Its Nature

Its nature offers you interesting information and facts on the natural world

Tomato

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:46:49 +0000

The tomato is a plant which bears edible red fruit. Originally from South America, it was spread around the world due to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Nowadays, it is one of the world’s most popular ingredients in cooking and there are now many varieties grown, either in backyards or in greenhouses. Tomatoes are [...]

Horse

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:56:28 +0000

Horses are hooved mammals that are part of the Equidae family. Evolving over a period of 45 to 55 million years, it was a small multi-toed creature that involved into the large, single-toed creature that tis found today. Humans started to domesticate the horse around 4000 BC, and domesticating horses was widespread 1000 years later. [...]

Goldfish

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:05:03 +0000

The goldfish is a freshwater fish which can be commonly found in househould aquariums. It was one of the first fish that was domesticated. It is a member of the carp family and is native to east Asia. It was first domesticated in China more than 1000 years ago, and there are several distinct goldfish [...]

Zucchini

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:45:02 +0000

Also known as a courgette, the zucchini is a type of small summer squash that is part of the Cucurbita pepo. Zucchinis are yellow or green, and look similar to a cucumber. However, there are some varieties that look round or bottle-shaped. The zucchini, like all other summer squahes, had its original ancestors from the [...]

Ambarella

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:00:08 +0000

Ambrella (aka the Malay Apple or the Golden Apple) is a tropical tree found around the equator. It is known as an edible fruit which contains a fibrous pit. Most people do not know this fruit as “ambrella”, as there are many regional names for it. In Trinidad and Tobago is is called Pomme cythere, [...]

Chicken

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:55:33 +0000

As a domesticated sub-species of the Red Jungle Fowl, the chicken is one of the most common domestic animals with a population even larger than China! With a global population of 24 billion in just 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other bird species. A Brazilian rooster (male chicken) It was [...]

Purple Mangosteen

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:27:03 +0000

The purple mangosteen, simply known as ‘mangosteen’ to the rest of the world, is a tropical evergreen tree. It is believed to have origated in the Sunda Islands of Indonesia. Purple mangosteen trees grow up to around 7 to 25 metres tall. They have a hard rind which is a deep purple when it is [...]

Grapefruit

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:57:58 +0000

The grapefruit is a fruit from the sub-tropical citrus tree of the same name, which is famous for bearing bitter fruit. When it was found, it was named the ‘forbidden fruit’ and is commonly misidentified as the shaddock or pomelo. It is a hybrid that was first bred in Barbados in the 18th century. Grapefruit [...]

White Tiger

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:53:51 +0000

White tigers, also known as Panthera Tigris in Latin, are one of the most beautiful animals on earth. They are famous for its white fur/complexion, which is caused by a recessive gene. They are larger both at birth and at full adult size than orange tigers, and are the biggest cat species in the world. [...]

Tangerine

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:57:04 +0000

Tangerines are an orange coloured citrus fruit that is a variety of the Mandarin orange. Like mandarins, tangerines are smaller than most oranges and are easier to peel and split into segments. Compared to an orange, it has a sweeter (or less sour or tart) taste. Tangerines growing on a tree This fruit has been [...]

Durian

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:15:19 +0000

Revered in South-East Asia as the ‘king of fruits’, the durian is a type of fruit from several tree species belonging to the Durio genus and the Malvaceae family. It is distinctive for its size, smell, and thorn-covered husk. It can grow as large as 30 cm long and 15cm in diameter, and weighs on [...]

Avocado

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:34:42 +0000

Native to the Carribean, Mexico, South America, and Central America, the avocado is a perennial fruit from a tree which is usually either spherical or looks like an egg. Technically, it is actually a large berry which has a big seed in it. Avocados are a valuable fruit in the commercial world, and are cultivated [...]

Soursop

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:15:52 +0000

The soursop is a flowering evergreen tree that is native to Central America, the Caribbean, and the northern part of South America. The sourop is also native to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that are within the tropics. Today, it also grows in some parts of Southeast Asia and in Florida, USA. Other names that the [...]

