A to Z: Life

[peterh]

Tiger (Siberian)



Siberian (or Amur) tigers are the world's largest cats. They live primarily in eastern Russia's birch forests, though some exist in China and North Korea. There are an estimated 400 to 500 Siberian tigers living in the wild, and recent studies suggest that these numbers are stable. Though their northern climate is far harsher than those of other tigers, these animals have some advantages. Northern forests offer the lowest human density of any tiger habitat, and the most complete ecosystem. The vast woodlands also allow tigers far more room to roam, as Russia's timber industry is currently less extensive than that of many other countries.

Tigers are the largest of all wild cats and are renowned for their power and strength. There were once eight tiger subspecies, but three became extinct during the 20th century. Over the last 100 years, hunting and forest destruction have reduced overall tiger populations from hundreds of thousands to perhaps 5,000 to 7,000. Tigers are hunted as trophies and also for body parts that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. All five remaining tiger subspecies are endangered, and many protection programs are in place. Poaching is a reduced—but still very significant—threat to Siberian tigers.

Tigers live alone and aggressively scent-mark large territories to keep their rivals away. They are powerful hunters that travel many miles to find prey, such as elk and wild boar, on nocturnal hunts. Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have exactly the same stripes) and hunt by stealth. They lie in wait and creep close enough to attack their victims with a quick spring and a fatal pounce. A hungry tiger can eat as much as 60 pounds (27.2 kilograms) in one night, though they usually eat less.

Despite their fearsome reputation, most tigers avoid humans; however, a few do become dangerous maneaters. These animals are often sick and unable to hunt normally, or live in areas where their traditional prey has vanished.

Females give birth to litters of two to six cubs, which they raise with little or no help from the male. Cubs cannot hunt until they are 18 months old, and remain with their mothers for two to three years, when they disperse to find their own territory.

[LaFille]

Lol, very characteristic entrance, Peter. ;D And I'll follow...

Uncia uncia (snow leopard)



The Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia or Panthera uncia), sometimes known as the Ounce, is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of central and southern Asia. The taxonomic position of this species has been subject to change. In the past, many taxonomists included the Snow Leopard in the genus Panthera, with several of the other largest felids, but later it was placed in its own genus, Uncia. However, most recent molecular studies place the species firmly within the genus Panthera, although the exact position remains unclear. Along with the Clouded Leopard, it represents an intermediate between so-called big cats and smaller species, as it cannot roar, despite possessing a cartilaginous hyoid apparatus which is thought essential in allowing the big cats to roar.

Well known for its beautiful fur, the Snow Leopard has a soft grey coat with ringed spots and rosettes of black on brown. The fur turns white in the winter. Its tail is heavy with fur and the bottom of its paws are covered with fur for protection against snow and cold. The life span of a Snow Leopard is normally 15-18 years, but in captivity they can live up to 20 years.

Weighing 35 to 55 kilograms (77-121 lbs), the Snow Leopard can be distinguished from other similar species by its proportionately longer tail, which helps it maintain its balance on the rugged terrain and unstable surfaces of its habitat. The Snow Leopard's tail also doubles as a warmth cover and is used to cover its nose and mouth in very cold conditions. The male's head is usually much squarer and wider than that of the female. Its big furry feet act as snowshoes, like those of the lynxes. In summer, the Snow Leopard usually lives above the tree line on mountainous meadows and in rocky regions at an altitude of up to 6000 m. In winter, it comes down into the forests at an altitude of about 2000 m. It leads largely a solitary life, although mothers can rear cubs for extended periods of time in cave dens in the mountains.

The Snow Leopard has grey-and-white fur with numerous rosettes on the flanks and spots on the head and neck, similar to the Jaguar. Its tail is striped and can reach up to 90 cm long. It is an opportunistic feeder, eating whatever meat it can find; it often kills animals three times its size, including domestic livestock. It ambushes prey from above when possible, as it can jump as far as 14 meters (46 feet). Its agility often proves helpful when ambushing prey and traversing through mountains. Its diet consists of ibexes, the Bharal, the Markhor, the Urial, boars, as well as marmots and other small rodents.

The Snow Leopard's range in central and south Asia is rugged mountainous regions of approximately 1,230,000 square kilometers, which extends through 12 countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Tibet, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The total estimated wild population of the Snow Leopard is between 3,500 and 7,000 individuals (see table below). In addition, there are 600-700 animals in zoos around the world.

