#Largest Asian Antelope

[subbalakshmisastry]

Family Of Nilghai / Blue Bull @ Bannerghatta National Park Bengaluru, Ba...

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - March 15-21

Like these weekly compilations? Support me on Ko-fi! Also, if you tip me on here or Ko-fi, at the end of the month I’ll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn’t use each week - almost double the content! (I’m new to taking tips on here; if it doesn’t show me your username or if you have DM’s turned off, please send me a screenshot of your payment)

1. Comeback on the cards for Asian antelope declared extinct in Bangladesh

“Nilgais, the largest antelope species in Asia, are reappearing in northwestern Bangladesh, a country that was part of their historical range but where they were declared locally extinct in the 1930s due to habitat loss and hunting.”

2. Tribal Homes in Minnesotta [sic] Get $1.4M for Clean Electricity

““This grant will allow us to make electrification improvements to our members’ homes and involve them more directly in our efforts to change our energy narrative and achieve our net zero goal.””

3. Pollinators Flock to Flower-Filled Solar Panel Fields

“As populations of crucial pollinators decline, developers have been seeding the grounds of their solar arrays with native wildflowers. Now a five-year study published in Environmental Research Letters confirms that this approach boosts the pollinators’ abundance and diversity—with spillover benefits for surrounding farms.”

4. U.S. House of Representatives Passes WILD Act

“The WILD Act supports funding two different initiatives: […] the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program offers critical support for voluntary conservation initiatives[, and…] The Multinational Species Conservation Funds play a pivotal role in supporting the conservation of imperiled species globally”

5. Private Gender Affirming Care Ban Fails To Advance In England After "Ferret Filibuster"

“A bill banning puberty blockers for trans youth and defining sex to exclude trans people was blocked from being heard after Labour MPs spoke at length on pet names and ferrets.”

6. Community-Led Effort to Plant Thousands of Seedlings

“Despite its urban surroundings, [the Tucki Tucki] creek serves as a vital refuge for the endangered platypus and purple spotted gudgeon populations. […] Planting native vegetation along the water’s edge serves multiple purposes. Not only does it provide crucial habitat for the endangered species, but it also helps stabilise the banks, mitigating erosion and reducing sedimentation in the creek.”

7. Court Ruling Halts Wolf Trapping and Snaring in Idaho Grizzly Bear Habitat

“[The ruling] will stop trapping and snaring […] to prevent the unlawful take of Endangered Species Act-protected grizzly bears. The decision stated, “There is ample evidence in the record, including from Idaho’s own witnesses, that lawfully set wolf traps and snares are reasonably likely to take grizzly bears in Idaho.””

8. A Boston grocery store is bringing community solar to a low-income area

“A group of energy-equity advocates in Boston is launching a community solar cooperative they say could be a scalable model for both reducing carbon emissions and building wealth in disadvantaged communities.”

9. Two-faced solar panels can generate more power at up to 70% less cost

“Scientists at the University of Surrey have built a new kind of solar panel with two faces, both of them pretty. Their flexible perovskite panels have electrodes made of tiny carbon nanotubes. These can generate more power with greater efficiency and at a cost 70% lower than existing solar panels.”

10. It's a boy! Athens zoo welcomes birth of rare pygmy hippo

“A rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus has been born in Athens’ Attica Zoological Park for the first time in 10 years, delighting conservationists. A lack of male pygmy hippos in captivity had complicated breeding efforts, so zoo staff were “absolutely thrilled” the baby was a boy”

March 8-14 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[indianencyclopedia]

Nilgai, scientifically known as Boselaphus tragocamelus, is the largest Asian antelope and is commonly found across the Indian subcontinent. With its distinct appearance and widespread presence, the Nilgai holds significant ecological importance in India's diverse wildlife landscape.

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter.

This week we’re going to find you a new friend that will love you and listen to you all you need. That’s right, we’re getting you.. A PET! Let’s get to picking… and may the best pet WIN!

Aries 

You’re getting the Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine. Originally from Central and South America, they are large rodents with an odor reminiscent of human BO… meaning if you carry it with you you’ll have plausible deniability. This week… lose the Axe Body Spray.

Taurus 

Hey, everybody else? Don’t laugh. Because Taurus is getting a Dik Dik! It’s a tiny antelope species that have been kept as pets in the past, being sold at a hefty $6000 price tag. This week start planning for what you’ll be feeding your Dik Dik… because you’ll have to explain to the PetSmart Employees that you're NOT being lewd.

Gemini  

Get your passport in order because your pet will be the Raccoon Dog. Also called Tanuki, this has an uncanny resemblance to a typical raccoon, but it’s a canid from East Asia. They are one of the few federally banned species in the United States, but they are often kept in Europe. So this week, find the German Consulate and apply for a visa. 

Cancer Moon-Child 

Your animal will be… the Hyrax. Resembling a marmot or some other common rodent, the hyrax is the closest living relative to elephants and fairly related to manatees. At 70cm and 5kg, it’s the closest thing to a Vaporeon you’ll ever own. Do your own jokes.

Leo 

Honestly, your pet is going to be one of the most symbiotic relationships on this list. You’re getting the Asian Palm Civet. Yes, THAT Coffee-Enhancing Civet. Fortunately for you and your coffee habit It’s about the size of a house cat. This week… we’re putting you on Decaf. NO! You are NOT allowed to appeal this punishment. You EARNED this one!

