Sponge – Plant or Animal?

Sponges are animals, but very strange. They don’t have the body parts and don’t even move around. They stay attached to an underwater rock or coral reef and look like plants. That’s why for a long time people thought sponges were plants.
There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of sponges. Most of them live in the ocean, but a few live in freshwater.
They are different in shapes: may be flat like spreading moss or like trees with branching arms.
A sponge’s body is a soft mass of cells supported by a skeleton. Holes in a sponge’s skin let water flow inside.
A sponge gets oxygen to breathe from water through its body. They eat by straining the water around them. All sponges feed on tiny plankton. On average, they eat about 2/3 of their own weight. The water enters the body through a large number of openings, but it always leaves through a single opening.
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Yakutia – Russian Easter Island

The majority of the ancient scriptures say that a mysterious ancestral home of mankind – Hyperborea, was in Russia. Today, many researchers are looking for the actual proof of its real existence. And some of them are considered mysterious stone giants, located in Yakutia, and on a number of islands of the Arctic Ocean.
In a number of interviews famous Russian traveler Valentine Efremov has repeatedly pointed out that during the expedition to the North he had seen stone statues that might be man-made. If the tradition of the existence of Hyperborea, marked on the map of Gerard Mercator, is true, so, only this civilization in ancient times could erect such giants. Strong winds, heavy rainfalls and constant temperature changes turned monuments of antiquity into the cracked stone pillars.
Hyperborean continent consisted of four islands, separated by the Straits. According to one version, after the disaster that destroyed their world Hyperboreans moved to the continent. Their way, according to Valentine Efremov, passed through the islands of Anjou, named in honor of the famous polar explorer P.F. Anjou. During one of the expeditions Efremov managed to take photos of the stone figures on Kigilyakh peninsula.
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Issyk-Kul Lake – pearl of Kyrgyzstan

Issyk-Kul Lake for many years attracts romantics and treasure hunters. According to some reports, there might be up to 200 treasures at the bottom of the lake. In addition, there are many legends about sunken cities and about burial place of Genghis Khan in the waters of this wonderful lake.
Issyk-Kul is one of the largest lakes in the world and more than 50 rivers fall into it. It is situated in the northern Tien Shan and its area is 6236 square meters. The lake is 182 km long and 700 m deep. It is surrounded by ridges, that’s why there is no exhausting heat and severe frost here, and the water in the lake does not freeze even in winter.
There are many legends about how the lake was formed, but here is the most beautiful of them, about the girl who gave her life for the sake of love. Once there was a city where the castle of the powerful and cruel khan towered. Khan learned that the poor nomad had a beautiful daughter and decided to possess the girl. But the heart of the beauty belonged to another man. One day a handsome man appeared in front of her on a white horse. They walked all day long and in the evening he took off his ring and put on her finger.
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Botswana – Jewel of the Kalahari

Botswana is located in southern Africa. Its area is 600,370 square kilometers. It is bordered by Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia.
Gaborone is its capital city. The official language is English, but most people speak Setswana.
The Kalahari Desert covers most of the south and west (500,000 square km). It is known as the “thirstland”, because it has some grass and trees.
The Okavango River, which flows in from Namibia, is in the northwest. It ends in Botswana instead of flowing into the ocean that’s why it is called “the river that never finds the sea”. It is the largest inland delta system in the world and provides a habitat for African mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles.
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Alaska – largest American state

Alaska is the largest state in the USA. Its area is 1,717,854 square kilometers. It is nicknamed the Last Frontier or Land of the Midnight Sun and includes rugged coastlines, massive glaciers, and the tallest mountains in North America. Juneau is the capital of the state, but Anchorage is the largest city. Alaska is not connected to the other 48 states of the mainland United States.
The Yukon is Alaska’s largest river. Two mountain chains—the Alaska Range and the Aleutian Range—curve along Alaska’s southern coast. The highest point in North America is Mount McKinley, in the Alaska Range, which rises to a height of 6,194 meters.
Native Alaskans, Eskimo (Inuit), Aleut, and American Indians, make up about one sixth of the population. Common nationalities among the rest of the people include Russian, Filipino, Japanese, and Chinese.
Alaska’s economy is based on oil, tourism, and fishing.
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Cactus – Don’t Touch!

Cactuses, or cacti, are desert plants. They grow in dry places and their ability to store water keeps them alive. They have thick tissues that take up and hold large amounts of water. Cacti are protected by sharp spines that are actually modified leaves.
There are about 1,650 species of cactus. They can be of different sizes. The giant cactus known as the saguaro can be 15 meters tall. Mexico has the greatest number and variety of cacti.
Their roots are spread out near the surface of the soil because this is important to their survival. Some cacti have flowers and branches. The fruit is a many-seeded berry.
Unusual and beautiful cacti are prized as houseplants. Some types of cacti are also grown for food. Some types of cacti are used for making medicines.
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Owl – Nighttime Hunter

Owls are birds of prey. They are nocturnal birds and they are very helpful to people. Owls eat rodents, such as mice, gophers, and rats. Some owls eat insects or fish. Owls sleep during the day, hidden among tree branches. They live around the world in almost every kind of habitat.
These birds have a large head, a flat face with large eyes, a hooked beak, and sharp claws. Owls have excellent eyesight and hearing. Because of their soft feathers, owls fly silently and almost always surprise their prey. Owls catch their prey and swallow it without chewing.
Owls cannot move their eyes, but they can turn their heads to the left or the right almost all the way around. The head snaps back so quickly that people think owls can turn their heads all the way around.
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