Georgian Speekle - A Giant Isopod

The Georgian speekle is the name given to a giant isopod that was found in the state of Georgia in the United States. Photos of the monstrous-looking creature went viral on the internet, leading to comments like Fake! and Photoshop. However, the animal really does exist and yes, it really is over a foot long. Is an Isopod a Bug? No, the Georgian speekle is not an insect or a bug. One defining characteristic of an insect is that it has six legs. The speekle has many more than six appendages. A bug, on the other hand, belongs to the order Hemiptera and mostly resembles an insect, except it has hardened wings and sucking and piercing mouthparts. The speekle is a type of isopod. Isopods dont have wings, nor do they bite like bugs. While insects, bugs, and isopods are all types of arthropods, they are in separate groups. An isopod is  a type of crustacean, related to crabs and lobsters. Its closest land relatives are pill bugs or the common woodlouse. Of the 20 or so species of isopods, the largest is the giant isopod Bathynomus giganteus. How Big Is the Giant Isopod? While B. giganteus is an example of marine gigantism, its not particularly huge. Its not on the order of, say, a giant squid. A typical isopod is around 5 centimeters long (about 2 inches). An adult B. giganteus can be 17 to 50 centimeters (6.7 to 19.7 inches) long. While thats large enough to look scary, the isopod doesnt pose a threat to people or pets. Giant Isopod Facts B. giganteus lives in deep water, off the coast of Georgia (USA) to Brazil in the Atlantic, including the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Three other species of giant isopods are found in the Indo-Pacific, but none have been found in the East Pacific or East Atlantic. Because its habitat is largely unexplored, additional species may await discovery. Like other types of arthropods, isopods molt their chitin exoskeletons as they grow. They reproduce by laying eggs. Like other crustaceans, they have blue blood, which is really their circulatory fluid. The hemolymph is blue because it contains the copper-based pigment hemocyanin. Most photographs of isopods show them as gray or brown, but sometimes a sick animal appears blue. Although they look intimidating, isopods arent aggressive predators. Rather, they are opportunistic scavengers, mostly living on decaying organisms in the seas benthic zone. They have been observed eating carrion, as well as small fish and sponges. They use their four sets of jars to tear apart their food. Isopods have compound eyes that have over 4000 facets. Like cat eyes, isopod eyes feature a reflective layer at the back that reflects back light (the tapetum). This enhances their vision under dim conditions and also makes the eyes reflective if a light is shined on them. However, its dark in the depths, so isopods probably dont rely much on sight. Like shrimp, they use their antennae to explore their environment. The antennae house chemoreceptors which can be used to smell and taste molecules around them. Female isopods have a pouch called a marsupium that holds eggs until they are ready to hatch. Males have appendages called peenies and masculinae used transfer sperm to the female after she molts (when her shell is soft). Isopods have the largest eggs of any marine invertebrate, measuring about a centimeter or half an inch in length. Females bury themselves in sediment when they are brooding and stop eating. The eggs hatch into animals that look like their parents, except smaller and missing the last pair of legs. They gain the final appendages after they grow and molt. In addition to crawling along in the sediment, isopods are skillful swimmers. They can swim either right-side up or upside-down. Isopods in Captivity A few giant isopods have been kept in captivity. One specimen became famous because it wouldnt eat. This isopod appeared healthy, yet refused food for five years. It eventually died, but its unclear whether starvation is what killed it. Because isopods live on the sea floor, they can go a very long time before encountering a meal. Giant isopods at the Aquarium of the Pacific are fed dead mackerel. These isopods tend to eat four to ten times a year. When they eat, they gorge themselves to the point where they have trouble moving. Although the animals arent aggressive, they do bite. Handlers wear gloves when working with them. Like pillbugs, giant isopods curl up into a ball when threatened. This helps protective their vulnerable internal organs from attack. References Lowry, J. K. and Dempsey, K. (2006).  The giant deep-sea scavenger genus Bathynomus (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cirolanidae) in the Indo-West Pacific.  In: Richer de Forges, B. and Justone, J.-L. (eds.), Rà ©sultats des Compagnes Musortom, vol. 24. Mà ©moires du Musà ©um National d’Histoire Naturalle, Tome 193: 163–192. Gallagher, Jack (2013-02-26). Aquariums deep-sea isopod hasnt eaten for over four years. The Japan Times.  retrieved 02/17/2017

