PINNATE

Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning “feather”, “wing” or “fin”. A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts. The term contrasts somewhat with palmate, in which the parts or structures radiate out from a common point.

COLEUS LEAVES

Solenostemon is a genus of perennial plants, native to tropical Africa, Asia, Australia, the East Indies, The Malay Archipelago, and the Philippines. They are commonly known as Coleus, a name which derives from an earlier classification under the genus name coleus, species of which are currently included in either solenostemon or another genus, Plectranthus.

VENUS FLYTRAP

The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey – mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant’s leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insects or spider crawling along the leaves comes into contact with one or more of the hairs twice in succession, the trap closes. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against a waste of energy in trapping objects with no nutritional value.

CANTILEVER BRIDGE

A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from structural steel, or box girders built from prestressed concrete.

CABLE-STAYED BRIDGE

A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one of more columns, with cables supporting the bridge deck.

There are two major classes of cable-stayed bridges: In a harp design, the cables are made nearly parallel by attaching cables to various points on the towers so that the height of attachment of each cable on the tower is similar to the distance from the tower along the roadway to its lower attachment. In a fan design, the cables all connect to or pass over the top of the towers.

BOX GIRDER BRIDGE

A box girder bridge is a bridge in which the main beams comprise girders in the shape of a hollow box. The box girder normally comprises either prestressed concrete, structural steel, or a composite of steel and reinforced concrete. The box is typically rectangular or trapezoidal in cross-section. Box girder bridges are commonly used for highway flyovers and for modern elevated structures of light rail transport.

JUSCELINO KUBITSCHEK BRIDGE

The Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, also known as the President JK Bridge or just the JK Bridge, crosses Lake Paranoa in Brasilia, D.F. It is named for Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, former president of Brazil, who in the late 1950s decided to build Brasilia as the new capital of the country. It was designed by architect Alexandra Chan and structural engineer Mario Vila Verde.

ROMAN BRIDGE

The Romans were the world’s first major bridge builders. The following list constitutes an attempt to list all known Roman bridges, many of which still survive to this day.

A Roman bridge in the sense of this article includes any of these features:
Roman Arches
Roman Pillars
Roman Foundations
Roman Abutments
Roman Roadway
Roman Cutwaters

WADI LEBAN BRIDGE

The Wadi Leban Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia designed by Seshadri Srinivasan. It was built between 1993 and 1997.

SALGINATOBEL BRIDGE

Salginatobel Bridge is a reinforced concrete arch bridge designed by renowned Swiss civil engineer Robert Maillart. It was constructed across an alpine valley in Schiers, Switzerland between 1929 and 1930. In 1991, it was declared an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, the thirteenth such structure and the first concrete bridge so dedicated.

SAFAVID BRIDGE

The Si-o-se Pol, which means 33 Bridge or the Bridge of 33 Arches), also called the Allah-Verdi Khan Bridge, is one of the eleven bridges of Esfahan, Iran. It is highly ranked as being one of the most famous examples of Safavid bridge design.

OCTAVIO FRIAS DE OLIVEIRA BRIDGE

The Octavio Frias de Oliveira bridge is a cable stayed bridge in Sao Paulo, Brazil over the Pinheiros River, opened in May 2008. The bridge is 138 metres (450 ft) tall, and connects Marginal Pinheiros to Jornalista Roberto Marinho Avenue.

The bridge deck is unusual due to its form, which is similar to an “X”, crossing at the tower.

AKASHI-KAIKYO BRIDGE

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, also known as the Pearl Bridge, is the world’s longest suspension bridge. It is located in Japan and was completed in 1998. The bridge links the city of Kobe on the mainland of Honshu to lwaya on Awaji Island by crossing the busy Akashi Strait. It carries part of the Honshu-Shikoku Highway.

GOOSE BIRD

Goose (Plural: Geese) is the English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family alos includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller.

A number of other waterbirds, mainly related to the shelducks, have “goose” as part of their name.

SWANS

Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. There are six to seven species of swan in the genus Cygnus; in addition there is another species known as a swan, the Coscoroba Swan, although this species is no longer considered related to the true swans. Swans usually mate for life, though ‘divorce’ does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.

DUCK

Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered ducks. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than the swans and geese, and may be found in both fresh water and sea water.

Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms, such as loons or divers, grebes, gallinules and coots.

HILL BIRD

The Indian Himalayas stretches from Kashmir in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east. It crowns the country in the north with the highest and most foreboding mountain range in the world. The altitude differences coupled with climatic diversity and heavy rainfall make the Himalaya an unique home for some of the most beautiful and sought after birds in the world.

SANTRAGACHI BIRDS

Just a 20 minute drive from the center of Kolkata lies a 13,75,000 square feet lake, known as the Santragachi Jheel. Winter months (October to March) draw 4000 to 5000 ducks and moorhens to this safe haven.

Santragachi is not beautiful. It is hemmed in by habitation and railway tracks. Water hyacinth covers a large part of the surface and there is very little green cover. But the birds more than make up in their variety, numbers and in the unconcerned way they make Santragachi a home.

JAIN TEMPLE

The innumerable Jain Shrines that dot in India speak of a myriad intimate associated with the lives and activities of the Jain Tirthankars (Jain religious preachers), who spread the message of peace, non violence, love and enlightenment.