Peach

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:42:26 +0000

Native to China is the peach tree, which is famous for its edible and juicy fruits called a peach. Peach trees are deciduous and grow up to 4 – 10 metres tall. Its leaves are long at between 7 – 16 cm long, and 2-3 cm broad. Its flowers grow in the spring time before [...]

Carambola

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:04:26 +0000

The carambola, also known as the starfruit, is the fruit of the Averrhoa carambola tree. This tree species is native to the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka. In the Philippines, they are called either ‘saranate’ or ‘balimbing’ depending on how sour it is. This tree is also popular throughout southeast Asia, the South Pacific, [...]

Angelfish

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:01:36 +0000

Pterophyllum is a genus of freshwater fish from the Cichlidae family more commonly known as angelfish. All angelfish species actually originate from the Amazon River, Essequibo River, and Orinoco River basins in South America. There are 3 Pterophyllum species which are known for being laterally compressed round bodies and elongated triangular anal and dorsal fins. [...]

Cocoa Tree

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:23:09 +0000

Also known as the cacao or cocoa tree, Theobroma cacoa is a small, evergreen tree that is native to the deep tropical regions of the Americas. It grows up to only 4 to 8 metres tall, and is famous around the world for its seeds which are used to make chocolate and cocoa powder. Its [...]

Carpet shark

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:31:13 +0000

Around the Indo-Pacific and the Australian ocean region, many may come across a peculiar kind of fish that are known as carpet sharks. They are called carpet sharks for its unique and intricate designs that are similar to the household carpets. You can think of them as a household carpet in the water that moves, [...]

Apple

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:22:30 +0000

Apples are the fruit of the apple tree, which is a species in the rose family which blooms perennially. It is one of the most widely grown fruit trees which originated in Western Asia. Its wild ancestor is still found here, however there are 7,500 known cultivars of apples today. Apple trees are small The [...]

Ringstraked Guitarfish

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:30:41 +0000

The ringstraked guitarfish is a small inshore guitarfish species found in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. Specifically, it is found in the warm temperate and tropical waters in the Northwest Pacific and is native to China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The Ringstraked guitarfish is native to East Asia This species has been studied in China, [...]

Cucumber

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:20:37 +0000

A famous type of gourd that is widely cultivated is the cucumber. It is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up on supporting frames and have thing and spiraling tendrils. It has large leaves which form a kind of canopy over the fruit. A cucumber plant A cucumber is cylindrical in [...]

Orange

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:52:31 +0000

Sweet oranges are a citrus fruit that is actually a hybrid that was cultivated in ancient times, most likely between a pomelo and a mandarin. The orange tree is a small flowering tree that grows up to 10 metres tall and has evergreen leaves. Its leaves are between 4 to 10 centimetres long, and the [...]

Pitaya

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:04:32 +0000

Pitaya, also known as pitahaya, is the fruit of cactus species. It is commonly known as a dragon fruit, strawberry pear, or nanettikafruit. It is native to Central and South America and comes from a vine-like catus. It is also grown in Asian nations like Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. They [...]

Toucan Barbet

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 06:00:42 +0000

The Toucan Barbet or Semnornis ramphastinus is a small bird that can be found in the tropical forests in southwestern Colombia and western Ecuador in South America. Previously, this bird was grouped together with the other barbets in the Capitonidae. However, there were DNA studies which confirmed that this arrangement is paraphyletic where barbets are [...]

Coconut Palm

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:22:49 +0000

Coconuts are part of the Arecaceae family (ie palm family) and is the only accepted species in the Cocos genus. The Coconut tree is a large palm tree that can grow up to 30 metres tall, has pinnate leaves that are about 4 to 6 metres long, and pinnae at 60 to 90 cm long. [...]

