The Bullfrog (scientific name: Rana catesbeiana), native to North America, is the largest among the edible frogs. Ferocious by nature, the Bullfrog is highly adaptable to its environment and has a high reproductive capacity as well as a large appetite. It can weigh more than 1 kg and grow to over 15 cm long. Its habitat is similar to that of other species of frogs, and it is highly territorial. Adult bullfrogs or bullfrog tadpoles eat other species of frogs, constituting a threat to species native to Taiwan. ...

1. Hundred Pacer (Deinagkistrodon acutus)

Features:
A venomous snake with a potent hemotoxin. This egg-laying mid-sized snake has a short, thick body, large triangular head, thin neck and upturned snout. The top of the head is brown in color while clear triangular patterns can be seen along the sides. The belly has black spots while the tail is a black-brown color. .....

Formosan Blue Magpies (Latin: Urocissa caerulea) belong to the corvidae family just like crows but differ in their body colors—sapphire blue plumage, black from head to breast, red bill and feet, and yellow irises. Their tails feature 40 cm long, with the two middle tail feathers being longer and bright blue while the rest being black with white tips. Brilliantly colored as such, they always leave a lasting impression on viewers. .....

If you are looking for a good place to go during summer vacation Academia Sinica’s museums are packed with knowledge and resources making them an ideal place for school trips. The Museum of the Institute of History and Philology, Hu Shih Memorial Hall and Lingnan Fine Arts Museum have character and rich collections. I recently paid a visit to the Fish Specimen Exhibition Hall of Academia Sinica and came away with a better understanding of giant oarfish and other deep sea fish. A characteristic of deep sea fish is that, because there is no light where they live, red or black are their only colors. ..... 

Tags: garden | plant

Since Shi-Jin and Chu-Ci, over 300 varieties of plant life have been mentioned in historical poems, songs and novels. There are 253 species of plant mentioned in the Journey to the West (Xi-You-Ji) which is the largest number. The Dream of the Red Chamber (Hung-Lou Meng) had 240 species; Shi-Jin had 135 species; Chu-Ci had 99 species. In these articles, the most popular plant is willow (Salix babylonica L.), followed by pine tree, cinnamon, tea tree, lotus, bamboo, plum, peach tree, reed......