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Indian Hedgehog
The Indian hedgehog (''Paraechinus micropus'') is a species of hedgehog native to India and Pakistan. It mainly lives in sandy desert areas but can be found in other environments. Description The Indian hedgehog can be compared to the long-eared hedgehog (''Hemiechinus auritus'') which has a similar lifestyle and appearance. It is known for its masked face, dark with a white top, somewhat similar to a raccoon. It is relatively small with the adult male weighing about 435 grams and the adult female about 312. They are quite fast, although not as fast as the long-eared hedgehog. Its color is predominantly brown with a few lighter shades of brown. The tail is only about 2-4 centimeters long. It has a stocky body with a short head, a long snout, small, dark eyes, and relatively large ears. Its legs are a gray-brown color with 5 digits on each and small but strong claws. Hedgehogs are protected species under Schedule IV of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Wildlife Protection Act (1972). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward Blyth
Edward Blyth (23 December 1810 – 27 December 1873) was an English zoologist who worked for most of his life in India as a curator of zoology at the Asiatic Society, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta. He set about updating the museum's catalogues, publishing a ''Catalogue of the Birds of the Asiatic Society'' in 1849. He was prevented from doing much fieldwork himself, but received and described bird specimens from Allan Octavian Hume, A.O. Hume, Samuel Tickell, Robert Swinhoe among others. His ''Natural History of the Cranes'' was published posthumously in 1881. Early life and work On 23 December 1810, Blyth was born in London. His father, a cloth merchant, clothier, died in 1820 and his mother sent him to Dr. Fennell's school in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon. He took an interest in reading, but was often to be found spending time in the woods nearby. Leaving school in 1825, he went to study chemistry, at the suggestion of Dr. Fennell, in London under Dr. Keating at S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic reduction entered by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is most commonly used to pass through winter months – called overwintering. Although traditionally reserved for "deep" hibernators such as rodents, the term has been redefined to include animals such as bears and is now applied based on active metabolic suppression rather than any absolute decline in body temperature. Many experts believe that the processes of daily torpor and hibernation form a continuum and use similar mechanisms. The equivalent during the summer months is aestivation. Hibernation functions to conserve energy when sufficient food is not available. To achieve this energy saving, an endothermic animal decreases its metabolic rate and thereby its body temperature. Hibernation may last days, weeks, or months—depending on t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mammals Of India
This list of mammals of India comprises all the mammal species alive in India today. Some of them are common to the point of being considered vermin while others are exceedingly rare. Many species are known from just a few zoological specimens in museums collected in the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of the carnivores and larger mammals are restricted in their distribution to forests in protected areas, while others live within cities in the close proximity of humans. They range in size from the Eurasian pygmy shrew (''Sorex minutus'') to the Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''). They include nocturnal small mammals endemic to India such as the Malabar large-spotted civet (''Viverra civettina''). While the status of many of these species is unknown, some are definitely extinct. Populations of many carnivores are threatened. The tiger (''Panthera tigris''), dhole (''Cuon alpinus''), and Malabar large-spotted civet (''Viverra civettina'') are some of the most endangered carnivore spe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mammals Of Pakistan
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones. These characteristics distinguish them from reptiles and birds, from which their ancestors diverged in the Carboniferous Period over 300 million years ago. Around 6,640 extant species of mammals have been described and divided into 27 orders. The study of mammals is called mammalogy. The largest orders of mammals, by number of species, are the rodents, bats, and eulipotyphlans (including hedgehogs, moles and shrews). The next three are the primates (including humans, monkeys and lemurs), the even-toed ungulates (including pigs, camels, and whales), and the Carnivora (including cats, dogs, and seals). Mammals are the only living members of Synapsida; this clade, together with Sauropsida (reptiles and birds), constitutes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fauna Of Gujarat
Gujarat, a state located in Western India, includes fauna from ecosystems such as the coast of the Arabian Sea, the semi-arid forests on the Kathiawar Peninsula, and the arid salt flats of the Rann of Kutch. It is estimated that Gujarat is home to more than 500 species of mammals, 2,000 species of birds, and a wide range of insects, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. The Asiatic lion, an endangered species of cat, is found in Gir National Park. Gujarat's coastal areas, including the Gulf of Khambhat and the Gulf of Kutch, host a nationally important range of species of fish, crustaceans, and migratory birds. Gujarat's fauna is conserved by protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries, and national parks. History In the early 1980s, paleontologists found dinosaur egg fossil sites containing hatcheries and remains of at least 13 dinosaur species in Balasinor. A prominent find was that of a carnivorous abelisaurid named '' Rajasaurus narmadensis,'' which lived in the Late Cretaceo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paraechinus