An individual Snow Leopard lives within a well defined home range. However, it does not defend its range aggressively when encroached upon by other individuals. Home ranges can vary greatly in size. In Nepal, where prey is abundant, a home range can be as small as 30-65 km²; whereas, in Mongolia, with sparse prey, the Snow Leopard needs over 1,000 km² to survive.

The Snow Leopard is an endangered species whose pelts command a very high price in the fur market. During the 1960s, the Snow Leopard's total population went down to 1,000 animals, but has since recovered slightly.

Much progress has been made in securing the survival of the Snow Leopard, with Snow Leopards being successfully bred in captivity. The animals usually give birth to 2 to 3 cubs in a litter, but can give birth to up to 7 in some cases.

[Galadriel]

Vulture

Vultures are scavenging birds, feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead animals. Vultures are found in every continent except Antarctica and Oceania.

A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of feathers. This is likely because a feathered head would become spattered with blood and other fluids, and thus be difficult to keep clean.

A group of vultures is occasionally called a venue in literature. When circling in the air, a group of vultures is called a kettle. The German word Geier does not have a precise meaning in ornithology, and is sometimes used to refer to a vulture in English, as in some poetry.

Ps: Fille, I loved the Red Panda!! Soooo cute!

[LaFille]

Yeah, I too find that the red pandas are such cuties... ;D

Wombat



Wombats are medium to large size animals (19-39 kg) with a stocky body, short limbs, small ears, and a very short tail. The head is compactly built and is used in constructing tunnels. The limbs are especially powerfully, with short broad feet and strong, flat claws (except on the hallux, which is vestigial). Posture is plantigrade. Wombats are burrowers, building impressive burrow systems with many burrows. Some burrows exceed 20 m in length.

Wombats have a remarkably rodent-like skull. They have a single pair of incisors. These teeth are heavily built and rodent-like in form. Also like the incisors of rodents, the incisors of wombats have enamel on anterior and lateral surfaces only. The incisors are followed by a large diastema. The cheek teeth are hypsodont and unrooted. The molars are relatively simple; their surfaces contain two major lophs ( bilophodont). The dental formula is 1/1, 0,0, 1/1, 4/4 = 24. On the skull itself, the coronoid process of dentary reduced and the masseter is the primary muscle used in mastication. Wombats have a strongly built zygomatic arch and short rostrum.

The pouch of wombats is well developed, but it is oriented so that it opens to the rear, rather than forward as is more usual in marsupials. The embryo forms an allantoic placenta, as is true of at least some peramelids and koalas but not other marsupials.

Wombats are strictly herbivorous grazers; they have a simple stomach and a short, broad cecum.

Koalas and wombats are probably each other's closest relatives. Some of the characteristics they share include pouch opening to rear, vestigial tail, presence of a peculiar glandular patch in the stomach, formation of a placenta, loss of some premolars, and details of muscle morphology. A close relationship has also been suggested by molecular studies.

During the Pleistocene, herds of giant wombats the size of a rhinoceros roamed the plains of southern Australia.

***

Wombats have an extraordinarily slow metabolism, taking around 14 days to complete digestion, and generally move slowly. When required, however, they can reach up to 40 km/h and maintain that speed for up to 90 seconds.

When attacked, they can summon immense reserves of strength — one defense of a wombat against a predator (such as a Dingo) underground is to crush it against the roof of the tunnel until the wombat has caused the predator to cease breathing. Its primary defence is its toughened rear hide with most of the posterior made of cartilage which, combined with its lack of a meaningful tail, presents a difficult-to-bite target to any enemy who follows the wombat into its tunnel. One naturalist commented, that a predator biting into a wombat's rear would find it "comparable to the business end of a toilet brush".

They can be awkwardly tamed in a captive situation, and even coaxed to be patted and held. Many parks, zoos and other tourist set-ups across Australia have wombats for show to the public. Wombats are quite popular in the zoos in which they are present.

However, this lack of fear also means that they may display acts of aggression if provoked, or if they are simply in a bad mood. Its sheer weight makes a charging wombat capable of knocking an average-sized man over, and their sharp teeth and powerful jaws can result in severe wounds. The naturalist Harry Frauca once received a bite 2 cm deep into the flesh of his leg—through a rubber boot, trousers and thick woollen socks (Underhill, 1993). A young boy let into an enclosure unprotected to feed a wombat at a caravan park was charged, knocked over, and bitten and scratched all over.

