Giant devil's fig (Solanum chrysotrichum)

Giant devil's fig (Solanum chrysotrichum) is a species of plant in the Solanaceae, a shrub or small tree up to 7.5 meters high, woody stems with rows of large, downward-curving spines, branching, green or white bark with dense hairs.

S. chrysotrichum has leaves with large stalks. The strands have a rough surface, are green in color. A large vein in the center with several long, erect spines. Some veins are smaller pinnate with some long, erect spines.

The flowers are star-shaped and white, the middle is yellow. The fruit is green when young, orange when ripe and brown when dry. Diameter 13-20 mm, round, hard, slimy and glabrous. Seeds shiny, yellow to light brown, 2-3x1.5-2.5 mm.

Giant devil's fig grows wild in forests, riverbanks, steep slopes, roadsides and agricultural land at an elevation of 1000-1525 meters with a tropical climate.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Subfamily: Solanoideae
Tribe: Solaneae
Genus: Solanum
Species: Solanum chrysotrichum

Pohpohan (Pilea melastomoides)

Pohpohan clearweed ( Pilea melastomoides ) is a species of plant in the Urticaceae, herbaceous perennial, erect stems, up to 100 cm tall, succulent, square or cylindrical, enlarged in the middle of the internodes, bright green in color and forming colonies in the shade. P. melastomoides has stipules that are immediately deciduous or subpersistent, green or brownish and oblong. The stalk is 2-9 cm long. The leaf blade is ovate or ovate-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate. The surface is wavy, pale green on the underside, dark green on the top. The three main veins are central and linear. Rounded base, tapered ends and serrated edges. The inflorescences are paired, the male is a dense cyme paniculata. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Urticaceae Genus: Pilea Species: Pilea melastomoides

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Golden-armed mantis (Hierodula venosa)

Golden-armed mantis ( Hierodula venosa ) is an animal species in the Mantidae, winged praying mantis with females 65-75 mm long and males 45-65 mm, large but not the largest in the genus Hierodula and generally bright yellow with green and chocolate variations. H. venosa has a fully rotating head. The head is dominated by a pair of very large and brownish yellow eyes. The jaw forms a triangle. The back is very wide with thickened margins. A pair of long antennas. Wide wings with rounded tips, striped surface, thick margins, two small white plots on the right and left. The belly is large and jointed, curved downward, the upper part is completely covered by the wings, but partially visible from the side. The pair of forelegs are large and have three segments. The upper segment has rows of spikes on the front and back. The middle segment has a row of many spines on the back and a black tip. The third segment has a row of many spines, long, black and tipped with a long palm. The middle ...

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