The Linear Cobalt Crayfish (Cambarus gentryi) is a freshwater decapod (10-legged) crustacean in the Cambaridae family of crayfish.
The Linear Cobalt Crayfish has a cobalt blue shell with orange or yellow markings. It has 10 appendages – two of them are large pincers. Its other legs have a small claw at the end. It has 20 body segments grouped into two main parts: the cephalothorax and the abdomen.
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Scientists have found that freshwater rivers are good for people, animals, and countries. As part of the New Scientist ‘Save Britain’s Rivers’ campaign, scientists have provided interesting information about the usefulness of rivers.
The regions that have the most river systems are (in order): Asia (31% of the world’s rivers), South America (28%), North America (18%), Oceania (15%), Sub-Saharan Africa (9%), Europe (7%), Australia (1%), and Middle East and North Africa (0.3%). It seems as though there is a lot of river water in the world, but only about 1% of all the land on the planet has fresh river water.
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World Wetlands Day is celebrated on 2 February annually. With 35% of the world’s wetlands having disappeared in the last 50 years, and nearly 90% degraded since the 1700s, the theme for the 2023 World Wetlands Day is Wetland Restoration – ‘revive and restore degraded wetlands.’ Wetlands are important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, and freshwater availability.
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The Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia, America, is celebrating the birth of a baby Pygmy Hippo.
Born on 6 December 2022, the Pygmy Hippopotamus does not yet have a name. Its parents are Iris and Corwin. Iris was pregnant for 7 months before giving birth to her daughter.
She weighed 7 kilograms (16 pounds) and is growing rapidly. After a week, she was already 11 kilograms (24 pounds). When she is an adult, she will weigh up to 272 kilograms (600 pounds).
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The Mottled Bichir (Polypterus weeksii) is a freshwater fish in the Polypteridae family of ray-finned fish and reedfish. It is also known as the Fat-Headed Bichir.
The Mottled Bichir is an elongated fish with a series of 7-18 dorsal (back) finlets instead of a single dorsal fin. The finlets (small fins) can be raised and flattened. Its light-grey body has thick scales in patterns of dark-grey bands, and a white underbelly. It breathes through spiracles on the top of its head, four pairs of gills, and ventral lungs – the left lung is shorter than the right lung.
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Which bird can eat a baby Nile Crocodile whole?
The Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is a large freshwater reptile native to Africa. On average, it grows to 300-440 centimetres (10-14 feet) long. The female lays eggs and baby crocodiles hatch after about 90 days. A baby Nile Crocodile measures about 30 centimetres (12 inches) long.
There is a bird that can eat a baby Nile Crocodile whole, head first.
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The Largescale Four-Eyes (Anableps anableps) is a freshwater and brackishwater fish in the Anablepidae family of four-eyed fish.
The Largescale Four-Eyes is an elongated fish with prominent eyes. It is greyish to reddish-brown in colour. It has a paddle-shaped tail.
It does not really have four eyes. Each eye has a horizontal band of tissue that splits the skin lengthwise (horizontally) into two lobes. Each lobe has its own pupil with its own vision. Therefore, there are four pupils, not four eyes. This means that, when it lies on the surface of the water, one lobed pupil looks at the sky and the other lobed pupil looks underwater. So, it can see above and below the surface of the water at the same time.
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What is the difference between freshwater Flowing Water and Standing Water?
Flowing water occurs on land in freshwater streams and rivers. Flowing water usually begins to flow due to snowmelt or lakes that overflow. The water usually flows to the sea.
Flowing water can be fast-moving, slow-moving, or stagnant (not moving – it is motionless). Scientists usally regard motionless water to be stagnant if it has not moved in four consecutive days.
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The Caucasian Parsley Frog (Pelodytes caucasicus) is a freshwater amphibian in the Pelodytidae family of frogs.
The Caucasian Parsley Frog begins its life as an egg. The adult female frog is oviparous, laying eggs. The female lays 40-300 eggs near reeds in a still body of water. The eggs hatch after about 14 days.
The eggs hatch into tadpoles.
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The Firemouth Cichlid (Thorichthys meeki) is a tropical freshwater fish in the Cichlidae family of cichlids.
