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Uma Notata
The Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard (''Uma notata'') is a species of medium-sized, diurnal lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. It is adapted to arid climates and is most commonly found in sand dunes within the Colorado Desert of the United States and Mexico. It was originally described by Baird in 1859 as having a head that was two-fifths the size if the head and body, was a light pea-green spotted with darker green and with a white underside. It can be distinguished from the Mojave fringe-toed lizard The Mojave fringe-toed lizard (''Uma scoparia'') is a species of medium-sized, white or grayish, black-spotted diurnal lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. It is adapted to arid climates and is most commonly found in sand dunes within the Mojav ... and the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard by its orange/pinkish stripes on the sides of its underside, while the backs have much similar appearances. The former subspecies ''Uma notata rufopunctata'' has had an unsettled ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spencer Fullerton Baird
Spencer Fullerton Baird (; February 3, 1823 – August 19, 1887) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, ichthyologist, Herpetology, herpetologist, and museum curator. Baird was the first curator to be named at the Smithsonian Institution. He eventually served as assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian from 1850 to 1878, and as Secretary from 1878 until 1887. He was dedicated to expanding the natural history collections of the Smithsonian which he increased from 6,000 specimens in 1850 to over 2 million by the time of his death. He published over 1,000 works during his lifetime. Early life and education Spencer Fullerton Baird was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1823. His mother was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Biddle family; he was a nephew of Speaker of the Pennsylvania Senate Charles B. Penrose and a first cousin, once removed, of U.S. Senator Boies Penrose and his distinguished brothers, R. A. F. Penrose Jr., Richard, Spencer Penrose, Spencer, and Charles Bingham ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. The most recent rigorous estimate for the total number of species of eukaryotes is between 8 and 8.7 million. However, only about 14% of these had been described by 2011. All species (except viruses) are given a two-part name, a "binomial". The first part of a binomial is the genus to which the species belongs. The second part is called the specific name or the specific epithet (in botanical nomenclature, also sometimes i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diurnality
Diurnality is a form of plant and ethology, animal behavior characterized by activity during daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The common adjective used for daytime activity is "diurnal". The timing of activity by an animal depends on a variety of environmental factors such as the temperature, the ability to gather food by sight, the risk of predation, and the time of year. Diurnality is a cycle of activity within a 24-hour period; cyclic activities called circadian rhythms are endogenous cycles not dependent on external cues or environmental factors except for a zeitgeber. Animals active during twilight are crepuscular, those active during the night are nocturnal and animals active at sporadic times during both night and day are cathemerality, cathemeral. Plants that open their flowers during the daytime are described as diurnal, while those that bloom during nighttime are nocturnal. The timing of flower opening is often related to the time at which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia although some lizards are more closely related to these two excluded groups than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon. Most lizards are quadrupedal, running with a strong side-to-side motion. Some lineages (known as "legless lizards"), have secondarily lost their legs, and have long snake-like bodies. Some such as the forest-dwelling ''Draco'' lizards are able to glide. They are often territorial, the males fighting off other males and signalling, often with bright colours, to attract mates and to intimidate rivals. Lizards are mainly carnivorous, often being sit-and-wait predators; many smaller species eat insects, while the Komodo eats mammals a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phrynosomatidae
The Phrynosomatidae are a diverse family of lizards, sometimes classified as a subfamily (Phrynosomatinae), found from Panama to the extreme south of Canada. Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy deserts, although the spiny lizards prefer rocky deserts or even relatively moist forest edges, and the short-horned lizard lives in prairie or sagebrush environments. The group includes both egg-laying and viviparous species, with the latter being more common in species living at high elevations. The earliest fossil remains of this group are known from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia and belong to the genus ''Desertiguana''. As phrynosomatids are presently known only from North America, these remains indicate that phrynosomatids likely had a wider distribution in prehistoric times. Genera The Phrynosomatidae are organised into 9 genera in this family. The earless taxa (''Cophosaurus'' and ''Holbrookia'') are sister genera. Family Phrynosomatidae * ''Callisaurus' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella and Imperial valleys. It is home to many unique flora and fauna. Geography and geology The Colorado Desert is a subdivision of the larger Sonoran Desert encompassing approximately . The desert encompasses Imperial County and includes parts of San Diego County, Riverside County, and a small part of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of the Colorado Desert lies at a relatively low elevation, below , with the lowest point of the desert floor at below sea level, at the Salton Sea. Although the highest peaks of the Peninsular Ranges reach elevations of nearly , most of the region's mountains do not exceed . In this region, the geology is dominated by the transition of the tectonic plate boundary from rift to fault. The southernmost strands of the San Andreas Fault connect to the northernmost extensions of the East Pacif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mojave Fringe-toed Lizard