Port Jackson shark

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:30:51 +0000

The Port Jackson shark is a nocturnal type of bullhead shark that is found in the southern coast of Australia, including at Port Jackson from which its name was derived from. Despite this, it was actually believed to have originated from South Africa. It is a migratory shark species, which travels south in the summer [...]

Atlantic Spadefish

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:03:48 +0000

Originally described as Chaetodon faber by the Fresh Naturalist, Pierre-Auguste-Marie Brousoonet in 1782, the Atlantic Spadefish was later changed to Chaetodipturus faber. The Atlantic spadefish is the only member of its family, Ephippidae, to reside in the western Atlantic Ocean. Its range is limited to the Atlantic Ocean in Massachusetts to south-eastern Brazil. This also [...]

Marine Angelfish

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:55:01 +0000

Marine angelfish are a perciform fish that are found on shallow reefs in the tropical Indian, Atlantic, and western Pacific oceans. There are 7 genera and 86 species in this family, which is the Pomacanthidae. These should not be confused with freshwater angelfish that is found in the Amazon river basin. A colourful angelfish Marine [...]

Jack Russell

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:05:08 +0000

Jack Russell terriers are dogs that were originally used for fox hunting. It is a small and broad terrier that is confused with a Parson Russell and a Russell terrier. It is a working dog, which was originally used by Rev. John Russell in the early 19th century. It has lots of energy, and requires [...]

Keel-billed Toucan

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:03:09 +0000

The Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) is also known as Sulfur-breasted Toucan and is belong to a colorful Latin American member of the toucan family. They can be found mainly in Southern Mexico to Venezuela and Colombia. The Keel-billed Toucan range between 42 – 55cm long, including its famous long beak. Their large and colourful beak [...]

Earthworm

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 01:43:26 +0000

Earthworms are the largest cylindrical segmented worm in the Oligochaeta class. The earthworm’s body looks like a small tube, and has a muscular, slimy, and moist outer body. It is annular, and has a very simple circulatory system. It has 2 main blood vessels throughout the length of their long body, where a ventral blood [...]

Dachshund

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:22:22 +0000

Dachshunds are a type of dog that belong to the hound family that is commonly referred to as a ‘sausage dog’. This is because it is short-legged and long in size. Dachshunds were primarily developed to smell, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals. Miniature dachshunds were developed to hunt smaller sized prey [...]

Mango

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:17:10 +0000

Mangoes are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, however they are grown in many tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide. The word ‘mango’ comes from the Potuguese word ‘manga’, which may have derived from Malayalam word which is also pronounced manga. It was first recorded in the European language by Ludovico di Varthema in in 1510 in [...]

Peppermint Stick Insect

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:47:42 +0000

The Peppermint Stick Insect, also known as Megacrania Batesii, is one of the most interesting rare insects in the world. It is a tropical rainforest insect that is bluish green in colour. It can also be found in some beaches in Australia such as in the north coastal region of Queensland. It is also found [...]

Short-beaked Echidna

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 08:28:41 +0000

The short-beaked echidna is also known as the spiny anteater as it likes eating ants and termites. The echidna is famous for having a body that is covered with spines or spikes. It also has a distinctive snout and a special tongue that can catch its prey quickly. A short-beaked echidna in the wild The [...]

Pug

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:43:51 +0000

Pugs are a very small breed of dog that is famous for its wrinkly and short-muzzled face. It is also known as a Chinese pug, Dutch bulldog, Dutch mastiff, and a Mini mastiff. Pug puppies are called “puglets”. This dog originated from China, and in ancient China it was called ‘lo-sze’ or ‘foo’. Pug puppies [...]

Cactus

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:13:41 +0000

A cactus (or in plural – cacti or cactuses) are the member of the Cactaceae plant family which is native to the Americas. However, there is one exception which is the Mistletoe cactus which is native to Europe. Cacti are usually used as an ornamental plant, however there are some varieties that are used as [...]