The Firemouth Cichlid has an oval, flattened body. Its head tapers towards its mouth. It is silvery with fiery red colouring under its chin and on its belly. There is a black, broken line on the side of its body. It has spiny fins with a bluish tint.
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The Mayan Cichlid (Mayaheros urophthalmus) is a tropical freshwater fish in the Cichlidae family of cichlids. It is also known as the Mexican Mojarra.
The Mayan Cichlid has an oval, flattened body. Its head tapers towards its mouth. It is yellowish-brown to grey-brown, which becomes redder during breeding. However, the colour varies depending on its location. There are six wide green-black vertical stripes on the sides of its body. There is also a large, black eye-spot circled with blue-green on the tail stem. It has spiny fins.
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The Discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus Pellegrin) is a freshwater fish in the Cichlidae family of cichlids. It is known as an Orange Variant of the Blue Discus, which is also known as the Brown Discus.
The Discus – Orange Variant is a laterally compressed fish, which means that it is vertically thin. It has a round discus-shape. It is patterned in shades of green, red, orange, brown, and blue.
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How does a Red-Necked Wallaby drink?
The Red-Necked Wallaby, also known as the Bennett’s Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus), is a medium-sized macropod marsupial mammal. Macropod means big feet, and a marsupial mammal has a pouch for its baby.
A group of wallabies is called a mob. It is generally solitary, but it will gather with a mob to feed. It is mainly nocturnal, feeding at night. It is an herbivore, feeding on grass, roots, leaves, and weeds.
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The Yellow-Spotted River Turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) is a freshwater reptile in the Podocnemididae family of river turtles. It is also known as the Yellow-Headed Sideneck Turtle.
The Yellow-Spotted River Turtle has a black or brown oval-shaped carapace (upper shell). It has yellow spots on the side of its head. The spots fade with age. It has a side neck – it bends its head to fit under its shell instead of sticking its head in and out of its shell.
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The Pool Frog (Pelophylax lessonae) is a freshwater wetlands amphibian in the Ranidae family of water frogs.
The Pool Frog is green, olive or brown. On its back is a green line that runs from head to tail. There are small warts on its back. Its underbelly is creamy-white. It has a plump body with long hind (back) legs, and no tail. It has large, round, protruding eyes. It has webbed feet.
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The Majorcan Midwife Toad (Alytes muletensis) is a small freshwater amphibian in the Alytidae family of toads. It is a vulnerable species.
The Majorcan Midwife Toad can be a variety of colours, but it is generally brownish to yellowish or greenish, with several irregular dark spots along its body. It has big, bulging dark eyes, suited to living in the dark. It has long legs with webbed feet that enable it to climb over rocks.
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Young African Clawed Frogs regenerate lost and damaged tails and limbs. Adult African Clawed Frogs also regenerate their lost limbs, but the newly regenerated limb is often not fully functional.
The African Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis) is an aquatic, freshwater amphibian in the Pipidae family of tongueless frogs. It is also known as the African Clawed Toad, or the African Claw-Toed Frog. It grows to 10-13 centimetres (4-5 inches) in length.
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What is a lagoon?
A lagoon is marine water or freshwater that is near to, but separated from, a larger body of water by a natural barrier or several natural barriers. It occurs in oceans and near the coast. Some lagoons have brackish water, which is a mixture of sea water and freshwater from a river mouth at the coast.
The natural barrier between the small and large body of water can be a reef or a sandbar.
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What are euryhaline and stenohaline organisms?
Euryhaline organisms can adapt to a wide range of salinities. Salinity is the level of salt in water.
Therefore, euryhaline organisms can live in freshwater, brackish water (light salt water), and salt water.
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The Gudgeon (Gobio gobio) is a freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family. It is a cyprinid.
The Gudgeon has a long, slender body with a flat, wide head. It is usually greenish-brown with silvery sides. It has a row of 6-12 faint black-grey blotches running lengthwise on the side of its body. Its underbelly is white. Its fins are greyish-white with a brownish tinge. The dorsal (back) fin is pale-brown with small, dark spots. It has a barbel at the corner of each side of its mouth. It has two rows of teeth.
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