove them away, his victory signifying a new a new day of life for men. When Huitzilopochtli consummated his victory, he was carried across the sky on a litter by the spirits of warriors who have died either in combat or on the sacrificial stone. Later, in the early afternoon, Huitzilopochtli was picked up by the spirits of women who perished in childbirth. They then lead the sun to its setting. Each day this divine combat is begun anew, and thus Huitzilopochtli must be strong if he is to defeat all of this brothers with only his arrows of light. To accomplish this task, Huitzilopochtli must be strong, nourished by human blood. Huitzilopochtli is a god, and disdains the coarse food of humans; he desires chalchíhuatl, the precious liquid. Thus the Aztecs, the people of Huitzilopochtli, are charged with the duty of supplying him with food. Thus, for the Aztecs, war was an integral part of their diurnal routine. War became almost a from of worship of Huitzilopochtli. Their belief that Huitzilopochtli depended on them for chalchíhuatl led the Aztecs to establish the Xochiyaóyotl, or flowery war. The sole purpose of the Xochiyaóyotl was to take prisoners to sacrifice to the sun. Therefore, each Aztec god required his own sacrifices. This led to an unusual culture: one refined, yet with an accepted level of brutality that is still unsurpassed. The Aztecs conducted an interesting ceremony called Tóxcatl in the sixth month. A young warrior, most likely captured through Xochiyaóyotl, was selected for his godlike qualities: smooth skin, good looks, and poise among others. He was then trained for an entire year in how to conduct himself as a personage of the court. He was taught how to play clay pipes, and was given an entourage to attend to him as though he were a lord. Dressed in the attire of the gods, this impersonator of Tezcatlipoca would stroll the streets smoking fine tobacco from gilded reed pipes carrying a bouquet of flowers. Any citizens who met him on the street held him in as high of an esteem as the king himself. Twenty days before the celebration of the festival, his dress was changed to that of a great captain. He was married to four young maidens, incarnations of the wives of the god of providence: Xochiqutzal, Xilonen, Atlatonan, and Huixtocíhuatl. When the day of the festival finally came, banquets, ceremonies, and dances were held in honor of the youth. The entire population praised him, commoners and nobles alike. Suddenly, he was taken with his wives and court to a small, neglected temple on the shore of a lake. Here, his wives and entourage left him. Left with but a few pages and his clay pipes, he was escorted to the base of the temple. Here, even the pages left him. He ascended the temple steps alone. On each of the steps, he broke one of his flutes, symbolizing his passed grandeur. Finally, atop the temple he was seized by four priests and stripped of his remaining finery. Each of his arms and legs was seized by a priest, and the young man was stretched atop an altar resembling a flattened cylinder, with his chest thrust high in the air. A fifth priest, in a plunging motion, thrust an obsidian knife into the young man's chest. The priest then reached in through the wound and tore out the young man's heart. Tóxcatl had a moral: it was to instruct people that those who enjoy wealth and pleasures in this life will end in poverty and sorrow (Caso 69). Tóxcatl is just one example of Aztec sacrifice. Captured warriors were painted with red and white stripes, in imitation of the astral gods, and sacrificed in the same way. The emptied corpses were then taken to the captors houses for dismemberment and distribution: flesh scraped from the skulls and thighbones; fragments of flesh cooked and eaten; human skins, dripping with grease and blood, stretched over living flesh; clots of blood scooped up to smear the temple walls (Clendinnen 261). For the Aztecs, however, these were more than just grotesque rituals. The flesh was eaten atop whole dried maize kernels; to them, the flesh but was a different form of matter in the vegetable cycle (Clendinnen 209). To the Aztecs, the victims were the incarnation of the god whose attire they wore; thus, the eating of the flesh was a most sacred communion (Caso 75). The skins of the victims were often worn until decomposition occurred; the removal of the skin was a happy event. This served to remind the Aztecs of the bitterness of the experience of death. In general, however, human skins were worn to this extreme only after one occasion: The Feast of the Flaying of Men. Other sacrificial methods were practiced as well: some men were tethered to a framework and riddled with arrow until they no longer could stand; some men were burned in sacrifices to the gods of fire; some men were flayed alive and the priest dressed in his skin; some men were decapitated; and some fought in gladiator matches. In these matches, the prisoner was bound and armed with a wooden sword, its usual blades of obsidian replaced with feathers. The prisoner was also given four cudgels of pine. Four expert Aztec warriors, two each from the Jaguar and Eagle clans, would come fight the prisoner one at a time. Should these four fail to vanquish their foe, a fifth man was brought out, always left-handed and thus extremely powerful to slay the prisoner. This cycle continued until the prisoner was finally exterminated (Bray 1968). To the Aztecs family was very important. The family was an important part of survival. The man was a house builder and a farmer or craftsman while the woman prepared food, cared for the children, made clothes, and looked after the livestock. Aztecs thought that marriage without children was incomplete and thus barren women were looked down upon and scorned. The aims of an average Aztec was to have a respected position in the community, a happy family life, and a marriage with children. The birth of a child was an important event. Every important event was always accompanied with speeches in Aztec life. As soon as the baby was born, the midwife would give the baby a speech while she cut the umbilical cord. In the speech she explained to the baby what its duties would be in life. If the infant was a boy he would be told that he would be a warrior whose mission was to feed the Sun with the blood of enemies and if the infant was a girl she was to spend her days doing household chores and help the family. In about four days the father would call an astrologer to read the child's horoscope and determine the appropriate day for the naming ceremony. After a naming ceremony, the name was announced and the news was spread by little boys who ran through the streets shouting. Each child had a calendrical name taken from the day of birth and also a personal name which belonged to him alone(Bray 1969). Education was considered extremely important. Even from an infant to age four the child was taught with 'quite words'. At age four, practical instruction was given under the watchful eyes of the elders. For example the child was taught all the words of the things he would carry in a basket. He would learn to carry things for his mother and go with his father to the local markets. For girls education was really training for marriage. She would be shown how to make thread and use it. At age 14 she would learn to weave a loom. She was also thought how to make cloth to support the family. Self control and obedience was taught at home and punishments were severe. Boys were beaten, pricked with maguey spines, then tied hand and foot and laid naked on the wet ground for a whole day, or else were held over a fire of chili peppers and made to inhale the bitter smoke. Girls were too pricked or held over the fire, being forced to rise before dawn and to spend the whole day cleaning the home and sweeping the street outside (Bray 1968). In many other ways children were made to feel inferior. A ruler's daughter was made to walk around and never look up from the ground. She was to never talk while eating and must keep absolute silence. Maidens could not go outside the house without guards. Young unmarried women could never see their father without permission and every time the saw him they would give him presents and gifts they had made. None laughed in his presence and all acted very soberly and modestly(Bray 1969). The choice of who to marry was left up to the man alone. Women had no choice of who they could marry. The two families would arrange and organize the marriage ceremony. The man who was going to get married was released from school and the school gave him many gifts. Now the young youth was considered a man. The girl who was usually 16, spent most of her time in preparing food for the big event. Marriage ceremonies were held in a house during the night with many people present (usually about 150). The marriage rite took place and the couple were perfumed with incense and were then presented with traditional gifts. Then they were joined by a match-maker by the young mans cloak and then they were man and wife. The party continued until the young people were tired and the old people were drunk. Then on the fifth day after the marriage ceremony, there was another party in celebration of the married couple (Bray 1969). Polygamy was very common among the Aztecs. This was very important in the survival of the nation because so many males were killed in wars and in sacrifices. Also alliances were made in this way for diplomatic reasons. If you committed adultery the punishment was death by stoning or strangulation. The person accused had the choice between the two types of punishment. The social structure of the Aztecs is very interesting. A person called the Great Speaker was the supreme ruler. The son of the Great Speaker not always was the heir. It was a Council of Wise Men- very similar to the Roman Senate- that decided in a democratic way who would be the next ruler of Tenochtitlán. In a way, the election of the Great Speaker was very similar to the election of the Byzantine Emperor (coincidentally, these two cultures are contemporary, the Byzantine ending years before the discovery of America). Once the Great Speaker was elected, he was obeyed in everything, since he was the represented of the god Huitzilopochtli on the Earth. The Great Speaker was also head of the government, and the main priest of the Great Temple. This curious selection process is due, according to several investigators basing themselves in legends and Aztec tales, to the fact that the first Aztec Ruler Acamapichtli (1376), had for a main wife a woman called Ilancueitl, daughter of the lord of a nearby town. This girl was sterile, which caused that the Aztec Lords offered their daughters to him and he also took his women slaves as companions. Logically, this caused that more than one resulted pregnant of the Aztec King and each one claimed the right of carrying the future heir in their wombs. When the majority of the sons of Acamapichtli were old enough, the Emperor ordered a group of priests and great warriors to gather to decide who would the next Great Speaker be. This originated the birth of the Council of Wise Men, whose members would be the greatest warriors and the wisest priests. Their selection was also democratic since these were also elected by their own Calpullis - we will talk about these later -. This selection process lasted all the time the Aztec Empire lasted. This way never did a dynasty exist (sometimes the Great Speaker was a close relative of the one before, as Moctezuma was Ahuizotl's nephew) of Aztec families, preventing with this the aging of the civilization, just like it happened with the Czars in Russia and the kings in France. The heart of the Mexica Empire was the Calpulli. Even before the empire existed, the Calpulli existed already. This was generally formed by relatives or people of the same profession, in this manner there were