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Pinnacle Peak (Arizona)
Pinnacle Peak is a granite summit located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The peak rises to an elevation of . It is located within the Pinnacle Peak Park, operated by the City of Scottsdale Park District. Part of the Sonoran Desert, the park is home to a variety of native desert flora and fauna. Hikers utilize a 1.75 mile trail to explore the area, though rock climbing skills are needed to reach the summit. History The area around Pinnacle Peak was used by the Hohokam for hunting and food gathering. Later, settlers began to use the area for ranching and mining, with homes gradually being built within sight of Pinnacle Peak. Pinnacle Peak and its surrounding area became a part of the Arizona State Trust Land. In the 1980s, the area was annexed into Scottsdale and was established as a park. In 1994, were sold to a housing developer in exchange for the funding and construction of the park's main trail. After being closed for six years due to the development, the park reopened ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pinnacle Peak In Scottsdale Arizona At Springtime
A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly used in Gothic architecture. The pinnacle had two purposes: # Ornamental – adding to the loftiness and verticity of the structure. They sometimes ended with statues, such as in Milan Cathedral. # Structural – the pinnacles were very heavy and often rectified with lead, in order to enable the flying buttresses to contain the stress of the structure vaults and roof. This was done by adding compressive stress (a result of the pinnacle weight) to the thrust vector and thus shifting it downwards rather than sideways. History The accounts of Jesus' temptations in Matthew's and Luke's gospels both suggest that the Second Temple in Jerusalem had one or more pinnacles ( gr, το πτερυγιον του ιερου): :Then he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trail
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The term is also applied in North America to routes along rivers, and sometimes to highways. In the US, the term was historically used for a route into or through wild territory used by explorers and migrants (e.g. the Oregon Trail). In the United States, "trace" is a synonym for trail, as in Natchez Trace. Some trails are dedicated only for walking, cycling, horse riding, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, but not more than one use; others, as in the case of a bridleway in the UK, are multi-use and can be used by walkers, cyclists and equestrians alike. There are also unpaved trails used by dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles, and in some places, like the Alps, trails are used for moving cattle and other livestock. Usage In Austra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grey Fox
The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener (biology), congener, the diminutive island fox (''Urocyon littoralis'') of the California Channel Islands of California, Channel Islands, are the only living members of the genus ''Urocyon'', which is considered to be genetically Basal (phylogenetics), basal to all other living canids. Its Specific name (zoology), species name ''cinereoargenteus'' means ":wikt:cinereus, ashen silver". It was once the most common fox in the eastern United States, and though still found there, human advancement and deforestation allowed the red fox to become the predominant Canidae, fox-like canid. Despite this post-colonial competition, the gray fox has been able to thrive in urban and suburban environments, one of the best examples being South Florida, southern Florida. The Pacific States and Great Lak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coyote
The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological niche as the golden jackal does in Eurasia. The coyote is larger and more predatory and was once referred to as the American jackal by a behavioral ecologist. Other historical names for the species include the prairie wolf and the brush wolf. The coyote is listed as Least Concern, least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, due to its wide distribution and abundance throughout North America. The species is versatile, able to adapt to and expand into environments modified by humans. It is enlarging its range by moving into urban areas in the eastern U.S. and Canada. The coyote was sighted in eastern Panama (across the Panama Canal from their home range) for the first time in 2013. The coyote has 19 recognized sub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mountain Lion
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. It is an adaptable, generalist species, occurring in most American habitat types. This wide range has brought it many common names, including puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther (for the Florida sub-population). It is the second-largest cat in the New World, after the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Secretive and largely solitary by nature, the cougar is properly considered both nocturnal and crepuscular, although daytime sightings do occur. Despite its size, the cougar is more closely related to smaller felines, including the domestic cat (''Felis catus'') than to any species of the subfamily Pantherinae. The cougar is an ambush predator that pursues a wide variety of prey. Primary food sources are ungulates, particularly deer, but it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Woodrat
A pack rat or packrat, also called a woodrat or trade rat, are any species in the North and Central American rodent genus ''Neotoma''. Pack rats have a rat-like appearance, with long tails, large ears, and large, black eyes. Pack rats are noticeably larger than deer mice, harvest mice, and grasshopper mice, and are usually somewhat larger than cotton rats. Species ''Neotoma'' includes three subgenera: * Subgenus ''Neotoma'' ** '' Neotoma albigula'' - white-throated woodrat *** ''Neotoma albigula varia'' - Turner Island woodrat ** '' Neotoma angustapalata'' - Tamaulipan woodrat ** ''Neotoma bryanti'' - Bryant's woodrat *** '' Neotoma bryanti anthonyi'' - Anthony's woodrat † *** '' Neotoma bryanti bunkeri'' - Bunker's woodrat † *** '' Neotoma bryanti martinensis'' - San Martín Island woodrat † ** ''Neotoma chrysomelas'' - Nicaraguan woodrat ** '' Neotoma devia'' - Arizona woodrat ** ''Neotoma findleyi'' - Findley's woodrat † ** '' Neotoma floridana'' - eastern woodrat ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
