Jonathan Livingston Crab and Crab Kate were adopted by me in August 1976. Jon came by way of Ocean City, MD, and Kate from Tysons Corner Mall in Northern VA, both originating in the Caribbean or in the Florida Keys.
Little did I know that 31 years later they would still be with me! According to hermit-crab lovers on the Internet, they are the oldest living hermit crabs raised in captivity in the world. They are strong, healthy, very inquisitive, and lots of fun. Each has a different personality and they seem to know me well.
Both were as small as the tip of my little finger when I brought them home 31 years ago—were probably about two years old then. Now they are bigger than a tennis ball, and are still growing.
There are a number of species of land hermit crabs (marine hermit crabs live under water). Mine are Caribbean Purple Pinchers. The ones from the West Coast are Ecuadorian Hermit Crabs. Land hermit crabs would drown if you put them in water. (An occasional bath doesn’t hurt.) There are many other species from around the world but often are harder to raise in captivity.
Living Quarters: My two crabs live in a 20-gallon glass tank with glass lid, have about an inch of uncoated gravel as a substrate, with rocks and slate to climb on and a bridge to hide under.
There is an under-tank heater (UTH) beneath the bottom of the tank, and I keep the gravel very moist, especially over the heater, which produces needed humidity for their modified gills.
They need about 75-80º of warmth and about 75-80% humidity. Every evening they roam my whole apartment for hours, which gives them the exercise and interest they need.
I often crawl around on the floor with a flashlight at night looking for them in their many hiding places so we can all go to bed! They are very clever when they get tired of walking and find the least- expected hiding nooks.
Seashells: The back end of a hermit crab is soft , not covered by an exoskeleton, and needs protection from predators and other crabs. Therefore they live in seashells discarded by mollusks and snails. Jon and Kate frequently need new seashells to live in, and I buy those at various shell and specialty stores.
They are very fussy about their shells, spend at least a half-hour per shell measuring them and then trying them on. Jonathan will take any hand- me-down from Kate, so she holds onto her old shell for a while so he won’t race over and grab it. If she sees him coming after it, she’ll get back in it so he can’t have it. Just like kids!
Molting Their Exoskeletons: In order to grow, hermit crabs must shed their exoskeletons (legs, claws, upper body, antennae, eye-stalks)--about once a year when they are as old as mine.
They must burrow (shell and all) under a good moist substrate, be in total darkness, in order to molt. At their age, my crabs take about six weeks to finally produce the right hormones and crack open the old exoskeleton and toss it off.
Underneath is a brand new, soft and pink exoskeleton. They grow a little bigger while they’re still soft. All this time they stay in their seashells, but stretch out when shedding the old body. After they harden up and start to turn brown again, they eat their old exoskeleton in order to get back the calcium and chitin that they lost and need.
They don’t eat or drink anything else during the molting process. In about two more weeks they are read to come out and start another year. Since they lose some weight during the time underground, they don’t need a new seashell right away. But in a few weeks, they are looking for newer bigger ones.
If a crab loses a leg or claw, antenna or eye stalk, he will grow a brand new one, which forms in a gel sack before the molt. Sometimes it takes a few molts for it to grow back to normal size. Kate has a beautiful new short eye stalk, with beautiful eyeball and little eye lashes. She lost that eye during some fisticuffs with Jonathan over the new bridge.
Out and About: Hermit crabs are climbers—in or out of the tank. They love computer cables, closed doors to try to open, baskets, etc. Sometime they even climb up my rough lanai wall or a door frame! I have to watch that they don’t tumble on hard tile floors.
I often put them on the couch or a chair so that they get the exercise they need climbing down. If they are out for long, I put down a water dish, and occasionally mist their modified gills that must stay moist. They do keep some water inside their seashells if they need it. Hermit crabs are nocturnal, so sleep most of the day.
Food: Little crabs don’t eat much, but the bigger they get, the more they eat. There are many types of commercial hermit-crab foods, but very few they actually like. I also give them lettuce and spinach leaves, bananas, apples and golden raisins, little dried shrimp, worm castings (honest!), pretzels and cookies on occasion, boiled egg shells for calcium, and an occasional scrambled egg and Vienna sausage.
Their favorite foods are brown oak leaves and crabapple-tree bark. They like to munch on cork bark too. I keep trying various foods—they sometimes surprise me in what they’ll eat. Other folks’ crabs eat flowers and baby food—not mine. And…they don’t like the same foods more than two days in a row.
Water: I give my crabs fresh filtered (dechlorinated) water every night and also a dish of saline water. They like to mix them to keep the right balance in their shells. Ecuadorian crabs must have salt water.
Sounds and Sight: Every so often, especially when Kate tries to grab Jonathan’s seashell, he will chirp like crazy! And sometimes they just do it for fun when they seem to be asleep. It’s sort of a cricket sound. We don’t think they hear, but must get the vibrations. Their eyesight is excellent. Their eyes are on stalks and are multi-faceted, like flies’ eyes. They don’t miss a thing!
http://crabworks.angelfire.com/
Elizabeth Bacon Custer—keeper of the flame for George Armstrong Custer, her husband who famously died at the Little Big Horn in 1876—was also an actress. Of course, you’ve probably never seen the film she starred in, a 14-minute “how-to” called The Pottery Maker. Here’s how it came about.
Libbie had studied art when she was growing up in Michigan. She had sketched scenes on her travels with husband George, and her personal journals feature drawings of clothing and landscapes. In her post-George life, Libbie initially faced lots of debts and few prospects.
She was crushed by the death of the love of her life; Libbie never came close to remarrying, preferring to burnish the Custer legend through books and articles, which provided her a meager income. She took a part-time job as a secretary for the Society of Decorative Arts in New York. It was 1877; the widow Custer was 35 years old.
That’s when her fortune changed. Libbie was a beautiful, intelligent and engaging woman who gained friends and admirers easily. She hit the lecture circuits, bringing in big bucks for the first time in her life.
By the Roaring ’20s, when she was in her 80s, Libbie had built up a pretty fair bank account (her estate was valued at more than $100,000 when she died in 1933, which would equal $1.68 million today).
Her wealth allowed her to be an enthusiastic backer of art institutions like New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Greenwich House of Pottery. In 1925, those two organizations banded together to produce a film on pottery making.
The director was Maude Adams, formerly one of America’s top Broadway actresses. Victor Raffo handled the title role; he was considered one of the best potters in the world. The film was shot at the Greenwich institution.
A documentary showing how to throw a pot isn’t usually an audience grabber. So the producers created a flimsy plot: an old lady and her young granddaughter visit a pottery shop. While the proprietor is in the back, the little girl destroys the piece on the wheel the potter was working on. Naturally, the guy is ticked off (Raffo’s facial expressions are priceless).
He starts over—and for the next several minutes, he shows his visitors how to make a pot. “Granny” in the billing is 83-year-old Libbie, looking serene and dignified with snow-white hair, an old-fashioned hat and a black dress (she wore nothing but black after George’s death).
The girl is Raffo’s daughter Ruth (who is still alive in upstate New York). Libbie biographer Shirley Leckie believes Libbie was chosen for the role because she was still a well-known celebrity at the time who was also a patron of the arts.
Libbie also may have been cast because the film came out in 1926—the 50th anniversary of her husband’s death at the Little Big Horn, which meant additional publicity for The Pottery Maker. Jump ahead to the 1980s.
Chris Enss, who has written her own biography of Libbie, says historian John Carroll was combing through the archives of the Greenwich House of Pottery, when he discovered the little- known film. Carroll made a 16mm copy and showed it to friends, colleagues and Custer family members. Historian Paul Andrew Hutton remembers seeing it at a 1989 gathering of Custer enthusiasts.
https://truewestmagazine.com/mrs-custer-at-the-movies/
The Bank of Thailand is finding it tough to stop the baht from surging. The currency advanced as much as 0.3% on Friday to 30.187 per dollar, the strongest level since May 2013. That takes its gain to 7.8% this year, more than any of its emerging-market peers except Russia’s ruble.
The gains have defied the efforts of authorities, who fear the baht’s strength is becoming a drag on the economy. Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana said on Oct 9 that the central bank should “take care” of the currency.
Several factors are attracting investors to Thailand, making it a haven for foreign money. But its healthy current account tops them all, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The International Monetary Fund forecasts the country will post a surplus of 6% of gross domestic product this year, almost double that of Japan.
Thailand’s reserves and negligible inflation also provide investors comfort. The central bank’s foreign-cash pile stands at $220 billion, the equivalent of more than 12 months of imports. And inflation, currently 0.3%, has been running below the central bank’s target of 1% to 4% since June.
As if these weren’t enough, Thailand is getting a boost from gold. A hub for bullion trading, Thailand has benefited as jitters about the US-China trade war and global economic slowdown have driven a 17% gain in the price of the metal this year.
As is always the case when currencies strengthen, exporters are suffering. The tourism industry, which accounts for about a fifth of GDP, is also hurting. The Tourism Council of Thailand last month revised down its estimate for visitor numbers this year to fewer than 40 million, citing the baht as the biggest reason.