Virgo 

Your desire to be Unique plays out again - your pet will be… the Jerboa. Imagine if you took a kangaroo, crossed it with a mouse, and… well, that’s about it, really. They’re cute, all-but impossible to find in the Americas, and bounce around like no one is looking. This week mix and match things you normally wouldn’t. Like, say… Your Socks!

Libra 

Get some clay. Make the head of a fox with it. Now pull those ears up more… MORE! There’s your pet: the Bat-Eared Fox. This African fox will help you with your gardening because it’s an insectivore. This week… actually START that garden you’ve been meaning to for the whole winter. 

Scorpio 

Your sick sense of humour is bringing you a pet in the form of a Tennessee fainting goat. The adorable, inquisitive, teachable little cutie who, when startled, turns into a goat-shaped mannequin. You want to stop that fainting for a while? Stop giving it water for a couple days. This week, YOU try going three days without water and see how YOU feel first!

Sagittarius 

Not the most exotic pet, but you’ll get one of the cutest: the Chinchilla. On the bright side, they’re pretty docile. On the bad side, they are nocturnal and are most active at night. This week, switch your work schedule around so you can spend quality time with your dust-bath taking friend.

Capricorn 

Better be ready for a long-term commitment, because you’re getting a Sugar Glider! Actually, better make that Two. They’re social animals that live upwards of 15 years, and they need to have companionship. This week, learn how to sew a little sugar glider diaper for them. You’re gunna need it.

Aquarius 

Proving that we’re not out to get you, your pet will be… the Capybara! These enormous guinea pig relatives are the largest rodents in the world, and have the sweetest temperament. They are semi-aquatic and require a pool of water to swim in. This week, look up pictures of Capybara and see that they literally charm all other animals to like them.

Pisces  

Finally, we have for you… the Muntjac Deer! They are compact enough to live indoors, being about the size of a medium dog, and are pretty intelligent, trainable, and live well with other pets. The Good side is their droppings have very little odor. The Bad side is… their droppings have very little odor. This week TRY to remember that you don’t have The Smartest pet of them all. The vet said to leave the light on at night and lay some newspapers on the floor for it… NOT that it’s reading.

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and Discord.

[alphaannapurnabasecamp]

Best Place To Travel In Nepal With Family

Traveling is fun, but it will be more fun and memorable if you travel with your family. Here is the best place to travel with your family. By chasing their dreams and providing for the family itself, people forget to make time for their families. But being social beings, we really need to spend time with our loved ones. The best way to do this is to go on a family tour. If you are afraid that you will not manage your family and you feel that your children are growing up too fast. Then it's a good time to pack your bags and make travel with your family. In Nepal, there are many beautiful places suitable for families.

Here is some of the best place list to travel with your family.        

1. Kathmandu Valley

Capital of Nepal; Kathmandu is probably the largest city in Nepal. It is a beautiful city with many world heritage sites, important bird places, innumerable ramsara sites, various short footpaths, and ancient palaces. Nothing about Kathmandu is normal. The people, the way they live, the many festivals they celebrate, and the way they eat special food. The unique cultural mix makes the city attractive to visit. Similarly, the historical city has been welcoming tourists for years. It offers one of the best hotel experiences out of many traditional hotels. This country is a big city with a population of 5 million people. Despite that, it is still the most peaceful city in Nepal. So you can check into your hotel room at midnight and nothing bad will happen. So, if you want to explore the colorful city with your family, you must visit Kathmandu.

2. Pokhara

There is no doubt that Pokhara is a family holiday destination for many reasons. First, it is a quiet and scenic spot in western Nepal. The city has many attractions including 10 lakes and beautiful mountains. Similarly, the city also offers good hotels that cater to the needs of your entire family. You can visit the Bat Cave, Mahendra Cave,  and Gupteshowr Cave here. Along with that, it offers plenty of things for kids to do including sailing or even swimming. There are various parks and short hikes around the city that are perfect for your family vacation. It is undeniable that Pokhara is one of the most popular places in Nepal. It also serves as the gateway to the Annapurna range. So, a Pokhara Valley tour can be one of the most fun and exciting experiences for your family.

3. Nagarkot

Nagarkot is a small hill station but offers many tourist attractions. This is one of the best cultural experiences near Kathmandu for you and your family. It's a great place for a quick escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. The environment is refreshing. This city offers a quick escape from the city where you can see Mount Everest and other Himalayan ranges. You can see eight of the thirteen mountains of Nepal from Nagarkot. The place offers a perfect picnic spot and is famous for its sunrise. You and your family can go on a bike tour in the city, ride a horse or even visit the beautiful Changunarayan Temple. Your kids will love the place. Nagarkot offers so many accommodations and hotels that you will have no problem finding one. Similarly, four-wheelers and city vehicles are easy here and there is no problem reaching Nagarkot.

4. Sauraha

Chitwan National Parks are accessible from Sauraha Camp. It is a small town on the flood waters of Rapti and Narayani rivers and is known for its diverse lifestyle. The presence of some of the world's rarest species that roam free in their habitats makes this place a great place to visit. You can see one-horned rhinoceros, Bengal tigers, many antelopes, wild buffaloes, and bulls as you walk through the forest. Some beautiful birds like the great hornbill can be seen in Chitwan National Park. Also, there is an elephant nursery where Asian elephants are protected. The place offers a variety of activities that you and your family can participate in. Chitwan National Park offers many resorts and hotels, and you can have the best family time here.

