ANTARCTICA DESERT EXPEDITION JANUARY 2nd January,2020 This is Gervasia. A month ago I finished studying in the university and I wanted to start an expedition of deserts around the world, so, I called some friends; Jacob, mushroom expert; Krusty, zoologist; and Angela, expert in plants. We met in the Stanstead’s airport to take a fly to Antarctica. It was a very long trip but when we finally arrived we went into a scientist’s camp and we took some rest.There’s no more people in such a huge continent like this but scientists like us. It’s crazy. 3rdof January, 2020 We were ready to start our expedition. We travelled to an Antarctic desert carried by dogs. The desert was far from the camp so we put some tents to sleep. Everything was white, only ice. 4thof January, 2020 We started walking to investigate the zone. We didn’t see anything special until we arrived to an area were the ice was translucent. There was a huge shadow under us. We followed it until we reached a big hole where we could see that the shadow was… a blue whale! It was very big, it was huge. We saw it’s grey tail when the whale was diving into the bottom of the sea; it was a big and strong tail and it was like V-shaped. We continued walking and following that impressive mammal but the ice became thicker and thicker until it was completely white so that we couldn’t see it anymore. 18th ofJanuary, 2020 After many days without seeing anything, we found lots of penguins. We went closer, but most of the penguins ran away. However, one penguin stayed. It was hurt. Jacob told us that they were Adélie penguins. They were very funny birds. They were very little and they had big white eyes. We took the hurtone into a tent to heal it. After some hours the animal was okay and we had time enough for studying it. We left it with his friends again. 20th of January, 2020 Surprisingly we heard a loud noise while we were just looking for a living being. It came from the ocean. My friends and I ran quickly and saw a blue whale, (maybe it was the one we saw some days ago), trapped because of a glacier. We couldn’t do anything; there was too much ice! More whales appeared and saved the other one by pushing. It was amazing! 22nd of January, 2020 We could see that there were lots of green algae; we discovered it when we were studying the zone where the blue whales appeared last day, of course, we were far from the glacier. I studied the algae.
27th of January, 2020 Angela told us there are only two different plant species in this continent we found one of those; the Antarctic hair grass. We were so lucky… it’s very difficult to find one of this. They are green plants but very little. They are not anything special but it is unbelievable to find plants here. We haven’t seen the other species but at least we’ve got one. 29th of January, 2020 Our last day on the Antarctica was very boring. We had to pack and we finished our studies here. I had a really good time here but I miss warm climate. I will miss travelling by dogs, it was a great experience.
By María Andrés, Emma Cabeza and Adela Uría
OUR TRIP TO AMERICAN DESERTS February 7th of 2020. We have travelled by a huge ship to Patagonia, because the ice was melting and ships pollute less. First we went to the Patagonian desert in Argentina and Chile because is nearest to the Antartic. We saw a penguin hunting a fish. February 8th of 2020. We went to look something for breakfast, Angela found a Carnegiea gigantea and she cut and there was a lot of water inside it and Krusty put a slope to hunt an animal. Hours later he hunted a Lepus californicus. And Jacob and me we built a shelter. And Jacob made a fire. February 13th of 2020. We went walking to another desert and we found a pound and made a fire to bolded water to drink. Then we had a shower with this water. Next we went to Chihuahua’s desert. Finally we found a cave and Jacob made a fire to be heat at night. February 15th of 2020. Krusty at the afternoon took us to saw different animals and then Jacob found a lot of mushrooms and we ate them but there was poison and Krusty get ill and he was all the time throwing out. February 16th of 2020 First we went to find some pine trees and Krusty was better than yesterday, and we continue walking and we shoot some pines to prepare a shelter to sleep that night. We went to look for some things for dinner. We prepared a fire and we finally had dinner. We went to sleep February 20th of 2020 During the night when we where sleeping we listened to a Canis latrans so we went out from the shelter and we keep it for domestic it because we found his mother died. February 23rd of 2020 At the afternoon Krusty and Pluto (the Canis latrans) went to hunt and they found an Dipsosaurus dorsalis and we ate it. February 28th of 2020 Our last day in America we all went to take things to eat and to build a ship to return to home. Krusty went to hunt an Lepus californicus and this animal killed Pluto. Finally we return home.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Charles David Keeling (1928-2005). Wikipedia, The free enciclopedy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_David_Keeling
By Nuria García, Susana Carmona, Iván Gorriz and Eduardo Ruiz de la Cuesta
OUR TRIP TO AMERICAN DESERTS 5-April- 2020:
When we decided to go to the Asian and Oceanic desert… you will think that all is very easy but no, you have to prepare all the luggage, think how are you going to go and all that thinks that aren´t easy to decided. Well… when we finally decided all that things that I´ve have just said to you we decide to went there in an eagle which was very special for me because it´s my favourite animal. When I arrived in the desert I heard some noises which were coming from one cave, I decided to enter and it was like the hell. ¡It was all red! Very soon I discovered a tribe who was the voices I was hearing. They were eating a very rarely animal who was like a camels a very special animal which they have a fat hump, they were eating that disgusting food. The tribe welcomed us like if we were the kings of the world with music and a traditional dance of the Gobi´s desert, I loved. At the afternoon we were hunting animals with them but not any animals it was a molochhorridus to made the clothes of the tribe, I didn´t like them. Finally at 22:30 we had dinner, it was delicious. Finally we went bed, it was a very special day for me.
