June 10, 2003
ARKive.org
I am such a dork.
Ok, now that we have all recognized this, I need to tell you about this awesome site that I found this morning in the Boston Metro.
ARKive is a...
ARKive is a not-for-profit initiative of The Wildscreen Trust (www.wildscreen.org.uk).It is the Noah's Ark for the Internet era - the world's centralised digital library of films, photographs and associated recordings of species, accessible to all via the world wide web.
ARKive is leading the virtual conservation effort - finding, sorting, cataloguing and copying the key records of species, and building them into a comprehensive and enduring audio-visual record.
For each species, we are selecting and digitising an average of 10 minutes of moving footage, 6 - 10 stills and sound recordings (where appropriate), to compile a complete profile of the species' characteristic behaviour and appearance.
So basically they catalog images, sounds and information about animals. plants, fungi, etc that are either on an endangered species list or are extinct. What a great idea! How else are we supposed to learn about our past than to catalog it for all time. Fascinating site.
They also have an area of the site that is geared towards kids called Planet ARKive including games, projects and educational material for school aged children.
While moving aorund through the site I found myself drawn toward the amphibians section (I love frogs) and I found a fascinating section about the Conondale gastric-brooding frog. This Australian frog (now thought to be extinct but not yet certified by an ARKive expert scientist) get it's name because it shuts down it's entire gastric process for 6-7 weeks while it's young develop in the mothers stomach. She swallows the fertilized eggs and holds them there until the baby frogs have reached their final stage of metamorphosis at which point they are expelled. Unfortunately scientists believe that had they been given the opportunity to study these small miracles they might have been able provide significant benefits to people who suffer from gastric ulcers. Awesome stuff.
Comments
This is such a cool site! I'm chuckling at the fact that central rock rats have " characteristically 'Roman' noses."
Holly, there are a few good ones in there. Check out the 'asses'. Totally worth it. Hah.