Composting

As part of the course we are working with composting. This forms an essential part of sustainable development with as little effect on the environment as possible. it is a good way to replace nutrients back into the ground.
i learnt that there are three basic compost heaps

• Static-A heap that does not get turned
  
• Thermal-a heap that is turned often and as a result is a hot heap.
• Combined-a mixture between the two.

There are other types of composting that we use that are not really composting like

• EM-essential micro-organisms
• Compost worms-these eat the plant matter and produce an easily plant absorbed form of nutrients.

The important thing to remember about both of the above mentioned is that they should not stink. if it stinks then it is rotting and rotting is not good. Let me explain there are three basic elements that you find when working with compost.

• Bacteria
• Fungus and
• pathogens (bad bacteria)

a good compost heap

• has both bacteria and fungus but if a compost heap stinks then you probably have pathogens and they are bad.

• When making a compost heap you must remove all unwanted and inorganic matter from the heap.
• has leaves grass and woody elements
• is turned and the temperature is checked regularly.
• the visible presence of fungus is a good sign.
  

Crocodile Farm Site Guide

On monday we went to the croc farm Thaba Kwena to learn site guide on a Crocodile farm.
Before we went we needed to do research on crocodiles spesificly the Nile crocodile which is the main species foun in South Africa.
The diffrent sections of the facts on crocs were divided into 16 parts and eash of the students reciaved a topic.
My topis was:

• Heart
• Mouth
• Salt Glands
• Stomach

Heart

4 Chambers

A crocodile has Four heart chambers much like a human. This is for optimum feed of oxygen rich blood to the entire area of this giants body.

3 Chambers

Like many reptiles who have 3 heart chambers the crocodile can use its heart in the same way. This helps it to use less energy when they are simply lying in the water. What happens is that they send much less oxygen-rich-blood to their limbs and concentrate it to the heart and brain. Thus they can stay submerged for up to two hours.

Crocodiles have the most complicated heart of all the vertebrates

This is because it is so well adapted to

1.Water

2.Land

3.Hot

4.Cold

5.Being as still as death

6.Sudden fast movement

In the summer its heart beats about 4 times a minute and in winter it slows to once every 30 seconds and to even as slow as once every two minutes. It’s heartbeat also slows down drastically when it spends long periods of time under water: this is to save energy.

Mouth

Nasal Passages

Are seperated by secondary pallet aiding under water feeding

Jaw Muscles

Very strong clamping down muscles causing a pressure of 1.5 tons of pressure per square cm.

Yet at the same time they have poorly developed opening muscles.

Gular flap

The gular flap is found at the back of the mouth. It closes when the crocodile goes under water

It also lets them eat small prey under water. The gular flap closes their Oesophagus and their trachea (Food and Air pipes)

Salt Glands

Excretes

The glands are found on the crocodiles tongue. It uses the glands to excretes excess salt from its body. This makes them more easily adapted to surviving salty water.

Salt water consumption

A crocodile can not drink salt water. Instead the salt water crocodile gains its fresh water from its prey. Unlike turtles who can consume salt water.

Tummy

Stones

Crocodiles swallows up to 1 % of its body weight in small stones.

Why?

•Aids Digestion

•Gives the croc stability

•Aids buoyancy

•In creases specific gravity

•It sinks more easily into the water with prey.

Gizzard

Hard piece at base of throught helps grind food as it goes to the stomach. Same adaption found in birds

Increases specific gravity

The weight of the stones makes it easier for the croc to submerge and at the same time take 12% more air into its lungs this helps it stay submerged for longer.

Croc Farm Visit

Croc Farm Visit

On Monday the 2^nd of August Sondela Academy gave the first year students (and some second years. Even of the HRL management species) the opportunity to become site guides at the Thaba Kwena Crocodile farm. This was done in exchange for teaching their guides some basic guiding principles.

We were told the week beforehand that we needed to do some research about the crocodiles. Needless to say that the majority of research happened on the morning of the trip.

The day started with a stop at PnP where the ever hungry students filled their gullets. A noisy bus ride later we were out of Bela-Bela and into the Waterberg mountains.

The Thaba Kwena crocodile farm is about 30 km out of Bela-Bela. The farm has about 22 000 crocs at any given time and a breeding stock consisting of 40 males and 300 females. They specialise in exporting the meat and leather of the crocs to North America and Europe.

The Education started with a tour given by their guides. The variants between our info and theirs was largely due to the difference between captive and wild crocs. One thing came to the surface: there were about 4 different kinds of info-among that which we had gathered-with things such as the length of the crocs differing with up to 2m. This resulted in our first lesson of the day-Make sure that your source is reliable and credible.

All the while making notes and asking plenty of questions.

The general information of the crocodiles was divided into 16 sections thus giving each student a specific section to cover.

You received your topic and then you did some research by comparing notes to the information gathered by your fellow students. Then your assessor went through your info with you telling you if you missed something. We then put together a poster that can later be used to explain what you know in simple terms to somebody else.

We were given the opportunity to present this info to the rest of the students to show your understanding and share your knowledge with the other. There was plenty of mispronunciation and even more laughs, who knew that Zenobia’s dancing-while-speaking would surface so long after the gap year?

This also presented the second-years with the chance to practice their assessor skills for which they had qualified earlier this year.

All in all the trip was very successful and we learnt plenty. Thank you Oom Diederick and the Academy for presenting us with this opportunity.

News Letter Sondela Academy

Antonet Behr Nature Student