All of which is conspiring to sap growth. The economy will expand 3% this year, down from 4.1% in 2018, according to a Bloomberg survey of analysts.
Quite a bit. As recently as Oct 10, the BoT said it would relax capital controls to make it easier for locals to move money abroad. Governor Veerathai Santiprabhob has also called for more domestic investment to narrow the current-account surplus.
Authorities have taken measures to curb short-term capital inflows, including cutting sales of Treasury bills. In July, they reduced the cap on non-resident bank accounts to 200 million baht ($6.6 million) from 300 million baht and, to boost surveillance, said the actual owners of local debt securities must be reported.
The BoT cut its policy rate once this year, trimming it by 25 basis points to 1.5% in August. Kanit Sangsubhan, one of seven members of the Monetary Policy Committee, said a further reduction in the rate won’t help much in efforts to restrain the baht.
One thing they have been reluctant to do too much is interfere directly in the foreign-exchange market, for fear of getting labeled a currency manipulator by the United States.
Right now, all eyes are on whether the baht will breach 30 per dollar, a level it hasn’t reached in more than six years. Of the 24 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg on the currency, Morgan Stanley is the only one expecting it to reach that point by the end of this year. The median estimate is for it to fall to 30.8 by then and to 31 in 2020.
According to the IMF’s real effective exchange rate calculations, which take into account Thailand’s trade flows, the currency’s already well overvalued.
It’s at the strongest, by that measure, since its crash in 1997, which triggered the Asian financial crisis. However, much will depend on the outcome of the US-China trade dispute and how the central bank reacts to the baht’s continued appreciation.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1780929/why-the-baht-is-surging
Thừa Thiên-Huế is a province in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam, approximately in the centre of the country. It borders Quảng Trị Province to the north and Đà Nẵng to the south, Laos to the west and the East Sea to the east. Wikipedia
For centuries the South China Sea was known by navigators throughout Asia as the Champa Sea, named for a great empire that controlled all of central Vietnam, from the northern border of today's Quang Binh Province to roughly the southern border of Binh Thuan Province.
Cách nấu bánh xèo Phan Thiết giòn ngon - Đặc biệt trong các ngày lễ tết và tiệc tùng, người Chăm bao giờ cũng nấu món cà ri Chà truyền thống. Gọi cà ri Chà là vì người địa phương thường gọi người Chăm là “Chà Và”, do đọc trại từ chữ Java.
Không biết ra đời tự bao giờ, chỉ biết rằng bánh xèo đã đi vào ẩm thực miền Tây với hỉnh ảnh một món ăn dân dã, mộc mạc và bình dị đến lạ thường. Theo một số thông tin khác, nguồn gốc món bánh xèo miền Tây là xuất phát từ miền Trung. Trong quá trình người miền Trung di dân, khai hoang và định cư của miền Nam, nhất là Tây Nam Bộ đã mang theo cách chế biến món bánh vô cùng độc đáo này.
Cái tên “Bánh xèo” có nguồn gốc từ đâu? Bắt nguồn từ âm thanh của nó phát ra khi chiên bánh, lúc đổ bột vào chảo sẽ vang lên tiếng “xèo xèo” quen thuộc và từ đó ra đời tên gọi “Bánh xèo”.
Có người nói “Bánh xèo miền Trung xuất phát từ Bình Định”, còn “Bánh xèo miền tây bắt nguồn từ người Khmer” hay “Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long”,… nhưng câu trả lời chính xác cho món ăn dân dã này xuất phát từ đâu thì vẫn chưa có lời giải đáp vì ở vùng quê nào Việt Nam cũng có. Tuy nhiên sẽ có hai trường phái “bánh xèo” rõ rệt đó là “bánh xèo nhỏ” ở miền Trung và “bánh xèo to” ở miền Nam.
https://eatnmore.com/2019/04/18/banh-xeo-viet-nam-dac-san-ngon-kho-cuong/
Bánh xèo là một món ăn thuần túy và quen thuộc của người dân Việt Nam. Món bánh nhìn có vẻ đơn giản nhưng kì công này lại rất được lòng bạn bè quốc tế khi ghé thăm, trải nghiệm nền văn hóa, ẩm thực đất nước chúng ta.
Bánh xèo cũng được biến tấu tùy theo vùng miền và sở thích vì thế có bánh xèo Miền Trung, bánh xèo miền Tây, bánh khoái (tên gọi khác của bánh xèo ở Huế). Dù ở đâu, món bánh truyền thống này vẫn giữ được sự thơm ngon khó cưỡng đối với thực khách.
Cái tên “Bánh xèo” có nguồn gốc từ đâu? Bắt nguồn từ âm thanh của nó phát ra khi chiên bánh, lúc đổ bột vào chảo sẽ vang lên tiếng “xèo xèo” quen thuộc và từ đó ra đời tên gọi “Bánh xèo”.
Có người nói “Bánh xèo miền Trung xuất phát từ Bình Định”, còn “Bánh xèo miền tây bắt nguồn từ người Khmer” hay “Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long”,… nhưng câu trả lời chính xác cho món ăn dân dã này xuất phát từ đâu thì vẫn chưa có lời giải đáp vì ở vùng quê nào Việt Nam cũng có.
Tuy nhiên sẽ có hai trường phái “bánh xèo” rõ rệt đó là “bánh xèo nhỏ” ở miền Trung và “bánh xèo to” ở miền Nam. Ở miền Trung cụ thể là ở Phan Thiết, bánh có kích thước nhỏ gọn, nhân có thịt heo hoặc hải sản tôm, mực.
Vỏ bánh giòn, không quá dày cũng không quá mỏng, dân địa phương thường cho bánh vào chén rồi thêm rau sống ăn kèm với nước mắm chua ngọt. Bánh xèo Huế hay bánh khoái lại có cách ăn khác hẳn với truyền thống, họ thường ăn kèm với thịt nướng, nước chấm là nước lèo gồm tương, gan, lạc khá đặc biệt.
Người miền Nam thì lại đổ bánh xèo to phải nói gấp 3-4 lần bánh xèo Phan Thiết chắc bởi vì họ quen với lối sống hào sảng, thoải mái của mình. Vỏ bánh được tráng mỏng, giòn, hơi dai dai ở giữa, cực kỳ thơm bởi có nước cốt dừa.
Nhân bánh là thịt ba chỉ, tôm, đậu xanh có khi là thịt vịt, củ sắn, giá và đậu xanh. Cách thưởng thức “bánh xèo” của người miền Nam khá công phu, họ ăn kèm với rau rừng và nước mắm chua ngọt.
Khi ăn, thực khách cuốn bánh, nhân và rau cùng với nhau sau đó chấm với nước mắm pha sẵn và tận hưởng. Thường họ sẽ dùng bánh trán cuốn bánh xèo cho gọn, dễ ăn hơn.
Để có được món bánh xèo thơm ngon ngoài những nguyên liệu cơ bản, cách nêm nếm tùy vào khẩu vị thì sự khéo léo của đôi tay người đầu bếp khi đổ vỏ bánh cực kỳ quan trọng vì vỏ bánh không giòn, hay bị chỗ dày mỏng khác nhau sẽ làm món ánh kém hấp dẫn hơn.
Cuốn bán xèo với rau đặc biệt là rau rừng, chấm với nước mắm chua ngọt cùng một ít đồ chua bạn sẽ cảm nhận được sự hòa quyện các hương vị một cách bùng nổ ngay lập tức.
Cảm giác giòn giòn béo béo của vỏ bánh, sự tươi xanh của rau rừng, một tí dai dai, thơm ngon của thịt ba rọi và tôm, kết hợp với vị chua chua, ngọt ngọt, cay cay của nước mắm chắc chắn bạn sẽ không thể nào cưỡng lại được món bánh xèo dân dã, đặc sản vùng quê Việt Nam.
https://eatnmore.com/2019/04/18/banh-xeo-viet-nam-dac-san-ngon-kho-cuong/
Bánh xèo thường được bán rất nhiều vào mùa mưa, bỡi lẽ từng chiếc bánh giòn tan, nóng hổi vừa thổi vừa ăn khiến con người ta thấy ấm bụng phần nào. Tùy theo đặc trưng của từng vùng miền mà nhân bánh sẽ làm từ tôm, thịt bò, mực, thịt vịt xiêm, bỏ vào một chút nấm và một chút giá để tăng thêm vị ngon. Nói đến đây thôi mà đã cảm thấy đói bụng.
Bánh xèo tuy được chế biến đơn giản, ấy vậy mà không phải vậy, không phải ai cũng đều làm thành công ngay từ những những lần đầu tiên. Phải thật khéo tay bánh mới tròn, không bị rách, bánh hoàn toàn thật giòn nhưng lại không dễ vỡ.
Nếu thiếu đi một dĩa rau, kèm 1 chén nước chấm thì bạn đã mất đi hết ý nghĩa của bánh xèo. Chén nước chấm thường được pha chua chua ngọt ngọt, thêm chút cà rốt bào mỏng, ớt, tiêu. Còn các loại rau ăn kèm không thể thiếu như: cải xanh, rau diếp cá, tía tô, rau rừng, khế chua, chuối chát bào mỏng.
