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Uroplatus Silkorae
''Uroplatus'' is a genus of geckos, commonly referred to as leaf-tail geckos or flat-tailed geckos, which are endemism, endemic to Madagascar and its coastal islands, such as Nosy Be. They are nocturnal, insectivorous lizards found exclusively in primary forest, primary and secondary forest. Etymology The Genus, generic name, ''Uroplatus'', is a Latinization of two Ancient Greek, Greek words: "ourá" (οὐρά) meaning "tail" and "platys" (πλατύς) meaning "flat". Description Geckos of the genus ''Uroplatus'' are nocturnal and arboreal. They range in total length (including tail) from about for ''U. giganteus'' to for ''U. ebenaui''. Larger species of ''Uroplatus'' are distinguished among geckos in having the largest number of marginal teeth among all living amniotes. Other rare apomorphic character states include multiple inscriptional ribs, restriction of autotomy planes, and finger-like diverticula of the lungs. All ''Uroplatus'' species have highly crypsis, cry ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uroplatus Sikorae
''Uroplatus sikorae'', commonly referred to as the mossy leaf-tailed gecko or the southern flat-tail gecko, is a species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Gekkonidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Madagascar. It is a CITES II protected animal due to habitat loss. Etymology The Specific name (zoology), specific name, ''sikorae'', is a Latinization of the surname of , an Austrian fossil-hunter and explorer of Madagascar. Taxonomy The species was first described by German zoologist Oskar Boettger but not published until three years after his death.Oskar Boettger, Boettger O (1913). "''Reptilien und Amphibien von Madagascar, den Inseln und dem Festland Ostafrikas'' ". pp. 269–375. ''In'': Voeltzkow A (1913). ''Reise in Ostafrika in den Jahren 1903–1905. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse. Band III'' [Volume 3]. ''Systematische Arbeiten''. Stuttgart: ''E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Nägele & Dr. Sproesser''. ("''Uroplates'' [sic] ''sikorae''", new specie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arboreal
Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose numerous mechanical challenges to animals moving through them and lead to a variety of anatomical, behavioral and ecological consequences as well as variations throughout different species.Cartmill, M. (1985). Climbing. In ''Functional Vertebrate Morphology'', eds. M. Hildebrand D. M. Bramble K. F. Liem and D. B. Wake, pp. 73–88. Cambridge: Belknap Press. Furthermore, many of these same principles may be applied to climbing without trees, such as on rock piles or mountains. Some animals are exclusively arboreal in habitat, such as the tree snail. Biomechanics Arboreal habitats pose numerous mechanical challenges to animals moving in them, which have been solved in diverse ways. These challenges include moving on n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deforestation In Madagascar
Deforestation in Madagascar is an ongoing environmental issue. Deforestation creates agricultural or pastoral land but can also result in desertification, water resource degradation, biodiversity erosion and habitat loss, and soil loss. It has been noticed that Madagascar has lost 80 or 90% of its "original" or "pre-human" forest cover, but this claim is difficult to prove and is not supported by evidence. What is certain is that the arrival of humans on Madagascar some 2000+ years ago began a process of fire, cultivation, logging and grazing that has reduced forest cover. Industrial forest exploitation during the Merina monarchy and French colonialism contributed to forest loss. Evidence from air photography and remote sensing suggest that by c. 2000, around 40% to 50% of the forest cover present in 1950 was lost. Current hotspots for deforestation include dry forests in the southwest being converted for maize cultivation and rain forests in the northeast exploited for tropical h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated deforestation occurs in tropical rainforests. About 31% of Earth's land surface is covered by forests at present. This is one-third less than the forest cover before the expansion of agriculture, a half of that loss occurring in the last century. Between 15 million to 18 million hectares of forest, an area the size of Bangladesh, are destroyed every year. On average 2,400 trees are cut down each minute. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines deforestation as the conversion of forest to other land uses (regardless of whether it is human-induced). "Deforestation" and "forest area net change" are not the same: the latter is the sum of all forest losses (deforestation) and all forest gains (forest expansion) in a gi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herpetology
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and reptiles (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras). Birds, which are cladistically included within Reptilia, are traditionally excluded here; the scientific study of birds is the subject of ornithology. Thus, the definition of herpetology can be more precisely stated as the study of ectothermic (cold-blooded) tetrapods. Under this definition "herps" (or sometimes "herptiles" or "herpetofauna") exclude fish, but it is not uncommon for herpetological and ichthyological scientific societies to collaborate. Examples include publishing joint journals and holding conferences in order to foster the exchange of ideas between the fields, as the American Society of Ichthyologists and He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Insectivore
