Dreaming for King-Freedom!
“Freedom is not the right to do anything. It is the right to do the correct thing” — Unknown
Migration for Life
‘Continental drift’ separated the continents and carried them to long distances, isolating the animals from other areas. A widely distributed species can become extinct in the intermediate areas due to changes in the climate to which the species is unable to adapt.
Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a ‘seasonal basis’. It is the most common form of migration in ecology. It is found in all major animal groups, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and crustaceans.
By and large, the dispersion can be classified into three categories, specifically, Persistent (Continuous), Spasmodic (Discontinuous), and Bipolar distribution.
‘Wide-ranging creatures’ include — “ Rats, bats, falcons, cuckoos, cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, reptiles, snakes, and man, etc ”.
Numerous of the ‘eurytopic animals’ have ‘continuous distribution’ since they are the most common companions of man. They have traveled long distances with him.
A few species since they are adjusted to the cold arctic climate cannot move to the hotter ranges and subsequently confined to the ‘Polar Locales’. Polar bears, cold fox, lemmings, coyotes, and reindeers are found within the ‘Northern Polar Regions’ whereas penguins are confined to the ‘Antarctica Region’. Among fishes, salmons move up to the temperate and polar tributaries for breeding.
When continuity of distribution of a species is broken by uninhabited areas which are sometimes very large stretches of oceans.
There are primarily four reasons why animals are distributed in widely separated areas. Animals reach distant areas by sweepstake routes, like insects, snails, and rats by rafting, turtles by floating and swimming, and birds blown by storms. The species was earlier distributed continuously but the landmasses in the intermediate areas submerged, breaking the species into widely separated populations.
Earth is Round
Polar habitats are located at the very top and very bottom of the Earth. They are cold, windy, and have a lot of snow and ice. It’s even too cold for trees to grow.
Tundra takes up a lot of the area of polar habitats. It’s the only place where any plants can grow, but the ground only thaws just enough for short grasses and moss – tree roots can’t go as far down into the ground as they need to because it’s frozen. Animals who live in polar regions have adapted by having thick fur or feathers and hunting fish or each other rather than relying on plants for food.
The planet’s polar regions, the Arctic and Antarctic are both remarkably cold, which may explain why people often get them confused. Both are technically ‘cold deserts’, with very little precipitation. In both places, the winters are frozen and devastatingly dark. Summers are still somewhat frozen (though, thanks to global warming, increasingly less so), but endlessly bright. The only real notable differences between the north and south poles are that the seasons occur at opposing times of the year, and Antarctica is generally frostier than the Artic.
Global Warming is changing polar habitats, especially in the Arctic. This means that animals like the polar bear and Arctic fox are becoming endangered. This is an effect of the oceanic climate moderating the temperature up north. From the North Pole to the South Pole, and everywhere in between, our planet pulsates with life.
Diversity is the Quality of Nature
To study the extraordinary diversity of life that makes our planet a visual delight, biologists have classified all living things into five different biological groups called kingdoms, one of which is the ‘Animal Kingdom’. This biological kingdom contains about ten million species and encompasses creatures as diverse as sea cucumbers, jellyfish, insects, and birds. Animals can range from being tiny creatures that are just a collection of few cells to giant whales that have tongues as heavy as an elephant! From thumb-sized bee hummingbirds to hundred-feet-long blue whales, the animal kingdom contains an array of fascinating species of varied shapes, sizes, and colors.
Life, which makes our planet unique in the universe, began in the oceans millions of years ago and slowly journeyed to land, spreading to all the corners of our planet, including places barely touched by humanity. The first vertebrates to walk on land were amphibians. But they weren’t the most successful animals to have walked the planet, this feat belongs to one intelligent species: Homo sapiens or Human beings.
Emerging in the continent of Africa thousands of years ago, early human beings set off on the road to civilization. And, over a long period of time, these nomadic-gatherers transformed into technologically-advanced modern human beings who have conquered land, sea, air and have even left footprints on the surface of the moon!
Though phenomenally successful, human beings are as much a part of the animal kingdom as doves or whales, or other creatures on earth. The wonderful life forms that dwell in the oceans, birds that chirp in our gardens, and all other creatures that make our planet so full of life are our wild friends. And, we should love and protect them. But not just because we belong to the same biological kingdom or share the same planet. Let gentle feelings of affection and care for animals spring in your heart from one simple fact that we are humans, and the word ‘human’ also means ‘kind’ because you are one of a kind, so don’t forget to be ‘compassionate’. Lastly, one important thing to note freedom is our Strength, that why we should not misuse it!