[Glance A'Lot]

'X' is a tough one...

Xenarthra

The superorder Xenarthra is a group of placental mammals (infraclass Eutheria), extant today only in the Americas. The origins of the order can be traced back as far as the early Tertiary (about 60 million years ago, shortly after the Mesozoic era). The presence of these animals in North America is explained by the Great American Interchange.

It includes the anteaters, sloths, and armadillos. In the past, these families were classified together with the pangolins and Aardvark as the order Edentata (meaning toothless, because the members do not have front incisor teeth or molars, or have poorly-developed molars). It was subsequently realized that Edentata was polyphyletic—that it contained unrelated families and was thus invalid by cladistic standards. Aardvarks and pangolins are now placed in individual orders, and the new order Xenarthra was erected to group the remaining families (which are all related). The name Xenarthra means "strange joints", and was chosen because their vertebral joints are unlike those of any other mammals.

[Galadriel]

Yak

The yak (Bos grunniens) is a long-haired and wooly bovine found in Tibet and throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, as well as in Mongolia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population. In Tibetan, the word yak refers only to the male of the species; a female is a dri or nak. In most languages which borrowed the word, including English, yak is usually used for both sexes.

Yaks, both domestic and wild, are herd animals. Wild yaks stand about two meters tall at the shoulder and domesticated yaks are about half that height. Both types have long shaggy hair to insulate them from the cold. Wild yaks can be either brown or black. Domesticated ones can also be white. Both males and females have horns.

[LaFille]

I'm going with something slightly different...

Zoonosis

A zoonosis (pronounced /zoʊəˈnoʊsɪs/) is any infectious disease that is able to be transmitted (vectored) from other animals, both wild and domestic, to humans or from humans to animals (the latter is sometimes called reverse zoonosis).

The word is derived from the Greek words zoon (animal) (IPA: zo'on) and nosos (disease). Many serious diseases fall under this category.

The plural of zoonosis is zoonoses, from which an alternative singular zoonose is derived by back-formation.

The simplest definition of a zoonosis is a disease that can be transmitted from other animals to humans. A slightly more technical definition is a disease that normally exists in other animals, but also infects humans.

The emerging interdisciplinary field of conservation medicine, which integrates human and veterinary medicine, and environmental sciences, is largely concerned with zoonoses.

Zoonoses can be listed according to the infective agent:

* Parasites which includes protozoa, helminths, cestodes and trematodes
* Bacteria
* Viruses
* Fungi
* Prions

Some of the more important zoonoses are:

* Anthrax
* Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
* Bubonic plague
* Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) a Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) from Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or "Mad cow disease"
* Dengue Fever
* Ebola fever
* Hantavirus
* Plague
* Rabies
* Ringworms (Tinea canis, mainly)
* Salmonellosis
* Typhus and other Rickettsial diseases
* Yellow fever
(list is far from complete)

[Glance A'Lot]

Amoeba

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Chaos_diffluens.jpg [/img]

Amoeba (sometimes amœba or ameba, plural amoebae) is a genus of protozoa that moves by means of temporary projections called pseudopods, and is well-known as a representative unicellular organism.

An amoeba, from the order Amoebida, class Mastigophora phylum sarcodina protozoa,[2] is a single-celled organism. They live in freshwater stagnant ponds, soil, streams, the ocean, and the bodies of other organisms. The word amoeba means “to change” in Greek.

Amoeba itself is found in decaying vegetation in fresh and salt water, wet soil, and animals. Due to the ease with which they may be obtained and kept alive they are common objects of study, both as representative protozoa and to demonstrate cell structure and function. The cells have several lobose pseudopods, with one large tubular pseudopod at the anterior and several secondary ones branching to the sides. The most famous species, Amoeba proteus, is 700-800 μm in length but amoebae vary from as large as a millimeter (Amoeba dubia, which is visible to the naked eye) to far smaller than 700 μm. Its most recognizable features include a single nucleus and simple contractile vacuole to maintain osmotic pressure. The amoeba obtains its food through phagocytosis. Amoebas reproduce through binary fission.

[LaFille]

The first time I saw an amoeba, the microscope's light had made it burst and cook... It didn't help in identification.
Go for another round.