The Mojave fringe-toed lizard (''Uma scoparia'') is a species of medium-sized, white or grayish, black-spotted diurnal lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. It is adapted to arid climates and is most commonly found in sand dunes within the Mojave Desert. Fringe-toed lizards are characterized by their fringed scales on their hind toes which make locomotion in loose sand possible. Description The Mojave fringe-toed lizard is a flat-bodied lizard with smooth skin. The color of its skin resembles the environment it inhabits, ranging from a tannish white to a grayish white, and likely contains small black spots along its back. On its underside, there are up to three crescent-shaped throat markings which are characteristic of the Mojave fringe-toed lizard. Also characteristic of this species are the dark bands on its tail and dark blotches on the sides of its belly. During breeding season, the dark spots on its belly-sides turn pink, and its underside turns pale-yellow. The length o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard
The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (''Uma inornata'') is a species of phrynosomatid lizard. Phylogeny and evolution The species is most closely related to Uma notata, the Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard. Genetic variation within the species is small, equivalent to that of one population of Uma notata. The species population is isolated from other closely related lizards. Characteristics The species is well adapted to its desert habitat. It has a wedged-shaped nose which enables it to burrow through loose, fine sand. Elongated scales cover the ears to keep out blowing sand, and specialized nostrils allow it to breathe below the sand without inhaling sand particles.U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceCoachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard/ref> Ecology and behaviour During breeding season, male lizards minimize time spent foraging for food to maximize time for mating. They preferentially ate readily-available flowers rather than spending time foraging. Female lizards observ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yuman Desert Fringe-toed Lizard
The Yuman Desert fringe-toed lizard (''Uma cowlesi'') is a species of phrynosomatid lizard endemic to northwestern Mexico, although a hybrid population of it and '' Uma notata'' ranges north to southwestern Arizona in the United States. Taxonomy This species has a confusing taxonomic history. Previously, it was referred to as ''Uma rufopunctata'' (described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1895), and was defined as ranging from the vicinity of Yuma, Arizona south to the Gran Desierto de Altar, and southeast from here through Puerto Penasco south to the Tepoca Bay. In 1941, Heifetz described ''Uma notata cowlesi'' as a new subspecies of the Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard (''Uma notata''), and synonymized ''Uma rufopunctata'' with ''Uma notata''; however, the name ''Uma rufopunctata'' was kept for this species by later sources. Finally in 2016, Gottscho et al. found Cope's ''rufopunctata'' to in fact represent a hybrid population between ''Uma notata'' and ''Uma cowlesi'', and t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Algodones Dunes
The Algodones Dunes is a large sand dune field, or erg, located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of California, near the border with Arizona and the Mexican state of Baja California. The field is approximately long by wide and extends along a northwest-southeast line that correlates to the prevailing northerly and westerly wind directions. The name "Algodones Dunes" refers to the entire geographic feature, while the administrative designation for that portion managed by the Bureau of Land Management is the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (sometimes called the Glamis Dunes). In 1966, Imperial Sand Hills was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. The Algodones Dunes are split into many different sections. These sections include Glamis, Gordon's Well, Buttercup, Midway, and Patton's Valley. Although the Arabic-derived Spanish word ''algodones'' translates to "cotton plants", the origin of the toponym is unknown. Location The du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imperial County, California
Imperial County is a County (United States), county on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 179,702, making it the least populous county in Southern California. The county seat is El Centro, California, El Centro. Imperial is the most recent California county to be established, as it was created in 1907 out of portions of San Diego County. Imperial County is located in the far southeast of California, in the Imperial Valley. It borders San Diego County to the west, Riverside County, California, Riverside County to the north, the U.S. state of Arizona to the east and the Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California to the south. It includes the El Centro Metropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the Southern California San Diego–Imperial (California), border region, the smallest but most economically diverse region in the state. Although this region is a desert, with high temperatures and low ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 municipalities; the capital (and largest) city of which being Hermosillo, located in the center of the state. Other large cities include Ciudad Obregón, Nogales, Sonora, Nogales (on the Mexico–United States border, Mexico-United States border), San Luis Río Colorado, and Navojoa. Sonora is bordered by the states of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua to the east, Baja California to the northwest and Sinaloa to the south. To the north, it shares the Mexico–United States border, U.S.–Mexico border primarily with the state of Arizona with a small length with New Mexico, and on the west has a significant share of the coastline of the Gulf of California. Sonora's natural geography is divided into three ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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