Fascinating Facts About Centipedes

Centipedes (100 feet in Latin) are arthropods—members of an invertebrate class that includes insects, spiders, and crustaceans. All centipedes belong to the class Chilopoda, which includes about 3,300 different species. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, and they have the greatest diversity in shape and configuration in warm and tropical environments. Most centipedes are adapted to burrowing and live in soil or leaf litter, under the bark of trees or beneath stones. Centipede bodies are made up of six head segments (three of which are mouthparts), a pair of poisonous maxillipeds (foot jaws), a variously numbered series of truck-bearing leg segments, and two genital segments. Their heads have two antennae and a varying number of paired compound eyes (called ocelli), though some cave-dwelling species are blind. Each legged segment is made up of an upper and lower shield covered by a cuticle and separated from the next segment by a flexible membrane. Centipedes periodically shed their cuticles, which allows them to grow. Their body length ranges from 4 to 300 millimeters (0.16–12 inches), with most species measuring between 10 and 100 millimeters (0.4–4 inches). Beyond these standard centipede characteristics, there are some facts that are more interesting or even surprising. Here are seven of them. Centipedes Never Have 100 Legs Though their common name means 100 feet, centipedes can have significantly more or less than 100 legs—but never 100 exactly. Depending on the species, a centipede can have as few as 15 pairs of legs or as many as 191 pairs. However, regardless of the species, centipedes always have an odd number of leg pairs. Therefore, they never have exactly 100 legs. The Number of a Centipedes Legs Can Change Throughout Its Life Should a centipede find itself in the grip of a bird or other predator, it can often escape by sacrificing a few legs. The bird is left with a beak full of legs, and the clever centipede makes a fast escape on those that remain. Since centipedes continue to molt as adults, they can usually repair the damage by simply regenerating legs. If you find a centipede with a few legs that are shorter than the others, it is likely in the process of recovering from a predator attack. Though many centipedes hatch from their eggs with a full complement of leg pairs, certain kinds of Chilopods grow more throughout their lives. For example, stone centipedes (order Lithobiomorpha) and house centipedes (order Scutigeromorpha) start out with as few as 14 legs but add pairs with each successive molt until they reach adulthood. The common house centipede can live as long as five to six years, so thats a lot of legs. Centipedes Are Carnivorous Hunters Though some occasionally scavenge a meal, centipedes are primarily hunters. Smaller centipedes catch other invertebrates, including insects, mollusks, annelids, and even other centipedes. The larger tropical species can consume frogs and even small birds. To accomplish this, the centipede usually wraps itself around the prey and waits for the venom to take effect before consuming its meal. Where does this venom come from? A centipedes first set of legs are venomous fangs, which they use to inject paralyzing venom into prey. These special appendages are known as forcipules and are unique to centipedes. Additionally, large poison claws partially cover the mouthparts of centipedes and form part of the feeding apparatus. People Keep Centipedes as Pets Its surprising but true. There are even centipede breeders, though most centipedes sold in the pet trade are wild-caught. The most common centipedes sold for pets and zoological displays come from the Scolopendra genus. Pet centipedes are kept in terrariums with a large surface area—a minimum of 60 square centimeters (24 inches) for larger species. They require a built substrate of soil and coconut fiber for burrowing, and they can be fed pre-killed crickets, cockroaches, and mealworms weekly or biweekly. They always need a shallow dish of water. Additionally, centipedes require a minimum humidity of 70%; rainforest species need more. Appropriate ventilation should be provided with a grid cover and small holes on the side of the terrarium, but be sure the holes are small enough that the centipede cant crawl through. Temperate species like it between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius (68–72 Fahrenheit), and tropical species thrive between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius (77–82.4 Fahrenheit). But be wary—centipedes are aggressive, venomous, and potentially dangerous for humans, especially children. Centipede bites can cause skin damage, bruising, blisters, inflammation, and even gangrene. Therefore, enclosures should be escape-proof; although centipedes cant climb smooth glass or acrylic, dont provide them with a way to climb to reach the lid. And dont worry if you dont see your pet centipede out during the day—centipedes are night creatures. Centipedes Are Good Mothers You probably wouldnt expect a centipede to be a good mother, but a surprising number of them dote on their offspring. Female soil centipedes (Geophilomorpha) and tropical centipedes (Scolopendromorpha) lay an egg mass in an underground burrow. Then, the mother wraps her body around the eggs and remains with them until they hatch, protecting them from harm. Centipedes Are Fast With the exception of the slow-moving soil centipedes, which are built to burrow, Chilopods can run fast. A centipedes body is suspended