Classifying and Comparing

 

The Booby

 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Suliformes
Family: Sulidae
Genus: Sula
Species: nebouxii

The Squidworm

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Polychaeta
Order: Canalipalpata
Family: Acrocirridae
Genus: Tenthidodrilus
Species: T.Samae

Christmas Tree Worm

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Polychaeta
Order: Canalipalpata
Family: Serpulidae
Genus: Spirobranchus
Species:Giganteus

Blobfish

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chrodata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Psychrolutidae
Genus: Psychrolutes
Species: Marcidus

Marabou Stork

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciconiidae
Genus: Leptoptilos
Species: L.crumenifer

Obviously all the organism I chose share the same kingdom as belonging to the kingdom Animalia. The Booby, the Marabou Stork, and the Blobfish all belong to the Chordata phylum (Same as Humans!) The Marabou Stork and the Booby also share the Aves Class. The Squidworm and the Christmas Tree worm share the same Kingdom, Phylum, Class, and Order.

Just by looking at pictures, I can see that the Squidworm and the Christmas Tree worm are closely related, but I did not expect them to be so closely related as to share 4 out of 7 classes. The marabou Stork and the blue footed booby also look related as they are both birds.

I did not expect the blobfish to share anything other than Kingdom, but it shares the same Phylum as the booby and the marabou stork.

Questions: How can one member of a species (the Spirobranchus giganteus) look so different from each other? (colour wise and shape wise, when other species look almost identical)
How does the blobfish swim?

Tree Classification

Using the dichotomous key I was able to classify this large conifer tree as a Spruce. 

The needle like leaves of the tree are longer than a half inch and have tiny sharp pegs. 

The bark of the tree is thin and flaky and unlike Douglas firs it is scaly.

Nature Questions

How many emotions do dogs have?

According to research, dogs have the mental capacity equivalent to that of a two, two and a half year old human child. Therefore, since the evidence of emotions is obviously there it is safe to conclude that they have an emotional range similar to that age group. Dogs, just like infants, do not possess complex human emotions. Although it may at times seem like my dog is guilty of the act he committed, he cannot be. That emotions is too complex for him or a infant of 2 years old, in fact he is only scared of the punishment he is about to receive : showing a basic emotion of fear. A dog can show: love, fear, anger, joy, and disgust. But he cannot express, guilt, shame, or pride.

 
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201303/which-emotions-do-dogs-actually-experience

Why do bees die after they sting us?


A honeybee will sting humans if it ever feels threatens or there is a threat to its hive. This defense procedure causes the death of the bee. A honeybee's stinger is made up of two barbed lancets and when it stings us and the lancets are in our skin, the bee cannot remove the stinger. Instead, it leaves behind part of its digestive tract, muscles and nerves. The abdominal rupture is what kills the bee, not the initial sting.

http://earthsky.org/earth/why-do-bees-die-after-they-sting-you