Abstract
This paper explains that, through the physical characteristics and the behavior of a creature, it is possible to determine a great deal about how that creature interacts with its habitat and learn about the evolutionary processes that have brought this plant or animal to its current form. The author points out that wolves adjust well to fluctuations in prey populations by supplementing the meat and fish with various forms of vegetation; some wolves have even been known to live on a largely vegetarian diet for extended periods. The paper explains that the Prickly Pear, one of the most common of the cactus family that natively grow in the Eastern parts of the United States, are remarkably resistant to both the cold and to the heat.

Table of Contents
Introduction
The Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)
The American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
The Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia humifusa)
The Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

From the Paper
"I observed two species of the Oputina cactus: the Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa) and the Plains Prickly Pear (Opuntia macrorhiza). The Eastern Prickly Pear is found naturally east of the Great Plains in the United States, and into southern Ontario in Canada. The Plains Prickly Pear is found all throughout the Great Plains in the United States, except the northernmost areas, such as North Dakota. The Prickly Pear tends to grow in sandy or rocky soil. In a natural setting, many of the habitats of these four species would overlap, and they would be found in situations where they would be interacting with each other as parts of the same ecological system."

Tags:characteristics, interaction, habitat, evolution, adaptation

Abstract
The hunting strategies of the African wild dog were behavior once shrouded in inaccurate myth. The dogs were formerly considered among the roughest and meanest species on the African savanna and bushland. The paper shows that they were noted for driving out all other species in their regions, for mutilating their victims beyond recognition, as well as for consuming their own kind who had fallen prey to illness or exhaustion. The paper shows, however, that researchers have recently taken a closer look at the animals' morphological, physiological and adaptive characteristics, their methods of locating prey, as well as their prey-capture techniques and food allocation practices. New studies have presented a wildly different version of the African wild dog.

From the Paper
"According to recent research, the prime habitat for wild dogs is not the open, grassy plains but rather the woodland-savanna areas which support larger populations of prey due to the interspersion of seasonally-flooded grasslands in these areas. The animals' diet consists largely of impala (80-85%), with the remaining percentage distributed among red lechwe, reedbuck, steenbok (antelope types), and the juveniles of kudu, buffalo, tsessebe, zebra and wildebeest. Most of these animals are nearly ten times the weight of the average hunting dog. They are also common in the regions where wild dogs exist, so that locating their prey is not often difficult."

Tags:lycoan, canis, sahara, carnivore, impala

Abstract
This paper provides background information on domesticated and wild canaries. The paper describes where canaries originate, how they became domesticated, the physiological differences between domestic and wild canaries, how domestic canaries have changed over time, their genetics, nutrition, and breeding process.

From the Paper
"The first records of trade in birds canaries from the Canary Islands dates to about 1402. Sailors captured the wild birds, attracted by the song of the males, and kept them in cages as pets aboard ship. It wasn't long before landlubbers, too, got acquainted with the birds and found them charming and relatively easy pets to keep. And, an added attraction in Europe, they were also exotic, an attribute guaranteed to make them popular at a time when ships were venturing farther and bringing back unusual items not seen in Europe before. (Home pet Web site)"

Tags:canary, islands, canis, spain, spanish, birds, canario, del, pais, canario, silvestre, coal, miners, song