in a cradle of long legs. When those legs start moving, this gives the centipede more maneuverability over and around obstacles as it flees predators or chases prey. The tergites—the dorsal surface of the body segments—may also be modified to keep the body from swaying while in motion. This all results in the centipede being lighting-quick. Centipedes Prefer Dark and Moist Environments Arthropods often have a waxy coating on the cuticle to help prevent water loss, but centipedes lack this waterproofing. To make up for this, most centipedes live in dark, moist environments, like under leaf litter or in damp, rotting wood. Those that inhabit deserts or other arid environments often modify their behavior to minimize the risk of dehydration—they may delay activity until seasonal rains arrive, such as entering diapause during the hottest, driest spells. Sources Capinera, John L. Encyclopedia of Entomology. 2nd ed. Berlin: Springer Science Business Media, 2008. Print.Chiariello, Thiago M. Centipede Care and Husbandry. Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine 24.3 (2015): 326-32. Print.Edgecombe, Gregory D., and Gonzalo Giribet. Evolutionary Biology of Centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda). Annual Review of Entomology 52.1 (2007): 151-70. Print.Triplehorn, Charles A., and Norman F. Johnson. Borror and Delongs Introduction to the Study of Insects. 7th ed. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2004. Print.Undheim, Eivind A. B., and Glenn F. King. On the Venom System of Centipedes (Chilopoda), a Neglected Group of Venomous Animals. Toxicon 57.4 (2011): 512-24. Print.

Analysis Of Shirley Jackson And Kurt Vonneguts The Lottery

While America classical writing is often known for being dark and abstract, it often illustrates a deep message of truth that relates to the existing world. Through the mid to late 1900s Shirley Jackson and Kurt Vonnegut published a number of fictional pieces in the United States. During this time, each addressed the existing struggle between the individual and society. Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† and Kurt Vonnegut’s â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† are two stories that depict the oppression an individual faces when pitted to society. Jackson’s piece in particular points to the danger of blind following, while Vonnegut’s work addresses the danger in total equality. Through a number of means, both authors illustrate the danger in submissively†¦show more content†¦Regardless of the means by which the original box was lost, it was still preceded by the current box now utilized by the village. Because a precious town artifacts is not s imply misplaced, Jackson’s inclusion of this part of the box’s history points the reader towards past objectification of the lottery. Leading the villages to replace it with the current black box, the box was eventually replaced by the village. In addition, the color of the box also gives it symbolic means in context of lotteries nature. Jackson’s dual emphasis on the box being black gives its presence distasteful and undesirable tone. Black is considered to have a â€Å"very specific influence, as it is in many cultures connected with death† and â€Å"Men wearing black were seen as more aggressive† (Linhartova 2013). Color plays a significant role in setting mood and giving character. While it’s not directly stated, the lottery is an event that singles out an individual to be stoned to death. Therefore, it is fitting for the box to be colored back do to its influence it has on the village. In addition the box itself may not be aggressive, but the actions it leads to are more physically horrendous than normal town traditions, giving reason for the citizens to not have the desire to renovate the box while it is not being used. The tone which the box sets for the town is not one to be recon with, in fact

Public Speaking Class In School Essay Example For Students

Public Speaking Class In School Essay Have you ever thought of taking a Public Speaking Class In School Essay? If you haven?t I highly suggest that you do because it will increase your ability to communicate with other human beings and just make it easier. Today, I will be talking about a couple of abilities that you can greatly improve by taking a simple introductory course in public speaking. I will be talking about the importance of a good attention getter, a clear presentation of your points, and eye contact with the audience. First, I will talk to you about the importance of a good attention getter, but before I can do that I will need to explain what an attention getter is. An attention getter is the very first words that exit from your mouth in a speech and these words are used to captivate the audience?s attention and make them believe that your speech is going to be worth listening to. Now you might ask why is this important. This is essential in your speech because the worst thing that can happen in a speech that you are giving is for someone to fall asleep or to have people totally ignoring what you have to say after you spent a lot of time coming up with all your information. Now, I will talk about the importance of introducing your points clearly. This part of your speech is called the preview. The preview is basically a list of all your main ideas of the speech in the introduction. For example, if your speech is about baseball your preview might go like this: today I will be talking about the history of baseball, the highly talented players and some of the great records