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Port Kennedy Bone Cave
The Port Kennedy Bone Cave is a limestone cave in the Port Kennedy section of Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania, USA. The Bone Cave "contained one of the most important middle Pleistocene (Irvingtonian, approximately 750,000 years ago) fossil deposits in North America". History The fossils in the cave were investigated by noted 19th-century paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope, Henry C. Mercer, and Charles M. Wheatley. The cave was originally discovered by limestone miners in the 19th century. It was later filled in with asbestos-bearing industrial refuse and the cave's location was lost. The village of Port Kennedy was largely demolished in the 1960s during construction of the U.S. Route 422 Expressway. The tract containing the cave became part of the Valley Forge National Historical Park in 1978. In 2005, the National Park Service and geologists rediscovered the cave. It has been rumored that the quarry near where the cave is located holds a crashed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valley Forge National Historic Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War from December 19, 1777 to June 19, 1778. The National Park Service preserves the site and interprets the history of the Valley Forge encampment. The park contains historical buildings, recreated encampment structures, memorials, museums, and recreation facilities. The park occupies and is visited by nearly 2 million people each year. There are restored historic structures, reconstructed structures such as the iconic log huts, and monuments erected by the states from which the Continental soldiers came. There is a museum with exhibits of original artifacts. The park also provides over of hiking and biking trails, which are connected to the regional trails system. Historical encampment Approximately 12,000 Continental Army troops under George Washington's command were encamped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Valley Forge from Dec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smilodon
''Smilodon'' is an extinct genus of Felidae, felids. It is one of the best known saber-toothed predators and prehistoric mammals. Although commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger, it was not closely related to the tiger or other modern cats, belonging to the extinct subfamily Machairodontinae, with an estimated date of Speciation, divergence from the ancestor of living cats around 20 million years ago. ''Smilodon'' was one of the last surviving machairodonts alongside ''Homotherium''. ''Smilodon'' lived in the Americas during the Pleistocene to early Holocene epoch (2.5 Year#mya, mya – at latest 8,200 years ago). The genus was named in 1842 based on fossils from Brazil; the generic name means or combined with . Three species are recognized today: ''S. gracilis'', ''S. fatalis'', and ''S. populator''. The two latter species were probably descended from ''S. gracilis'', which itself probably evolved from ''Megantereon''. The hundreds of specimens obtained from the La Brea T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geochelone
''Geochelone'', from Ancient Greek γῆ (''gê''), meaning "earth", and χελώνη (''khelṓnē''), meaning "turtle", is a genus of tortoises. ''Geochelone'' tortoises, which are also known as typical tortoises or terrestrial turtles, can be found in southern Asia. They primarily eat plants. Species The genus consists of two extant species: A number of tortoise species have been recently removed from the genus. This taxon as formerly defined was "polyphyletic, representing at least five independent clades". Tortoises removed include members of '' Aldabrachelys'' (from the Seychelles and Madagascar), '' Astrochelys'' (Madagascar), '' Chelonoidis'' (South America and the Galápagos Islands), ''Stigmochelys'' and '' Centrochelys'' (Africa), and the extinct '' Megalochelys'' (southern Asia). These species are also unique for their ability to remember patterns and spatial pathways. Similar to mammals, these tortoises can remember directions and pathways by remembering the correc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked turtles), which differ in the way the head retracts. There are 360 living and recently extinct species of turtles, including land-dwelling tortoises and freshwater terrapins. They are found on most continents, some islands and, in the case of sea turtles, much of the ocean. Like other Amniote, amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals) they breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water. Turtle shells are made mostly of bone; the upper part is the domed Turtle shell#Carapace, carapace, while the underside is the flatter plastron or belly-plate. Its outer surface is covered in scale (anatomy), scales made of keratin, the material of hair, horns, and claws. The carapace bones deve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Racer
The eastern racer, or North American racer (''Coluber constrictor''), is a species of nonvenomous snake in the Family (biology), family Colubridae. The species is Endemism, endemic to North America and Central America. Eleven subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, are recognized, which as a group are commonly referred to as the eastern racers. The species is Monotypic taxon, monotypic in the genus ''Coluber''. Geographic range ''C. constrictor'' is found throughout much of the United States, on both sides of the Rocky Mountains, but it also ranges north into Canada and south into Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Description Adult eastern racers can typically vary from in total length (including tail) depending on the subspecies, but a record-sized specimen measured in total length.Roger Conant (herpetologist), Conant, Roger (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turkey (bird)
The turkey is a large bird in the genus ''Meleagris'', native to North America. There are two extant turkey species: the wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') of eastern and central North America and the ocellated turkey (''Meleagris ocellata'') of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Males of both turkey species have a distinctive fleshy wattle, called a snood, that hangs from the top of the beak. They are among the largest birds in their ranges. As with many large ground-feeding birds (order Galliformes), the male is bigger and much more colorful than the female. The earliest turkeys evolved in North America over 20 million years ago. They share a recent common ancestor with grouse, pheasants, and other fowl. The wild turkey species is the ancestor of the domestic turkey, which was domesticated approximately 2,000 years ago by indigenous peoples. It was this domesticated turkey that later reached Eurasia, during the Columbian exchange. Taxonomy The genus ''Meleagris' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rancholabrean