5. Daman

Daman is about 55 kilometers southwest of Kathmandu and has an altitude of about 2,400 meters. Easily accessible from Kathmandu, Daman remains covered in snow during winter. Many visitors come to Daman to touch the first snow. From the observation tower, you can see the Himalayan range from Dhaulagiri in the west to Sagarmatha in the east. Therefore, it is still the best place for family vacations and refreshments for a busy life. You and your family can climb the observation tower and enjoy the view. The port also has many hotels and accommodations to accommodate your family. Also, take a walk in the beautiful villages nearby during your stay.

6. Dhulikhel

Dhulikhel Hill station is located 50 kilometers from Kathmandu. The location is well accessible by road and reaching the hill station is very easy. Beautiful pine trees in Dhulikhel, a water park, and huge Shiva and Sanga statues will make your family trip to Dhulikhel memorable. Traveling to Dhulikhel is easy and the results are rewarding here! You can also go on a zipline tour if your children are over 13 years old. Likewise, the region is rich in culture and religion. Dhulikhel also offers a spectacular 180-degree view of the Himalayas on its hillside. There are many resorts and hotels in Dhulikhel. The beautiful Bhattedanda offers a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and the city at night. In addition, you can also have a family picnic here.

7. Mustang

The classic Mustang can be the perfect family vacation spot for a number of reasons. Activities such as mountain biking and rock climbing are also popular here. You can join various road trips to places like Muktinath Temple and Marpha Village in Jomsom. Take a family stroll along the fast-flowing Kali Gandaki River and spend a day at the tranquil Ghar Gompa. It will be a unique and memorable experience in the mountain desert for your children too. Also, the place has a sufficient number of clean restaurants. Short and beautiful walks will improve your family bond. Similarly, you can go to Jharkot to get a real sense of real Nepalese life. When you are in Marpha village, don't forget to try Thakali and Nepalese apples.

8. Palpa

The place is a monument that has Palpa Durbar and the ancient Rani Mahal. You and your family can take a short and beautiful trip to Srinagar Dada, Kaudlek.

9. Bardia National Park

Like Chitwan National Park, Bardia is another great forest for your family. Bardia National Park offers great opportunities for wildlife lovers. It is a national park with minimal human interference and the biodiversity of Bardia is completely unchanged. Added to the tiger sanctuary, the Bardia forest is famous for the Bengal tiger. You can ride an elephant or go on a jungle safari and enjoy wildlife and bird watching. If your family is lucky, you can also spot tigers from the Karnali shores in the evening. Apart from tigers, the place is full of bird species like greylag goose, mallard duck, green-winged teal, shoveler, and mallard. Teach your children the importance of green and the environment. Also, have a close look at the Gavial crocodiles and Mugger crocodiles in the Karnali River.

10. Lumbini

Lumbini is one of the holy places for Buddhists around the world. People go to Lumbini to commemorate the birth and life of Siddhartha Gautam - the "Light of Asia". The Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For centuries, the historic Maya Devi temple and various monasteries built around the palace have attracted tourists from all over the world. You can have a peaceful time with your family here. Visit various temples built by Buddhist countries around the world. Also, sign up for various meditation classes. Similarly, you can rent a bike and take a family bike ride in the Maya Devi resort. Take a family photo at the Ashoka Pillar and the Eternal Flame in the complex. You can take a quick boat trip to the beautiful Lumbini Park.

11. Ilam - Kanyam tea garden

Ilam is another beautiful hill station on the eastern border of Nepal. This may be the first sunrise view in Nepal. The tea Garden of Kanyam is one of the most famous attractions here. Shree Antu Lake is also popular. Ilam is also well known for bird watching and the area is also famous for red pandas. The hill station has a beautiful environment and a good mix of cultures. It also offers a variety of good hotels and restaurants where you and your family can spend time together. The place is tourist friendly and completely under budget. So it is one of the best family travel places in Nepal for a long stay.

You can choose one of the above and spend quality time with your family. Traveling with your family strengthens your relationship with them. It also helps you create new memories with your children.

[hinducosmos]

Nilgai Khanjar Mid-17th Century. Mughal Dominions, India

Runjeet Singh wrote : The hilt of this dagger depicts that of a graceful nilgai antelope carved out of nephrite jade that exhibits a deep sea-green colour. The nilgai is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and is the largest Asian antelope, its name nilgai literally translating to “blue bull” on account of the animal’s bluish-grey coat.

www.runjeetsingh.com (via Instagram: Runjeet Singh)

[earthstory]

