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Potto (Sesame Tree)
The pottos are three species of strepsirrhine primate in the genus ''Perodicticus'' of the family Lorisidae. In some English-speaking parts of Africa, they are called "softly-softlys". Etymology The common name "potto" may be from Wolof (a tailless monkey). The generic name ''Perodicticus'' is composed of Greek (, ‘maimed’) and (, "able to show/indicate", cf. , , ‘index finger’). It refers to the stubby index finger that seems mutilated. Taxonomy There are three species recognized by the IUCN Red List and American Society of Mammalogists: Formerly, all species were classified under one species, ''P. potto''. However, variation among pottos is significant, prompting speculation that there may be more than one species. A 2015 study confirmed there to be three distinct potto species with deep genetic divergence dating to the Miocene for all three species. A few closely related species also have "potto" in their names: the two golden potto species (also known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perodicticus Potto
The West African potto (''Perodicticus potto'') is a species of nocturnal strepsirrhine primate. It is found in tropical West Africa. It is also known as Bosman's potto, after Willem Bosman, who described the species in 1704. It is the type species of the genus '' Perodicticus''. Taxonomy This species was formerly considered the only species in the genus ''Perodicticus'', but a 2015 study split it into three species, with only the name ''Perodicticus potto'' only applying to the West African population. Phylogenetic evidence supports the West African potto being the most basal member of the genus ''Perodicticus'', with the other two species being sister species to one another. It is thought to have diverged from the other species during the mid-late Miocene, between 6-10 million years ago. The mysterious "false potto" (''Pseudopotto martini'') is now thought to have been a misidentified specimen of West African potto. Distribution This species ranges from Guinea west to N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
East African Potto
The East African potto (''Perodicticus ibeanus'') is a species of nocturnal strepsirrhine primate. It is found in Central and East Africa. Taxonomy It was formerly considered a subspecies of the West African potto (''Perodicticus potto''), but a 2015 study split it into three species, and classified ''P. ibeanus'' as a distinct species. It is thought to be the sister species to the Central African potto (''Perodicticus ibeanus''), from which it diverged during the late Miocene, about 5.5 million years ago. There are two subspecies: the type subspecies ''P. i. ibeanus'' and the possibly extinct Mount Kenya potto (''P. i. stockleyi''), known only from a single specimen collected in 1938. Distribution This species ranges from the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo east to western Kenya. In addition, an isolated subspecies (''P. i. stockleyi'') is endemic to the slopes of Mount Kenya, making it the easternmost population of any potto. Conservatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vestigiality
Vestigiality is the retention, during the process of evolution, of genetically determined structures or attributes that have lost some or all of the ancestral function in a given species. Assessment of the vestigiality must generally rely on comparison with homologous features in related species. The emergence of vestigiality occurs by normal evolutionary processes, typically by loss of function of a feature that is no longer subject to positive selection pressures when it loses its value in a changing environment. The feature may be selected against more urgently when its function becomes definitively harmful, but if the lack of the feature provides no advantage, and its presence provides no disadvantage, the feature may not be phased out by natural selection and persist across species. Examples of vestigial structures (also called degenerate, atrophied, or rudimentary organs) are the loss of functional wings in island-dwelling birds; the human vomeronasal organ; and the hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Potto Hand Mivart
The pottos are three species of strepsirrhine primate in the genus ''Perodicticus'' of the family Lorisidae. In some English-speaking parts of Africa, they are called "softly-softlys". Etymology The common name "potto" may be from Wolof (a tailless monkey). The generic name ''Perodicticus'' is composed of Greek (, ‘maimed’) and (, "able to show/indicate", cf. , , ‘index finger’). It refers to the stubby index finger that seems mutilated. Taxonomy There are three species recognized by the IUCN Red List and American Society of Mammalogists: * West African potto (''Perodicticus potto)'' * Central African potto (''Perodicticus edwardsi'') * East African potto (''Perodicticus ibeanus'') ** Mount Kenya potto (''Perodicticus ibeanus stockleyi'') Formerly, all species were classified under one species, ''P. potto''. However, variation among pottos is significant, prompting speculation that there may be more than one species. A 2015 study confirmed there to be three di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Procyonidae
Procyonidae is a New World family of the order Carnivora. It comprises the raccoons, ringtails, cacomistles, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, and olinguitos. Procyonids inhabit a wide range of environments and are generally omnivorous. Characteristics Procyonids are relatively small animals, with generally slender bodies and long tails, though the common raccoon tends to be bulky. Because of their general build, the Procyonidae are often popularly viewed as smaller cousins of the bear family. This is apparent in their German names: a raccoon is called a ''Waschbär'' (washing bear, as it "washes" its food before eating), a coati is a ''Nasenbär'' (nose-bear), while a kinkajou is a ''Honigbär'' (honey-bear). Dutch follows suit, calling the animals ''wasbeer'', ''neusbeer'' and ''rolstaartbeer'' respectively. However, it is now believed that procyonids are more closely related to mustelids than to bears. Procyonids share common morphological characteristics including a shortened ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bassaricyon