The western diamondback rattlesnake or Texas diamond-backWright AH, Wright AA. (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes''. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). . (''Crotalus atrox'') is a rattlesnake species and member of the viper family, found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Like all other rattlesnakes and all other vipers, it is venomous. It is likely responsible for the majority of snakebite fatalities in northern Mexico and the greatest number of snakebites in the U.S.Norris R. (2004) "Venom Poisoning in North American Reptiles" in Campbell JA, Lamar WW. ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. . No subspecies are currently recognized. It lives in elevations from below sea level up to . This species ranges throughout the Southwestern United States and northern half of Mexico. Currently, western diamondback rattlesnakes are not threatened or endangered. Common names Other common names for this ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gila Monster
The Gila monster (''Heloderma suspectum'', ) is a species of venomous lizard native to the Southwestern United States and the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is a heavy, typically slow-moving reptile, up to long, and it is the only venomous lizard native to the United States. Its venomous close relatives, the four beaded lizards (all former subspecies of ''Heloderma horridum'') inhabit Mexico and Guatemala. The Gila monster is sluggish in nature, so it is not generally dangerous and very rarely poses a real threat to humans. However, it has a fearsome reputation and is sometimes killed in spite of the species being protected by state law in Arizona. History The name "Gila" refers to the Gila River Basin in the U.S. states of Arizona and New Mexico, where the Gila monster was once plentiful. ''Heloderma'' means "studded skin", from the Ancient Greek words (), "the head of a nail or stud", and (), "skin". ''Suspectum'' comes from the describer, paleontologist Edwa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bobcat
The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2002, due to its wide distribution and large population. Although it has been hunted extensively both for sport and fur, populations have proven stable, though declining in some areas. It has distinctive black bars on its forelegs and a black-tipped, stubby (or "bobbed") tail, from which it derives its name. It reaches a total length (including the tail) of up to . It is an adaptable predator inhabiting wooded areas, semidesert, urban edge, forest edge, and swampland environments. It remains in some of its original range, but populations are vulnerable to extirpation by coyotes and domestic animals. Though the bobcat prefers rabbits and hares, it hunts insects, chickens, geese and other birds, small rodents, and deer. Pre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Creosote Bush
''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and ''gobernadora'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. In Sonora, it is more commonly called ''hediondilla''; Spanish ''hediondo'' = "smelly". It is a flowering plant in the family Zygophyllaceae. The specific name ''tridentata'' refers to its three-toothed leaves. Distribution ''Larrea tridentata'' is a prominent species in the Mojave Desert, Mojave, Sonoran Desert, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Desert, Chihuahuan Deserts of western North America, and its range includes those and other regions in portions of southeastern California, Arizona, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States, and Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Zacatecas, Durango and San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosì in Mexico. The species grows as far east a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cholla Cactus
''Cylindropuntia'' is a genus of cacti (family Cactaceae), containing species commonly known as chollas, native to northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. They are known for their barbed spines that tenaciously attach to skin, fur, and clothing. Stands of cholla are called cholla gardens. Individuals within these colonies often exhibit the same DNA, as they were formerly tubercles of an original plant. Taxonomy ''Cylindropuntia'' was formerly treated as a subgenus of '' Opuntia'', but have now been separated based on their cylindrical stems (''Opuntia'' species have flattened stems) and the presence of papery epidermal sheaths on the spines (''Opuntia'' has no sheaths). A few species of mat- or clump-forming opuntioid cacti are currently placed in the genus '' Grusonia''. Collectively, opuntias, chollas, and related plants are sometimes called opuntiads. The roughly 35 species of ''Cylindropuntia'' are native to the southwestern and south-central United States, Me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saguaro Cactus
The saguaro (, ) (''Carnegiea gigantea'') is a tree-like cactus species in the monotypic genus ''Carnegiea'' that can grow to be over tall. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and the Whipple Mountains and Imperial County areas of California. The saguaro blossom is the state wildflower of Arizona. Its scientific name is given in honor of Andrew Carnegie. In 1994, Saguaro National Park, near Tucson, Arizona, was designated to help protect this species and its habitat. Saguaros have a relatively long lifespan, often exceeding 150 years. They may grow their first side arm around 75–100 years of age, but some never grow any arms. Arms are developed to increase the plant's reproductive capacity, as more apices lead to more flowers and fruit. A saguaro can absorb and store considerable amounts of rainwater, visibly expanding in the process, while slowly using the stored water as needed. This characteristic enables the saguaro t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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