|
Oplurus Comorensis
''Oplurus'' is a genus of Malagasy iguanian lizards, most of which are rock-dwelling terrestrial species. The sister genus to ''Oplurus'' is ''Chalarodon'', which contains two species: ''Chalarodon madagascariensis'' and ''Chalarodon steinkampi'', which are terrestrial iguanas and easily distinguished from ''Oplurus'' by its smaller size and the presence of a distinct dorsal crest. Species The six recognized species in the genus ''Oplurus'' comprise two distinct clades. Uwe Schlüter (2013). ''Madagaskarleguane - Lebensweise, Pflege und Fortpflanzung''. KUS-Verlag, Rheinstetten. . *Spiny-tailed arboreal clade: ** Merrem's Madagascar swift (''Oplurus cyclurus'') **Collared iguanid (''Oplurus cuvieri'') * Saxicolous (rock dwelling) clade: **Madagascar blue iguana ('' Oplurus fierinensis'') (greyish-blue without dark dorsal bands) ** Grandidier's Madagascar swift (''Oplurus grandidieri'' (with light mid-dorsal band) ** Duméril's Madagascar swift (''Oplurus quadrimacul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Georges Cuvier
Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in natural sciences research in the early 19th century and was instrumental in establishing the fields of comparative anatomy and paleontology through his work in comparing living animals with fossils. Cuvier's work is considered the foundation of vertebrate paleontology, and he expanded Linnaean taxonomy by grouping classes into phylum, phyla and incorporating both fossils and living species into the classification. Cuvier is also known for establishing extinction as a fact—at the time, extinction was considered by many of Cuvier's contemporaries to be merely controversial speculation. In his ''Essay on the Theory of the Earth'' (1813) Cuvier proposed that now-extinct species had been wiped out by periodic catastrophi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Fierinensis
''Oplurus fierinensis'', also known as the Anzamala Madagascar swift or Madagascar blue iguana, is a saxicolous (rock dwelling) iguana endemic to Madagascar. Description As the name suggests, the Madagascar blue iguana is blue, although can be different shades of blue or grey, depending upon the lighting. The ventral side is plain gray. The coloration provided good camouflage while living among the blue-grey rocks. It can reach a total length of 28 cm. Distribution This species is endemic to Madagascar and has been found in the region of Toliara in southwest Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa .... References Oplurus Reptiles of Madagascar Endemic fauna of Madagascar Reptiles described in 1869 Taxa named by Alfred Grandidier {{Iguani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsingy De Bemaraha National Park
The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park is a national park located in Melaky Region, northwest Madagascar. The national park centers on two geological formations: the ''Great Tsingy'' and the ''Little Tsingy''. Together with the adjacent Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, the National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is crossed by the Manambolo River. Background The ''Tsingys'' are karstic plateaus in which groundwater has undercut the elevated uplands, and has gouged caverns and fissures into the limestone. In several regions on western Madagascar, centering on the park and adjacent Nature Reserve, the superposition of vertical and horizontal erosion patterns has created dramatic "forests" of limestone needles. The word ''tsingy'' is indigenous to the Malagasy language as a description of the karst badlands of Madagascar. The word can be translated into English as ''where one cannot walk barefoot''. Biology The unusual geomorphology of the Tsingy de Bemaraha W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aldabra
Aldabra is the world's second-largest coral atoll, lying south-east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a distance of 1,120 km (700 mi) southwest of the capital, Victoria on Mahé Island. History The name Aldabra, originally Al-Hadra or Al-Khadra (with several variants), was given by Arab seafarers for "the atoll’s harsh, sun-baked environment"; this name was included in the Portuguese maps of the 16th century. The islands were already known to the Persians and Arabs, from whom they got their name. They had named the Indian Ocean as Bahr-el zanj. It was visited by Portuguese navigators in 1511. In the middle of the 18th century, the atoll became a dependency of the French colony of Réunion, from where expeditions were made for the capture of the Aldabra giant tortoises. As there are no surface freshwater sources on Aldabra, the interests of the explor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grande Comore