The genus ''Bassaricyon'' consists of small Neotropical procyonids, popularly known as olingos (), cousins of the raccoon. They are native to the rainforests of Central and South America from Nicaragua to Peru. They are arboreal and nocturnal, and live at elevations from sea level to 2,750 m. Olingos closely resemble another procyonid, the kinkajou, in morphology and habits, though they lack prehensile tails and extrudable tongues, have more extended muzzles, and possess anal scent glands. However, the two genera are not sisters. They also resemble galagos and certain lemurs. Species There is disagreement on the number of species in this genus, with some taxonomists splitting the populations into as many as five species (adding ''B. pauli'' to the list below), two species (dropping ''B. medius'' and ''B. neblina''), or just a single species (''B. gabbi''). Until recently, only the northern olingo (''B. gabbii'') was particularly well-known, and it was usuall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kinkajou
The kinkajou ( /ˈkɪŋkədʒuː/ ''KING-kə-joo''; ''Potos flavus'') is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus ''Potos'' and is also known as the "honey bear" (a name that it shares with the unrelated sun bear). Kinkajous are arboreal, a lifestyle they evolved independently; they are not closely related to any other tree-dwelling mammal group (primates, some mustelids, etc.). Native to Central and South America, this mostly frugivorous mammal is not an endangered species, though it is seldom seen by people because of its strict nocturnal habits. However, it is hunted for the pet trade, for its skin (to make wallets and horse saddles), and for its meat. The species has been included in Appendix III of CITES by Honduras, which means that exports from Honduras require an export permit, and exports from other countries require a certificate of origin or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with their associated islands, the Americas cover 8% of Earth's total surface area and 28.4% of its land area. The topography is dominated by the American Cordillera, a long chain of mountains that runs the length of the west coast. The flatter eastern side of the Americas is dominated by large river basins, such as the Amazon, St. Lawrence River– Great Lakes basin, Mississippi, and La Plata. Since the Americas extend from north to south, the climate and ecology vary widely, from the arctic tundra of Northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska, to the tropical rain forests in Central America and South America. Humans first settled the Americas from Asia between 42,000 and 17,000 years ago. A second migration of Na-Dene speakers followe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several examples, but explicitly designated as the holotype. Under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), a holotype is one of several kinds of name-bearing types. In the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) and ICZN, the definitions of types are similar in intent but not identical in terminology or underlying concept. For example, the holotype for the butterfly '' Plebejus idas longinus'' is a preserved specimen of that subspecies, held by the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. In botany, an isotype is a duplicate of the holotype, where holotype and isotypes are often pieces from the same individual plant or samples from the same gathering. A holotype is not necessaril ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
False Potto
The false potto (''Pseudopotto martini'') is a lorisoid primate of uncertain taxonomic status found in Africa. Anthropologist Jeffrey H. Schwartz named it in 1996 as the only species of the genus ''Pseudopotto'' on the basis of two specimens (consisting only of skeletal material) that had previously been identified as a potto (''Perodicticus''). The precise provenances of the two specimens are uncertain, but at least one may have come from Cameroon. Schwartz thought the false potto could even represent a separate family, but other researchers have argued that the supposed distinguishing features of the animal do not actually distinguish it from the potto; specifically, the false potto shares several features with the West African potto (''Perodicticus potto''). The false potto generally resembles a small potto, but according to Schwartz it differs in having a longer tail, shorter spines on its neck and chest vertebrae, a smaller, less complex spine on the second neck vertebra, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden Potto
Angwantibos are two species of strepsirrhine primates classified in the genus ''Arctocebus'' of the family Lorisidae. They are also known as golden pottos because of their yellow or golden coloration. Angwantibos live in tropical Africa and their range includes Nigeria, Cameroon north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Angwantibos grow to a size of 22 to 30 cm, and have almost no tail at all. They only weigh up to 0.5 kg. Their fur is yellow brown to golden in color. Their snout is more pointed than that of the other lorids and this, along with their round ears, gives it the bear-like appearance that lends them their name in German: ''Bärenmaki'', "bear lemur". Solitary, nocturnal and arboreal, they prefer the underbrush and the lower layers of the forests. They spend the day hidden in the leaves. Like all lorisids they are characterized by slow movements. The diet of angwantibos consists predominantly of insects (mostly caterpillars), and occasionally fruits. Owin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern marine invertebrates than the Pliocene has. The Miocene is preceded by the Oligocene and is followed by the Pliocene. As Earth went from the Oligocene through the Miocene and into the Pliocene, the climate slowly cooled towards a series of ice ages. The Miocene boundaries are not marked by a single distinct global event but consist rather of regionally defined boundaries between the warmer Oligocene and the cooler Pliocene Epoch. During the Early Miocene, the Arabian Peninsula collided with Eurasia, severing the connection between the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, and allowing a faunal interchange to occur between Eurasia and Africa, including the dispersal of proboscideans into Eurasia. During the la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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