Death of a sea Human indifference and unplanned use of natural resources have successfully destroyed the Aral sea within the short span of 50 years. The Aral sea, the fourth largest freshwater lake of the world, is located in the midst of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Asia and it is on the verge of drying up completely. The water of the Aral sea was replenished by two of the biggest Central Asian rivers - the Syr Darya from the north and the Amu Darya from the south. In the early 1960s, the Soviet Union began using the waters of the lake to boost cotton production. Numerous dams and irrigation channels on Amu Darya clogged off the water supply to the lake. As a result, 60,000 sq. kms. area of lake water (i.e. about 80% by volume) was lost by way of irrigation and evaporation. As the sea started to shrink, the pleasant climate of the area began to change. The rain stopped and the grass dried up. The summers became hotter than ever before, and winters became too cold to endure. The local produce like melons, clover, and barley could not be grown any longer. Herds of antelope that used to roam the area dwindled away. The seawater became polluted with increasing concentrations of fertilisers and pesticides which were present in the surface runoff. This rise in pollution level killed all the aquatic animals, causing fisheries and the communities that depended on them to collapse. When the sea receded, layers of polluted, salty sand were exposed. These sediments were carried by the wind and created health hazards among the local population. By 1997 the lake had shrunk to 10 percent of its original size and split into a large southern Uzbek part and a smaller Kazakh portion in the north. The Kazakh government has started conservation measures to restore the small Aral in Kazakhstan. They built the Kokaral dam in 2005 to stop the existing lake water from running away into the desert while the Syr Darya continues to replenish it with fresh water. After the dam was built port Aralsk saw the sea water returning within 25 km of the port area whereas before 2005, the sea had receded 100 km away from the port. While this dam did save the small northern part of the Aral Sea, aside from occasional floods, the eastern portion of the Aral Sea has now been dry for years. The Soviet Union sowed the seeds of the Aral Sea's destruction by building a cotton industry; now that it is so close to death the oil and gas deposits under the seabed have attracted the attention of Russian and Korean energy companies.They are now actively extracting in the Uzbek part of the sea and the dry sea bed enables easier access to the oil and gas deposits. The Uzbek government is planting saxaul trees on the seabed to reduce the spread of the toxic salts but conservation efforts towards restoration of large part of Aral sea are nil. Lakes are being created for fish-farming and to help improve living conditions of the people of the region, but all of these efforts are too little, too late to save the Aral sea. The decreasing water level through all these years as is evident from the photos shows the extent of the destruction of this beautiful lake. --RB. Further details: http://bit.ly/1tjm4B2http://cnn.it/1E8PoCxhttp://bbc.in/1Ar8MKC More on Kokaral dam: http://dailym.ai/1FTbsTY Information on Ground water pollution via sediments: http://bit.ly/1Fl63kW Image credits: NASA/USGS/GSFChttps://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30165

[typhlonectes]

Have you ever heard of the Nilgai?

Weighing in at up to 528 pounds (239.5 kilograms), the nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) is among the largest species of Asian antelope! The whopping animal can be nearly 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall at the shoulders. It lives in India in the foothills of the Himalayas, typically in herds of around 10 individuals. Grass makes up the majority of its diet, but it also grazes on woody plants, flowers, seeds, and fruits.

Photograph: Gaurika Wijeratne, CC

via: American Museum of Natural History

[anshuman1802]

The nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) (/ˈnɪlˌɡaɪ/, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus Boselaphus and was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. The nilgai stands 1–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft) at the shoulder; males weigh 109–288 kg (240–635 lb)

[autisticassassinbird]

Reasons for picking daemon forms in my daemon AU.

Tooma & Sayaka - Tooma seemed, to me at least, like the only character, so far, that I could justify giving a large mammalian predator form to without it coming off as weird. Tigers are solitary animals except for females raising their cubs. They are also the largest big cats in the world.

Aya & Yasu - Cheetahs are very fast and the males are known to live in small groups made up of brothers. They also climb (though not as good as leopards). They purr but can't roar.

Satoru & Marin - Some officers would need larger daemons for catching dangerous criminals. Snow leopards are rather large.

Keiichiro & Mio - German Shepherds are often used in police work, either as police dogs or bomb or drug sniffing dogs. They are also used as guard dogs.

Sakuya & Zhi - Mice are small and are good for spying.

Tsukasa & Hayato - Vultures are scavengers and eat carrion. (I just thought it would be cool)

Kairi & Aoi - Thick billed ravens are one of the largest passerine birds and also the largest corvid species.

Shori & Miki - wedge tailed eagles are one of the larger eagle species. They have actually attacked hang gliders. Smaller bird species have been known to mob wedge tailed eagles to protect their nests. They also steal young sheep.

Umika & Sorin - Hedgehogs are known for their spines and curling up when encountering predators.

Shiho & Naomi - Emerald tree boas have the longest fangs of any nonvenomous snake.

Arsène & Marie - A phantom thief would want a daemon that is both flashy but subtle. Scottish wildcats have been mistaken for domestic cats before and domestic cats are descended from African wildcats, so why not a cat that looks like a pet but actually isn't?

Sento & Miyako - Hares are known for long legs and some can even break their own spines by accident if they kick hard enough. Black tailed jackrabbits are also the third largest hares in North America, after antelope jackrabbits and white tailed jackrabbits.

Ryuga & Ai - Monitor lizards are large and are also venomous. Asian water monitors are semiaquatic and have been known to eat anything from frogs or young crocodiles to human flesh and carrion. They have strong bites that can sever tendons and leave massive wounds.

Sawa & Hakim - Despite their size, polecats and other mustelids are known for being viscious little shits when threatened.

Misora & Emyr - Cats are sometimes kept by royalty. Ocelots are also good at climbing trees.

Kazumi & Riku - Hoatzins are rather dinosaur like, especially when young. The chicks have claws on their wings which help them cling to tree branches, which they lose when they grow older.

Kinji & Samuel - Red foxes are adaptable and can live pretty much anywhere.

Amy & Pablo - Yellow headed blackbirds winter in Mexico and the southern United States.

Ucchy & Etsuko - I thought a lizard would fit him.

Soichi & Unnr - Caracals are very good jumpers and used to be tamed for bird catching in some parts of Africa. Caracals in South Africa have been reported hunting small antelope or gazelles along with rabbits.

Slow lorises are one of only a few poisonous mammals on Earth.

Haruto & Alya - I wanted her to be an angolan python, but I switched to a European asp. Swiss asps, according to studies, have the strongest venom.

White wizard & Faolan - Broad tailed paradise whydahs are a brood parasitic passerine species. The males have long tails.

Koyomi & Najm - Pikas are very vocal, with the expectation of the Turkestan red pika. Collared pikas are known to create "haystacks" to store food and will even steal from other creatures' food stores.

