Posts

Butterfly

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Pink Princess spotted a Peacock Pansy (junonia almana) on a cloudy evening. It's found in Cambodia and South Asia. This was found in Malaysia fluttering around the garden, landing on the wall and papaya leaf. It is orange with eye spots to scare away predators. Here's a link to interesting details about this butterfly.

Insect study

Definition of Insects "The word insect is often applied incorrectly to any minute animal; but the term should be restricted to those forms possessing six legs and belonging to the class Hexapoda. The name Hexapoda is from two Greek words: hex , six; and pous , foot. It refers to the fact that the members of this order differ from other arthropods in the possession of only six feet. Thus spiders, which have eight legs, are not insects." (Comstock, 1911, p. 295) Materials Sketchbook Colour pencils 2B pencil Eraser Butterfly net (provided) Insect container. A clear plastic container.  Topics Each student will choose one insect. Short talk includes: - information regarding the insect - life cycle or changes in form - how to identify the insect - picture of the insect OR the actual insect - scientific name, English & Malay name Duration: 5 min Select one insect for your talk; you may suggest others as well. Preferably insects that we can find in Malays...

Taman Tasik Cyberjaya

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Photos on a cloudy day at Taman Tasik Cyberjaya. These brilliant pink flower with five petals and yellow stigma are locally known as senduduk . The shoots, leaves, roots and flowers are edible and has medicinal value. It can grow up to 3 meters in height. Scientific name: Melastoma malabathricum L. Common name: Singapore rhododendron Local name: Senduduk Family: Melastomatacea Scientific name: Nepenthes gracilis Korth. Common name: Slender Pitcher Plant, Monkey Cup Local name: Periuk Kera Family name: Nepenthaceae

Komodo dragon

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K shared about the komodo dragons. They have a lifespan of around 30 years. Komodo dragons are the biggeslargest lizard in the world, measuring over 3 meters and can weigh up to 165kg. They are found in the Indonesian archipelago of Komodo, Flores, Rinca and Padar.  A month after mating, females lay around thirty eggs which they bury. The eggs take around 8 months to hatch.

Turtle, tortoise & terrapin

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H shared in our Google Meet session that turtles, tortoises and terrapins are reptiles. Here are the main differences between them. The life cycle of the turtle, tortoise & terrapin are quite similar. The mother turtle digs a hole to lay her eggs. The eggs incubate for 60-80 days before hatching. It takes around two days for the hatchling to emerge fully from the egg shells. The yolk sac is absorbed through their belly over a period of 5-6 days. In Malay, the turtle is called penyu , tortoise is kura-kura and terrapin is terapin . The oldest tortoise living in captivity is more than 180 years old. The largest turtle in the world is the Leatherback Sea Turtle. It weighs around 220kg-900kg. And the smallest turtle is the North American Bog Turtle.

Crocodiles & Alligators

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J shared on Google Meet that crocodile is called buaya  and alligator is called aligator  in Malay.  We can identify a crocodile & alligator is by looking at the snout. Crocodiles have a V-shape snout whereas alligators have a U-shape snout. Crocodiles live near lakes, rivers, wetlands and even some saltwater regions. They can be found in the tropical areas of Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. Alligators live in freshwater swamps,lakes and slow-moving streams. They do not tolerate salt water. Alligators can be found in southeastern America (Florida and Louisiana), Mexico and China.  The crocodile and alligator life cycle are similar: Eggs, baby alligator or baby crocodile, also known as hatchling, followed by the juvenile and adult stage. Quotable: "It doesn't matter how dangerous crocodiles or alligators are, just RUN ." by J Click on this article for some tips on how to survive a crocodile attack.  These Humans Survived Crocodile Attacks. Here Are ...

Snakes

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We've had our first reptile study online using Google Meet, E shared about his study of snakes. Snakes are called ular in Malay. Snakes are scaly reptiles with no arms and no legs.  After the male and female snakes mate, the female snake stores the sperm for one to two months in her oviduct. After fertilization, the female snake lays soft, leather-like, white-coloured eggs. The baby snake breaks the eggs using a special egg tooth.  Some snakes (e.g. copperhead, rattlesnake, and garter snakes) give birth to live snakes. These are called hatchlings or snakelets. Young snakes feed on rodents or other smaller reptiles. They shed their skin by rubbing it on rocks and other hard places. Snakelets shed their skin up to four times in a year. An adult snake sheds its skin once or twice a year. The smallest snake in the world is the Barbados Threadsnake (Leptotyphlops carlae) , it resembles a worm.