Gentoo penguins generally live on Antarctic islands, with their largest colony on the Falkland Islands. There are approximately 320,000 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins.
These penguins nest on the ground, making nests of stones, sticks, grass, feathers, and various other materials. They usually lay two eggs by mid-October, which hatch in about 34 days, and put equal care into caring for either chick. Young chicks remain in the nest for 3 to 4 weeks until their second down feathers grow in, during which their parents hunt for food in order to feed them. Afterward, they leave the nest but remain in the colony in groups of chicks, called creches that free their parents to hunt for food for them.
Gentoo penguin pairs often stay together for a long period of time.
Gentoo penguins usually eat crustaceans, such as krill, but genrally eat what is easiest to get. At sea, they may be under attack from sea lions, leopard seals, and orcas. While on land they have no natural predators, but skua, gulls, and other birds of prey have been known to attack and eat young chicks and eggs.
Megabat
Megabats are also called Old World fruit bats. They are the suborder Megachiroptera, family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera (bats).
These fruit bats are flying mammals that live in dense forests in Africa, Europe, Australia, and Asia. There are about 166 species of fruit bats. Fruit bats are sometimes known as flying foxes. These bats live in huge colonies, known as "camps." These nocturnal (most active at night) animals rest during the day while hanging upside down from their feet.
As fruit bats fly from plant to plant getting food, they also pollinate the plants they visit. In addition, they disperse the plants' seeds as they eat. Many plants, including some avocados, dates, mangos, and peaches, are dependent on these bats for either pollination or seed dispersal.
Fruit bats mostly eat fruit juice and flower nectar. They chew the fruit, then spit out the seeds, peel, and pulp. Fruit bats, like other Megachiropteran bats, use the sense of smell to find their food, fruit and/or nectar. Although they have large eyes and can see well, fruit bats do not use sight as their primary sense. Fruit bats eat other things too.
Some megabats are vectors of dangerous diseases.
The first recorded human outbreak of Ebola virus was in 1976, but the source of the virus is still unknown. Recent tests have shown that some species of fruit bats collected during Ebola outbreaks show the bats have the virus, but do not show any signs of it. Further studies also show that Ebola can reproduce in fruit bats and other bats in the 'Tadarida' genus. This could mean that the bats are the source of the virus. The Marburg virus, which is related to Ebola, has also been found in fruit bats in Uganda.
Another explanation is that fruit bats could be an intermediate host because of the uncertainty that fruit bats are the index case for Ebola. It is also important to note that certain species of fruit bats in Africa are immune to the Ebola virus and that their DNA or RNA are similar to the Zaire Ebola virus. This could explain the spread to humans since people in that region tend to eat fruit bats.
Flying foxes in Australia are known to carry two infections which can pose a serious risk to human health - Australian bat lyssavirus and hendra virus ("Henipavirus"). These bat-borne diseases, unique to Queensland, are among the deadliest viruses in the Western world. Although rare, these illnesses continue to mystify medical professionals. These bat-borne diseases are almost always fatal. Human infections with these viruses are fortunately very rare.
Hendra virus is a virus that mainly infects megabats (large fruit bats, or ‘flying foxes’) which can be passed on to horses. Like ebola and marburg, hendra is a haemorrhagic fever with high to very high mortality (50-90%). Both ebola and marburg virus have been associated with megabats as infectious vectors.
It is thought that horses contract the Hendra virus by ingesting food or water contaminated with infected megabat body fluids and excretions. The virus can be deadly to both humans and horses. When there is no handling or direct physical contact with flying foxes, there is negligible public health risk.
Only three people are known to have survived the bat-borne Hendra virus.
So far more than half of all people who have contracted Hendra virus died within six weeks, however there have been no survivors of a second Queensland bat-borne disease. In 1994 lyssavirus - a close relative of rabies virus - was first discovered in a flying fox showing symptoms near Ballina, NSW (which lies on the border with Queensland). Lyssavirus has killed the only three people to have ever contracted it.
Flag of Florida
The Flag of Florida is a white flag with the Seal of Florida centered on it. Behind the Seal, it has a red saltire, which resembles the Spanish Cross of Burgundy flag used in Florida since the early 1500s. The current flag was adopted in 1900, however the State Seal in the center of the flag was updated in 1985 to reflect the proper historical dress of a Seminole maiden, in the previous seal she was dressed in buckskin with a feathered headband.
Flag of Libya
The Flag of Libya has three horizontal stripes of red, black, and green, with a white crescent and star in the center of the black stripe. It has been the official flag of Libya since 3 August 2011. The flag is the same as the flag of the earlier Kingdom of Libya, used from 1951 to 1969.
The previous flag of Libya is still used by supporters of Muammar al-Gaddafi. It was just a plain field of green. It was unique for being the only national flag in the world with just one color and no design, emblems, coat of arms, or any other details. It was adopted on 11 November 1977.
Chambar
Chambar, or Chamber, is a town of Tando Allahyar District in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the capital Chamber Taluka (a subdivision of the district). The town itself is subdivided into two Union Councils.
2008 Formula One World Championship
The 2008 Formula One season was the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It began on March 16 and was over on November 2 after eighteen races. Lewis Hamilton became the Drivers' World Champion while Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro won the Constructors' title.
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship:
Changed teams
Entered F1
Exited F1
The FIA World Council approved the 2008 schedule on 24 October 2007. Singapore was Formula One's first ever night race.
Drivers did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.
A scandal developed that became known as "Crashgate" in the media, during the 2009 season around the time of the Belgium Grand Prix. Claims were made by former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. about his crash in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. This led to charges of race-fixing against Renault. Team boss Flavio Briatore and engineering director Pat Symonds left Renault.
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
New York Film Critics Circle Awards are awards given every year for excellence in cinema worldwide. They are given by an organization of movie critics from New York City-based publications. It is considered one of the most important movie critics awards in North America.
Duncan II of Scotland
Donnchad mac Maíl Coluim (Modern Gaelic: "Donnchadh mac Mhaoil Chaluim") renamed as Duncan II (before c. 1060 – 12 November 1094) was king of Scots. He was son of Malcolm III (Máel Coluim mac Donnchada) and his first wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, widow of Thorfinn Sigurdsson.
Messolonghi