Calpullis for priests, warriors, carpenters, clay workers, etc... Each Calpulli was a form of autonomous government, with its own Speaker or governor, who was elected by the oldest men living in the Calpulli. Just to give us an idea, we will say that each Calpulli had its own school, its own temple, and if the Calpulli was important sometimes it had its own garrison. In the Aztec society there were no closed societies. Anyone could get to be a member of the Council of Wise Men. Though, only the men belonging to the nobility could be Great Speakers. There is an Aztec story that narrates how a Tlaxcalteca, Najahuatzin- called the same way as the god who gave life to the Fifth Sun-, was caught by Moctezuma stealing wood from his private forest. When Nanahuatzin answered honestly, Moctezuma awarded him by naming him Main Voice. This story shows how even the poorest people could reach the highest levels in the Aztec society. This was the reason why the Aztecs were able to control and dominate the largest empire in all of North America and one of the largest worldwide. An Aztec custom consisted in that the Great Speaker, once elected, was no longer human and was a god from then on. In fact, each Aztec Great Speaker was worshiped in the Temple Mayor. The Aztec protocol was that nobody could look directly to the emperor, nor talk or hear him. That is why there was a spokesman who relayed what his lord had said to the subjects and what these would respond to the emperor. Though, in cases of emergency, the king talked directly to his Council (León-Portilla 1992, & Hassig 1988). The Aztecs' main food was corn. The corn was generally ground into flour and then made into masa or dough, which they made into tortillas, drinks, tamales, among other foods. Other foods in the Aztecs' diet were the seeds from the sage plant which were used as cereal; spicy peppers, eggs, turkey, rabbit, dog, lizards, locusts, snails, fish eggs, and as a delicacy, green slime which was scooped off the top of lake Texcoco. That was said to taste like cheese. For drink the Aztecs usually drank water and on special occasions they drank beer and nobles drank chocolate sweetened with honey. Foods today in Mexico have some basic components of the Aztec fare such as corn, which is still at the heart of the meal. That is, today corn products are still widely eaten. This can be seen in the tortilla, a round flat sheet of corn that you find in almost every meal in a present day Mexican table; or the tamale, a lump of corn masa containing meat, wrapped in corn husks, and steamed. Both are Aztec foods. Hence, the blend of the Aztec and Spanish cultures can be seen very clearly in food. For instance, it is a common rural Mexican tradition to make tamales, an Aztec food for Christmas, a Catholic holiday. Another example is the fact that tamales are often filled with beef, a product unknown to the Aztecs until the arrival of the Spanish. Even the method in which the meals were prepared: the corn is ground on a metate, made into masa, which is rolled into a ball and flattened, then placed on a comal cooking sheet and cooked, is still being practiced in remote country locations. In the city people eat much as they do here in the United States (Baumann 1995. And Nicholson 1985). Cultivating the soil was the main way of life. In the Aztec society farmers were generally field workers who prepared the earth, breaking up clumps, hoeing with the coa digging stick, leveling, planting, weeding, and irrigating. They understood the rotations and had to read almanacs so they could determine when it was time for planting. They made the construction of canals to bring water from mountain springS to the towns and fields of the piedmont and foothills. Calculations have shown that the flow of water through this system was insufficient to have maintained farming throughout the year (Bray 1968). The amount of decoration on a garment indicated wealth and social rank of the wearer. Rich people had clothes made of cotton while poorer people had clothes made from maguey fibers. Aztec men wore a cloth around their hips and a cloak that was knotted around one shoulder. The women wore a sleeveless blouse and a wraparound skirt. The amount of decoration around the garment indicated the wealth and social rank of the wearer. Most of the Aztec homes were simple and designed for usefulness rather than for looks. In the upper mountain regions the houses were adobe but in the lowlands they had thatched roofs and walls made of branches and leaves. Usually in the same yard around the house a family had other buildings suck as a place to put their tools and a place for their animals. Wealthy Aztecs had large adobe or stone houses with a large patio built around the house. The yard was usually large and the servants were housed in a separate building (Weaver, 1972). The art of speaking was interwoven with teaching, as the learning of technical skills. Historical accounts, the reciting of stories and poetry, the conduct of law suits, and matters of trade were conducted orally. To be educated was to be a master of oral expression, for people were expected to present artful speeches on all sorts of occasions, both public and private. With all the etiquette required by the highest formalized pattern of Aztec life. Aztec hieroglyphic writing served to communicate names, places, dates, and tallies in association by a system of dots. The language spoken by the Aztecs was called Nahuatl. This language was one of the must popular ones before the Spanish Conquest because it was the spoken language of the most important race in the prehispanic world: the Mexica or Azteca. Some of the peculiar characteristics of this language, was that it had 23 different sounds: 5 vowels and 18 consonants, divided into 9 primaries and 9 secondaries. For some strange reason our ancestry of the Aztec basically used only the 9 primary consonants, that were considered as sacred sounds; The other 9 secondary consonants appeared only in the regular language of this Mexicatl country (the country around the Aztec empire). An example of this is the poetry Nezahualcoyotl lord and philosopher of Texcoco. The Nahuatl alphabet is described briefly below. The Aztec have always been warriors, since their time as the Mexica to the time of their demise. The Aztecs at first were known as dirty barbarians so they were not allowed to settle with the present tribes of Central Mexico. Why did the Aztecs need to have a great military? To answer this question you must understand Aztec religion and way of life. The Aztecs whole beginning is based on war and their main god Huitlilopochi was based on war. The Aztecs had no head army or standing army but it was organized for war. War was used to capture prisoners for sacrifice, punish tributary tribes, and gain new territory. The soldiers were trained at a young age by nobles in special schools. In these schools they taught the warriors their goals in war. The goals were to capture prisoners for sacrifice, and depending on the amount captured gave that warrior prowess. Failure in battle was a disgrace for those who could not accomplish their task and usually led to their sacrifice. The overview of the Aztec military, is that their is no separation of armies, but the whole empire was set on war. The military had specific goals, but if not accomplished meant shame and death. The Aztecs had a very powerful military and only lost to the Spanish due to the myth that the white people were gods (Bray 1968). Agriculture formed the backbone of the Aztec economy. Corn was the most important crop alone with beans, avocados, squashes, potatoes, and tomatoes. The lowlands provided crops such as cotton, papayas, rubber, and cacao. The main agricultural tool was a pointed stick which was used for digging. In the tropical jungle the Aztecs used the slash and burn agriculture which is still used today. They chopped down the trees and burns them along with the shrubs and the ashes fertilized the soil. Terraces were cut in the mountains up in the highlands to increase the amount of farmland. Huge irrigation systems were made and the farmers used the mud from the bottom of the irrigation systems to help their crops. As a result the Aztecs yielded huge crops which is the main reason why their civilization was so successful (Hodge & Smith 1994). The market place was one of the main centers of Aztec life. The market at Tlatelolco was the largest in the Americas. Hernando Cortes said that as much as 60,000 people visited the market in a single day. Here every kind of merchandise was bought and sold. The Aztecs had no money as we know it but it was goods and services that were traded. It was found that some Aztecs used cacao beans as a form of money (Hodge & Smith 1994). The Aztecs invented the wheel but they never used it in any form of transportation. The wheels were just used in toys. The Aztecs carried all goods on their backs our using animals to carry them (Nicholson 1985). We still know very little about the Aztecs. Research is always uncovering new ideas and data giving us new insights into the Aztec culture and way of life. It is interesting how a people so far away from the known civilization at that time developed a political and economic system similar to the system used in Europe and Asia. The Aztec society was a brutal one yet it was one of the most successful societies in Central America until the intrusion of the Spanish in 1519. Their successfulness was can from their religion which demanded that the Aztecs to always be dominant, brutal adversaries. Even though their religion was the dominant theme in setting the Aztecs apart from other civilizations, they were also unique in their history, economy, environment, and way of life. In studying the Aztecs, we are in a way actually studying ourselves and human history. Only by studying ourselves are we able to overcome our mistakes and make this world a better place. Bibliography: Aschmann, Homer. Mexico World Book Encyclopedia. 1985 ed. Baumann, Adria. The Food of the Aztecs 24 June, 1995. Available : http://www.corona.bell.k12.ca.us/student/adria/7.html Brundage, Burr Cartwright. The Fifth Sun: Aztec Gods, Aztec World. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1979. Burland, Cottie and Wermer Forman. The Aztecs: Gods and Fate in Ancient Mexico. New York: Galahad Books, 1980. Bray, Warwick. Everyday Life of The Aztecs. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1968. Caso, Alfonso. The Aztecs People of the Sun. Trans. Lowell Dunham. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1958. del Castillo, Bernál Diaz. Discovery and Conquest of Mexico. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Cudahy, 1956. Clendinnen, Inga. Aztecs an interpretation. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991. Ferguson, William. & Arthur H. Rohn. Mesoamerica' Ancient Cities. Niwot: University Press Colorado, 1990. Hassig, Ross. Aztec Warfare Imperial Expansion and Political Control. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988. Hodge, Mary. and Michael E Smith. Economies and Polities in the Aztec Realm. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1994. León-Portilla, Miguel. The Aztec Image of Self and Society. Ed. J. Jorge Klow de Alva. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1992. Moctezuma, Eduardo Matos. The Great Temple of the Aztecs. Trans. Doris Heyden. New York: Thames and Hudson, Ltd., 1988. Nicholson, H.B. Aztec World Book Encyclopaedia. 1985 ed. Shepperd, Donna Walsh. The Aztecs. New York: F. Watts, 1992. Stuart, Gene S. The Mighty Aztecs. Washington: National Geographic, 1981. Weaver, Muriel Porter. The Aztecs, Maya, and Their Predecessors Archeology of Mesoamerica. New York: Seminar Press, 1972. Wolf, Leo. The Aztecs: A tradition of Religious Human Sacrifice. March 28, 1998. Available: http://www2.hmcb.edu/~sbootnru/aztec.htm

