Albizia lebbeck

Albizia lebbeck

Albizia lebbeck
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Albizia
Species:	A. lebbeck
Binomial name
Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth.

 

 Habitat:

Albizia lebbeck is a species of Albizia, native to tropical southern Asia, and widely cultivated and naturalised in other tropical and subtropical regions. English names for it include Lebbeck, Lebbek Tree, Flea Tree, Frywood, Koko and Woman's tongues Tree. The latter name is a play on the sound the seeds make as they rattle inside the pods. Being one of the most widespread and common species of Albizia worldwide, it is often simply called "siris" though this name may refer to any locally common member of the genus.

Ethnobotany:

Lebbeck is an astringent, also used by some cultures to treat boils, cough, to treat the eye, flu, gingivitis, lung problems, pectoral problems, is used as a tonic, and is used to treat abdominal tumors. The bark is used medicinally to treat inflammation. This information was obtained via ethnobotanical records, which are a reference to how a plant is used by indigenous peoples, not verifiable, scientific or medical evaluation of the effectiveness of these claims. Albizia lebbeck is also psychoactive.

Taxonomy:

The taxonomic history of A. lebbeck is somewhat convoluted. It was originally described by Carl Linnaeus as Mimosa lebbeck. George Bentham placed the species in its present genus, but other authors believed that the plant described by Linnaeus was the related Albizia kalkora as described by Prain (based on the Mimosa kalkora of William Roxburgh), and erroneously referred to this species as Albizia lebbeck. However, Francisco Manuel Blanco used Mimosa lebbeck to refer to Albizia retusa ssp. retusa. In addition, the specific epithet is occasionally misspelled lebbek^.

Junior synonyms are:

• Acacia lebbeck (L.) Willd.
• Acacia macrophylla Bunge
• Acacia speciosa (Jacq.) Willd.
• Albizia latifolia B.Boivin
• Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. var. leucoxylon Hassk.
• Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. var. pubescens Haines
• Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. var. rostrata Haines

Albizia rostrata Miq. Is Archidendron globosum.

• Feuilleea lebbeck (L.) Kuntze
• Inga borbonica Hassk.
• Inga leucoxylon Hassk.
• Mimosa lebbeck L.
• Mimosa lebbek L. (orth.var.)
• Mimosa sirissa Roxb.
• Mimosa speciosa Jacq.

Mimosa speciosa Thunb. is Albizia julibrissin.

• Pithecellobium splitgerberianum Miq.

Rattlesnake

Rattlesnake

Rattlesnake
Crotalus cerastes
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Crotalinae
Genera
Crotalus Linnaeus, 1758 Sistrurus Garman, 1883

There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central Argentina.
Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small animals such as birds and rodents. They kill their prey with a venomous bite, rather than by constricting. All rattlesnakes possess a set of fangs with which they inject large quantities of hemotoxic venom. The venom travels through the bloodstream, destroying tissue and causing swelling, internal bleeding, and intense pain. Some species, such as the Mojave Rattlesnake, additionally possess a neurotoxic component in their venom that causes paralysis and other nervous symptoms.
Habitat:
Rattlesnakes are native to the Americas, living in diverse habitats from Southwestern Canada to Central Argentina. The large majority of species live in the American Southwest and Mexico. Four species may be found east of the Mississippi river, and two in South America. In the United States, the state with the most forms of rattlesnakes is Arizona, with seventeen species and subspecies.

Predators:

Newborn rattlesnakes are heavily preyed upon by a variety of species including ravens, crows, roadrunners, raccoons, opossums, skunks, coyotes and weasels, whipsnakes, kingsnakes, and racers. Neonates of the smaller Crotaline species are frequently killed and eaten by small predatory birds such as jays, kingfishers, and shrikes. Some species of ants in the genus Formica are known to prey upon neonates, and it is very likely that Solenopsis invicta (fire ants) do as well. On occasion, hungry adult rattlesnakes will cannibalize neonates. The small proportion (often as few as 20%) of rattlesnakes that make it to their second year are heavily preyed upon by a variety of larger predators including coyotes, eagles, hawks, owls, feral pigs, badgers, indigo snakes, and kingsnakes.

Sensory organs:

Like all pit vipers, rattlesnakes have two organs that can sense radiation: their eyes, and a set of heat-sensing "pits" on their face that enable them to locate prey and strike towards it, based on the prey's thermal radiation signature. These pits have a relatively short effective range of approximately 1 ft, but nevertheless give the rattlesnake a distinctive advantage in hunting for warm-blooded creatures at night.

Markhor

                     Markhor         

            

Taxonomy;

Kingdom           ANIMALIA                                               

Phylum             CHORDATA

Class                 MAMMALIA

Order                 CETARTIODACTYLA 

 Family               BOVIDAE

National animal of Pakistan- Markhor

Scientific Name:   “Capra falconeri”

This species is listed as Endangered by the IUCN (1996). There are 2,500-3,000 individuals alive and their continuing decline rate is estimated as 20% over 2 generations (generation length estimated at 7 years).

In Pakistan, their population is decreased from 1975 since its hunting became more frequent.

Habitat:

           

This species is found in south Asian countries like Afghanistan, northern India (southwest Jammu and Kashmir), northern and central Pakistan, southern Tajikistan and southern Uzbekistan. They are usually found in low to high elevations. It ranges in elevation from 600 to 3,600 m. in Pakistan these are found at up to the 1000m slopes of Sulieman range. And in summer they are found at 4000m in Chitral valley. This species is mostly found in scrub forests which are made up primarily of oaks, pines , and junipers. It prefers the areas with precipitous slopes and cliffs receiving less precipitation.

Distribution in Pakistan:

In Pakistan this animal is found in desert hills of southern Baluchistan, south western Sindh and hingh mountainous ranges of northern areas. Chitral, marghzaar hills of Swat valley including Khanori hills of Maalakand, Mardaan and Azad Kashmir.

Biological and ecological importance:

It’s a unique looking goat and herbivore. The markhor are diurnal and mainly active in the early morning and late evening.  They eat Oak leaves in winter and forbs, grasses in summer. They are primary consumers in ecosystem as being vegetarian, thus by consuming the producers they transmit the gross energy of eco system from one trophic level to other ending up with net energy of the ecosystem. Its predators include the wolves and snow leopards, leopard, lynx and humans (hunting). Which are secondary consumers in ecosystem. So in short they are important because they help to maintain the ecological equilibrium in ecosystem between producers and consumers.

Ecological importance:

They are not directly economically important but indirectly important for us as they maintain the equilibrium of the ecosystem by consuming the producers as well as being consumed by secondary consumers.  They are hunted on a large scale in Pakistan for their delicious meat.  Also their antlers are expensive items to make antiques. They are scientifically also important because they are helpful in determination of radioactivity as they are found at high elevations.