Để thưởng thức chuẩn vị dân dã nhất, bạn phải dùng tay cuốn từng chút một như thế sẽ ngon hơn. Cắn một miếng bánh, hương vị hồn quê tan nhẹ nơi đầu lưỡi. Chắc hẳn ai xa quê không thể nào quên được cái hương vị quen thuộc ấy.
Một số địa điểm làm bánh xèo ngon ở miền Tây - Ngày nay rất nhiều món ăn vặt ra đời, nhưng bánh xèo vẫn là món đặc sản không thể thiếu. Ở một số tỉnh thành Tây Nam Bộ vẫn còn giữ lại bánh xèo truyền thống như chính lưu lại các ý nghĩa của bánh xèo từ bao đời nay.
Nếu các bạn có dịp ghé thăm miền Tây thì các bạn đừng bỏ qua Sa Đéc, Cần Thơ, Bến Tre An Giang,… Đặc biệt thành phố Cao lãnh có riêng một con đường gọi là làng bánh xèo để các bạn có thể thưởng thức các loại bánh xèo truyền thống chế biến đa dạng theo phong cách mọi vùng miền.
Cùng với đó là hình ảnh các chị phụ nữ trong chiếc áo bà ba bên bếp lửa hồng, âm thanh quen thuộc “xèo xèo” cùng với màu vào óng ánh làm nức lòng du khách.
Không còn gì có thể tuyệt vời hơn khi được thưởng thức món bánh xèo chính thống, dân dã mà tinh tế. Dù đi đâu về đâu, chắc hẳn nếu mọi người đã từng thưởng thức thì sẽ không thể nào quên được cái mùi vị thân thương ấy, cái mùi của ẩm thực truyền thống, và cả cái mùi của tình người nơi đây. Vì thế, hãy cùng chung tay lưu giữ từng ý nghĩa của bánh bèo, giữ gìn, phát triển và truyền đạt đến thế hệ sau này.
http://vinhthuan.com/
An Giang là vùng đất của người Việt Nam có nguồn gốc, Trung Quốc, Khmer và người Chăm sống hòa bình với nhau hàng trăm năm. Các cộng đồng người Chăm ở địa phương chủ yếu sau Hồi giáo, tạo nét văn hóa độc đáo từ kiến trúc nhà thờ Hồi giáo để thiết kế nhà ở hoặc trang phục truyền thống.
Trong số những đặc điểm văn hóa truyền thống, ẩm thực là một niềm tự hào của người Chăm có, đặc biệt đối với món ăn cà ri của họ. Curry không xuất hiện thường xuyên trong các bữa ăn hàng ngày của người Chăm nhưng trong lễ hội, tổ chức tiệc cưới hoặc các sự kiện tôn giáo như món ăn này là tốn kém và phức tạp hơn trong việc chuẩn bị hơn những người khác. người Chăm kiêng thịt lợn, và họ thường sử dụng thịt bò, thịt dê và thịt gà.
Lớn Giah, một nhà sản xuất cà ri địa phương, nói rằng cà ri của người Chăm trong tỉnh được nhập khẩu từ cộng đồng Hồi giáo tại Malaysia, và đây là yếu tố quan trọng mà làm cho hương vị của món ăn khác nhau từ cà ri của người dân bản địa Việt Nam hoặc Trung Quốc.
Nếu những người có nguồn gốc Việt Nam và Trung Quốc phục vụ cà ri với bánh mì, người Chăm thưởng thức cà ri với cơm như người Ấn Độ. Khi quý khách đến thăm tỉnh An Giang, du khách không nên bỏ lỡ đặc sản này tại Min Ky quán ăn nằm trên đường Trương Nữ Vương.
http://www.vietnamblogs.net/vi/culture/cham-curry-specialty-of-cham-people-in-an-giang.html
The extent of Champa kingdom (1st century CE – 1832) - The people of Champa are descendants of Malayo-Polynesian settlers who appear to have reached the Southeast Asian mainland from Borneo about the time of the Sa Huynh culture in the 1st and 2nd centuries B.C.
The Champa kingdom that covered the present day southern Vietnam was part of the Malay civilization as reflected by the Malay characteristics in the culture of Cham people, notably in their language, literature and beliefs.
Cham language is a member of the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian family and closely related to Achehnese and Malay language. From 15th century, the Malay language achieved a great influence throughout the Malay world including Champa, to the extent that the king of Cambodia also used Malay language as a diplomatic language with foreign powers like Portuguese and Dutch.
According to a Dutch record, in 1680 the king of Champa, Po Saut sent a diplomatic letter in Malay language to Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) in Batavia. In the letter, he even referred to himself as “Paduka Seri Sultan”, a typical Malay royal title.
There are similarities between Cham decorative ornaments and those of the Malays, similarities in the way they dress, the types of attire and decorations such as the kelarai, songket and tengkolok.
The headgear worn by Champa dignitaries in the 12th century was said to be very much like the Malay’s tengkolok. The various hairstyles sported by Malay women were very similar to Cham women during their heydays, notably the sanggul lintang, sanggul ekor kera, sanggul dua, and sanggul siput rendah.
Champa was also said to have close historical relations with Malay people of Kelantan and many name of places, attire and decorations in Kelantan were adopted from Champa language.
One type of kite-flying, a popular pastime in Kelantan, was named Wau Lenggang Kembayat (“Kembayat” is the Champa name mentioned in Syair Siti Zubaidah). The Kelantanese Malays also have what they call sutera chepa, tenun chepa, and keris chepa, which “chepa” is the corrupted version of “champa” in Kelantanese dialect.
Malay titles like Nik and Wan used by many people in Patani, Kelantan and Terengganu were said to have originated from Champa and are still being used by certain royal families of Champa in Indo-China.
The Malay annals (Sejarah Melayu) mentioned Champa in several of its episodes related to some important events during the golden age of the Melaka Sultanate. According to the stories in the Annals, the relationship between Champa and Melaka began when a Champa prince, Shah Indera Berma, visited Melaka with his consort.
They were welcomed by Sultan Mansur Shah who asked them to embrace Islam. The prince was then appointed a minister in the sultan’s court. In 1594, the Cham Lord, Po At even sent forces to assist the Johor Sultanate's (the successor of Melaka Sultanate) attack on Portuguese-occupied Melaka city.
Hikayat Hang Tuah tells a story about a kingdom, Inderapura (in Champa), which was constantly attacked by the people of Đại Việt until it fell in 1000 A.D. The Syair Siti Zubaidah Perang Cina also tells an almost similar story, but refer to Champa as the kingdom of Kambayat Negara. Another Malay manuscript, the Hikayat Raja Muda, mentions a kingdom called Cempaka Sari which was attacked and conquered.
The Champa kingdom is reported to have left behind 206 inscriptions carved on stone, copper plates and other writing surfaces, 98 of which were in the Cham language, 43 in Sanskrit, 29 in both of these languages and 36 illegible.
It also left behind a rich historical heritage, including artistically designed and architecturally marvellous temples of rich historical value which give credit to Malay culture and civilization.
According to Cham legend, Lady Po Nagar, or Leiou Ye, was the founder of the Cham nation. She was born into a farming family in the Dai An Mountains of the Khanh Hoa Province.
With the help of the spirits, she sailed to China hidden on a piece of sandalwood. There, she married a royal heir and bore two children. After many years, she returned to her home and established a Cham nation there.
According to Chinese records, the kingdom of Champa was officially formed in the early 192 A.D. by King Sri Mara or Khu Lien, during the breakup of the Han dynasty of China.
Gradually it came under Indian cultural influence, evolving into a decentralized country composed of four small states, named after regions of India, Amaravati (Quang Nam), Vijaya (Binh Dinh), Kauthara (Nha Trang), and Panduranga (Phan Rang).
The four principalities had a powerful fleet that was used for commerce and for piracy. Within the four principalities there were two main clans: the "Dua" and the "Cau." The Dua lived in Amaravati and Vijaya while the Cau lived in Kauthara and Panduranga.
The two clans differed in their customs and habits and conflicting interests led to many clashes and even war. But they usually managed to settle disagreements through intermarriage. The Cham people were finally united under the rule of King Bhadravarman around 400AD.
In retaliation for Cham raids on their coast, the Chinese invaded Champa in 446, bringing the region under their suzerainty once again. However, under a new dynasty in the 6th century, Champa threw off its allegiance to China and entered into an era of great independent prosperity and artistic achievements.
From the 7th to the 10th century A.D., the Cham controlled the trade in spices and silk between China, India, the Malay islands, and the Abbassid caliphate. They supplemented their income from the trade routes not only by exporting ivory and aloe, but also by engaging in piracy and raiding.
In the late 8th century the Chams were distracted by attacks from Java, but in the 9th century they renewed their pressure on the Chinese provinces to the north and the growing Khmer Empire to the west.
