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Guadeloupe Raccoon
The Guadeloupe raccoon (''Procyon lotor minor'') is a common raccoon subspecies endemic to the two main islands (Basse-Terre Island and Grande-Terre) of Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles. Classification Though thought in the past to be a distinct species, the Guadeloupe raccoon is a subspecies of the common raccoon (''Procyon lotor''), according to two studies in 1999 and 2003. The study of its morphological and genetic traits done in 2003 by Kristofer M. Helgen and Don E. Wilson indicated that the Guadeloupe raccoon was introduced by humans just a few centuries ago. This assumption is supported by the fact that the Guadeloupe raccoon seems to be closely related to the Bahamian raccoon (''Procyon lotor maynardi''), which is endemic on New Providence Island in the Bahamas, an archipelago nearly 2,000 km (1,243 mi) away, and that evidence exists of former raccoon populations on Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica. Therefore, the Guadeloupe raccoon is listed to be conspe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerrit Smith Miller Jr
Gerrit is a Dutch male name meaning "''brave with the spear''", the Dutch and Frisian form of Gerard. People with this name include: * Gerrit Achterberg (1905–1962), Dutch poet * Gerrit van Arkel (1858–1918), Dutch architect * Gerrit Badenhorst (born 1962), South African powerlifter and professional strongman competitor * Gerrit Battem (c. 1636 – 1684), Dutch landscape painter * Gerrit Beneker (1882–1934), American painter and illustrator * Gerrit Berckheyde (1638–1698), Dutch painter * Gerrit Berkhoff (1901–1996), Dutch chemist and university rector * Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer (1903–1996), Dutch theologian * Gerrit Berveling (born 1944), Dutch Esperanto author * Gerrit Blaauw (born 1924), Dutch computer engineer * Gerrit de Blanken (1894–1961), Dutch pottery artist * Gerrit van Bloclant (1578–1650), Dutch Renaissance painter * Gerrit Bol (1906–1989), Dutch mathematician * Gerrit Braamcamp (1699–1771), Dutch distiller, timber merchant and art collector * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Insular Dwarfism
Insular dwarfism, a form of phyletic dwarfism, is the process and condition of large animals evolving or having a reduced body size when their population's range is limited to a small environment, primarily islands. This natural process is distinct from the intentional creation of dwarf breeds, called dwarfing. This process has occurred many times throughout evolutionary history, with examples including dinosaurs, like '' Europasaurus'' and ''Magyarosaurus dacus'', and modern animals such as elephants and their relatives. This process, and other "island genetics" artifacts, can occur not only on islands, but also in other situations where an ecosystem is isolated from external resources and breeding. This can include caves, desert oases, isolated valleys and isolated mountains ("sky islands"). Insular dwarfism is one aspect of the more general "island effect" or "Foster's rule", which posits that when mainland animals colonize islands, small species tend to evolve larger bodies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guadeloupe National Park
Guadeloupe National Park (french: Parc national de la Guadeloupe) is a national park in Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France located in the Leeward Islands of the eastern Caribbean region. The Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserve (French: ''Réserve Naturelle du Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin'') is a marine protected area adjacent to the park and administered in conjunction with it. Together, these protected areas comprise the Guadeloupe Archipelago (French: ''l'Archipel de la Guadeloupe'') biosphere reserve. History The General Council of Guadeloupe created the Guadeloupe Natural Park in 1970 to recognise the exceptional biodiversity of Basse-Terre's tropical forest and mountain massif. Although it was initially placed under the management of the National Forests Office, proposals emerged in 1977 to establish a national park, in order to improve management and control of the park lands. These proposals came to fruition on 20 February 1989 with the official establ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest, but other types have been described. Estimates vary from 40% to 75% of all biotic species being indigenous to the rainforests. There may be many millions of species of plants, insects and microorganisms still undiscovered in tropical rainforests. Tropical rainforests have been called the "jewels of the Earth" and the " world's largest pharmacy", because over one quarter of natural medicines have been discovered there. Rainforests as well as endemic rainforest species are rapidly disappearing due to deforestation, the resulting habitat loss and pollution of the atmosphere. Definition Rainforest are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, high humidity, the presence of moisture-dependent vegetation, a moist layer of lea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several plant families. They occur worldwide in the tropics and subtropics and even some temperate coastal areas, mainly between latitudes 30° N and 30° S, with the greatest mangrove area within 5° of the equator. Mangrove plant families first appeared during the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene epochs, and became widely distributed in part due to the plate tectonics, movement of tectonic plates. The oldest known fossils of Nypa fruticans, mangrove palm date to 75 million years ago. Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees, also called halophytes, and are adapted to live in harsh coastal conditions. They contain a complex salt filtration system and a complex root system to cope with saltwater immersion and wave action. They are ad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Habitat Destruction
