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Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
The southern yellow-billed hornbill (''Tockus leucomelas'') is a hornbill found in southern Africa. Yellow-billed hornbills feed mainly on the ground, where they forage for seeds, small insects, spiders and scorpions. This hornbill species is a common and widespread resident of dry thornveldt and broad-leafed woodlands. They can often be seen along roads and water courses. Description left, Adult female in Mapungubwe National Park, South Africa. She has a shorter bill, with shorter casque, than the male. It is a medium-sized bird, in length, in weight and is characterized by a long yellow and down-curved beak. This beak is huge in comparison to its body and can account for up 1/6th of the entire body length. Male beaks are on average 90 mm long while female beaks are an average of 74 mm. Males are generally bigger than females but there is overlap between the sexes. The size difference of the beak is a fairly reliable way of differentiating sex in wild hornbills. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mapungubwe National Park
Mapungubwe National Park is a national park in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. It forms part of the UNESCO Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape and the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, abutting on the border with Botswana and Zimbabwe. It contains the historical site of Mapungubwe Hill, which was the site of a community dating back to the Iron Age and the capital of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe. Evidence has shown that it was a prosperous community. Archaeologists also uncovered the famous Golden Rhinoceros of Mapungubwe figurine from the site. History The history of the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape dates back 210 million years ago when one of the earliest plant-eating dinosaurs, ''Plateosauravus'' (Euskelosaurus), was known to have lived in the area. The Mapungubwe area became a focus of agricultural research in the 1920s through the efforts of the botanist Illtyd Buller Pole-Evans. Pole-Evans was instrumental in the creation of the Botanical Survey Advisory Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bactrododema
''Bactrododema'' is a genus of the stick insect family Diapheromeridae. Species of this genus have a relictual distribution and are endemic to southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and .... Species * '' Bactrododema aestuans'' (Westwood, 1859) * '' Bactrododema alldridgei'' (Kirby, 1905) * '' Bactrododema bayeri'' (Schouteden, 1917) * '' Bactrododema centaurum'' (Westwood, 1859) * '' Bactrododema episcopalis'' (Kirby, 1896) * '' Bactrododema hecticum'' (Lichtenstein, 1796) * '' Bactrododema hippotaurum'' (Karsch, 1896) * '' Bactrododema krugeri'' Brock, 2004 * '' Bactrododema leopoldi'' (Schouteden, 1916) * '' Bactrododema miliaris'' Bolívar, 1889 * '' Bactrododema minotaurus'' (Gerstaecker, 1883) * '' Bactrododema moirae'' (Kirby, 1896) * '' Bact ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tockus
''Tockus'' is a genus of birds in the hornbill family, Bucerotidae, which are native to Africa. Description Hornbills in the genus ''Tockus'' are medium-sized African birds with triangular shaped curved bills. They can be found in tropical and sub-tropical African grasslands, forests and savannahs. They all have long tail feathers which are black on the exterior and white on the interior. Species The genus contains the following ten species: * Monteiro's hornbill (''Tockus monteiri'') * Red-billed hornbill group ** Northern red-billed hornbill (''Tockus erythrorhynchus'') ** Damara red-billed hornbill (''Tockus damarensis'') ** Southern red-billed hornbill (''Tockus rufirostris'') ** Tanzanian red-billed hornbill (''Tockus ruahae'') ** Western red-billed hornbill (''Tockus kempi'') * Yellow-billed hornbill group ** Southern yellow-billed hornbill (''Tockus leucomelas'') ** Eastern yellow-billed hornbill (''Tockus flavirostris'') * Von der Decken's hornbill Von der D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hornbills
Hornbills are birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia of the family Bucerotidae. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a horny casque on the upper mandible. Hornbills have a two-lobed kidney. They are the only birds in which the first and second neck vertebrae (the atlas and axis respectively) are fused together; this probably provides a more stable platform for carrying the bill. The family is omnivorous, feeding on fruit and small animals. They are monogamous breeders nesting in natural cavities in trees and sometimes cliffs. A number of mainly insular species of hornbill with small ranges are threatened with extinction, mainly in Southeast Asia. In the Neotropical realm, toucans occupy the hornbills' ecological niche, an example of convergent evolution. Despite their close appearances, the two groups are not very closely related, with toucans being allied with the woodpeckers, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marakele National Park
Marakele National Park is a National Park, part of the Waterberg Biosphere in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Flora and fauna Marakele is home to the big five (buffalo did not exist in the park, but 20 disease-free buffalo (nine cows and eleven bulls) were re-introduced on 15 October 2013) as well as sixteen species of antelopes and over 250 species of birds, including the largest colony of Cape vultures in the world (around 800 breeding pairs). The Matlabas River runs through the park. Birds found within the park are * African harrier-hawk * African scops owl * Cape rock thrush * Cape vulture * Fiery-necked nightjar * Freckled nightjar * Jackal buzzard * Purple roller * Red-eyed bulbul * Southern boubou * Snake eagle species * Lesser spotted eagle * Wahlberg’s eagle Mammals found within the park are * Black rhinoceros * Brown hyena * Chacma baboon * Elephant * Hyena * Impala * Kudu * African leopard * Lion * Sable * Vervet monkey * Waterbuck * White rhinoc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gait