Under Indravarman II, who established the Indrapura dynasty in 875, the capital of the country was moved to the northern province of Amaravati, near present Hue, and elaborate palaces and temples were constructed. Champa reached its peak in civilization under the rule of this dynasty.
Factors contributing to the decline of Champa over the next several centuries include its enviable position along the trade routes, its relatively small population base, and its frequently antagonistic relations with its closest neighbours: the Đại Việt to the north and the Khmer to the west.
In the 10th century, the Vietnamese kingdom of Đại Việt, based in Hanoi, began to exert pressure on Champa, forcing it to relinquish Amaravati in 1000 and Vijaya in 1069. Harivarman IV, who founded the ninth Cham dynasty in 1074, was able to stave off further Viet and Cambodian attacks, but in 1145 the Khmers, under the aggressive leadership of Suryavarman II, invaded and conquered Champa.
Two years later a new Cham king, Jaya Harivarman I, arose and threw off Khmer rule, and his successor sacked the Cambodian capital at Angkor in 1177. Between 1190 and 1220 the Chams again came under Cambodian suzerainty, and later in the 13th century they were attacked by the Tran kings of Viet, as well as by the Mongols in 1284.
This bas relief at the late 12th century Angkorian temple called the Bayon depicts Cham mariners in action against the Khmer - By the late 15th century, incessant wars of aggression and defence had for all practical purposes wiped out the Champa kingdom; one by one their provinces were annexed. In 1471, in a reaction to a Cham raid against Hóa Châu, King Lê Thánh Tông of Đại Việt invaded Champa and sacked its capital, Vijaya.
This was the final defeat of Champa, which then became separated principalities ruled by several Cham lords, and paying tributes to the Vietnamese kings. This defeat also caused the first major Cham emigration, particularly to Cambodia and Melaka.
In 1697, the southern principality of Panduranga became a vassal of the Vietnamese emperor. In 1700s, a Champa Muslim Lord, Pô Chien gathered his people and migrated south to Cambodia while those along the coastline migrated to the nearest Malay Peninsular state of Terengganu and Kelantan. Finally in 1832, the Vietnamese emperor Minh Mang annexed the remaining Cham territories.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC60Izvhg6A2LC4zhkiPd5sw
Modern day Champa people make up a sizable minority in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia. Malaysian constitution recognises the Champa rights to Malaysian citizenship and their Bumiputera status.
Rajatiraja (King of Kings) of Champa. Some names are listed in Chinese, as per mentioned in Chinese records. Sri Mara - Khu Lien or Seri Mara was born in Tuong Lam, an area of tension between Han Dynasty and the natives of Lam Ap (the precursor to Champa).
In 192 AD, he defeated the Chinese prefect and declared himself Raja (King) of Lam Ap. This is considered the official founding of Champa, though Cham legend dates the founding to be much earlier.
270 - 280 - Fan Hsiung - In 270, T'ao Huang, the Chinese governor of Giao Chi, reported that Fan Hsiung was repeatedly assaulting his land with the aid of Funan.
284 - 336 - Fan Yi - In 284, He sent the first Cham envoy to the Eastern Chin Emperor. He died in 336, and was succeeded by his commander in chief.
336 - 349 - Fan Wen - He was the commander in chief to Fan Yi, and, after Fan Yi's death in 336, seized the throne. In 340, he sent an embassy to China to request the province of Giao Chi. His request was denied, and so Fan Wen recaptured Jen Nan in 347. He died two years later on another campaign.
In 353, He was defeated by the Chinese governor of Giao Chi. The governor also recaptured Jen Nan, which was previously captured by Fan Fo’s predecessor, Fan Wen.
Also known as Fan Hu Ta in Chinese chronicles, he was the first king acknowledged in the inscriptions. In 380, he moved the capital to Indrapura and ordered the construction of temples and palaces, all facing north, at My Son and Tra Kieu.
In 399, he went on a military campaign up north and succeeded in capturing the Vietnamese provinces of Nhat Nam and Cuu Chan. He continued on his temple-building campaign as well, building Cham towers along the coast up north.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/DavidAvocadoWolfe/posts/
From 405 to 413, he continuously battled the Chinese governor Do Tue. However, at their last confrontation, he disappeared without a trace after being defeated by the governor.
Following years of internal trouble, Fan Yang Mai overthrew the previous dynasty and seized the throne in 421. In 425, the Chinese invaded and defeated Champa and forced the Cham people to pay an annual tribute.
In 431, the King was denied the aid of the King of Funan during a war with the Chinese governor of Chiao Chou. In 433, after being denied this territory, turned against the Khmers and annexed the Khmer district of Panduranga.
Inscriptions credit him with rehabilitating the temple to Bhadresvara after a fire. Sambhuvarman also sent delegations and tribute to China, and unsuccessfully invaded what is now northern Vietnam.
Mentioned in My Son stone inscription dated 657 A.D. Claimed to be descended through his mother from the Brahman Kaundinya and the serpent princess Soma, the legendary ancestors of the Khmer of Cambodia.
Satyavarman - Pursued the Javanese raiders in 774 A.D. and defeated them in a naval battle. Indravarman II - Founded a new northern dynasty at Indrapura and the first Cham monarch to adopt Mahayana Buddhism as an official religion. Jaya Indravarman I - In 960, he sent a delegation with tribute to the first king of the Chinese Song Dynasty.
Paramesvaravarman I - Sent a fleet to attack Hoa Lu (modern day Hanoi) in 979 A.D. Jaya Sinhavarman II - In 1044 A.D.,He was defeated and killed in a Dai Viet attack on the city of Vijaya. Vijaya Rudravarman III - Attacked Dai Viet in 1068 A.D. in order to reverse the setbacks of 1044 A.D.
Harivarman IV - He restored the temples at My Son and ushered in a period of relative prosperity. He made peace with the Dai Viet, but provoked war with the Khmer of Angkor. Defeated the Khmer invaders in 1080 A.D.
Jaya Harivarman I - Ruler of the southern principality of Panduranga, defeated the Khmers in 1149 A.D. and had himself consecrated king of kings in Vijaya.
Jaya Indravarman IV - In 1177, his troops launched a surprise attack against the Khmer capital of Yasodharapura from warships piloted up the Mekong River to the great lake Tonle Sap in Cambodia. The invaders sacked the capital and killed the Khmer king.
Jaya Indravarman VI - During his reign, the Mongols invaded Champa under commander Sogetu under Kublai Khan. Sogetu captured the port of Vijaya, but was defeated by Cham guerillas in the mountains.
1265-1288 - Indravarman V - His reign began in 1265 by declining to give his respects in person to the Mongol Khan, Kublai Khan. He died, however, before he could face another wrath of Mongolia, leaving his son, Chế Mân, to face the challenge.
1288-1307 - Jaya Sinhavarman III (Chế Mân) - The founder of the still extant temple of Po Klaung Garai in Panduranga, ceded two northern districts to the Dai Viet in exchange for the hand in marriage of a Viet princess.
Che Nang (Annamite Vassal) - During his reign, he tried to conquer previously lost territories. In 1318, the Vietnamese king, Tran Minh Tong, dispatched generals Tran Quoc Chan and Pham Ngu Lao to defeat Che Nang. Che Nang was defeated and escaped to Java.
Chế Bồng Nga (Che Bunga) - Also as known as the “Red king” in Vietnamese chronicles, He was the last strong king of Cham. He apparently managed to unite the Cham lands under his rule and by 1372 he was strong enough to attack and almost conquer Dai Viet from the sea.
After his father's death in 1440, Indravarman VI turned against the Khmers and succeeded in defeating its king, Ponhea Yat, causing the final desertion of Angkor. Now relieved from the threats of its neighbours, Champa entered a time of peace and spirituality.
A new religion, Islam, was introduced by Muslim traders. However, this brought its consequences. The next time Annam would attack, Champa would not receive help from its former Buddhist and Hindu allies.
In 1471, in a reaction to a Cham raid against Hóa Châu, king Lê Thánh Tông of Đai Viet invaded Champa and sacked its capital, Vijaya. This was the final defeat of Champa, which then became a minor Viet province ruled by several Cham lords, paying tributes to Nguyen lords.
http://kerajaan-melayu.blogspot.com/2009/12/champadesachampa-nagara.html
Arnold's biggest years were between 1971 and 1974. He claims to have weighed 245 on stage as his biggest competition weight. While not as shredded as today's body builders, that was still a very lean 245. Say he exaggerated, it wouldn't be by much, maybe 5lbs.
Bloody Knife was born in 1840 to an Hunkpapa Sioux father and a Ree mother. He spent his first 16 years with his father, but was frequently taunted, beaten and abused for being a "half-breed".
At age 16, he left the Sioux camp with his mother, but returned in 1860 to visit his father. Bloody Knife was still despised by the Sioux, and was almost killed during his visit. Chief Gall, a leader of the Hunkpapa, killed Bloody Knife's two brothers in 1862. Bloody Knife was married to She Owl in 1866.
In 1868, Bloody Knife enlisted as a scout in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 7th Cavalry. He quickly became George Armstrong Custer's favorite scout. He was insolent toward whites and ridiculed them. He often amused Custer by ridiculing bloodyknife.jpghis marksmanship. Custer never got angry with Bloody Knife and often gave gifts to him.
