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Eight Sheratzim
In Judaism, the eight ''sheratzim'' (Hebrew שמונה שרצים), typically translated as the "eight creeping things", are animals described in , which have special laws in regard to Tumah and taharah, ritual impurity and Shabbat. Laws While alive, the eight ''sheratzim'' do not convey impurity. However, when one of them has died and is touched or shifted by a human being, it conveys impurity to that person. If he were a priest (Kohenim, Kohen) of Aaron's lineage who touched the animal's corpse, he is forbidden to eat of the Kodashim, hallowed things until he first immerses his body in a mikveh and has waited until the sun has set. During the time when the Tumah and taharah, laws of ritual purity were performed by the Jewish nation, earthenware vessels into which one of the eight, dead creeping things had fallen, including within an earthenware oven, become unclean and unfit for sacred foods, and, therefore, would be broken and the food discarded (). In other applications of Jewi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Judaism
Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of observing the Mosaic covenant, which they believe was established between God in Judaism, God and the Jewish people. The religion is considered one of the earliest monotheistic religions. Jewish religious doctrine encompasses a wide body of texts, practices, theological positions, and forms of organization. Among Judaism's core texts is the Torah—the first five books of the Hebrew Bible—and a collection of ancient Hebrew scriptures. The Tanakh, known in English as the Hebrew Bible, has the same books as Protestant Christianity's Old Testament, with some differences in order and content. In addition to the original written scripture, the supplemental Oral Torah is represented by later texts, such as the Midrash and the Talmud. The Hebrew ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mustela Subpalmata
The Egyptian weasel is a unique population of the least weasel endemic to northern Egypt. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It was formerly considered a distinct species, as ''Mustela subpalmata''. Taxonomy Due to its great resemblance to the least weasel (''M. nivalis''), the Egyptian weasel was only suggested to be a separate species in 1992, based on measures of skull sizes. However, results of a phylogenetic study indicate that mitochondrial DNA supports the Egyptian weasel to be an isolated population of ''Mustela nivalis'', namely the subspecies ''numidica'', which occurs in other parts of the Mediterranean basin, rather than a distinct species, or even a subspecies. The American Society of Mammalogists has since recognized it as conspecific with ''M. nivalis''. Characteristics The Egyptian weasel has short legs, a small head, and small ears. Its tail is long and thin. The weasel has a broad snout. The upper part of the body is brown and the lower pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bufo
''Bufo'' is a genus of true toads in the amphibian family Bufonidae. As traditionally defined, it was a wastebasket genus containing a large number of toads from much of the world but following taxonomic reviews most of these have been moved to other genera, leaving only seventeen extant species from Europe, northern Africa and Asia in this genus, including the well-known common toad (''B. bufo''). Some of the genera that contain species formerly placed in ''Bufo'' are '' Anaxyrus'' (many North American species), '' Bufotes'' ( European green toad and relatives), '' Duttaphrynus'' (many Asian species, including the Asian common toad introduced elsewhere), '' Epidalea'' (natterjack toad) and '' Rhinella'' (many Latin American species, including the cane toad introduced elsewhere). Description True toads have in common stocky figures and short legs, which make them relatively poor jumpers. Their dry skin is thick and "warty". Behind their eyes, ''Bufo'' species have wart-lik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uromastyx Aegyptius
''Uromastyx aegyptia'' is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to North Africa and the Middle East. Common names Common names for ''U. aegyptia'' include Egyptian mastigure, Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard, and, when referring to the subspecies ''Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni'' (see below), Leptien's mastigure. Description ''U. aegyptia'' is one of the largest members of its genus, with an average total length (including tail) of for males. Geographic range and conservation status ''U. aegyptia'' can be found in Egypt east of the Nile, Israel, Syria, Jordan, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, and Iran. It has a patchy distribution and is rare in most parts of its range. It is believed to be in decline because of habitat loss and over-harvesting. Subspecies Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. *''Uromastyx aegyptia aegyptia'' *''Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni'' *''Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis'' Etymology T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerboa
Jerboas () are the members of the family Dipodidae. They are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on by little owls (''Athene noctua'') in central Asia. Most species of jerboas have excellent hearing that they use to avoid becoming the prey of nocturnal predators. The typical lifespan of a jerboa is around 2–3 years. Taxonomy Jerboas, as previously defined, were thought to be paraphyletic, with the jumping mice (Zapodidae) and birch mice (Sminthidae) also being classified in the family Dipodidae. However, phylogenetic analysis split all three as distinct families, leaving just the jerboas in Dipodidae and revealing them to be a monophyletic group. This animal has a body length (including the head) of between , with an additional of tail, which is always longer than the full body. Jerboa dental records reveal a slow increase in crown heights, which cor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerbillinae
