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Etosha Pan Halophytics
The Etosha Pan is a large endorheic salt pan, forming part of the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin in the north of Namibia. It is a vast hollow in the ground in which water may collect or in which a deposit of salt remains after water has evaporated. The 120-kilometre-long (75-mile-long) dry lakebed and its surroundings are protected as Etosha National Park, Namibia's second-largest wildlife park, covering . The pan is mostly dry, but after heavy rains, it is flooded with a thin layer of water, which is heavily salted by the mineral deposits on the surface. Location and description Etosha, meaning 'Great White Place' in Oshindonga, is made of a large mineral pan. The area exhibits a characteristic white and greenish surface, which spreads over . The pan is believed to have developed through tectonic activity over about ten million years. Around 16,000 years ago, when ice sheets were melting across the land masses of the Northern Hemisphere, a wet-climate phase in Southern Africa caused ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ekuma River
The Ekuma River is one of three rivers that supply most of water to the pan in the Etosha National Park in Namibia, the other two being the Oshigambo River and the Omurambo Ovambo River. The Ekumo is an ephemeral river that occasionally flows, or forms pools, during the rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' .... It originates from the southern shores of Lake Oponono and is long. References Rivers of Namibia Etosha National Park Geography of Oshikoto Region {{Namibia-river-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean), and two species native to Afro-Eurasia. A group of flamingoes is called a "flamboyance", or a "stand". Etymology The name ''flamingo'' comes from Portuguese or Spanish ; in turn, the word comes from Provençal – a combination of and a Germanic-like suffix ''-ing''. The word may also have been influenced by the Spanish ethnonym or . The name of the genus, ''Phoenicopterus'', is ; other genera names include '' Phoeniconaias,'' which means , and '' Phoenicoparrus,'' which means . Taxonomy and systematics The family Phoenicopteridae was introduced by the French zoologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1831, with '' Phoenicopterus'' as the type genus. Traditionally, the long-legged Ciconiiformes, probably a paraphyletic asse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Extremophile
An extremophile () is an organism that is able to live (or in some cases thrive) in extreme environments, i.e., environments with conditions approaching or stretching the limits of what known life can adapt to, such as extreme temperature, pressure, radiation, salinity, or pH level. Since the definition of an extreme environment is relative to an arbitrarily defined standard, often an anthropocentric one, these organisms can be considered Dominance (ecology), ecologically dominant in the evolutionary history of the planet. Dating back to more than 40 million years ago, extremophiles have continued to thrive in the most extreme conditions, making them one of the most abundant lifeforms. The study of extremophiles has expanded human knowledge of the limits of life, and informs speculation about extraterrestrial life. Extremophiles are also of interest because of their potential for bioremediation of environments made hazardous to humans due to pollution or contamination. Character ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sporobolus Spicatus
''Sporobolus spicatus'', also known as salt grass, is a halophyte. Distribution This bunchgrass is distributed: *in dryer parts of Africa such as Namibia, as a well known common plant in the western desert of Egypt *from the Mediterranean coast to South Africa *from the Middle East southwest to Pakistan and India. Description ''Sporobolus spicatus'' is a perennial bunchgrass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennia ... forming turfs near water and which has short, pointed flat blade leaves. It grows up to a maximum height of 40 cm and is distinguishable by a dark green colour. References spicatus Halophytes Bunchgrasses of Africa Bunchgrasses of Asia Flora of South Africa Flora of North Africa Flora of Western Asia Grasses of India Grasses of Pakistan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Algae
Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular microalgae, such as cyanobacteria, ''Chlorella'', and diatoms, to multicellular macroalgae such as kelp or brown algae which may grow up to in length. Most algae are aquatic organisms and lack many of the distinct cell and tissue types, such as stomata, xylem, and phloem that are found in embryophyte, land plants. The largest and most complex marine algae are called seaweeds. In contrast, the most complex freshwater forms are the Charophyta, a Division (taxonomy), division of green algae which includes, for example, ''Spirogyra'' and stoneworts. Algae that are carried passively by water are plankton, specifically phytoplankton. Algae constitute a Polyphyly, polyphyletic group because they do not include a common ancestor, and although Eu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gonimbrasia Belina