[ranthamboretigerreserve]

Reasons Why the Population of Tigers Is Decreasing

Ranthambore National Park  a part of Rajasthan's Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve is home to more than 60 tigers. The population was around 350 in 2010. However, there has been a steady decline in the number of tigers since 2008. The main reason behind this decrease in population is illegal poaching and increased instances of tiger deaths due to injuries sustained by territorial fights with other male tigers.

Over the last few decades, India has witnessed a series of unfortunate events that have resulted in the Royal Bengal Tiger's slow but untimely demise. Between 1821 and 1828, in what was known as the erstwhile Bombay Presidency in western India, 1053 Tigers were killed in order to claim rewards offered by the administration. Similarly, 349 tigers were slaughtered in India's Central Provinces over a six-month period in 1864. In 1877, 1579 tigers were slaughtered in British territories in India, excluding Indian states. The main, if not the only, cause of India's dwindling tiger population was a large-scale slaughter.

We have to reserve them and for this, we should maintain the privacy and rules of parks. To enjoy the trip, you should do Ranthambore online safari booking in advance.

Some of the major causes of the decline in tiger population were:

Habitat Loss: We continue to encroach on territory that is rightfully     theirs in order to meet development goals. Cutting forests to build     highways, extending the agricultural boundary further into the jungle, and     illegally collecting timber are just a few of the major reasons we're     losing the world's largest cat.

Prey species extinction: Human     population growth, particularly since the 1940s, has reduced and     fragmented the tiger's former range. Although extensive habitat exists in     some landscapes, agriculture, forest clearing for development –     particularly road networks – and hydroelectric projects are forcing tigers     into small and scattered islands of remaining habitat. Tigers require     larger territories, and in addition to habitat loss, they have suffered a     significant loss of natural prey populations, particularly ungulates such     as deer and antelopes.

Hunting, illegal trade, and     poaching:     Tigers have been hunted for     over a thousand years as a status symbol, decorative items such as wall     and floor coverings, souvenirs and curios, and for use in traditional     Asian medicines. Read More

[omiyadav07]

Name :- Nilgai The nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) (/ˈnɪlˌɡaɪ/, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus Boselaphus and was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. The nilgai stands 1–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft) at the shoulder; males weigh 109–288 kg (240–635 lb), and the lighter females 100–213 kg (220–470 lb). A sturdy thin-legged antelope, the nilgai is characterised by a sloping back, a deep neck with a white patch on the throat, a short crest of hair along the neck terminating in a tuft, and white facial spots. A column of pendant coarse hair hangs from the dewlap ridge below the white patch. Sexual dimorphism is prominent – while females and juveniles are orange to tawny, adult males have a bluish-grey coat. Only males possess horns, 15–24 cm (5.9–9.4 in) long. . . . #photography #photooftheday #photo #photographer #photoshoot #instagood #nature #picoftheday #instagram #love #naturephotography #travel #photographylovers #model #beautiful #travelphotography #fashion #likeforlikes #landscape #portrait #art #india #instadaily #godsowncountry #photos #canon #fotografia #kochi #kerala #portraitphotography with @hashtagsmartapp . . PC :- @omiiiyadav (at 312 विधानसभा मेंहदावल) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR6rs9GFFZf/?utm_medium=tumblr

[orbemnews]