In 1874, Bloody Knife guided the 7th through the Black Hills. He was with Custer in the Little Bighorn campaign. Bloody Knife was assigned to Major Marcus Reno during the Battle of the Little Bighorn and was killed by a shot to the head as he was standing beside Reno in the battle.
Reno was attempting to ask him what the Indians were doing when he was shot and his blood splattered Reno's face. Reno then lost his sense and barked out orders that did not make sense before fleeing.
Bloody Knife was beheaded by the Sioux, who took the head to their camp. She Owl received $91.66 in wages owed to Bloody Knife in 1881. "Bloody Knife was naturally mournful; his face still looked sad when put on the presents given him. He was a perfect child about gifts, and the general studied to bring him something from the East that no other Indian had.
He had proved himself such an invaluable scout to the general that they often had long interviews. Seated on the grass, the dogs lying about them, they talked over portions of the country that the general had never seen, the scout drawing excellent maps in the sand with a pointed stick.
He was sometimes petulant, often moody, and it required the utmost patience on my husband’s part to submit to his humors; but his fidelity and clerverness (sic) made it worthwhile to yield to his tempers."
Libbie Custer (in her book Tenting on the Plains)
http://custer.over-blog.com/article-15416192.html
In 1871, at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War, Alsace and most of Lorraine, which had been part of France before the war, were annexed to the newly-formed German Empire.
The French bitterly resented the loss of these territories, and their recovery became a prime objective of French foreign policy and one of France’s chief aims during World War I.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnrDTl2XF8GEtU8avjpgunA
This poster, published in Paris in 1914, personifies the German annexation by depicting an Alsatian woman with her hand chained to a brick wall. The bold text on the poster declares, “The people of Alsace and Lorraine are French!”
Text at the bottom explains that Alsace and Lorraine are ancient provinces of France and that the French armies are fighting to return these territories to an undivided France.
The poster is by Lucien Jonas (1880–1947), an official French war artist who travelled extensively along the front lines and produced thousands of drawings, oil paintings, charcoals, and sketches of the conflict. In the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, Germany was forced to cede Alsace and Lorraine to France.
https://www.wdl.org/en/item/4602/
Ants mastered husbandry way before us - about 50 million years ago - and they still continue farming today. Leafcutter ants are industrious creatures known for expertly carving up foliage and then carrying it back in pieces to their colony, creating neat lines of undulating green armies.
They use the leaves to farm fungus which they eat – they are essentially mushroom farmers. Herder ants, as their name suggest, tend to aphids – the little green bugs that drink plants’ nutrients and are considered pests by every farmer on earth, except for their own six-legged keepers. Ants love the sugary substance aphids exert and treat the bugs as their dairy cows.
And just like farming runs in human families, so does it in the colony. When a young farmer leaves home to start a new family he takes some seeds and other means of growing future crops with him.
https://www.facebook.com/KundaliniHealing/
A fledging leafcutter ant queen leaves her colony with a blob of fungus in her mouth taken from the established fungal garden in her nest, says Rachelle Adams, an evolutionary biologist who studies interactions between species at the University of Copenhagen.
The virgin queen leaps in the air for a mating flight, gathering enough sperm to keep laying eggs for the rest of her life, which can be as long as ten years. Then she lands, sheds her wings, finds a burrow in the ground, and starts a new colony. She spits out her fungal blob, and it begins to grow.
The queen lays her eggs in the fungus; the larva feeds on it and once the first worker ants hatch they help the queen to tend the garden. A fledging leafcutter ant queen leaves her colony with a blob of fungus in her mouth taken from the established fungal garden in her nest.
Scientists call fungus mycelium. A mass of thin threads, mycelium grows on organic waste and digests it. So the fungus-growing ants, which scientists call the attine species, have evolved to feed their fungi with biological refuse.
Worker ants, which have strong jaws designed to clip off parts of plants, forage for leaves in the forest and bring them into the nest. Smaller worker ants clean up the leaves, cut them into small pieces, and add their own excrements to the mix, similarly to how we use cow manure in our farms.
“They eventually make it into a mash and they fertilize it with their own feces,” says Adams. Then they mulch it all together into the so-called fungal matrix – a round soccer ball-like structure that resembles a wasp nest. “They plant it into a fungal matrix so the fungus is incorporated in with this mulch and it grows from it,” Adams explains.
“The top of the garden is constantly fed by the ants and the mycelium moves its way down through this fungal ball and the ants remove the bottom part, and throw it away so the garden is constantly replenished.”
Some types of fungi growers fertilize their gardens with just about any organic refuse found in the woods – from small bits of flowers to caterpillar droppings, anything goes.
“They are more like recyclers who are recycling the debris on the forest floor,” Adams says. The parts of the fungus ants eat are the roundish blob structures or swellings called “gongylidia,” which grow around the mycelium threads and are packed with nutrients.
Ants eat gongylidia and leave mycelium to grow more blobs – similarly to how people sometimes dig up a few potatoes, but leave the rest of the potato plant to grow more root veggies. Ants have domesticated fungus similarly to how we domesticated many plants.
And similarly to how human domestication of certain types of plants led to evolutionary changes of them, the ants’ fungus changed too – it lost its ability to reproduce sexually.
It no longer propagates by way of seeds or spores, meaning it no longer produces mushrooms. The ants propagate and take care of the fungus garden. Ants have domesticated fungus similarly to how we domesticated many plants. “It’s like citrus fruit,” Adams says.
“It produces the fruit but not seeds, we propagate it by grafts. If cutter ants are the vegetable farmers of the ant world, herder ants are the ranchers. Much the same way we keep cattle, these ants keep aphids, which drink plants’ nutrients and excrete a sugary substance called honeydew that ants eat.
Some species of herder ants follow the green creatures, devouring their droppings, while others milk their herds by tickling them with their antennae.
The only difference is that the milk comes out of the cows’ udders while the honeydew flows out of the aphids’ anus — not that the ants seem to mind. In return, ants shepherd their bug flocks to better pastures and shield them from rain, sometimes carrying them from one plant to another.
Ants care for and protect aphids’ eggs, treating them as their own and keeping them safe inside their colonies for winter. When a young queen of a “dairy ant” colony leaves on a mating flight, she brings an aphid in her mouth to her new home.
And just like humans take away their animals’ freedom in exchange for care and protection, so do ants. Sometimes they bite off aphids’ wings so the “milk cows” won’t fly away, and release chemicals that make aphids move slower, becoming more docile.
To reciprocate, ants protect their livestock from predators. They attack ladybugs that try to feast on their herds just like we would ward off a pack of wolves from our bovine beasts. And yet, much like we eat our cattle, ants sometimes devour aphids too.
“It could be that the aphid population grows rather large and they simply are not needed,” says Adams, but it also can be that ants crave different nutrients at different times. “The honeydew is sugar, but the aphids body itself is a protein source.”
The only thing ants haven’t yet achieved is building complex agricultural machinery to cut down on physical labor. But that’s probably because they simply don’t need it. Researchers at Ohio State University called ants “impressive mechanical systems.” The miniature creatures can carry up to 5,000 times their weight. When’s the last time you saw a human farmer carting Bossy around on his back?
https://modernfarmer.com/2014/04/meet-earths-oldest-farmers-ants/
The shell of the channeled applesnail (Pomacea canaliculata) varies from 1.5 - 2.3 inches wide and 1.75 - 3 inches high. The shell has 5 to 6 whorls which are separated by a deep, indented suture, hence the species name 'canaliculata' or 'channeled'. The island applesnail, Pomacea insularum, appears nearly identical.
The shell opening, or aperture, on both species is large and oval or round. Body color of applesnails vary from yellow to brownish black, with or without dark spiral bands. Their presence is often first noted by observation of their bright pink egg masses. These egg masses are laid on solid surfaces up to about 20 inches above the water surface.
An average channeled-applesnail clutch contains 200 to 600 eggs, with each egg measuring 0.9 to 1.4 mm in diameter. An average island-applesnail clutch usually contains more than 500 eggs, slightly smaller than those of its sister species.
