In Focus

Q & A Corner

Countries and Continents

1. Who put forward the theory of Continental Drift?

2. Which continent is called the Land of the Golden Fleece?

3. Which country is called the Land of Thousand Lakes?

4. By which nickname is Turkey called?

5. Which country is known as the Playground of Europe?

Environment

1. What is radiation

2. When is World Forestry Day observed?

3. What is a habitat?

4. What is fossil fauna?

5. Who proposed the term ‘Ecosystem’ for the first time?

Animal Kingdom

1. How long does an Asian Elephant live?

2. Can owls hear?

3.When did the age of Dinosaurs begin?

4.What are cartilaginous animals?

5.How do fish absorb oxygen?

Answers

1. A German scientist called Alfred Wegner (1880-1930)

2. Australia is called the Land of the Golden Fleece

3. Finland

4. Turkey is called by the nickname of The sick man of Europe

5. Switzerland is known as The Play ground of Europe.

Environment

1. Radiation is emission or sending out of rays, wave motion or particles from a source.

2. March 21 is observed as World Forestry Day

3. A place where plants and animals naturally grow and live in their natural environment.

4. Animals found fossilised in certain geological formations or accruing in specified time intervals of the past, is referred to as fossil fauna.

5. It was proposed by A. G. Tansley.

Animal Kingdom

1. An Asian elephant can live up to the age of 70 years.

2. Yes, the owls sense of hearing is very sharp. It helps in locating its prey.

3. About 220 millions years ago.

4. Cartilaginous animals are those that have their skeletons made of the rubbery substances cartilage. Sharks and Rays are cartilaginous animals.

5. They absorb oxygen through their respiratory organs called gills.

Beefy dino sported fearsome claws

Fossils of a new type of dinosaur, which looks like a beefy version of the predatory Velociraptor,have been unearthed in Romania.

The stocky dinosaur lived some 70 million years ago; higher sea levels at this time would have made the region an island archipelago.

The animal is also notable for the two large and sharp claws on each foot; Velociraptor had just one.It may have used these to rip apart its prey, scientists believe.

The find is reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

It has been given the scientific name Balaur bondoc, which means "stocky dragon".

"Balaur might be one of the largest predators in this ecosystem," said co-author Zoltan Csiki from the University of Bucharest, Romania.

He said that while the 1.8m-2.1m (6-7ft) -long creature is extremely unusual, it is closely related to animals like Velociraptor and feathered dinosaurs uncovered in China.

The new Balaur fossil is a partial skeleton that includes leg, hip, backbone, arms, hand, rib, and tail bones.

It had a big toe with a large claw that it was able to extend - presumably used to slash prey - as well as a large claw on the second toe.

Balaur had short and stocky feet and legs, and the pelvis had enormous muscle attachment areas, indicating that it was adapted for strength rather than speed.Some bones in the animal's hand are fused, features that would have made grasping difficult.

Stephen Brusatte, a graduate student at Columbia University in Palisades, US, said: "Compared to Velociraptor, [this dinosaur] was probably more of a kickboxer than a sprinter, and it might have been able to take down larger animals than itself, as many carnivores do today."

However, researchers stressed that it was difficult to tell how it hunted or what the animal ate.

Courtesy: BBC Science News

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News in brief - by Rohana Jayalal

Appeal to lawyers

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has appealed to lawyers to appear voluntarily for cases pertaining to children.

Lawyers who wish to do so can call on 1929 and register themselves.

“Even at present, a group of lawyers from the Anuradhapura courts have come forward to voluntarily appear for such cases,” said Attorney- at- Law, Anoma Dissanayake, Chairman of the Authority.

She disclosed that a special workshop would also be organised for those lawyers.

SLCTB Hotline

The SLCTB has introduced a hotline to entertain complaints from commuters on a 24-hour basis and take immediate remedial action, in an effort to ensure a better and efficient bus service to the public. The hotline is 011-7555555. SLCTB Chairman M. D. Bandusena said complaints received between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day would be attended to on the same day while complaints received after 7 p.m. each day would be attended to, the following day.

Special programme for children

A special programme to protect children from all types of child abuse has been launched in the Kandy district by the National Child Protection Authority in collaboration with the Kandy District Secretariat.

This programme includes the creating of friendly societies among children and providing them the opportunity to listen to music, watch films and dramas together with their parents during the function held in the district.