Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching 27.5 (m) in height, it is a large, striking evergreen tree, with large dark green leaves up to 20 (cm) long and 12 (cm) wide, and large, white, fragrant flowers up to 30 (cm) in diameter.Although endemic to the evergreen lowland subtropical forests on the Gulf and south Atlantic coastal plain, "Magnolia grandiflora" is widely cultivated in warmer areas around the world. The timber is hard and heavy, and has been used commercially to make furniture, pallets, and veneer.


Misumena vatia is a species of crab spider with a holarctic distribution. In North America, it is called the goldenrod crab spider or flower (crab) spider, as it is commonly found hunting in goldenrod sprays and milkweed plants. They are called crab spiders because of their unique ability to walk sideways as well as forwards and backwards. Both males and females of this species progress through several molts before reaching their adult sizes, though females must molt more to reach their larger size. Females can grow up to 10 (mm) while males are quite small, reaching 5 (mm) at most. "Misumena vatia" are usually yellow or white or a pattern of these two colors. They may also present with pale green or pink instead of yellow, again, in a pattern with white. They have the ability to change between these colors based on their surroundings through the molting process. They have a complex visual system, with eight eyes, that they rely on for prey capture and for their color-changing abilities. Sometimes, if "Misumena vatia" consumes colored prey, the spider itself will take on that color."Misumena vatia" feed on common insects, often consuming prey much larger than themselves. They use venom to immobilize their prey, though they are harmless to humans. They face threats due to parasites and larger insects. For "Misumena vatia," survival depends on the choice of hunting site. The spiders closely monitor multiple sites to see if others nearby are frequented by greater numbers of potential prey. The primary sex ratio is biased toward females. Females are stationary and choose a flower to settle on, while males cover great distances searching for mates. Females do not emit pheromones, rather, they leave "draglines" of silk behind them as they move, which males follow. Females live longer than males, on average. After mating, females guard their nests until the young have hatched, after which they die.


The white-lipped snail or garden banded snail, scientific name "Cepaea hortensis", is a medium-sized species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Helicidae. It is a close relative of the Grove Snail.


The ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) is a small songbird of the New World warbler family (Parulidae). This migratory bird breeds in eastern North America and winters in Central America, many Caribbean islands, Florida and northern Venezuela.


The cane toad (Rhinella marina), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the Caribbean, as well as Northern Australia. It is a member of the genus "Rhinella", which includes many true toad species found throughout Central and South America, but it was formerly assigned to the genus "Bufo".The cane toad is an old species. A fossil toad (specimen UCMP 41159) from the La Venta fauna of the late Miocene in Colombia is indistinguishable from modern cane toads from northern South America. It was discovered in a floodplain deposit, which suggests the "R. marina" habitat preferences have long been for open areas. The cane toad is a prolific breeder; females lay single-clump spawns with thousands of eggs. Its reproductive success is partly because of opportunistic feeding: it has a diet, unusual among anurans, of both dead and living matter. Adults average 10 – 15 (cm) in length; the largest recorded specimen had a snout-vent length of 24 (cm).The cane toad has poison glands, and the tadpoles are highly toxic to most animals if ingested. Its toxic skin can kill many animals, both wild and domesticated, and cane toads are particularly dangerous to dogs. Because of its voracious appetite, the cane toad has been introduced to many regions of the Pacific and the Caribbean islands as a method of agricultural pest control. The common name of the species is derived from its use against the cane beetle ("Dermolepida albohirtum"), which damages sugar cane. The cane toad is now considered a pest and an invasive species in many of its introduced regions. The 1988 film "" documented the trials and tribulations of the introduction of cane toads in Australia.


The western yellow-bellied racer ("Coluber constrictor mormon"), also known as the western yellowbelly racer or western racer, is a snake subspecies endemic to the Western United States, including California, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Montana and Colorado. It is a subspecies of the eastern racer. It is nonvenomous and is recognized by its long and very slender shape. It is visually similar to the eastern yellow-bellied racer, which is also green, blue or brown with a recognizable yellow underside. Also named for its color, the western yellow-bellied racer is also gray with red or brown blotches when young.


Trifolium dubium, the lesser trefoil, suckling clover, little hop clover or lesser hop trefoil, is a flowering plant in the pea and clover family Fabaceae. This species is generally accepted as the primary plant to represent the traditional Irish shamrock.It is native to Europe, but can be found in many parts of the world as an introduced species.It is probably an allotetraploid with 2n=32 that arose from the crossing of "Trifolium campestre" and "T. micranthum".


The grey-cheeked thrush (Catharus minimus) is a medium-sized thrush. This species is 15–17 (cm) in length, and has the white-dark-white underwing pattern characteristic of "Catharus" thrushes. It is a member of a close-knit group of migrant species together with the veery and Bicknell's thrush; it forms a cryptic species pair with the latter. The grey-cheeked thrush is all but indistinguishable from Bicknell's thrush except by its slightly larger size and different song. The two were formerly considered conspecific. Of all the American spotted thrushes, the grey-cheeked has the most northern breeding range.


The chestnut-backed chickadee ("Poecile rufescens", formerly "Parus rufescens") is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae.It is found in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and western Canada, from southern Alaska to southwestern California. It is a permanent resident within its range, with some seasonal movements as feeding flocks move short distances in search of food. They usually move to lower elevations in the same area upon onset of winter and move back up to higher elevations in late summer.Chickadees are able to use nocturnal hypothermia to regulate energy expenditure, allowing them to survive harsh winters where other bird species not utilizing thermal regulation would not be able to. Some estimates put the energy conserved while using nocturnal hypothermia all the way up to 32%.It is a small chickadee, 11.5 - 12.5 (cm) long with a weight of 8.5 - 12.6 (g). The head is dark blackish-brown with white cheeks, the mantle is bright rufous-brown, the wing feathers are dark gray with paler fringes. The underparts are white to pale grayish-white, with rufous or pale gray flanks. It is often considered the most handsome of all chickadees. They often move through the forest in mixed feeding flocks, and are often seen in large groups with bushtits and warblers.There are three subspecies, with the flanks being grayer and less rufous further south:"Poecile rufescens rufescens" (Townsend, 1837). Alaska south to northwest California. Broad rufous band on flanks."Poecile rufescens neglectus" (Ridgway, 1879). Coastal central California (Marin County). Narrow rufous band on flanks."Poecile rufescens barlowi" (Grinnell, 1900). Coastal southwestern California (south of San Francisco Bay). Almost no rufous color on flanks.Its habitat is low elevation coniferous and mixed coniferous forests. In the San Francisco Bay Area this bird has readily adapted to suburban settings, prompting a range expansion. It is a cavity-nester, usually utilizing an abandoned woodpecker hole, but sometimes excavating on its own. Chestnut-backed chickadees use much fur and hair to make their nests. Their nests are actually 50% fur and hair. The most common hair they use comes from deer, rabbits, and coyotes. The adult chickadees also make a layer of fur about a centimeter thick which is used to cover the eggs on the nest whenever they leave the nest. It lays 5–8 (sometimes 9) eggs per clutch.Its food is largely insects and other invertebrates gleaned from foliage. Chestnut-backed chickadees take some seeds, especially those of conifers, and fruit. It will visit bird feeders, including hummingbird feeders, and especially loves suet.Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the chestnut-backed chickadee is sister to the boreal chickadee ("Poecile hudsonicus").


Scaphiopus holbrookii, commonly known as the eastern spadefoot, is a species of American spadefoot toad (family Scaphiopodidae) endemic to North America.


Andricus quercuscalifornicus (occasionally "Andricus californicus"), or the California gall wasp, is a small wasp species that induces oak apple galls on white oaks, primarily the Valley Oak ("Quercus lobata") but also other species such as "Quercus berberidifolia". The California gall wasp is considered an ecosystem engineer, capable of manipulating the growth of galls for their own development. It is found from Washington, Oregon, and California to northern regions of Mexico. Often multiple wasps in different life stages occupy the same gall. The induced galls help establish complex insect communities, promoting the diversification in niche differentiation. Furthermore, the adaptive value of these galls could be attributed their ecological benefits such as nutrition, provision of microenvironment, and enemy avoidance.


The hadada ibis ("Bostrychia hagedash"), also called hadeda, is an ibis native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named for its loud three to four note calls uttered in flight especially in the mornings and evenings when they fly out or return to their roost trees. Although not as dependent on water as some ibises, they are found near wetlands and often live in close proximity to humans, foraging in cultivated land and gardens. A medium-sized ibis with stout legs and a typical down-curved bill, the wing coverts are iridescent with a green or purple sheen. They are non-migratory but are known to make nomadic movements in response to rain particularly during droughts. Their ranges in southern Africa have increased with an increase in tree cover and irrigation in human-altered habitats.


The fork-tailed drongo, also called the common drongo, African drongo, or savanna drongo ("Dicrurus adsimilis"), is a small bird that can be found in a very substancial range, from the Sahel to South Africa, excepting the Congolian rainforests and Upper Guinean forests. They are a passerine, part of the family, Dicruridae, with four recognized subspecies. Physically this species is characterized with a narrow fork-shaped tail, red-brownish eyes, and black plumage throughout all of his body. As an omnivorous species, its diet consists of small insects, composing of butterflies, grasshoppers and beetles, besides fruit, including those of "Azadirachta indica" and "Moringa oleifera".The fork-tailed drongo is known for his ability to deceptively mimic other bird alarm calls in order for a certain animal to flee the scene so he can steal their food (kleptoparasitism). They are also notorious for displaying an aggressive and fearless behaviour by attacking and chasing off much larges animals, including birds of prey. When their nest or young are threatened. Due to his extensive range and stable population, the fork-tailed drongo is classified by the IUCN Red List as an least-concern species.