''Paraechinus'' is a genus of hedgehogs. Members are small and nocturnal. The genus contains four species from North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia: * Desert hedgehog (''Paraechinus aethiopicus'') * Brandt's hedgehog (''Paraechinus hypomelas'') * Indian hedgehog The Indian hedgehog (''Paraechinus micropus'') is a species of hedgehog native to India and Pakistan. It mainly lives in sandy desert areas but can be found in other environments. Description The Indian hedgehog can be compared to the long-eare ... (''Paraechinus micropus'') * Bare-bellied hedgehog (''Paraechinus nudiventris'') Locomotory activity patterns The locomotory activity of the Desert hedgehog (''Paraechinus aethiopicus'') occurred during the dark phases of both long and short day cycles. Therefore this species is considered nocturnal. The ''Paraechinus hypomelas hypomelas'' is distributed throughout mainland Iran to the western side of the Indus River in Pakistan, suggesting the presence of a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herpestes Edwardsi
The Indian grey mongoose or Asian grey mongoose (''Urva edwardsii'') is a mongoose species native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The grey mongoose inhabits open forests, scrublands and cultivated fields, often close to human habitation. It lives in burrows, hedgerows and thickets, among groves of trees, and takes shelter under rocks or bushes and even in drains. It is bold and inquisitive but wary, seldom venturing far from cover. It is an excellent climber and usually lives singly or in pairs. Its prey includes rodents, snakes, birds’ eggs and hatchlings, lizards and a variety of invertebrates. Along the Chambal River it occasionally feeds on gharial eggs. It breeds throughout the year. Taxonomy ''Ichneumon edwardsii'' was the scientific name proposed by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1817. It was later classified in the genus ''Herpestes'', but all Asian mongooses are now classified in the genus ''Urva (gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saliva
Saliva (commonly referred as spit or drool) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can be extracted), enzymes (such as lingual lipase and amylase), and antimicrobial agents (such as secretory IgA, and lysozymes). The enzymes found in saliva are essential in beginning the process of digestion of dietary starches and fats. These enzymes also play a role in breaking down food particles entrapped within dental crevices, thus protecting teeth from bacterial decay. Saliva also performs a lubricating function, wetting food and permitting the initiation of swallowing, and protecting the oral mucosa from drying out. Saliva has specialized purposes for a variety of animal species beyond predigestion. Certain swifts construct nests with their sticky saliva. The foundation of bird's nest soup is an aerodramus nest. Venom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Animal Diversity Web
The Animal Diversity Web (ADW) is a non-profit group that hosts an online database site that collects natural history, classification, species characteristics, conservation biology, and distribution information on species of animals. The website includes photographs, sound clips, and a virtual museum. The local, relational database is written and maintained by staff and student contributors from the University of Michigan. It can be accessed through the web and mobile apps. It offers resources for schoolteachers ("K–12 instructors"),The Animal Diversity Web Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2017. and functions as a virtual museum containing mostly mammals and a collection of skulls that can be virtually handled. Background The ADW was created in 1995 by Philip Myers, a forme ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. There are no hedgehogs native to Australia and no living species native to the Americas. However, the extinct genus '' Amphechinus'' was once present in North America. Hedgehogs share distant ancestry with shrews (family Soricidae), with gymnures possibly being the intermediate link, and they have changed little over the last 15 million years. Like many of the first mammals, they have adapted to a nocturnal way of life. Their spiny protection resembles that of porcupines, which are rodents, and echidnas, a type of monotreme. Etymology The name ''hedgehog'' came into use around the year 1450, derived from the Middle English , from , , because it frequents hedgerows, and , , from its piglike snout. Other names that are used are ''urchin' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beetle
Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described arthropods and 25% of all known animal species; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. However, the number of beetle species is challenged by the number of species in Fly, dipterans (flies) and hymenopterans (wasps). Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae (ladybirds or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erinaceidae
Erinaceidae is a family in the order Eulipotyphla, consisting of the hedgehogs and moonrats. Until recently, it was assigned to the order Erinaceomorpha, which has been subsumed with the paraphyletic Soricomorpha into Eulipotyphla. Eulipotyphla has been shown to be monophyletic; Soricomorpha is paraphyletic because both Soricidae and Talpidae share a more recent common ancestor with Erinaceidae than with solenodons. Erinaceidae contains the well-known hedgehogs (subfamily Erinaceinae) of Eurasia and Africa and the gymnures or moonrats (subfamily Galericinae) of Southeast Asia. This family was once considered part of the order Insectivora, but that polyphyletic order is now considered defunct. Characteristics Erinaceids are generally shrew-like in form, with long snouts and short tails. They are, however, much larger than shrews, ranging from in body length and in weight, in the case of the short-tailed gymnure, up to and in the moonrat. All but one species have five ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