Nhac sĩ Duy Cường cho biết từ mấy tháng nay sức khỏe của nhạc sĩ Phạm Duy đã yếu dần, anh thường xuyên đưa ba mình vào bệnh viện nhưng không ngờ lần này bệnh lại trở nặng. “Tôi nghĩ có thể ba không chịu được cú sốc về cái chết của anh Duy Quang. Ở thời điểm đó, ba tôi rất tinh tường, thậm chí còn biết tin đó trước cả tôi. Mặc dù ba cố giữ bình tĩnh nhưng tôi biết bên trong là những đợt sóng ngầm và ba đang rất suy sụp vì điều đó”, nhạc sĩ Duy Cường ngậm ngùi chia sẻ. Nhạc sĩ Duy Cường, con trai nhạc sĩ Phạm Duy bùi ngùi nhớ lại những kỷ niệm về ba - Ca sĩ Ánh Tuyết cho biết khi đến thăm nhạc sĩ Phạm Duy gần đây, cô cũng nhận ra sự rắn rỏi của người nghệ sĩ ngoài 90 tuổi này, khi ông cố nén đau thương để nghĩ về những dự án âm nhạc của mình. Nhạc sĩ Duy Cường còn chia sẻ thêm: "Ba tôi lúc nào cũng lạc quan. Ông bảo mình đã sống một cuộc đời đầy đủ, trọn vẹn và rất mãn nguyện. Ông còn dặn dò phải chôn ông gần mẹ tôi. Điều đó tôi sẽ thực hiện được...". Nhạc sĩ Duy Cường cho biết vì nhạc sĩ Phạm Duy tuổi tác đã cao nên gia đình cũng đã sớm chuẩn bị tinh thần. Gần đây anh đã chuẩn bị được một nơi thích hợp cho ba mình an nghỉ nếu chẳng may có chuyện. "Nơi đó là nghĩa trang Công viên Bình Dương. Đó là một nơi thanh bình, đẹp, rộng rãi và quan trọng là ba được gần mẹ", nhạc sĩ Duy Cường chia sẻ. Dù đã chuẩn bị trước nhưng gia đình nhạc sĩ Phạm Duy cũng không tránh được cú sốc khi ca sĩ Duy Quang, con trai trưởng của nhạc sĩ Phạm Duy chỉ mới mất chưa được 49 ngày. "Câu nói cuối cùng mà ba tôi nói trước khi qua đời là "Ba đi đây, để gặp thằng Duy Quang...", anh Duy Cường chia sẻ. Sau khi qua đời tại Bệnh viện 115 (TP.HCM) chiều 27.1, nhạc sĩ Phạm Duy đã được gia đình đưa về nhà. https://giaoduc.net.vn/van-hoa/ba-di-day-de-gap-thang-duy-quang-post108130.gd
Compared to the eggs of native applesnails, those of the invasive applesnails are smaller, pinker, and more numerous. Eggs hatch in one to two weeks, releasing hundreds of juveniles into the surrounding environment.
The channeled applesnail is native to temperate Argentina and northwards to the Amazon basin. Through human introduction, this applesnail has rapidly spread to Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, southern China, Japan, Philippines, and Hawaii.
There are indications that they are invading Australia. In the 1980's, channeled applesnails were introduced in Taiwan to start an escargot industry. This snail was originally imported under the name “golden snail” or “golden applesnail” for human consumption.
However, the Asian escargot market never materialized and applesnails, that escaped or were released, ultimately came to cause extensive damage to rice fields.
In the United States the applesnail has been introduced for use in the aquarium trade, as a food source, and for the biological control of weeds. Specimens have been collected in Alabama, Arizona, and North Carolina. Established populations exist in Florida, California, and Hawaii.
The island applesnail, P. insularum, which is native to South America, has historically been confused with the channeled applesnail, P. canaliculata, in the United States. The two species are nearly identical in appearance.
However, DNA testing can confirm species identification. Invasive island applesnails have been documented in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana.
Invasive applesnails can spread rapidly from agricultural areas into wetlands and other natural freshwater systems where it may have a serious impact. Like all invasive species, applesnails have the potential to compete with native species for limited resources. These two snail species feed on all types of aquatic plants.
Such an intense consumption of plants could alter the natural balance of a water system. Additionally, their rapid and profuse reproduction coupled with their lack of predators in the United States could make their population explode causing further problems. The channeled applesnail is a serious pest of rice throughout many countries of Southeast Asia.
In the Philippines and China, it is considered the number one rice pest and has caused huge economic losses. It was introduced to Hawaii in 1989, probably from the Philippines, and for the same reasons as for its initial introduction to Southeast Asia.
Again, the snails rapidly escaped or were released and quickly became major pests. Climatic modeling has shown that it has the potential to spread into uninfested parts of the world, for instance the huge rice-growing areas of India. It has already been introduced to the U.S. and threatens the major rice-crops of Texas and California.
Once established, there is no way to eradicate all invasive applesnails. Thus, the primary management approach must be prevention. Strict quarantine must be enforced to prevent introduction and spread. In rice and taro fields, plants should be used from areas known to be snail-free. The use of a screen on water inlets may also aid in slowing the spread. A barrier of copper could be used prevent invasion.
This metal is toxic to snails and they will not cross this material. Reported invasions must be eradicated rapidly while it is still possible. Once established, eradication is probably not possible. Numerous measures have been tried in attempts to control applesnails in agricultural settings.
These include: widespread use of pesticides, with serious environmental and human health consequences; biological control, notably the use of fish and ducks; as well as a range of cultural and mechanical control measures.
None has proven entirely effective, safe, or economically viable. In areas where the snail is damaging agricultural crops, aggressively hand picking the snails and the use of domestic carnivorous ducks has reduced the snail population by 95%.
All vegetation and obstacles around fields should be removed as much as possible since the snails need this to deposit their eggs. When there are no suitable eggs-laying sites available, the snails are forced to deposit the eggs on the bare ground where they are vulnerable and easily fall into the water, which drowns the eggs.
A similar species, Pomacea bridgesii, is a popular aquarium species that is not known to be invasive. However, this species, also non-native, is difficult to distinguish from the invasive applesnails. If you insist on keeping non-native snails, do so in an aquarium and not in outdoor ornamental ponds.
Do not release any aquaria species in the natural environment. If you no longer want your pet, return it to a local pet shop for resale or trade, give it to another hobbyist, or donate it to a school, nursing home, or hospital. Remove all plant fragments, rinse any mud or debris from equipment and wading gear, and drain any water from boats before leaving an access area.
The transportation of plant fragments on boats, trailers, and in live wells is one of the main introduction routes of snails and other aquatic invasive species to new lakes and rivers.
General aquatic nuisance species prevention: Do not release aquarium pets or live food into the environment. Never dump live fish, e.g. bait buckets, from one body of water into another body of water. Always drain water from your boat, live well, and bilge before leaving any water access.
https://www.anstaskforce.gov/spoc/applesnail.php
The apple snail's life expectancy mainly depends on the temperature of their environment and the general life conditions. At lower temperatures, the apple snail can get over 3 years old and records of apple snails of ten years old have been reported.
Lanistes nyassanus has an estimated life span of 5 to 10 years in Lake Malawi, Africa. At a temperature of 25 C, they will only live 12-16 months.
At higher temperatures, the snails are more active because their metabolism increases with the temperature, but this also speeds up their life cycle and thus shortens their life expectancy. So you can elongate your snail's life by lowering the temperature. A general rule: keep the temperature between 18 and 28 C (65-82 F).
If you have a question regarding apple snails and you cannot find the answer in the other pages you have arrived at the right spot.
In this page the most common questions and their answer are listed and there is also an option to post a new question (or comment) at the bottom of this page. However, please take a look to see if your question isn't already listed here before mailing me. And please consider posting a message in the Apple snail discussion board instead.
Note that I do not mind to answer questions or to receive comments, on contrary, but it's quite boring to get the same questions over and over again. If you find it hard to locate specific information, go to the index page, were a keyword-based index and a site map are available. Other pages that contain valuable practical information are:
Q:How do I know if my snail is an apple snail? What exactly should I feed my apple snail? I place romaine lettuce at the bottom. Is that good enough?
A: From my own experience, the apple snails are not difficult when it comes to food.
Feed them fish-food (food for pond fish, it comes in a big box, consist of big pellets and is inexpensive), cucumber and lettuce. Apple snails consume a lot of aquatic plants and algae and can be very useful in eliminating your algae.
In the literature there is an article mentioning that their apple snails stopped reproducing when they where put on a diet, which consisted solely of water hyacinths. They didn't describe if it was the kind of food, or the fact that they could only eat one type of food that caused it. Maybe it might be a good idea to have some variation in their diet.
Do Apple Snails eat aquarium plants?
A: This mainly depends on the species, most species are likely to consume your plants to some degree, while other species don't. Have a look at the Care to find out how to feed your apple snails.
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Are apple snails hermaphrodite?
A: No, apple snails are not hermaphrodite like some other snail families (mainly land and freshwater species). This means you'll need a male and a female to get baby snails. A sex change from male to female has been described for some Pila and Pomacea apple snails.
In case of Pila snails, the male needs a preparatory aestivation period to become a female, while the Pomacea snails can possibly change sex at all times. The frequency at which this sex change occurs is not certain.
How can I see if a have a male or a female apple snail?
A: A relative easy (?) way to determine the sex of an apple snail is by taking the snail out of the water, keep it on it's back and wait until the animal comes out of its shell. At that moment you have to take a look at the upper part of the right mantle cavity.
Close to the edge of the shell, you can see the penis sheath starting (take a look at the anatomy to get an idea where to look for). Some experience might be needed for this, but once you have seen the difference between the male and the female snail you'll find it less difficult to determine the sex of an apple in the future.
Another option is to wait until the snail copulate. When they're mating, the male snail creeps on the shell of the female and puts his penis in her. At that point you know that the one on top is the male and the other is the female.