The Lapland longspur ("Calcarius lapponicus"), also known as the Lapland bunting, is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae, a group separated by most modern authors from the Fringillidae (Old World finches).


Trillium chloropetalum, also known as giant trillium, giant wakerobin, or common trillium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is endemic to the western U.S. state of California, being especially frequent in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.


Calochortus amabilis (syn. "C. pulchellus" var. "amabilis") is a species of the genus "Calochortus" in the family Liliaceae. It is also known by the common names Diogenes' lantern, yellow globe-tulip, golden globe-tulip, yellow globe lily, golden fairy lantern, golden lily-bell, Chinese lantern, and short lily.


Duttaphrynus melanostictus is commonly called Asian common toad, Asian black-spined toad, Asian toad, black-spectacled toad, common Sunda toad, and Javanese toad. It is probably a complex of more than one true toad species that is widely distributed in South and Southeast Asia.The species grows to about 20 (cm) long. Asian common toads breed during the monsoon, and their tadpoles are black. Young toads may be seen in large numbers after monsoon rains finish.


Toxicodendron diversilobum (syn. "Rhus diversiloba"), commonly named Pacific poison oak or western poison oak, is a woody vine or shrub in the sumac family, Anacardiaceae. It is widely distributed in western North America, inhabiting conifer and mixed broadleaf forests, woodlands, grasslands, and chaparral biomes. Peak flowering occurs in May. Like other members of the genus "Toxicodendron", "T. diversilobum" causes itching and allergic rashes in most people after contact by touch or smoke inhalation. Despite its name, it is not closely related to oaks.


The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family (Recurvirostridae). The scientific name "H. himantopus" is sometimes applied to a single, almost cosmopolitan species. Alternatively, it is restricted to the form that is widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa, which equals the nominate group of "Himantopus himantopus" "sensu lato" (whereas the black-necked, "H. mexicanus", and white-backed stilt, "H. melanurus", both inhabit the Americas, and the pied stilt, "H. leucocephalus", inhabit southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand). Most sources today accept 1–4 species. The scientific name "Himantopus" comes from the Greek meaning "strap foot" or "thong foot".


The bluethroat  (Luscinia svecica) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It, and similar small European species, are often called  chats.
It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in wet birch wood or bushy swamp in Europe and across the Palearctic with a foothold in western Alaska. It nests in tussocks or low in dense bushes. It winters in north Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
The bluethroat is similar in size to the European robin at 13–14 cm. It is plain brown above except for the distinctive black tail with red side patches. It has a strong white supercilium. Despite the distinctive appearance of the males, recent genetic studies show only limited variation between the forms, and confirm that this is a single species. Moults begins in July after breeding and is completed in 40–45 days, before the birds migrate.The male has a varied and very imitative song. Its call is a typical chat chack noise.


Calvatia gigantea, commonly known as the giant puffball, is a puffball mushroom commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous forests usually in late summer and autumn. It is found in temperate areas throughout the world.


The painted redstart or painted whitestart (Myioborus pictus) is a species of New World warbler found in mountainous areas across inland Central America. They are among the largest warblers, reaching the length of 6 (in), tail included. Adult birds have glossy black plumage, with white strips on the wing and a bright red belly. Female and male birds have similar appearance. Female painted redstarts have a rare feature of being as good singers as the males.


Podophyllum is a genus of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native from Afghanistan to China, and from southeast Canada to the central and eastern United States. The genus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.


American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), also known as American storax, hazel pine, bilsted, redgum, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, alligatorwood, or simply sweetgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus "Liquidambar" native to warm temperate areas of eastern North America and tropical montane regions of Mexico and Central America. Sweetgum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern United States, and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. It is recognizable by the combination of its five-pointed star-shaped leaves (similar to maple leaves) and its hard, spiked fruits. It is currently classified in the plant family Altingiaceae, but was formerly considered a member of the Hamamelidaceae.


The blue spruce ("Picea pungens"), also commonly known as green spruce, white spruce, Colorado spruce, or Colorado blue spruce, is a species of spruce tree. It is native to North America, and is found in USDA growing zones 1 through 7. It is found naturally in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. It has been widely introduced elsewhere and is used as an ornamental tree in many places far beyond its native range. The blue spruce has blue-green colored needles and is a coniferous tree.


Sherardia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. The genus contains only one species, viz. Sherardia arvensis or (blue) field madder, which is widespread across most of Europe and northern Africa as well as southwest and central Asia (from Turkey to Saudi Arabia to Kazakhstan) and Macaronesia (Canary Islands, Azores, Madeira, Savage Islands). It is also reportedly naturalized in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Kerguelen, Ethiopia, Sudan, southern Africa, Mexico, Costa Rica, South America, Bermuda, Cuba, Haiti and much of Canada and the United States (especially the Pacific States and the lower Mississippi Valley).


Wyethia glabra is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Coast Range mule's ears. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the North and Central Coast Ranges. It is a perennial herb growing from a tough taproot and caudex unit and producing a stem up to 40 centimeters tall. It is hairless to hairy and glandular. The leaves have lance-shaped or oval blades up to 45 centimeters long. The inflorescence is usually a solitary flower head or occasionally a cluster of 2 or more. The head has lance-shaped leaflike phyllaries at the base. It contains up to 21 yellow ray florets each up to 5 centimeters long and many yellow disc florets. The fruit is an achene over a centimeter long, including its pappus.


The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding mostly on the tundra. It has a number of unique adaptations to its habitat and lifestyle, which are quite distinct from other extant owls. One of the largest species of owl, it is the only owl with largely white plumage. Males tend to be a purer white overall while females tend to more have more extensive flecks of dark brown. Juvenile male snowy owls have dark markings that may appear similar to females until maturity, at which point they typically turn whiter. The composition of brown markings about the wing, although not foolproof, is the most reliable technique to age and sex individual snowy owls.Most owls sleep during the day and hunt at night, but the snowy owl is often active during the day, especially in the summertime. The snowy owl is both a specialized and generalist hunter. Its breeding efforts and entirely global population are closely tied to the availability of tundra-dwelling lemmings but in the non-breeding season and occasionally during breeding the snowy owl can adapt to almost any available prey, most often other small mammals and northerly water birds (as well as, opportunistically, carrion). Snowy owls typically nest on a small rise on the ground of the tundra. The snowy owl lays a very large clutch of eggs, often from about 5 to 11, with the laying and hatching of eggs considerably staggered. Despite the short Arctic summer, the development of the young takes a relatively long time and independence is sought in autumn.The snowy owl is a nomadic bird, rarely breeding at the same locations or with the same mates on an annual basis and often not breeding at all if prey is unavailable. A largely migratory bird, snowy owls can wander almost anywhere close to the Arctic, sometimes unpredictably irrupting to the south in large numbers. Given the difficulty of surveying such an unpredictable bird, there was little in depth knowledge historically about the snowy owl's status. However, recent data suggests the species is declining precipitously. Whereas the global population was once estimated at over 200,000 individuals, recent data suggests that there are probably fewer than 100,000 individuals globally and that the number of successful breeding pairs is 28,000 or even considerably less. While the causes are not well-understood, numerous, complex environment factors often correlated with global warming are probably at the forefront of the fragility of the snowy owl's existence.


Ratibida pinnata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names pinnate prairie coneflower, gray-head coneflower, yellow coneflower, and prairie coneflower. It is native to the central and eastern United States and Ontario in Canada.This species is a perennial herb which can well exceed one meter in height. It has fibrous roots and rhizomes or woody caudices. The rough-haired, glandular leaves are up to 40 (cm) long and are divided into several large lance-shaped or oval lobes. The inflorescences are tall, generally far above the highest leaves. Each flower head contains up to 15 yellow ray florets up to 6 (cm) long. The center of the flower is globular or oval in shape and measures up to 2.5 (cm) long. It is covered in up to 200 or more disc florets which are yellow-green to purplish in color. The disc heads have a scent reminiscent of anise when crushed.This plant grows in prairies, on the margins of woods, and on roadsides. It can grow in moist or dry habitat. It is hardy and not easily outcompeted by other plants.This plant is grown as an ornamental garden plant. It is attractive to butterflies and birds. Cultivars include 'Sunglow'.


The common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) is a New World warbler. In the U.S. Midwest, it is also known as the yellow bandit. It is an abundant breeder in North America, ranging from southern Canada to central Mexico. The genus name "Geothlypis" is from Ancient Greek "geo", "ground", and "thlupis", an unidentified small bird; "thlypis" is often used in the scientific names of New World warblers. The specific "trichas" is also from Greek; ' is a kind of thrush, the word being derived from ', "hair".