Everyday Use By Alice Walker - 962 Words

In Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use,† this story describes what a continuing theme in her writings is: the depiction of constant harmony and inner struggles and conflicts that the minority culture goes through especially the African-American society. In Alice Walker Short Story â€Å"Everyday Use† it centers on the relationships between a lower class family by the name of Johnson in a small poor rural community. This meeting takes place when the oldest daughter Dee comes home to visit her mother and sister, Maggie with her paramour. Dee being the oldest is the only person in her family to go off to college and see the world. The encounter between the sisters is basically a meeting among two diverse analyses of the African-American society. Alice Walker engages the symbolism and characterization to point out the changes among these analyses and eventually to support one by displaying that heritage and culture is part of one’s daily life. In the beginning of the reading it deals with characterizing the mother and the narrator of the story. More precisely, the mother’s language pinpoints to a relationship amongst herself and her surroundings: as she patiently waits for her oldest daughter Dee â€Å"in the yard that Maggie and I made so clean and wavy† (88). The importance on the characteristics of the yard, the desire in it displayed by the word â€Å"so,† pinpoints to the connection that she and her youngest daughter have to their home and to the daily repetition in theirShow MoreRelatedEveryday Use By Alice Walker852 Words   |  4 Pagescomes or belongs to one by reason of birth. In â€Å"Everyday Use†, by Alice Walker, the theme of the story can be considered as the meaning of heritage or even the power of education. Alice Walker uses many symbols and motifs such as the following: quilts, education, knowledge, Asalamalakim, and the renaming of Dee. In the story, African heritage and knowledge takes a m ajor role. The African heritage plays a major role in the story, â€Å"Everyday Use†. Alice Walker emphasizes the meaning of heritage by havingRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1372 Words   |  6 PagesEverday Use† research paper In â€Å"everyday Use,† Alice Walker tells a narrative of a mother’s frustrating relationship together with her two daughters. At this facet, â€Å",Everyday Use†, tells that how a mom little by little refuses the cursory values of her older, successful daughter at the aspect of the useful values of her younger, much less lucky daughter. On a deeper outlook, Alice Walker takes on the theme of heritage and its norms as it applies to African-Americans. Everday Use, is set insideRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1102 Words   |  5 Pagespoem â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers† can be read similar to Alice Walker s short story Everyday Use† both are compared by the women’s ways of showing their strengths and how they identify their values, expressions and strength. Advertised in the general outlines of the plot, both literary themes talks of a quest for freedom, the characters identity and self-expression. Adrienne Rich â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers† Alice Walker â€Å"Everyday Use† Comparison Paper Analyzing the two types of literatureRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1372 Words   |  6 Pagessociety as a whole, but more specifically in the African American Community. Alice Walker gives slight insight into   what being forced   to assimilate is like. She says in her short story Everyday Use: She will stand hopelessly in corners homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe. Statements such as these are a regular occurrence in her works. Walker often speaks on the ever so disheartening topic of cultural assimilation and theRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker996 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, the author describes different ideas about one’s heritage. Culture and heritage is at the main point of the story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker as symbolized by the quilt. The bond that Mother and Maggie share is brought by their common talent to make works of art like quilts. Dee does not have similar capacity because she does not appreciate manual labor nor believes in her heritage. The idea of pride in culture, heritage, and family is the mainRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1721 Words   |  7 PagesIn her short story â€Å"Everyday Use,† Alice Walker summarizes the representation of the beauty, the conflicts and struggles within African-American culture. â€Å"Everyday Use† focuses mainly between members of the Johnson family, consisting of a mother and her two daughters. One of the daughters Maggie, who was injured in a house fire and has living a shy life clinging to her mother for security. Her older sister is Dee, who grew up with a grace and natural beauty. â€Å"Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicerRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1655 Words   |  7 PagesIn â€Å"everyday Use,† Alice Walker tells a narrative of a mother’s frustrating relationship together with her two dau ghters. At this facet, â€Å",Everyday Use†, tells that how a mom little by little refuses the cursory values of her older, successful daughter at the aspect of the useful values of her younger, much less lucky daughter. On a deeper outlook, Alice Walker takes on the theme of heritage and its norms as it applies to African-Americans. Everday Use, is set inside the late ,60s or mid ,70sRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1735 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker and â€Å"Brownies† by ZZ Packer are two different short stories with different lessons but both talk about the topic of race. Both stories talks about the time in the 20th century when slavery just ended but racism are still active between African Americans and Caucasians. Walker described a story about a single African American mother who is waiting for her daughter to arrive from college. Packer described a story about these African American fourth graders who are inRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1111 Words   |  5 Pagestheir culture. Alice Walker highlights and distinguishes the dissimilarities and clichà © of country African American women with the actualities that make up their lives. Characterized by short, compound sentences, with long adjectives and use of literary elements, her style is eloquent co nversational and authentic. Alice Walker’s short story, Everyday Use is stylistic, ironic and narrates profound interpretation of unique views and approaches to African-American culture. Walker’s use of characterizationRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1725 Words   |  7 Pages17 April 2017 Everything is Not What it Seems Sometimes people forget that heritage has to do with truly understanding their past. Many often misrepresent it, especially the younger generations who just accept its presence. Alice Walker’s short story, â€Å"Everyday Use,† revolves around an African American family that consists of three women, who are very different from each other. The story begins with Maggie and Mama waiting in the yard for Dee, the main character, to visit from Augusta. Dee is

