Tejasvi Pens Down

  1)Culinary Leaves ~Leafy Vegetables 1.Cabbage 2.Spinach 3.Fenugreek ~Flavour-enhancing Leaves 1.Mint leaves 2.Curry leaves 3.Bay leaves ~Non-edible leaves suited for Plating, Grilling and Wrapping 1.Banana leaves 2.Lemon leaves 3.Bamboo leaves 2)Medicinal Leaves 1.Tulsi 2.Ardusi 3.Giloy 3)Decorative Leaves 1.Caladium leaves 2.Coleus leaves 3.Money plant 4)Auspicious Leaves 1.Betal leaves 2.Mango leaves 3.Bael leaves 4.Tulsi leaves 5.Asopalav leaves 5)Commercial Uses 1.Tobacco leaves 2.Henna leaves 3.Coconut leaves

  Deep in the ocean, are beautiful and majestic sea creatures about which many mystery facts have began to be discovered. Let's uncover a few fishy facts about them. Stingrays ~Stringrays are flat, damond-shaped fish with at least one sharp, venomous 'string' or 'barb' under its long, skinny tail. There are around 70 species of stringrays in the world. ~Size - Stringrays may be as small as a few inches or grow up to 5 to 7 feet in length. ~Habitat - Stringrays thrive in shallow waters and warm climate and are found around the globe. Being shy creatures, they spend most of their time hiding on the ocean floor. ~Food - Stringrays are carnivorous and feast on small crabs, molluscs, snails, oysters and clams. ~Defence - Only when a stringray is scared or feels threatened, it uses its sharp string to 'poke' its enemy. ~Are stringrays poisonous to humans? Human deaths caused by stringray venom are extremely rare, because though the venom results in excruciat...

  The Red-lipped Batfish is a marine anglerfish that inhabits the waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. The red-lipped batfish is often found on the sand and rubble bottoms near reef edges up to about 120 metres deep. True to their name, they have extremely bright red lips. The body colour of the red-lipped batfish is light brown stripe on top of their head, a white stomach, and skin with large and spiny knobs (a rounded lump). Red-lipped batfish primarily feed on small fish, crustaceans and molluscs. These fish reach up to about 25 centimetres in length. Despite their strange appearance, red-lipped batfish are not harmful to humans. Red-lipped batfish have no direct threats. But, rising sea temperatures and coral bleaching pose a threat, as it would alter its natural habitat and may cause a decline of its  natural food source.

  Soon after the first Summer Olympics in 1896, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) proposed a separate winter competition. But the Scandinavian countries, already competing in what was called the Nordic Games, were reluctant. Germany planned the Winter Games in 1916. But World War 1 prevented any Olympic competition that year, and it was another 8 years before the IOC could gather enough support for an organised winter event. They called it the International Winter Sports Week, and it began on January 25th 1924 in Chamonix, France, an outline ski resort in the slopes of Mont Blanc, the highest European mountain peak. The International Winter Sports Week ended on February 5th 1924. It was such a success that a year later, the IOC formally amended its charter and established the first Winter Olympics in Germany. The Winter Olympics wa one of the grandest stages of athletic competition. And, it all began in the quiet mountain-town of Chamonix.

Aishwarya Sridhar is an avid wildlife photographer from Maharashtra, who became the first Indian women to win recognition at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards organised by London's Natural History Museum. Aishwarya Sridhar's  photo  'Lights of Passion' was chose from 50,000 entries from over 80 countries. The photograph shows a tree illuminated with fireflies. She was very thrilled when she got to know her image, Lighs of Passion, had won the highly commended award. Since childhood, Aishwarya was passionate about wildlife. When she spotted her first tiger in th wild at the age of 11 probably, that's when she had made up her mind that nature and wildlife was her field of interest. Aishwarya had always aspired to become a wildlife photographer. And, she did indeed!  

  Emperor penguins are truly beautiful birds. The largest of different species of penguins, emperor penguins grow about 45 inches tall. Adults have a white stomach and a black head, back tail and wings. They also have yellowish-golden markings on the sie of their head and neck. They inhait Antarctica, Earth's southernmost continent, where tempeatures drop to as low as -60 degrees Celsius. To survive in such low temperatures, these brilliant birds  have special adaptations. They have large stores of insulating body fat and several layers of scale like feathes that protect them from icy winds. The huddle in large groups to keep themselves, and each other, warm. By the time the female lays her egg, she develops a big appetite. She passes the egg to the male before journeying up to 80 kilometres into the open ocean, where she can feed her hungry tummy on fish, squid and krill.

  Everyone knows that Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth. But, this is actually true, only if you measure the height of the mountain from the sea level. If you measure it from base to  summit, it is actually the world's second tallest mountain. The first place goes to Mana Kea in the Hawaiian Islands - a one million-year-old dormant volcano that last erupted 4,000 years ago. Its peak is only 13,802 feet above sea level. As the bulk of the mountain is under water, from  base to summit, it is 33,500 feet tall. That makes Mauna Kea almost 1 mile taller than Mount Everest. Because of its altitude and thin and clear air, it is a great place to see the stars. So, Mount Everest might not be the tallest or the farthest from Earth's centre. But, it is still the go to mountian for the extreme climbers worldwide.