The common eider (pronounced ) (Somateria mollissima), also called St. Cuthbert's duck or Cuddy's duck, is a large (50 – 71 (cm) in body length) sea-duck that is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. It breeds in Arctic and some northern temperate regions, but winters somewhat farther south in temperate zones, when it can form large flocks on coastal waters. It can fly at speeds up to 113 (km/h).The eider's nest is built close to the sea and is lined with eiderdown, plucked from the female's breast. This soft and warm lining has long been harvested for filling pillows and quilts, but in more recent years has been largely replaced by down from domestic farm-geese and synthetic alternatives. Although eiderdown pillows or quilts are now a rarity, eiderdown harvesting continues and is sustainable, as it can be done after the ducklings leave the nest with no harm to the birds.


The ailanthus webworm (Atteva aurea) is an ermine moth now found commonly in the United States. It was formerly known under the scientific name "Atteva punctella" (see Taxonomy section). This small, very colorful moth resembles a true bug or beetle when not in flight, but in flight it resembles a wasp.


Nyctemera annulata, the magpie moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1832. It is endemic to New Zealand and found in all parts of the country.


Arctostaphylos glauca is a species of manzanita known by the common name bigberry manzanita. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in the chaparral and woodland of coastal and inland hills.


The olive-sided flycatcher ("Contopus cooperi") is a small to medium sized passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the Tyrant flycatcher family. It is a migratory species that travels from South to North America to breed during the summer. It is a very agile flyer and mainly consumes flying insects on flight. Since 2016, this species has been assessed as being near-threatened globally (IUCN) and threatened in Canada (SRA) due to its declining populations.


The boreal chorus frog ("Pseudacris maculata") is a species of chorus frog native to Canada from central Quebec to eastern British Columbia and north to the Northwest Territories and the southern portion of the Yukon. It occurs in the USA throughout Montana, northwestern Wisconsin, northeastern Arizona, northern New Mexico, and southwestern Utah.


The buff-breasted sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis) is a small shorebird. The species name "subruficollis" is from Latin "subrufus", "reddish" (from "sub", "somewhat", and "rufus", "rufous") and "collis", "-necked/-throated" (from "collum", "neck"). It is a calidrid sandpiper.


The common whitetail or long-tailed skimmer ("Plathemis lydia") is a common dragonfly across much of North America, with a striking and unusual appearance. The male's chunky white body (about 5 cm or 2 inches long), combined with the brownish-black bands on its otherwise translucent wings, give it a checkered look. Females have a brown body and a different pattern of wing spots, closely resembling that of female "Libellula pulchella", the twelve-spotted skimmer. Whitetail females can be distinguished by their smaller size, shorter bodies, and white zigzag abdominal stripes; the abdominal stripes of "L. puchella" are straight and yellow.The common whitetail can be seen hawking for mosquitoes and other small flying insects over ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers in most regions except the higher mountain regions. Periods of activity vary between regions; for example in California, the adults are active from April to September.Like all perchers, common whitetails often rest on objects near the water, and sometimes on the ground. Males are territorial, holding a 10 to 30 (m) of the water's edge, and patrolling it to drive off other males. The white pruinescence on the abdomen, found only in mature males, is displayed to other males as a territorial threat.The nymphs are dark green or brown, but are usually found covered in algae. They feed on aquatic invertebrates such as mayfly larvae and small crayfish, and also on small aquatic vertebrates such as tadpoles and minnows. Because of their abundance, whitetail naiads are in turn an important food source for various fish, frogs, and birds, and also for other aquatic insects.Some authorities classify the whitetails, including the common whitetail, in genus "Libellula" rather than "Plathemis". This matter has been debated at least since the end of the nineteenth century. Recent molecular systematics evidence suggests that separation of the whitetails from the rest of "Libellula" may be appropriate.


Panoquina ocola, the ocola skipper or long-winged skipper, is a species of butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Paraguay north through tropical America and the West Indies to south Texas, and strays occur north to southeast Arizona, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, southern Ontario, and New York.The wingspan is 35–43 mm.The larvae feed on "Oryza sativa", "Saccharum officinarum" and "Hymenachne amplexicaulis".


Apodemia mormo (Mormon metalmark) is a principally Nearctic butterfly in the family Riodinidae. It is a particularly fascinating species for ecological and evolutionary research, as evidenced by its shifting taxonomic classifications. Conflicting observations of host plants utilized, distinctive morphologies, and a wide range of occupied habitats have prompted investigation into several potential subspecies. To date, two genetic studies have been done on "A. mormo", with analysis revealing that disjunct populations are genetically and phenotypically distinct. These studies support a potential need for refined taxonomies, although a larger body of data is required to make clear decisions.Populations of "A. mormo" are widely distributed throughout western North America, with peripheral colonies located in Canada and Mexico. The Canadian populations have historically lacked scientific study, prompting a series of investigations in the past decade. "A. mormo" is the only representative of the family "Riodinidae", a primarily Neotropic family consisting of roughly 1500 species, that lives in Canada.Three populations of "A. mormo" have been given conservation statuses: the Saskatchewan population is listed as threatened, while both the British Columbia and Comstock Lange populations are classified as endangered. Conservation efforts are complicated by a dependency on human activity for habitat success. Soil disturbances, caused by human and railway traffic, are critical for the survival of host plants and subsequent "A. mormo" populations; however, overbearing human presence can lead to habitat destruction. Conservation statuses have been repeatedly defended by research, and recovery strategies developed in response.


Diaphania hyalinata, the melonworm moth, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is found in eastern North America, south to Central and South America, including Suriname and the Caribbean.The wingspan is 27–30 mm. The wings are pearly white centrally, and slightly iridescent, but are edged with a broad band of dark brown. Adults are on wing from October to November in the northern part of the range and all year round in multiple generations in Florida and further south.The larvae feed on various plants in the cucumber family, including cucumber, melon, pumpkin, and squash. They construct a loose silken structure under the leaves of their host plant.


Dryocampa rubicunda, the rosy maple moth, is a small North American moth in the family Saturniidae, also known as the great silk moths. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. The species is known for its wooly body and pink and yellow coloration, which varies from cream or white to bright pink or yellow. Males have bushier antennae than females, which allow them to sense female pheromones for mating.As the common name of the species implies, the preferred host trees are maple tree. Adult females lay their yellow ovular eggs in groups of 10 to 40 on the underside of maple leaves. The emerging caterpillars, also known as the greenstriped mapleworm, mainly feed on the leaves of their host maple trees, particularly red maple, silver maple, and sugar maple. Since the caterpillars eat the entire leaf blade, in dense populations, caterpillars have been known to defoliate trees, resulting in aesthetic rather than permanent damage. However, like all other Saturniid moths, the adult moths do not eat.


Mesembryanthemum cordifolium formerly known as "Aptenia cordifolia" is a species of succulent plant in the iceplant family. It is a creeping plant that forms a carpet of flat-growing perennial herbs in groups on the ground from a base. Genus name means middle-embryo flower in reference to the position of the ovary in the flower. The specific epithet is derived from Latin for heart-shaped leaves.


Nymphaea odorata, also known as the American white waterlily, fragrant water-lily, beaver root, fragrant white water lily, white water lily, sweet-scented white water lily, and sweet-scented water lily, is an aquatic plant belonging to the genus "Nymphaea". It can commonly be found in shallow lakes, ponds, and permanent slow moving waters throughout North America where it ranges from Central America to northern Canada. It is also reported from Brazil and Guyana.


The gray hairstreak ("Strymon melinus") is also called the bean lycaenid or cotton square borer. It is a member of the Lycaenidae family, known as the gossamer-winged butterflies and the second-largest family of butterflies. It is one of the most common hairstreaks in North America, ranging over nearly the entire continent. It also occurs throughout Central America and in northern South America.


The American golden plover (Pluvialis dominica), is a medium-sized plover. The genus name is Latin and means relating to rain, from "pluvia", "rain". It was believed that golden plovers flocked when rain was imminent. The species name "dominica" refers to Santo Domingo, now Hispaniola, in the West Indies.American golden plover and picked up the spores while lining their nests. Then when the birds arrive in new places they molt, leaving behind the feathers and their precious cargo to start growing again at the other end of the world.


The yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) is a regular North American bird species that can be commonly observed all across the continent. Its extensive distribution range connects both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. as well as Canada and Central America, with the population concentrating in the continent's northern parts during the breeding season and migrating southwards to southern North and Central America in Winter. The species generally prefers coniferous forests or mixed coniferous-deciduous forests as its breeding habitat, while during the winter it can be found inhabiting more open areas such as shrublands that offer food resources. The diet of the yellow-rumped warbler is based primarily on insects, though the species does eat fruits such as juniper berries as well, especially in winter. The species combines four closely related forms: the eastern myrtle warbler (spp. "coronata"); its western counterpart, Audubon's warbler (spp. group "auduboni"); the northwest Mexican black-fronted warbler (spp. "nigrifrons"); and the Guatemalan Goldman's warbler (spp. "goldmani"). All subspecies groups of the yellow-rumped warbler are characterized by the yellow rump as its name implies, while intra-group and inter-group variations in appearance exist in spite of many similarities. The myrtle and Audubon's groups, as two major subspecies, are distinguished by noticeable features such as different color of throat, etc.


Didymops transversa, the stream cruiser, is a species of emerald in the dragonfly family Macromiidae. It is found in North America.The IUCN conservation status of "Didymops transversa" is "LC", least concern, with no immediate threat to the species' survival. The population is stable. The IUCN status was reviewed in 2017.