that will never be broken. The preview is vital because it presents your ideas clearly and to the point. It?s very bad when at the end of your speech the audience has no clue what you were trying to say or what material you were presenting. The last fundamental idea that you will learn by taking a public speaking class is the importance of eye contact. Eye contact is pretty self-explanatory in that it is basically looking at your audience for about 60-75% of your speech. According to Samovar Mills, our eyes are capable of sending innumerable messages. They can show what type of emotional state we are in and they can prove that we are sincere about our topic. Eye contact is a very little thing in a speech, but it will let you know how your audience is reacting to your speech and that will tell you what you need to do for the rest of your speech to grab their attention. Today I talked about a few of the important techniques that you will learn by taking a general public speaking class. I talked about the importance in having a great attention getter, why a preview of your main points are important, and how the use of eye contact can send ?hidden messages? and that it allows for the speaker to examine his or her audience?s reaction to their speech. After telling you about these few concepts, I hope that next quarter you will find it very beneficial to take at least one public speaking class because it WILL improve your communication with other human beings and according to Megan Mahoney, ?You can not not communicate?. Bibliography none .

Managing students with disabilities

Introduction Disability is one of the challenges encountered by teachers when delivering there services to students. It should be noted that nearly all the students could achieve their academic objectives if the right teaching and learning techniques are applied that take into account the individual student needs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing students with disabilities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Different students having different learning abilities prompting for a need by the educators to differently address these students with special education needs. If not correctly considered, the students in with mild disabilities under other unidentified disabilities might suffer due to the current emphasis on the educational sector that an inclusive educational practice be adopted. The instructors in this case should have the required knowledge and appropriately intervene to help these students to cope u p with the curriculum requirements. Instructional issues that are encountered in education are those arising due to the inability of the students to acquire, maintain, and relate the skills that are learned in class to other settings within and outside the classroom (Keel et al, 1999). Instructional issues to be addressed for students with the disabilities Students with autism Autism refers to a disorder in the development of the nervous system. It refers to a group of slowly evolving disorders of the central nervous system that are collectively referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders or Autism Spectrum Conditions. The victims of this disorder are seen to have an impaired speech. They are also seen to have difficulties in social interaction. Regardless of type and level of autism in an individual, these behavioral and social developments are always retarded. The other obvious signs of autism include forgetfulness, problem in understanding and following instructions, avoiding direct eye contact during communication or poor sexual development. Children with autism are epileptic, have no intuitions, and show no love or empathy for others. They consider the others much the same way they do to objects.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Handling students with this kind of disability is one of the hard tasks that a trainer will have to perform. One problem that the instructors face in handling autistic students is that they (autistic students) have little or no ability to concentrate in a given task like learning in class. However, despite their slow learning pace, there are techniques that can be applied to help the autistic students learn and achieve there desired goals. Students with E/BD Students with emotional and behavioral disorder manifest some kind of uncontrolled behaviour. The instructors need to first establish if the actions of a student are caused by emoti onal disturbance requiring special education, or it results from other psychological disorders. Students with emotional behavioral disorders have a low ability to learn and retain a concept in class (Westwood 2009, p.101). They are not good at listening and taking instruction, which is a fundamental teaching and learning requirement. If the students with emotional and behavioral disorders are not properly handled, the effects of their uncontrolled behavior can extend and affect the learning of other students as well. The difficulties that are associated with this kind of disorder among the student can be categorized as either externalized and internalized manifestations (Westwood p.99). The externalized symptoms include unexplained aggression, being hostile, inability to socialize with the others, and inability to comply with the given instructions. The internalized signs include anxiety, social isolation, as well as exhibiting emotional depression. Emotional behavioral disorders fa ll in the broad category of student disability referred to as high-incidence disabilities. The other kinds of disabilities in this group are learning disabilities (LD) and mild intellectual disabilities (MID). Even though victims of all these disabilities show similar social adaptability, they are seen to differ in cognitive and behavioral characteristics (Sabornie et al, 2006). Discussions The potential resources that may useful to obtain information/support for dealing with the above disability issues.