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A Letter From Saudi Arabia

Dear Mr. LMN, Hope you are doing well. How are things at the Academy? I am doing just fine here in Al Arabiyah as Saudiyah1, ever heard that name before? It is just the local short name for Saudi Arabia. It is already a year since I left US and now I am almost half way through the two years that I am spending here. There’s a lot that I want to tell you about my experience so far. I always wanted to leave Westford for good, but had never imagined that I would someday be doing a job in Saudi Arabia! It all started when I got this new job with the Saudi Arabian Specifications and Standard Organization (SASSO)2. My Uncle has a close friend in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. So one night my uncle asked me if I would like to live for two years in Saudi Arabia, and then he told me about this job opportunity for which they required a qualified engineer in structural architecture. It wasn’t exactly something that I had planned in life, but I always wanted to experience life in a different atmosphere, and this was the perfect opportunity for me to do so… so here I am! I work in a Water conservation-desalination1 plant in a town called Khumrah which is 30 miles south from Jeddah3. It is a small town with a population a little less than Westford3. Where I live is very close to my work, barely a 5-minute walk from the plant. Since there aren’t many trees around the place I live, it is usually very hot in that area. The average temperature here in Summer is really killing!! Sometimes it gets as high as 94 degrees Fahrenheit in summer, it’s an extreme climate here4! It certainly is a big change from Westford! It makes me sweat a lot, but I have gotten used to that. Even now I still calculate the temperature in Fahrenheit, whereas this country follows the metric system, which is sometimes confusing, but that’s just part of the experience. But I am really thankful to my uncle, he did give me a lot of tips about staying here. For instance the kind of clothes that I should pack, what vaccinations I should take before leaving other than those required by the Saudi consulate such as the ones for cholera5. So I guess, I was pretty much packed up when I left America. I live in a small 2 story building, in a 2-bedroom apartment- building6 with Umar, the son of my Uncle’s friend. The apartment building has no parking lot, there is no reason to have one because not many people in this town own cars for themselves. At first, that really surprised me! I and Umar have become really close friends now. He too works in the same plant with me. He can speak some English, although he can understand everything I say in English, which is something that I am really thankful for- It’s one of the best things to happen to me. You will not find many English-speaking people here. In only 60% of the population of people 15 years and older can read and write1. Anways.. so we live on the 2nd floor and there is an Arab family that lives downstairs. The first day, when I arrived at the Jeddah airport, I was amazed by the way the airport is designed, it looks more like the ancient Islamic architecture that I had seen much of in the travel brochures on the flight. It took a while to clear the customs, especially since the import laws here are very strict7. After clearing the customs as soon as I was at the arrival terminal Umar was there to receive me. He recognized me with the help of a photograph that my uncle had mailed to him. Since I am a Muslim, I had some knowledge of Arabic, from what Iittle I had learnt in Islamic school, but that was twenty years ago!! Anyway, so I greeted Umar, in what I though was an ancient Arabic greeting- “As salaam O Alaiqum”8, he replied by saying “Wa Alaiqum As Salaam”. But later, I discovered that there was nothing ancient about it! It’s the formal way of saying hello to someone, technically speaking, in English it translates to ‘peace be upon you’ and it’s part of my Arabic vocabulary now. There are several forms of greeting in Saudi Arabia. The most common one is a handshake, called the salaam with the right hand and the phrase “As salaam O Alaiqum” Frequently, males follow the greeting by extending the left hand to each other’s right shoulder and kissing the other’s right and left cheeks. The form of greeting changes depending upon the person being addressed. When accompanied by a woman wearing a veil, a man would not normally introduce her, and one does not expect to shake hands with her. The term for “Good morning” is Sabah al-khair, and for “Good evening” it is Masah al-khair. A casual hello is Marhaba.3 It’s always a good thing to know these phrases, if sometime you get in trouble, they act somewhat similar to the phrase “I come in peace” in English!!! Anyways.. so once Umar found me he jokingly told me that he would have recognized me even without the photo, because of the peculiar dress that I had worn, although I laughed that off, but that was the first time that I felt weird being in a T-shirt and jeans. Most people I had seen were dressed in long clothes that covered them fully. Males dress in a white robe with a flat turban for the head, while women wear veils which cover them fully from head to toe, except the face4.But it isn’t like that in every part of Jeddah, or for that matter even the whole country. Many men prefer wearing western outfits such as shirts and trousers, while some women in cities also wear skirts which are about knee-length. 6 For probably the first time I felt as if I was “the odd man out”! Anyways.. very soon I and Umar were on our way to Khumrah on a hired taxi. It was a bumpy 2 hour drive, mostly because of the bad road conditions, not all roads in Saudi Arabia are like that though1. The hot weather made it even worse for us. We reached the house, and no sooner had we started unloading the baggage than a gentleman came up and lend us to helping hand. After we were done with the unloading, I thanked him and then Umar introduced us to each other, his name is Khaled Bin Ahmad. He is the tenant of the apartment on the first floor and lives with his wife Asma, a son Ashfaque and a daughter Fatima. Most people have more than 2 children, usually the number of children in each family is 3-41. We are pretty good friends now, his family usually invites me to dinner at their home with Umar. I love the food here. Saudi dishes are composed mainly of rice with lamb or chicken and are mildly spicy. Kabsah, which is rice and lamb, is a favorite dish throughout the country. Rice is also often served with vegetables and a green salad. Fruit is frequently eaten for dessert, accompanied by Saudi coffee, which is brewed with cardamom. Seafood is popular on the coast, and there are many varieties of fish. Coffee or tea is served before all meals. Buttermilk is also a popular beverage. In general, food is eaten with the fingers of the right hand only. Bread may be torn with the left hand but is eaten with the right.3 I really had to get used to this habit, at first I was very clumsy breaking the bread, and eating the rice, but now I think I have pretty much learnt the proper way of eating. Khumrah doesn’t have many restaurants10. I had once been to one in Jeddah with Umar. Hotel restaurants offer a variety of types of cuisine, including Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, and North American. Traditionally, the main meal of the day is in the mid-afternoon (usually after 2 PM), when children are home from school and parents from work. But those whose offices remain open in the afternoon now have their main meal in the evening. 4 Conversation is often minimal during the main course of a meal; people prefer to talk before and especially after the meal, while they drink tea or coffee. I generally am very talkative at lunch, but Umar doesn’t mind it, he is quite understanding. But when I am Khaled Aqha’s home it would be rude to talk while eating. 4 Although I am a Muslim, it is sometimes difficult for me to believe the diversity that exists between an American-Muslim and an Arabic Muslim. When I say diversity, I basically mean the traditions, the way of practicing religion. I have come to realize the fact that Islam is practiced differently in all the different parts of the world, and the way I practiced it when I was in the US, is certainly quite different from what I have seen and practiced here. Then there are so many customs which actually have their root in the beliefs of Islam, which I was totally unaware of. For example everybody removes their shoes at the doorstep before entering the house, even when you are invited to someone’s home. Umar told me that it is a tradition that has been carried out for centuries now10. Speaking of traditions, in Saudi Arabia there is a long tradition of hospitality, which has its roots in the ancient custom that any traveler in the desert who ran into difficulty could receive protection for three and one-third days3. In fact, just last night I had dinner at Khaled Akha’s house. I call him by adding a Akha8 to his name because in Arabic it means brother, and I call his wife Ukht8, which means sister. In the first few days I repeatedly used to make the mistake of calling Ukht by her name, which I later realized is not considered decent for a non-relative man to do unless he is her father3. Luckily Khaled Akha is an understanding man, otherwise one can end up in serious legal trouble for doing something like that. You see, the constitution of this country is actually the Sharia’- the Islamic law, which prescribes the role of men and women in society1. The most amazing thing that I found out, in my first week here was that the citizens of this country have no say in electing their government! Saudi Arabia is actually a monarchy ruled by a king chosen from and by members of the Al-Saud family. The king rules through royal decrees issued in conjunction with the Council of Ministers, and with advice from the Consultative Council. Members of both councils are appointed by the king7. But what amazed me even more that this system functions as well as the democratic capitalist system in USA! Of course I have come across people who feel otherwise, they demand a more flexible system. But since freedom of the press isn’t as extensive here, you never hear of such groups on television or newspapers. Some of the customs and social practices are very conservative7, and I would say the sharia’ is responsible for that. Islam pervades all aspects of life here more than anything else. For the same reason, they also have a special police force – the religious police called the Mutawwa'iin7. They are basically plainclothes policemen that patrol the streets to enforce the conservative standards of the law. Once I almost got caught by the police when I was trying to photograph a woman in a public fair, I didn’t know that there are rules for photography too6. In fact there are religious laws against certain dressing codes. I feel the laws are too strict to adhere to, which is a view I am sure most people here share with me. But there are also laws that forbid non-Islamic religious articles such as crosses and bibles, and food such as pork 7(which is unholy in Islam), these laws are relatively understandable. When I see women who are dressed so conservatively3, as opposed to the men who have more freedom of choice in what they wear, I feel a certain kind of guilt for the freedom I have! Moreover, the pattern of social roles I have seen is that women take care of the household, the children by staying at home while men are the bread-winners. Bread-earning reminds me, that tomorrow I don’t have to go to work, because it is Thursday. Did you know that the working week is from Saturday through Wednesday7. Not only that, we have breaks between work, for Namaaz (prayers) when people go to the nearby mosques for their prayers4. Friday (Jumma) and Thursday (Jumme-raat) night are considered as important days of the week for prayers, everybody goes to the mosque on this day for their prayers. Religion is a very prominent characteristic of the Saudi society4. It is one of their first priorities. It is quite obvious because of the large concentration of the Muslim population, a 99% majority1! It is also to a certain extent because of Al-Ka’aaba, which is the center of pilgrimage for Muslims all around the world. It is considered the holiest place on earth. I remember talking to you about this in Global Insights class, when we were studying Islam. It is the Ka’aaba that attracts the major tourist population to this country4. It is amazing the way, the government handles the enormous tourist population every year, despite the problems that it has to deal with. One of the major problems here is the scarcity of water. Which is also one reason I chose to take this job. A large amount of the total land area is covered by desert. Desert storms lead to desertification of vast areas of land. This poses a threat to agriculture. Agriculture engages about 15% of the total labor force. The government is coming up with projects for development of more and more desalination facilities, through which they can then use the sea water to their benefit, for irrigation in agriculture and also for industry. So water is one of the very important resource here. In Khumrah, the water facilities aren’t as well-developed as they are in the cities1. Sometimes I have to skip shower for the day, because at times when the water supply is short, the tanks are not filled. But I don’t mind that, as long as it doesn’t last for days together. When I first came, I was too conscious about my health, so the only water I used to drink was mineral water, which cost me about half a dollar for each bottle11. By the way the currency used here is the Riyal, which is then divided into 100 halalah1, just like dollars and cents. An American dollar is approximately worth 3.75riyals1. So whenever I used to buy something, I converted it into dollars, and it seemed so cheap to me, but later I realized that sometimes I was paying a lot more than the actual price, just because in American terms it was cheaper! In fact I gave up the mineral water, within a month. That however wasn’t the best of ideas. I suffered a mild viral fever for 2 days because of that. But Khaled Aqha and his wife took good care of me, for both the days, Umar got me my medicine, Khaled Aqha took care of me. Now whenever I go to the market, I get some grocery for Khaled aqha, at first he never accepted anything from me, saying that I was like his guest, but now we no more have a guest-host relationship, it’s more of friendship, I feel. I was fortunate that I did not need any hospital care, it saved me some money. Usually hospitals demand cash payment, usually before treatment! Anyways, so did you make finally make that trip to India that you always planned on? There are some Indians1 at the plant where I work, actually there are people from many different foreign nationalities where I work. The main ones being people afro-Asian backgrounds1. I wish I could write more about my life here. But it’s something that you really need to have a first-hand experience to know what I am talking about. Hopefully I will see you in Westford next May. If there is any souvenir or anything that I can get for you from here, please feel free to let me know. Khuda Hafiz (goodbye)8 XYZ Bibliography: 1. The World Fact Book - http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/country-frame.html 2. Water Online- http://news.wateronline.com/industry-news/19980123-930.html 3. Microsoft Encarta Reference Suite 99- Virtual Globe 4. Microsoft Encarta Reference Suite 99- Encarta Encyclopedia 5. Arabic News. Com- http://www.arabicnews.com 6. National Geographic- October 1987 7. Saudi Arabia Consular Information Sheet- http://travel.state.gov/saudi.html 8. Speak Arabic- the easy way (Nadeem Publications) 9. Excite Travel- http://www.city.net 10. Culture website - www.cultures.com 11. Retail price of Mineral water in SA- http://www.excelholdings.com/saudicost.html

