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Damaraland Mole Rat
The Damaraland mole-rat (''Fukomys damarensis''), Damara mole rat or Damaraland blesmol, is a burrowing rodent found in southern Africa. Along with the smaller, less hairy, naked mole rat, it is a species of eusociality, eusocial mammal. Description Like other blesmols, the Damaraland mole-rat has a cylindrical body with short, stout limbs, large feet, and a conical head. It is also similar in size to most other African mole-rats, having a head-body length of , with a short, , tail, and weighing between . There are no pinna (anatomy), external ears, and the blue-coloured eyes are tiny with thick eyelids. The incisor teeth are large and prominent, with flaps of skin behind them to prevent soil from falling into the throat while the animal is using them to dig. The fur is short and thick, and varies from fawn to almost black, with shades of brown being most common. There is always a white patch on the top of the head, although its exact shape varies, and there may also be additional ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Ogilby
William Ogilby (1805 – 1 September 1873) was an Irish-born zoologist who was at the forefront of classification and naming of animal species in the 1830s and served as Secretary of the Zoological Society of London from 1839 to 1847. He removed to Ireland during the Great Famine (Ireland), Great Famine and later built the grand but architecturally dismal Altinaghree Castle near Donemana, County Tyrone. Mount Ogilby in Queensland was named for him in 1846. Birth, family background and education Probably born in County Londonderry in 1805, William Ogilby was an illegitimate son of Leslie Ogilby (c1764-1845) who owned a bleachfield, bleaching green at Lackagh in the parish of Dungiven. The Ogilbys had been active in the linen trade since the mid-eighteenth century, and William's uncle Robert Ogilby (c1761-1839), having amassed a fortune as a linen factor in Dublin, bought the lease of the 22,000-acre Dungiven Castle estate and was reckoned "the wealthiest commoner in the North of Ir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Storage Organ
A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy (generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have an underground storage organ are called geophytes in the Raunkiær plant life-form classification system.; reprinted (1977) in ''History of ecology'' series, New York: Arno Press, Storage organs often, but not always, act as perennating organs which enable plants to survive adverse conditions (such as cold, excessive heat, lack of light or drought). Relationship to perennating organ Storage organs may act as perennating organs ('perennating' as in perennial, meaning "through the year", used in the sense of continuing beyond the year and in due course lasting for multiple years). These are used by plants to survive adverse periods in the plant's life-cycle (e.g. caused by cold, excessive heat, lack of light or drought). During these p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Circadian Rhythm
A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural oscillation that repeats roughly every 24 hours. Circadian rhythms can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., Endogeny (biology), endogenous) and responds to the environment (is Entrainment (chronobiology), entrained by the environment). Circadian rhythms are regulated by a circadian clock whose primary function is to rhythmically co-ordinate biological processes so they occur at the correct time to maximize the fitness of an individual. Circadian rhythms have been widely observed in animals, plants, fungi and cyanobacteria and there is evidence that they evolved independently in each of these kingdoms of life. The term ''circadian'' comes from the Latin ', meaning "around", and ', meaning "day". Processes with 24-hour cycles are more generally called diurnal rhythms; diurnal rhythms should not be called circadian rhythms unless they can be confirmed as endogenous, and not environmental. Although ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basal Metabolic Rate
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate of energy expenditure per unit time by endothermic animals at rest.. In other words it is the energy required by body organs to perform normal It is reported in energy units per unit time ranging from watt (joule/second) to ml O2/min or joule per hour per kg body mass J/(h·kg). Proper measurement requires a strict set of criteria to be met. These criteria include being in a physically and psychologically undisturbed state and being in a thermally neutral environment while in the post- absorptive state (i.e., not actively digesting food). In bradymetabolic animals, such as fish and reptiles, the equivalent term standard metabolic rate (SMR) applies. It follows the same criteria as BMR, but requires the documentation of the temperature at which the metabolic rate was measured. This makes BMR a variant of standard metabolic rate measurement that excludes the temperature data, a practice that has led to problems in defining "standard" rates o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a group of structurally related, fat-soluble compounds responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, along with numerous other biological functions. In humans, the most important compounds within this group are vitamin D3 ( cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 ( ergocalciferol). Unlike the other twelve vitamins, vitamin D is only conditionally essential, as with adequate skin exposure to the ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation component of sunlight there is synthesis of cholecalciferol in the lower layers of the skin's epidermis. For most people, skin synthesis contributes more than diet sources. Vitamin D can also be obtained through diet, food fortification and dietary supplements. In the U.S., cow's milk and plant-based milk substitutes are fortified with vitamin D3, as are many breakfast cereals. Government dietary recommendations typically assume that all of a person's vitamin D is taken by mouth, given the potential for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naja