21- April-2020:
Crusty woke up to me because it was his birthday at he was very deceived, he woke up all the tribe we were all laughing. When we had breakfast we singed the “happy birthday” to Crusty, we was red like a tomato. At the morning I learned how to sew clothes. I puncture lots of time like the other people. Later I was hunting some animal to eat but instead of animal I take a plant, who was called Dionaea Viscose, it was delicious but a little bit big, I couldn’t finish with it. Later, when I finished eating I decided to have a sleep few hours. When I woke up everybody was around me because they thought that I was dead. It was like wow all people are around me… I feel important.Later we were to the lake to wash our hands and our face. When we had dinner all the tribe dismiss us like if we were very important to them. It was a very funny and interesting adventure!!! By : Marina Martínez, Mario Gonzalez, Millan Prieto and Saúl Navarro.
OUR TRIP TO ASIAN AND OCEANIC DESERTS 5-April- 2020:
When we decided to go to the Asian and Oceanic desert… you will think that all is very easy but no, you have to prepare all the luggage, think how are you going to go and all that thinks that aren´t easy to decided. Well… when we finally decided all that things that I´ve have just said to you we decide to went there in an eagle which was very special for me because it´s my favourite animal. When I arrived in the desert I heard some noises which were coming from one cave, I decided to enter and it was like the hell. ¡It was all red! Very soon I discovered a tribe who was the voices I was hearing. They were eating a very rarely animal who was like a camels a very special animal which they have a fat hump, they were eating that disgusting food. The tribe welcomed us like if we were the kings of the world with music and a traditional dance of the Gobi´s desert, I loved. At the afternoon we were hunting animals with them but not any animals it was a molochhorridus to made the clothes of the tribe, I didn´t like them. Finally at 22:30 we had dinner, it was delicious. Finally we went bed, it was a very special day for me.
21- April-2020:
Crusty woke up to me because it was his birthday at he was very deceived, he woke up all the tribe we were all laughing. When we had breakfast we singed the “happy birthday” to Crusty, we was red like a tomato. At the morning I learned how to sew clothes. I puncture lots of time like the other people. Later I was hunting some animal to eat but instead of animal I take a plant, who was called Dionaea Viscose, it was delicious but a little bit big, I couldn’t finish with it. Later, when I finished eating I decided to have a sleep few hours. When I woke up everybody was around me because they thought that I was dead. It was like wow all people are around me… I feel important.Later we were to the lake to wash our hands and our face. When we had dinner all the tribe dismiss us like if we were very important to them. It was a very funny and interesting adventure!!! By : Sandra Cruzado, Patricia Lafuente and Marcos Olivas.
POLAR DESERT EXPEDITION 13/07/2020 We were in our aeroplane travelling to Teruel to enjoy “La Vaquilla�, when the pilot, who was crazy, crashed the plane in the Artic Pole, fortunately, we all survived. It was almost dark when we realized what had happened and as we needed to sleep somewhere when started to build an igloo. It was very difficult to do it and while we were trying to make big blocks of ice, we found a weird plant. When Angela saw it, she said it was an Artic willow. We took some pictures and went to sleep.
14/07/2020 When we woke up the next morning, we saw how a polar bear was eating all our food. Krusty told us how to camouflage ourselves no to be spotted by the bears. We hid under the snow and waited until the bear left. A few minutes later, we went fishing after digging a hole in the ice. While Jacob was holding the rod, something touched and pulled heavily and suddenly a fang appeared and almost hit Angela. We were all very surprised. Krusty told us that it was a narwhal. We had no food, so we killed it and ate it. It was delicious!!!
15/07/2020 The following morning we decided to go hiking and look for some fungi but a few minutes later we realized that Jacob was missing. We looked for him everywhere for hours. While we were looking for him, we found an Artic poppy. We kept it and continue the search. We finally found him picking up mushrooms. In the afternoon we saw in the distance a helicopter. It was looking for survivors of the accident. They saw us and took us home.
