Dolphins Of The Amazon River How Sotalia Fluviatilis And Inia Geoffre

Dolphins Of The Amazon River: How Sotalia Fluviatilis And Inia Geoffrensis Coexist In Their Habitat Kristi Simpson Biosc 491-14/Tropical Biology April, 1999 Dr. E. Pivorun Dolphins of the Amazon River: How Sotalia fluviatilis and Inia geoffrensis coexist in their habitat The Amazon River and its lush, beautiful forest are surely among the most amazing ecosystems in the world. The ever-present, primordial cacophony that echoed in my ears as I stood breathlessly watching saddle-backed tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis) leap from tree to tree is what I will forever crave to hear again. As a biology student, I have always read about the ?great biodiversity? of the neotropics, as the importance of habitat conservation and protection is beaten into my brain at every turn. Of course, as a naturalist, I agree with the prevailing opinion of today that our world is in dire need of help. However, I couldn't appreciate the true beauty and magic of the tropical Amazon until I was literally swimming in the middle of it, breathing in the wet, fragrant air and seeing the misting, puffing backs of the pink river dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) circling around me. As a lover of all cetaceans, I was very interested in learning more about the dolphins of the Amazon River, but it was a surprise to find that the pink river dolphins (also called botos) are not the only species of cetacean in their habitat. Tucuxis (Sotalia fluviatilis) are smaller, sleeker inhabitants that share the waters with the botos, although they are also found in coastal waters of the South American Atlantic Ocean. The tucuxi looks like a miniature bottlenose dolphin, with its short beak and sleek design. It is important to make note that tucuxis are considered to be in two forms: the marine form and the freshwater form (Borobia et al. 1026). Borobia hypothesizes that the two forms, which vary for the most part in size, may be due to temperature differences, so that the marine form, as it inhabits colder seasonal temperatures than its riverine counterpart, is the larger of the two (1035). The tucuxi in any form, however, is much smaller than the boto, which, in fact, looks anything but graceful with its chubby body, small eyes, elongated beak, and bulbous forehead or ?melon.? The boto also has a flexible neck due to unfused neck vertebrae (Morell 29), adding to its seemingly awkward design; it is also the world's largest freshwater dolphin, as the males reach lengths of three meters and weights of 16o kilograms (Henningsen and Hempel 12). The most distinguishing characteristic, of course, is the pink hue that the botos are famous for; the tucuxis are dark grey. These morphological differences begin to explain why the botos and tucuxis coexist in seemingly identical habitats; I could not help but wonder how they utilize their respective food sources and keep from outcompeting each other. Their body designs allow for different feeding methods; for example, the pink dolphins' flexible neck as well as the ability to paddle forward with one flipper and backwards with another gives it more maneuverability in the flooded forests, where the trees and other vegetation can be dense (Morell 29). Botos will swim close to the bank, single out one fish, and chase it until it is caught. The tucuxi is not as maneuverable in the shallow, flooded forest, but instead is a fast swimmer; ?[t]hey whip through the water, often leaping high into the air, to drive small shoals of fish before them. Groups of Tucuxis often coordinate their operations, herding a shoal of fish towards the river bank or into a small bay then take turns in groups catching them (Henningse n and Hempel 15). Choice of prey is another difference between the two species. Botos will eat almost any kind of fish; Vera da Silva, biologist and boto researcher, ?found that they prey on nearly 50 species from 19 families (Morell 29).? However, according to Ritchie, ?[s]tudies indicate that Amazon river dolphins eat a variety of fishes, but they seem to prefer catfish and characins, including piranhas (33).? By contrast, the tucuxis' diet consists primarily of pelagic and schooling fish (Henningsen and Hempel 14, Borobia et al. 1035). Although I have separated morphology and choice of prey as differences between Inia

Including Terrorist Organizations and Individuals

Including Terrorist Organizations and Individuals The Specially Designated Nationals list is  a group of organizations and individuals who are restricted from doing business with the United States, American companies or general  Americans. This includes terrorist organizations, individual terrorists and state sponsors of terrorism (such as Iran, and North Korea). The list of specially designated nationals is maintained by the U.S. Department of The Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Available for the Public The SDN List is publicly available on the U.S Department of The Treasury website along with a Blocked Persons List (SDN) and Human Readable List. These lists are published by the OFAC on behalf of enforcement efforts and they may be viewed in data format, by OFAC sanction and are available in additional sorting options. For example, the SDN List has been sorted by sanction program and country.  Full lists along with an archive of changes made to the most recently updated SDN list is available through the OFAC. Program Codes, Tags, and Definitions While sorting through OFAC lists,  there are various program tags listed along with their definition as guidance for readers and researchers. These program tags, also known as codes, give a brief definition as to why the person or entity has been blocked, designated or identified regarding the sanction.  The program tag [BPI-PA], for example, notes in the definition that it is Blocked Pending Investigation according to the Patriot Act. Another program code for [FSE-SY] says, Foreign Sanctions Evaders Executive Order 13608 - Syria. The list of program tags and their definitions goes on including links to their reference as a resource. Frequently Asked Questions There are  hundreds  of questions asked and answered on the official OFAC website regarding The SDN List. Some interesting facts about The SDN List follow: Changes to previous SDN Lists are available both in real time and prior years on the OFAC website, all the way back to 1994.  The OFAC maintains several of their sanctions list files on an FTP server which can be accessed online. When it is down, there is a support hotline that may be reached.Weak aliases, known as AKAs, is a generic alias that can create a big amount of fake hits when specific names are generated on a screening system through a computer. Thus, they are included on The SDN List for identifier information but are distinguished as weak due to the many false hits that are received. Protecting Yourself If there is false information on your credit report, the OFAC recommends contacting the credit report company involved. It is your right as a consumer to ask to get rid of any inaccurate information. Additionally, every year the OFAC takes off hundreds of people from The SDN List when they are consistent with the law and have a good change in behavior. Individuals may file a petition to be removed from the OFAC list which then undergoes an official and rigorous review. The petition can be written by hand and mailed to OFAC or it can be emailed, however it may not be requested by phone.

Business and Management Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business and Management - Personal Statement Example I also took money for giving out keys to the clients and maintained a strong relationship with the clients for continuous business transactions. My experience and passion for business have also been informed by my duration of work at Psh, a car rental company, in 2012. I worked as a part-time agent with the organization for six months where I dealt with high clients and luxury cars. In this role, I took deposits, organized appointments, and showed the cars to the clients. I believe that the skills I have gained make me competent personnel in the field of business and management. I also take myself as a multi-cultural being based on the diverse language skills I have acquired that will enable me relevant in any part of the world where the languages apply. The experience makes me qualified to own and manage my own business in the future. My hobbies include reading books, swimming, going out with friends and listening to music. The idea of learning to communicate with people of diverse language and cultural origins has appealed to me over the years, which I hope to accomplish by being my own manager in the