Deserts

Far from being barren wastelands, deserts are biologically rich habitats with a vast array of animals and plants that have adapted to the harsh conditions there. Some deserts are among the planet's last remaining areas of total wilderness. Yet more than one billion people, one-sixth of the Earth's population, actually live in desert regions.
Deserts cover more than one fifth of the Earth's land, and they are found on every continent. A place that receives less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain per year is considered a desert. Deserts are part of a wider classification of regions called "drylands." These areas exist under a moisture deficit, which means they can frequently lose more moisture through evaporation than they receive from annual precipitation.
And despite the common conceptions of deserts as dry and hot, there are cold deserts as well. The largest hot desert in the world, northern Africa's Sahara, reaches temperatures of up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) during the day. But some deserts are always cold, like the Gobi desert in Asia and the desert on the continent of Antarctica. Others are mountainous. Only about 10 percent of deserts are covered by sand dunes. The driest deserts get less than half an inch (one centimeter) of precipitation each year, and that is from condensed fog not rain.

"White," Albino-like Penguin Found in Antarctica

Christine Dell'Amore

for National Geographic News

Published January 12, 2012

Birds of a feather usually flock together—but not in the case of a rare "white" mutant penguin, spotted Monday in a chinstrap penguin colony in Antarctica. (Watch video of the pale penguin.)
The "blonde" penguin, seen at the edge of one of the South Shetland Islands (map), "astonished" tourists on a National Geographic Journey to Antarctica cruise, naturalist David Stephens, of the Lindblad Expeditions cruise company, wrote on his blog.
(The National Geographic Society owns National Geographic News and National Geographic Expeditions, which operated the cruise in association with Lindblad Expeditions.)
Though the penguin looks like an albino, the bird actually appears to have isabellinism, said penguin expert P. Dee Boersma of the University of Washington in Seattle.
The condition is a genetic mutation that dilutes pigment in penguins' feathers, according to a 2009 study on isabellinism published in the journal Marine Ornithology.
This results in a "uniform lightening" of a bird's dark colors, turning the animal a grayish yellow or pale brown, the study said.
(See "Three-fourths of Big Antarctic Penguin Colonies to Disappear?")
"Isabelline" Penguins Not Albino
Though they technically represent separate conditions, the terms "isabellinism" and "leucism" are sometimes used interchangeably. Leucism is a mutation that prevents any melanin at all from being produced in feathers. Albinism occurs when an animal produces no melanin at all throughout its entire body.
(See pictures of albino animals.)
"Many species of penguins have a few rare individuals with this color pattern," Boersma said via email.
For instance, scientists have observed the most cases of isabellinism in gentoo penguins, which are found throughout the Antarctic Peninsula. Magellanic penguins, which live on South American coasts, seem to have the lowest incidences of the condition.
In the ocean, penguins' black backs camouflage the birds from both predator and prey swimming above, so Boersma suspects isabellinism would affect the South Shetland bird's survival, although there are no studies on the subject, she said.
Indeed, aboard the National Geographic Explorer cruise ship, "many wondered about this unusual bird's chances of success," Lindblad's Stephens wrote.
On the bright side, "while odd coloration may make fishing a bit more difficult," he said, such "birds are regularly found breeding normally."

Leopards

Leopards are graceful and powerful big cats closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa.

The leopard is so strong and comfortable in trees that it often hauls its kills into the branches. By dragging the bodies of large animals aloft it hopes to keep them safe from scavengers such as hyenas. Leopards can also hunt from trees, where their spotted coats allow them to blend with the leaves until they spring with a deadly pounce. These nocturnal predators also stalk antelope, deer, and pigs by stealthy movements in the tall grass. When human settlements are present, leopards often attack dogs and, occasionally, people.
Leopards are strong swimmers and very much at home in the water, where they sometimes eat fish or crabs.
Female leopards can give birth at any time of the year. They usually have two grayish cubs with barely visible spots. The mother hides her cubs and moves them from one safe location to the next until they are old enough to begin playing and learning to hunt. Cubs live with their mothers for about two years—otherwise, leopards are solitary animals.
Most leopards are light colored with distinctive dark spots that are called rosettes, because they resemble the shape of a rose. Black leopards, which appear to be almost solid in color because their spots are hard to distinguish, are commonly called black panthers.

Type: Mammal

Diet: Carnivore

Size: Head and body, 4.25 to 6.25 ft (1.3 to 1.9 m); tail, 3.5 to 4.5 ft (1.1 to 1.4 m)

Weight: 66 to 176 lbs (30 to 80 kg)

Protection status: Near Threatened

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

WAR

1997

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If your sergeant can see you, so can the enemy.
If the enemy is within range, so are you.
Incoming fire always has the right of way.
What can be seen can be hit, what can be hit can be killed.
There is no such thing as an atheist in a firefight.


Friendly fire -- isn't.
Recoilless rifles -- aren't.
Suppressive fires -- don't.
Interchangeable parts -- aren't.


The most dangerous thing in the world is a second lieutenant with a map and a compass.


There is always a way.
The best way is never the easy way.
The easy way is always mined.
The important things are always simple; the simple things are always hard.

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Tapirs

Tapirs look something like pigs with trunks, but they are actually related to horses and rhinoceroses. This eclectic lineage is an ancient one—and so is the tapir itself. Scientists believe that these animals have changed little over tens of millions of years.

Tapirs have a short prehensile (gripping) trunk, which is really an extended nose and upper lip. They use this trunk to grab branches and clean them of leaves or to help pluck tasty fruit. Tapirs feed each morning and evening. During these hours they follow tunnel-like paths, worn through the heavy brush by many a tapir footstep, to reach water holes and lush feeding grounds. As they roam and defecate they deposit the seeds they have consumed and promote future plant growth.
Though they appear densely built, tapirs are at home in the water and often submerge to cool off. They are excellent swimmers and can even dive to feed on aquatic plants. They also wallow in mud, perhaps to remove pesky ticks from their thick hides.
New World tapirs generally live in the forests and grasslands of Central and South America. A notable exception is the mountain (or woolly), tapir, which lives high in the Andes Mountains. Woolly tapirs, named for their warm and protective coat, are the smallest of all tapirs.
The world's biggest tapir is found in the Old World—Southeast Asia. The black-and-white Malay tapir can grow to 800 pounds (363 kilograms). It inhabits the forests and swamps of Malaysia and Sumatra.
All four tapir species are endangered or threatened, largely due to hunting and habitat loss.

Type: Mammal

Diet: Herbivore

Average life span in the wild: 25 to 30 years

Size: Height at shoulder, 29 to 42 in (74 to 107 cm)

Weight: 500 to 800 lbs (227 to 363 kg)

Group name: Candle

Protection status:Endangered

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man