BESTIARY SAND VIBORA The horned viper or sand viper is a species of snake. It is found in southern Europe, through the Balkans and parts of the Middle East. It is considered the most dangerous of the European poisonous snakes, considering its size, long fangs (more than 13 mm) and high toxicity. Its scientific name is derived from the Greek ammos "sand" and Dutes "excavator" which is not the best description for an animal that actually prefer to live among the rocks. It grows to a length of 95 cm, but the size depends on a lot of different breeds and subspecies. Reportedly, some fluctuate between 50 and 70 cm long and other exceed 1 m. The head is covered with small irregular scales, which are smooth. Its most notable feature is a "horn" on the snout, which consists of 9-17 scales in 2 competitive (sometimes 4) transverse rows. It grows up to 5 mm and is soft and flexible. The color pattern is different for males and females. In males, the head is of an irregular dark brown, dark gray or black marks. The color pattern of females is characterized by a reduced contrast. generally they lack the dark or brand V-shaped patch on the back of the head. Both sexes have a dorsal stripe set against a lighter background.
THE MESECHISUS DAUURICUS The Daurian hedgehog is a solitary small hedgehog. It is listed in the Red book of Russian Federation as a protected species with an unclear status, generally considered to be endangered, although the IUCN lists it as "least concern". It populates the Transbaikal region of Russia (this region is sometimes called Dauria, hence the name) and Northern Mongolia. It lives in dens and inhabits both forests and steppes. The adult Daurian hedgehog is 15 to 20 centimeters long and weighs up to 1 kilogram (usually around 600 grams). Inhabits abandoned burrows of other species such as marmots, susliks and ground squirrels, and hibernates through the winter until April. Litter size is 3 to 7 pups, youngs become independent at 7-8 weeks old. Youngs cover long distances during depersal before hibernation. Base of the diet are beetles, orthopteroids and other invertebrates. Sometimes feeds on small reptiles, bird eggs and nestlings, small rodents and carrion. Main predator is badger, rarely wolf, fox, eagle, and eagle owl.
ACACIA PAPYROCARPA Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Type of plantae:Angiosperm Phylum: Charophyta Class: Equisetopsida Subclass: Magnoliidae Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Acacia Species: Acacia papyrocarpa Botanical name: Acacia papyrocarpa Common name:Wester myall Others: xerophyte Propagation Method: Seed
Description: Height: Tall shrub or small tree 3–8 m high, with dense, neat, rounded, spreading crown. It grows as an upright tree to eight metres high. Bark: fissured, grey Leaves: Like most Acacia species, it has phyllodes rather than true leaves.These are silvery -greyish-green in colour, straight and flat, between four and twelve centimetres long and one to two millimetres wide. Flowers: are yellow, and held in spherical clusters about five millimetres in diameter. Yellow, 5-merous; sepals free to 1/3-united; petals glabrous. Pods: are thin and flat, about eleven centimetres long and four to ten millimetres wide. Seeds: longitudinal, broadly elliptic to ovate, 4.5–5 mm long, subnitid, dark brown.
Localitation:endemic to Australia.Found in the arid and semi-arid parts of South Australia, in the North-Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Eyre Peninsula and Flinders Ranges regions, growing in low open woodland, tall open-low shrubland in association with Maireana on sandy loams and calcareous soils. Also found in Western Australia. Others:It grow on limestone plains
GECKO LEOPARDO (EUBLEPHARIS MACULARIUS) TAXONOMY Class: Reptiles Order: Squamata Suborder: Lizard Family: Eublepharidae Genus: Eublepharis Specie: E.macularius
DESCRIPTION It total length is between 18-24cm and the tail occupy the third part of the total length. It is characterized because of it complete and movable eyelids. It is robust and quite long with strong legs which are adapted to a life on land that end in 5 fingers. This type of gecko doesn´t have any adhesive pad so it hasn´t got the ability of climbing. Another typical characteristic, are the dark spots on a yellow and orange surface. It skin is smooth with scales.
HABITAT It lives principally in Middle Orient from Iran to Pakistan, in hot areas with big changes between day and night. It is a nocturnal animal so it activates when de sun is disappearing and its becoming night. Until night come, it sleep under big stones and in places always in a depth where the heat can´t reach. It lives in colonies but the males are very territorial.
FOOD It almost feed on insects like grasshopper, worms, spiders…and another saurian that it can dominate and eat. It is able to repair each of it 100 teeth in 3 or 4 months
DEFENSE MECHANISMS Leopard gecko has predators such as snakes, foxes and other large reptiles. It keen sense of hearing and sight help it escape from them during the night. With it exceptional sight and hearing abilities, it skin helps camouflage itself from it predators. It sense of taste and smell also helps to survive Leopard gecko also has the ability to voluntarily detach it tail if it is attacked, grabbed by the tail or bitten during copulation. This is called caudal autonomy. After autonomy the tail can continue to twitch for as long as 30 minutes, allowing the gecko to escape from its predator.