Bryophyta (mosses)



Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems. At certain times mosses produce spore capsules which may appear as beak-like capsules borne aloft on thin stalks.

There are approximately 10,000 species of moss classified in the Bryophyta.The division Bryophyta formerly included not only mosses, but also liverworts and hornworts. These other two groups of bryophytes now are often placed in their own divisions.

Botanically, mosses are bryophytes, or non-vascular plants. They can be distinguished from the apparently similar liverworts (Marchantiophyta or Hepaticae) by their multi-cellular rhizoids. Other differences are not universal for all mosses and all liverworts, but the presence of clearly differentiated "stem" and "leaves", the lack of deeply lobed or segmented leaves, and the absence of leaves arranged in three ranks, all point to the plant being a moss.

In addition to lacking a vascular system, mosses have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, i.e. the plant's cells are haploid for most of its life cycle. Sporophytes (i.e. the diploid body) are short-lived and dependent on the gametophyte. This is in contrast to the pattern exhibited by most "higher" plants and by most animals. In vascular plants, for example, the haploid generation is represented by the pollen and the ovule, whilst the diploid generation is the familiar flowering plant.

The fossil record of moss is sparse, due to their soft-walled and fragile nature. Unambiguous moss fossils have been recovered from as early as the Permian of Antarctica and Russia; although it has been claimed that tube-like fossils from the Silurian are the macerated remains of moss calyptræ.

Mosses are found chiefly in areas of low light and dampness. Mosses are common in wooded areas and at the edges of streams. Mosses are also found in cracks between paving stones in damp city streets. Some types have adapted to urban conditions and are found only in cities. A few species are wholly aquatic, such as Fontinalis antipyretica, and others such as Sphagnum inhabit bogs, marshes and very slow-moving waterways. Such aquatic or semi-aquatic mosses can greatly exceed the normal range of lengths seen in terrestrial mosses. Individual plants 20–30 cm or more long are common in Sphagnum species for example.

Wherever they occur, mosses require moisture to survive because of the small size and thinness of tissues, lack of cuticle (waxy covering to prevent water loss), and the need for liquid water to complete fertilisation. Some mosses can survive desiccation, returning to life within a few hours of rehydration.

In northern latitudes, the north side of trees and rocks will generally have more moss on average than other sides (though south-side outcroppings are not unknown). This is assumed to be because of the lack of sufficient water for reproduction on the sun-facing side of trees. South of the equator the reverse is true. In deep forests where sunlight does not penetrate, mosses grow equally well on all sides of the tree trunk.

[Galadriel]

Cat, this one is my own sweet Myrha

[Glance A'Lot]

Dogs

we had:





and I'd like to have:

or


Though this is my secret favorite:

The Leonberger!

[LaFille]

Myrha looks like she got out her best Halloween smile out in advance, there... Cute and funny. ;D

Leonberg are huge doggies; but they seem to have a very good temper. Newfoundlands too. Bernese Mountain dogs are beautiful and can be great, but unfortunately they overbred them a lot in the past years and there are genetic tares running more frequently within the breed because of that so you have to be careful when you get one; and their average lifespan is very short, barely 9 years...
This is my secret favorite. Beside my little orange monster, of course.

***

Elephas maximus borneensis (Borneo elephant, pygmy elephant; critically endangered specie)



The Borneo Elephant or Borneo Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) is a subspecies of the Asian Elephant and found in north Borneo (east Sabah and extreme north Kalimantan).

The origin of Borneo elephants was controversial. Two competing hypotheses argued that they are either indigenous, or were introduced, descending from elephants imported in the 16th–18th centuries. In 2003, mitochondrial DNA research has discovered that its ancestors separated from the mainland population during the Pleistocene, about 300,000 years ago. The Borneo elephant became isolated from other Asian elephant populations when land bridges that linked Borneo with the other Sunda Islands and the mainland disappeared after the Last Glacial Maximum, 18,000 years ago.

Since the Borneo elephant became isolated it has become smaller with relatively larger ears, longer tails, and relatively straight tusks. It is smaller than all the other subspecies of the Asian elephant. The Borneo elephant is also remarkably tame and passive, one reason scientists had thought it was descended from a domestic collection.