Words: 2867

Wild Turkey

The wild turkey, the largest game bird in North America, is related to pheasants, quail, and grouse. It is found throughout the United States, except for Alaska, and in parts of Canada and Mexico. There are five recognized sub-species, which vary slightly, in color and size. The male wild turkey, called the tom or the gobbler, is a large robust bird weighing upt o 30 pounds and standing as high as four feet tall. His body color is brownish black with a metallic, iridescent sheen. The head and neck, nearly bald, vary from white to blue to red. Bright red, fleshy bumps, called carnucles, droop from the front and sides of the neck, and a fleshy flap of skin, called a dewlap, is attached to the throat and neck. A fingerlike protrusion called a snood hangs over the front of the beak. When the tom is alert, the snood constricts and projects vertically as a fleshy bump at the top rear of the beak. A clump of long, coarse hairs, called a beard, protrudesfrom the front of the tom's breast and may grow as long as 12 inches on older birds. Each leg has a spur on it; these spurs are small and rounded on young birds; long, pointed and usually very sharp on older birds. The male is called a gobbler for a good reason:his rattling, deep-toned call is one of the most recognizable sounds in all of nature. At mating time, toms gobble with full-volume gusto, attempting to attract hens for breeding. Adult males display for hens by fanning their tail feathers, puffing up their body feathers and dragging their wings as they strut. Their heads and neck turn bright red during breeding season or when the tom is otherwise excited. Adult females, or hens, are considerably smaller than toms, rarely weighing more than 10 to 12 pounds. Their overall body color is duller than themale's and lacks his metallic, iridescent sheen. The hen's head and neck are usually blue-grey color and sparsely covered with small, dark feathers. Caruncles are sometimes present, but smaller than those on toms. Some hens grow small beards and spurs. Although they dont gobble, hens make a variety of cluck, purr, cutt and yelp sounds. Dominant hens may assert thenselves with a display resembling that of a male, though they do not strut. Juvenile birds mature quickly. By their fifth month, the juvenile male(jake) and juvenile female(jenny) closely resemble adult birds. However, juveniles have dark legs, which turn pink as the birds age. Jakes make feeble gobbles, higher pitch than the calls of mature toms. Their beards are shorter in length and usually have amber colored tips. With its powerful legs, the wild turkey is and exceptional runner, and has been clocked at speeds up to 12 mph. Although strong short- distance flier, turkeys usually run when threatened. When necessary for escape, turkeys launch thenselves with a standing leap or a running start to accelerateto 35 mph in a matter of seconds. They cannot remain in the air for more than a few hundred yards, but can glide for half a mile or more when coasting down from a ridge. Regardless of region, wild turkeys require three elements if they are to survive, water, trees, and open grassy areas, Turkeys may be found in areas where one or more of these elements is in short supply, but the population is unlikly to flourish. Throughout most of their range


Words: 575

Where Have They Gone?

For many reasons the human race could be called a blessing. Great advanced in technology, medicine and even the fact we are the most sophisticated species on the planet. Are we a gift to planet Earth, or far from it? With cast amounts of pollution and destruction of the planet, not to mention unthinkable acts of violence and hate that has been going on since the beginning of time. Are we really as sophisticated and important as we have led ourselves to believe? Are we any better than any other creature because we are more technologically advanced? Is the human race a blessing? Humans have destroyed and endangered more species on our planet than any other species or group, with our continuous pollution and lack of respect for out own environment. One area of the world affected by our careless habits is our coastlines and the marine habitats that vast amounts of species rely on. These particular areas of the world are being destroyed because humans don’t seem to care as long as they make a couple of dollars in the process. Oil spills like the one in the Prince William Sound on the coast of Alaska and Hawaiian sea turtles and their many troubles with humans are just some examples of human carelessness and the consequences that the environment, particularly marine wildlife incur, which often are fatal. I chose this particular subject because I find the ocean and it’s unique and rare inhabitants to be interesting. Every coastline has its one unique species and no two areas are the same. I wanted to learn more about how humans are destroying the habitats of these unique creatures. I found that all species are in someway being threatened by human dominance and carelessness. From the common flounder or sea star you can find when you walk across the beach to a rare fish like the coelacanth (prehistoric fish that was believed to be extinct until one was caught off the coat of Madagascar by a local commercial fisherman until in the 1950’s). The ocean can be a calm and loving but can easily turn into a vicious killer within seconds. All of these things are what I find so interesting about the ocean. I wanted to find out why people can continue to destroy it even though they know the effect of their actions. I guess some people are ignorant and just don’t care if they destroy the things that make our environment so beautiful. One example of our careless destruction of our environment is the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska in 1989. The Prince William Sound still shows signs of the oil spill tem years later. Most species have recovered since the spill, but many are still suffering. The Harbor Seal and herring are just two who are vital to the survival of all the species in the area. Herring are the main source of food for many species in the area, including humans. (Mitchell, p.98) “The ecosystem is gradually recovering from the spill,” says Molly McCammon, an Executive director of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, “but it will never be the same as it was twenty years ago.” The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council was founded to oversee the use of nine hundred million dollars to the area by the government after settling with the Exxon Company for one billion dollars in criminal and civil damages. One serious problem in the aftermath of Exxon Valdez is the decline of herring. (The table shows the chave in populations of Prince William Sound before and after the Exxon Valdez spill.) Even more disturbing than the fact herring aren’t recovering as well as other species like them is the fact they were on the decline before the accident. This was a major issue because herring are the center of the ecosystem in the Sound. Many biologists now believe that over fishing of the herring has contributed to their decline. The Pacific Herring is just one species of the area, but if you see how important that one species is to the ecosystem of the Alaskan coast than you begin to see how important all species are to their particular habitats. This is just one example, but if you take a species out of its environment, then a chain reaction would occur, hurting the species around it. Another species that biologists are beginning to study wit the money received from the Exxon Valdez settlement is the Alaskan Salmon. The oil spill has left the Alaskan Salmon on the decline until recently, but still the species is reeling. “The last two years have been extremely positive for the Alaskan Salmon population,” stated one Alaskan biologists. But her concerns were more focused on the salmon offspring, which had been effected by the spill. Fry, as seen in the left vial, were damaged by the oil. The fry still come in contact with oil when oil pockets seep into some intertidal spawning streams. “These pockets are like mines,” says Jeffrey Short, a scientist with the National Marine Fisheries Service. Scientist discovered the oil caused genetic defects in salmon. Many species in the Prince William Sound are still recovering from the spill. This is just one spill and you can see the devastation it has made upon its ecosystem. This has been called one of the worst oil spills in history. But you can imagine there has been numerous spills that are almost as areas might never fully recover from the spill on their ecosystem. The devastation of an oil spill is just one of many causes of marine destruction that humans are guilty of. Many other species suffer from damaged habitats. Another example of humans destroying their environment and the unique species that live there is Hawaiian Sea turtles. The turtles are becoming endangered because of loss of habitat. The overwhelming presence of humans in the turtle’s habitat is making is harder for turtles to find areas where they can lay their eggs. The loss of nesting sites if hurting the reproduction of sea turtles because unpopulated beaches are becoming harder to find. Sea turtles have an affinity for certain beaches and when they cannot lay their eggs there they have to find new areas which can take time. Other reasons why the turtles are being threatened are pollution of the ocean and netting. Pollution in the form of debris is killing turtles. They can ingest the plastic debris and it makes it hard to get the nourishment needed from the food they eat. Netting is another killer of turtles. Fishing nets set out by commercial fisherman are a definite killer of sea turtles in the Hawaiian Islands. (http://www.turtles.org/marines). Erosion of beaches also hurts the sea turtle population. The lack of beach force turtles to lay their eggs in a smaller area. When humans try to stop or reduce erosion it disturbs the turtles even more. Sea walls, canals, jetties, and sandbagging are all things that are used by humans to stop erosion, but they are hurting the turtles more than they are helping them. They need dry land in order to lay their eggs and these structures are deducing land even further. Fibropapilloma Tumors are a serious threat and are beginning to show up on turtles in Hawaii and other areas with large numbers of sea turtles. They were first seen in turtles around 1930, but it wasn’t until 1980 that the tumors began to show up in epidemic proportions. The green turtles were the only known species to have the tumors, but it has recently been discovered in other turtle species. The most effected areas of the world are Hawaii, Florida, and Australia. (http://www.turtles.org/threats.htm) All of these threats to turtle population are hurting their hopes of survival. But people out to help the sea turtles such as Denise Parker who works with a marine turtle program in Honolulu, Hawaii, have worked hard and the population of marine sea turtles has actually been on the rise in recent years. The turtle’s population is coming up from endangered and threatened to a safe number, but that isn’t far enough for many who care about the turtles. They continue to help increase the population because they know they would begin to decline again if they didn’t have any help. Many groups such as the Marine Turtles Research Program and the National Marine Fisheries Service are helping to restore the turtles in Hawaii. There are also many individuals whose work with the sea turtles have helped in preserving them and their natural environment. One of these people is Ken Nichols. Nichols is a supporter of turtles and he is trying to make the people aware of the environment in the Hawaiian Islands. He feels that the most important thing we can do is conserve the wilderness and beaches from expansion. We need to educate people about the turtles especially children. When asked about how we can save the environment and the habitat of turtles as well as other species Nichols said, “This is obviously a difficult task as the human population continues to grow, which means we are constantly expanding into wild areas which support bio-diversity of all types. I believe the greatest task is education of children and more efficient use of the existing areas we are using.” These two ideas, are good examples of how the human race destroys the environment around them. We continue to hurt our wildlife, but there are people out there to fight against the pollution and destruction caused by large corporations and businesses. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 has helped tremendously in the battle for survival of species like the turtles in Hawaii as well as other threatened and endangered species of out planet. (http://www.fws.gov/r9end.com). This act prohibits the further destruction or death of the species. By the Endangered Species Act, citizens of the United States are prohibited from taking an endangered or threatened species, declared by the U.S. Fish and Wilidlife Service, from its environment whether on United States’ soil or in its waters. Punishment if caught breaking the lwas instead in this act are as follows; 25,000 dollars if caught violating the rules listed above, 12,000 forknowingly participating in the importing or exporting of such species. Any person who otherwise violates any provision of this Act, or any regulation, permit, or certificate issued hereunder, may be assessed a civil penalty by the Secretary of not more than $500 for each such violation. (http://endangered.fws.gov/esa.html) Although this act is a great step towards the restoration of threatened and endangered species many feel the act isn’t worth the money. A proposed amendment to the Endangered Species Act threatened many aspects of the project. The proposed “amendment” was an attempt to undermine the project of funding and political support. The amendment to section 403 of the Endangered Species Act would literally wipe out many of the endangered species protected by this bill. “The sea turtles of Hawaii wouldn’t stand a chance if the amendment would have passed,” said supporters of the Endangered Species Act and endangered species around the world, “We can’t just let them take back what we have worked so hard for.” Shrimp nets alone kill 55,000 turtles a year in the Hawaiian Islands. (http://www.turtles.org/threats). If the Endangered Species Act is undermined where will these endangered species turn? Some senators who support the amendments to undermine the act are back in congress for a second term and many feel the amendments to the Endangered Species Act will be brought up again and re-voted. (http://www,turtles.org/threats). Senator Slade Gorton was one supporter of the bill to undermine the Endangered Species Act. Are these accusations of inhumanity and lack of care for nature completely true about Senator Gorton? On Senator Gorton’s web site (http://senate.gov/~gorton), he shows his compassion for nature. A letter thanking him for his help on saving trees and several streams in his home state of Washington from the Sierra club was one such article bringing up questions of whether he was so bad. Others seem to think otherwise, but it is hard to tell without actually knowing him or all his work. Many other laws and acts have been implemented to stop the decline in population of many endangered and threatened species. One it the Marine Mammal Act, which protects the many species in our oceans. The Clean Water and Clean Air acts were also adopted to help protect these endangered species from human threats. One example of how humans have hurt many different species of animals is pesticides, especially the pesticide DDT, which was used in World War II to keep insects away from soldiers. After the war, the pesticide was brought back to the United States and used very carelessly. DDT seeped into the streams and contaminated almost every species that ate fish or other animals that had been infected with DDT. From the contaminated fish the pesticide went up the food chain and began killing off the bald eagles. After the substance DDT was nationally banned in 1973 the bald eagle has begun to make a comeback like most of the other species affected by our carelessness. (Discovery, “The Bald Eagle”). Just because the Bald Eagle is the symbol of our country does that mean we have more of an obligation to protect it than the sea turtles? Hopefully we will be able to stop the amendments one more time, but if they are made what will happen to the animals that depend on it? We have the obligations to protect these animals. We have placed them in this situation and it is our fault many of these species are endangered today. We cannot continue to let them slip away if we can do something about it. Many organizations are trying to keep these laws in place. Others who feel that our money should go to more worthy causes, even though we personally are responsible for the decline in many species. I think we need to support the laws that are in effect as of right now and try to get better funding for the organizations that are already in place. We don’t need new laws, we need to support and help fund the ones we already have. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is one of the big organizations that helps protect the endangered species as well as helping to educate and fund other small organizations that can do their part as well. It may not be easy to get funding for programs like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but we can achieve this goal if we work hard. A good example of how we can help to preserve our endangered wildlife is we can implement a tax that will provide money to these programs. We can add a tax to companies who contribute to the destruction of our environment. For example, if a company produces pollution they should be forced to pay a tax. We can place a standard tax for all companies and corporations who do this or we can base the amount owed by the amount of pollution or amount of destruction caused by the corporation on the environment. For companies that we are unable to tell how much exactly contribute to the destruction of the environment, we can require a base sum. A starting base sum could be five hundred dollars a year for all the companies who contribute to the destroying of the Earth. We can assemble a committee of U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents to assess the amount of pollution a company produces and then a fitting cost for that pollution. It might take a little while to put this proposal into effect. If we anticipated the slow advancement of passing the law in congress it would take six or seven years to implement this law. It wouldn’t take a lot of money, but definitely some money would be required. It would take several thousand to advertise if it wasn’t donated by a company who felt strongly about the issue at hand. I would think an estimate of about $500,00-60,000 dollars would easily cover the expenses of advertising, salaries for workers and any other expenses. Donations and fundraisers would be used to accumulate enough money to get the support of the people. When I discussed my proposal with my friend, she felt that it was a good idea and that the organizations like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service need the money to study and set up programs to save endangered species and these programs need money. She felt it would be hard to get the bill passed because congressmen have ties with big corporations that pollute and they wouldn’t have to pay fees. So most likely the proposal would be stopped. Although she didn’t see the bill being passed she said that if we accumulate enough money to advertise and get the support of the people, congressmen would be forced to vote for the bill or they might not be reelected. If she has strong feelings about this subject, I’m sure the majority of this society is concerned about the environment and about our future. We need to try and get funds for programs and organizations that help endangered and threatened species. Many organizations rely on donations and money from supporters. We need to find ways to get more money for these programs and the proposal of taxes on companies who pollute is just one possibility. Everyone contributes to the destruction of the environment and we all have to do our part to help the species we are killing off. Species like the Pacific Salmon, who were threatened by the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. As well as other species like the sea turtles in Hawaii who were on the verge of extinction until a recent turn around because of help from organizations and individuals. Individuals who take the burden upon their shoulders and make it their business to make up for all the people who could care less what happens to their environment. We need to protect our environment form the people who seek to destroy it for money and success. I think the beauty of the ocean is worth saving. Every creature and every unique species is a creature worth saving. We don’t have the right to kill those who aren’t as smart or sophisticated as us. They have just as mush right to the Earth as we do. We don’t have the right to over fish herring in Alaska or cut down all the trees in rain forests just for money and the profit these resources create. Bibliography1. www.turtles.org/tumor.htm 2. Interview with Ken Nichols, a known marine sea turtle activists and protector of environment of the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. 3. www.endangered.fws.gov/esa.htm#Lnk11