POLAR BEARS (URSUS MARITIMUS) Date: 14/07/2020
Location: Polar bears live in the circumpolar north in areas where they can hunt their primary prey, ice seals. They are found in Canada (home to roughly 60% of the world's polar bears), the U.S. (Alaska), Greenland, Russia, and Norway (the Svalbard archipelago).
How did we find it? We saw it when it was eating our food in the morning. It was very impressive!
Description: Polar bears live in one of the planet's coldest environments and depend on a thick coat of insulated fur, which covers a warming layer of fat. Fur even grows on the bottom of their paws, which protects against cold surfaces and provides a good grip on ice. The bear's stark white coat provides camouflage in surrounding snow and ice. But under their fur, polar bears have black skin—the better to soak in the sun's warming rays. These powerful predators typically prey on seals. In search of this quarry they frequent areas of shifting, cracking ice where seals may surface to breathe air. They also stalk ice edges and breathing holes. If the opportunity presents itself, polar bears will also consume carcasses, such as those of dead whales. These Arctic giants are the masters of their environment and have no natural enemies. Females den by digging into deep snow drifts, which provide protection and insulation from the Arctic elements. They give birth in winter, usually to twins. Young cubs live with their mothers for some 28 months to learn the survival skills of the far north. Females aggressively protect their young, but receive no help from their solitary male mates. In fact, male polar bears may even kill young of their species. Polar bears are attractive and appealing, but they are powerful predators that do not typically fear humans, which can make them dangerous. Near human settlements, they often acquire a taste for garbage, bringing bears and humans into perilous proximity.
ARCTIC POPPY (PAPAVER RADICATUM) Date: 15/07/2020.
Location: Arctic poppies (Papaver radicatum) are found growing in meadows, mountains and dry river beds. They thrive among stones that both absorb the sun’s heat and provide shelter for the roots. Within their Arctic range they are most common in the Nunavut region of Canada.
How did we find it? We found it when we were looking for Jacob when he was lost. It was very beautiful.
Description: The Arctic poppy is a plant species that can withstand the coldest parts of the Arctic. The Arctic poppy is tall and has hairy stems. Each stem bears big yellow flowers, that ascends from the rosette of divided and equally hairy leaves. Some Arctic poppy have white flowers. The flowers can be seen between June and July. The Arctic poppy grows on dry soils.
NARWHAL Date: 14/07/2020
Location: The narwhal (Monodom monoceros) unlike some whale species that migrate, narwhals spend their lives in the Arctic waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. Most narwhals winter for up to five months under sea ice.
How did we find it? : We made a hole in the ice and we started to fish. When we were fishing, Jacob was holding the rod and something touched it and started pulling more and more, a big fang appeared in de ice and almost hit Angela. We were all very surprised, and Krusty said that it was a narwhal. We had no food so we killed it and we ate it.
Description: The "unicorn of the ocean," the narwhal is one of the rarest whales in the world. Narwhals are very elusive and mysterious in nature, and very distinct in appearance due to the large horn-like tusk on their faces. The tusk is actually a tooth that grows from the upper jaw of male narwhals. Narwhal population estimates indicate around 45,000-50,000 individuals. Narwhals generally move slowly, but are known to be remarkably quick when chased by predators. They prefer to stay near the surface of the ocean, but can dive up to 5,000 feet. Narwhals are migratory and move closer to the shore in the summer, while moving out to sea and living under packed ice in the winter months. Most narwhals travel in pods of 10-100 individuals and sometimes in much larger groups. They communicate with various sounds like squeals, trills and clicks. The males often cross tusks in a behaviour known as ‘tusking’. This may be a form of duelling, friendly contact or cleaning the tooth.
ARCTIC WILLOW Date: 13/07/2020
Location: It is adapted to surviving in environments Arctic and subarctic, and has a wide distribution on both sides of the North Atlantic, in the Arctic northwest of Asia, Europa's north, Greenland, this of Canada, more in the southern part in the high mountain of the south of the Pyrenees, Alps, Rila in Europe; north of the Appalachians in New York. It grows in the tundra and in disturb them, usually to more than 1.500 mm.
How did we find it?: It was almost night and were were ready to sleep so we started building an iglu, It was very difficult to build it and While taking snow to make the bricks we found a very interesting plant. Angela said that is was an Artic willow (Salix artico) and we took some photographs .
Description: Typically it grows only 1-6 cm of height, with rounded, brilliant, broad leaves, of 1-2 cm of length. As the rest of the willows, it is dioico, with the masculine and feminine flowers in different plants; resulting in varaciรณn in the appearance; the female is reddish, the male is yellow