The Nervous Bear

The Making of Argan Oil

Argan oil is an oil produced from the kernels of the endemic argan tree, which is valued for its nutritive, cosmetic and numerous medicinal properties. The tree, a relict species from the Tertiary age, is extremely well adapted to drought and other environmentally difficult conditions of southwestern Morocco.

Until now argan oil remains one of the rarest oils in the world due the small and very specific growing area.

For centuries before modern times, the Berbers (indigenous people of Morocco) of this area would collect undigested argan pits from the waste of goats which climb the trees to eat their fruit. The pits were then ground and pressed to make the nutty oil used in cooking and cosmetics. However, the oil used in cosmetic and culinary products available for sale today has most likely been harvested and processed with machines.

The oil was sold in Moroccan markets even before the Phoenicians arrived, yet the hardy argan tree has been slowly disappearing. Overgrazing by goats and a growing, wood-hungry local population have whittled the number of surviving trees down to less than half of what it was 50 years ago.

Marine Awareness

What is the undersea world like?

The Jaguar

The Jaguar (Panthera Onca) is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus. It is the only Panthera species found in the Americas.It is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest and most powerful feline in the Western Hemisphere.

The jaguar is a near threatened species and its numbers are declining. Threats include habitat loss and fragmentation.

The jaguar is a compact and well-muscled animal. There are significant variations in size: weights are normally in the range of 56–96 kilograms.

Do You Know - The Blue Jay

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The Blue Jay is a passerine bird. It is adaptable, aggressive and omnivorous. Blue Jays can make a large variety of sounds, they can even mimic human speech.
Blue Jays have strong black bills which they used for cracking nuts, and acorns and for eating corn, grains and seeds, although they also eat insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, and caterpillars.