Wild Asian elephant populations are disappearing as expanding human development disrupts their migration routes, depletes their food sources, and destroys their habitat. Recognizing these elephants as native to Borneo makes their conservation a high priority and gives biologists important clues about how to manage them. In Aug 2007 it was reported that there are probably not more than 1,000 pygmy elephants left in Sabah, after a two year study by WWF.

[Glance A'Lot]

Since we were talking dogs, and we're on 'F', this was the obvious choice...


Flea

{...and if beaten gently I really could be persuaded to like your favorite, Fille! }

[Galadriel]

Great White Shark

The great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, also known as white pointer, white shark, or white death, is an exceptionally large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. Reaching lengths of about 6 metres (20 ft) and weighing up to 2,250 kilograms (5,000 lb), the great white shark is the world's largest known predatory fish. It is the only surviving species of its genus, Carcharodon.

Great white shark caught in a set-net in Seven Star Lake, Hualien County, Taiwan, on May 14, 1997. Gross weight of this animal was 2500 kilograms and total length is estimated(?) at 6.7 to 7.0 metres. Source of information is Victor Lin. Possibly the largest great white shark ever recorded.

Imagine one of these swimming next to you

[LaFille]

Sharks are cool... And they're a very good example of that evolution doesn't necessarily "improve" species or that top predators are less "biologically flawed" than other species. One thing that's funny is that sharks don't float, and that most of their "breathing" is done by the water passing through their gills when they're in motion; they have muscles that allow them to "breath" when they're still, but it's not efficient. Sooo... Life sucks when you're a shark and need to sleep.

Hyrax



A hyrax (from Greek ὑραξ 'shrewmouse'; Afrikaans: klipdassie) is any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. They live in Africa and the Middle East.

Hyraxes are well-furred rotund creatures with a mere stump for a tail. They are about the size of a Corgi; most measure between about 30 and 70 cm long and weigh between 2 and 5 kg. From a distance, a hyrax could be mistaken for a very well-fed rabbit or guinea pig.

Hyraxes retain a number of early mammal characteristics; in particular they have poorly developed internal temperature regulation (which they deal with by huddling together for warmth, and by basking in the sun like reptiles). Unlike other browsing and grazing animals, they do not have well developed incisors at the front of the jaw for slicing off leaves and grass, and need to use the teeth at the side of the jaw instead. Unlike the even-toed ungulates and some of the macropods, hyraxes do not chew cud to help extract nutrients from coarse, low-grade leaves and grasses. They do, however, have complex, multi-chambered stomachs which allow symbiotic bacteria to break down tough plant materials, and their overall ability to digest fibre is similar to that of the ungulates.

Scientists have recently reduced the number of distinct species of hyrax recognized. While as recently as 1995 there were eleven or more recognized species, there are only four recognized today. The remaining species are regarded as subspecies of the remaining four. In fact, there are over 50 recognized species and subspecies, though many are considered highly endangered.

Early Phoenician navigators mistook the rabbits of the Iberian Peninsula for hyraxes (Hebrew Shaphan); hence they named it I-Shapan-im, meaning "land of the hyraxes", which became the Latin word "Hispania", the root of Spain's modern Spanish name España and the English name Spain.

The word "rabbit, or "hare" was used instead of "hyrax" many times in some earlier English Bible translations. European translators of those times had no knowledge of the hyrax (Hebrew שָּׁפָן Shaphan), and therefore no name for them. There are references to hyraxes in the Old Testament which seem to mistakenly identify hyraxes and rabbits as ruminating animals. This is possibly because they "appear to be so from working the jaws on the grasses they live on."

Hyraxes are sometimes described as the closest living relative of the elephant. This is because they may share an ancestor in the distant past when hyraxes were larger and more diverse. However, the details of their relationship remain open to debate.

All modern hyraxes are members of the family Procaviidae (the only living family within the Hyracoidea) and are found only in Africa and the Middle East. In the past, however, hyraxes were more diverse and widespread. The order first appears in the fossil record over 40 million years ago, and for many millions of years hyraxes were the primary terrestrial herbivore in Africa, just as odd-toed ungulates were in the Americas. There were many different species, the largest of them about the weight of a small horse, the smallest the size of a mouse. During the Miocene, however, competition from the newly-developed bovids—very efficient grazers and browsers—pushed the hyraxes out of the prime territory and into marginal niches. Nevertheless, the order remained widespread, diverse and successful as late as the end of the Pliocene (about two million years ago) with representatives throughout most of Africa, Europe and Asia.