The Lithium Gold Rush: Inside the Race to Power Electric Vehicles Atop a long-dormant volcano in northern Nevada, workers are preparing to start blasting and digging out a giant pit that will serve as the first new large-scale lithium mine in the United States in more than a decade — a new domestic supply of an essential ingredient in electric car batteries and renewable energy. The mine, constructed on leased federal lands, could help address the near total reliance by the United States on foreign sources of lithium. But the project, known as Lithium Americas, has drawn protests from members of a Native American tribe, ranchers and environmental groups because it is expected to use billions of gallons of precious ground water, potentially contaminating some of it for 300 years, while leaving behind a giant mound of waste. “Blowing up a mountain isn’t green, no matter how much marketing spin people put on it,” said Max Wilbert, who has been living in a tent on the proposed mine site while two lawsuits seeking to block the project wend their way through federal courts. The fight over the Nevada mine is emblematic of a fundamental tension surfacing around the world: Electric cars and renewable energy may not be as green as they appear. Production of raw materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel that are essential to these technologies are often ruinous to land, water, wildlife and people. That environmental toll has often been overlooked in part because there is a race underway among the United States, China, Europe and other major powers. Echoing past contests and wars over gold and oil, governments are fighting for supremacy over minerals that could help countries achieve economic and technological dominance for decades to come. Developers and lawmakers see this Nevada project, given final approval in the last days of the Trump administration, as part of the opportunity for the United States to become a leader in producing some of these raw materials as President Biden moves aggressively to fight climate change. In addition to Nevada, businesses have proposed lithium production sites in California, Oregon, Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina. But traditional mining is one of the dirtiest businesses out there. That reality is not lost on automakers and renewable-energy businesses. “Our new clean-energy demands could be creating greater harm, even though its intention is to do good,” said Aimee Boulanger, executive director for the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance, a group that vets mines for companies like BMW and Ford Motor. “We can’t allow that to happen.” This friction helps explain why a contest of sorts has emerged in recent months across the United States about how best to extract and produce the large amounts of lithium in ways that are much less destructive than how mining has been done for decades. Just in the first three months of 2021, U.S. lithium miners like those in Nevada raised nearly $3.5 billion from Wall Street — seven times the amount raised in the prior 36 months, according to data assembled by Bloomberg, and a hint of the frenzy underway. Some of those investors are backing alternatives including a plan to extract lithium from briny water beneath California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea, about 600 miles south of the Lithium Americas site. At the Salton Sea, investors plan to use specially coated beads to extract lithium salt from the hot liquid pumped up from an aquifer more than 4,000 feet below the surface. The self-contained systems will be connected to geothermal power plants generating emission-free electricity. And in the process, they hope to generate the revenue needed to restore the lake, which has been fouled by toxic runoff from area farms for decades. Businesses are also hoping to extract lithium from brine in Arkansas, Nevada, North Dakota and at least one more location in the United States. The United States needs to quickly find new supplies of lithium as automakers ramp up manufacturing of electric vehicles. Lithium is used in electric car batteries because it is lightweight, can store lots of energy and can be repeatedly recharged. Analysts estimate that lithium demand is going to increase tenfold before the end of this decade as Tesla, Volkswagen, General Motors and other automakers introduce dozens of electric models. Other ingredients like cobalt are needed to keep the battery stable. Even though the United States has some of the world’s largest reserves, the country today has only one large-scale lithium mine, Silver Peak in Nevada, which first opened in the 1960s and is producing just 5,000 tons a year — less than 2 percent of the world’s annual supply. Most of the raw lithium used domestically comes from Latin America or Australia, and most of it is processed and turned into battery cells in China and other Asian countries. “China just put out its next five-year plan,” Mr. Biden’s energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said in a recent interview. “They want to be the go-to place for the guts of the batteries, yet we have these minerals in the United States. We have not taken advantage of them, to mine them.” In March, she announced grants to increase production of crucial minerals. “This is a race to the future that America is going to win,” she said. So far, the Biden administration has not moved to help push more environmentally friendly options — like lithium brine extraction, instead of open pit mines. The Interior Department declined to say whether it would shift its stand on the Lithium Americas permit, which it is defending in court. Mining companies and related businesses want to accelerate domestic production of lithium and are pressing the administration and key lawmakers to insert a $10 billion grant program into Mr. Biden’s infrastructure bill, arguing that it is a matter of national security. “Right now, if China decided to cut off the U.S. for a variety of reasons we’re in trouble,” said Ben Steinberg, an Obama administration official turned lobbyist. He was hired in January by ​Piedmont Lithium, which is working to build an open-pit mine in North Carolina and is one of several companies that have created a trade association for the industry. Investors are rushing to get permits for new mines and begin production to secure contracts with battery companies and automakers. Ultimately, federal and state officials will decide which of the two methods — traditional mining or brine extraction — is approved. Both could take hold. Much will depend on how successful environmentalists, tribes and local groups are in blocking projects. On a hillside, Edward Bartell or his ranch employees are out early every morning making sure that the nearly 500 cows and calves that roam his 50,000 acres in Nevada’s high desert have enough feed. It has been a routine for generations, but the family has never before faced a threat quite like this. A few miles from his ranch, work could soon start on Lithium Americas’ open pit mine that will represent one of the largest lithium production sites in U.S. history, complete with a helicopter landing pad, a chemical processing plant and waste dumps. The mine will reach a depth of about 370 feet. Mr. Bartell’s biggest fear is that the mine will consume the water that keeps his cattle alive. The company has said the mine will consume 3,224 gallons per minute. That could cause the water table to drop on land Mr. Bartell owns by an estimated 12 feet, according to a Lithium Americas consultant. While producing 66,000 tons a year of battery-grade lithium carbonate, the mine may cause groundwater contamination with metals including antimony and arsenic, according to federal documents. The lithium will be extracted by mixing clay dug out from the mountainside with as much as 5,800 tons a day of sulfuric acid. This whole process will also create 354 million cubic yards of mining waste that will be loaded with discharge