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Monti Sicani
The Monti Sicani are a mountain chain in the central-southern Sicily, southern Italy, included between the province of Agrigento, Agrigento and province of Palermo, Palermo. The name also indicates a series of ''comuni'' (municipalities) lying in the area. The territory is characterized by a hilly area, clay and sandstone being the predominant rocks, used for pasture, and a proper mountain area, above 900 m of altitude, with Mesozoic limestone rocks. There are numerous peaks over the 1,000 m, with the Rocca Busambra (1,613 m), Monte delle Rose (1,436 m), Monte Barraù (also called Monte Barracù) (1,420 m) and the Monte Cammarata overcoming 1578 m. Biodiversity[change , editing wikitext] Fauna The territory of the Sicani Mountains offers different habitats to wildlife that is very rich in vertebrates and invertebrates. Among the birds, there are several species of rare birds of prey such as the Golden Eagle and Capovaccaio, the Egyptian Capov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle or The Maltese Eagle is a solid gold statue of an eagle, which is thought to be the largest solid gold and diamond encrusted statue created. An appraisal by ''GLS GEMLAB Ltd'', Abbotsford, BC puts the replacement value at $4,110,450. The current market value is put at $6 million. History ''The Golden Eagle'' was originally created as the theme for the book ''The World's Greatest Treasure Hunt: Quest for the Golden Eagle'', a work by Ron Shore to help raise $25 million to fund research for the prevention, early detection and cure for breast cancer. Ron Shore commissioned Canadian sculptor Kevin Peters to help create ''the Golden Eagle''. It took more than 4000 hours to complete. The statue was for sale, with a price tag of $5 million. $1 million from the sale will be given to the breast cancer charity of the buyer's choice, $1 million will be given to the winner of ''The World's Greatest Treasure Hunt'', while the remaining sum is to be used to promote ''The World' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mountains Of Sicily
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher than a hill, typically rising at least 300 metres (1,000 feet) above the surrounding land. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in mountain ranges. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces, erosion, or volcanism, which act on time scales of up to tens of millions of years. Once mountain building ceases, mountains are slowly leveled through the action of weathering, through slumping and other forms of mass wasting, as well as through erosion by rivers and glaciers. High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level at similar latitude. These colder climates strongly affect the ecosystems of mountains: different elevations have different plants and animals. Because of the less hospitable terrain and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sicani
The Sicani (Ancient Greek Σῐκᾱνοί ''Sikānoí'') or Sicanians were one of three ancient peoples of Sicily present at the time of Phoenician and Greek colonization. The Sicani dwelt east of the Elymians and west of the Sicels, having, according to Diodorus Siculus, the boundary with the last in the ancient Himera river (Salso) after a series of battles between these tribes. History The Sicani are the oldest inhabitants of Sicily with a recorded name. In the 5th century BCE, the Greek historian Thucydides, claims that the Sicani originated on the Iberian Peninsula, from around a river they called "Sicanus" and had migrated to Sicily following an invasion by the Ligurians. (The name Sicanus has been linked to the modern river known in Spanish as the Júcar.) Thucydides' source is unknown, although he often draws on the Sicilian historian Antiochus of Syracuse. Conversely, Timaeus of Tauromenium (writing c. 300 BCE) considers the Sicani to be indigenous to Sicily. A third ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wildcat
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the African wildcat inhabits semi-arid landscapes and steppes in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia, into western India and western China. The wildcat species differ in fur pattern, tail, and size: the European wildcat has long fur and a bushy tail with a rounded tip; the smaller African wildcat is more faintly striped, has short sandy-gray fur and a tapering tail; the Asiatic wildcat (''F. lybica ornata'') is spotted. The wildcat and the other members of the cat family had a common ancestor about 10–15 million years ago. The European wildcat evolved during the Cromerian Stage about 866,000 to 478,000 years ago; its direct ancestor was ''Felis lunensis''. The ''silvestris'' and ''lybica'' lineages probably diverged about 173,000 ye ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herring
Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, including the Baltic Sea, as well as off the west coast of South America. Three species of ''Clupea'' (the type genus of the herring family Clupeidae) are recognised, and comprise about 90% of all herrings captured in fisheries. The most abundant of these species is the Atlantic herring, which comprises over half of all herring capture. Fish called herring are also found in the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and Bay of Bengal. Herring played an important role in the history of marine fisheries in Europe, and early in the 20th century, their study was fundamental to the development of fisheries science. These oily fish also have a long history as an important food fish, and are often salted, smoked, or pickled. Herring are also known as "sil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tortoise
Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like other members of the suborder Cryptodira, they retract their necks and heads directly backward into the shell to protect them. Tortoises can vary in size with some species, such as the Galápagos tortoise, Galápagos giant tortoise, growing to more than in length, whereas others like the Chersobius signatus, Speckled cape tortoise have shells that measure only long. Several lineages of tortoises Giant tortoise, have independently evolved very large body sizes in excess of 100 kg, including the Galápagos tortoise, Galapagos giant tortoise and the Aldabra giant tortoise. They are usually Diurnality, diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramariopsis
''Ramariopsis'' is a genus of coral fungi in the family Clavariaceae. The genus has a collectively widespread distribution and contains about 40 species. The name means 'having the appearance of ''Ramaria. Taxonomy ''Ramariopsis'' was originally defined as a subgenus of ''Clavaria'' by Dutch mycologist Marinus Anton Donk in 1933. Several European species similar to the type, '' Clavaria kunzei'', were included: '' Clavaria subtilis'', '' Clavaria pyxidata'', '' Clavaria angulispora'', and '' Clavaria pulchella''. In Donk's concept, defining characteristics of the group included small, branching, fruitbodies with a stipe, and an almost cartilaginous consistency to the flesh. Spores are small and hyaline (translucent), spherical to ellipsoid, and have a surface ornamentation ranging from echinulate (spiny) to verruculose (covered with small warts). E.J.H. Corner promoted the subgenus to generic status in his 1950 world monograph of clavarioid fungi. Ron Petersen emended the genu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Natricinae
The Natricinae are a subfamily of colubroid snakes, sometimes referred to as a family (Natricidae). The subfamily comprises 37 genera. Members include many very common snake species, such as the European grass snakes, and the North American water snakes and garter snakes. Some Old World members of the subfamily are known as keelbacks, because their dorsal scales exhibit strong keeling. Natricine snakes are found in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Central America as far south as Costa Rica. A single species, '' Tropidonophis mairii'', reaches Australia. Although the highest diversity is in North America, the oldest members are in Asia and Africa, suggesting an Old World origin for the group. Most species are semiaquatic and feed on fish and amphibians, although a few are semifossorial or leaf-litter snakes that feed on invertebrates. Most species are harmless to humans, but a few (e.g., ''Thamnophis sirtalis'', '' Thamnophis elegans'') are capable of inflicting bites t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vipera Berus
''Vipera berus'', the common European adderMallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. . or common European viper,Stidworthy J. (1974). ''Snakes of the World''. New York: Grosset & Dunlap Inc. 160 pp. . is a venomous snake that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of central and eastern Europe and as far as East Asia. Known by a host of common names including common adder and common viper, adders have been the subject of much folklore in Britain and other European countries. They are not regarded as especially dangerous; the snake is not aggressive and usually bites only when really provoked, stepped on, or picked up. Bites can be very painful, but are seldom fatal. The specific name, ''berus'', is New Latin and was at one time used to refer to a snake, possibly the grass snake, ''Natrix natrix''.Gotch AF. (1986). ''Reptiles: Their Latin Names Explaine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barn Owl
The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific Islands. It is also known as the common barn owl, to distinguish it from the other species in its family, Tytonidae, which forms one of the two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls (''Strigidae''). There are at least three major lineages of barn owl: the western barn owl of Europe, western Asia, and Africa; the eastern barn owl of southeastern Asia and Australasia; and the American barn owl of the Americas. Some taxonomic authorities classify barn owls differently, recognising up to five separate species; and further research needs to be done to resolve the disparate taxonomies. There is considerable variation of size and colour among the approximately 28 subspecies, but most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Kestrel
''The Kestrel'' (1982) is a fantasy novel by American writer Lloyd Alexander, the second of three books often called the '' Westmark trilogy''. The novel won the Parent's Choice Award in fiction for Fall 1982. It is set in Westmark, "an imaginary kingdom with a post-Napoleonic cast".A Political Education (review of ''The Kestrel''). Georgess McHargue. ''The New York Times''. 24 April 1982. Retrieved 2011-12-23. Another reviewer has called the series "''historical fantasy'', set in a time much like our 18th century". [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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