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Scolopendra Galapagoensis
''Scolopendra galapagoensis,'' also known as the Galápagos centipede and Darwin's goliath centipede, is species of very large centipede in the family Scolopendridae. It is the only representative of the genus ''Scolopendra'' on the Galapagos Islands, among twelve other species of centipede present on the Islands. It is also found on mainland South America in Ecuador and Peru, and on Cocos Island in Costa Rica. Appearance The Galápagos Centipede is one of the largest species of centipede in the world. Specimens have been recorded with lengths up to 30 cm. Colour morphs ''Scolopendra galapagoensis'' exhibits three colour morphs: Diet and predation ''S. galapagoensis'' has been reported preying on crickets, newborn rodents, the Galapagos Rice Rat, and, in one paper, a Floreana Racer snake. It is hunted by a variety of birds of prey including the Galapagos hawk, two species of mockingbird, and the common Black Rat The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Centipede
Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , " foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an arthropod group which includes millipedes and other multi-legged animals. Centipedes are elongated segmented (metameric) creatures with one pair of legs per body segment. All centipedes are venomous and can inflict painful bites, injecting their venom through pincer-like appendages known as forcipules. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs, ranging from 30 to 382. Centipedes always have an odd number of pairs of legs; no centipede has exactly 100. Like spiders and scorpions, centipedes are predominantly carnivorous. Their size ranges from a few millimetres in the smaller lithobiomorphs and geophilomorphs to about in the largest scolopendromorphs. Centipedes can be found in a wide variety of environments. They ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthropod Leg
The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. Many of the terms used for arthropod leg segments (called podomeres) are of Latin origin, and may be confused with terms for bones: ''coxa'' (meaning hip, plural ''coxae''), ''trochanter'', ''femur'' (plural ''femora''), ''tibia'' (plural ''tibiae''), ''tarsus'' (plural ''tarsi''), ''ischium'' (plural ''ischia''), ''metatarsus'', ''carpus'', ''dactylus'' (meaning finger), ''patella'' (plural ''patellae''). Homologies of leg segments between groups are difficult to prove and are the source of much argument. Some authors posit up to eleven segments per leg for the most recent common ancestor of extant arthropods but modern arthropods have eight or fewer. It has been argued that the ancestral leg need not have been so complex, and that other events, such as successive loss of function of a ''Hox''-gene, could result in parallel gains of leg segments. In arthropods, each of the leg segments ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Rat
The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is now found worldwide. The black rat is black to light brown in colour with a lighter underside. It is a generalist omnivore and a serious pest to farmers because it feeds on a wide range of agricultural crops. It is sometimes kept as a pet. In parts of India, it is considered sacred and respected in the Karni Mata Temple in Deshnoke. Taxonomy ''Mus rattus'' was the scientific name proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 for the black rat. Three subspecies were once recognized, but today are considered invalid and are now known to be actually color morphs: *''Rattus rattus rattus'' – roof rat *''Rattus rattus alexandrinus'' – Alexandrine rat *''Rattus rattus frugivorus'' – fruit rat Characteristics A typical adult black rat is long, n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mockingbird
Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in two genera, although three species of mockingbird from the Galapagos Islands were formerly separated into a third genus, ''Nesomimus''. The mockingbirds do not appear to form a monophyletic lineage, as ''Mimus'' and ''Melanotis'' are not each other's closest relatives; instead, ''Melanotis'' appears to be more closely related to the catbirds, while the closest living relatives of ''Mimus'' appear to be thrashers, such as the sage thrasher.Hunt, Jeffrey S.; Bermingham, Eldredge; & Ricklefs, Robert E. (2001):Molecular systematics and biogeography of Antillean thrashers, tremblers, and mockingbirds (Aves: Mimidae)" '' Auk'' 118(1): 35–55. DOI:10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118 035:MSABOA.0.CO;2Barber, Brian R.; Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galapagos Hawk
The Galápagos hawk (''Buteo galapagoensis'') is a large hawk endemic to most of the Galápagos Islands. Description The Galapágos hawk is similar in size to the red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') and the Swainson's hawk (''Buteo swainsoni'') of North America, but the size is variable across the islands as is recorded for many animals native to the Galapágos. They appear to be somewhat more heavily built than those well-known mainland species, and going on average weights, this species is the second heaviest ''Buteo'' in the Americas, behind only the ferruginous hawk. The Galapágos hawk can range from in length from beak to tail with a wingspan of .Del Hoyo, J., & Elliot, A. I SARGATAL, J. eds. 1994. ''Handbook of the birds of the World. Vol. 2. New World Vultures to Guineafowl''. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. The smallest hawk sizes recorded are on Marchena Island, where males average and females average . Intermediate in size are the hawks of Santiago Island, on which m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bird Of Prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators have keen eyesight for detecting prey from a distance or during flight, strong feet with sharp talons for grasping or killing prey, and powerful, curved beaks for tearing off flesh. Although predatory birds primarily hunt live prey, many species (such as fish eagles, vultures and condors) also scavenge and eat carrion. Although the term "bird of prey" could theoretically be taken to include all birds that actively hunt and eat other animals, ornithologists typically use the narrower definition followed in this page, excluding both piscivorous predators such as storks, herons, gulls, skuas, penguins and kingfishers, as well as primarily insectivorous birds such as passerine birds (e.g. shrikes) and birds like nightjars and frogmouths. So ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pseudalsophis Biserialis