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing students with disabilities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The teachers are the central players in identifying the students with some kind of disabilities and the kind of special needs education that are appropriate for such groups of students. However, a collective responsibility needs the co-operation of all the stakeholders of a given learning institution. The followi ng are some of the individuals and individual practices that can be appropriate in identifying and managing mild disabilities among the students. Fellow students Some behavioral disorders are known to spread due to the peer influence that occurs among the students. However, ensuring that the environment in class is favorable for learning is a collective responsibility that includes the participation of even the students. It is through the co-operation of the students that an emerging uncontrolled behavior in some students can be identified and controlled. Besides, in an inclusive class, the other students with learning difficulties can be assisted through collective learning practices. Fellow Teachers These are the most valuable resources in helping a teacher to identify a disability issue that affects the teaching and learning process. Teachers should have instructional and collaborative teaming with the other teachers and professionals to help identify and manage disabilities in s tudents (Rodriguez 1998). Collaboration among a group of teachers is useful since it can take a single teacher to take a long time before identifying a weakness in a student. School administrators The administration has to ensure that there are adequate staffs that are trained on the techniques of handling students with various mild disabilities (Rodriguez 1998). The institutional management should ensure that there is proper time schedule for the learning process that fits students with these disabilities.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They should monitor how the teachers follow the learning schedules that have been planned. They should also establish and reinforce corrective measures that can be used for students with uncontrolled behaviors. Family and community The community from which a student hails can determine the kind of behaviors exhibited by the students. The community has a lot of support to offer to the student before, during, and after the schooling period (Rodriguez 1998). The knowledge of the family background of a student can quickly help a teacher in identifying the disabilities in that student. Collaboration of teachers and the parents of a student can help in identifying disorders like autism, which may not be noticed at the first instance in school. Having identified a disorder in a student, there is still need for co-operation between the students and parents to ensure that the disorder is managed or corrected. Family or group psychotherapy can be of some help (Westwood 2009, p107. Both the pa rties will give the necessary psychological, instructional, or financial support for the student. Life experiences Some of the emotional and behavioral behaviors witnessed in students stem from the experiences that one has had in life. For instance, female students who have had a childhood sexual abuse may show some signs of uncontrolled emotional behavior. The teachers then need to be conversant with the possible effects of such childhood abuses before developing the best approach to manage the situation. Some personal experiences by the teacher concerning some of the uncontrolled emotional behavior among the students can also be help in identifying and managing the vice. Support staff like lab technician or librarian It might take long for a teacher to identify some poor behavior in students, especially those that are internally manifested. The students may be cheeky enough to conceal their true behavior while near the teaching staff and the administrators. A librarian or laborato ry technician can be of some help (Rodriguez 1998). A report on a student’s ability or conduct can also be obtained from other staffs like their librarian or laboratory technician. The conduct of a student during some social function as reported by security officials can provide an insight of his/her behavior. Curriculum developers The curriculum developers need to ensure that a coursework is designed that incorporates the techniques of managing various disabilities in students. Behavioral analysis techniques and behavioral reinforcement techniques should be fundamental components of every curriculum (Westwood 2009, p.107). The teachers need to understand that techniques like rebuking a student publicly may mere worsen the situation rather than correct it. Potential strategies that can be used to meet the challenges presented by the instructional issues. An important factor that a trainer handling autistic student needs to consider is that the role needs a lot of patience and perseverance. They also need to understand that these students often prefer a set of routine learning practices. Therefore, there needs to be no application