Pear

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:02:56 +0000

Pears come from a perennial fruit tree. It is cultivated in cool, temperate climates and there has been evidence that it has pears were eaten in prehistoric times, as they have been found in Swiss lake dwellings. In addition, pears and its equivalent words occur in all of the Celtic and Slavonic languages. It has [...]

Goat

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:18:52 +0000

The domestic goat is a domesticated hybrid sub-species between the wild goats of Eastern European and Southwest Asian goats. There are over 300 distinct goat breeds in the world. They are one of the oldest domesticated animal species in the world, and they gained popularity as pets in the 20th century. A white goat Historically, [...]

Nudibranch

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:29:23 +0000

Nudibranch’s are a type of clade that shed their shell after their larval stage. They are a favourite of scuba divers and underwater photographers due to their beautiful and striking colours. There are 3,000 described species of nudibranchs. They are casually called sea slugs, which by the way, is not a scientific term. However, not [...]

Spitting Cobra

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:41:28 +0000

There are more than 270 types of cobras in the world, and one of the most famous species is the spitting cobra. Spitting cobras are venomous snake species from the Elapidae family. They are found in tropical landscapes, such as those found in Africa, Australia, and Asia. They have the ability to spray venom from [...]

Maize / Corn

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:52:51 +0000

Maize, also known as corn, is a type of grass that was domesticated by the indigenous people of Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. It was used by the Mayans and the Aztecs to cook or grind it in a process called nixtamalization throughout central and southern Mexico. Later on, this crop spread throughout most of the [...]

Banana

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:57:30 +0000

The banana is a common name for a type of herbaceous plant, as well as the name for the fruit that they produce. Although we normally see bananas as being yellow, they actually come in a variety of sizes and colours when they are ripe – including purple and red. The bananas that we normally [...]

Mandarin Orange

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:42:54 +0000

The mandarin orange, commonly known as the mandarin, is a small citrus tree that has fruits that resemble a small orange. However, unlike oranges, the fruit from the mandarin orange tree is not spherical, but is oblate. Mandarin trees are hardy The mandarin orange tree is more tolerant of drought than its fruit. The fruit [...]

Collared Aracari

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 07:18:28 +0000

The Collared Aracari (Pteroglassus torquatus) is part of the toucan family. It breeds year round in the tropical rainforests of Central American and southern Mexico. It is a near-passerine bird which is brithly marked and its most distinctive physical characteristic is its amazingly large beak. Their beaks are about 4 inches long, which is a [...]

Basset Hound

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:25:29 +0000

As a descendant from the Bloodhound, the Basset Hound an outstanding sense of smell. They are also known for their long ears. It is a hunting dog that can hunt alone or in packs either in the open or a den. They are used to hunt hares, foxes, opossums, and pheasants. Although their reflexes are [...]

Turnip

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:13:21 +0000

The turnip is a type of root vegetable that is grown in temperate climates around the world. It is known for being a white and bulbous taproot vegetable which is used for human consumption. Larger versions are used to feed livestock. It is also an old vegetable charge in heraldry, as the prince-archbishop of Salzburg, [...]

Jackfruit

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:58:25 +0000

The jackfruit is native to parts of South-East Asia and South Asia. It is a species that is part of the mulberry family. It is also the national fruit of Bangladesh. Its claim to fame is that it is the jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world as it can reach up 36kg [...]

Pacific Angel Shark

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:25:03 +0000

The Pacific Angelshark, also known as a monkfish, was first described by the first Curator of Ichthyology at the California Acadamy of Sciences by William O. Ayres in 1859. They live in the eastern Pacific Ocean, from as far north as southeastern Alaska, to the Gulf of Mexico, Costa Rica, and down so southern Chile. [...]

Rambutan

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:21:11 +0000

Rambutans are fruits from a medium-sized tree from the tropics. It is native to Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, and the rest of South-East Asia. It is believed to be a native Malaysian plant, where it spread upwards to Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Its name derives from the [...]