The least grebe ("Tachybaptus dominicus"), an aquatic bird, is the smallest member of the grebe family. It occurs in the New World from the southwestern United States and Mexico to Argentina, and also on Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles.


Harpaphe haydeniana, commonly known as the yellow-spotted millipede, almond-scented millipede or cyanide millipede, is a species of polydesmidan ("flat-backed") millipede found in the moist forests along the Pacific coast of North America, from Southeast Alaska to California. The dark coloration with contrasting yellow-tipped keels warn of its ability to exude toxic hydrogen cyanide as a defense. Despite the various common names given the species, the coloration pattern, cyanide defense, and associated almond scent occur in other flat-backed millipedes around the world.


The mountain chickadee ("Poecile gambeli") is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae.


Lilium parvum is a species of lily known by the common names Sierra tiger lily and alpine lily. It is native to the mountains of the western United States, primarily the Sierra Nevada of California but also with additional populations in northwestern Nevada and southwestern Oregon. The plant grows in high altitude forests, sending up flowering stalks during the summer months.


Galinsoga quadriradiata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae which is known by several common names, including shaggy soldier, Peruvian daisy, hairy galinsoga. Its native home is apparently central Mexico, although it has become naturalized in many other places (North and South America, Europe, Japan, Philippines, the northern India, Nepal, etc.).


Viburnum opulus, the guelder-rose or guelder rose () is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae (formerly Caprifoliaceae) native to Europe, northern Africa and central Asia.


The green heron (Butorides virescens) is a small heron of North and Central America. "Butorides" is from Middle English "butor" "bittern" and Ancient Greek "-oides", "resembling", and "virescens" is Latin for "greenish".It was long considered conspecific with its sister species the striated heron ("Butorides striata"), and together they were called "green-backed heron". Birds of the nominate subspecies (no matter which taxonomic arrangement is preferred) are extremely rare vagrants to western Europe—for example, a sighting in Pembrokeshire in 2018 was only the second recorded sighting in Wales; individuals from the Pacific coast of North America may similarly stray as far as Hawaii.


Caenurgina crassiuscula, the clover looper or range grass moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1809. It is found from coast to coast in the United States and adjacent parts of Canada, in the west to the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska.The wingspan is 30–40 mm. Adults are on wing from March to November depending on the location.The larvae feed on various species of clover, grass, and lupine.


Macromia taeniolata, the royal river cruiser is a species of dragonfly in the family Macromiidae. It is a long, slender insect with bright green eyes and a dark brown body with yellow stripes. The sexes are alike. It is found along large streams and rivers.


Podocarpus totara (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and lower subalpine forest at elevations of up to 600 m.Tōtara is commonly found in lowland areas where the soil is fertile and well drained.


Clitocybe nuda, commonly known as the wood blewit and alternately described as Lepista nuda, is an edible mushroom native to Europe and North America. Described by Pierre Bulliard in 1790, it was also known as "Tricholoma nudum" for many years. It is found in both coniferous and deciduous woodlands. It is a fairly distinctive mushroom that is widely eaten, though there is some caution about edibility. Nevertheless, it has been cultivated in Britain, the Netherlands and France.


Dacrydium cupressinum, commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The former name "red pine" has fallen out of common use.


Lepturobosca is a genus of longhorned beetles in the family Cerambycidae.


The black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae.This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of "Systema Naturae" as "Larus tridactylus". The English name is derived from its call, a shrill 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake'. The genus name "Rissa" is from the Icelandic name "rita" for this bird, and the specific "tridactyla" is from Ancient Greek "tridaktulos", "three-toed", from "tri-", "three-" and "daktulos", "toe".In North America, this species is known as the black-legged kittiwake to differentiate it from the red-legged kittiwake, but in Europe, where it is the only member of the genus, it is often known just as kittiwake.


Sphaeropteris medullaris, synonym Cyathea medullaris, commonly known as mamaku or black tree fern, is a large tree fern up to 20 m tall. It is distributed across the south-west Pacific from Fiji to Pitcairn Island. Its other Māori names include katātā, kōrau, or pītau.


The proboscis bat ("Rhynchonycteris naso") is a species of bat found in South America and Central America. Other common names include Long-nosed proboscis bat, sharp-nosed bat, Brazilian long-nosed bat. and river bat It is the only species in the genus Rhynchonycteris.This species is in the family Emballonuridae, the sac-winged or sheath-tailed bats. Like most bats, it is nocturnal. It is found from southern Mexico to Belize, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, as well as in Trinidad.


Atriplex canescens (or chamiso, chamiza, four-wing saltbush) is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Amaranthaceae native to the western and midwestern United States.


The rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is a small hummingbird, about 8 (cm) long with a long, straight and slender bill. These birds are known for their extraordinary flight skills, flying 2000 (mi) during their migratory transits. It is one of nine species in the genus "Selasphorus".


Maianthemum stellatum (star-flowered, starry, or little false Solomon's seal, or simply false Solomon's seal; star-flowered lily-of-the-valley or starry false lily of the valley; syn. "Smilacina stellata") is a species of flowering plant, native across North America. It has been found in northern Mexico, every Canadian province and territory except Nunavut, and from every US state except Hawaii and the states of the Southeast. It has little white buds in the spring, followed by delicate starry flowers, then green-and-black striped berries, and finally deep red berries in the fall.


The golden-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) is a large New World sparrow found in the western part of North America.


Quercus kelloggii, the California black oak, also known as Kellogg oak, is an oak in the red oak section (genus "Quercus", section "Lobatae", series "Agrifoliae"), native to western North America. Although genetically separated from them for more than 20 million years, its leaves (though not its fruit) are remarkably similar in appearance to several other members of the red oak section including the red oak ("Quercus rubra") and the black oak ("Quercus velutina") found in eastern and central North America.


Gaillardia aestivalis is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name lanceleaf blanketflower. It is native to the south-central and southern United States from Texas east to Florida and north to the Carolinas, Arkansas, and Kansas. There are also reports of historical (now extirpated) populations in Missouri and introduced populations in Nebraska. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant."Gaillardia aestivalis" is a perennial herb, sometimes growing from a rhizome, reaching maximum heights around 60 centimeters (2 feet) or more. The leaves are borne alternately along the stem. They are variable in shape and up to 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) long. The ones toward the top may clasp the stem at their bases. The flower heads are lined with several phyllaries. There are usually 6 to 12 ray florets, sometimes up to 15, but sometimes none. These are variable in color, being purplish, yellowish, or whitish. There are many disc florets at the center, also variable in color, especially across the varieties. The fruit is an achene which may be up to a centimeter (0.4 inches) long, including its pappus of scales.There are three varieties of this plant. The rare var. "winkleri" (Winkler's blanketflower or white fire-wheel) is endemic to the Pineywoods of Texas.


The common box turtle ("Terrapene carolina") is a species of box turtle with six existing subspecies. It is found throughout the Eastern United States and Mexico. The box turtle has a distinctive hinged lowered shell (the box) that allows it to completely enclose itself. Its upper jaw is long and curved.The turtle is primarily terrestrial and eats a wide variety of plants and animals. The females lay their eggs in the summer. Turtles in the northern part of their range hibernate over the winter.Common box turtle numbers are declining because of habitat loss, roadkill, and capture for the pet trade. The species is classified as vulnerable to threats to its survival by the IUCN Red List. Three U.S. states name subspecies of the common box turtle as their official reptile.


Monadenia fidelis, common name the Pacific sideband, is a medium-sized species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Monadeniidae.This species of snail creates and uses love darts.


The rock dove, rock pigeon, or common pigeon ( also ; Columba livia) is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon".The domestic pigeon ("Columba livia domestica", which includes about 1,000 different breeds) descended from this species. Escaped domestic pigeons have increased the populations of feral pigeons around the world.Wild rock doves are pale grey with two black bars on each wing, whereas domestic and feral pigeons vary in colour and pattern. Few differences are seen between males and females. The species is generally monogamous, with two squabs (young) per brood. Both parents care for the young for a time.Habitats include various open and semi-open environments. Cliffs and rock ledges are used for roosting and breeding in the wild. Originally found wild in Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, pigeons have become established in cities around the world. The species is abundant, with an estimated population of 17 to 28 million feral and wild birds in Europe alone and up to 120 million worldwide.


Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walking, where one foot is always in contact with the ground, the legs are kept mostly straight and the center of gravity vaults over the stance leg or legs in an inverted pendulum fashion. A feature of a running body from the viewpoint of spring-mass mechanics is that changes in kinetic and potential energy within a stride occur simultaneously, with energy storage accomplished by springy tendons and passive muscle elasticity. The term running can refer to any of a variety of speeds ranging from jogging to sprinting.Running in humans is associated with improved health and life expectancy.It is assumed that the ancestors of humankind developed the ability to run for long distances about 2.6 million years ago, probably in order to hunt animals. Competitive running grew out of religious festivals in various areas. Records of competitive racing date back to the Tailteann Games in Ireland between 632 BCE and 1171 BCE, while the first recorded Olympic Games took place in 776 BCE. Running has been described as the world's most accessible sport.


