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White-breasted Mesite
The white-breasted mesite (''Mesitornis variegatus'') is a ground-dwelling bird endemic to Madagascar. One of three species in the mesite family, Mesitornithidae, it is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It has a small population and is restricted to five sites in the north and west of the island, and one in the east. Description The white-breasted mesite is a medium-sized terrestrial bird which is often described as rail-like (a family with which the mesites are sometimes placed). The species has a white face with distinctive facial markings (a white supercilium and dark malar stripes) and a short dark straight bill. The upperparts are rufous brown, the underside is white with a tawny chest band and a barred belly. The wings are short and rounded and the bird only flies a few metres when pursued. It has a melodic song and sings in the early morning and during the day. Ecology The white-breasted mesite is a forest species; livi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (16 December 1805 – 10 November 1861) was a French zoologist and an authority on deviation from normal structure. In 1854 he coined the term ''éthologie'' (ethology). Biography He was born in Paris, the son of Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. In his earlier years he showed an aptitude for mathematics, but eventually he devoted himself to the study of natural history and of medicine, and in 1824 he was appointed assistant naturalist to his father. In 1829 he delivered for his father the second part of a course of lectures on ornithology, and during the following three years he taught zoology at the ''Athénée'', and teratology at the ''École pratique''. He was elected a member of the French Academy of Sciences in 1833, was in 1837 appointed to act as deputy for his father at the faculty of sciences in Paris. During the following year he was sent to Bordeaux to organize a similar faculty there. He became successively; inspector of the aca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ambatovaky Reserve
Ambatovaky Special Reserve is a tropical rainforest and wildlife reserve in the north-east of Madagascar (). It is designated by Bird Life International as an Important Bird Area for the large number of endemic species of birds. Geography This remote reserve ranges from the north-east coast of Madagascar to the Analamerana karstic plateau with elevations to in the Soanierana Ivongo District, Analanjirofo region. It is between the Marimbona river, which forms the southern border, and Simianona river which forms the northern border. The reserve headquarters are in Soanierana Ivongo and the park is only accessible by canoe along the Marimbona River. Flora and fauna The reserve is mainly covered by dense deciduous dry forest and is the last place for the critically endangered lemur, Perrier's sifaka (''Propithecus perrieri''). There are five other species of lemurs found on the reserve. Four have been given the conservation status of endangered by the International Union for Con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mesitornis
''Mesitornis'' is a genus of birds in the family Mesitornithidae. Its two members. the white-breasted mesite and the brown mesite are endemic to Madagascar and both species are classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list of Threatened species. A third species is also called a mesite; the subdesert mesite is the single member of the genus ''Monias''. Species ''Mesitornis'' There are two species, the brown mesite (''Mesitornis unicolor'') and the white-breasted mesite (''Mesitornis variegatus''). They are medium-sized birds to respectively and are considered to look like the rails; a family (Rallidae) in which the mesites are sometimes placed. Both species are ground-nesting and move slowly amongst the undergrowth searching in the leaf litter for invertebrates. The brown mesite is secretive and rarely seen, they live in undisturbed primary, evergreen, humid forest along the eastern coast of Mozambique, from Marojejy Nationa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forest Fire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire(bushfires in Australia, in Australia), desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, prairie fire, vegetation fire, or veld fire. Fire ecology, Some natural forest ecosystems depend on wildfire. Wildfires are distinct from beneficial human usage of wildland fire, called controlled burn, controlled burning, although controlled burns can turn into wildfires. Fossil charcoal indicates that wildfires began soon after the appearance of terrestrial plants approximately 419 million years ago during the Silurian period. Earth's carbon-rich vegetation, seasonally dry climates, atmospheric oxygen, and widespread lightning and volcanic ignitions create favorable conditions for fires. The occurre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain that provides raw material for many products societies worldwide use for housing, construction, energy, and consumer paper products. Logging systems are also used to manage forests, reduce the risk of wildfires, and restore ecosystem functions, though their efficiency for these purposes has been challenged. In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used narrowly to describe the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard. In common usage, however, the term may cover a range of forestry or silviculture activities. Illegal logging refers to the harvesting, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, includin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Menabe Forest