of a variety of teaching techniques. The appropriate strategies are a combination of teacher directed and student directed interventions. These strategies might be of some help. Never alter or modify the schedules The children with autism are known to prefer and enjoy activities that are routinely carried out. Making unnecessary alterations in the learning schedules might cause them trouble, as they will take relatively long period to adapt to the changes. Even though such a practice may be applicable in school, it might be hard to be adopted by private tutors or other mentors at home. Nonetheless, such alterations should be avoided as much as possible. Select the appropriate learning style There is also a need for the teachers to understand and adopt the teaching and learning style that is most suitable for a given student wit h disability. While some of the autistic students may be good taking instruction through listening, most of them are unable to concentrate and can best be instructed through illustration and demonstration. Address writing issues- introduce computers A more common problem among the students with autism is their inability to get hold of a pen and provide eligible writing. A teaching and learning session should involve an instruction given by the teacher followed by a response from the students. This response could be required in form of written work. The application of modern information technology like computer can enable the teacher and student to communicate effectively with each other. Use interesting objects like toys to give illustrations One of the features of an effective curriculum is its ability to introduce a concept from a point that is well known to the student. Using teaching aids that are familiar to the students often restores their attention back to class thereby impr oving the quality of the learning process. Most autistic children are used to playing with toys. The instructors’ uses of toys to demonstrate some model will attract their attention and makes them concentrate in class. Identify the other talents in these students like Students have different abilities in curriculum as well as extra curricula activities. A student who has mild disability like autism may be discouraged by his/her inability to perform well in academics. However, such students often have talents in other fields like sports, craft, or music. If any of the talents is identified and properly cultivated, then these students can be able to understand how they are not very different from the rest. Other strategies Apart from the strategies discussed for dealing with autism in students, other strategies might be appropriate in handling instructional issues in a collective inclusion of students. These include the use of self-instructional approaches, encouraging group le arning among the students, employing individual direct instruction, and encouraging mutual learning skills among the students (Keel et al 1999). Forming groups of heterogeneous students as well as the inclusion of the mild disabled students in classroom discussions help in managing these disabilities (Rodriguez 1998). The teachers should consistently monitor the students’ progress to check if the corrective strategies are succeeding in managing the disability. The teachers should also establish rules and regulations to be used in class and the penalties associated with them (Westwood 2009, p108). The other strategy that can be adopted to manage students with uncontrolled behavior is the application of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) (Zionts Banks, 2008, p.2). This involves the application of cognitive-behavioral intervention programs to help in shaping the students’ behavior while boosting their cognitive ability. It helps one in reducing the self-defeating emotions. It is aimed at ‘bringing about a reduction in the intensity of inappropriate negative emotions of students’ (Banks Zionts, 2008, p.12). Conclusion The teachers need to understand the diversity that occurs among the students that they meet in learning institutions. Different students have different abilities in learning and, as far as possible, they should be provided with individual attention to supply their educational needs. The teachers need to understand that every student can be trained to meet a given standard if and only if the appropriate corrective measure is taken. Identifying and managing such disabilities is a collective responsibility that requires the cooperation of all the stakeholders in education. References Banks, T. and Zionts, P., 2008. REBT Used with Children and Adolescents who have Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Educational Settings: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Rational – Emotive Cognitive – Behavior Th erapy, Vol. 27, Iss. 1; p. 51. Web. Keel, M. et al. 1999. Selecting Instructional Interventions for Students with Mild Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms. Focus on Exceptional Children, Vol. 31, Issue 8. Web. Rodriguez, P., 1998. Critical Issue: Meeting the Diverse Needs of Young Children North. Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Web. Sabornie, E. et al. 2006. Comparing characteristics of high-incidence disability groups: a descriptive review. Web. Westwood, P., 2009. What Teachers Need to Know About Students with Disabilities Victoria: Aust Council for Ed Research. This essay on Managing students with disabilities was written and submitted by user Nathaly G. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.