The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a group are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". This event has a history in the ancient Olympic Games and has been a modern Olympic event for men since the first Olympics in 1896 and for women since 1948.


Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving them through the water on both sides of the craft, or moving one oar over the stern. A long, narrow boat with sliding seats, rigged with two oars per rower may be referred to as a scull, its oars may be referred to as sculls and a person rowing it referred to as sculler. Sculling is distinguished from sweep rowing, whereby each boat crew member employs an oar, complemented by another crew member on the opposite side with an oar, usually with each pulling it with two hands and from stern sculling, which uses an oar to propel a vessel with side-to-side movements from the stern.


Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, goofy golf, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played on courses consisting of a series of holes (usually a multiple of 9) similar to its parent, but characterized by their short length (usually within 10 yards from tee to cup).The game uses artificial putting surfaces (such as carpet, artificial turf, or concrete), a geometric layout often requiring non-traditional putting lines such as bank shots, and artificial obstacles such as tunnels, tubes, ramps, moving obstacles such as windmills, and walls of concrete, metal, or fiberglass. When miniature golf retains many of these characteristics but without the use of any props or obstacles, it is purely a mini version of its parent game.


American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with possession of the oval-shaped football, attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or passing it, while the defense, the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over the football to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive. Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins.American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of soccer and rugby. The first American football match was played on November 6, 1869, between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton, using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp, the "Father of American Football", established the snap, the line of scrimmage, eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs. Later rule changes legalized the forward pass, created the neutral zone and specified the size and shape of the football. The sport is closely related to Canadian football, which evolved in parallel with and at the same time as the American game, although its rules were developed independently from those of Camp. Most of the features that distinguish American football from rugby and soccer are also present in Canadian football. The two sports are considered the primary variants of gridiron football.American football is the most popular sport in the United States in terms of broadcast viewership audience. The most popular forms of the game are professional and college football, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. , nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually. The National Football League, the most popular American professional football league, has the highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world. Its championship game, the Super Bowl, ranks among the most-watched club sporting events in the world. The league has an annual revenue of around US$15 billion, making it the most valuable sports league in the world. Other professional leagues exist worldwide, but the sport does not have the international popularity of other American sports like baseball or basketball.


Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.


A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks instead of being slaughtered to harvest animal products. Some are beasts of burden (draught animals) that provide transportation (e.g. riding horses and camels) and aid in physical labor (e.g. oxens and elephants), while others are service animals trained to execute certain specialized tasks (e.g. hunting and guide dogs, messenger pigeons and fishing cormorants). They may also be used for milking or herding. Some, at the end of their working lives, may also be used for meat or other products such as leather.The history of working animals may predate agriculture, with dogs used by our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Around the world, millions of animals work in relationship with their owners. Domesticated species are often bred for different uses and conditions, especially horses and working dogs. Working animals are usually raised on farms, though some are still captured from the wild, such as dolphins and some Asian elephants.People have found uses for a wide variety of abilities in animals, and even industrialised societies use many animals for work. People use the strength of horses, elephants, and oxen to pull carts and move loads. Police forces use dogs for finding illegal substances and assisting in apprehending wanted persons, others use dogs to find game or search for missing or trapped people. People use various animals — camels, donkeys, horses, dogs, etc.—for transport, either for riding or to pull wagons and sleds. Other animals, including dogs and monkeys, help disabled people.On rare occasions, wild animals are not only tamed, but trained to perform work—though often solely for novelty or entertainment, as such animals tend to lack the trustworthiness and mild temper of true domesticated working animals. Conversely, not all domesticated animals are working animals. For example, while cats may catch mice, it is an instinctive behaviour, not one that can be trained by human intervention. Other domesticated animals, such as sheep or rabbits, may have agricultural uses for meat, hides and wool, but are not suitable for work. Finally, small domestic pets, such as most small birds (other than certain types of pigeon) are generally incapable of performing work other than providing companionship.


A puppy is a juvenile dog. Some puppies can weigh 1 - 1.5 (kg), while larger ones can weigh up to 7 - 11 (kg). All healthy puppies grow quickly after birth. A puppy's coat color may change as the puppy grows older, as is commonly seen in breeds such as the Yorkshire Terrier. "Puppy" refers specifically to young dogs, while "pup" may be used for other animals such as wolves, seals, giraffes, guinea pigs, rats or sharks.


Shingles, also known as zoster or herpes zoster, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide mark either on the left or right side of the body or face. Two to four days before the rash occurs there may be tingling or local pain in the area. Otherwise, there are typically few symptoms though some people may have fever or headache, or feel tired. The rash usually heals within two to four weeks; however, some people develop ongoing nerve pain which can last for months or years, a condition called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). In those with poor immune function the rash may occur widely. If the rash involves the eye, vision loss may occur.Shingles and chickenpox are distinct human diseases but are closely related in their life cycles. Both originate from infection of an individual with the varicella zoster virus (VZV). Chickenpox, also called varicella, results from the initial infection with the virus, typically occurring during childhood or adolescence. Once the chickenpox has resolved, the virus can remain inactive (dormant) in human nerve cells (dorsal root ganglia or cranial nerves) for years or decades, after which it may reactivate. Shingles results when the dormant varicella virus is reactivated. The virus then travels along nerve bodies to nerve endings in the skin, producing blisters. During an outbreak of shingles, exposure to the varicella virus found in shingles blisters can cause chickenpox in someone who has not yet had chickenpox; this initial infection will not trigger shingles, however. How the virus remains dormant in the body or subsequently re-activates is not well understood.Risk factors for reactivation of the dormant virus include old age, poor immune function, and having contracted chickenpox before 18 months of age. Diagnosis is typically based on the signs and symptoms presented. "Varicella zoster virus" is not the same as "herpes simplex virus", although they belong to the same family of herpesviruses.Shingles vaccines reduce the risk of shingles by 50% to 90%, depending on the vaccine used. Vaccination also decreases rates of postherpetic neuralgia, and, if shingles occurs, its severity. If shingles develops, antiviral medications such as aciclovir can reduce the severity and duration of disease if started within 72 hours of the appearance of the rash. Evidence does not show a significant effect of antivirals or steroids on rates of postherpetic neuralgia. Paracetamol, NSAIDs, or opioids may be used to help with acute pain.It is estimated that about a third of people develop shingles at some point in their lives. While shingles is more common among older people, children may also get the disease. According to the US National Institutes of Health, the number of new cases per year ranges from 1.2 to 3.4 per 1,000 person-years among healthy individuals to 3.9 to 11.8 per 1,000 person-years among those older than 65 years of age. About half of those living to age 85 will have at least one attack, and fewer than 5% will have more than one attack. Although symptoms can be severe, risk of death is very low: 0.28 to 0.69 deaths per million.The disease has been recognized since ancient times.


Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for "animal"). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by currents in the ocean, or by currents in seas, lakes or rivers. Zooplankton can be contrasted with phytoplankton, which are the plant component of the plankton community ("phyto" comes from the Greek word for "plant"). Zooplankton are heterotrophic (other-feeding), whereas phytoplankton are autotrophic (self-feeding). This means zooplankton cannot manufacture their own food but must eat other plants or animals instead — in particular they eat phytoplankton. Zooplankton are generally larger than phytoplankton, most are microscopic, but some (such as jellyfish) are macroscopic and can be seen with the naked eye.Many protozoans (single-celled protists that prey on other microscopic life) are zooplankton, including zooflagellates, foraminiferans, radiolarians, some dinoflagellates and marine microanimals. Macroscopic zooplankton include pelagic cnidarians, ctenophores, molluscs, arthropods and tunicates, as well as planktonic arrow worms and bristle worms.The distinction between plants and animals often breaks down in very small organisms. Recent studies of marine microplankton have indicated over half of microscopic plankton are mixotrophs. A mixotroph is an organism that can behave sometimes as though it were a plant, and sometimes as though it were an animal, using a mix of autotrophy and heterotrophy. Many marine microzooplankton are mixotrophic, which means they could also be classified as phytoplankton.


The Apicomplexa (also called Apicomplexia) are a large phylum of parasitic alveolates. Most of them possess a unique form of organelle that comprises a type of non-photosynthetic plastid called an apicoplast, and an apical complex structure. The organelle is an adaptation that the apicomplexan applies in penetration of a host cell.The Apicomplexa are unicellular and spore-forming. All species are obligate endoparasites of animals, except "Nephromyces", a symbiont in marine animals, originally classified as a chytrid fungus. Motile structures such as flagella or pseudopods are present only in certain gamete stages.The Apicomplexa are a diverse group that includes organisms such as the coccidia, gregarines, piroplasms, haemogregarines, and plasmodia.Diseases caused by Apicomplexa include: Babesiosis ("Babesia") Malaria ("Plasmodium") Cryptosporidiosis ("Cryptosporidium parvum") Cyclosporiasis ("Cyclospora cayetanensis") Cystoisosporiasis ("Cystoisospora belli" (formerly known as "Isospora Belli")) Toxoplasmosis ("Toxoplasma gondii")The name of the taxon Apicomplexa derives from two Latin words—"apex" (top) and "complexus" (infolds)—and refers to a set of organelles in the sporozoite. The Apicomplexa comprise the bulk of what used to be called the Sporozoa, a group of parasitic protozoans, in general without flagella, cilia, or pseudopods. Most of the Apicomplexa are motile, however, by use of a gliding mechanismthat uses adhesions and small static myosin motors. The other main lines were the Ascetosporea (now in Rhizaria), the Myxozoa (now known to be highly derived cnidarian animals), and the Microsporidia (now known to be derived from fungi). Sometimes, the name Sporozoa is taken as a synonym for the Apicomplexa, or occasionally as a subset.


Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the family Cyprinidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens. Smaller fish in the subfamily Leuciscinae are considered by anglers to be "true" minnows.


The crucian carp ("Carassius carassius") is a medium-sized member of the common carp family Cyprinidae. It occurs widely in northern European regions. Its name derives from the Low German "karusse" or "karutze", possibly from Medieval Latin "coracinus" (a kind of river fish).


The electric eels are a genus, Electrophorus, of neotropical freshwater fish from South America in the family Gymnotidae. They are known for their ability to stun their prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks at up to 860 volts. Their electrical capabilities were first studied in 1775, contributing to the invention in 1800 of the electric battery.Despite their name, electric eels are not closely related to the true eels (Anguilliformes) but are members of the electroreceptive knifefish order, Gymnotiformes. This order is more closely related to catfish. In 2019 it was discovered that there were three species of electric eel. Before that time, for over two centuries, the genus was believed to be monotypic, containing only "Electrophorus electricus."They are nocturnal, air-breathing animals, with poor vision complemented by electrolocation; they mainly eat fish. Electric eels grow for as long as they live, adding more vertebrae to their spinal column. Males are larger than females. Some captive specimens have lived for over 20 years.


The sea lamprey ("Petromyzon marinus") is a parasitic lamprey native to the Northern Hemisphere. It is sometimes referred to as the "vampire fish".


A ratite () is any of a diverse group of mostly flightless, large, long-necked, and long-legged birds of the infraclass Palaeognathae. Kiwi, the exception, are much smaller and shorter-legged and are the only nocturnal extant ratites.The systematics of and relationships within the paleognath clade have been in flux. Previously, all the flightless members had been assigned to the order Struthioniformes, which is more recently regarded as containing only the ostrich. The modern bird superorder Palaeognathae consists of ratites and the flighted Neotropic tinamous (compare to Neognathae). Unlike other flightless birds, the ratites have no keel on their sternum — hence the name, from the Latin "ratis" (raft, a vessel which has no keel - in contradistinction to extant flighted birds with a keel). Without this to anchor their wing muscles, they could not have flown even if they developed suitable wings. Ratites are a paraphyletic group; tinamous fall within them, and are the sister group of the extinct moa. This implies that flightlessness is a trait that evolved independently multiple times in different ratite lineages.Most parts of the former supercontinent Gondwana have ratites, or did have until the fairly recent past. So did Europe in the Paleocene and Eocene, from where the first flightless paleognaths are known. Ostriches were present in Asia as recently as the Holocene, although the genus is thought to have originated in Africa. However, the ostrich order may have evolved in Eurasia. A recent study posits a Laurasian origin for the clade. Geranoidids, which may have been ratites, existed in North America.


The accentors are a genus of birds in the family Prunellidae, which is endemic to the Old World. This small group of closely related passerines are all in the genus "Prunella". All but the dunnock and the Japanese accentor are inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Europe and Asia; these two also occur in lowland areas, as does the Siberian accentor in the far north of Siberia. These birds are not strongly migratory, but they will leave the coldest parts of their range in winter and make altitudinal movements.


The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds mostly restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia). These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing. The family includes 344 species and is divided into 51 genera.


Redstart is a name used for a number of songbirds that are not closely related to each other:Old world flycatcher family (Muscicapidae) "Phoenicurus", 14 species found in Africa, Asia and Europe Common redstart, a European species often known simply as "redstart" White-bellied redstart, an Asian species not closely related to the "Phoenicurus" redstartsNew world warbler family (Parulidae) "Myioborus", 12 species found in North and South America, also known as "whitestarts" American redstart, a species found in North and South America, not closely related to the genus "Myioborus"


Various Passeriformes (perching birds) are commonly referred to as warblers. They are not necessarily closely related to one another, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal, and insectivorous.


The yellowthroats are New World warblers in the genus "Geothlypis". Most members of the group have localised ranges in Mexico and Central America, but the masked yellowthroat has an extensive South American distribution, while the common yellowthroat breeds over much of North America.All the yellowthroats have similar plumage, with yellow-green upperparts, yellow breast, and a mainly black bill. The adult male has a black facemask of variable extent, usually bordered above with a grey band. The female is similar, but lacks the black mask, and may be duller in plumage.The breeding habitat of these warblers is typically marshes and other wet areas with dense low vegetation. The eggs, two in most species, but up to five for common yellowthroat, are laid in a lined cup nest low in grass or rank vegetation.Yellowthroat are usually seen in pairs, and do not associate with other species. They are often skulking, and feed on a range of insects.The taxonomy of these closely related species is complicated, and it is sometimes difficult to define which forms merit species status. For example common yellowthroat, Belding's yellowthroat, Altamira yellowthroat, and Bahama yellowthroat are sometimes considered conspecific. Conversely masked yellowthroat can be split to three or even four species. The name 'yellowthroat' is sometimes used as an alternate name for the yellow-throated leaflove.The geographical isolation of the various populations of this mainly sedentary group has led to its genetic divergence and speciation. This process can be seen in action in the case of masked yellowthroat, where the subspecies are separated by rainforest or the Andes, leading to the development of distinctive forms, such as the Central American race "Geothlypis aequinoctialis chiriquensis". This form is found in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama, and is separated by 1000 km from its South American cousins, from which it differs in size, appearance and vocalisations.The Kentucky warbler, mourning warbler, and MacGillivray's warbler, all previously thought to have been members of the genus "Oporornis", have since been moved to "Geothlypis".


New World orioles are a group of birds in the genus Icterus of the blackbird family. Unrelated to Old World orioles of the family Oriolidae, they are strikingly similar in size, diet, behavior, and strongly contrasting plumage. As a result, the two have been given the same vernacular name.Males are typically black and vibrant yellow or orange with white markings, females and immature birds duller. They molt annually. New World orioles are generally slender with long tails and a pointed bill. They mainly eat insects, but also enjoy nectar and fruit. The nest is a woven, elongated pouch. Species nesting in areas with cold winters are strongly migratory, while subtropical and tropical species are more sedentary.The name "oriole" was first recorded (in the Latin form "oriolus") by the German Dominican friar Albertus Magnus in about 1250, which he stated to be onomatopoeic, from the song of the European golden oriole.One of the species in the genus, Bahama oriole, is critically endangered.The genus "Icterus" was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the Venezuelan troupial as the type species. The name is the Latin word for a yellow bird, probably the Eurasian golden oriole.The genus name "Icterus" as used by classical authors, referred to a bird with yellow or green plumage. "Icterus" is from Greek ἴκτερος ("íkteros", “jaundice”); the "ictērus" was a bird the sight of which was believed to cure jaundice, perhaps the Eurasian golden oriole. Brisson re-applied the name to the New World birds because of their similarity in appearance.


Gracula is a genus of mynas, tropical members of the starling family of birds found in southern Asia and introduced to Florida in the United States.


Currawongs are three species of medium-sized passerine birds belonging to the genus Strepera in the family Artamidae native to Australia. These are the grey currawong ("Strepera versicolor"), pied currawong ("S. graculina"), and black currawong ("S. fuliginosa"). The common name comes from the call of the familiar pied currawong of eastern Australia and is onomatopoeic. They were formerly known as crow-shrikes or bell-magpies. Despite their resemblance to crows and ravens, they are only distantly related to the corvidae, instead belonging to an Afro-Asian radiation of birds of superfamily Malaconotoidea.They are not as terrestrial as the magpie and have shorter legs. They are omnivorous, foraging in foliage, on tree trunks and limbs, and on the ground, taking insects and larvae (often dug out from under the bark of trees), fruit, and the nestlings of other birds. They are distinguishable from magpies and crows by their comical flight style in amongst foliage, appearing to almost fall about from branch to branch as if they were inept flyers.


Thrashers are a New World group of passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the family Mimidae. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genera.These do not form a clade but are a phenetic assemblage. It is rather likely than not — though by no means robustly supported — that the sage thrasher is a basal lineage among a group also consisting of mockingbirds and "Toxostoma" thrashers. The Caribbean thrashers occupy varying positions in an assemblage consisting of them, the tremblers, and the New World catbirds. Here, the white-breasted thrasher appears to be quite basal though it is impossible to place it anywhere with certainty, whereas the pearly-eyed thrasher is probably quite close to the tremblers. (Hunt "et al." 2001, Barber "et al." 2004)Their common name describes the behaviour of these birds when searching for food on the ground: they use their long bills to "thrash" through dirt or dead leaves. All of these birds eat insects and several species also eat berries.