from the sulfuric acid treatment, and may contain modestly radioactive uranium, permit documents disclose. A December assessment by the Interior Department found that over its 41-year life, the mine would degrade nearly 5,000 acres of winter range used by pronghorn antelope and hurt the habitat of the sage grouse. It would probably also destroy a nesting area for a pair of golden eagles whose feathers are vital to the local tribe’s religious ceremonies. “It is real frustrating that it is being pitched as an environmentally friendly project, when it is really a huge industrial site,” said Mr. Bartell, who filed a lawsuit to try to block the mine. At the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, anger over the project has boiled over, even causing some fights between members as Lithium Americas has offered to hire tribal members in jobs that will pay an average annual wage of $62,675 — twice the county’s per capita income — but that will come with a big trade-off. “Tell me, what water am I going to drink for 300 years?” Deland Hinkey, a member of the tribe, yelled as a federal official arrived at the reservation in March to brief tribal leaders on the mining plan. “Anybody, answer my question. After you contaminate my water, what I am going to drink for 300 years? You are lying!” The reservation is nearly 50 miles from the mine site — and far beyond the area where groundwater may be contaminated — but tribe members fear the pollution could spread. “It is really a David versus Goliath kind of a situation,” said Maxine Redstar, the leader of the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes, noting that there was limited consultation with the tribe before the Interior Department approved the project. “The mining companies are just major corporations.” Tim Crowley, a vice president at Lithium Americas, said the company would operate responsibly — planning, for example, to use the steam from burning molten sulfur to generate the electricity it needs. “We’re answering President Biden’s call to secure America’s supply chains and tackle the climate crisis,” Mr. Crowley said. A spokesman noted that area ranchers also used a lot of water and that the company had purchased its allocation from another farmer to limit the increase in water use. The company has moved aggressively to secure permits, hiring a lobbying team that includes a former Trump White House aide, Jonathan Slemrod. Lithium Americas, which estimates there is $3.9 billion worth of recoverable lithium at the site, hopes to start mining operations next year. Its largest shareholder is the Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium. A Second Act The desert sands surrounding the Salton Sea have drawn worldwide notice before. They have served as a location for Hollywood productions like the “Star Wars” franchise. Created by flooding from the Colorado River more than a century ago, the lake once thrived. Frank Sinatra performed at its resorts. Over the years, drought and poor management turned it into a source of pollutants. But a new wave of investors is promoting the lake as one of the most promising and environmentally friendly lithium prospects in the United States. Lithium extraction from brine has long been used in Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, where the sun is used over nearly two years to evaporate water from sprawling ponds. It is relatively inexpensive, but it uses lots of water in arid areas. The approach planned at the Salton Sea is radically different. The lake sits atop the Salton Buttes, which, as in Nevada, are underground volcanoes. For years, a company owned by Berkshire Hathaway, CalEnergy, and another business, Energy Source, have tapped the Buttes’ geothermal heat to produce electricity. The systems use naturally occurring underground steam. This same water is loaded with lithium. Now, Berkshire Hathaway and two other companies — Controlled Thermal Resources and Materials Research — want to install equipment that will extract lithium after the water passes through the geothermal plants, in a process that will take only about two hours. Rod Colwell, a burly Australian, has spent much of the last decade pitching investors and lawmakers on putting the brine to use. In February, a backhoe plowed dirt on a 7,000-acre site being developed by his company, Controlled Thermal Resources. “This is the sweet spot,” Mr. Colwell said. “This is the most sustainable lithium in the world, made in America. Who would have thought it? We’ve got this massive opportunity.” A Berkshire Hathaway executive told state officials recently that the company expected to complete its demonstration plant for lithium extraction by April 2022. The backers of the Salton Sea lithium projects are also working with local groups and hope to offer good jobs in an area that has an unemployment rate of nearly 16 percent. “Our region is very rich in natural resources and mineral resources,” said Luis Olmedo, executive director of Comite Civico del Valle, which represents area farm workers. “However, they’re very poorly distributed. The population has not been afforded a seat at the table.” The state has given millions in grants to lithium extraction companies, and the Legislature is considering requiring carmakers by 2035 to use California sources for some of the lithium in vehicles they sell in the state, the country’s largest electric-car market. But even these projects have raised some questions. Geothermal plants produce energy without emissions, but they can require tens of billions of gallons of water annually for cooling. And lithium extraction from brine dredges up minerals like iron and salt that need to be removed before the brine is injected back into the ground. Similar extraction efforts at the Salton Sea have previously failed. In 2000, CalEnergy proposed spending $200 million to extract zinc and to help restore the Salton Sea. The company gave up on the effort in 2004. But several companies working on the direct lithium extraction technique — including Lilac Solutions, based in California, and Standard Lithium of Vancouver, British Columbia — are confident they have mastered the technology. Both companies have opened demonstration projects using the brine extraction technology, with Standard Lithium tapping into a brine source already being extracted from the ground by an Arkansas chemical plant, meaning it did not need to take additional water from the ground. “This green aspect is incredibly important,” said Robert Mintak, chief executive of Standard Lithium, who hopes the company will produce 21,000 tons a year of lithium in Arkansas within five years if it can raise $440 million in financing. “The Fred Flintstone approach is not the solution to the lithium challenge.” Lilac Solutions, whose clients include Controlled Thermal Resources, is also working on direct lithium extraction in Nevada, North Dakota and at least one other U.S. location that it would not disclose. The company predicts that within five years, these projects could produce about 100,000 tons of lithium annually, or 20 times current domestic production. Executives from companies like Lithium Americans question if these more innovative approaches can deliver all the lithium the world needs. But automakers are keen to pursue approaches that have a much smaller impact on the environment. “Indigenous tribes being pushed out or their water being poisoned or any of those types of issues, we just don’t want to be party to that,” said Sue Slaughter, Ford’s purchasing director for supply chain sustainability. “We really want to force the industries that we’re buying materials from to make sure that they’re doing it in a responsible way. As an industry, we are going to be buying so much of these materials that we do have significant power to leverage that situation very strongly. And we intend to do that.” Gabriella Angotti-Jones contributed reporting. Source link Orbem News #Electric #gold #lithium #power #Race #Rush #Vehicles

