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Madagascar Owl
The Madagascar owl (''Asio madagascariensis''), also known as the Madagascan owl or Madagascar long-eared owl, is a medium-sized owl endemic to the island of Madagascar. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the long-eared owl (''Asio otus''). Description The Madagascar owl is similar in appearance to the Holarctic long-eared owl in that it sits tall and at rest shows prominent ear tufts. The plumage is mainly brown with darker streaks and bars. It has distinctive bright orange eyes. The adults are brown above, and mottled with buff, especially across the mantle. The face is plain dark buff, with darker brown feathers around the eyes, on the edge of the facial disc, and on the ear tufts. The underparts are light brown with darker brown streaks which fade away towards the vent. The juvenile is covered in white down contrasting with a black facial disk and dark brown wings. It ranges from in length, making it the largest of the country's owls; females are larger than m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew Smith (zoologist)
Sir Andrew Smith (3 December 1797 – 11 August 1872) was a British surgeon, explorer, ethnologist and zoologist. He is considered the father of zoology in South Africa having described many species across a wide range of groups in his major work, ''Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa''. Smith was born in Hawick, Roxburghshire. He qualified in medicine at the University of Edinburgh obtaining an M.D. degree in 1819, having joined the Army Medical Services in 1816. South Africa 1820–1837 In 1820 he was ordered to the Cape Colony and was sent to Grahamstown to supervise the medical care of European soldiers and soldiers of the Cape Corps. He was appointed the Albany district surgeon in 1822 and started the first free dispensary for indigent patients in South Africa. He led a scientific expedition into the interior and was able to indulge in his interests of natural history and anthropology. On several occasions, he was sent by governors on confidential missions to vi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malagasy Bulbul
The Malagasy bulbul (''Hypsipetes madagascariensis'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found on Madagascar and other regional islands in the south-western Indian Ocean. Taxonomy and systematics The Malagasy bulbul was originally described in the genus Turdus. Alternative names for the Malagasy bulbul include the black bulbul, Madagascar black bulbul, and Madagascar bulbul. The alternate name 'black bulbul' should not be confused with the species of the same name, '' Hypsipetes leucocephalus'', with which it was formerly considered as conspecific. Subspecies Three subspecies are currently recognized: * ''H. m. madagascariensis'' - ( Statius Müller, 1776): Found on Madagascar and the Comoro Islands * ''H. m. grotei'' - ( Friedmann, 1929): Found on the Glorioso Islands * ''H. m. rostratus'' - ( Ridgway, 1893): Found on Aldabra atoll Gallery Image:Madagasy bulbul hypsipetes madagascariensis.jpg, ''Hypsipetes madagascariensis'' in the Anjajavy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Owls Of Madagascar
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl. Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except the polar ice caps and some remote islands. Owls are divided into two families: the true (or typical) owl family, Strigidae, and the barn-owl family, Tytonidae. A group of owls is called a "parliament". Anatomy Owls possess large, forward-facing eyes and ear-holes, a hawk-like beak, a flat face, and usually a conspicuous circle of feathers, a facial disc, around each eye. The feathers making up this disc can be adjusted to sharply focus sounds from varying distanc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic Birds Of Madagascar
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example ''Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. ''Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies to s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asio
''Asio'' is a genus of typical owls, or true owls, in the family Strigidae. This group has representatives over most of the planet, and the short-eared owl is one of the most widespread of all bird species, breeding in Europe, Asia, North and South America, the Caribbean, Hawaii and the Galápagos Islands. Its geographic range extends to all continents except Antarctica and Australia. These are medium-sized owls, in length with wingspans. They are long-winged and have the characteristic facial disc. The two northern species are partially migratory, moving south in winter from the northern parts of their range, or wandering nomadically in poor vole years in search of better food supplies. Tropical ''Asio'' owls are largely sedentary. These owls hunt over open fields or grasslands, taking mainly rodents, other small mammals and some birds. ''Asio'' owls are mainly nocturnal, but short-eared owls are also crepuscular. Most species nest on the ground, but the long-eared ow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Microcebus
The mouse lemurs are nocturnal lemurs of the genus ''Microcebus''. Like all lemurs, mouse lemurs are native to Madagascar. Mouse lemurs have a combined head, body and tail length of less than , making them the smallest primates (the smallest species being Madame Berthe's mouse lemur); however, their weight fluctuates in response to daylight duration. Lemurs and mouse lemurs were announced by the IUCN as the most endangered of all vertebrates. There were two known mouse lemur species in 1992; by 2016, there were 24. It was estimated that the 24 mouse lemur species evolved from a common ancestor 10 million years ago. Evolution of mouse lemurs is an example for adaptive radiation. Mouse lemurs are omnivorous; their diets are diverse and include insect secretions, arthropods, small vertebrates, gum, fruit, flowers, nectar, and also leaves and buds depending on the season. Mouse lemurs are considered cryptic species—with very little morphological differences between the various spe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hipposideros Commersoni
