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Polygyny In Nature
Polygyny (; from Neo-Greek , ) is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male. Systems where several females mate with several males are defined either as promiscuity or polygynandry. Lek mating is frequently regarded as a form of polygyny, because one male mates with many females, but lek-based mating systems differ in that the male has no attachment to the females with whom he mates, and that mating females lack attachment to one another.Clutton-Brock T.H. (1989). ‘Review lecture: mammalian mating systems.' ''Proceedings of the Royal Society of London''. Series B, Biological Sciences 236: 339–372. Polygyny is typical of one-male, multi-female groupsBoyd, R., & Silk, J. B. (2009). How Humans Evolved (preferably the downloadable pdf version): WW Norton & Company, New York. and can be found in many species including: elephant seal, spotted hyena, gorilla, red-winged prinia, house wren, hamadryas baboo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek Dark Ages, Dark Ages (), the Archaic Greece, Archaic or Homeric Greek, Homeric period (), and the Classical Greece, Classical period (). Ancient Greek was the language of Homer and of fifth-century Athens, fifth-century Athenian historians, playwrights, and Ancient Greek philosophy, philosophers. It has contributed many words to English vocabulary and has been a standard subject of study in educational institutions of the Western world since the Renaissance. This article primarily contains information about the Homeric Greek, Epic and Classical periods of the language, which are the best-attested periods and considered most typical of Ancient Greek. From the Hellenistic period (), Ancient Greek was followed by Koine Greek, which is regar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anthidium Manicatum
''Anthidium manicatum'', commonly called the European wool carder bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae, the leaf-cutter bees or mason bees. They get the name "carding, carder" from their behaviour of scraping hair from leaves such as lamb's ears (''Stachys byzantina''). They carry this hair bundled beneath their bodies to be used as a nest lining. Like other members of the tribe Anthidiini, these bees do not cut leaves or petals as is typical for megachilids. The males engage in territorial behaviour, aggressively chasing other males and pollinators from their territory. This bee is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It has recently been seen in regions of South America, New Zealand, and the Canary Islands. They are generalists, and do not seem to prefer any plant genera for foraging, although in New Zealand, native plants are visited less frequently by this bee species. It was accidentally introduced into North America from Europe some time in the mid-20th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yellow-bellied Marmot
The yellow-bellied marmot (''Marmota flaviventer''), also known as the rock chuck, is a large, stout-bodied ground squirrel in the marmot genus. It is one of fourteen species of marmots, and is native to mountainous and semi-arid regions of southwestern Canada and western United States, including the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, and the Great Basin, often (but not exclusively) living above . The fur is mainly brown, with a dark bushy tail, yellow chest and white patch between the eyes, and they weigh up to approximately . They are highly social creatures, living in burrows in Colony (biology), colonies of up to twenty individuals. They are diurnal and feed on plant material, insects, and bird eggs. They Hibernation, hibernate for approximately eight months starting in September and lasting through the winter. They have an average lifespan of 15 years. Description Yellow-bellied marmots usually weigh from when fully grown, though males typically weigh m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Resource Defense Polygyny
In animal behavior, resource defense polygyny is a mating strategy where a male is able to support multiple female mates by competing with other males for access to a resource. In such a system, males are territorial. Because male movement is restricted, female-female competition for a male also results. Males capable of maintaining a larger territory are said to have greater resource holding power. It is one of the three major types of polygyny, the other two being female defense polygyny and leks. Examples Resource defense polygyny is a common strategy in insects. For examples, damselflies in the family Calopterygidae typically display resource defense polygyny, in which territorial males guard riverine habitat that is sought after by females for egg deposition. Within a species there may be a territorial and nonterritorial morph.{{Cite book , last1=Thornhill , first1=Randy , url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.4159/harvard.9780674433960/html , title=The Evolution o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susan Alberts
Susan C. Alberts is an American primatologist, anthropologist, and biologist who is the current Chair of the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University; previously, she served as a Bass fellow and the Robert F. Durden Professor of Biology at Duke. She currently co-directs the Amboseli Baboon Research Project with Jeanne Altmann of Princeton University. Her research broadly studies how animal behavior evolved in mammals, with a specific focus on the social behavior, demography, and genetics of the yellow baboon, although some of her work has included the African elephant. She was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014, won the Cozzarelli Prize of the National Academy of Sciences in 2016, and was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in 2019. Education Alberts received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Reed College in 1983, and went on to earn a Master of Arts in Biology from University of California, Los An ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Okapi