The third way to differentiate the sexes is based on the fact that male snail have a rounder shell opening (aperture). In the case you are the lucky owner of several apple snails, you can compare the aperture height/width to determine the sexes of your snails. There also is a fourth way: killing the animal and having a look at the inside. But I guess you prefer to keep your snails alive.
I'm planning to buy a couple of apple snails. How to control the snails once they start reproducing?
A: Most apple snail species deposit their eggs above the waterline. The eggs can be easily recognised (look at the pictures on this site) and if you remove them regularly, you won't have a problem at all. Besides this, keep in mind that apple snails are rather big and can be easily spotted (especially the lighter, yellow varieties) and removed by hand.
Do I need to make a place for my snail to lay her eggs? Maybe something out of the water?
A: There is no need to create a special place for the snails to lay their eggs on. Just leave some space between the waterline and the cover-plate of your aquarium. The snails prefer smooth surfaces like glass above rough objects like wood and stone. The species that lay their eggs below the surface like the Marisa genus don't have a need for a large air space between the cover and the water surface.
My apple snail keeps growing. How big can I expect them to get?
A: When the conditions are good, the apple snail species Pomacea maculata can get as big as 15 cm/6 inch diameter. Other species don't grow that big, but there is a big variation between them. Rather expect them to get 5-8 cm/2-3 inch diameter.
One of my snails has lost a part of its tentacle. Will it grow back?
A: Yes, maybe it won't get as long as it was before, but snails have a remarkably ability to repair their body. They can even regenerate a lost eye within 25 days. The regenerated body parts are often somewhat smaller than the original.
Are there sorts of fish I have to look out for that could eat my snails? I have noticed that some species try to eat their tentacles.
A: Many fish species consider the tentacles of an apple snail as attractive pieces of food and at least try once in a while to eat the tentacles. Losing a part of a tentacle might not be a pleasant experience for a snail, but as snail have a remarkable ability to regenerate lost tissues, it's not a life-treating problem.
The snails also adapt their behaviour to overcome the tentacle nipping: they keep their tentacles under their shell and they react quicker to water movements with retraction in their shell. It often stay at the level of tentacle nipping, but some fish species go beyond that point and try to eat the whole snail.
Especially bigger fish species with strong jaws (like cichlids) can be a threat to your apple snails, at least if they manage somehow to damage the shell enabling them to reach for the soft snail tissues. A list with known apple snail predators is included in the 'Ecology' section.
How well can an apple snail tolerate cichlid-salt?
A: Apple snails tolerate little amounts of salt if you slowly build up the concentration. Be sure that the salt is dissolved before you put it in the tank so that the snail won't get in contact with the pure stuff. If you see that the snails stay in their shell for more than a day, then lower the salt concentration (if it isn't too late :-).
Experiences with apple snails and salt from a reader: "My pond contains several very large koi and we routinely use salt to control parasites. I'm happy to report that my apple snails tolerate 0.3% (3 lbs per 100 US gallons) of salt very well. We dose 0.1% ever 12-24 hours for 3 treatments.
Are apple snails an intermediate host for (fish) parasites?
A: There are several parasites that have snails as an intermediate host. However, apple snails are relatively resistant to many of these parasites, which are often host specific and do not regenerate in other hosts like apple snails.
However, at least one parasite (Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a nematode, also know as the rat lungworm), uses the apple snail as an intermediate host. This parasite has the rat as its main host, but humans can be infected when raw snails are consumed.
In rare cases this infection can cause eosinophilic meningonencephalitis resulting in severe neurological disorders and even death. But don't worry if you got your snail from a pet shop, the only way the snail can be infected is by living in water were infected rodents (rats or mice) live.
And even then, you have to drink the water or eat the snail or your water-plants (on which the parasites attach themselves after finishing their life cycle in the snails and wait there for being eaten by their main-host).
If you suspect your snail from being infected, just keep them away from their main host. This breaks the life cycle of the parasite, and you will get lost of them. Beware that it can take a long time, because many parasites are able to have several generations in their intermediate host. Better thing to do is waiting until the snail has laid their eggs and go on with the young, uninfected snails.
Are mystery snails also apple snails? Or are they different types of snails?
A: In some sources the name apple snail and mystery snail are considered to be synonyms for the snails of the family Ampullariidae. The name apple snail refers to there size, colour and form, while the name mystery snail comes from the fact that the aquarium market didn't know what kind of snail it was or where it came from, so it was a mystery (snail) for them.
In other sources, the mystery snails are described as snails from the family Viviparidae. The snails from this family look very similar to the snails from the family Ampullariidae, but they do lack a lung and labial tentacles and are livebearing snails (hence the name Viviparidae). Most snails sold as 'mystery snails' in the shops are Pomacea diffusa snails.
Do apple snails hibernate? Or are they active during the whole year?
A: Several snails of the genus Pomacea aestivate buried in the mud depending on the temperature and the amount of available food and water, whilst in other regions the same species are active during the whole year. So apparently it's not necessary for them to hibernate. Rather consider it as a survival strategy that's only used during difficult periods of scarcity.
I bought an apple snail and the new part of its shell is growing in a lighter colour and also irregular. What could be the cause?
A: It is because they have stopped growing for some time (transport to the shop, lack of food, other water quality) and when the animal start growing again (thanks to your good care) it's unable to make the same quality of shell as it was before.
When you get young snails, hatched in your own tank, you'll see that their shell gets the right colour and that they grow more smoothly. But keep in mind that some species are more vulnerable to get a less smooth shell especially when they get older.
The older part of my snail's shell is getting little surface holes. Will my snail suffer from this?
A: It's not uncommon for certain species of apple snails to have parts of their shell dissolved. In the apple snail disease section, you can see an example of this natural occurring surface damage.
The shell of an apple snail consists of a colourful organic outer layer, this layer is created first and in a later stage the snail creates the strong, calcium-rich innerlayer. However, the colourful outherlayer is not very resistant to mechanical damage and subsequently as the snail gets older, this layer tends to become thin and even completely absent at certain places.
At that point, the calcium based innerlayer is exposed to the water and can dissolve is the water does not contain much calcium and the shell then gets small pits, which can be described as 'wormholes'.
Well, to this point, one cannot speak of a dangerous problem, as long as this process is slow and the snail gets enough time to reinforce the innerlayer by adding more calcium. Nevertheless, when the decay of the snail progresses too quickly, the snail gets real holes in their shell.
This doesn't mean that the snail will get in trouble as long as the holes aren't too big. The snails often don't seem to suffer from it and after a while they make a calcified layer on the exposed tissues and sometimes even manage to repair their shell by creating a new layer at the inside of the shell.
You can try to repair the holes by attaching some pieces of shells from other snails with superglue. I did this several times without problem as you can see on the disease section. Be careful that the glue doesn't come in contact with the snail tissues.
One of the readers of this site also has experiences with repairing snail shells: "I had one of my large apple snails (about 4", 4 years old) partly crushed. I used 'superglue' (cyanocrylate) to put his shell back together.
Fortunately, he wasn't damaged internally and this reconstructed shell worked very well. I also put him on a diet of algae tablets and canned spinach. In six weeks he had regrown enough of his inner shell to hold himself together and I was able to stop reglueing. He's doing well a year later.
Better than repairing the shell is to avoid problems by keeping the calcium concentration of the water high enough to inhibit and prevent shell dissolving. A higher calcium concentration can be easily achieved by adding calcium carbonate to the water.
Many aquarium and pond shops sell special preparation to increase the calcium concentration. However, crushed or powdered marble, seashells, limestone and eggs shells are useful alternatives.
Before you starts to add calcium supplements, make sure that the other inhabitants (fish) of the tanks/pond tolerate calcium rich (hard) water and remember: 'if it ain't broken, don' fix it'.
My apple snail lost the top of its shell. Will it grow back?
A: No, although the apple snail is able to repair holes in its shell by making a new calcified layer on the exposed tissues, it won't be able to create a new shell top (click here to see an example). It might look terrible, but most snails don't suffer much from losing the top of their shell.
Keep in mind that the shell has two main function: protection (against predators and drying out) and support (keeping the mantle cavity with the lung and the gills open). And as long the shell is providing these functions sufficient, there is no problem.
If the damage is very big, you can try to glue the top from another shell over the top of your snail's shell. If you go for this option, be carefully not to let the glue come in contact with the snail tissues or you might end up with a dead snail and another empty shell after all (click here to see an example).
I noticed an empty shell in my aquarium. Do other snails or fish eat the body of a dead snail?
A: Many (also non-apple) snails eat the body of a dead snail and so do some fish like the Siamese algae eater. Not to forget the enormous army of bacteria and other micro-organisms that is heading towards the dead snail and helps to decompose it quickly.
But at the other hand it's also good to realise that an apple snail body mainly consist of water and decays quickly, without leaving much behind. Also, remember that the apple snail is attached to its shell with a strong muscle (the columella muscle). Once the snail is dead, this muscle weakens, breaks and the body comes out of its shell.
How old do apple snails get?