The Galápagos racer (''Pseudalsophis biserialis'') is a colubrid snake in the genus ''Pseudalsophis'' that is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It is a mildly venomous constrictor but it is not considered aggressive or harmful to humans. The two subspecies are the eastern and western racers, the latter being larger, longer, and darker than the former. The western subspecies specializes in hunting fish, while both subspecies eat small reptiles, eggs, rodents, and bird hatchlings. The Galapagos racer is near threatened due to recently introduced species that feed on snake eggs, including pigs, rats, mice, and cats. It is one of only three species of snakes on the Galápagos Islands, and it was first described in 1860. In November 2016, a video clip from the BBC series ''Planet Earth II'' showing a group of Galápagos racers hunting marine iguana hatchlings became a viral trend. Taxonomy and etymology Originally classified as ''Herpetodryas biserialis'' by Albert Günther in 1860, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aegialomys Galapagoensis
The Galápagos rice rat (''Aegialomys galapagoensis''), also known as the Galápagos oryzomys, is a species of rodent that is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. Description The Galapagos rice rat is a medium-sized rodent, with a head-body length of , and a tail long. It has very long, soft and dense fur that is grizzled copper-brown above and yellowish-grey on the underparts. The ears are long and covered with dense hair, and the feet have large pads on the soles, with claws up to in length, suggesting that it has little, if any, climbing ability. Distribution and habitat The Galapagos rice rat is found only in the eastern Galapagos. Today, it occurs only on Santa Fé Island, and possibly on Santiago Island. A separate population formerly existed on San Cristóbal Island, and is considered to represent a separate subspecies, but is thought to have been extinct for many decades. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Biology and behaviour The Galapagos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gryllidae
The family ''Gryllidae'' contains the subfamilies and genera which entomologists now term true crickets. Having long, whip-like antennae, they belong to the Orthopteran suborder Ensifera, which has been greatly reduced in the last 100 years (''e.g.'' ImmsImms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 886 pp.): taxa such as the spider-crickets and allies, sword-tail crickets, wood or ground crickets and scaly crickets have been elevated to family level. The type genus is ''Gryllus'' and the first use of the family name "Gryllidae" was by Walker. They have a worldwide distribution (except Antarctica). The largest members of the family are the -long bull crickets (''Brachytrupes'') which excavate burrows a metre or more deep. The tree crickets (Oecanthinae) are delicate white or pale green insects with transparent fore wings, while the field crickets (Gryllinae) are robust brown or black insects. Subfamilies The family is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polymorphism (biology)
In biology, polymorphism is the occurrence of two or more clearly different morphs or forms, also referred to as alternative ''phenotypes'', in the population of a species. To be classified as such, morphs must occupy the same habitat at the same time and belong to a panmictic population (one with random mating). Ford E.B. 1965. ''Genetic polymorphism''. Faber & Faber, London. Put simply, polymorphism is when there are two or more possibilities of a trait on a gene. For example, there is more than one possible trait in terms of a jaguar's skin colouring; they can be light morph or dark morph. Due to having more than one possible variation for this gene, it is termed 'polymorphism'. However, if the jaguar has only one possible trait for that gene, it would be termed "monomorphic". For example, if there was only one possible skin colour that a jaguar could have, it would be termed monomorphic. The term polyphenism can be used to clarify that the different forms arise from the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scolopendridae
Scolopendridae (or, in older documents, Scolopendridæ) is a family of large centipedes (class Chilopoda). Nearly all species in this family have four ocelli ( simple eyes) on each side of the head and only 21 pairs of legs, but there are exceptions: two scolopendrid species feature more legs (''Scolopendropsis bahiensis'', with 21 or 23 leg pairs, and ''S. duplicata'', with 39 or 43 leg pairs), and some scolopendrid species are eyeless and blind (e.g., ''Cormocephalus sagmus'', ''C. pyropygus'', and ''C. delta''). Three Asian members of this family, ''Scolopendra cataracta'', ''Scolopendra paradoxa'', and ''Scolopendra alcyona,'' are known to show amphibious behaviour. Two other species, ''Scolopendra hardwickei'' and ''Hemiscolopendra marginata,'' are known to show sexual dimorphism in the composition of their venom. Genera Subfamily Otostigminae (Kraepelin, 1903) Tribe Otostigmini (Kraeplin, 1903) * '' Alipes'' Imhoff, 1854 * '' Alluropus'' Silvestri, 1911 * '' Digitipes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and Maritime boundary, maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around five million in a land area of . An estimated 333,980 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, Costa Rica, San José, with around two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area. The sovereign state is a Unitary state, unitary Presidential system, presidential Constitution of Costa Rica, constitutional republic. It has a long-standing and stable democracy and a highly educated workforce. The country spends roughly 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, compared to a global average of 4.4%. Its economy, once heavily dependent on agricultu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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