A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were amphibians. When they evolved 400 million years ago, the first amphibians were piscivores, with numerous sharp conical teeth, much like a modern crocodile. The same tooth arrangement is however also suited for eating animals with exoskeletons, thus the ability to eat insects is an extension of piscivory. At one time, insectivorous mammals were scientifically classified in an order called Insectivora. This order is now abandoned, as not all insectivorous mammals are closely related. Most of the Insectivora taxa have been reclassified; those that have not yet been reclassified and found to be truly related to each other remain in the order Eulipotyphla. Although individually small, insects exist in enormous numbers. Insects make u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gekkoninae Uroplatus Sikorae Camouflage Horiz
Gekkoninae is a diverse subfamily of the family Gekkonidae, geckos. It has the most species and genera — over 850 species in 30 genera. ''Hemidactylus'' and ''Cyrtodactylus'' together account for 185 species. Genera The following is a list of recognized genera: * '' Agamura'' (2 species) * '' Alsophylax'' (6 species) * '' Altiphylax'' (5 species) * '' Ancylodactylus'' (19 species) * ''Bunopus'' (3 species) * '' Carinatogecko'' (2 species) * ''Cnemaspis'' (148 species) * '' Crossobamon'' (1 or 2 species) * '' Cryptactites'' (monotypic) * ''Cyrtodactylus'' (291 species) * '' Cyrtopodion'' (37 species) * '' Dixonius'' (11 species) * '' Dravidogecko'' (7 species) * ''Gehyra'' (68 species) * ''Gekko'' (86 species) * '' Gonydactylus'' (4 species) * '' Hemidactylus'' (189 species)Reptile Database: http://www.jcvi.org/reptiles/families/gekkonidae.php (Downloaded Feb. 17, 2010.) * ''Hemiphyllodactylus'' (51 species) * '' Heteronotia'' (3 species) * '' Lepidodactylus'' (45 species) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Convergent Evolution
Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last common ancestor of those groups. The cladistic term for the same phenomenon is homoplasy. The recurrent evolution of flight is a classic example, as flying insects, birds, pterosaurs, and bats have independently evolved the useful capacity of flight. Functionally similar features that have arisen through convergent evolution are ''analogous'', whereas '' homologous'' structures or traits have a common origin but can have dissimilar functions. Bird, bat, and pterosaur wings are analogous structures, but their forelimbs are homologous, sharing an ancestral state despite serving different functions. The opposite of convergence is divergent evolution, where related species evolve different traits. Convergent evolution is similar to parallel evo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saltuarius
''Saltuarius'' is a genus of larger Australian geckos, known collectively as leaf-tailed geckos. The genus was created in 1993 to accommodate some former members of the genus ''Phyllurus''. These geckos appear very similar to the ''Uroplatus'' geckos native to Madagascar. However, this is a convergent evolution. The genus name is derived from the Latin word ''saltuarius'', meaning "keeper of the forest".Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko Australian Reptile Online Database, 2013. Habitat and distribution The in the genus ''Saltuarius'' inhabit Australia's eastern |
Phyllurus
''Phyllurus'' is a small genus of Australian leaf-tailed geckos, lizards in the family Carphodactylidae. Rarely seen outside their native habitat, they are notable for their highly effective camouflage which is in part aided by the spiny tubercles that cover every body part. Most member species, except for ''P. caudiannulatus'', ''P. gulbaru'' and ''P. kabikabi'', have very flattened, leaf-shaped tails. Some of these species have recently been reassigned to the genus ''Saltuarius''. The ''Phyllurus'' geckos resemble the ''Uroplatus'' geckos of Madagascar. This is an example of convergent evolution because they are not closely related. Species The following species are recognized as being valid. www.reptile-database.org. *'' Phyllurus amnicola'' Couper, Schneider, Hoskin & Covacevich, 2000 – Mount Elliot leaf-tailed gecko *'' Phyllurus caudiannulatus'' Covacevich, 1975 – Bulburin leaf-tailed gecko *'' Phyllurus championae'' Couper, Schneider, Hoskin & Covacevich, 2000– Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are usable as lumber or plants above a specified height. In wider definitions, the taller palms, tree ferns, bananas, and bamboos are also trees. Trees are not a taxonomic group but include a variety of plant species that have independently evolved a trunk and branches as a way to tower above other plants to compete for sunlight. The majority of tree species are angiosperms or hardwoods; of the rest, many are gymnosperms or softwoods. Trees tend to be long-lived, some reaching several thousand years old. Trees have been in existence for 370 million years. It is estimated that there are some three trillion mature trees in the world. A tree typically has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground by the trunk. This trunk typically ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier, and the leaf-mimic katydid's wings. A third approach, motion dazzle, confuses the observer with a conspicuous pattern, making the object visible but momentarily harder to locate, as well as making general aiming easier. The majority of camouflage methods aim for crypsis, often through a general resemblance to the background, high contrast disruptive coloration, eliminating shadow, and countershading. In the open ocean, where there is no background, the principal methods of camouflage are transparency, silvering, and countershading, while the ability to produce light is among other things used for counter-illumination on the undersides of cephalopods such as squid. Some animals, such as chameleons and o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