Menabe is a region in western Madagascar, with its capital at Morondava. It covers an area of , and its population was 700,577 in 2018. The population mostly belongs to the Sakalava ethnic group. The region is named after the 18th-century Sakalava Kingdom of Menabe (16th-18th centuries). The name "Menabe", in turn, means "big red", after the color of laterite rock that dominates the landscape. History Menabe is the southern part of the Sakalava territory. Tradition holds that it was founded by Adriamandazoala (reigned c1540 - 1560). Its territory was increased under the legendary Andriandahifotsy (c1610 - 1685). It thus became the strongest kingdom in Madagascar until the mid-18th century. Among its most famous rulers was Ranaimo or Andriandrainarivo (ruled 1718-1727) who is known through the memoirs of Europeans such as Robert Drury, James Cook, the crew of the Dutch East Indiaman ''Barneveld'', 1719, François Valentijn (1726). Though handsome and imposing he was a paralyti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daraina Forests
Daraina is a town and commune ( mg, kaominina) in northern Madagascar. It belongs to the district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ... of Vohemar District, Vohemar, which is a part of Sava Region. The city is located at the unpaved part of the Route Nationale 5a (Madagascar), Route Nationale 5a between Vohemar and Ambilobe. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 10,000 in 2001 commune census. Primary and junior level secondary education are available in town. The majority 98% of the population of the commune are farmers. The most important crop is rice, while other important products are banana, maize, cassava and sweet potato. Services provide employment for 2% of the population. There are also artisanal gold mining activities on the river ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ankarana Special Reserve
Ankarana Special Reserve in northern Madagascar was created in 1956. It is a small, partially vegetated plateau composed of 150-million-year-old middle Jurassic limestone. With an average annual rainfall of about , the underlying rocks have been eroded to produce caves and feed subterranean rivers—a karst topography. The rugged relief and the dense vegetation have helped protect the region from human intrusion. The southern entrance of the park is in Mahamasina on the Route nationale 6 some 108 km south-west of Antsiranana and north-east of Ambilobe. Geology The plateau slopes gently to the east, but on the west it ends abruptly in the "Wall of Ankarana", a sheer cliff that extends north to south, and rises up to . To the south, the limestone mass breaks up into separate spires known as ''tower karst''. In the center of the plateau, seismic activity and eons of rainfall have eroded the limestone, forming deep gorges and ribbons of flowstone. In places where the calcifi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ankarafantsika National Park
Ankarafantsika National Park is a national park near Andranofasika in the Boeny Region of Madagascar. The closest city is Majunga north of the park. Ankarafantsika is mostly tropical in climate type. The Sakalava people are the predominant ethnic group living and farming here. The greater big-footed mouse (''Macrotarsomys ingens'') lives in the park and is not known anywhere else. The park The park is between the Betsiboka River to the west and the Mahajamba River to the east. Originally there were two parks on either side of Route 4 national road, but they were combined in 2002. The park occupies about 135,000 hectares and consists of patches of thick dry tropical forest interspersed with less dense areas. There are also savannah, scrub and sandy eroded rock areas and some land is farmed by the indigenous Sakalava people. There are a number of lakes and the park is criss-crossed by tracks and paths. There are lodging facilities and guides are available to help visitors appreciate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Analamerana Reserve
Analamerana Special Reserve (or Analamera) is a wildlife reserve in the north of Madagascar. The reserve was created in 1956 to protect its endemic plants and animals, such as the critically endangered Perrier's sifaka (''Propithecus perrieri''), which is considered to be one of the most endangered primates in the world. Geography Analamera is in the Diana Region, of northern Madagascar and the range in altitude is between sea level on the east coast, up to , within the highlands of Ankarana. The reserve is a karstic eroding limestone plateau, between the Indian Ocean and the Ankarana-Analamerana massif. It is bordered by the mouth of the Irodo River on the east, by the Iloky River to the south, in the west by streams flowing into the Anivorano River and on the north, steep rocks in the Sava Region. The wet season is from November to March and the annual rainfall is from to . Due to the lack of infrastructure the reserve is difficult to access, with the best time to visit, duri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deciduous Forest
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flowering; and to the shedding of ripe fruit. The antonym of ''deciduous'' in the botanical sense is evergreen. Generally, the term "deciduous" means "the dropping of a part that is no longer needed or useful" and the "falling away after its purpose is finished". In plants, it is the result of natural processes. "Deciduous" has a similar meaning when referring to animal parts, such as deciduous antlers in deer, deciduous teeth (baby teeth) in some mammals (including humans); or decidua, the uterine lining that sheds off after birth. Botany In botany and horticulture, deciduous plants, including trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials, are those that lose all of their leaves for part of the year. This process is called abscission. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the bee hummingbird to the ostrich. There are about ten thousand living species, more than half of which are passerine, or "perching" birds. Birds have whose development varies according to species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa and elephant birds. Wings, which are modified forelimbs, gave birds the ability to fly, although further evolution has led to the loss of flight in some birds, including ratites, penguins, and diverse endemic island species. The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have further evolved for swimming. B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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