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Prague Zoo
Prague Zoological Garden (Czech: ''Zoologická zahrada hl. m. Prahy'') is a zoo in Prague, Czech Republic. It was opened in 1931 with the goal to "advance the study of zoology, protect wildlife, and educate the public" in the district of Troja in the north of Prague. In 2013, the zoo occupied with in use for exhibits, and housed around 5,000 animals from just 676 species, including 132 species listed as threatened. The zoo is rated as the seventh best zoo in the world by Forbes Travel Guide in 2007, and is rated as the fifth best in the world by TripAdvisor. The zoo has contributed significantly to saving Przewalski's horse; for many years, it was the leading breeder of the subspecies. The zoo director is Miroslav Bobek. History The idea for a zoological garden in Prague was first proposed in 1881 in a newspaper article by Count Sweerts-Spork, on the occasion of the marriage of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Princess Stéphanie of Belgium. In 1919, at a meeting of the a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prague 7
Prague 7 is a municipal district (''městská část'') in Prague, Czech Republic. The administrative district (''správní obvod'') of the same name consists of the quarters Letná, Holešovice, Bubny, Bubeneč, Troja as well as a small part of Libeň. It's one of the smallest Prague districts and stretches along the left bank of the Vltava. In the Northern part is located Troja with the Prague Zoo. It is linked to the city centre by metro line C. Other attractions in Prague 7 include the stadium of the Czech football club AC Sparta, cultural centre DOX, cinema Bio Oko, museums ( National Technical Museum and National Museum of Agriculture) and the former trade fair centre Veletržní palác. Its parks Stromovka and Letná Letná is a hill overlooking Prague historic centre and Vltava River just besides Prague Castle. It neighbours Stromovka, the largest park in Prague. The hill belongs to Holešovice and Bubeneč quarters of Prague 7. The main part of Letná is Le ... rank ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zdeněk Veselovský
Zdeněk Veselovský (26 August 1928 – 24 November 2006) was one of the most important Czech zoologists of the 20th century, founder of Czech ethology, director of the Prague Zoo (1959-1988) and the president of the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (1971-1975) (renamed in 2000 to World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) He was born in Jaroměř and died in 2006, aged 74, in Prague. In November 2008, he received the Minister of the Environment Award in memoriam "for his lifelong work in the field of zoology and ethology and for his admirable activity in activities involved in the conservation of animal species and the promotion of zoos as educational institutions." Early life Zdeněk Veselovský was born in Jaroměř on August 26, 1928, after graduating from the Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague, he worked here in 1952–1959 as a university assistant. While still a university student, he worked for a year as a zoological assistant to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Komodo Dragon
The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of , and weighing up to . As a result of their size, Komodo dragons are apex predators, and dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. It has been claimed that they have a venomous bite; there are two glands in the lower jaw that secrete several toxic proteins. The biological significance of these proteins is disputed, but the glands have been shown to secrete an anticoagulant. Komodo dragons' group behavior in hunting is exceptional in the reptile world. The diet of Komodo dragons mainly consists of Javan rusa (''Rusa timorensis''), though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion. Komodo dragons also occ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Lowland Gorilla
The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and secondary forest, secondary forest and lowland swampland in central Africa in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the nominate subspecies of the western gorilla, and the smallest of the four gorilla subspecies. The western lowland gorilla is the only subspecies kept in zoos with the exception of Amahoro, a female eastern lowland gorilla at Antwerp Zoo, and a few mountain gorillas kept captive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Description The western lowland gorilla is the smallest subspecies of gorilla but still has exceptional size and strength. This species of gorillas exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism. They possess no tails and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between the Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south; it covers an area of , with a population of almost 84 million within its 16 constituent states. Germany borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west. The nation's capital and most populous city is Berlin and its financial centre is Frankfurt; the largest urban area is the Ruhr. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity. A region named Germania was documented before AD 100. In 962, the Kingdom of Germany formed the bulk of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, northwest of Hamburg. Its total length is . The Elbe's major tributaries include the rivers Vltava, Saale, Havel, Mulde, Schwarze Elster, and Ohře. The Elbe river basin, comprising the Elbe and its tributaries, has a catchment area of , the twelfth largest in Europe. The basin spans four countries, however it lies almost entirely just in two of them, Germany (65.5%) and the Czech Republic (33.7%, covering about two thirds of the state's territory). Marginally, the basin stretches also to Austria (0.6%) and Poland (0.2%). The Elbe catchment area is inhabited by 24.4 million people, the biggest cities within are Berlin, Hamburg, Prague, Dresden and Leipzig. Etymology Firs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vltava
Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Labe at Mělník. It is commonly referred to as the "Czech national river". Both the Czech name ' and the German name ' are believed to originate from the old Germanic words ' 'wild water' (compare Latin '). In the ' (872 AD) it is called '; from 1113 AD it is attested as '. In the ' (1125 AD) it is attested for the first time in its Bohemian form, '. Course The Vltava River is long and drains an area of in size, over half of Bohemia and about a third of the Czech Republic's entire territory. As it runs through Prague, the river is crossed by 18 bridges (including the Charles Bridge) and covers within the city. The water from the river was used for drinking until 1912 when the Vinohrady Water Tower ceased pumping operations. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. The sea lions have six extant and one extinct species (the Japanese sea lion) in five genera. Their range extends from the subarctic to tropical waters of the global ocean in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, with the notable exception of the northern Atlantic Ocean. They have an average lifespan of 20–30 years. A male California sea lion weighs on average about and is about long, while the female sea lion weighs and is long. The largest sea lions are Steller's sea lions, which can weigh and grow to a length of . Sea lions consume large quantities of food at a time and are known to eat about 5–8% of their body weight (about ) at a single feeding. Sea lions can move around in water and at their fastest they can reach a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2002 European Flood
In August 2002, a week of intense rainfall produced flooding across a large portion of Europe. It reached the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine and Russia. The event killed 232 people and left (US$27.115 billion) in damage. The flood was of a magnitude expected to occur roughly once a century. Unprecedented flood heights were recorded and at least 110 people died. The total economic damage estimates exceeded 15 billion Euros, of which 15% was insured.Helmer, M. & Hilhorst, D.J.M. 2006, "Natural disasters and climate change", Disasters, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 1–4. Development Flooding resulted from the passage of two Genoa low pressure systems (named Hanne and Ilse by the Free University of Berlin) which brought warm moist air from the Mediterranean northwards. The effects of El Niño may have contributed. The floods gradually moved eastwards along the Danube, although the damage in the large cities on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Przewalski's Horse
Przewalski's horse (, , (Пржевальский ), ) (''Equus ferus przewalskii'' or ''Equus przewalskii''), also called the takhi, Mongolian wild horse or Dzungarian horse, is a rare and endangered horse originally native to the steppes of Central Asia. It is named after the Russian geographer and explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky. Once extinct in the wild, it has been reintroduced to its native habitat since the 1990s in Mongolia at the Khustain Nuruu National Park, Takhin Tal Nature Reserve, and Khomiin Tal, as well as several other locales in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Several genetic characteristics of Przewalski's horse differ from what is seen in modern domestic horses, indicating neither is an ancestor of the other. For example, the Przewalski has 33 chromosome pairs, compared to 32 for the domestic horse. Their ancestral lineages split from a common ancestor between 38,000 and 160,000 years ago, long before the domestication of the horse. Przewalski's horse was long ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Big Cat
The term "big cat" is typically used to refer to any of the five living members of the genus '' Panthera'', namely the tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard. Despite enormous differences in size, various cat species are quite similar in both structure and behaviour, with the exception of the cheetah, which significantly stands out from the other big and small cats. All cats are carnivores and some are efficient apex predators. Their native ranges include the Americas, Africa, and Asia; the leopard's range also extends into Europe, specifically in Russia. Species *Family ''Felidae'' ** Subfamily ''Pantherinae'' *** Genus '' Panthera'' **** Tiger, ''Panthera tigris'' **** Lion, ''Panthera leo'' **** Jaguar, ''Panthera onca'' **** Leopard, ''Panthera pardus'' **** Snow leopard, ''Panthera uncia'' ** Subfamily ''Felinae'' *** Genus ''Acinonyx'' **** Cheetah, ''Acinonyx jubatus'' *** Genus '' Puma'' **** Cougar, ''Puma concolor'' Evolution It is estimated that the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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