[wanderingmoonsword]

Mastodon

Not very long ago at all, I covered the mammoth, such a close cousin of the Asian elephant that it’s actually more closely related than the African elephant is. But there are two great elephants that hold a place in the popular imagination of the Ice Ages alongside beasts like woolly rhinos and the infamous dire wolves. One is the mammoth and the other, today’s monster, is the mastodon, a much more distant relative that split off from the lineage that led to the true elephant family of Elephantidae millions of years ago. Easily the best known of these massive creatures was Mammut americanum, the American mastodon, and other members of its family ranged across several additional continents. With shorter legs and more powerful muscles, you might think of mastodons as somewhat like Pathfinder dwarves compared to the taller, somewhat less heavily built elephants (including mammoths). Their teeth are different from those of elephants, primarily browsing and crushing leaves and twigs with the cup-shaped teeth. Also, while mammoths, like other elephants, lived communally, mastodons are typically found on their own and may have been solitary in their adult life except during breeding season. They may look a lot alike, in other words, but they’re as different from each other as deer and antelopes.

Taking a look at the stat blocks for the elephant, mastodon, and mammoth, you can see the idea that these primeval beasts were somehow far more monstrous than their modern cousins is in full force. Mastodons are not that much heavier than elephants on average, including mammoths, and the largest known mastodons are actually shorter than the largest African elephants. Yet in the Bestiary, mastodons and mammoths (which share a stat block) are CR 9 to the elephant’s CR 7, and in the Tome of Horrors, they’re all the way up at CR 13, muscling out the much larger tyrannosaur. I’m not saying “you must use the elephant stat block” – frankly, if you want CR 13 mastodons, by all means! Do what works for your game. But don’t feel bad scaling them back a bit or think they need to be reserved for high level adventures – just like mammoths, mastodons are variable enough that a whole range of stats can be appropriate, and they’re actually smaller than mammoths.

For the sacred festival of Monarth, patron god of woodsmen and hunters, a group of adventurers are asked to retrieve a mastodon. Just bringing the beast down will be enough of a challenge – their preference for forests means taking them down from a distance with long-range archery is difficult, meaning the beast must be engaged as closer ranges without a great deal of care. Worse, trying to drag the kill back means fending off a rampage of forest drakes eager to claim the kill for themselves.

Intrigued by the hints brought back by Lewis and Clark, President Jefferson has commissioned a second grand expedition into the West. In addition to expanding the young nation’s knowledge of its vast new frontier, the expedition has two additional goals: First, to make peaceful contact with the taiga giant tribes who drove Lewis and Clark back rather than allow them to cross the Great Plains. Second, prove that mastodons still live. The strix of the Grand River area had suggested that their ancestors had seen the great beasts before they came east from the forests near the coast, and Jefferson, long obsessed with the shaggy elephants, is determined to raise a new icon of America.

Fierce and nearly unstoppable when provoked, the mastodons of the Iukan steppe have long inspired many of the barbarians of nearby tribes as a totem. Drawing on their patron spirit, the most gifted of these berserkers grow larger, muscles bulging as shaggy hair sprouts over their form. The most powerful even grow tusks from their upper lips, bellowing their anger before they wade into their enemies. Only those anointed into the following of the mastodon spirit are permitted to hunt these massive herbivores, and others who harm a mastodon may find the berserkers following them.

- Tome of Horrors Complete 683 and Bestiary 1 683

Thomas Jefferson was famously fascinated with mastodons back in the day, actually, and that second seed is based on some of his real ideas.

[myexpidetionstories]

Into the wild!! Found throughout India, Nilgai, also called bluebuck is the largest Asian antelope. It was an amazing sight and experience capturing this mammal... Trust me these mammal are very shy and can run upto 48kmph 😳😳. Like many other animals even these are the victims of poaching. Let's protect our wild and make this a beautiful world. . . . Which one do you think is better the black and white one or the natural with colors?? . . . #nilgai #igshotz #wildlifephotography #igphotography #igaddict #traveler #travelrealindia #trip✈️ #travelbag #igersmood #igaddict #wanderlust #tripaddicts #travelblogger #travelgram #wanderlost #photooftheday #photo #animalphotografy #iggujarat_ #igersvadodara #photographylovers #photographers_of_india #traveldiaries #travelindia #photographs #ig_myshot #realindia #traveltheworld #nilgaiantelope https://www.instagram.com/p/CDRSDk7Jdro/?igshid=3mz8ra71lri1

[shanerossphoto]

Following on from yesterday's "Antelopes and the Critters that Eat Them" on roan antelope is today's feature on another spectacular species from the same subfamily, the stallion-like Sable Antelope. ~ Distribution + Phylogeny (family history): Four subspecies. The most common, the animal in these photos, is the Southern, Common, Black, Matsetsi or South Zambian sable, Hippotragus niger niger, has the darkest coat of the sables and occurs south of the Zambezi River, in northern Botswana, the Matsetsi Valley in Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Approx. 1,500 left in the wild and declining, down from 24,000 in 1994. H. n. variani, the Giant or Royal sable, is now only found in isolated parts of central Angola, and classified as critically endangered. The Zambian or West Tanzanian sable, H. n. kirkii, is the most widespread, found in West Zambia, Malawi, Congo and southwestern Tanzania. The Eastern or Shimba sable, the smallest of the four subsp., H. n. roosevelti, occurs between southeastern Kenya and northern Mozambique. *Like the roan it also belongs to the Hippotraginae horsily-built subfamily. ~ Name Meaning: The name "sable" derives from an old English word meaning "black", and has been associated with / given to both the sable antelope and the northern Asian sable, a small dark-furred carnivore in the family of "martens", similar to mongoose. Their scientific name Hippotragus (goat-like horse) niger (dark-coloured) also reflects their colour. ~ Size / Body Features / Body Colour: After roan and the eland, greater kudu and bongo, sable is one of the largest antelope (5th) in the world. Males weigh around 200-250kg, shoulder height up to 140cm, length to 255cm. Horns are ringed as in oryx/roan though form more of a backward-curling sickle shape, reaching 1.65m in males, less in females. While both males and females have horns, they are labelled "sexually dimorphic" (different body features between sexes) as males are larger and have a dark-black coat while females are a lighter rich chestnut to dark brown. White facial mask and white underbelly. Slightly dipped spine. Like roan they are especially horsey, including their erect mane/beard. ~ Continued in next post.. (at Botswana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBb5Y6blFwN/?igshid=nl0md8h3p7th