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Rolling Animals
Several organisms are capable of rolling locomotion. However, true wheels and propellers—despite their utility in human vehicles—do not play a significant role in the movement of living things (with the exception of the corkscrew-like flagella of many prokaryotes). Biologists have offered several explanations for the apparent absence of biological wheels, and wheeled creatures have appeared often in speculative fiction. Given the ubiquity of wheels in human technology, and the existence of biological analogues of many other technologies (such as wings and lenses), the lack of wheels in nature has seemed, to many scientists, to demand explanation—and the phenomenon is broadly explained by two factors: first, there are several developmental and evolutionary obstacles to the advent of a wheel by natural selection, and secondly, wheels have several drawbacks relative to other means of propulsion (such as walking, running, or slithering) in natural environments, which would t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toy Buffalo Louvre Cp4699
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pets. Toys can provide utilitarian benefits, including physical exercise, cultural awareness, or academic education. Additionally, utilitarian objects, especially those which are no longer needed for their original purpose, can be used as toys. Examples include children building a fort with empty cereal boxes and tissue paper spools, or a toddler playing with a broken TV remote. The term "toy" can also be used to refer to utilitarian objects purchased for enjoyment rather than need, or for expensive necessities for which a large fraction of the cost represents its ability to provide enjoyment to the owner, such as luxury cars, high-end motorcycles, gaming computers, and flagship smartphones. Playing with toys can be an enjoyable way of trai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Lyell Salamander
The Mount Lyell salamander (''Hydromantes platycephalus'') is a species of web-toed salamander in the family Plethodontidae. This species was first observed on Mount Lyell in Yosemite National Park in 1915, during the Yosemite Natural History Survey conducted by the California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California in the United States. It is found in a range of high elevation microhabitats, such as rock exposures, talus and rock fissures, and under rocks or in caves or crevices. Its altitudinal range is above sea level. No significant threats to this species are known. Description The Mount Lyell salamander has a flat, slender body with short legs and a stubby tail that are a deep brown-black in color with dorsal grey-green mottling. In juveniles, the mottling is usually more gold-green in color, but there is wide variation among individuals. Populations tend to have mottling that matches the color of the granite in the region. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armadillidiidae
Armadillidiidae is a family (biology), family of woodlice, a terrestrial animal, terrestrial crustacean group in the order Isopoda. Unlike members of some other woodlice families, members of this family can roll into a ball, an ability they share with the outwardly similar but unrelated pill millipedes and other animals. This ability gives woodlice in this family their common names of pill bugs or roly polies. Other common names include slaters, potato bugs, curly bugs, butchy boys, and doodle bugs. Most species are native to the Mediterranean Basin, while a few species have wider European distributions. The best-known species, ''Armadillidium vulgare'', was introduced to New England in the early 19th century and has become widespread throughout North America. Common names Ecology and behavior Pill bugs in the family Armadillidiidae are able to form their bodies into a ball shape, in a process known as ''Volvation, conglobation''. Conglobation has evolved independently in se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mantis Shrimp
Mantis shrimp are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda (). Stomatopods branched off from other members of the class Malacostraca around 400 million years ago, with more than 520 extant species of mantis shrimp known. All living species are in the suborder Unipeltata, which arose around 250 million years ago. They are among the most important predators in many shallow, tropical and subtropical marine habitats. Despite being common in their habitats, they are poorly understood, as many species spend most of their lives sheltering in burrows and holes. Dubbed "sea locusts" by ancient Assyrians, "prawn killers" in Australia, and now sometimes referred to as "thumb splitters" due to their ability to inflict painful wounds if handled incautiously, mantis shrimp possess powerful raptorial appendages that are used to attack and kill prey either by spearing, stunning, or dismembering; the shape of these appendages are often used to classify them into groups: extant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myriapoda
Myriapods () are the members of subphylum Myriapoda, containing arthropods such as millipedes and centipedes. The group contains about 13,000 species, all of them terrestrial. Although molecular evidence and similar fossils suggests a diversification in the Cambrian Period, the oldest known fossil record of myriapods dates between the Late Silurian and Early Devonian, with '' Pneumodesmus'' preserving the earliest known evidence of air-breathing on land. Other early myriapod fossil species around the similar time period include '' Kampecaris obanensis'' and '' Archidesmus'' sp. The phylogenetic classification of myriapods is still debated. The scientific study of myriapods is myriapodology, and those who study myriapods are myriapodologists. Anatomy Myriapods have a single pair of antennae and, in most cases, simple eyes. Exceptions are the two classes of symphylans and pauropods, the millipede order Polydesmida and the centipede order Geophilomorpha, which are all ey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cicindela Dorsalis
''Habroscelimorpha dorsalis'', commonly known as the eastern beach tiger beetle, is a species of flashy tiger beetle (Cicindelini tribe) in the family Cicindelidae. It is found in Central America and North America. Description The body length is . The head and thorax are bronze-green, the legs are long and slender, and the elytra are white to light tan with narrow bronze markings. The head has long antennae, large compound eyes, and powerful jaws. There are white hairs on the pronotum and the sides of the abdomen. The pale coloration provides camouflage for the beetle on the light sand. The larvae are grub-like, with long, segmented bodies and large jaws similar to those of adults. ''Habroscelimorpha dorsalis dorsalis'', commonly known as the Northeastern beach tiger beetle, is the largest subspecies of ''Habroscelimorpha dorsalis''. In 2012, the subgenus ''Habroscelimorpa'' was reclassified to the genus level Fitting to its name, the Northeastern beach tiger beetle is found al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anti-predator Adaptation
Anti-predator adaptations are mechanisms developed through evolution that assist Predation, prey organisms in their constant struggle against predators. Throughout the animal kingdom, adaptations have evolved for every stage of this struggle, namely by avoiding detection, warding off attack, fighting back, or escaping when caught. The first line of defence consists in avoiding detection, through mechanisms such as camouflage, Masquerade (biology), masquerade, apostatic selection, living underground, or nocturnality. Alternatively, prey animals may ward off attack, whether by advertising the presence of strong defences in aposematism, by mimicry, mimicking animals which do possess such defences, by deimatic behaviour, startling the attacker, by signalling theory, signalling to the predator that pursuit is not worthwhile, by distraction display, distraction, by using defensive structures such as spines, and by social animal, living in a group. Members of groups are at selfish herd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patania Ruralis
''Patania ruralis'', the mother of pearl moth, is a species of moth in the family Crambidae. It was Species description, described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763. It is found in Europe. The wingspan is . The forewings are pale whitish-ochreous, yellowish-tinged; a grey subcostal suffusion and connected orbicular dot; lines rather dark grey, first straight, second serrate, curved, strongly broken inwards beneath middle; a dark grey discal mark, nearly followed by a grey blotch; a grey terminal band, edge parallel to second line. Hindwings with colour, discal mark, and posterior markings as in forewings. The larva is whitish green, sides greener; dorsal line darker; head green. The moth flies from June to September depending on the location. The larvae feed on stinging nettle and are notable for their Rotating locomotion in living systems, rolling locomotion. Scientists used the rolling behavior of the caterpillar as a model to create next-generation robots that roll. Ref ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