''Naja'' is a genus of venomous elapid snakes commonly known as cobras (or "true cobras"). Various species occur throughout Africa, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Several other elapid species are often called "cobras", such as the king cobra and the rinkhals, but they are not "true cobras", in that they do not belong to the genus ''Naja''. Until recently, the genus ''Naja'' had 20 to 22 species, but it has undergone several Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic revisions in recent years, so sources vary greatly. Wide support exists, though, for a 2009 revision that synonymised the genera ''Boulengerina'' and ''Paranaja multifasciata, Paranaja'' with ''Naja''. According to that revision, the genus ''Naja'' now includes 38 species. Etymology The origin of the Genus, generic name, ''Naja'', is from the Sanskrit ''nāga'' (with a hard "g") meaning "snake". Some hold that the Sanskrit word is Cognate (etymology), cognate with English "snake", Germanic: ''*snēk-a-'', Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mole Snake
The mole snake (''Pseudaspis cana'') is a species of snake. It has been placed in the family Lamprophiidae, and more recently in the family Pseudaspididae, along with the genus '' Pythonodipsas''. It is native to much of southern Africa, and is the only member of the genus ''Pseudaspis''. A study showed that ''P. cana'' is caught and consumed by the honey badger, among other species. Remains of the mole snake were found in the faeces, and suggest the consumed individuals were larger specimens. Taxonomy ''P. cana'' was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Its original binomial name was ''Coluber cana''. Since then, it has also been called ''Coronella cana'' by André Marie Constant Duméril, Gabriel Bibron and Auguste Duméril in 1854, before being reclassified as ''Pseudaspis cana'' by Edward Drinker Cope in 1864. ''P. cana'' is the only species in genus ''Pseudaspis''. The genus has been placed in the family Lamprop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Talinum
''Talinum'' is a genus of herbaceous succulent plants in the family Talinaceae (formerly in the family Portulacaceae) whose common names include fameflower. It includes 27 species native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Indian subcontinent, and Myanmar. Several species bear edible leaves, and '' Talinum fruticosum'' is widely grown in tropical regions as a leaf vegetable. '' Talinum paniculatum'' is grown as an ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th .... Species 27 species are accepted. * '' Talinum albiflorum'' * '' Talinum ankaranense'' * '' Talinum arnotii'' * '' Talinum aurantiacum'' Engelm. * '' Talinum boivinianum'' * '' Talinum bosseri'' * '' Talinum afrum'' ( Thunb.) Eckl. & ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ledebouria
''Ledebouria'' is a genus of African bulbous perennial herbs in the Asparagus family, Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. Most members were previously part of the genus ''Scilla''. A number of species are grown by cacti and succulent enthusiasts for their patterned leaves. Most of the species are native to Madagascar and Africa (except North Africa), but a few are from India, Sri Lanka or the Arabian Peninsula. The genus name of ''Ledebouria'' is in honour of Carl Friedrich von Ledebour (1786–1851), a German- Estonian botanist. It was first described and published in Nov. Pl. Sp. on page 194 in 1821. Species #'' Ledebouria apertiflora'' (Baker) Jessop #'' Ledebouria asperifolia'' (van der Merwe) S.Venter # '' Ledebouria atrobrunnea'' S.Venter # '' Ledebouria caesiomontana'' Hankey & Hahn # '' Ledebouria camerooniana'' (Baker) Speta # '' Ledebouria concolor'' (Baker) Jessop #'' Ledebouria confusa'' S.Venter # ''Ledebouria cooperi ''Ledebouria cooperi'' is a species o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ornithogalum
''Ornithogalum'' is a genus of perennial plants mostly native to southern Europe and southern Africa belonging to the family Asparagaceae. Some species are native to other areas such as the Caucasus. Some species are classified as noxious invasive weeds in some portions of North America. Growing from a bulb, species have linear basal leaves and a slender stalk, up to 30 cm tall, bearing clusters of typically white star-shaped flowers, often striped with green. The common name of the genus, star-of-Bethlehem, is based on its star-shaped flowers, after the Star of Bethlehem that appears in the Bible, biblical account of the birth of Jesus. The number of species has varied considerably, depending on authority, from 50 to 300. Description ''Ornithogalum'' species are perennial bulbous geophytes with basal leaves. ''Sensu lato'', the genus has the characteristics of the tribe Ornithogaleae as a whole, since the tribe is monotypic in that sense. ''Sensu stricto'', the genus is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acanthosicyos
''Acanthosicyos'' is a genus of thorny shrubs of the botanical family Cucurbitaceae, subfamily Cucurbitoideae. The genus name derives from the Greek words "''akantha''" for thorn and "''sykios''" for cucumber or gourd. Species Endemic to the Namib Desert in Africa, this genus is represented by two known species including ''Acanthosicyos horridus'', the nara melon, an important food plant in its native range. Both species are dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is .... Both the Nara and the Gemsbok Cucumber are edible; however, eating unripe fruit is highly inadvisable due to the presence of chemicals which "burn" the throat and esophagus. The bushmen of the Kalahari eat the Gemsbok Cucumber after it has been roasted in a fire for a couple of hours. This coo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bulb
In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs during dormancy. In gardening, plants with other kinds of storage organ are also called ornamental bulbous plants or just ''bulbs''. Description The bulb's leaf bases, also known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is a vegetative growing point or an unexpanded flowering shoot. The base is formed by a reduced stem, and plant growth occurs from this basal plate. Roots emerge from the underside of the base, and new stems and leaves from the upper side. Tunicate bulbs have dry, membranous outer scales that protect the continuous lamina of fleshy scales. Species in the genera ''Allium'', '' Hippeastrum'', '' Narcissus'', and ''Tulipa' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