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby reducing biodiversity and species abundance. Habitat destruction is the leading cause of biodiversity loss. Fragmentation and loss of habitat have become one of the most important topics of research in ecology as they are major threats to the survival of endangered species. Activities such as harvesting natural resources, industrial production and urbanization are human contributions to habitat destruction. Pressure from agriculture is the principal human cause. Some others include mining, logging, trawling, and urban sprawl. Habitat destruction is currently considered the primary cause of species extinction worldwide. Environmental factors can contribute to habitat destruction more indirectly. Geological processes, climate change, introdu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbados Raccoon
The Barbados raccoon (''Procyon lotor gloveralleni'') is an extinct subspecies of the common raccoon (''Procyon lotor''), that was endemic on Barbados in the Lesser Antilles until 1964. Classification In 1950, Edward Alphonso Goldman identified the Barbados raccoon as a distinct species, a classification that has been challenged over the past years by other scientists, who assume that it was a subspecies of the common raccoon. This assumption was supported by a study of its morphological and genetic analysis in 2003 by Kristofer M. Helgen and Don E. Wilson, which indicated that the Barbados raccoon was introduced by humans just a few centuries ago. The study yielded the same result for the probably closely related subspecies Guadeloupe raccoon and Bahaman raccoon also living on West Indian islands. Therefore, the Barbados raccoon is listed as a subspecies of the common raccoon in the third edition of ''Mammal Species of the World'' published in 2005. Description Compare ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tres Marias Raccoon
The Tres Marias raccoon (''Procyon lotor insularis'') is a subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on the two main islands of the Islas Marías, an archipelago off the western coast of the Mexican state of Nayarit. Although sometimes considered to be a valid species, the Tres Marias raccoon is now regarded to be a subspecies of the common raccoon, introduced to the Islas Marías in the recent past. It is slightly larger than the common raccoon and has a distinctive angular skull. There are fewer than 250 mature individuals on the islands, they are hunted by the islanders and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated their conservation status as being "endangered". Classification In its initial description in 1898, the Tres Marias raccoon was classified as a subspecies of the common raccoon (''Procyon lotor'') by Clinton Hart Merriam. (This source was used for the whole chapter about classification.) In 1950, Edward Alphonso Goldman identified it as a dist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cozumel Raccoon
The Cozumel raccoon (''Procyon pygmaeus''), is a critically endangered species of island raccoon endemic on Cozumel Island off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. It is also called the pygmy raccoon, dwarf raccoon, Cozumel Island raccoon, and Cozumel raccoon bear. Classification Clinton Hart Merriam first described the Cozumel raccoon as morphologically distinctive from its mainland relative, the common raccoon subspecies ''Procyon lotor hernandezii'', in 1901. Since then, other scientists have generally agreed with Merriam's assessment, especially Kristofer Helgen and Don E. Wilson, who have dismissed this classification for the other four island raccoons in their studies in 2003 and 2005. Therefore, the Cozumel raccoon was listed as the only distinct species of the genus ''Procyon'' besides the common raccoon and the crab-eating raccoon in the third edition of ''Mammal Species of the World''. An archeological study showed that Maya from Cozumel used raccoons of re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Island Raccoon
The term island raccoons is used as a generic term for four endangered and one (or two) extinct subspecies or species of raccoon (''Procyon'') endemic on small Mexican and Caribbean islands, such as Cozumel and Guadeloupe. Other subspecies of raccoon living on islands, like that of the common raccoon (''Procyon lotor'') native to the Florida Keys, are generally not included under this term, since it was established at a time when all five (or six) "island raccoons" were considered distinct species. The five (or six) populations are: * Bahamian raccoon (''Procyon lotor maynardi''): subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on New Providence Island in the Bahamas * Barbados raccoon (''Procyon lotor gloveralleni''): extinct subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on Barbados until 1964 * Cozumel raccoon (''Procyon pygmaeus''): species endemic on Cozumel * Guadeloupe raccoon (''Procyon lotor minor''): subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on the two main islands Basse-Terre Island a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Union For Conservation Of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, and education. IUCN's mission is to "influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable". Over the past decades, IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and now incorporates issues related to sustainable development in its projects. IUCN does not itself aim to mobilize the public in support of nature conservation. It tries to influence the actions of governments, business and other stakeholders by providing information and advice and through building partnerships. The organization is best known to the wider pu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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