Grande Comore () is an island in Comoros off the coast of Africa. It is the largest island in the Comoros nation. Most of its population is of the Comorian ethnic group. Its population is about 316,600. The island's capital is Moroni, Comoros, Moroni, which is also the national capital. The island is made up of two shield volcanoes, with Mount Karthala being the country's highest point at above sea level. According to the 2009 revision of the constitution of 2002, it is governed by an elected Governor, as are the other islands, with the federal government being much reduced in power. The name Ngazidja is sometimes seen in the now nonstandard form Njazidja. History For several centuries, List of sultans on the Comoros, Grande Comore was divided into a number of sultanates, including Sultanate of Bambao, Bambao, Itsandra, Mitsamihuli, Mbajini, Hambuu, Washili, Hamahame, Mbwankuu, Mbude and Domba. The sultans were also known as ''mfaume''. In 1886, the ruler of Anjouan, Sultan Sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemism
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example '' Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. '' Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa across the Mozambique Channel. At Madagascar is the world's List of island countries, second-largest island country, after Indonesia. The nation is home to around 30 million inhabitants and consists of the island of Geography of Madagascar, Madagascar (the List of islands by area, fourth-largest island in the world), along with numerous smaller peripheral islands. Following the prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, Madagascar split from the Indian subcontinent around 90 million years ago, allowing native plants and animals to evolve in relative isolation. Consequently, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot; over 90% of wildlife of Madagascar, its wildlife is endemic. Human settlement of Madagascar occurred during or befo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Molecular Phylogenetics
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to determine the processes by which diversity among species has been achieved. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree. Molecular phylogenetics is one aspect of molecular systematics, a broader term that also includes the use of molecular data in taxonomy and biogeography. Molecular phylogenetics and molecular evolution correlate. Molecular evolution is the process of selective changes (mutations) at a molecular level (genes, proteins, etc.) throughout various branches in the tree of life (evolution). Molecular phylogenetics makes inferences of the evolutionary relationships that arise due to molecular evolution and results in the construction of a phylogenetic tree. History The theoretical frame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Comorensis
''Oplurus'' is a genus of Malagasy iguanian lizards, most of which are rock-dwelling terrestrial species. The sister genus to ''Oplurus'' is ''Chalarodon'', which contains two species: ''Chalarodon madagascariensis'' and ''Chalarodon steinkampi'', which are terrestrial iguanas and easily distinguished from ''Oplurus'' by its smaller size and the presence of a distinct dorsal crest. Species The six recognized species in the genus ''Oplurus'' comprise two distinct clades. Uwe Schlüter (2013). ''Madagaskarleguane - Lebensweise, Pflege und Fortpflanzung''. KUS-Verlag, Rheinstetten. . *Spiny-tailed arboreal clade: ** Merrem's Madagascar swift (''Oplurus cyclurus'') **Collared iguanid (''Oplurus cuvieri'') * Saxicolous (rock dwelling) clade: **Madagascar blue iguana ('' Oplurus fierinensis'') (greyish-blue without dark dorsal bands) ** Grandidier's Madagascar swift (''Oplurus grandidieri'' (with light mid-dorsal band) ** Duméril's Madagascar swift (''Oplurus quadrimacul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Saxicola
''Oplurus saxicola'' (marked Madagascar swift) is a wiktionary:saxicolous, saxicolous (rock dwelling) iguana. The name of this species, saxicola, comes from the Latin saxum, meaning stone or rock, as they live within that environment. Description Extremely depressed reddish-green body, with marked spots. White abdomen. Large throat. Eyes very large, of triangular form. The scales of the forefeet are webbed; the thighs of rear legs are muscular. Scales on the neck are of similar dimensions to those on the back. Distribution The marked Madagascar swift is endemic to the province of Toliara in south-west Madagascar. References Oplurus Reptiles of Madagascar Endemic fauna of Madagascar Reptiles described in 1869 {{Lizard-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oplurus Quadrimaculatus
''Oplurus quadrimaculatus'', the Duméril's Madagascar Swift or Madagascar spotted spiny-tailed iguana, is a terrestrial malagasy iguana belonging to the family Opluridae. Description ''Oplurus quadrimaculatus'' can reach a length of . This iguana is greyish, with a spotted back and tail and legs covered with enlarged, spinous scales. It spends hours basking in sunlight. It is mainly insectivorous. Mating lasts just a few seconds and the eggs are laid in sheltered areas. Distribution This species is endemic to Madagascar. It can be found from the central areas up to the south of the country, at an elevation up to above sea level. Habitat ''Madagascar spotted spiny-tailed iguana'' lives on loamy slopes, clay expanses and large rocks in various environment, from the arid regions in dry spiny forests to northern wetlands and humid areas close to the rainforest and in shrubland. Gallery Oplurus quadrimaculatus.jpeg, Isalo Duméril's Madagascar swift (Oplurus quadrimaculatus) he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Endemism")
