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Alcatrazes Islands
Alcatrazes is a Brazilian archipelago, located some 35 km south of São Sebastião, in the northern coast of the State of São Paulo, one hour away by boat, approximately. It is protected by the largest marine integral conservation unit of Brazil after the Abrolhos Marine National Park. Etymology The name of the archipelago comes from a bird which forms its second largest bird population, with some three thousand specimens: the brown bobby, which is also known as "alcatraz", a word that in Arabic means "the diver", due to its ability to dive into the sea to capture fishes or squids. Geography Geology The islands are believed to present their very current format since at least 2.5 million years ago. However, during the last glacial period (in between 85 thousand and 15 thousand years ago), the sea water was receded in such a way that the archipelago was actually a mountain still connected to the continent. Alcatrazes is formed by five main islands. The biggest one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ilha De Alcatrazes Vista A Distancia , an island and populated place of the coast of mainland Mozambique
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Ilha (Portuguese for "island") may refer to the following places in Portugal or Mozambique: *Ilha (Santana), a parish in the municipality of Santana, Madeira *Ilha (Pombal), a former parish in the municipality of Pombal *Island of Mozambique The Island of Mozambique ( pt, Ilha de Moçambique) lies off northern Mozambique, between the Mozambique Channel and Mossuril Bay, and is part of Nampula Province. Prior to 1898, it was the capital of colonial Portuguese East Africa. With its r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bothrops Alcatraz
''Bothrops alcatraz'', also known as the Alcatrazes lancehead, is a pitviper species found only on the Alcatrazes Islands off the coast of southeastern Brazil. No subspecies are currently recognized. Like all pit vipers, it is venomous. Description Grows to a maximum size of 46.2/50.5 cm for males/females. Its small size and relatively large eyes are considered paedomorphic (juvenile) characteristics. Until 15,000 years ago, only common ''Bothrops'' lived by the island, which was at that time still connected to the continent due to the receded sea waters. When the sea rose back again (with the end of the last glacial period) and the mountain returned to its archipelago status, the ''Bothrops'' that became isolated there quickly fed on all available rodents, which are its main food. They ended up resorting to cockroaches and ''scolopendra'' and, due to their much smaller nutritional value, the snakes slowly shrunk their size until they couldn't grow beyond 50 cm – a p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South American Tern
The South American tern (''Sterna hirundinacea'') is a species of tern found in coastal regions of southern South America, including the Falkland Islands, ranging north to Peru (Pacific coast) and Brazil ( Atlantic coast). It is generally the most common tern in its range. The smaller, highly migratory common tern closely resembles it. The specific epithet refers to the "swallow-like" forked tail feathering. Description With adult South American terns reaching a length of , they are larger than either common terns (''Sterna hirundo'') or Arctic terns (''Sterna paradisaea''). Otherwise they closely resemble these species in plumage at all times of year. The beak is larger and is red in adults, and they do not have a dark-coloured bar on the carpus of the wing. The black cap extends below the eye, usually separated from it by a white crescent, and the rear edge of the cap is neatly defined. Juveniles have boldly-barred, dusky, upper parts, and retain their barred tertials into thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Oystercatcher
The American oystercatcher (''Haematopus palliatus''), occasionally called the American pied oystercatcher, is a member of family Haematopodidae. Originally called the "sea pie", it was renamed in 1731 when naturalist Mark Catesby observed the bird eating oysters. The current population of American oystercatchers is estimated to be 43,000. There are estimated to be 1,500 breeding pairs along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the US. The bird is marked by its black and white body and a long, thick orange beak. Description The American oystercatcher has distinctive black and white plumage and a long, bright orange beak. The head and breast are black and the back, wings and tail greyish-black. The underparts are white, as are feathers on the inner part of the wing which become visible during flight. The irises are yellow and the eyes have orange orbital rings. The legs are pink. Adults are between in length. Distribution The American oystercatcher is found on the Atlantic coast of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frigatebird
Frigatebirds are a family of seabirds called Fregatidae which are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans. The five extant species are classified in a single genus, ''Fregata''. All have predominantly black plumage, long, deeply forked tails and long hooked bills. Females have white underbellies and males have a distinctive red gular pouch, which they inflate during the breeding season to attract females. Their wings are long and pointed and can span up to , the largest wing area to body weight ratio of any bird. Able to soar for weeks on wind currents, frigatebirds spend most of the day in flight hunting for food, and roost on trees or cliffs at night. Their main prey are fish and squid, caught when chased to the water surface by large predators such as tuna. Frigatebirds are referred to as kleptoparasites as they occasionally rob other seabirds for food, and are known to snatch seabird chicks from the nest. Seasonally monogamous, frigatebirds nest colonially. A ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth sciences, including hydrology, and so is treated as one major aspect of integrated Earth system science and planetary science. Geology describes the structure of