''Gonimbrasia belina'' is a species of emperor moth which is native to the warmer parts of southern Africa. Its large edible caterpillar, known as the mopane worm, madora, amacimbi “pigeon moth”, masonja or Seboko sa Mongana, feeds primarily but not exclusively on mopane tree leaves. Mopane worms are an important source of protein for many in the region. The species was first scientifically described by John O. Westwood in 1849. Vernacular names The mopane worm is so-called in English because it is usually found on the mopane tree, ''Colophospermum mopane''. Other vernacular names for the caterpillars include: * Botswana ** Kalanga: ''mashonja'' ** * South Africa ** ** (colloq) ** ** or ** ** Tswana: * Zambia ** ''muyaya'' (believed to be the mopane worm)Silow, C.A. 1976. Edible and Other Insects of Mid-western Zambia. Studies in Ethno-entomology II. Occ. Pap. V. Inst.Allm. Jamforand. Etnogr., Uppsala, Sweden: Almqvist & Wiksell, pp. 64–69. (Quoted ch.17 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephant
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus''). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea; extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive grey skin. The trunk is prehensile, bringing food and water to the mouth and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs. Elephants are scatter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mopane
''Colophospermum mopane'', commonly called mopane, mopani, butterfly tree, turpentine tree, or balsam tree, is a tree in the legume family (Fabaceae), that grows in hot, dry, low-lying areas, in elevation, in parts of Southern Africa. The tree only occurs in Africa and is the only species in genus ''Colophospermum''. Its distinctive butterfly-shaped (bifoliate) leaf and thin kidney-shaped/nearly semi-circular legume, seed pod make it easy to identify. Though hard and dense and difficult to work with, it is valued timber in all sorts of construction due to its termite tolerance. Together with Acacia erioloba, camel thorn and Combretum imberbe, leadwood, one of the three regionally important firewood trees, due to the enduring heat, and these woods are also some of the preferred use culinarily for braai. Range and habitat The mopane is found on low-lying ground from (Mozambique) to (Zimbabwe). Mopane ecoregions Native to Southern Africa, its habitat is divided crudely into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Etosha Elefant
Etosha National Park is a national park in northwestern Namibia and one of the largest national parks in Africa. It was proclaimed a game reserve in March 1907 in Ordinance 88 by the Governor of German South West Africa, Friedrich von Lindequist. It was designated as ''Wildschutzgebiet'' in 1958, and was awarded the status of national park in 1967, by an act of parliament of the Republic of South Africa. It spans an area of and was named after the large Etosha pan which is almost entirely within the park. With an area of , the Etosha pan covers 23% of the total area of the national park. The area is home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds and reptiles, including several Threatened species, threatened and Endangered species, endangered species such as the black rhinoceros. Sixty-one black rhinoceros were killed during poaching in Namibia during 2022, 46 of which were killed in Etosha. The park is located in the Kunene Region, Kunene region and shares boundaries with the regi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boden Etosha
Boden may refer to: Places *Boden Block, in Nuapada District, Odisha, India *Boden Municipality, in Sweden *Boden, Sweden, a city and the seat of Boden Municipality * Boden, Germany, a municipality in the district Westerwaldkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Boden, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Boden, Ohio, an unincorporated community Other uses * Boden (surname) * Boden (clothing), a clothing retailer * Boden Scholarship, established in 1833 at the University of Oxford for students learning Sanskrit *Norrland Engineer Battalion (Boden Engineer Regiment), a Swedish Army unit from 1905 to 2005 See also *Lake Constance ( in German) *Boden's Mate Boden's Mate is a checkmating pattern in chess characterized by bishops on two criss-crossing diagonals (for example, bishops on a6 and f4 delivering mate to a king on c8), with possible flight squares for the king being occupied by friendly piece ..., a mating pattern in chess, discovered by Samuel Boden * Bodden (disambig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francis Galton
Sir Francis Galton (; 16 February 1822 – 17 January 1911) was an English polymath and the originator of eugenics during the Victorian era; his ideas later became the basis of behavioural genetics. Galton produced over 340 papers and books. He also developed the statistical concept of correlation and widely promoted regression toward the mean. He was the first to apply statistical methods to the study of human differences and inheritance of intelligence, and introduced the use of questionnaires and Statistical survey, surveys for collecting data on human communities, which he needed for genealogical and biographical works and for his anthropometrics, anthropometric studies. He popularised the phrase "nature versus nurture". His book ''Hereditary Genius'' (1869) was the first social scientific attempt to study genius and greatness. As an investigator of the human mind, he founded psychometrics and differential psychology, as well as the lexical hypothesis of personality. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
