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National Park Of American Samoa
The National Park of American Samoa is a national park in the United States territory of American Samoa, distributed across three islands: Tutuila, Ofu, and Ta‘ū. The park preserves and protects coral reefs, tropical rainforests, fruit bats, and the Samoan culture. Popular activities include hiking and snorkeling. Of the park's , is coral reefs and ocean. The park is the only American National Park Service system unit south of the equator. History Delegate Fofó Iosefa Fiti Sunia introduced a bill in 1984, at the request from Bat Preservers Association and Dr. Paul Cox, to include American Samoa in the Federal Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act. The purpose of the bill was to protect the habitat for the Flying fox as well as to protect the old rainforest. The bill marked the beginning of American Samoa's entry into the U.S. National Park System. The National Park Service began the work of establishing the national park in July 1987. The National Park of American Samoa w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pola Island
Pola Island (Samoan: ''Motu o Pola'') is an island just offshore from the village of Vatia on Tutuila Island in American Samoa. It is also known as Cockscomb.Goldin, Meryl Rose (2002). ''Field Guide to the Samoan Archipelago: Fish, Wildlife, and Protected Areas''. Bess Press. .Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks, Volume 2. Kendall Hunt''. Page 609. .Swaney, Deanna (1994). ''Samoa: Western & American Samoa: a Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit''. Lonely Planet Publications. . Pola Island is designated as part of the National Park American Samoa, and is a popular tourist attraction. It is located on the west side of Vatia Bay, and serves as both a landmark and an icon for Vatia. Pola Island has been named one of American Samoa's Seven National Wonders by the ''Pago Pages''.Fai’ivae, Alex Godinet (2018). ''Ole Manuō o Tala Tu’u Ma Fisaga o Tala Ave''. Amerika Samoa Humanities Council. . It has been named "the most beautiful natural featur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amalau Valley
Amalau is the name of a valley and a bay within the National Park of American Samoa. Amalau Valley is located between Vatia and Afono, and it is an isolated valley with various wildlife such as large numbers of native bird species and flying fox megabats. Amalau Valley is reached on the road leading to Vatia. There are only a few homes at Amalau. A significant site in the valley contains the remains of an old village. The Tu'ulaumea Tupua near Amalau Valley is an important legendary site. In Amalau Cove, pillow lavas can be observed along the shoreline. The pillow lavas indicate extrusion under water. The beach at the head of Amalau Bay is a mixture of cobbles and basaltic boulders, also with big chunks of coral which have been rounded by the ocean waves. Amalau Valley has been described as a “prime bird- and bat-watching area." Wildlife Amalau Valley has been described as the best place in American Samoa to observe the Many-colored Fruit Dove. There are also large numbers of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gehyra Oceanica
''Gehyra oceanica'', also known as the Oceania gecko or Pacific dtella, is a species of gecko in the genus '' Gehyra''. The larger '' Gehyra vorax'' (voracious gecko) of Fiji, Vanuatu and New Guinea has sometimes been included in this species, but is now treated as distinct. The species is native to New Guinea and a number of islands in Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. It has also been widely introduced across the islands of the Pacific, reaching as far as the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia (where the species was first collected for science), although the extent to which the species has been introduced by human intervention is a matter of some debate. There are two apparent populations, a northern one in Micronesia and a southern one in Melanesia and Polynesia. There are also records of the species in New Zealand and Hawaii, but the species has apparently not become established there. The species is generally arboreal and nocturnal. The diet includes insects and even small ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclone Val
Severe Tropical Cyclone Val was considered to be the worst tropical cyclone to affect the Samoan Islands since the 1889 Apia cyclone. The system that was to become Severe Tropical Cyclone Val was first identified during the opening days of December 1991, as a small circulation, within the Intertropical Convergence Zone to the north of Tokelau. Over the next few days, the system moved westwards towards Rotuma and Tuvalu and gradually developed further, before it was named Val during December 5, after it had become a category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. The system subsequently continued to intensify as it moved towards the Samoan Islands and peaked as a category 4 severe tropical cyclone, as it made landfall on the island of Savaii during December 6. After Val had passed over the island, weakening upper-level winds caused the system to slow down before it made a sharp clockwise loop which almost brought it over Savaii for a second time. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pacific Sheath-tailed Bat