Gait is the pattern of Motion (physics), movement of the limb (anatomy), limbs of animals, including Gait (human), humans, during Animal locomotion, locomotion over a solid substrate. Most animals use a variety of gaits, selecting gait based on speed, terrain, the need to wikt:maneuver, maneuver, and energetic efficiency. Different animal species may use different gaits due to differences in anatomy that prevent use of certain gaits, or simply due to evolved innate preferences as a result of habitat differences. While various gaits are given specific names, the complexity of biological systems and interacting with the environment make these distinctions "fuzzy" at best. Gaits are typically classified according to footfall patterns, but recent studies often prefer definitions based on mechanics. The term typically does not refer to limb-based propulsion through fluid mediums such as water or air, but rather to propulsion across a solid substrate by generating reactive forces against ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Etosha National Park
Etosha National Park is a national park in northwestern Namibia and one of the largest national parks in Africa. It was proclaimed a game reserve in March 1907 in Ordinance 88 by the Governor of German South West Africa, Friedrich von Lindequist. It was designated as ''Wildschutzgebiet'' in 1958, and was awarded the status of national park in 1967, by an act of parliament of the Republic of South Africa. It spans an area of and was named after the large Etosha pan which is almost entirely within the park. With an area of , the Etosha pan covers 23% of the total area of the national park. The area is home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds and reptiles, including several Threatened species, threatened and Endangered species, endangered species such as the black rhinoceros. Sixty-one black rhinoceros were killed during poaching in Namibia during 2022, 46 of which were killed in Etosha. The park is located in the Kunene Region, Kunene region and shares boundaries with the regi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Courtship Feeding
Formally, a nuptial gift is a material presentation to a recipient by a donor during or in relation to sexual intercourse that is not simply gametes in order to improve the reproductive fitness of the donor. Often, such a gift will improve the fitness of the recipient as well. This definition implies neutral gifts, costly gifts and beneficial gifts regarding the fitness of the recipient. Nuptial gifting is at the intersection of sexual selection, nutritional ecology, and life history theory, creating a link between the three. Edible and inedible nuptial gifts Many nuptial gifts are a source of nutrition for the recipient. In many species of animals, including birds, insects, and spiders, this takes the form of a food item that is transferred from a male to a female just prior to copulation. This is a behavior known as courtship feeding. Inedible tokens may include items such as a fragment of leaf or twig, a seed tuft, or a silk balloon. How gifts are received There are three ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Breviceps
''Breviceps'' is a genus of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae. Species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ... in the genus ''Breviceps'' are commonly known as rain frogs or short-headed frogs. They occur in arid to semiarid climates of Eastern and Southern Africa. Taxonomy The genus ''Breviceps'' consists of 21 species, of which most occur in southern Africa. There are five species found in the Western Cape, '' B. gibbosus'', '' B. fuscus'' (black rain frog), '' B. rosei'' (Rose's rain frog), '' B. montanus'' (mountain rain frog) and '' B. acutirostris'' (strawberry rain frog). Two species are found in arid areas and other species are found in the eastern and northern parts of southern Africa. Description Species of the genus ''Breviceps'' are sexually dimorph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aparallactus Capensis
''Aparallactus capensis'', or the Cape centipede-eater, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake in the Atractaspididae family. Geographic range It is found in South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Description Yellow or pale reddish-brown dorsally, with or without a blackish vertebral line. Yellowish white ventrally. Neck and top of head black, with or without a yellowish crossbar behind the parietals. Sides of head yellowish, with the shields bordering the eye black. Adults may attain a total length of , with a tail long. A portion of rostral visible from above as long as its distance from the frontal. Frontal to as long as broad, much longer than its distance from the end of the snout, a little shorter than the parietals. Nasal entire, in contact with the preocular. One postocular. Seven upper labials, third and fourth entering the eye, fifth in contact with the parietal. Mental in contact with t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Symphyta) are commonly called caterpillars as well. Both lepidopteran and symphytan larvae have eruciform body shapes. Caterpillars of most species eat plant material ( often leaves), but not all; some (about 1%) eat insects, and some are even cannibalistic. Some feed on other animal products. For example, clothes moths feed on wool, and horn moths feed on the hooves and horns of dead ungulates. Caterpillars are typically voracious feeders and many of them are among the most serious of agricultural pests. In fact, many moth species are best known in their caterpillar stages because of the damage they cause to fruits and other agricultural produce, whereas the moths are obscure and do no direct harm. Conversely, various species of ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Lichtenstein
Martin H[e]inrich Carl Lichtenstein (10 January 1780 – 2 September 1857) was a German physician, List of explorers, explorer, botanist and zoologist. He explored parts of southern Africa and collected natural history specimens extensively and many new species were described from his collections by European scientists. Biography Born in Hamburg, Lichtenstein was the son of Anton August Heinrich Lichtenstein, head of the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums, Johanneum. His father had an interest in eastern languages and built up an extensive library. He took an interest in natural history and geography from an early age, and came into contact with Count Johann Centurius Hoffmannsegg, Johann Centurius von Hoffmannsegg in 1797 and began to help examine the Count's extensive collections of insects and birds. He then went to study medicine at University of Jena, Jena and University of Helmstedt, Helmstedt and qualified as a doctor on 26 April 1802. He then chose to travel and found work ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