Push and Pull Factors - Britain to Nz free essay sample

New Zealand and Britain were two very different countries. While Britain was a flourishing country with big cities, tall buildings, a steadily growing population and civilised enough to have organised people into classes, in New Zealand the Maori had only settled three-hundred years earlier, the land was heavily forested, there was no major cities or towns and there was no money – only trade. Although Britain was much more developed than New Zealand, it was becoming overcrowded and many unpleasant factors resulted; and these are the push factors that caused people to migrate to New Zealand. Also the exaggerations and lies told about New Zealand were pull factors that further enticed migration to New Zealand. A push factor is an effect that causes you to leave your country. In the case for Britain; there were multiple push factors that caused large-scale migration to New Zealand. One push factor was: although Britain was a flourishing country, it was becoming over-populated. We will write a custom essay sample on Push and Pull Factors Britain to Nz or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the 1800s, during the Victorian Era, the population had doubled from 20 million up to 40 million. There wasn’t much space and jobs/money for a significant amount of the population as it had gotten so large. Another push factor was that people in lower classes were not getting paid decently, which meant that they couldn’t provide properly for themselves or for their families. For example, skilled workers (like carpenters, builders etc†¦), sailors, domestic staff, labourers and soldiers got paid less than ? 100 every year. Young children in lower classes were often forced to work (slave labour), usually in mines and factories for very little pay. And so if you didn’t have a lot of money, alcohol was not only cheap, but also easier to get than pure drinking water. This meant that there was lots of drunkenness (even amongst children) that caused rowdy behaviour and so prisons were over-crowded and dirty. Poverty and disease was another push factor that resulted from lack of money and over-population. Many families/people lived on the streets, in unsanitary conditions that caused many deaths and diseases. In these horrible conditions, diseases such as cholera, consumption and typhus spread very rapidly. These diseases which are easily preventable and treatable today caused many deaths back then as there was no medical help for the poor. These are all push factors that encouraged lower class people to escape their overcrowded, unsanitary and under-paid life in Britain and migrate to New Zealand. A pull factor is an ideal that entices you to a new country or place. The pull factors that encouraged large-scale migration from Britain to New Zealand were overly exaggerated. Edward Gibbon Wakefield, founder of the New Zealand Company, described New Zealand as a ‘†¦beautiful country with the finest climate, and the most productive soil†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ when in fact he had never been to New Zealand and this was hardly true. This meant when the immigrants finally arrived in New Zealand they were heartbroken and disappointed as it was not what they had been promised. One pull factor was how the New Zealand Company described and advertised this new land. They said it was a ‘Britain of the South’ and that it was a fertile land with a benign climate, friendly locals, that is was already settled with teeming cities and free of starvation. Although it enticed many people to come to New Zealand, most of this, of course, was not true. The land was not fertile and was densely forested, there were no major settlements and some locals (Maori) were hostile to the Europeans once they arrived. Another pull factor that furthered enticed the immigrants was that they were offered either free or ‘assisted’ passages. An assisted passage was where the person worked to pay back the expense of the passage. With free and assisted passages, now lower class families could afford to migrate to New Zealand, where they thought they could start a new life. This encouraged many poor families to migrate, as there was not much for them in Britain anyway. The journey to New Zealand was rather pleasant for middle and higher class families. But for the lower class, they were all crammed into the bottom deck of the boat, with hardly enough space to breathe, let alone live there for the six month long journey. The lies that the New Zealand Company had fed the migrants gave them false hope, and when they finally arrived in New Zealand they were very disappointed. For migration to New Zealand to become possible, the New Zealand Company had to attract investors, so another pull factor for higher and middle class families was that if they were to invest in the New Zealand Company they would receive 100 acres of fertile farmland. This again, is not true, as there was no fertile land, only dense bush and forests, and the land that the company was giving away never belonged to them in the first place. Still the thought of owning so much land and starting a farm where lots of money could be earned enticed many people to migrate, even if it was not valid. So this meant that when the investors arrived in New Zealand, they had to cut down the trees to make farmland, but even with the trees cleared it was not very fertile. Also the Maori did not like the Europeans claiming and selling their land and cutting down their forests. This resulted in much violence between these two groups. Although these pull factors were exaggerated and not completely true they still encouraged large-scale migration to New Zealand. In conclusion, there are multiple push and pull factors that resulted in the migration of people from Britain to New Zealand. The push factors involve the over-population of Britain in the 1800s, the lack of pay people in lower classes received and the poverty and disease that resulted from the rapid urbanisation of Victorian England. The push factors included the ‘fine’ climate, fertile farmland, teeming cities of New Zealand, (all of which was invalid), the free and assisted passages that were offered to lower class citizens and the promises of fertile farmland to all investors in the New Zealand Company. These are the main reasons which enticed people to come to New Zealand and without these migrants New Zealand would not be what it is today.