Day: May 29, 2024

2024 · National Day Calendar

World Otter Day 2024 🦦

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North American River Otter

World Otter Day had humble beginnings as Otterly Mad Week, a week of events, education, and fun. The International Otter Awareness Day was founded before becoming International Otter Survival Day, World Otter Day we now know whose singular purpose is to ensure that future generations can enjoy these charming animals.

International Otter Survival Fund began in 1993 to protect and help the different species of otters worldwide. It was inspired by observing otters in their natural habitats. The Fund is one of the world’s leading charities with various projects that protect otters. They have dedicated over 20 years of research to conserving, protecting, and caring for otters. They have developed a worldwide program to encourage education on otters. They have supported projects in 44 countries and helped cubs in 33 countries.

Since 2009, they held workshops across the world in places such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and China. The workshops provide training in otter field techniques, public awareness programs, law enforcement, and general conservation issues. Some other activities include research, campaigns, training, and otter hospitals.

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/world-otter-day/

2024 · National Day Calendar

National Snail Day 2024

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Land Snail

National Snail Day takes place every year in the United States. Snails are small shelled animals well-known for moving slowly; their speed depends on their particular species. On average, they move between 0.5 and 0.7 inches per second. Many places in the U.K. appreciate the creature where people organize snail races. They enjoy the irony and the fun of watching and waiting for the famously slow animals to reach the finish line. Snails create silvery mucus that leaves a trail behind them while they move. Land snails cannot hear and use their eyes and olfactory organs to navigate their environment. Their sense of smell helps them find food, making it their most important sensory tool.

Snails are gastropod mollusks distinguished by their most striking physical feature, a spiral shell. Situated on their backs, this hard structure composed of calcium carbonate protects their soft bodies and internal organs and keeps growing as they mature.

Snails are most active at night and usually come out very early in the morning. They avoid moving too much on the ground when the sun is out. Snails have interesting biological features. Though some species have sex differentiation, most are hermaphrodites, meaning that each snail has male and female reproductive organs, however, they mate like other animals with a partner. After mating, the snails lay eggs. The baby snails hatch from the eggs when they are most vulnerable. At this time they are basically defenseless against predators like birds, turtles, and beetles.

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/national-snail-day/

2024 · National Day Calendar

National Alligator Day 2024 🐊

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Ally, the Alligator at John Bunker Sands Wetland Center in Seagoville, TX

Although from the crocodilian family, these wet and wild creatures of the water are not to be confused with their reptilian counterparts. The only place where both animals coexist is in Southern Florida, and Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Despite many alligator species, only two have not yet gone extinct. The only remaining alligator species are the American and Chinese alligators, which are also the oldest species of alligators known to science. The Chinese alligators are often smaller and lighter in weight than the American alligators, which is the main distinction between the two species.

In America, alligators can be found in some of the southeast states, such as Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Still, the largest number of alligators are in Louisiana and Florida, with over a million in each state. Floridians can also be accredited with finding the name alligator, as the first settlers in the state anglicized the word from the Spanish term for ‘the lizard.’

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/national-alligator-day/

2024 · National Day Calendar

Mount Everest Day 2024

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Mount Everest’s Summit

Mount Everest is known for being the highest mountain above sea level. It stands tall in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. Its height is about 29,000 feet. Many climbers are attracted to the mountain, including highly experienced mountaineers. There are two routes to climb the hill. The first is the standard route approaching the summit from the southeast in Nepal. The other route approaches it from the north in Tibet. Climbing the mountain requires substantial technical climbing skills. It also comes with significant risks such as altitude sickness, weather, wind, and hazards from avalanches and the Khumbu Icefall. Some mountaineers have attempted the climb and have not made it back.

Mount Everest Day is a chance to celebrate the brave climbers who attempt the mighty Everest. They are a reminder that anything is possible when you are determined. The holiday signifies bravery and endurance. It takes a lot of courage to embark on a dangerous climb like Mount Everest. People worldwide can be inspired to take more chances and go after their dreams. It shows people that they can face any challenges they may be facing in their lives. The holiday raises awareness about the natural wonder. This eventually leads to support that can aid the mountain’s preservation. Preserving the environment’s natural treasures is important for our society and future generations.

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/mount-everest-day/

2024 · Wildlife Wednesday

Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus)

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Queen

The Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae with a wingspan of 31⁄8 – 33⁄8 inches (80 – 85 millimeters). It is orange or brown with black wing borders and small white forewing spots on its dorsal wing surface, and reddish ventral wing surface fairly similar to the dorsal surface. The ventral hindwings have black veins and small white spots with a black border. The male has a black andrological scent patch on its dorsal hindwings. It can be found in meadows, fields, marshes, deserts, and at the edges of forests.

This species is possibly a close relative to the similarly colored soldier butterfly (or tropical queen, D. eresimus), in any case, it is not close to the plain tiger (D. chrysippus, African queen) as was long believed. There are seven subspecies.

Females lay one egg at a time on larval host plants. Larvae use these plants as a food source, whereas adult butterflies feed mainly on nectar from flowers. Unpalatability to avian predators is a feature of the butterfly; however, its level is highly variable. Unpalatability is correlated with the level of cardenolides obtained via the larval diet, but other compounds like alkaloids also play a part in promoting distastefulness.

Males patrol to search for females, who may mate up to 15 times a day. Male organs called hair-pencils play an important role in courtship, with males with lower hair-pencil counts being selected against. These hair pencils may be involved in releasing pheromones during courtship that could attract female mates.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(butterfly)