The descendants of the giant hyracoids evolved in different ways. Some became smaller, and gave rise to the modern hyrax family. Others appear to have taken to the water (perhaps like the modern capybara), and ultimately gave rise to the elephant family, and perhaps also the Sirenians (dugongs and manatees). DNA evidence supports this theory, and the small modern hyraxes share numerous features with elephants, such as toenails, excellent hearing, sensitive pads on their feet, small tusks, good memory, high brain functions compared to other similar mammals, and the shape of some of their bones.

Not all scientists support the contention that hyraxes are the closest living relative of the elephant, because while they both do have similar bones, Hyraxes do not have the same breasts as Elephants do (Elephants have the same breasts as humans and apes do). Some scientists say Hyraxes are more related to Ungulates such as deer than they are of elephants, T.S. Kemp's The Origin and Evolution of Mammals states that "Elephants (Proboscidea) and hyraxes (Hyracoidae) are both more closely related to manatees and dugongs (Sirenia) than they are to one another." Others state that both morphological and molecular based classifications reveal the Sirenians to be the closest living relatives of elephants, while hyraxes are closely related but form an outgroup to the assemblage of elephants, sirenians and extinct orders like Embrithopoda and Desmostylia.

[Glance A'Lot]

Insects

(Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined.[1] Insects may be found in nearly all environments on the planet, although only a small number of species occur in the oceans where crustaceans tend to predominate instead. There are approximately 5,000 dragonfly species, 2,000 praying mantis, 20,000 grasshopper, 170,000 butterfly and moth, 120,000 fly, 82,000 true bug, 360,000 beetle, and 110,000 bee, wasp and ant species described to date. Estimates of the total number of current species, including those not yet known to science, range from two million to fifty million, with newer studies favouring a lower figure of about six to ten million.

[LaFille]

Jackal



A jackal (from Turkish çakal, via Persian shaghal ultimately from Sanskrit sṛgālaḥ) is any of three (sometimes four) small to medium-sized members of the family Canidae, found in Africa, Asia and Southeastern Europe. Jackals fill a similar ecological niche to the Coyote in North America, that of scavengers and lesser predators. Their long legs and curved canine teeth are adapted for hunting small mammals, birds and reptiles. Blunt feet and fused leg bones give them a long-distance runner's physique, capable of maintaining speeds of 16km/h (10mph) (just over 6 min/mile) for extended periods of time. They are nocturnal, most active at dawn and dusk.

In jackal society the social unit is that of a monogamous pair which defends its territory from other pairs. These territories are defended by vigorously chasing intruding rivals and marking landmarks around the territory with urine and feces. The territory may be large enough to hold some young adults who stay with their parents until they establish their own territory. Jackals may occasionally assemble in small packs, for example to scavenge a carcass, but normally hunt alone or as a pair.

Jackals are considered close to what all ancestral canids looked and behaved like. Despite their outward similarity, these species are not considered closely related to one another. The Simian Jackal is actually a wolf that is thought to have taken on the appearance of a large fox or jackal through convergent evolution (by adopting a similar diet of small rodents), and the other three 'true jackals' are believed to have split from each other 6 mya. The Golden Jackal is thought to have evolved in Asia whilst the other two species evolved in Africa.

Species:
* Golden Jackal (Canis aureus)
* Side-striped Jackal (Canis adustus)
* Black-backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas)

The Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis) is sometimes called the Red or Simian Jackal, but is more closely related to the wolves.

[Glance A'Lot]

Kestrel



The Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel[1], or Old World Kestrel[2]. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called "the Kestrel".

This species occurs over a large range. It is widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as occasionally reaching the east coast of North America. The Common Kestrel is small compared with other birds of prey, but larger than most songbirds. Kestrels have long wings as well as a distinctive long tail like the other Falco species. This bird's plumage is mainly brown with dark spots. Unlike most hawks they display sexual colour dimorphism with the male having a blue-grey head and tail. The tail is brown with black bars in females, and has a black tip with a narrow white rim in both sexes. All Common Kestrels sexes have a prominent black malar stripe like their closest relatives.

Common Kestrels measure 34 – 38 cm (~13 – 15 in) from head to tail, with a wingspan of 70 – 80 cm (~27 – 31 in). The average adult male weighs around 155 g (~5½ oz) with the adult female weighing around 190 g (~6½ oz).

