Wednesday, October 20, 2010

SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST UNIQUE RIVERS

1. The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, Phillipines

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River (aka St. Paul Underground River) and its surroundings form the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. The park is located about 50 kilometers north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. The river flows underground before emerging into the South China Sea. It is the world’s longest navigable underground river. The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is one of the 28 finalists for the “New Seven Wonders of Nature” competition. The site contains a full mountain-to-the-sea ecosystem and has some of the most important forests in Asia. It was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site on December 4, 1999.



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2. Rio Tinto, Spain


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The Rio Tinto, originating in the Sierra Morena mountains of Andalusia, Spain, has an unusual blood red hue due to its high iron content. The site along the river has been mined for copper, silver, gold and other metals for over 5 000 years. However strangely beautiful it may be, this river is actually an environmental disaster due to its heavy metal contamination. This river has gained recent scientific interest due to the presence of extremophile aerobic bacteria that dwell in the water. The rocks on the river bed contain iron and sulfide minerals on which the bacteria feed. Scientists compares the extreme chemistry of the river to the liquid water found on Mars.

3. The Caristales River, Columbia, South America






The Caristales, which is located near the town of La Macarena in Colombia, is world famous for its colourful display and have been called the most beautiful river in the world. During Columbia’s wet season the river flows fast preventing the mosses and algae on the surface from receiving the necessary sun to flourish. During the dry season there is not enough water to support the variety of life in the river. However, there is a brief time span, between the wet and dry season, when the water level and consistency is just right, that the algae and moss in the river bloom in a dazzling display of colours. Blotches of amarillo, blue, green, black and red – and a thousand shades in between – coat the river. The part of the river where the coloration occur is quite isolated and only accessible by plane.

See The World's most colourful river

4. The Yarlung Tsangpo River, Tibet, China


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The Magnificent Yarlung Zangbo River, known as the roof of the world, is the highest major river in the world, with an average elevation of about 4000 meters. The Yarlung Tsangpo River originates from a glacier on the northern side of the middle Himalayas, over 5,300 meters above sea level. It runs across the south of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from west to east, through India and Bengal, and finally flows into the Bay of Bengal. Since the 1990s the Yarlung Zangbo River has been the destination for a number of people that engage in exploration and whitewater kayaking. The river has been called the “Everest of Rivers” because of the extreme conditions of the river.

5. Horseshoe Bend, Arizona, USA


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Arizona’s Horseshoe Bend, a meander of the Colorado River is situated slightly downstream from Lake Powell within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. From the steep cliff above, some 305 metres higher up, it makes a breathtaking sight.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

AWESOME UNDERWATER SCOOTERS

Travel underwater on the award winning HydroBob – It maneuvers effortlessly where you want to go, without any gear in your face and it allows for over 180 degrees of clear view in every direction. Described as an underwater scooter, the HydroBob is a 'Breathing Observation Bubble' designed to allow non-divers the opportunity to enjoy the full experience of life underwater. There is no need for lengthy and expensive dive courses, just a 10 minute briefing and you're ready to go. You don't even need to know how to swim. Pop your head into the bubble, settle down onto the seat, squeeze the trigger and away you go.







Friday, October 15, 2010

MONKEY ADOPTS KITTEN








Bali, Indonesia – A long tailed macaque monkey adopts a kitten. A young long tailed macaque monkey has been spotted in a forest protectively nuzzling and grooming a ginger kitten and making sure no harm came to it. The extraordinary sight was captured by amateur photographer Anne Young while on holiday at the Monkey Forest Park, in the Ubud region of Bali, Indonesia.

During the remarkable moments the monkey would become agitated if Anne ventured too near to take pictures and at one point used a huge leaf to try and cover the kitten from view. The monkey was even wary of other macaques and would not allow other young males to get too close. Throughout the session the kitten enjoyed the attention being lavished on it by its protective carer and made no effort to leave. It is not known how the cat came to be in the company of the macaques.

The reserve is inhabited by about 340 monkeys in four groups. It is considered sacred by locals and visited by about 10,000 tourists each month.

INCREDIBLE CATERPILLAR CONVOY





This is the moment a group of tiny caterpillars formed an incredible 17ft long convoy to cross a road. Some 136 caterpillars made the single line and wriggled top-to-toe across the road, linked by a thin silk thread which set their path. Their safety-in-numbers approach had the desired effect as the slow-moving convoy was easily seen by motorists, who were held up for 20 minutes as it made its way across.

The spectacle was captured on camera by British tourist Jamie Rooney, who was visiting the famous Kruger National Park in South Africa. Rooney stated that they were out on a safari, when all of a sudden the driver shouted out and slammed on his brakes. Luckily he managed to stop just in time.

This amazing trail of caterpillars, was stretching across the road. The guide had never seen it before and explained it as being similar to the migration of bigger game like wildebeest but just on a tiny scale. When the catepillars reach their destination – most possibly the bushes on the other side of the road – they would pupate and turn into butterflies.

Conservation is a massive deal in South Africa and you should stop for any living creature crossing the road.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

FISH WITH HUMAN-LIKE TEETH





Pacu fish, cousins to the piranha and known as "frugivores," have human-like teeth that can crack nuts and fruits. Pacu and piranha – both native from South – have similar teeth, although the difference is jaw alignments; piranha have pointed, razor-sharp teeth in a pronounced underbite, whereas pacu have squarer, straighter teeth in a less severe underbite. Pacu, a safer alternative to meat-eating piranhas, is a popular aquarium fish world-wide (via).

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS OF DIGA DEL CINGINO

These pictures shows Alpine Ibex mountain goats at the Diga del Cingino dam in Italy, licking the minerals off the dam wall.