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Whaling In Us Compared To Japan

Did you know that in the last 50 years over two million whales have been killed? The United States views whaling very differently than Japan does. It is a complicated and controversial topic. Many people have opinions about whale hunting. However, everyone should know both sides of the whale hunting issues before they act on the issue. To start out I am going to tell you a little about whaling. The first whale hunters were in the prehistoric times. At first they would just kill and eat beached whales. That became such a habit that they started hunting them. Most whale hunters use harpoons, guns, lances, or bombs that blow up inside the whale. They use catcher boats, or kayaks. In 1925, whalers developed factory ships that could hold 12 catcher boats and a crew of about 400. These ships had radar under the boat that could detect where the whales were. These boats are what made it so easy to hunt whales. In 1931, the International Whaling Convention began. The major whaling countries formed the IWC to protect whales from being over hunted and to regulate the whaling industries. The main duty of the IWC is to keep under review and revise the measures laid down in the Schedule to Convention, which governs the conduct of whaling throughout the world. These measures provide for the protection of certain species; designate specified areas as whale sanctuaries; set limits on the numbers and size of whales which can be taken; have open and closed seasons and areas for whaling; and prohibit the capture of female whales accompanied by calves. The United States stopped whale hunting in 1940 because of the International Whaling Convention and also because Congress made an U.S. code on whale hunting. The United States never depended on whale meat like Japan. They mostly whale hunted for a hobby. The Congress feels that whales are a unique resource of great scientific interest to mankind and are a vital part of the marine ecosystem. Man has overexploited whales for many years, highly reducing species and endangering others. The United States has extended its responsibilities to protect all marine animals. They think that whales are a particular interest to citizens of the United States. Japan started whaling way back in the 2nd Century BC. They whale because they have whale meat as part of their diet. In 1946, whale meat was not considered special food anymore but was necessary to keep the Japanese healthy and alive because they depended on it for so long. People ate whale meat as a source of protein whether they liked it or not. In 1947, about 47% of the total animal protein was whale meat. Until the 1960's, whale meat continued to be their main source of protein. In 1962, the whaling industry recorded 226,000 tons of whale meat; this was the highest amount throughout the history of the Japanese whaling. The percentage of whale meat consumption compared to the total animal meat consumption was 23% in 1964. (whalenet 1) Whale meat was the only meat served in school lunches, which began in 1947 and continued until the mid-1950. After that, pork and chicken began to be served in school lunches and the amount of whale meat decreased. In the mid-1970's, whale meat was used more than any other meat and today it still is but has reduced highly since then. In the United States there is an Indian Tribe that is still whaling. This Tribe is called the Makah Indians. They are from the western state of Washington. They are allowed to hunt because the IWC believes that whaling has been in their tradition for so long that it is all right. Whaling has been a tradition of the Makah for more than 2000 years. They had to stop in the 1920’s due to there not being many gray whales still alive. The gray whales’ abundance now makes it possible for them to hunt again. One Makah Indian says, “I feel that our health problems result, in some degree, to the loss of our traditional diet of seafood and sea mammal meat. We would like to restore the meat of the whale to our diet.” (Whalenet 1) And another one said in an interview, “ Whaling and whales have remained central to our culture. They are in our songs, our dances, our designs, and our basketry. Our social structure is based on traditional whaling families. The conduct of a whale hunt requires rituals and ceremonies, which are deeply spiritual. Whale hunting imposes a purpose and a discipline which we believe will benefit our entire community.” (Makah 1) Many of them also believe that a problem with their young people is from the lack of discipline and pride. They believe that the restoration of whaling will help to restore that discipline and pride. Not like Japan, they are only legally permitted to take up to five whales per year. They can only if there is a traditional subsistence or cultural need for the whale in the community. So it is possible that as little as one whale per year will suffice. Also they can only hunt the Eastern Pacific or California Gray whales, because there are a lot of that kind of whale. What do you think is in store for the future of whales? Many larger kinds of whales face an uncertain future. Whalers have killed so many different species and most of them are threatened with extinction. Do you think that Japan should continue having whale meat as their diet and kill whales, or do you think that the U.S is correct for stopping? Well you can think what you feel is right. I hope that you learned as much as I have about the differences and likes on Whaling in the United States compared to Japan.