The okapi (; ''Okapia johnstoni''), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe and zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. However, non-invasive genetic identification has suggested that a population has occurred south-west of the Congo River as well. It is the only species in the genus ''Okapia''. Although the okapi has striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe. The okapi and the giraffe are the only living members of the family Giraffidae. The okapi stands about tall at the shoulder and has a typical body length around . Its weight ranges from . It has a long neck, and large, flexible ears. Its coat is a chocolate to reddish brown, much in contrast with the white horizontal stripes and rings on the legs, and white ankles. Male okapis have short, distinct horn-like protuberances on their heads called ossicones, less than in length. Female ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coquerel's Dwarf Lemur
Coquerel's giant mouse lemur (''Mirza coquereli''), also known as Coquerel's dwarf lemur or the southern giant mouse lemur, is a small nocturnal lemur endemic to Madagascar. This species can be found in parts of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. Behaviour This lemur is active throughout the year; unlike mouse lemurs (''Microcebus''), it does not hibernate. It feeds on the larvae of hemiptera (the true bugs) to sustain itself. It is an arboreal species, and feeds on fruit, flowers, and small animals such as insects and spiders. Coquerel's giant mouse lemur is heavily preyed upon by owls. Taxonomy Coquerel's giant mouse lemur was named after the French entomologist Charles Coquerel Jean Charles Coquerel (2 December 1822 – 12 April 1867) was a French navy surgeon, algae, algologist, and entomologist. Coquerel collected insects in Madagascar and neighbouring islands. A number of these were described after his death by Léon .... It was the only member of the genus '' Mirza' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel
The thirteen-lined ground squirrel (''Ictidomys tridecemlineatus''), also known as the striped gopher, leopard ground squirrel, and squinny (formerly known as the leopard-spermophile in the age of John James Audubon, Audubon), is a species of hibernating ground squirrel that is widely distributed over grasslands and prairies of North America. Description It is brownish, with 13 alternating brown and whitish longitudinal lines (sometimes partially broken into spots) on its back and sides, creating rows of whitish spots within dark lines. Taxonomy This species has usually been placed in the genus ''Spermophilus'' with about 40 other species. As this large genus is paraphyly, paraphyletic to prairie dogs, marmots, and antelope squirrels, Kris Helgen, Kristofer Helgen and colleagues have split it into eight genera, placing the thirteen-lined ground squirrel in ''Ictidomys'' with two other species. Behavior The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is strictly Diurnal animal, diurn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephant
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus''). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea; extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive grey skin. The trunk is prehensile, bringing food and water to the mouth and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs. Elephants are scatter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Woodcock
The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of sandpipers in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name is first recorded in about 1050. According to the ''Harleian Miscellany'', a group of woodcocks is called a "fall". Taxonomy The genus ''Scolopax'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock. The type species is the Eurasian woodcock (''Scolopax rusticola''). Only two woodcocks are widespread, the others being localized island endemics. Most are found in the Northern Hemisphere but a few range into the Greater Sundas, Wallacea and New Guinea. Their closest relatives are the typical snipes of the genus ''Gallinago''. As with many other sandpiper genera, the lineages that led to ''Gallinago'' and ''Scolopax'' likely ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cape Buffalo
The African buffalo (''Syncerus caffer)'' is a large sub-Saharan African bovine. The adult African buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head, referred to as a "boss". The African buffalo is more closely related to other buffalo species than it is to other bovids such as American bison or domestic cattle, with its closest living relative being the Asian water buffalo. Its unpredictable temperament may be part of the reason that the African buffalo has never been domesticated, which would also explain why the African buffalo has no domesticated descendants, unlike the wild yak and wild water buffalo which are the ancestors of the domestic yak and water buffalo. Natural predators of adult African buffaloes include lions, African wild dogs, spotted hyenas, and Nile crocodiles. As one of the Big Five game animals, the Cape buffalo is a sought-after trophy in hunting. Description The African ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Savanna Baboon
The yellow baboon (''Papio cynocephalus'') is a baboon in the family of Old World monkeys. The species epithet means "dog-head" in Greek, due to the dog-like shape of the muzzle and head. Yellow baboons have slim bodies with long arms and legs along with yellowish-brown hair. They resemble the chacma baboon, but are somewhat smaller and with a less elongated muzzle. Their hairless faces are black, framed with white sideburns. Males can grow to about 84 cm, females to about 60 cm. They have long tails which grow to be nearly as long as their bodies. The average life span of the yellow baboon in the wild is roughly 15–20 years; some may live up to 30 years. Yellow baboons inhabit savannas and light forests in eastern Africa, from Kenya and Tanzania to Zimbabwe and Botswana. They are diurnal, terrestrial, and live in complex, mixed-gender social groups of 8 to 200 individuals per troop. Like all other baboon species, they are omnivorous, with a preference for fruits; the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