The Pacific sheath-tailed bat or Polynesian sheath-tailed bat (''Emballonura semicaudata'') is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae found in American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Micronesia, Palau, Samoa (where it is called ''pe'a vai, tagiti'' or ''pe'ape'a vai''), Tonga, and Vanuatu. Its natural habitat is caves. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species on its worldwide priority list for conservation. It is threatened by habitat loss. There are estimated to be approximately 500 individuals of the subspecies ''E. s. rotensis''. Currently known to roost in only three caves, ''E. s. rotensis'' is vulnerable to changes in the local habitat, including indirect impacts caused by invasive species such as goats which limit its carrying capacity The carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Insectivore
A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were amphibians. When they evolved 400 million years ago, the first amphibians were piscivores, with numerous sharp conical teeth, much like a modern crocodile. The same tooth arrangement is however also suited for eating animals with exoskeletons, thus the ability to eat insects is an extension of piscivory. At one time, insectivorous mammals were scientifically classified in an order called Insectivora. This order is now abandoned, as not all insectivorous mammals are closely related. Most of the Insectivora taxa have been reclassified; those that have not yet been reclassified and found to be truly related to each other remain in the order Eulipotyphla. Although individually small, insects exist in enormous numbers. Insects make u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Insular Flying Fox
The insular flying fox or Pacific flying fox (''Pteropus tonganus'') is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is geographically widespread, the most widespread flying fox in the Pacific: it is found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa (where it is called ''pe'a fanua, pe'a fai'' and ''taulaga''), the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. History Archaeologists on an excavation site at Rurutu announced in 2006 some important fossil finds: Description The range of coloration in this bat species varies somewhat. Its back is described as black or seal brown; its mantle has been called orange, yellow, cream buff, and tawny. This bat lacks an interfemoral membrane; its forearms and tibia are bare, and the fur of the males is described as "stiff, short, oily hairs". In flight, their outstretched wings appear a translucent dark brown when viewed from below. Distribution and habitat The insular flying fox has a wid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samoa Flying Fox
The Samoa flying fox or Samoan flying fox (''Pteropus samoensis'') is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, and Samoa (where it is known as ''pe'a'' and ''pe'a vao''). Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. Description The Samoan flying fox is a medium-sized bat weighing about with a wingspan of about . It has a fox-like face with a pointed muzzle, a brown body and wings and the fur on its head and shoulders is blond or silvery-grey. Distribution and habitat The Samoan flying fox is native to Fiji, Samoa and American Samoa. Its habitat is primary or secondary moist forest, plantations, agroforest and the vicinity of villages. Unlike most flying foxes, this species roosts alone or in small family groups. Biology This bat is mostly diurnal, making foraging expeditions in early mornings and late afternoons. The diet consists mainly of fruit but leaves, flowers and nectar are also eaten. This bat is believed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemism
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example '' Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. '' Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samoan Starling
The Samoan starling (''Aplonis atrifusca'') is a large starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Samoan Islands. The species has a dark brown, glossy appearance, with a long bill. Its natural habitat is tropical moist forest on volcanic islands, where it is common and more conspicuous than the Polynesian starling, which is found in the same habitat. Vocalizations include various whistles and other sounds. This starling feeds on a variety of fruits, especially guava, and insects. Little is known of its mating or social habits, but it appears to nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ... year-round, in tree cavities. Its eggs are pale blue. References External linksBirds of the National Park of American Samoa Samoan starling Birds of Samoa Samoan st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ofu Beach NPS , a town and Local Government Area in Kogi State
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Ofu or OFU may refer to *Ofu-Olosega, an island in the Manu'a group in American Samoa **Ofu Airport (IATA code OFU), a public airport on the island *Ofu County, American Samoa *Ofu, Nigeria Ofu is a Local Government Area in the central part of Kogi State, Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Niger River forming its western boundary. Its headquarters are in the town of Ogwoawo (or Ugwalawo or Gwalawo) to the south of the area at. The no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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