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Whales

Blue Whales The Blue whale is the largest creature of the sea; in fact, it’s the largest creature known to man. Contrary to what most people think, even though Blue whales live in the sea, they are mammals. They breathe air, have their babies born alive, and can live anywhere from 30 to 70 years. The Blue whale is a baleen whale, and instead of having teeth, Blue whales have around 300-400 baleen plates in their mouths. Baleen are rows of coarse, bristle-like fibers used to strain plankton from the water. Baleen is made of keratin, the same material as our fingernails. The Blue whale is called a “rorqual”, a Norwegian word for “furrow” referring to the pleated grooves running from its chin to its naval. The pleated throat grooves allow the Blue whale’s throat to expand during the huge intake of water during filter feeding; they can “hold 1,000 tons or more of food and water when fully expanded” (Small 1971). They average about 50-70 throat grooves. Blue whales grow up to about 80 feet (25m) long on average, weighing about 120 tons. The females are generally larger than the males, this is the case for all baleen whales. “The largest specimen found was a female 94 feet (29m) long weighing more than 174 tons” (Satchell 1998). The head of the Blue whale forms up to a quarter of the total body length. Compared with other rorquals, the head is very broad. The blue whale heart is also large, the size of a small car and can pump almost 10 tons of blood throughout the body. They also have a very small, falcate (sickle-shaped) dorsal fin that is located near the fluke, or tail. Blue whales have long, thin flippers 8 feet (2.4m) long and flukes that are 25feet (7.6m) wide. The blue whale’s skin is usually blue-gray with white-gray spots. The underbelly has brown, yellow, or gray specks. During the winter, in cold waters, diatoms stick to the underbelly, giving it a yellow to silver- to sulfur-colored sheen; giving the blue whale its nick-name of “sulfur bottoms”. Other names include Sibbald’s Rorqual and Great Northern Rorqual. Blue whales (like all baleen whales) are seasonal feeders and carnivores that filter feed tiny crustaceans (krill, copepods, etc), plankton, and small fish from the water. Krill, or shrimp-like euphasiids are no longer than 3 inches. It is amazing that the world’s largest animals feed on the smallest marine life. Blue whales are gulpers, filter feeders that alternatively swim, then gulp a mouthful of plankton or fish. “An average-sized blue whale will eat 2,000-9,000 pounds (900- 4100kg) of plankton each day during the summer feeding season in cold, arctic waters (120 days)” (Hasley 1984). The blue whale has twin blowholes with exceptionally large fleshy splashguards to the front and sides. It has about 320 pairs of black baleen plates with dark gray bristles in the blue whale’s jaws. These plates can be 35-39 inches (90cm-1m) long, 21 inches (53cm) wide, and weigh 200 pounds (90kg). The tongue weighs 4 tons. Blue whales live individually or in very small pods (groups). They frequently swim in pairs. When the whale comes to the surface of the water, it takes a large breath of air. Then it dives back into the water, going to a depth of 350 feet (105m). Diving is also the way in which whales catch most of their food. Whales can stay under water for up to two hours without coming to the surface for more air. Blue whales breath air at the surface of the water through 2 blowholes located near the top of the head. “ They breathe about 1-4 times per minute at rest, and 5-12 times per minute after a deep dive” (Hasley 1984) Their blow is a single stream that rises 40-50 feet (12-15m) above the surface of the water. They are also very fast swimmers; they normally swim 3-20 mph, but can go up to 24-30mph in bursts when in danger. Feeding speeds are slower, usually about 1-4mph. The whales emit very loud, highly structured, repetitive low-frequency sounds that can travel form many miles underwater. They are probably the loudest animals alive, louder than a jet engine. These songs may be used for locating large masses of krill (tiny crustaceans that they eat) and for communicating with other blue whales. Blue whales typically are found in the open ocean and live at the surface. They are found in all the oceans of the world. The majority of Blue whales live in the Southern Hemisphere. The sub-species found in the Southern Hemisphere are the balaenoptera musculus. The smaller populations inhabit the North Atlantic and North Pacific. These Northern Hemisphere Blue whales are the balaenoptera brevicauda. They migrate long distances between low latitude winter mating grounds and high latitude summer feeding grounds. They are often seen in parts of California, Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada and the northern Indian Ocean. Blue whale breeding occurs mostly in the winter to early spring while near the surface and in warm waters. “The gestation period is about 11-12 months and the calf is born tail first (this is normal for cetaceans) and near the surface in warm, shallow waters” (Hasley 1984). The newborn instinctively swims to the surface within 10 seconds for its first breath; it is helped by its mother, using her flippers. Within 30 minutes of its birth the baby whale can swim. The newborn calf is about 25 feet (7.6m) long and weighs 6-8 tons. Twins are extremely rare (about 1% of births); there is almost always one calf. The baby is nurtured with its mother’s fat-laden milk (it is about 40-50% fat) and is weaned in about 7-8 months. A calf may drink 50 gallons of mother’s milk and gain up to 9 pounds an hour or 200 pounds a day. The mother and calf may stay together for a year or longer, when the calf is about 45 feet (13m) long. Blue whales reach maturity at 10-15 years. They also have a life expectancy of 35-40 years. However, there are many factors that limit the life span of the Blue whale. Packs of killer whales (orcas) have been known to attack and kill young blue whales or calves. Man also hunted blue whales until the International Whaling Commission declared them to be a protected species in 1966 because of a huge decrease in their population. The Blue whale was too swift and powerful for the 19th century whalers to hunt, but with the arrival of harpoon canons, they became a much sought after species for their large amounts of blubber. They were also hunted years ago for their baleen, which was used to make brushes and corsets. But it was their size and high yield of oil that made them the target of choice for modern commercial whalers. Before mans intervention there were 228,000 Blue whales swimming the oceans of the world. “Between 1904 and 1978, whalers scoured the seas for this huge cetacean, most were taken in the Southern Hemisphere, many illegally” (Satchell 1998). As the population figure suggests, it was relentlessly slaughtered for every reason imaginable, almost to the point of extinction. Another reason why Blue whales are almost extinct is pollution. Most of their illnesses are contracted by pollution. It is estimated that there are about 10,000-14,000 blue whales world-wide. Blue whales are an endangered species. They have been protected worldwide by international law, since 1967. The blue whale was listed as endangered throughout its range on June 2, 1970 under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969. They are not to be hunted by anyone for any reason at all. Suggestions are that some populations may never recover. Bibliography-1998 Making Sense of the Songs Whales Sing. Natural Wild Life.Volume 36, Number 8. Hasley, W. 1984. -Collier’s Encyclopedia. P.F. Coillier, Inc. New York, NY. -Mulvaney, K. 1998. A Canny Way with Whalers. New Scientist. Volume 157, Number 2118. -Satchell, M. 1998.A Whale of a Protest: Animal-Rights Activists Hope to Keep an Indian Tribe from Bringing Home the Blubber. -US News and World Review. Volume 125, Number 13. Small, G. 1971. -The Blue Whale. New York Columbia University Press. New York, NY. Zimmer, C. 1998.


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Veterinary Shadow Day

When I first arrived “Lisa” The girl that I shadowed told me that there was an emergency with one of the animals. It ended up that a one-year-old beagle ate an entire thing of metabolite, and then slowly started to die. The liver had shut down, and the heart rate was up to 300. Lisa told me that taking a thing of metabolite was like taking 50 cups of coffee at once. The owners of the beagle were there and bowling. The beagle’s name was Murry. Murry's body slowly was shutting down one thing after another. The owners made the decision the dog was going to be put to sleep. We got the dog ready to be taken out. They undid all the cords from the dog so they could take it to another room. I said goodbye to the dog, and then they took it into the other room so that the owners could be there when they put him to sleep. After that happened they then had to put a sleep a little hedgehog that had cancer on its mouth. We then did two regular checkups with one cat and with one dog. Those when great. After that we had a dog come in and it ended up having an affection that might end up killing it. I never heard the end result. The last thing that I did there was that a black lab had been bitten by another dog, and that dog ripped a hole in the neck of the black lab. The doctors had to perform surgery on the dog to close up the holes in the neck. They first had to clean it out with qutips. And blood stated to come out right then I was a little dizzy and I thought I was going to faint. But thank god I didn’t. I saw a cat get dental work on it. And a cat get a bath and they had to blow dry it and brush the hair while it was a sleep. I thought that the work place environment was very clean and very professional. On my pictures on the poster it shows you that they even had a place for dogs to go in and a separate place for cats to go in they also have different waiting rooms for each of them. I could easily be able to work in a place that is that clean, and so organized. I learned multiple things there from chemicals how much they need how much they use math and science, to there organization skills, and there abillity to be able to communicate with the animals and be able to not cry ever time they have to put them to sleep. The things that they do hardly relate to what I’m doing in school right now, because I’m not that smart yet. But in science we are learning about different chemicals together and how they make a reaction. Also I’m learning how to keep everything nice and organized, so I know where everything that I need is. I observed many behaviors that they showed that would be important in a lot of jobs. One of those are there communication skills. To be able to work with many different people under the type of stress that they can be in is hard. That aplies to a lot of jobs because a lot of different jobs make you work under a lot of stress with many different people at the same time. There are countless skills that you take on with you to college or even work. Kindness, cleanness, organization, and most of all people skills with out that you not be able to handle being in a job with other people. Being a veterinarian is something that I have always even since I was a little girl have wanted to be. I have always loved animals expesialy dogs. I love to take care of them to train them, and most of all to make them feel better. This is exactly what a veterinarian does every day. Nothing was really bad about the job shadow. It was a great experience and I had a lot of fun. But one thing is the animals dying a dog and a hedgehog. It was really sad to see the owners crying, but to become a veterinarian you have to get used to being around animals dying , and putting them to sleep often. The thing that I liked the most was being able to help them out when they need. Even if it was just holding the dog or cat down. I loved being in one of the al fits and being able to interact with the doctors and help out the animals even though I’m under age. I still more then ever want to be a veterinarian being with the animals and on the site just built up my hopes of becoming one even more. I cant wait till I go to college and study about this. This dream of becoming a veterinarian I don’t think will ever pass I want it way to much. The most important thing that I learned would have to be that you need to be able to handle yourself in front of patients that are in tears because of there animal. And that you need to be the steady one not the one that is falling a part because you just put an animal to sleep


