Pepper elder (Peperomia pellucida)

Suruhan or pepper elder (Peperomia pellucida) is a species of plant in the Piperaceae, annual herb, shallow roots, succulent stems, cylindrical, bright green or reddish, glossy, up to 15-45 cm tall, grows in shady places on the forest floor and cliffs.

P. pellucida has heart-shaped leaves, fleshy, flat margins, green and glossy upper side, pale underside and radial veins.

Fruit in panicles with long spike-like stalks, erect. The fruit is round like a point, green and turns black.

Flowering all year round, this plant is found in a variety of shady and humid habitats. It grows in clumps in loose, moist soil and tropical to subtropical climates.

All parts are edible. Often used as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic, to treat stomach pain, swelling, acne, colic, aches, headaches, urinary disorders, joint pain due to rheumatism, gout and treat urinary disorders.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Piperales
Family: Piperaceae
Genus: Peperomia
Subgenus: Peperomia
Species: Peperomia pellucida

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 ...

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