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Florida Woodrat
The eastern woodrat (''Neotoma floridana''), also known as the Florida woodrat or bush rat, is a pack rat native to the central and Eastern United States. It constructs large dens that may serve as nests for many generations and stores food in outlying caches for the winter. While widespread and not uncommon, it has declined or disappeared in several areas. Taxonomy Eight subspecies of the eastern woodrat are currently recognized: ''N. f. illinoensis'', ''N. f. floridana'' (the nominate), ''N. f. smalli'', ''N. f. baileyi'', ''N. f. pennsylvanica'', ''N. f. attwateri'', ''N. f. osagensis'', and ''N. f. rubida''. Of these, the Key Largo woodrat (''N. f. smalli'') is classified as Endangered by the IUCN. The Allegheny woodrat (''Neotoma magister'') was previously considered a subspecies but was elevated to species status based on comparative mitochondrial DNA analyses. Subspecies are thought to be descended from one species living along the Appalachian Plateau, which subsequently s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Ord
George Ord, Jr. (March 4, 1781 – January 24, 1866) was an American zoologist who specialized in North American ornithology and mammalogy. Based in part on specimens collected by Lewis and Clark in the North American interior, Ord's article "Zoology of North America''"'' (1815), which was published in the second American edition of William Guthrie's ''Geographical, Historical, and Commercial Grammar'' (Johnson and Warner), has been recognized as the "first systematic zoology of America by an American". Ord (1815) published the first scientific descriptions of Pronghorn antelope (''Antilocapra americana''), Grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis'')'','' Meadow vole (''Microtus pennsylvanicus''), Bushy-tailed woodrat (''Neotoma cinerea''), Eastern gray squirrel (''Sciurus carolinensis pennsylvanicus''), Columbian ground squirrel (''Urocitellus columbianus''), Black-tailed prairie-dog (''Cynomys ludovicianus''), Bonaparte's gull (''Chroicocephalus philadelphia''), Ring-billed Gull ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spotted Skunk
The genus ''Spilogale'' includes all skunks commonly known as spotted skunks. Currently, there are four accepted extant species: ''S. gracilis'', ''S. putorius'', ''S. pygmaea'', and ''S. angustifrons''. New research, however, proposes that there may be up to seven. Extant species In the past, anywhere between two and fourteen species of ''Spilogale'' have been recognized, but today most authorities accept a four species model (seen below). A 2021 DNA analysis of 203 specimens from across their known range suggests that there may be as many as seven distinct species in the genus, some cryptic. Description Mammalogists consider ''S. gracilis'' and ''S. putorius'' different species because of differences in reproductive patterns, reproductive morphology, and chromosomal variation. However, interbreeding has never been disproved. The name ''Spilogale'' comes from the Greek word ''spilo'', which means "spotted", and gale, which means "weasel". ''Putorius'' is the Latin word for " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polygyny
Polygyny (; from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); ) is the most common and accepted form of polygamy around the world, entailing the marriage of a man with several women. Incidence Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent. Some scholars see the slave trade's impact on the male-to-female sex ratio as a key factor in the emergence and fortification of polygynous practices in regions of Africa. Polygyny is most common in a region known as the "polygamy belt" in West Africa and Central Africa, with the countries estimated to have the highest polygamy prevalence in the world being Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia, Niger and Nigeria. In the region of sub-Saharan Africa, polygyny is common and deeply rooted in the culture, with 11% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa living in such marriages (25% of the Muslim population and 3% of the Christian population, as of 2019). Polygyny is especially widespread in West Africa, with the countries estimated to h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lower Mississippi River
The Lower Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River downstream of Cairo, Illinois. From the confluence of the Ohio River and Upper Mississippi River at Cairo, the Lower flows just under 1000 miles (1600 km) to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the most heavily travelled component of the Mississippi River System. Structures Unlike on the upper rivers, there are no locks or dams on the Lower Mississippi. The river is, however, constrained by levees and dikes to control flooding and secure a navigation channel for barges. The Old River Control Structure, the Bonnet Carré Spillway, the Mississippi River – Gulf Outlet Canal and other man-made structures on the lower reaches of the river seek to manipulate the flow of water in the vicinity of New Orleans. History The political and engineering focus in the 20th century was to separate the Lower Mississippi River from its floodplain. Levees and channelization—along with substantial loss of bottomland fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gypsy Moth
''Lymantria dispar'', also known as the gypsy moth or the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. ''Lymantria dispar'' is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as ''L. d. dispar'' and ''L. d. japonica'' being clearly identifiable without ambiguity. ''Lymantria dispar'' has been introduced to several continents and is now found in Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and South America. The polyphagous larvae live on a variety of deciduous and coniferous trees and can cause severe damage in years of mass reproduction. Due to these features, ''Lymantria dispar'' is listed among the world's 100 worst invasive alien species. Etymology The name “gypsy moth” does not have conclusive origins, however it has been in use since 1908. Moths of the subfamily Lymantriinae are commonly called tussock moths due to the tussock-like tufts of hair on the caterpillars.The Gypsy Moth: Research Toward Integrated Pest Management, United States Department o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Road Expansion