Words: 913

The Plains Zebra

The Plains Zebra Deep ebony, blinding cream, these are the colors of the zebra. The zebra is one unique animal. Zebras are one of the marvelous animals in Africa. About the size of a small horse, these amazing animals are about 50-53 inches in height. When a male zebra grows up, he can weigh up to 520 pounds! It's a good thing that the female zebra is friendly. It can weigh a whopping 510 pounds, almost as much as the male! Zebras usually do not attack unless threatened though, whew! The large animal, the zebra, mates all year round, but mostly during the early rainy season. Eighteen male zebras battle it out with the dominant male at that certain time to see who has the rights to mate with the number one female. In three years, female zebras are able to mate, and the is able when he is about five. Found mainly in the Southern Savanna, these hungry zebras can also be found in the arid plains of eastern Africa. They are also found in many national parks because hunters kill countless zebras for their picturesque fur, much as the elephant for its tusks. During the day, zebras are not as active as they are at night. The zebra easily adapts to just about anything Africa can throw at them, from poachers to food shortage. Therefore, one of the most successful herbivores in Africa. These friendly zebras main predator is the lion. When attacked by a lion, the zebra makes it difficult to eat just one zebra, so it is kind of all for one, and one for all! as the Three Musketeers would say. Also, poachers present another problem. People are trying to stop the hunting of endangered animals, but as long as people have the right to bear arms, we will keep running into this horrible problem. The poachers get a large sum of money for killing these poor, defenseless, endangered animals, and selling their fur on the black market. Zebras are Africa's most brilliant painted horses. They are truly astonishing animals. I think one should go see the zebras at the nearby Great Plains Zoo to get a real idea of what they look like. Thanks for reading my report on an extraordinary animal, The Plains Zebra. Bibliography(none)


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Leopard Frog - Rana Pipiens Distribution: Found throughout Ontario but more abundant in southern and central Americas. Range: Adults maintain small home ranges (up to 500 m2) in fields or open forest during the summer. Where terrestrial habitats are quite dry, home ranges include some shoreline. A minimum of 4 ha of terrestrial habitat is recommended for the vicinity of breeding sites, however, individual adults may move several kilometres away. Most recently metamorphosed froglets stay within 20 m of shoreline although some froglets begin dispersal before metamorphosis is entirely complete. Diet: Larvae eat algae, phytoplankton, periphyton and detritus. Adults eat mainly invertebrates but will also take tadpoles or very small froglets. Reproduction: Successful breeding sites are permanent ponds, marshes, or pools or backwaters of streams. Eggs and tadpoles require warm (prefer 18o - 28o C), shallow, sunny areas. Breeding occurs from mid-March to mid-May in southern Ontario, and a few weeks later further north. Metamorphosis occurs in 2-3 months. Tadpoles require minimum oxygen concentrations of 3 ppm. Habitat: Relative to bullfrogs and green frogs, leopard frogs use open fields more and prefer denser terrestrial vegetation. In aquatic habitats, submerged vegetation, detritus and soft mud are used for cover. Lookout/Sunning Froglets require muddy shorelines, lily pads, rocks, logs or beaver dams with clear access to deeper water. Adults prefer unmowed fields (15 - 30 cm high, no more than 1 m high vegetation) or open forest in the vicinity of shallow open marshes. Connectivity/Corridors Corridors may be required among breeding, hibernation and summeringhabitats, within 2 km. These may be either aquatic (streams or rivers) or terrestrial (field or forest, usually not cropland except during periods of irrigation). Hibernation Hibernate in deep or running water that will not freeze solid or become anoxic. Are found hibernating on muddy substrate or under rocks, sunken logs, leaf litter or vegetation. Oxygen levels at one known successful hibernation site were 7 ppm. Tadpoles metamorphose in the year of hatching. Hydrology Permanent wetlands with fishless areas or near fishless (temporary) wetlands. Breeding requires sufficient water for metamorphosis to be completed (mid-late August). Soils/Substrate In water prefer muddy bottom. On land prefer moist soil, leaf litter or moss. Design Criteria Vegetation Prefer egg-laying sites with emergent vegetation on about 2/3 of edge and submergent vegetation in 1/2 of surface area in May. Structures Rocks, logs, floating vegetation or dams to sun on, with access to deep water. Submerged vegetation, logs or rocks to hide in. Soils, Slope, & Substrate Prefer wetlands with gradual slope at edge. Hydrology Hibernate in streams with minimum depth 90 cm, moderate mid-depth water velocity, minimal sedimentation, and rocks with average diameter of 20 cm. Critical Periods Breed April-June, metamorphose July-September Other Considerations Froglets are used as bait for fishing. Has declined in much of its western range and apparently in northern Ontario. Tadpoles and froglets are vulnerable to predation by large Bullfrogs and fish. BibliographyCook, F. R. 1966. Amphibians and reptiles of Saskatchewan. Regina: Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History, Department of Natural Resources. . 1984. Introduction to Canadian Amphibians and Reptiles. Ottawa: National Museum of Natural Sciences. Corn, P. S., and J. C. Fogleman. 1984. Extinction of Montane Populations of the Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) in Colorado. Journal of Herpetology 18: 147152. Cunjak, R. A. 1986. Winter Habitat of Northern Leopard Frogs, Rana pipiens, in a Southern Ontario Stream. Canadian Journal of Zoology 64: 255257. Emery, A. R., A. H. Berst, and K. Lodaira. 1972. Underice Observations of Wintering Sites of Leopard Frogs. Copeia 1972 (1): 123126. Hammerson Geoffrey A. 1982. Bullfrog Eliminating Leopard Frogs in Colorado? Herp Review 13 (4): 115116. Hine, R. L., B. L. Les, and B. F. Hellmich. 1981. Leopard Frog Populations and Mortality in Wisconsin, 197476. Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin. McAlpine, D. F., and T. G. Dilworth. 1989. Microhabitat and Prey Size among Three Species of Rana (Anura: Ranidae) sympatric in eastern Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology 67: 22442252. Merrell, D. J. 1977. Life History of the Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens, in Minnesota. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota. Niven, B. S., J. C. Moore, and M. G. Stewart. 1982. The Precise Environment of Some WellKnown Animals X. The Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens). Brisbane, Australia: School of Environmental Studies. AES Paper 6/82. 32 p. Roberts, W. E. 1981. What Happened to the Leopard Frogs? Alberta Naturalist 11: 14. Seburn, C. N. L., Seburn David C., and C. A. Paszkowski. in press. Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) Dispersal in Relation to Habitat. Amphibians in Decline: The Report of the Canadian Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force. Wassersug, R. J., and E. A. Seibert. 1975. Behavioural Responses of Amphibian Larvae to Variation in Dissolved Oxygen. Copeia 1975 (1): 86103. Wershler, C. 1991. Status of the Northern Leopard Frog in Alberta 1990. Alberta Forestry Lands & Wildlife. Whitaker, J. O. 1961. Habitat and Food of MouseTrapped Young Rana pipiens and Rana clamitans. Herpetologica 17 (3): 173179.


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Ridley's Sea Turtle

Sea Turtles Each species of sea turtle is distinctive in appearance and behavior, all sea turtles have certain characteristics in common the shell consist of a carapace (upper part) and plastron (lower part), which are joined together by cartilage called a bridge. in most species with the exception of the leatherback scutes cover the carapace. Like all turtles sea turtles have no external ears, they hear best at low frequencies and their sense of smell is excellent. Though their vision underwater is good, on land they are nearsighted. Sea turtles spend most of their time underwater but must come up to breath. During routine activities sea turtles can dive for about three to five minutes. Sea turtles can sleep for several hours underwater, but their ability to hold their breath is shortened by high activity and stress. This is why sea turtles drown in shrimp nets and other gear in a short time. Adult sea turtles sleep near rocks or under ledges. Hatchlings and juveniles sleep on the surface with their front flippers pulled back over the carapace. Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempi) Charming Tortoise of Kemp Ridleys are the smallest of the sea turtles. The Kemp's ridley is slightly larger than the olive ridley, measuring 24 - 28 inches in carapace length and weighing 78 - 100 pounds when mature. An adult is olive green on top and yellowish in color on the bottom, with a large head and powerful jaws. The carapace is circular to heart shaped. Hatchlings are dark gray and about an inch and a half long. Kemp's ridleys were first discovered and described in 1880 by Samuel Garman. But until the 1940's was not recognized as a species and was often confused with the olive ridley and the loggerhead. Confusion continued through the 1950's with many biologist convinced that the ridleys sea turtle was a sterile hybrid of the green and the loggerhead turtles. No one could find nesting beaches or an egg-bearing female. In 1963 an old film was discovered, made in 1947 by Mexican engineer Andres Herrera that showed nesting ridleys. The film showed an estimated 40,000 Kemp's ridleys nesting on an isolated beach now called Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico, 200 miles south of Texas. Ninety-five percent of the population comes to the 17 mile strip of beach. The other five percent nest at the adjacent beach in Veracruz. No other sea turtle species goes almost entirely to one nesting spot to breed. The arribada (Spanish for arrival) of Kemp's ridleys in Mexico occurs at irregular intervals between April and June. Arribadas may occur several times a season. Male and Females congregate to mate off the coast of the beaches using wind direction velocity , lunar cycles and water temperature to gather is a theory. Once mated females wait for ideal conditions to come ashore. Conditions generally are high wind and heavy surf. The high wind cools stressed females and hides traces of the nest from predators. Mass nesting is thought to be a predator swamping where females and hatchlings will die but many more will survive. Herrera's film is now being used as a base line to measure the rapid decline of Kemp's ridleys since 1947. forty thousand turtles declined to two thousand in 1966. In 1966 Mexican officials set up its first camp to monitor and protect turtles from egg takers. In 1977, Rancho Nuevo was declared a National Reserve by Mexico. Programs were developed to help protect turtles from poachers and predators. Now eggs are moved to protective enclosures to decrease the death to predators. Every year 50,000 hatchlings are released each year. Even with these programs nest counts in 1993 showed that there were only 400 nesting females. These small numbers result in broken up arribadas into small groups and solitary nestings. The remaining females lay fewer than 1000 nest each year. The range of Kemp's ridleys is limited for the most part to the gulf of Mexico where adult forge for crabs. their favorite is blue crabs that share the same habitat as shrimp. So ridleys sea turtle is often caught in shrimp ne