It is this that has attracted and moulded the sentiments of millions of people across the nation as well as the world. Today around 3.2 million Jain devotes live in India.

SRAVANABELAGOLA

Sravanabelagola, a great centre for Jain culture is situated at a distance of about 100 kms from Mysore and is famous for its colossal statue of Gomateshwara who is also referred to as Lord Bahubali. Carved out of monolithic stone, the imposing 17 metre high statue of Gomata towers stands in majestic splendour and is visible even from a distance of 20 kms. Starkly simple, the beautifully chiselled features of the statue embody serenity. His perfect lips are turned out at the corners with a hint of a smile, viewing the world with detachment.

Sravanabelagola means ‘the monk on the top of the hill’ and hermits, mystics and ascetics have journeyed and lived there since at least the third century BC.

RANAKPUR

Ranakpur – The Jain Temples in Aravali
Ranakpur in the state of Rajasthan is one of the five most important pilgrimage sites of Jainism. It is home to an exceptionally beautiful temple complex in the Aravali ranges and a must visit for the tourists coming to this region.

LOCATION
Ranakpur is tucked away in a remote valley in the Aravali range. It is situated around 60 km north of Udaipur in Pali district and boasts of one of the largest and most important Jain Temples in the country. The place is well connected through a road network to other places in the region.

DILWARA TEMPLE

The Jain Dilwara temples of India are located about 2½ kilometres form Mount Abu, Rajasthan’s only hill station. These temples dating back from the 11th to the 13th century AD are world famous for their stunning use of marble. The five legendary marble temples of Dilwara are the sacred pilgrimage of the Jains. They are an overwhelming blend of simple beauty and exquisite elegance. The marble temples have an opulent entranceway. The simplicity in architecture verily reminds one that Jainism as a religion “encouraged honesty and frugality”. The temples reside amidst memmerizing surroundings of mango trees and wooden hills. A high wall, shimmering luminous in the sunlight, shrouds the temple complex.

DILWARA MARBLE TEMPLE

Dilwara Jain Temple is one of the finest Jain temple known world over for its extraordinary architecture and marvellous marble stone carvings, some experts also consider it architecturally superior to the Taj Mahal. It seems fairly basic temple from outside but every cloud has a silver lining, the temple interior showcases the extraordinary work of human craftsmanship at its best. These temples were built between 11th to 13th century AD, The beautiful lush green hills surrounding the temple gives a very pleasant feeling.

Dilwara Temple complex consist of five major sections of temples devoted to five jain trithankaras (saints):

Shri Mahaveer Swami Temple
Shri AdiNath Temple or Vimal Vasahi Temple
Shri ParshavNath Temple or Khartar Vasahi Temple
Shri Rishabdaoji Temple or Peethalhar Temple
Shri NemiNathji Temple or Luna Vasahi Temple

NORTHERN WATER SNAKE

The Northern Water Snake is a large, non-venomous, well-known snake in the Colubridae family that is native to North America. They are active during the day and at night. They are most often seen basking on rocks, stumps, or bush. During the day, they hunt amount plants at the water’s edge, looking for small fish, frogs, worms, leeches, crayfish, salamanders, small birds and mammals.

At night, they concentrate on minnows and other small fish sleeping in shallow water. It was once an endangered species but now in shallow water. It was once an endangered species but now benefits from the introduction of round goby, an invasive species.

SCHNEIDER’S SMOOTH WATER SNAKE

Local Names: Telugu Multo Pam, Ally pam.

The Schneider’s Smooth Water Snake is a smooth, glossy, moderately thick snake with rounded snout and rather long muzzle. Its transverse slit like nostrils are placed on top of the head. Its eyes are small and are placed high on the face. Its iris is dotted with golden specks and pupils are vertically elliptic.

The Schneider’s Smooth Water Snake is olivaceous-green or brown above. Its belly is lemon yellow in color. A dark line demarcates its ventrals laterally. It is an aquatic species frequenting fresh and brackish water. It’s a timid and inoffensive snake not known to bite when handled. The Schneider’s Smooth Water Snake feeds mainly on fish.

DOG-FACED WATER SNAKE

The species name of the dog faced water snake is Cerberus rhynchops. Its frontals are partially and parietals are entirely broken up. It’s a stout, rough-skinned snake with pear-shaped head. Its eyes are small and pupils are vertical.

It is dark grey in color with numerous ill-defined darker crossbars. Its belly is coarsely spotted or dappled with greenish black. It is an inoffensive reptile and bites only under serious provocation. Under great excitement it emits an unpleasant odor. It feeds exclusively on fish.

DIAMONDBACK WATER SNAKE

The Diamond back Water Snake is a common species of water snake found throughout much of the cenral United States and northern Mexico. It is non-venomous and a member of the colubrid family. There are three recognized subspecies of N. Rhombifer. The species was first described as Tropidonotus rhombifera by Edward Hallowell in 1852.

BURROWING SNAKES

Burrowing snakes live underground. Of course, there are also other snakes that go underground to escape the heat of the sun and to hide from predators. But burrower’s are the only ones that can dig their own holes. The other has to depend on the holes made by crabs, rats and termites. The burrowing snake’s skull is as powerful as the point of a crowbar. Its stocky body and strong neck muscles make it easy for the snake to bulldoze its way through soft soil. The species from the hills are so dependent on remaining cool that they often die in a human hand (which usually has a temperature of about 37º C).