For this year’s science, I had assignments to draw some animals I studied. I will be sharing with you seven pictures I drew of insects and animals I learned about throughout this year.
Animal Drawing Log
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Category Archives: Houston
Fascinating Fish
Fish can swim in fresh or saltwater. There are over 32,000 species of these water-breathing creatures. Fish inhale by extracting the oxygen the water contains and then cycling the extra water through their gills. Fish eat by sucking water into their mouth and eventually pulling in some small prey also, then the excess water comes out their gills. This paper will be divided into three sections: sharks and whales, deep-sea fish, and fishing.
Even though most shark species have great eyes, ears, and noses actually sense their prey by sending electrical waves through the water, having it bounce off the prey, then returning back to the shark. They have row after row of replaceable teeth. In order for them to breathe, most species have to continue swimming, never taking a break, but some can breathe by sitting at the bottom of the ocean floor and continuously sucking water into their mouths. There are many different types of sharks, but none of them enjoy eating humans. Mostly, a shark will only consume a person if it smells like their prey or if the shark is starving. At 40 feet long and weighing in around 50,000 pounds or 25 tons, the Whale Shark is the largest fish in the world. Whale Sharks also have a lifespan of about 70 years. The Killer Whale (Orca) is the largest member of the Dolphin Family. They can be found in almost every ocean, excluding some very Northern waters. Orcas won’t normally attack humans in the wild, but in captivity they can become aggressive. Sperm Whales are huge whales which are found in every ocean on the planet. The book “Moby Dick†is the story of a Sperm Whale attacking a ship. Sperm Whales raise their babies for 10 years before releasing them.
Lurking in the depths of the ocean, deep-sea fish are mysterious and often strange creatures. Barreleyes are fish that have transparent faces and eat small arthropods. This frightening fragile-looking freak is also nicknamed the “Spook Fish†and resides in almost tropical waters in the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. Angler fish have extremely long, sharp teeth that are so massive they can’t even close their mouth completely. Anglers also have a slender stick growing out of their head called an Illcium that attracts prey and sometimes produces light. The Giant Squid is a 46-foot-long monster that no one knew even existed until the 1970s. They move by sucking in water, then squeezing it out, propelling themselves through the water.
Fishing can be either for sport or for selling them for people to eat. Fishermen use a myriad of methods to catch fish including Trawling which is the use of a net to catch large quantities of fish. Another method is Spearing which is swimming under the water and sticking as many fish as you can with a spear. Trapping is the use of traps and is typically used for crabs. Angling is done with a fishing rod and is most common in sport fishing. Longlining is the use of one long line with thousands of hooks on it. Trolling is similar, but is multiple lines spread out behind a boat. Tuna is normally caught by fishermen and eaten around the world. Tuna can be 15 feet long and weigh 1,500 pounds. Shrimp are tiny creatures caught in large quantities using the Trawling method. Some fish are caught as delicacies and are specific to one country.
Sharks, whales, and deep sea fish all live in saltwater, but other types can be found in freshwater areas like a lake or river. Fish are delicious, cool, and fascinating creatures!
An Important and Impactful Civilization
Greece is the most influential ancient civilization in Western history. The modern country of Greece is located in the Southern Balkan region in Europe. It’s an extremely mountainous area with most cities built in the coastal areas. Greece also has many islands and the Ionian region of ancient Greece, now in modern-day Turkey, contained the most creative people of the Old World.
For instance, Homer was an Ionian bard who wrote the two epic poems, “The Iliad†and “The Odyssey.†Part myth, part history, “The Iliad†was about the Trojan War, a conflict between the city of Troy, in modern-day Turkey, and the Greek city of Sparta along with her allies. The war began when King Menelaus of Sparta married a woman named Helen, who was thought to be the most beautiful mortal woman on earth. Paris of Troy coveted Menelaus’ wife and finally decided to steal her for himself. After the kidnap, Menelaus called other Greek warriors to help him to retake his wife.
After 10 years, the war was won when the Greeks sent a giant horse, which was thought to be a peace offering, to the city gates of Troy. The Trojan soldiers took it inside the gates thinking it was a gift. While the city slept, Greek soldiers who were hiding inside the horse jumped out, razing and destroying the city completely. Afterwards, Helen was returned home and Troy was occupied.
“The Odyssey†is another myth about the Trojan War that was also written by Homer. This story was not about the actual war, but about the return home of a soldier named Odysseus after the conflict concluded. It had been years since the war had ended and Odysseus’ son and wife were worried. During his attempt to return home to his family, he had a myriad of adventures. Odysseus encountered many obstacles including a sorceress and the struggle of sailing past sirens, creatures that had voices that were so beautiful it would make someone go mad. He solved this problem by instructing his crew to tie him up until they passed the tricky creatures.
When he finally arrived home, the soldier found that his wife had remained faithful to him even though he had been away for a long time and a flock of different suitors had tried to take Odysseus’ throne by marrying his wife. Like an angry wolf protecting its pack, Odysseus killed all the suitors with the help of his son.
Ancient Greece also had another bard named Virgil who wrote “The Aeneid.†About the founding and origins of Rome, the story focuses on a mythical man named Aeneas who’s trying to found a new Trojan nation after the fall of Troy. We can use this story to understand that Rome began around the same time as the fall of Troy to the Greeks.
Let’s now move from literature to Greek government. There were four forms of Greek government: Anarchy, Oligarchy, Monarchy, and Democracy. Anarchy is lawlessness with little or no government. Oligarchy is rule by a few wealthy, powerful people. Monarchy is the rule of one king or tyrant. And finally, Democracy is rule by 51% of the voting population.
The creators of Greek law were two tyrants. Draco wrote the law and Solon reformed them. In Greek times the word tyrant didn’t mean a brutal oppressor like it does today; instead, it just meant a king or ruler.
Athens was the first city to use Democracy as a form of government and Cleisthenes introduced it. Democracy consists of two Greek words, demos and kratos, meaning people and rule. Under Democracy, the government was divided into two branches, the Assembly and the Council. The Assembly voted on proposals the Council made. If a council didn’t serve the people, they would be banished for 10 years. Only free men were allowed to vote in the Assembly.
As you can understand, Greece was a highly important and impactful civilization. We can thank Greece for creating the basis of our government and largely affecting our literature and even architecture today.