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Upemba National Park
Upemba National Park is a large national park in Haut-Lomami, Lualaba Province & Haut-Katanga Province (formerly in Katanga Province) of the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire. Geography At the time of the creation of Upemba National Park, on 15 May 1939, the park had a surface area of . It was the largest park in Africa. In July 1975, the limits were revised and today the integral park has an area of with an annex of a further . Its lower section is located in the Upemba Depression, a lush area of lakes and marshes including the eponymous Lake Upemba, and bordered by the Lualaba River. Its higher section is in the dryer Kibara Plateau mountains. History Upemba National Park was first established in 1939. As with much of the wildlife of the region, in contemporary times the park continues to be threatened by the activities of poachers, pollution, and the activities of refugees and militia. There are also a handful of villages in the park. In recent year ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haut-Lomami
Haut-Lomami (French for "Upper Lomami") is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Haut-Lomami, Haut-Katanga, Lualaba, and Tanganyika provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Katanga province. Haut-Lomami was formed from the Haut-Lomami district Haut-Lomami District was a district of the pre-2015 Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The district dates back to the days of the Belgian Congo. At its greatest extent it roughly corresponded to the northern part of the cu ... whose town of Kamina was elevated to capital city of the new province. Territories * Bukama * Kabongo * Kamina * Kaniama * Malemba-Nkulu See also * History of Katanga References Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo {{DRCongo-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afromontane
The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions of Africa are discontinuous, separated from each other by lower-lying areas, and are sometimes referred to as the Afromontane archipelago, as their distribution is analogous to a series of sky islands. Geography Afromontane communities occur above elevation near the equator, and as low as elevation in the Knysna-Amatole montane forests of South Africa. Afromontane forests are generally cooler and more humid than the surrounding lowlands. The Afromontane archipelago mostly follows the East African Rift from the Red Sea to Zimbabwe, with the largest areas in the Ethiopian Highlands, the Albertine Rift Mountains of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania, and the Eastern Arc highlands of Kenya and Tanzania. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alestidae
African tetras (family Alestidae, formerly spelled Alestiidae) are a group of characiform fish exclusively found in Africa. This family contains about 18 genera and 119 species. Among the best known members are the Congo tetra, and African tigerfish. Taxonomy Taxonomy based on Van der Laan 2017 and Nelson, Grande & Wilson 2016. * Family Alestiidae Cockerell 1910 ** Genus †'' Alestoides'' Monod & Gaudant 1998 ** Genus †'' Arabocharax'' Micklich & Roscher 1990 ** Genus †'' Bunocharax'' Van Neer 1994 ** Genus †'' Eurocharax'' Gaudant 1980 ** Genus †'' Mahengecharax'' Murray 2003 ** Genus †'' Sindacharax'' Greenwood & Howes 1975 ** Genus ''Brycinus'' Valenciennes 1850 'Brycinus macrolepidotus'' species-group** Subfamily Bryconaethiopinae Hoedeman 1951 *** Genus '' Bryconaethiops'' Günther 1873 *** Genus '' Brachyalestes'' Günther 1864 'Brycinus nurse'' species-group** Subfamily Petersiinae Poll 1967 *** Genus ''Alestopetersius'' Hoedeman 1951 Duboisialestes.html"_ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbus
''Barbus'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. The type species of ''Barbus'' is the common barbel, first described as ''Cyprinus barbus'' and now named ''Barbus barbus''. ''Barbus'' is the namesake genus of the subfamily Barbinae, but given their relationships, that taxon is better included in the Cyprininae at least for the largest part (including the type species of ''Barbus''). Description and uses Their common names – barbs and barbels – refer to the fact that most members of the genera have a pair of barbels on their mouths, which they can use to search for food at the bottom of the water. Barbels are often fished for food; in some locations they are of commercial significance. The roe of barbels is poisonous, however. The large ''Barbus'' barbs are also often eaten in their native range. At Shanhûr in Egypt, remains of a jar from the sixth- to seventh-century AD were unearthed that contained fish bones. The fish were apparently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mormyridae
The Mormyridae, sometimes called "elephantfish" (more properly freshwater elephantfish), are a family of weakly electric freshwater fish in the order Osteoglossiformes native to Africa. It is by far the largest family in the order with around 200 species. Members of the family can be popular, if challenging, aquarium species. These fish are also known for having large brain size and unusually high intelligence. They are not to be confused with the marine and brackish-water callorhinchid elephantfish (family Callorhinchidae) of Southern Hemisphere oceans. Description and biology The elephantfish are a diverse family, with a wide range of different sizes and shapes. The smallest are just in adult length, while the largest reach up to . They do, however, have a number of unique features in common. Firstly, their cerebellum is greatly enlarged, enabling them to interpret complex bio-electrical signals. and to the large size of the valve, Secondly, an auditory vesicle (a small bl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyprinidae
Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest vertebrate animal family in general with about 3,000 species, of which only 1,270 remain extant, divided into about 370 genera. Cyprinids range from about 12 mm in size to the giant barb (''Catlocarpio siamensis''). By genus and species count, the family makes up more than two-thirds of the ostariophysian order Cypriniformes. The family name is derived from the Greek word ( 'carp'). Biology and ecology Cyprinids are stomachless fish with toothless jaws. Even so, food can be effectively chewed by the gill rakers of the specialized last gill bow. These pharyngeal teeth allow the fish to make chewing motions against a chewing plate formed by a bony process of the skull. The pharyngeal teeth are unique to each species and are used b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Water Caltrop
The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus ''Trapa'': ''Trapa natans'', ''Trapa bicornis'' and the endangered ''Trapa rossica''. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling gok ( Chinese: 菱角), ling nut, lin kok, ling jow, ling kio nut, mustache nut, singhara or water chestnut. The species are floating annual aquatic plants, growing in slow-moving freshwater up to deep, native to warm temperate parts of Eurasia and Africa. They bear ornately shaped fruits, which in the case of ''T. bicornis'' resemble the head of a bull or the silhouette of a flying bat. Each fruit contains a single very large, starchy seed. ''T. natans'' and ''T. bicornis'' have been cultivated in China and the Indian subcontinent for the edible seeds for at least 3,000 years. Description The water caltrop's submerged stem reaches in length, anchored into the mud by very fine roots. It has two types of leaves: finely divided, feather-like submerged le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pistia
''Pistia'' is a genus of aquatic plants in the arum family, Araceae. It is the sole genus in the tribe ''Pistieae'' which reflects its systematic isolation within the family. The single species it comprises, ''Pistia stratiotes'', is often called water cabbage, water lettuce, Nile cabbage, or shellflower. Its native distribution is uncertain but is probably pantropical; it was first discovered from the Nile near Lake Victoria in Africa. It is now present, either naturally or through human introduction, in nearly all tropical and subtropical fresh waterways and is considered an invasive species as well as a mosquito breeding habitat. The genus name is derived from the Greek word πιστός (''pistos''), meaning "water," and refers to the aquatic nature of the plants. The specific epithet is also derived from a Greek word, στρατιώτης, meaning "soldier," which references the sword-shaped leaves of some plants in the ''Stratiotes'' genus. Description ''Pistia stratiote ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papyrus
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, '' Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a document written on sheets of such material, joined side by side and rolled up into a scroll, an early form of a book. Papyrus is first known to have been used in Egypt (at least as far back as the First Dynasty), as the papyrus plant was once abundant across the Nile Delta. It was also used throughout the Mediterranean region. Apart from a writing material, ancient Egyptians employed papyrus in the construction of other artifacts, such as reed boats, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets. History Papyrus was first manufactured in Egypt as far back as the fourth millennium BCE.H. Idris Bell and T.C. Skeat, 1935"Papyrus and its uses"(British Museum pamphlet). The earliest archaeological evidence of papyrus was excavated in 2012 and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Riparian Zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by hydrophilic plants. Riparian zones are important in ecology, environmental resource management, and civil engineering because of their role in soil conservation, their habitat biodiversity, and the influence they have on fauna and aquatic ecosystems, including grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, or even non-vegetative areas. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a riparian zone. The word ''riparian'' is derived from Latin '' ripa'', meaning " river bank". Characteristics Riparian zones may be natural or engineered for soil stabilization or restoration. These zones are important na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from terrestrial land forms or Body of water, water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique anoxic hydric soils. Wetlands are considered among the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal species. Methods for assessing wetland functions, wetland ecological health, and general wetland condition have been developed for many regions of the world. These methods have contributed to wetland conservation partly by raising public awareness of the functions some wetlands provide. Wetlands occur naturally on every continent. The water in wetlands is either freshwater, brackish or saltwater. The main wetland ty ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tropical Rainforest
Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatorial evergreen rainforest''. True rainforests are typically found between 10 degrees north and south of the equator (see map); they are a sub-set of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28-degree latitudes (in the equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn). Within the World Wildlife Fund's biome classification, tropical rainforests are a type of tropical moist broadleaf forest (or tropical wet forest) that also includes the more extensive seasonal tropical forests. Overview Tropical rainforests are characterized by two words: hot and wet. Mean monthly temperatures exceed during all months of the year. Average annual rainfall is no less than and can exceed although it typically ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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