Delichon is a small genus of passerine birds that belongs to the swallow family and contains four species called house martins. These are chunky, bull-headed and short-tailed birds, blackish-blue above with a contrasting white rump, and with white or grey underparts. They have feathering on the toes and tarsi that is characteristic of this genus. The house martins are closely related to other swallows that build mud nests, particularly the "Hirundo" barn swallows. They breed only in Europe, Asia and the mountains of North Africa. Three species, the common, Siberian and Asian house martins, migrate south in winter, while the Nepal house martin is resident in the Himalayas year-round.The house martins nest in colonies on cliffs or buildings, constructing feather- or grass-lined mud nests. The typical clutch is two or three white eggs; both parents build the nest, incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. These martins are aerial hunters of small insects such as flies and aphids. Despite their flying skills the "Delichon" martins are sometimes caught by fast-flying birds of prey. They may carry fleas or internal parasites. None of the species are considered threatened, although widespread reductions in common house martin numbers have been reported from central and northern Europe. This decline is due to factors including poor weather, poisoning by agricultural pesticides, lack of mud for nest building and competition with house sparrows for nest sites.


The bushshrikes are smallish passerine birds. They were formerly classed with the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, but are now considered sufficiently distinctive to be separated from that group as the family Malaconotidae, a name that alludes to their fluffy back and rump feathers.Like their shrike-like relatives, the helmetshrikes, the bushshrikes have arisen in Africa in relatively recent times. The family is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa but completely absent from Madagascar, where the vangas are their closest relatives. They are found in scrub or open woodland, and less often in marshes, Afromontane or tropical forest. They are similar in habits to shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush. Although similar in build to the shrikes, these tend to be either colourful species or largely black; some species are quite secretive.Some bushshrikes have flamboyant displays. The male puffbacks puff out the loose feathers on their rump and lower back, to look almost ball-like.These are mainly insectivorous forest or scrub birds. Up to four eggs are laid in a cup nest in a tree.


The Accipitriformes (; from Latin "accipiter"/"accipitri-" "hawk", and New Latin "-formes" "having the form of") are an order of birds that includes most of the diurnal birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, vultures, and kites, but not falcons.For a long time, the majority view was to include them with the falcons in the Falconiformes, but many authorities now recognize a separate Accipitriformes. A DNA study published in 2008 indicated that falcons are not closely related to the Accipitriformes, being instead more closely related to parrots and passerines. Since then, the split and the placement of the falcons next to the parrots in taxonomic order has been adopted by the American Ornithological Society's South American Classification Committee (SACC), its North American Classification Committee (NACC), and the International Ornithological Congress (IOC). The British Ornithologists' Union already recognized the Accipitriformes, and has adopted the move of Falconiformes. The DNA-based proposal and the NACC and IOC classifications include the New World vultures in the Accipitriformes, while the SACC classifies the New World vultures as a separate order, the Cathartiformes.


The Eurasian scops owl ("Otus scops"), also known as the European scops owl or just scops owl, is a small owl in the typical owl family Strigidae. Its breeding range extends from southern Europe eastwards to southern Siberia and the western Himalayas. It is migratory, wintering in Africa south of the Sahara.


The smoky jungle frog ("Leptodactylus pentadactylus") is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, French Guiana, and Peru. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, rivers, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and aquaculture ponds.


Night lizards (family Xantusiidae) are a group of small scincomorph lizards, averaging from less than 4 (cm) to over 12 (cm) snout–vent length. Most species are viviparous (live-bearing), with the exception of those in the genus "Cricosaura". The family has only three living genera, with approximately 34 living species. The genera are divided by geographic range: "Xantusia" in southwestern North America and Baja California, "Cricosaura" in Cuba, and "Lepidophyma", the most populous night lizard genus, in Central America. Three fossil genera are also known: "Catactegenys", "Palepidophyma", "Palaeoxantusia".


Rat snakes are members – along with kingsnakes, milk snakes, vine snakes and indigo snakes – of the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. They are medium to large constrictors and are found throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere. They feed primarily on rodents. Many species make attractive and docile pets and one, the corn snake, is one of the most popular reptile pets in the world. As with all snakes, they can be defensive when approached too closely, handled, or restrained, but bites are not serious. Like nearly all colubrids, rat snakes pose no threat to humans. Rat snakes were long believed to be completely nonvenomous, but recent studies have shown that some Old World species do possess small amounts of venom, though the amount is negligible relative to humans.Previously, most rat snakes were assigned to the genus "Elaphe", but many have been since renamed following mitochondrial DNA analysis performed in 2002. For the purpose of this article, names will be harmonized with the TIGR Database.


Coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be subdivided into two distinct groups, Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes. There are 16 species of Old World coral snakes in three genera ("Calliophis", "Hemibungarus", and "Sinomicrurus"), and over 65 recognized species of New World coral snakes in two genera ("Micruroides" and "Micrurus"). Genetic studies have found that the most basal lineages are Asian, indicating that the group originated in the Old World. New World species are venomous, carrying one of the more toxic venoms in the reptile world. Their bite can be lethal.


Tiger snakes ("Notechis scutatus") are a large and highly venomous snake of southern Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania. These snakes are often observed and locally well known by their banding, black and yellow like a tiger, although the species can be highly variable in coloration and patterning. All populations are classified within the genus Notechis (Elapidae). Their diverse characteristics have been classified either as distinct species or by subspecies and regional variation.While tiger snakes are usually ground-dwelling, they are able to swim as well as climb into trees and buildings.


Lycosa tarantula is the species originally known as the tarantula, a name that nowadays in English commonly refers to spiders in another family entirely, the Theraphosidae. It now may be better called the tarantula wolf spider, being in the wolf spider family, the Lycosidae. "L. tarantula" is a large species found in southern Europe, especially in the Apulia region of Italy and near the city of Taranto, from which it gets its name.Historical superstition has it that the spider's bite can produce severe symptoms called tarantism.


Biddy or Biddie is a given name which may refer to:


The golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus), also known as the Chinese pheasant, and rainbow pheasant, is a gamebird of the order Galliformes (gallinaceous birds) and the family Phasianidae (pheasants). The genus name is from Ancient Greek "khrusolophos", "with golden crest", and "pictus" is Latin for "painted" from "pingere", "to paint".


The turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae ( "banana-eaters"), which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as loeries. They are semi-zygodactylous: the fourth (outer) toe can be switched back and forth. The second and third toes, which always point forward, are conjoined in some species. Musophagids often have prominent crests and long tails; the turacos are noted for peculiar and unique pigments giving them their bright green and red feathers.Traditionally, this group has been allied with the cuckoos in the order Cuculiformes, but the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy raises this group to a full order Musophagiformes. They have been proposed to link the hoatzin to the other living birds, but this was later disputed. Recent genetic analyses have strongly supported the order ranking of Musophagiformes.Musophagidae is one of very few bird families endemic to Africa, one other being the mousebirds, Colliidae. All species are frugivorous, but they also eat leaves, buds, and flowers. Figs are an important part of their diet. They have rounded wings and long tails and strong legs, making them poor fliers, but good runners.Turacos are medium-sized arboreal birds endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, where they live in forests, woodland and savanna. Turacos can occasionally be found outside of their native range as escapes from captivityThey are gregarious, non-migratory birds which move in family groups of up to 10. Many species are noisy, with the go-away-birds being especially noted for their piercing alarm calls, which alert other fauna to the presence of predators; their common name is onomatopoeia of this. Musophagids build large stick nests in trees, and lay 2 or 3 eggs. The young are born with thick down and open, or nearly-open, eyes.


Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a single species—"Upupa epops". In fact, some taxonomists still consider all three species conspecific. Some authorities also keep the African and Eurasian hoopoe together but split the Madagascar hoopoe. The Eurasian Hoopoe is common in its range and has a large population, so it is evaluated as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, their numbers are declining in Western Europe. Conversely, the Hoopoe has been increasing in numbers at the tip of the South Sinai, Sharm el-Sheikh. There are dozens of nesting pairs that remain resident all year round.


The puffbirds and their relatives in the near passerine family Bucconidae are tropical tree-dwelling insectivorous birds that are found from South America up to Mexico. Together with their closest relatives, the jacamars, they form a divergent lineage within the order Piciformes, though the two families are sometimes elevated to a separate order Galbuliformes. Lacking the iridescent colours of the jacamars, puffbirds are mainly brown, rufous or grey, with large heads, large eyes, and flattened bills with a hooked tip. Their loose, abundant plumage and short tails makes them look stout and puffy, giving rise to the English name of the family. The species range in size from the rufous-capped nunlet, at 13 (cm) and 14 (g), to the white-necked puffbird, at up to 29 (cm) and 106 (g).


The diving ducks, commonly called pochards or scaups, are a category of duck which feed by diving beneath the surface of the water. They are part of Anatidae, the diverse and very large family that includes ducks, geese, and swans.The diving ducks are placed in a distinct tribe in the subfamily Anatinae, the Aythyini. While morphologically close to the dabbling ducks, there are nonetheless some pronounced differences such as in the structure of the trachea. mtDNA cytochrome "b" and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 sequence data indicate that the dabbling and diving ducks are fairly distant from each other, the outward similarities being due to convergent evolution.Alternatively, the diving ducks are placed as a subfamily Aythyinae in a subfamily Anatidae which would encompass all duck-like birds except the whistling-ducks.The seaducks commonly found in coastal areas, such as the long-tailed duck (formerly known in the U.S. as oldsquaw), scoters, goldeneyes, mergansers, bufflehead and eiders, are also sometimes colloquially referred to in North America as diving ducks because they also feed by diving; their subfamily (Merginae) is a very distinct one however.Although the group is cosmopolitan, most members are native to the Northern Hemisphere, and it includes several of the most familiar Northern Hemisphere ducks.This group of ducks is so named because its members feed mainly by diving, although in fact the "Netta" species are reluctant to dive, and feed more like dabbling ducks.These are gregarious ducks, mainly found on fresh water or on estuaries, though the greater scaup becomes marine during the northern winter. They are strong fliers; their broad, blunt-tipped wings require faster wing-beats than those of many ducks and they take off with some difficulty. Northern species tend to be migratory; southern species do not migrate though the hardhead travels long distances on an irregular basis in response to rainfall. Diving ducks do not walk as well on land as the dabbling ducks; their legs tend to be placed further back on their bodies to help propel them when underwater.


