The benefits of flight are all about being able to live on a much wider geographical scale than land-based animals. This is seen to its best with migrating birds, who live their lives in two different latitudes, and get the best from each. The usual system is to lay their eggs and raise their young in one place, and do most of their growth in another place. Even birds which do not migrate do benefit from flying to find nest sites and get their food. Apart from foraging for food, the main benefit of flight is to avoid many of the predators which eat land-based animals.
Understandably, flightless birds are in a minority: of about 10,000 living bird species, only about 60 are flightless. Before human beings arrived on islands, there were many more species of flightless birds. Since the fossil record is never complete, it is not possible to give a count of the number of flightless bird species who were living before mankind left Africa.
Despite this general picture, there have been birds who lost the power of flight soon after flight evolved. The first fossil flightless birds occurred in the Cretaceous period. It has long been recognised that there are circumstances where it is definitely not a good thing to have wings. The connection between oceanic islands and flightlessness was known to Darwin. The explanation is that, first, oceanic islands have few predators. Second, that storms occur which may blow winged birds right off the island so far that they cannot find they way back. Once they lose flight, the land birds can evolve to be larger and heavier, and many do so. "Phorusrhacos" became a dominant land carnivore.
The following are flightless birds during or after the Holocene period.
Monster Energy
Monster Energy is the name of a brand of energy drinks manufactured by Hansen Natural and distributed by Anheuser-Busch (United States), PepsiCo Canada (Canada), Pepsi (Germany), Grupo Jumex (Mexico) and Schweppes (Australia).
Monster Energy has sponsored many sporting events like the X Games and pays many sportpeople to wear their logo.
Monster Energy has 100 calories in a can.
Peter Rabbit
Peter Rabbit is a fictional animal character in many children's stories by Beatrix Potter. Peter was different from the traditional hero of that time. He is small, emotional, easily scared, and a not very wise animal. He first came out in "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" in 1902. After that, he came out in five more books between 1904 and 1912. Potter made a soft doll shaped like Peter Rabbit, and soon dishes and wallpaper showed pictures of him. He appears as a character in the 1971 ballet movie, "The Tales of Beatrix Potter" and in the BBC series "The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends". He was inspired by Potter's pet rabbit, Peter Piper. In stories, he wears human clothes and walks standing up. His mother is Mrs. Josephine Rabbit, and he has three sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail. His popularity made Potter say in 1917, "All rabbits "are" called Peter now" – but she added "either Peter or Brer Rabbit."
In 2018, a live-action animated movie was released with James Corden voicing Peter Rabbit.
Bouldering
Bouldering is a type of rock climbing. It is climbing without rope and harness. It is climbing heights at which the climber does not usually suffer serious injuries in case of a drop. To protect from injuries there are usually special bouldering mats underneath the climber. It is usually practiced on large natural boulders and in climbing gyms.
Boulder routes are called "problems", because this style is like solving climbing-problems. The height of boulder problems is rarely higher than 3-5 meters. Otherwise the risk of injuries is too high. Often other climbers, who stand on the ground, spot the climbers to protect them from hitting the ground with the head or the spine.
The equipment used by boulderers is not much. They use special climbing shoes, a bouldering mat, some brushes to clean the grips and sports tape.
Bouldering was invented in the late 19th century. It has been first documented in France, England and Switzerland. It has been practiced for a long time but in the 1930s and 1940s it was practiced for its own sake in Fontainebleau in France.
Today many rock climbers are specialized boulderers and it is their favourite style of climbing.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It is about the adventures of disobedient, playful young Peter Rabbit as he is chased around the garden of Mr. McGregor. He escapes and goes back home to his mother. The story was written for five-year-old Noel Moore. He was the son of Annie Moore, who had been Potter's governess in 1893. It was corrected and privately printed by Potter in 1901 after several publishers refused to print the book. It was printed by Frederick Warne & Co. in 1902. The book was very successful. It was printed again many times. It has been translated into 36 languages. It sold 45 million copies, and became one of the most popular books of all time.
After it was printed, much merchandise for both children and adults with Peter Rabbit was produced. Toys, dishes, food, clothing, videos and other products showed pictures of Peter Rabbit. Potter was one of the first to begin such merchandise when she made a Peter Rabbit doll in 1903. After that, a Peter Rabbit board game was produced.
At that time, the traditional literary hero was usually a brave, clever, young white male. Yet Peter Rabbit, the hero of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", was a disobedient little rabbit. Through him, Potter greatly changed the traditional "good child" of that time. Peter Rabbit came out as a character in a 1971 ballet movie, and the tale has been used for a television series.
Peter Rabbit, his sisters Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and his mother are rabbits. They dress in human clothing and walk standing up. However, like real rabbits, they live in a rabbit-hole under a fir-tree. Mother Rabbit told her children not to go into the garden of Mr. McGregor when she went to the market. This is because their father was made into a pie there. However, while Mrs. Rabbit is at the market and the girls are picking blackberries, Peter enters the garden. There, he eats so many vegetables he becomes sick. After that, Mr. McGregor tries to catch Peter. When Peter loses his jacket and his shoes, Mr. McGregor uses them to dress a scarecrow. Peter is almost caught by Mr. McGregor many times. When he finally escapes from Mr. McGregor, Peter goes back home with no shoes, no jacket, and no dinner. His mother puts him to bed and makes him drink chamomile tea because he is so tired and sick. However, his sisters who have been good little rabbits enjoy a special dinner of bread, milk, and blackberries. In a 1904 sequel, "The Tale of Benjamin Bunny", Peter goes back to McGregor's garden to find his lost clothes.
In the 1890s, Potter sent illustrated story letters to the children of Annie Moore, who had used to be her governess. In 1900, Moore, who realized how popular Potter's stories could become, suggested they be made into books. Potter agreed. She took her letters (which had been carefully saved by the Moore children) and chose a letter written on 4 September 1893 to five-year-old Noel about a rabbit named Peter. Potter had owned a pet rabbit called Peter Piper. The letter was too short to be a proper book, so Potter made the story longer and added pictures in black and white. She copied the work into a hardcover book with a frontispiece picture of Mrs. Rabbit giving Peter camomile tea at the end of the book.