Sometimes people call the palm the “prince of the plant kingdom” because it’s one of the most useful plants. You know, palms grow as trees, shrubs, and vines in warm regions. There are about 2,800 different kinds of palm. Especially many species of palm trees grow in Madagascar and Colombia.
The trunk is branchless, with large leaves on the top. Palm leaves may be shaped like fans or feathers. As you know, palms produce dry or fleshy fruits that vary in size, shape, and structure.
The coco-de-mer (sea coconut) is the largest fruit in the world. It can be larger than a human head.
The coconut palm provides vegetable oil for cooking, the fiber can be woven into ropes and mats. By the way, the coconut shell is used to make cups and bottles. Some island people say there are as many uses for coconuts as there are days in a year.
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Heron is an amazing long-legged bird. It typically can be found in ponds, marshes, and swamps. Herons feed while standing or walking in shallow water. They live nearly all over the world, except in Antarctica and arctic North America and Eurasia. There are about 60 species of heron. Several types are called egrets.
A heron is a tall bird with broad wings and a long neck. Its bill is long, straight, and pointed. These birds often have gray, brown, black, or white feathers.
Herons feed on fish, amphibians, snakes, small mammals, and other animals living in the shallow waters of wetlands. You know, herons stand in the water on one foot because the water is usually cold. Thus, they warm the feet one by one. It may stand on one leg motionless for several hours.
These birds typically build platform nests of sticks in trees, sometimes with many nests in a single, large tree. By the way, these birds are considered monogamous. But usually their relationship lasts for one season. As an exception, there are couples whose family life lasts two years or more.
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The Great Barrier Reef is one of the great natural wonders of the world, the largest coral reef on Earth. It is a system of many individual reefs and small islands. Altogether there are 2,900 individual reefs. It lies in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia. From north to south its length is more than 2,000 kilometers.
The Great Barrier Reef was formed over millions of years from mounds of coral. There are at least 300 types of hard coral. The corals died but their shells remained, and other corals grew on top of it. Over those millions of years, the corals cemented together and were covered with underwater plants, debris from the ocean. Most of the reefs are under water (bare during low tides).
The sea life of the reef is extraordinary. And there are more than 1,500 species of saltwater fish. Besides the 400 types of coral, there are anemones, sponges, snails, worms, lobsters, prawns, jellyfish, crayfish, giant clams, and dugongs.
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Deer are generally slender and long-legged. Their most striking characteristic is the presence of antlers. The deer family includes about 45 species. The legs are long and slender, well-suited for fast running. Most species of deer have antlers. Usually only males have them, however, in Rangifer, the caribou, both sexes have antlers. Other species, such as the Chinese water deer and the tufted deer, have tusks. Deer are native to Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and northern Africa. People have brought them to Australia, New Zealand, and other areas. Most deer live in small family groups, though the males generally spend some time alone. Female deer usually give birth to one or two young.
The smallest deer, the South American pudu, is about 30 centimeters tall at the shoulder. The largest deer, the moose, may be more than 2.1 meters tall at the shoulder.
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Jackfruit is the largest fruit that grows on trees, but not on the branches. The fruit grows on the main trunk of the tree because it’s too heavy for the branches. A single jackfruit can weigh over 36 kilograms. The jackfruit tree is also very large and looks something like a large oak tree. It grows in the warm regions of Asia. There are many varieties of jackfruit, for example, Black Gold, Galaxy, and Honey Gold. The big jackfruit contains many seeds surrounded by the pulp, so each seed is a separate fruit. Young jackfruits are green, but they turn brownish yellow when ripe. Raw jackfruit is cooked, sweet pulp can be eaten fresh, seeds also can be eaten.
The wood is used for making furniture. Dried jackfruit leaves are used as fuel for cooking fires.
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Gulls are among the most common waterbirds of ocean and coastal zones worldwide. There are more than 40 species of gull, including kittiwakes. Adult gulls are usually white or gray, sometimes with dark markings. They range in length from about 28 to 79 centimeters. A gull’s bill is strong and slightly hooked. Their wings are long and pointed, and gulls have a short squared tail.
Along the shore, gulls are helpful to the people who clean beaches and harbors. They swoop down to pick up messy things. Gulls eat almost anything, from dead fish and animals to potato chips. Gulls also follow fishing boats, feeding on offal and by-catch as it is discarded overboard. These birds eat all day long just to stay alive. While flying many miles without stopping, they use up a lot of energy. Some gulls travel enormous distances between their summer and winter homes.
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Cypresses are evergreen trees and shrubs, that have fragrant, durable wood. There are about 20 different species of cypress. They grow in warm parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Cypresses reach heights of 25 meters or more. Some cypresses have a pyramid shape while others grow into tall columns. The bark is sometimes smooth, but it usually forms plates or strips. The leaves are small and look like scales covering the branches. These trees produce cones that have a woody or leathery covering and are usually round.
The Saharan cypress is covered in reddish-brown bark containing many deep cracks. It can grow to a height of 20 meters and a diameter of 4 meters. The tree’s small cones are yellow or gray-brown. Saharan cypresses can live for more than 1,000 years.
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