The White House was built between 1792 and 1800, in Washington, DC, U.S.A. The White House has been the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States of America, since 1800. The first President to reside in the White House was John Adams. The White House was designed and built by an […]
Common name : Grass grub Scientific name : Costelytra zealandica Family : Scarabaeidae Native to : New Zealand Interesting fact : Grass grubs can be extremely damaging to agricultural crops and plants. Up to 13 mm in length, the grass grub adult has a shiny outer covering. While the larvae tend to feed on the roots
Common name : Goliath birdeater Scientific name : Theraphosa blondi Family : Theraphosidae Native to : South America Interesting fact : The goliath birdeater is the largest spider in the world in terms of body mass. With a leg span of 28 cm, the goliath birdeater weighs 170 gm. Its diet is comprised of earthworms and
The Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca site that was built around 1450, in Peru. Machu Picchu literally means a mountain with a broad base and a sharp peak. The Machu Picchu site was built 2,430 metres above the sea level on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley. It was built with polished dry-stone
Common name : Golden tortoise beetle Scientific name : Charidotella sexpunctata Family : Chrysomelidae Native to : America Interesting fact : This beetle has earned the nickname ‘goldbug’ on account of its colouration which may vary from orange to golden but is always metallic. 7 mm in length, the goldbug, which is usually a shiny
Common name : Banana spiders Scientific name : Nephila Family : Nephilidae Native to : Australia, Asia, Africa and America Interesting fact : Its brightly coloured body helps it avoid predators. There is a big difference in the size of the male and female spiders, with the females being 5.1 cm in length and the
Common name : Golden birdwing Scientific name : Troides aeacus Family : Papilionidae Native to : South and South-East Asia and Australia Interesting fact : Due to its unique colouring, which is comprised of black forewings and golden yellow hind wings, this butterfly is known as the ‘golden birdwing’. With a wingspan of 15-16 cm,
Common name : Glowing cockroach Scientific name : Lucihormetica luckae Family : Blaberidae Native to : Ecuador Interesting fact : The back shell of the glowing cockroach resembles the famous star war characters known as Jawas. At 2.5 cm in length, this cockroach is considered to be one of the biggest in the cockroach family.
The Harmandir Sahib, or as it is popularly known, the Golden Temple, was built between 1585 and 1604 AD, in Amritsar, India.The temple is made of white marble, embellished with real gold–hence the name Golden Temple. Considered to be the holiest Gurudwara by the Sikhs, the Golden Temple was built so as to create a
Common name : Wandering glider Scientific name : Pantala flavescens Family : Libellulidae Native to : Worldwide distribution Interesting fact : First described in 1789, this dragonfly is considered to be the most widespread dragonfly in the world. At 4.5 cm in length and having a wingspan of at least 7 cm, the globe skimmer has
Common name : Glass winged butterfly Scientific name : Greta oto Family : Nymphalidae Native to : Mexico, Panama, Columbia Interesting fact : The reason that this butterfly has ‘glass’ like wings is due to the low absorption, reflection and scattering of light on the surface of the wings. With a wingspan of 6 cm,
The Al-Masjid Al-Haram, popularly known as the Great Mosque of Mecca, was established in pre-Islamic era in Mecca, present-day Saudi Arabia. The largest mosque in the world, the Al-Masjid Al-Haram complex covers an area of 3,56,800 square metres and can accommodate up to 8,20,000 worshippers during the Hajj. Amazing Fact: The Al-Masjid Al-Haram surrounds Islam’s
The Moai comprises–monolithic human figures or statues, carved between 1250 and 1500 BC, on the Chilean Polynesian island of the Easter Island. The statues represent deified ancestors of the Rapa Nui people. These statues are iconic with their overly large heads. While many of these statues are still in the Rana Raraku moai quarry, hundreds
Common name : Gisborne cockroach Scientific name : Drymaplaneta semivitta Family : Blattidae Native to : Australia Interesting fact : After it was introduced to New Zealand, this cockroach was first discovered in the town of Gisborne, hence the name ‘Gisborne cockroach’. After it was introduced to New Zealand, this cockroach was first discovered in
Common name : New Zealand giraffe weevil Scientific name : Lasiorhynchus barbicornis Family : Brentidae Native to : New Zealand Interesting fact : This particular insect has an extremely elongated snout, which resembles the neck of a giraffe, hence the name ‘giraffe beetle’. Almost 85 mm in length, the male stands taller than the female