The apple snail's life expectancy mainly depends on the temperature of their environment and the general life conditions. At lower temperatures, the apple snail can get over 3 years old and records of apple snails of ten years old have been reported. Lanistes nyassanus has an estimated life span of 5 to 10 years in Lake Malawi, Africa.
At a temperature of 25 C, they will only live 12-16 months. At higher temperatures, the snails are more active because their metabolism increases with the temperature, but this also speeds up their life cycle and thus shortens their life expectancy.
So you can elongate your snail's life by lowering the temperature. A general rule: keep the temperature between 18 and 28 C (65-82 F). It is suspected that at least some apple snail species need an aestivation period in the mud to avoid burning-out.
Will my apple snail survive the cold winter months in my pond? Or should I take the snail out the pond during this period?
Apple snails are tropical animals that require temperatures between 18 and 28 C (65-82 F) to stay in good condition. If the temperatures drops below 10 C (50 F) the apple snail becomes completely inactive and will die within a few days. Take your apple snail out of the pond when the temperature drops below 18 C/65 F in the winter season.
My snails are inactive for most of the time. Am I doing something wrong? The temperature is OK and the fish seem to be healthy. Apple snails are rather lazy animals, they only creep around if they need to. In other words, when they are hungry or want to reproduce themselves.
If they have plenty of food, they will show almost no activity (why should they?). In the case this inactivity sounds familiar to you and you worry about their inactivity, just reduce the amount of food for a week and see if that makes any difference (also check them at night!).
Another cause could be low temperatures. Make sure that the temperature stays between 18 and 28 C (65-82 F). Also there might be an activity difference between species as reported by H. Auer. His Pomacea glauca is being the most active, second in rank this Pomacea flagellata and lowest activity showed by his Pomacea diffusa.
My snail is floating around for a day now. Is he/she dead or what? What should/can I do?
Well, apple snails can be very inactive for days (see answer above this one) and if they have a lot of air in their lung, they float (sounds logical isn't it?).
To check if the snail is alive, take it out of the water and see if you can get it moving by touching the shell door. If the shell is closed completely, then you can be sure that the snail is alive because once the snail is dead, the muscles are relaxed and the shell door stays at least partly open.
Another way to check the snails is by looking at the heartbeat (only possible with young snails and snails with a thin shell). To do this, keep the snail in front of a strong light source so the light shines through it and look at the heartbeat. Have a look at the anatomy section to see where to look for.
I have an Ampullarius spec. snail. Is this also an apple snail?
Yes, but it's an incorrect generic name, commonly used in the aquarium trade. The correct name for Ampullarius is Pomacea. The genus Pomacea was first described by Perry (1810) and a few months later Montfort described the same genus under the name Ampullarius.
So to be correct, the name Pomacea should be used, but there don't seem to be many interactions between the scientific field and the aquarium trade when it comes to the nomenclatura of the apple snail family. Besides the incorrect use of the generic name Ampullarius, many apple snails are misidentified in the aquarium trade.
How long does it take for the eggs to hatch?
The eggs of apple snail hatch between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on the temperature and the species. More info about this subject can be found at the Care section of this site.
Related: 'Care' section and 'Quick guide' section.
Were can I buy apple snails?
Apple snail can be bought in many aquarium and pet shops. Mostly they are sold under names as 'golden snail', 'mystery snail', 'ivory snail', 'Ampullarius australis', 'Ampullarius cuprina' and 'Ampullarius gigas'.
Pomacea diffusa and Pomacea canaliculata are the most frequent apple snails in the trade, less common are Pomacea glauca and Pomacea paludosa, other apple snail genera are offered occasionally.
However the possession of and trade in apple snails is not allowed everywhere, this due to the fact and fear of having them released in the wild and facing an apple snail pest. Hawaii and Australia are examples of such regions/countries were you cannot trade/import every apple snail species.
By the way, please don't ask me about apple snail selling shops in your area, I'm not producing a yellow book specialised in snail topics. Best you can do is to check the local fish shops and ask them about these snails. Or try to contact aquarium or pond clubs...
Do apple snail produce eggs during the whole year?
Although apple snails can reproduce during the whole year, there are peak periods in spring and summer. During the winter months however the production rate drops to almost zero. There are also differences between the species.
Do apple snails eat fish or other creatures?
Apple snail aren't very selective when it comes to food and some meat is always welcome to them, but healthy fish are simply to fast for an apple snail to capture and to hold. However, if a fish has died the apple snails will certainly consume the remains quickly, sometimes giving the impression that a fish has disappeared and was eaten by the snails.
While fish are fast, other snails aren't and it has been described and observed that at least some apple snails predate on other snails. For example Pomacea canaliculata is know to eat Biomphalaria perigrina (Planorbidae) snails by crushing parts of their shell to expose the softer tissues and Marisa cornuarietis has been observed to eat Bulinus truncatus by putting its proboscis inside its victim's shell.
Similar predation practices are described for Pomacea flagellata (on Planorbidae and Lymnaeidae) and Pomacea haustrum (on Planorbidae). In total absence of food even the cannibalism has been observed, mainly on young snails. Also beware for eggs of others snails and fish, they are an easy target for a hungry apple snail!
My fish have a disease and I want to treat them. Can those chemicals harm my snails?
The basic principle in combating a fish disease is to use chemical compounds that kill the disease, while having no adverse effects on the fish, due to neurological/metabolistic differences between the organisms.
However, snails have more in common with many parasites then with fish in the way they react to chemical substances. It's thus advised to isolate the snails in a separate tank during treatment of the fish unless you are absolutely sure that the product you use doesn't contain snail-toxic chemicals.
And as many disease causing organisms do not survive outside the fish during a few days, together with repeated water changes in the isolation tank, the risk of reinfection through the snail reintroduction can be minimised. Exceptions to this rule are parasites that have a life cycle with snails and fish as intermediate hosts (mainly the case with wild-caught fish/snails).
A short list with chemicals that are/could be toxic to snails in therapeutic doses: Malachite Green (used to treat Ich or white spot, fungi and Velvet or Oodinium). Various organophosphorous pesticides like formaldehyde, metriphonate, trichlorphon (= dylox, masoten, metriphonate, neguvon, trichlorophon), dichlorvos and others used to treat infections with flukes, worms, crustaceans and lice.
https://www.applesnail.net/content/faq.php
Ancient Aztec clothing, that is, the clothing worn by the tribes that made up the Aztec empire (such as the Mexica people), was rich in variety. As we shall see, it varied according to the social class that people belonged to.
Aztec clothing was generally loose fitting and did not completely cover the body. When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, the people were surprised to see them in their full armour, with only their faces exposed.
Aztec clothes were generally made of cotton (which was imported) or ayate fiber, made from the Maguey Cactus (also called the Century Plant or American Aloe). Women would weave the fibers into clothing, a task girls were taught as young teenagers.
Because of their vast trading network, the Aztecs were able to make use of a beautiful array of dyes, creating the brilliant colours still seen in Mexico today.
The Ancient Aztec clothing of the common people and slaves sometimes covered very little of their bodies. Maguey clothing, rather than the cotton, was the rule. Slaves would only wear a simple loincloth.
The loincloth, also worn by common people, was made from a long strip of cloth tied in front. If the man had a little higher social standing, it might be embroidered or have fringes on the two ends. The men would also wear a cloak made from a triangular cloth known as a tilmatli or tilma. It could be used like an apron to carry things, or worn as a cloak.
Perhaps the world's most famous tilma is the one worn by Juan Diego, now on display at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The women would wear skirts, and a sleeve less blouse or short sleeved shirt. Again, this would be very simple, with some decoration as the social class became more prestigious. (read more about the clothes of the commoner)
Of course the noble class and religious leaders would wear clothing that was much more adorned, though still tilmas and loincloths and skirts would be worn. There would be symbols of their particular affiliation on the clothing or in a head dress. The more prestigious clothing became brightly coloured.
Gold was often used in clothing, and pendants, feathers, furs, and other forms of decoration were used. Jewelry such as necklaces, earrings and bracelets were also worn by the upper classes.
Like tribes still in mesoamerica today, some wore "ear spools". Of course, for certain rituals costumes were worn which became even more elaborate. Aztec masks were used for rituals, representing various Aztec gods.
Merchants were in a class all their own, and had a certain amount of independence that most people didn't enjoy. They often were allowed to wear more elaborate clothing.
The military had their own costumes, based on what military group they belonged to - the eagle or the jaguar, for example. Even for the Aztec warrior, there was a hierarchy that was reflected by how adorned their costumes were. Those who were war heroes were allowed more jewels and more stunning clothing.
The ancient Aztec clothing of the warrior offered some protection, and their head dresses also served as helmets. Some of the chiefs even wore a layer of gold. Warriors carried a simple decorated shield. They used bows, spears, and the maquahuitl - a combination sword and club.
Ancient Aztec clothing was a huge part of the economy. You could buy a slave if you had enough material. People brought thousands of clothing items as tribute to the powerful empire. Clothing both united people and separated them - much like it still does today.
http://www.aztec-history.com/ancient-aztec-clothing.html
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