Commerson's roundleaf bat (''Macronycteris commersoni''), also known as Commerson's leaf-nosed bat, is a species of bat endemic to Madagascar. It is named after French naturalist Philibert Commerson (1727-1773). Bat populations of Africa or São Tomé and Príncipe formerly considered part of this species are now classified separately as '' M. gigas'', '' M. thomensis'' or '' M. vattatus'', while one from Madagascar was split off to become '' M. cryptovalorona''. It was formerly placed in the genus ''Hipposideros'', but moved to the resurrected ''Macronycteris'' in 2017 on the basis of molecular evidence. Distribution and habitat The species is found in forests of several types on Madagascar, including dry deciduous forest, littoral forest and gallery forest, at elevations from sea level to at least 1350 m. It roosts in caves, on mature trees and in buildings. While its habitat is largely intact forest, it sometimes feeds near or in villages. Biology Commerson's roundleaf bat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Rat
The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is now found worldwide. The black rat is black to light brown in colour with a lighter underside. It is a generalist omnivore and a serious pest to farmers because it feeds on a wide range of agricultural crops. It is sometimes kept as a pet. In parts of India, it is considered sacred and respected in the Karni Mata Temple in Deshnoke. Taxonomy ''Mus rattus'' was the scientific name proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 for the black rat. Three subspecies were once recognized, but today are considered invalid and are now known to be actually color morphs: *''Rattus rattus rattus'' – roof rat *''Rattus rattus alexandrinus'' – Alexandrine rat *''Rattus rattus frugivorus'' – fruit rat Characteristics A typical adult black rat is long ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eliurus
''Eliurus'' is a genus of rodent in the family Nesomyidae. It contains the following species: * Tsingy tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus antsingy'') * Ankarana Special Reserve tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus carletoni'') * Ellerman's tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus ellermani'') * Daniel's tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus danieli'') * Grandidier's tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus grandidieri'') * Major's tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus majori'') * Lesser tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus minor'') * Dormouse tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus myoxinus'') * White-tipped tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus penicillatus'') * Petter's tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus petteri'') * Tanala tufted-tailed rat The Tanala tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus tanala'') is a species of rodent in the family Nesomyidae. It is found only in Madagascar. References ;Notes ;Sources *Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ... (''Eliurus tanala'') * Webb's tufted-tailed rat (''Eliurus webbi'') Referen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rodents
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are native to all major land masses except for New Zealand, Antarctica, and several oceanic islands, though they have subsequently been introduced to most of these land masses by human activity. Rodents are extremely diverse in their ecology and lifestyles and can be found in almost every terrestrial habitat, including human-made environments. Species can be arboreal, fossorial (burrowing), saltatorial/richochetal (leaping on their hind legs), or semiaquatic. However, all rodents share several morphological features, including having only a single upper and lower pair of ever-growing incisors. Well-known rodents include mice, rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, porcupines, beavers, guinea pigs, and hamsters. Rabbits, hares, and pikas, whose inciso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broad-billed Roller
The broad-billed roller (''Eurystomus glaucurus'') is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across tropical Africa and Madagascar in all but the driest regions. It is a wet season breeder, which migrates from the northern and southern areas of its range towards the moister equatorial belt in the dry season. Taxonomy The broad-billed roller was formally described in 1776 by the German zoologist Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller under the binomial name ''Coracias glaucurus''. The specific epithet is from Ancient Greek ''glaukos'' meaning "blue-grey". Statius Müller based his brief description on "Le Rollier de Madagascar" that had been described in 1775 by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon and illustrated by Edme-Louis Daubenton. The type locality is Madagascar. The broad-billed roller is now placed in the genus '' Eurystomus'' that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot. A molecular phylogenetic study p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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