[LaFille]

Loris



Loris is the common name for the strepsirrhine primates of the subfamily Lorinae in family Lorisidae. Loris is one genus in this subfamily and represents the slender lorises, while Nycticebus is the genus for the slow lorises.

Lorisidae (or sometimes Loridae) is a family of strepsirrhine primates. The lorids are all slim arboreal animals and are the lorises, pottos and angwantibos.

Lorids live in tropical, central Africa as well as in south and southeast Asia.

Lorids have a close, woolly fur which is usually grey or brown colored, darker on the top side. The eyes are large and face forward. The ears are small and often partly hidden in the fur. The thumbs are opposable and the index finger is short. The second toe of the hind legs has a fine claw for grooming, typical for strepsirrhines. Their tails are short or are missing completely. They grow to a length of 17 to 40 cm and a weight of between 0.3 and 2 kg, depending on the species.

Lorids are diurnal and arboreal. Unlike the closely related galagos, some have slow deliberate movements, whilst others can move with some speed across branches, also, they never jump. It was previously thought that they all moved slowly, however after using red light it was seen to be wrong, though if they hear or see any potential predator, they will freeze or move slowly. With their strong hands they clasp at the branches and cannot be removed without significant force. Most lorids are solitary or live in small family groups.

The main diet of most lorids consists of insects, but they also consume bird eggs and small vertebrates as well as fruits and sap.

Lorids have a gestation period of four to six months and give birth to two young. These often clasp themselves to the belly of the mother or wait in nests, while the mother goes to search for food. After three to nine months - depending upon species - they are weaned and are fully mature within ten to eighteen months. The life expectancy of the lorises can be to up to 20 years.

[Glance A'Lot]

To change a little from animals - and in reverence to our Canadian friends (and the others who also honor this tree):

Maple

Symbolism

The flag of Canada depicts a stylized maple leaf and is a prominent national symbol. In the United States, the maple has been adopted by New York, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia. The Red Maple was adopted by Rhode Island as their official state tree.





Maples are mostly trees growing to 10-40 metres (30-130 ft) in height. Others are shrubs less than 10 metres tall with a number of small trunks originating at ground level. Most species are deciduous, but a few in southern Asia and the Mediterranean region are evergreen. Most are shade-tolerant when young, and are often late-successional in ecology; many of the smaller species are usually understory trees growing under the canopies of other larger trees, while the larger species eventually become dominant canopy trees. Maple root systems are typically dense and fibrous. A few species, notably Acer cappadocicum, frequently produce root sprouts, which can develop into clonal colonies.

Maples are distinguished by opposite leaf arrangement. The leaves in most species are palmate veined and lobed, with 3-9 (rarely to 13) veins each leading to a lobe, one of which is central or apical. A small number of species differ in having palmate compound, pinnate compound, pinnate veined or unlobed leaves. Several species, including Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple), Acer mandshuricum (Manchurian Maple), Acer maximowiczianum (Nikko Maple), and Acer triflorum (Three-flowered Maple), have trifoliate leaves. One species, Acer negundo (Manitoba Maple), has pinnately compound leaves that may be simply trifoliate or may have five, seven, or rarely nine leaflets. A few, such as Acer laevigatum and Acer carpinifolium (Hornbeam Maple), have pinnately-veined simple leaves.

The flowers are regular, pentamerous, and borne in racemes, corymbs, or umbels. They have four or five sepals, four or five petals about 1–6 mm long (absent in some species), four to ten stamens about 6-10 mm long, and two pistils or a pistil with two styles. The ovary is superior and has two carpels, whose wings elongate the flowers, making it easy to tell which flowers are female. Maples flower in late winter or early spring, in most species with or just after the leaves appear, but in some before them.

Maple flowers are green, yellow, orange or red. Though individually small, the effect of an entire tree in flower can be striking in several species. Some maples are an early spring source of pollen and nectar for bees.

The distinctive fruit are called samaras or "maple keys". These seeds occur in distinctive pairs each containing one seed enclosed in a "nutlet" attached to a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue. They are shaped to spin as they fall and to carry the seeds a considerable distance on the wind. Seed maturation is usually in a few weeks to six months after flowering, with seed dispersal shortly after maturity. Most species require stratification in order to germinate, and some seeds can remain dormant in the soil for several years before germinating.