The Rancholabrean North American Land Mammal Age on the geologic timescale is a North American faunal stage in the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA),Sanders, A.E., R.E. Weems, and L.B. Albright III (2009) Formalization of the mid-Pleistocene "Ten Mile Hill beds" in South Carolina with evidence for placement of the Irvingtonian–Rancholabrean boundary, ''Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin'' 64:369-375 named after the famed Rancho La Brea fossil site (more commonly known as the La Brea tar pits) in Los Angeles, California.Savage, D.E. (1951) Late Cenozoic vertebrates of the San Francisco Bay region, ''University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of Geological Sciences'' 28:215-314 The Rancholabrean is characterized by the presence of the genus ''Bison,'' which appeared in northwestern North America during the Illinoian (globally known as the Penultimate Glacial Period or Marine Isotope Stage 6) around 190-130,000 years ago, before becoming es ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North American Land Mammal Age
The North American land mammal ages (NALMA) establishes a geologic timescale for North American fauna beginning during the Late Cretaceous and continuing through to the present. These periods are referred to as ages or intervals (or stages when referring to the rock strata of that age) and were established using geographic place names where fossil materials were obtained. System The North American land-mammal-age system was formalized in 1941 as a series of provincial land-mammal ages. The system was the standard for correlations in the terrestrial Cenozoic record of North America and was the source for similar time scales dealing with other continents. The system was revised into a formal chronostratigraphic system. This approach is nominally justified by international stratigraphic codes; it holds that first appearances of individual species in particular sections are the only valid basis for naming and defining the land-mammal ages. The basic unit of measure is the first/last ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gray Fox
The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener (biology), congener, the diminutive island fox (''Urocyon littoralis'') of the California Channel Islands of California, Channel Islands, are the only living members of the genus ''Urocyon'', which is considered to be genetically Sister group, sister to all other living canids. Its Specific name (zoology), species name ''cinereoargenteus'' means ":wikt:cinereus, ashen silver". It was once the most common fox in the eastern United States, and though still found there, human advancement and deforestation allowed the red fox to become the predominant Canidae, fox-like canid. Despite this post-colonial competition, the gray fox has been able to thrive in urban and suburban environments, one of the best examples being South Florida, southern Florida. The Pacific States and Great Lakes regio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North American River Otter
The North American river otter (''Lontra canadensis''), also known as the northern river otter and river otter, is a semiaquatic mammal that endemism, lives only on the North American continent throughout most of Canada, along the coasts of the United States and its inland waterways. An adult North American river otter can weigh between . The river otter is protected and insulated by a thick, water-repellent coat of fur. The North American river otter, a member of the subfamily Lutrinae in the weasel family (Mustelidae), is equally versatile in the water and on land. It establishes a burrow close to the water's edge in river, lake, swamp, coastal shoreline, tidal flat, or estuary ecosystems. The den typically has many tunnel openings, one of which generally allows the otter to enter and exit the body of water. Female North American river otters give birth in these burrows, producing litters of one to six young. North American river otters, like most predators, prey upon the most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Black Bear
The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is Endemism, endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with a diet varying greatly depending on season and location. It typically lives in largely forested areas; it will leave forests in search of food and is sometimes attracted to human communities due to the immediate availability of food. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the American black bear as a least-concern species because of its widespread distribution and a large population, estimated to be twice that of all other bear species combined. Along with the brown bear (''Ursus arctos''), it is one of the two modern bear species not considered by the IUCN to be globally threatened with extinction. Taxonomy and evolution The American black bear is not closely related to the brown bear or polar bear, though all ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Megalonyx
''Megalonyx'' (Greek, "great-claw") is an extinct genus of ground sloths of the family Megalonychidae, native to North America. It evolved during the Pliocene Epoch and became extinct at the end of the Late Pleistocene, living from ~5 million to ~13,000 years ago. The type species, ''M. jeffersonii'' (also called Jefferson's ground sloth), the youngest and largest known species, measured about in length and weighed up to . ''Megalonyx'' is suggested to have descended from '' Pliometanastes,'' a genus of ground sloth that had arrived in North America during the Late Miocene around 9 million years ago, prior to the main phase of the Great American Interchange. ''Megalonyx'' had the widest distribution of any North American ground sloth, having a range encompassing most of the contiguous United States, extending as far north as Alaska during warm interglacial periods. ''Megalonyx'' is notable for having been originally described by future U.S. President Thomas Jefferson in 1799 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
