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Chiton Salihafui
''Chiton salihafui'', the python chiton, is a medium-sized polyplacophoran mollusc in the family Chitonidae, found on the west coast of Africa. Description The valves are each bear an elongate dark triangle which is offset by a lighter area, and their central portions are marked with clear longitudinal striations. The girdle is covered with smooth, overlapping scales. The species somewhat resembles ''Chiton politus''. Average adult length is 40 mm. Distribution and habitat ''C. salihafui'' occurs along the west coast of Africa, having been recorded from Tanzania, Somalia, Mozambique and the northernmost part of South Africa, where the only known colony is a single location in Maputaland. It can be found under shady overhangs relatively high on the shore. Conservation The species is collected for use in traditional medicine, a practice that may have led to considerable depletion of the limited populations in the southern extremes of its range. It has been suggested that co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motility, able to move, can Sexual reproduction, reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in which their body consists of a hollow sphere of Cell (biology), cells, the blastula, during Embryogenesis, embryonic development. Over 1.5 million Extant taxon, living animal species have been Species description, described—of which around 1 million are Insecta, insects—but it has been estimated there are over 7 million animal species in total. Animals range in length from to . They have Ecology, complex interactions with each other and their environments, forming intricate food webs. The scientific study of animals is known as zoology. Most living animal species are in Bilateria, a clade whose members have a Symmetry in biology#Bilate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chiton Politus
''Chiton politus'', the tulip chiton, is a medium-sized polyplacophoran mollusc in the family Chitonidae, found on the coast of southern Africa. Description The species can display a variety of shell patterns consisting of brown patches and zigzags on smooth pink valves. The central section of each valve often has a striped pattern. The girdle is covered with smooth, overlapping scales and also striped. Average adult length is 30–40 mm. Distribution and habitat ''C. politus'' occurs along the south coast of Africa, from Cape Columbine in Namibia to the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It is quite common and can usually be found as solitary individuals under rocks near the low tide mark. The original description by Lorenz Spengler recorded it at the Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Traditional Medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the era of modern medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines traditional medicine as "the sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness". Traditional medicine is often contrasted with scientific medicine. In some Asian and African countries, up to 80% of the population relies on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs. When adopted outside its traditional culture, traditional medicine is often considered a form of alternative medicine. Practices known as traditional medi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Onithochiton Literatus
''Onithochiton literatus'', the black chiton, is a medium to large-sized polyplacophoran mollusc in the family Chitonidae, found on the east coast of Africa. Description The species is usually brownish black, with valves incised with radiating wavy lines; these may be heavily eroded in older specimens. The broad and velvety girdle is brown to black and bears tiny embedded spicules. Adult size is 20–50 mm. Distribution and habitat ''Onithochiton literatus'' occurs along the east coast of Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to at least as far north as Somalia and possibly into the Red Sea. It is quite common and can be found along the margins of inter-tidal rock pools or more exposed on wave-washed rocks. Use by humans In KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maputaland
Maputaland is a natural region of Southern Africa. It is located in the northern part of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between Eswatini and the coast. In a wider sense it may also include the southernmost region of Mozambique. The bird routes and coral reefs off the coast are major tourist attractions. Now the name of this traditional region is being revived for the Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets, one of the ecoregions of South Africa, as well as for the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot. Geography Maputaland is bordered by the Ubombo Mountains in the west and the Indian Ocean in the east. It covers an area of about 10,000 km2, stretching approximately from the town of Hluhluwe and the northern section of Lake St. Lucia to the border of Mozambique and South Africa, or beyond to Maputo in Mozambique. Tongaland The South African section of Maputaland was also previously known as Tongaland after the Tonga people who live there. The usually flat region f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini. It also completely enclaves the country Lesotho. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World, and the second-most populous country located entirely south of the equator, after Tanzania. South Africa is a biodiversity hotspot, with unique biomes, plant and animal life. With over 60 million people, the country is the world's 24th-most populous nation and covers an area of . South Africa has three capital cities, with the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government based in Pretoria, Bloemfontein, and Cape Town respectively. The largest city is Johannesburg. About 80% of the population are Black Sou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Africa to the southwest. The sovereign state is separated from the Comoros, Mayotte and Madagascar by the Mozambique Channel to the east. The capital and largest city is Maputo. Notably Northern Mozambique lies within the monsoon trade winds of the Indian Ocean and is frequentely affected by disruptive weather. Between the 7th and 11th centuries, a series of Swahili port towns developed on that area, which contributed to the development of a distinct Swahili culture and language. In the late medieval period, these towns were frequented by traders from Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Arabia, Persia, and India. The voyage of Vasco da Gama in 1498 marked the arr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitution, (; ), is a country in the Horn of Africa. The country is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on Africa's mainland. Its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands. Hot conditions prevail year-round, with periodic monsoon winds and irregular rainfall. Somalia has an estimated population of around million, of which over 2 million live in the Capital city, capital and largest city Mogadishu, and has been described as Africa's most culturally homogeneous country. Around 85% of its residents are ethnic Somalis, who have historically inhabited the country's north. Ethnic minoritie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania. According to the United Nations, Tanzania has a population of million, making it the most populous country located entirely south of the equator. Many important hominid fossils have been found in Tanzania, such as 6-million-year-old Pliocene hominid fossils. The genus Australopithecus ranged across Africa between 4 and 2 million years ago, and the oldest remains of the genus '' Homo'' are found near Lake Olduvai. Following the rise of ''Homo erectus'' 1.8 million years ago, humanity sprea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Girdle (chiton)
A girdle is part of the anatomy of a chiton, one class of marine mollusks, the class Polyplacophora. The shell of a chiton consists of eight valves which articulate with one another. The girdle is a strong but flexible structure that in most cases encircles the plates, holding them all together. Details of the external surface of the girdle are often useful in identifying the taxonomic family, genus and species of chiton. For example, the girdle may be covered in overlapping scales, spikes, or it may have tufts of glassy bristles protruding from it. In a few genera of chitons, the girdle covers the valves either partially, as in the Black Katy chiton, or completely, as with the gumboot chiton The gumboot chiton (''Cryptochiton stelleri''), also known as the giant western fiery chiton or giant Pacific chiton, is the largest of the chitons, growing to and capable of reaching a weight of more than . It is found along the shores of the n .... References {{reflist Glossary en ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mollusc
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 additional species. The proportion of undescribed species is very high. Many taxa remain poorly studied. Molluscs are the largest marine phylum, comprising about 23% of all the named marine organisms. Numerous molluscs also live in freshwater and terrestrial habitats. They are highly diverse, not just in size and anatomical structure, but also in behaviour and habitat. The phylum is typically divided into 7 or 8 taxonomic classes, of which two are entirely extinct. Cephalopod molluscs, such as squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses, are among the most neurologically advanced of all invertebrates—and either the giant squid or the colossal squid is the largest known invertebrate species. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valve (mollusc)
A valve is each articulating part of the shell of a mollusc or another multi-shelled animal such as brachiopods and some crustaceans. Each part is known as a valve or in the case of chitons, a "plate". Members of two classes of molluscs, the Bivalvia (clams) and the Polyplacophora (chitons), have valves. Species within one family of very unusual small sea snails, marine opisthobranch gastropods in the family Juliidae, also have two articulating shells or valves, which resemble those of a bivalve. This exceptional family is commonly known as the bivalved gastropods. Gastropods in general are sometimes called "univalves", because in those that have a shell, the shell is usually in one part. Chitons The valves of chitons are eight dorsal, articulated shell plates, which are frequently coloured and sculpted. After death the girdle that holds the plates together disintegrates and the plates separate. Thus individual plates can be found washed up in beach drift, as shown i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
