Game: Life Connections

The rules:
- Tell us something about a lifeform that has a connection to the previous lifeform.
- If you didn't get the connection from the previous text you will have to mention it in yours.
- Write at least ten sentences on your subject.
- Be sure to make at least one connection to another lifeform.
- Avoid cutting and pasting from existing articles.
- Perhaps add a picture that fits your subject (no huge ones).
- Your subject may not be: humans, pets, livestock, or any other domesticated lifeforms.
- Provide your sources.

Lets see if this will catch on
I'll start off:

The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

The Tasmanian Devil is robustly built with a relatively big head for its body and large teeth. It has a predominantly
black coat but they can have irregular white patches on their shoulders and chest. Males weigh between 10 and 12 kgs
while females typically weight between 6 and 8 kgs.
When Devils are agitated they are known to spread a horrible stench which is said to rival that of the Skunk.



They are the largest living carnivorous marsupials and they are night-time and twilight hunters, but in practice they
mostly feed on carrion. Their preferred diet consists of mammals such as possums, wallabies and wombats. They will,
however, feed on just about any small native animal such as domestic mammals (including sheep), birds, fish, insects,
frogs and reptiles.

The Tasmanian Devil got its name from the early European settlers. At night they would hear the Devils bone-chilling
screeches and growls and thought it were the sounds of a devil. Today in occurs in the wild only on Australia's
island state Tasmania.
Tasmanian Devils were once widespread throughout the Australian mainland but started disappearing when the Aboriginals
introduced the Dingo. The Dingo was kept from Tasmania making the island the Devils only place of refuge.
They occur in every major habitat on Tasmania but prefer dry Eucalyptus forests, woodlands and agricultural areas.

Source(s):
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_Devil
- http://tassiedevil.com.au/aboutdevils.html
- http://www.pocanticohills.org/cook/7.../tasmanian.htm
Image(s):
- http://www.automobilesdeluxe.tv/cadi...on-resurgence/

Suggested subjects for the next participant:
Skunk, Possum, Wallabie, Wombat, Dingo, Eucalyptus.

Questions:
Does it have to be currently alive?
Is it allowed to be fictional?

Nope, as long as it has a clear connection to the previous animal/plant/whatever (in this case a Tasmanian Devil).

Also no. It has to be a real organism that has a real connection to the previous lifeform.
I originally wanted people to take the connected lifeforms from the text of the previous participant, but I guess it's alright if you come up with another one. Just make sure you mention the connection in your text (I'll add that to the rules).

Tasmanian Tiger/Wolf



Extinct.
Why?
Habitat destruction.
Hunting.
Introduction of foreign species.

Tiger



Heading the same way as the Tasmanian Tiger.....

The Sambar deer common prey for the tiger.

They can get as big as 550lbs and also get eaten by crocs.

I dont have the attention span to write ten sentences...sorry Enmos

Err.. I guess I can just as well do away with the rules

Start where people are at Enmos.....if you want people on board with your agenda of increasing interest in animals......

The Sambar or Rusa deer once occurred in a variety of habitats but is now confined mainly to primary and mature secondary forests due to hunting pressure. Crepuscular (i.e. active at morning and dusk) and nocturnal in habit, they are most easily spotted at the forest margins where they feed on young grass shoots. They frequent natural salt licks, particularly adult males who need minerals to promote growth of their antlers.

Male Sambar are among the largest of Southeast Asia's deer, with a head-body length of up to 2 metres and weighing up to 260 kg. The fur is brown to grey-brown, the tail dark and the underside of the tail and rump area whitish. The antlers of the male usually have three tines (points). In addition to grass shoots they feed on vines and fallen fruits. Herds are small with up to 4 individuals and a single fawn is born after a gestation period of 8 months.
The species ranges from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal through Burma, southern China and Indochina, to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. They are extinct in Singapore.

source:http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/mammals/sambar.htm

sniffy note: My emboldening

Goodbye sambar deer; goodbye tiger?

I guess. It's alright if this threads turns into something not quite what I aimed for.
Thanks for your contribution above!

So,.. how to find the connection first? I have no idea, En.

Cherry Ballart (Exocarpos cupressiformis)

Connection to Sambar Deer:
Cherry Bullarts, also known as Native Cherry, a an Australian endemic tree. The species is found in sclerophyll forests at the eastern coast of Australia.
The trees can grow to up to 8m in height. The trees foliage is yellowish green to dark green in color.
The species superficially resemble Cyprus trees. It's clustered flowers are a creamy white color and give rise to globular nuts.
Above the nuts the flowerstalks become bright red and enlarged (har har). This part is edible.
The tree parasitizes on roots of other trees, in particular those of Eucalyptus trees, although the branches of the tree are capable of photosynthesis.
Cherry Bullarts develop a specialized organ, called a haustorium, which is able to get nutrients directly from the hosts roots.
It's wood has historically been used for furniture, gun-stocks, and tool handles. It's wood is called 'Cherry Pine'.




Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exocarpos_cupressiformis
http://asgap.org.au/e-cup.html
http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cg...cupressiformis
http://www.apstas.com/sgaptas-curios2.htm
Image(s):
http://asgap.org.au/e-cup.html
http://www.botany.unimelb.edu.au/buf...essiformis.htm

You can get it from the text of the previous participant if provided, or google for it
But you don't have to participate, Kira. No worries

I thought when you mentioned "connection" it means like in "evolutionary connection" :-P. So, this is just like word association or picture association threads... right...??

I'll try:

Cyprus tree:

Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs. Most plants bearing the common name cypress are in the genera Cupressus and Chamaecyparis, but several other genera in the family also carry the name.


How Fast Do Bald Cyprus Trees Grow?

The bald cypress is a tree that is found mostly in swampy or wet conditions along the U.S. eastern and southern coasts, and is characterized by linear leaves that spread out on the branches and are arranged in two ranks on opposite sides of the stem. Unlike most needle-bearing trees, the bald cypress is deciduous, which means it looses its needles each year. In perfect or imperfect conditions, the bald cypress can grow quite fast and live a long time.


Cypress and Its Relatives

Cypress is a conifer in the Taxodiaceae Family, often called the Baldcypress Family. The 14 species in this family are found in China, Japan, Formosa, Tasmania, and North America. In the United States, cypress's only other relatives are the Sequoia and Sequoiadendron genera which include the redwoods of California.

Although cypress was once widely distributed across North America, most of its pre-historic forests are now extinct. Only three forms of the cypress genus, Taxodium, remain: Baldcypress, Taxodium distichum var. distichum (L.) L. Rich.; Pondcypress, Taxodium distichum var. nutans (Ait.) Sweet; and Montezuma cypress, Taxodium mucronatum (Ten.) (Bailey & Bailey 1976). Baldcypress occurs in the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains from Delaware to Texas and also in the Mississippi Valley north to southern Illinois
(Figure 2 ) . Pondcypress is found in a more limited range with a northern limit of Virginia. Montezuma cypress is a native of Mexico growing in the Central Plateau along the Pacific Coast (Harrar & Harrar 1962, Bailey & Bailey 1976, Brandt & Ewel 1989).

(the texts are linked to the original sources)

The olm Proteus anguinus



The olm is a blind amphibian found in waters that flow through underground caves in southern Europe. It is occasionally called "the human fish" because of its skin color.

An interesting fact about the olm is its adaptation to live in complete darkness of subterranean habitats.While the Olm has eyes, they are underdeveloped and they are completely blind. Its senses of hearing and smell are very well developed to compensate for its lack of eyesight. It also lacks any pigmentation to its skin.

Nobody likes my Olm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech

And video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpv9P1KOVMQ