Road expansion refers to the increasing rate at which roads are being constructed globally. Increases in population size and GDP, particularly in developing nations, are the primary drivers of road expansion but transportation planning decisions also play an important role. The anticipated length of newly paved roads to be built between 2010 and 2050 would encircle the planet more than 600 times.Laurance, W.F., Clements, G.R., Sloan, S., O'Connell, C.S., Mueller, N.D., Goosem, M., Venter, O., Edwards, D.P., Phalan, B., Balmford, A., et al. (2014). A global strategy for road building. ''Nature'' 513, 229–232 Approximately 90% of the new roads are being built in developing nations. Africa and Southeast Asia are predicted to have a large amount of road expansion in the near future. Roads facilitate access to markets, health services and education but may adversely affect the natural environment, and impact communities and economies. There is also disagreement on whether expandi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Least Concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. They do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (before 2001) conservation dependent. Species cannot be assigned the "Least Concern" category unless they have had their population status evaluated. That is, adequate information is needed to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution or population status. Evaluation Since 2001 the category has had the abbreviation "LC", following the IUCN 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1). Before 2001 "least concern" was a subcategory of the "Lower Risk" category and assigned the code "LR/lc" or lc. Around 20% of least concern taxa (3261 of 15636) in the IUCN database still use the code "LR/lc", which indicates they have not been re-evaluate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zoonosis
A zoonosis (; plural zoonoses) or zoonotic disease is an infectious disease of humans caused by a pathogen (an infectious agent, such as a bacterium, virus, parasite or prion) that has jumped from a non-human (usually a vertebrate) to a human. Typically, the first infected human transmits the infectious agent to at least one other human, who, in turn, infects others. Major modern diseases such as Ebola virus disease and salmonellosis are zoonoses. HIV was a zoonotic disease transmitted to humans in the early part of the 20th century, though it has now evolved into a separate human-only disease. Most strains of influenza that infect humans are human diseases, although many strains of bird flu and swine flu are zoonoses; these viruses occasionally recombine with human strains of the flu and can cause pandemics such as the 1918 Spanish flu or the 2009 swine flu. ''Taenia solium'' infection is one of the neglected tropical diseases with public health and veterinary concern in en ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Latrine Area
Animal latrines (latrine areas, animal toilets, defecation sites) are places where wildlife animals habitually defecate and urinate. Many kinds of animals are highly specific in this respect and have stereotyped routines, including approach and departure. Many of them have communal, ''i.e.'', shared, latrines. Animals with dedicated defecation sites Animals with communal latrines include raccoons, Eurasian badgers, elephants, deer, antelopes,"THE ROLE OF SMALL ANTELOPE IN ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING IN THE MATOBO HILLS, ZIMBABWE" s, and |
Raccoon Roundworm
''Baylisascaris procyonis'', also known by the common name of raccoon roundworm, is a roundworm nematode, found ubiquitously in raccoons, the definitive hosts. It is named after H. A. Baylis, who studied them in the 1920s–30s, and Greek ''askaris'' (intestinal worm). ''Baylisascaris'' larvae in paratenic hosts can migrate, causing visceral larva migrans (VLM). Baylisascariasis as the zoonotic infection of humans is rare, though extremely dangerous due to the ability of the parasite's larvae to migrate into brain tissue and cause damage. Concern for human infection has been increasing over the years due to urbanization of rural areas resulting in the increase in proximity and potential human interaction with raccoons. Signs and symptoms The potential for human infection was noted in 1969 by Paul C. Beaver, who studied infected mice, and the first case was reported 15 years later. Human infection with ''B. procyonis'' has been relatively rare, with about 30 cases reported since 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Botfly
Botflies, also known as warble flies, heel flies, and gadflies, are a family of flies known as the Oestridae. Their larvae are internal parasites of mammals, some species growing in the host's flesh and others within the gut. ''Dermatobia hominis'' is the only species of botfly known to parasitize humans routinely, though other species of flies cause myiasis in humans. General A botfly, also written bot fly, bott fly or bot-fly in various combinations, is any fly in the family Oestridae. Their life cycles vary greatly according to species, but the larvae of all species are internal parasites of mammals. Largely according to species, they also are known variously as warble flies, heel flies, and gadflies. The larvae of some species grow in the flesh of their hosts, while others grow within the hosts' alimentary tracts. The word "bot" in this sense means a maggot. A warble is a skin lump or callus such as might be caused by an ill-fitting harness, or by the presence of a warble ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Timber Rattlesnake
The timber rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake, or banded rattlesnake (''Crotalus horridus'') Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of Cornell University Press. (7th printing, 1985). 1,105 pp. (in two volumes). . (''Crotalus horridus'', pp. 956–966.) is a species of pit viper endemic to eastern North America. Like all other pit vipers, it is venomous, with a very toxic bite. ''C. horridus'' is the only rattlesnake species in most of the populous Northeastern United States and is second only to its relatives to the west, the prairie rattlesnake, as the most northerly distributed venomous snake in North America. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. (First published in 1958). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. (hardcover), (paperback). (''Crotalus horridus'', pp. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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