the Earth on and beneath its surface, and the processes that have shaped that structure. It also provides tools to determine the relative and absolute ages of rocks found in a given location, and also to describe the histories of those rocks. By combining these tools, geologists are able to chronicle the geological history of the Earth as a whole, and also to demonstrate the age of the Earth. Geology provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and the Earth's past climates. Geologists broadly study the properties and processes of E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended from a common ancestor is now generally accepted and considered a fundamental concept in science. In a joint publication with Alfred Russel Wallace, he introduced his scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process he called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence has a similar effect to the artificial selection involved in selective breeding. Darwin has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history and was honoured by burial in Westminster Abbey. Darwin's early interest in nature led him to neglect his medical education at the University of Edinburgh; instead, he helped to investigate marine invertebrates. His studies at the University of Cambridge's Christ's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands (Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, and are part of the Republic of Ecuador. Located west of continental Ecuador, the islands are known for their large number of endemic species that were studied by Charles Darwin during the second voyage of HMS ''Beagle''. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by means of natural selection. The Galápagos Islands and their surrounding waters form the Galápagos Province of Ecuador, the Galápagos National Park, and the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of slightly over 25,000. The first recorded visit to the islands happened by chance in 1535, when Fray Tomás de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panamá, was surprised to find this undiscovered land on a vo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Instituto Butantan
Instituto Butantan (in modern Portuguese, Instituto Butantã, ) is a Brazilian biologic research center located in Butantã, in the western part of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Instituto Butantan is a public institution affiliated with the São Paulo State Secretariat of Health and considered one of the major scientific centers in the world. Butantan is the largest immunobiologicals and biopharmaceuticals producer in Latin America (and one of the largest in the world). It is world-renowned for its collection of venomous snakes, as well as those of venomous lizards, spiders, insects and scorpions. By extracting the reptiles' and insects' venoms, the Institute develops antivenoms and medicines against many diseases, which include tuberculosis, rabies, tetanus and diphtheria. History The Institute was founded by the Brazilian physician and biomedical scientist Vital Brazil in 1901, according to Pasteur Institute paradigm, i.e., by combining in the same institution medical resea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coral Snake
Coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be divided into two distinct groups, the Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes. There are 16 species of Old World coral snakes, in three genera (''Calliophis'', '' Hemibungarus'', and '' Sinomicrurus''), and over 65 recognized species of New World coral snakes, in two genera ('' Micruroides'' and ''Micrurus''). Genetic studies have found that the most basal lineages have origins in Asia, suggesting that the group originated in the Old World. While new world species of both genera are venomous, their bites are seldom lethal; only two confirmed fatalities have been documented in the past 100 years from the genus ''Micrurus''. Meanwhile, snakes of the genus ''Micruroides'' have never caused a medically-significant bite. North American coloration patterns Experts now recognize that certain coloration patterns and common mnemonics - such as the phrase “Red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, you’re g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cycloramphus Faustoi
''Cycloramphus faustoi'' is a species of frog in the family Cycloramphidae. It is endemic to Ilha dos Alcatrazes, a island about 35 km off the coast of São Paulo state, Brazil. Description Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The body is robust. The head is wider than it is long. The snout is truncate and the eyes are protruding. The tympanum is not visible externally (but becomes visible if skin is removed); the supra-tympanic fold is distinct. The fingers and the toes have no webbing nor lateral fringes. The dorsum is dark brown and has a few yellowish or white spots. A narrow light yellow inter-orbital bar is present. The limbs have few white to light yellow bars. The throat is white and has a few brown spots. The belly is immaculate whitish, but some individuals have a few brown spots. Habitat and conservation ''Cycloramphus faustoi'' are known from a small valley in a dry stream bed at elevations of above sea level. The stream is border ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scinax Alcatraz
''Ololygon alcatraz'' is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Ilha dos Alcatrazes, an island off the coast of São Paulo state, Brazil. Common name Alcatraz snouted Treefrog has been coined for it. ''Ololygon alcatraz'' occurs in primary and secondary forest as well as degraded forest. It completes its entire life cycle (including tadpoles) in bromeliads. The range of this species is very small, and it is threatened by touristic activities and fire. References alcatraz Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ... Amphibians of Brazil Endemic fauna of Brazil Amphibians described in 1973 Taxa named by Bertha Lutz Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Hylidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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