Gerbillinae is one of the subfamilies of the rodent family Muridae and includes the gerbils, jirds, and sand rats. Once known as desert rats, the subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats. Most are primarily active during the day, making them diurnal (but some species, including the common household pet, exhibit crepuscular behavior), and almost all are omnivorous. The gerbil got its name as a diminutive form of "jerboa", an unrelated group of rodents occupying a similar ecological niche. Gerbils are typically between long, including the tail, which makes up about half of their total length. One species, the great gerbil (''Rhombomys opimus''), originally native to Turkmenistan, can grow to more than . The average adult gerbil weighs about . One species, the Mongolian gerbil ('' Meriones unguiculatus''), also known as the ''clawed jird'', is a gentle and hardy animal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hamster
Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster (''Mesocricetus auratus''), which is the type most commonly kept as a pet. Other hamster species commonly kept as pets are the three species of dwarf hamster, Campbell's dwarf hamster (''Phodopus campbelli''), the winter white dwarf hamster (''Phodopus sungorus'') and the Roborovski hamster (''Phodopus roborovskii''), and the less common Chinese hamster (''Cricetulus griseus''). Hamsters feed primarily on seeds, fruits, vegetation, and occasionally burrowing insects. In the wild, they are crepuscular: they forage during the twilight hours. In captivity, however, they are known to live a conventionally nocturnal lifestyle, waking around sundown to feed and exercise. Physically, they are stout-bodied with distinguishing features ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Microtus
''Microtus'' is a genus of voles found in North America, Europe and northern Asia. The genus name refers to the small ears of these animals. They are stout rodents with short ears, legs and tails. They eat green vegetation such as grasses and sedges in summer, and grains, seeds, root and bark at other times. The genus is also called "meadow voles". There is some disagreement on the definitive list of species in this genus, and which subgenera are recognized. The American Society of Mammalogists recognizes the following 60 species, with discrepancies as noted: Subgenus ''Blanfordimys'' * Afghan vole (''Microtus afghanus'') * Bucharian vole (''Microtus bucharensis'') * Juniper vole (''Microtus yuldaschi'') Subgenus ''Euarvicola'' * Short-tailed field vole (''Microtus agrestis'') * Mediterranean field vole (''Microtus lavernedii'') * Portuguese field vole (''Microtus rozianus'') Subgenus ''Hyrcanicola'' (not recognized by the ASM, listed in subgenus ''Microtus'') * Schelkovni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rattus
''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus. Species and description The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus'') and the brown rat (''R. norvegicus''). The group is generally known as the Old World rats or true rats and originated in Asia. Rats are bigger than most Old World mouse, mice, which are their relatives, but seldom weigh over in the wild. Taxonomy of ''Rattus'' The genus ''Rattus'' is a member of the giant subfamily Murinae. Several other murine genera are sometimes considered part of ''Rattus'': ''Lenothrix'', ''Anonymomys'', ''Sundamys'', ''Kadarsanomys'', ''Diplothrix'', ''Margaretamys'', ''Lenomys'', ''Komodomys'', ''Palawanomys'', ''Bunomys'', ''Nesoromys'', ''Stenomys'', ''Taeromys'', ''Paruromys'', ''Abditomys'', ''Tryphomys'', ''Limnomys'', ''Tarsomys'', ''Bullimus'', ''Apomys'', ''Millardia'', ''Srilankamys'', ''Niviventer'', ''Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mus Musculus
The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the rodent family Muridae, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus ''Mus (genus), Mus''. Although a wild animal, the house mouse has benefited significantly from associating with human habitation to the point that truly wild populations are significantly less common than the synanthropic populations near human activity. The house mouse has been domestication, domesticated as the pet or fancy mouse, and as the laboratory mouse, which is one of the most important model organisms in biology and medicine. The complete mouse reference genome was Whole genome sequencing, sequenced in 2002. Characteristics House mice have an adult body length (nose to base of tail) of and a tail length of . The weight is typically . In the wild they vary in color from grey and light brown to black (individual hairs are actually Agouti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stoat
The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine or ermine, is a species of mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern regions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The name ermine () is used especially in its pure white winter coat of the stoat or its fur. Ermine fur was used in the 15th century by Catholic monarchs, who sometimes used it as the mozzetta cape. It has long been used on the ceremonial robes of members of the United Kingdom House of Lords. It was also used in capes on images such as the Infant Jesus of Prague. The stoat was introduced into New Zealand in the late 19th century to control rabbits. However, they have had a devastating effect on native bird populations; as such, the species was nominated as one of the world's top 100 "worst invaders". Etymology The root word for "stoat" is likely either the Dutch word ("bold") or the Gothic word (, "to push"). Accor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