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Population Estimation

Population estimation Introduction Estimates of population size play a vital role in many fisheries management decisions. The numbers of fish in a stock are used to identify influences of environmental factors, human exploitation, and ultimately to identify the effectiveness of management strategies. (Van Den Avyle & Hayward 1999) The three most common methods of population estimation among biologist are sample plots, mark and recapture, and removal. Counts on sample plots is based on the principle that an estimate of population size can be obtained by determining the average density of animals per unit area and multiplying its value by the total area covered by the population. This procedure is done by setting up a pre-determined number of circular, square, or rectangular plots. These plots should be randomly placed and should not over lap. This method is used when all members of the target population can be counted with reasonable certainty(Van Der Avyle & Hayward 1999). The formula used with this method is: Where A is the size of the study area, a is the size of the plot, and n is the average number of animals counted per sample plot (Van Der Avyle & Hayward 1999). The mark and recapture method is simply preformed by collecting fish, marking them, releasing them, and at a later time collecting fish from the same area and examining them for marks. This is based on the principle that the number of marked fish in the second sample is proportional to the total number of fish in the population. This is called the Peterson method and the equation is as follows: Where M is the number of fish initially marked and released, C is the number of fish collected, and R is the number of recaptures (Van Der Avyle & Hayward 1999). The Peterson index can give biased estimates when the numbers of fish sampled are low; so several modifications have been made to correct this. One being Bailey's modification which is used when sampling during the recapture period is conducted with replacement. The Chapman method is used if replacement is not taking place. The differences in these three methods would be of little significance if the recapture number exceeds 7 (Van Der Avyle & Hayward). All three of these variations are based on the assumptions that: 1. Marked fish don't lose their marks. 2. Marked fish are not over looked in the recapture sample. 3. Marked and unmarked fish are equally vulnerable to recapture. 4. Marked and unmarked fish have equal mortality. 5. Following release marked and unmarked fish become randomly mixed. 6. There are no additions to the population during the study. If any of these conditions are not met over estimation will most likely occur (Van Der Avyle & Hayward 1999). The third and final method of population estimation is the removal method. This is based on the idea that the number of fish caught per unit of effort will progressively decline as members of the population are removed. The population can be estimated from data on fishing effort and catch rates. The assumptions with this method are: 1. All members of the target population are equally vulnerable to capture. 2. Vulnerability to capture is constant over time. 3. There are no additions to the population or losses other than the removal itself (Van Der Avyle & Hayward). The Leslie and DeLury methods are used in cases when sampling effort my vary among periods. They are used on large populations where the probability of catching an individual fish is low (Kohler 138). The Leslie method assumes that the number of fish caught per unit effort is proportional to the number of fish present at the beginning of the interval. The DeLury method differs in that the population estimate is based on total effort rather than cumulative data. The Zippin method is used where the catchability is high and equal effort is expended in each sample period. This is most commonly used in small mountain streams in conjunction with electrofishing as the removal method. Materials & Methods On September 13, 2000 we went to Mull Creek. We set up two stop nets spanning 75m one upstream and one downstream to keep the population contained. We made three runs with electrofishing gear to remove the fish. Once removed we anesthetized the fish using clove oil. Then we measured their length in cm and weight in grams with slide scale, and clipped their adipose fin and released them. We returned on September 20, 2000 and used the same method recaptured the fish. This time taking their weight, length, and examining for marks. Results To estimate the population of trout in this section of Mull Creek the Peterson index for single mark/recapture procedure was used. N is the population estimate, M is the number of fish initially marked and released, C is the number of fish caught and examined for marks during the second period, and R is the number of recaptures observed in C ( Van Der Avyle & Hayward 1999). So: The Peterson index estimate for the first sample period was 19.5 The Zippin method was also used to estimate the population of trout in Mull Creek. The first step in the Zippin method is to calculate the depletion rate R. Where T is the total number of fish caught and Q is the catachability quotient. The estimated population using the Zippin method is 18.367. A 95% confidence interval can be calculated by using: With a 95% probability the number of fish is between 16.64 and 20.90. To estimate biomass the area of the sample plot in hectares must first be calculated by multiplying length by width. The total weight of the fish in Kilograms is then divided by the area, which will provide the standing crop biomass. Discussion The population estimates from the Peterson index and the Zippin method were similar. The Zippin method provided an estimate of 18.367 and a 95% confidence interval of 16.64 and 20.09. The Peterson index estimated the population to be 19.5, which falls within the 95% of the confidence interval of the Zippin method. With both estimates being close in number I conclude that if all conditions are met both the Zippin method and the Peterson index are valid accurate methods of population estimation. When comparing this data with other samples taken from the Southern Appalachian Mountains it was found that our sample was higher than average. Patricia Flebbe performed a study sampling 242 rainbow trout streams in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and found the average population density to be .025 fish per meter squared (Flebbe 1994). When converted to meters squared our population from Mull Creek comes out to be .035 fish per meter squared a difference of .01fish per meter squared. Over all I believe this study to be valid and reasonably accurate as justified by the data present. Flebbe, Patrica. A regional View of the Margin: Salmonoid Abundance and Distribution in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. Vol 123 (1994) Van Der Avyle, Micheal, & Robert Hayward. 1999. Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations. Pg 132-140 in Inland Fisheries Management in North America, second edition. American Fisheries Scoiety, Bethesda, MD 1999

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Polar Vs. Brown Bear

There are eight different species of bears found throughout the world: the spectacled bear, the Asiatic black bear, the brown bear (including grizzlies), the polar bear, the sun bear, the American black bear, the sloth bear and the giant panda. Even though most people can distinguish a polar bear from a brown bear by the color of the fur, a lot of people fail to identify all the differences among those two species. Both bears can be perceived as large, clumsy and lumbering beasts with heavily built bodies but short legs, necks and tails. Both of them have rounded ears and noticeably small eyes relative to their large body size. While both of the bears belong to same family, they have several profound differences. They live in different geographical areas, differ in amount of the population, size, physical features, some eating habits, and their behavior toward human beings. The polar bear is found in all of the polar regions of the entire northern hemisphere. This includes Russia, Norway, Greenland, The United States and Canada. Their preferred habitat is in the area where the northern seas meet the shoreline. In this area, there is a constant freezing and thawing of the ice. It is estimated that there are currently somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 polar bears. The polar bear is the largest member of the bear family, weighing in at between 440 and 1760 pounds with overall body length 11.5 feet. It can grow much larger, however. In fact, there is a record of an adult polar bear weighing over 2200 pounds. Polar bears have a distinctive all white fur which is important camouflage when hunting on the ice pack. Their actual color of the skin is black which is thought to be an adaptation for better heat retention. Compared to the other bears, the neck of polar bear is much longer. This makes it easier for them to keep their heads above water when swimming. Like those of other bears, the ears of the polar bear are round. They are, however, smaller and closer to the head. This also helps the animal to be an exceptional swimmer. The forepaws on a polar bear are very large. With a diameter approaching 12 inches and partial webbing between their toes, polar bears are able to use their front feet much like paddles to propel them rapidly through the water. Polar bears are excellent swimmers. They are able to swim distances greater than 60 miles without a pause to rest, maintaining average speed of 6 miles per hour. On land, they are not as quick as brown bears and appear to have traded off speed for their extremely massive forelegs which they use to break through seal dens and to flip a large seal out of the water. Polar bears have also developed large stomachs with a capacity of more than 150 pounds of food. Their digestive system is also more adapted for processing meat than plant material because they are almost exclusively meat eaters. While out on the ice, their diet consists mostly of marine mammals such as the ringed seals, bearded seals and occasionally a walrus or narwhal. Also, in keeping with their carnivorous nature, the canine teeth, used for seizing and holding prey, are longer, sharper and spaced wider apart than in brown bears. Polar bear are at the top of the arctic food chain with no natural enemies. Because of that, compared to other bears, polar bears are the most aggressive and more willing to consider humans as a prey. In other words, when they see a human, they see a walking meal. Consequently the person attacked is usually killed unless the bear is killed first. The most carnivorous, they are also the most patient and determined all of bears. In some instances they may follow a person for hundreds of miles in order to hunt him down. Out of eight species polar bear is considered to be the most dangerous to human beings. The brown bear has the most widespread distribution in the world of any of the eight bear species. They are found throughout most of the northern hemisphere including North America and Eurasia. Their preferred habitat includes mountain forests, open meadows and large river valleys. It is estimated that there are currently somewhere between 125,000 to 150,000 brown bears throughout the world. The brown bear is one largest bear species, yet considerably smaller than the polar bear. It weighs between 300 and 860 and can be up to 9.5 feet in total body length depending on the availability of food. Brown bears can run and climb with considerable skill, speed and dexterity. They are able to attain speeds of 35 mile per hour for a short distance. They are also capable swimmers. The brown bear distinguishes itself from other bears by virtue of its shoulder hump, which is caused by muscles which are used for digging. The front claws are approximately 1.7 times longer than the rear claws and generally visible even from distance. The color of the animal varies from a light creamy color to almost black. Brown bears are omnivorous, eating a mixed diet of grasses, fruits, bulbs and roots, insects, fish and small animals. In few areas there are known to be predators of larger animals such as caribou and moose. Each of the brown bears has a different temperament rather like humans. Some will attack, others will not. Some bears are scared of humans, others will have a have natural curiosity. Brown bears may be very dangerous. However, most of the time a they more likely to attack when defending cubs or territory. A stalking brown bear is even a more rare occasion. Even though polar and brown bears have a lot in common they differ in many ways such as amount of population, size, areas of living, physical characteristics and attitudes towards people. Scientists have studied these magnificent animals for many years, but there is still much to learn about them. They are very complex and fascinating creatures that deserve great respect. Bibliographyno biography


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Mustafa

Había una mujer muy chiquita que se llamaba Chiquitín. Chiquitín vivía abajo de una calle. La calle estaba en una ciudad arábica, Mustafa. En Mustafa había mucho sol, y era muy caliente. Habían muchas personas en Mustafa que podrían hacer juegos malabares con espadas. También habían otras que podrían hacerlo con antorchas. Chiquitín no tenía ningún centavo, y necesitaba robar comida cada día. Era muy fácil para Chiquitín porque ella era muy baja, y las personas no podrían verla cuando ella robaba la comida. Cuando las personas miraban a Chiquitín, ella les mordía a los dedos del pie, y se escapaba. Había una persona que se llamaba Pumba. Un día, Pumba fue al Mustafa. Pumba era muy grande, y tenía una voz muy baja. Un día, Chiquitín intentó robar comida de Pumba. Pumba pudó sentir a Chiquitín, y la vio por debajo. Cuando Pumba vio para abajo, Chiquitín le picó a los dedos de Pumba muy rápidamente, pero Pumba la agaró antes que élla hiciera mucho daño. -¿Por qué estás robando comida de esas personas?- Pumba le preguntó a Chiquitín. -Porque yo no tengo comida, y por eso, necesito robar mis cosas,- respondió Chiquitín. -¿Es verdad?- -Si, es verdad.- -¿Por que le estás picando a los dedos de las personas?- -Es una manera de escapar.- Si quieres comida, debieras preguntarme.- -¡No, yo no le pregunto a nadie!- En este momento, Pumba picó a Chiquitín. -Por que haces eso?- preguntó Chiquitín. -Para que supiste como me siento,- repondio Pumba. -Mis dedos de mi pie me duelen mucho. Lo siento, Persona Grande. Que es tu nombre?- -Me llamo Pumba.- -Me llamo Chiquitín. ¿Puedo tener un poquito de tu comida, Pumba?- -Absolutamente.-


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