CamouflageConcealment in plain sight by any means, e.g. colour, pattern and shapeThe peacock flounder can change its pattern and colours to match its environment.A soldier applying camouflage face paint; both helmet and jacket are disruptively patterned.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.
Family (taxonomy)Family (Latin: familia, pl.: familiae) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus.
SpeciesBasic unit of taxonomic classification, below genusThe hierarchy of biological classification's eight major taxonomic ranks. A genus contains one or more species. Minor intermediate ranks are not shown.A species (pl. species) is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity.
DiurnalityDiurnality is a form of plant and 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.
Arboreal locomotionArboreal locomotion is the 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 (scansorial), 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.
PrehensilityPrehensility is the quality of an appendage or organ that has adapted for grasping or holding. The word is derived from the Latin term prehendere, meaning "to grasp". The ability to grasp is likely derived from a number of different origins. The most common are tree-climbing and the need to manipulate food.
LizardLizard is the common name used for all squamatereptiles that are not snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians or "worm lizards"), encompassing over 7,000 species. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. Extant lizard species vary in size from the 13.5 mm (0.53 in) nano-chameleon and the 14–18 mm (0.55–0.71 in) Jaragua dwarf gecko to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon.
DesertArea of land where little precipitation occursSand dunes in the Rub' al Khali ("Empty quarter") of ArabiaA camel shepherd in southern TunisiaA desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi-arid.
DactylyIn biology, dactyly is the arrangement of (fingers and toes) on the hands, feet, or sometimes wings of a tetrapodanimal. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek word (dáktulos), meaning "finger." Sometimes the suffix "-dactylia" is used. The derived adjectives end with "-dactyl" or "-dactylous." As a normal featurePentadactylyPentadactyly (from Ancient Greek (pénte), meaning "five") is the condition of having five digits on each limb.
MadagascarMadagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country in the Indian Ocean that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's fourth-largest island, the second-largest island country, and the 46th-largest country overall. Its capital and largest city is Antananarivo.
CladeIn biology, a clade () (from Ancient Greekκλάδος (kládos)'branch'), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach to taxonomy adopted by most biological fields. The common ancestor may be an individual, a population, or a species (extinct or extant).
IndiaCountry in South AsiaIndia, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the world's seventh-largest country by area and the largest by population. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is near Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
RainforestRainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can generally be classified as tropical rainforests or temperate rainforests, but other types have been described. Estimates vary from 40% to 75% of all bioticspecies being indigenous to the rainforests.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.