The Anatinae are a subfamily of the family Anatidae (swans, geese and ducks). Its surviving members are the dabbling ducks, which feed mainly at the surface rather than by diving. The other members of the Anatinae are the extinct moa-nalo, a young but highly apomorphic lineage derived from the dabbling ducks.There has been much debate about the systematical status and which ducks belong to the Anatinae. Some taxonomic authorities only include the dabbling ducks and their close relatives, the extinct moa-nalos. Alternatively, the Anatinae are considered to include most "ducks", and the dabbling ducks form a tribe Anatini within these. The classification as presented here more appropriately reflects the remaining uncertainty about the interrelationships of the major lineages of Anatidae (waterfowl).


Mergus is the genus of the typical mergansers , fish-eating ducks in the subfamily Anatinae. The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny the Elder and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird.The common merganser ("Mergus merganser") and red-breasted merganser ("M. serrator") have broad ranges in the northern hemisphere. The Brazilian merganser ("M. octosetaceus") is a South American duck, and one of the six most threatened waterfowl in the world, with possibly fewer than 250 birds in the wild. The scaly-sided merganser or "Chinese merganser" ("M. squamatus") is an endangered species. It lives in temperate East Asia, breeding in the north and wintering in the south.The hooded merganser ("Lophodytes cucullatus", formerly known as "Mergus cucullatus") is not of this genus but is closely related. The other "aberrant" merganser, the smew ("Mergellus albellus"), is phylogenetically closer to goldeneyes ("Bucephala").Although they are seaducks, most of the mergansers prefer riverine habitats, with only the red-breasted merganser being common at sea. These large fish-eaters typically have black-and-white, brown and/or green hues in their plumage, and most have somewhat shaggy crests. All have serrated edges to their long and thin bills that help them grip their prey. Along with the smew and hooded merganser, they are therefore often known as "sawbills". The goldeneyes, on the other hand, feed mainly on mollusks, and therefore have a more typical duck-bill."Mergus" ducks are also classified as "diving ducks" because they submerge completely in looking for food. In other traits, however, the genera "Mergus", "Lophodytes", "Mergellus", and "Bucephala" are very similar: uniquely among all Anseriformes, they do not have notches at the hind margin of their sternum, but holes surrounded by bone.


The Chinese is an international breed of domestic goose, known by this name in Europe and in North America. Unlike the majority of goose breeds, it belongs to the knob geese, which derive from "Anser cygnoides" and are characterised by a prominent basal knob on the upper side of the bill. It originates in China, where there are more than twenty different breeds of knob goose.


The coscoroba swan (Coscoroba coscoroba) is a species of waterfowl in subfamily Anserinae of the family Anatidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.


Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals. In addition to the fleshy soft corals, the order Alcyonacea now contains all species previously known as "gorgonian corals", that produce a more or less hard skeleton, though quite different from "true" corals (Scleractinia). These can be found in suborders Holaxonia, Scleraxonia, and Stolonifera. They are sessile colonial cnidarians that are found throughout the oceans of the world, especially in the deep sea, polar waters, tropics and subtropics. Common names for subsets of this order are sea fans and sea whips; others are similar to the sea pens of related order Pennatulacea. Individual tiny polyps form colonies that are normally erect, flattened, branching, and reminiscent of a fan. Others may be whiplike, bushy, or even encrusting. A colony can be several feet high and across, but only a few inches thick. They may be brightly coloured, often purple, red, or yellow. Photosynthetic gorgonians can be successfully kept in captive aquaria.About 500 different species of gorgonians are found in the oceans of the world, but they are particularly abundant in the shallow waters of the Western Atlantic, including Florida, Bermuda, and the West Indies.


The staghorn coral ("Acropora cervicornis") is a branching, stony coral with cylindrical branches ranging from a few centimetres to over two metres in length and height. It occurs in back reef and fore reef environments from 0 to 30 (m) depth. The upper limit is defined by wave forces, and the lower limit is controlled by suspended sediments and light availability. Fore reef zones at intermediate depths 5 - 25 (m) were formerly dominated by extensive single-species stands of staghorn coral until the mid-1980s. This coral exhibits the fastest growth of all known western Atlantic fringe corals, with branches increasing in length by 10 - 20 (cm) per year. This has been one of the three most important Caribbean corals in terms of its contribution to reef growth and fishery habitat.


Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of buoyancy.Cuttlefish have large, W-shaped pupils, eight arms, and two tentacles furnished with denticulated suckers, with which they secure their prey. They generally range in size from 15 to 25 (cm), with the largest species, the giant cuttlefish ("Sepia apama"), reaching 50 (cm) in mantle length and over 10.5 (kg) in mass.Cuttlefish eat small molluscs, crabs, shrimp, fish, octopus, worms, and other cuttlefish. Their predators include dolphins, sharks, fish, seals, seabirds, and other cuttlefish. The typical life expectancy of a cuttlefish is about 1–2 years. Studies are said to indicate cuttlefish to be among the most intelligent invertebrates. Cuttlefish also have one of the largest brain-to-body size ratios of all invertebrates.The "cuttle" in cuttlefish comes from the Old English name for the species, "cudele", which may be cognate with the Old Norse "koddi" (cushion) and the Middle Low German "Kudel" (rag). The Greco-Roman world valued the cuttlefish as a source of the unique brown pigment the creature releases from its siphon when it is alarmed. The word for it in both Greek and Latin, "sepia", now refers to the reddish-brown color sepia in English.


Lobsters are a family (Nephropidae, synonym Homaridae) of large marine crustaceans.Lobsters have long bodies with muscular tails, and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, which are usually much larger than the others. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Commercially important species include two species of "Homarus" (which look more like the stereotypical lobster) from the northern Atlantic Ocean, and scampi (which look more like a shrimp, or a "mini lobster") — the Northern Hemisphere genus "Nephrops" and the Southern Hemisphere genus "Metanephrops".


Nephrops norvegicus, known variously as the Norway lobster, Dublin Bay prawn, (compare langostino) or scampi, is a slim, orange-pink lobster which grows up to 25 (cm) long, and is "the most important commercial crustacean in Europe". It is now the only extant species in the genus "Nephrops", after several other species were moved to the closely related genus "Metanephrops". It lives in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, and parts of the Mediterranean Sea, but is absent from the Baltic Sea and Black Sea. Adults emerge from their burrows at night to feed on worms and fish.


A woodlouse (plural woodlice) is an isopod crustacean from the polyphyletic suborder Oniscidea within the order Isopoda. They get their name from often being found in old wood.The first woodlice were marine isopods which are presumed to have colonised land in the Carboniferous, though the oldest known fossils are from the Cretaceous period. They have many common names and although often referred to as terrestrial isopods, some species live semiterrestrially or have recolonised aquatic environments. Woodlice in the families Armadillidae, Armadillidiidae, Eubelidae, Tylidae and some other genera can roll up into a roughly spherical shape (conglobate) as a defensive mechanism; others have partial rolling ability, but most cannot conglobate at all.Woodlice have a basic morphology of a segmented, dorso-ventrally flattened body with seven pairs of jointed legs, specialised appendages for respiration and like other peracarids, females carry fertilised eggs in their marsupium, through which they provide developing embryos with water, oxygen and nutrients. The immature young hatch as mancae and receive further maternal care in some species. Juveniles then go through a series of moults before reaching maturity.While the broader phylogeny of the Oniscideans has not been settled, eleven infraorders/sections are agreed on with 3,937 species validated in scientific literature in 2004 and 3,710 species in 2014 out of an estimated total of 5,000–7,000 species extant worldwide. Key adaptations to terrestrial life have led to a highly diverse set of animals; from the marine littoral zone and subterranean lakes to arid deserts and desert slopes 4,725 (m) above sea-level, woodlice have established themselves in most terrestrial biomes and represent the full range of transitional forms and behaviours for living on land.Woodlice are widely studied in the contexts of evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology and nutrient cycling. They are popular as terrarium pets because of their varied colour and texture forms, conglobating ability and ease of care.


Leptoptilos is a genus of very large tropical storks, also known as the adjutant bird. The name means thin ("lepto") feather ("ptilos"). Two species are resident breeders in southern Asia, and the marabou stork is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.These are huge birds, typically 110–150 cm tall with a 210–250 cm wingspan. The three species each have a black upper body and wings, and white belly and undertail. The head and neck are bare like those of a vulture. The huge bill is long and thick. Juveniles are a duller, browner version of the adult."Leptoptilos" storks are gregarious colonial breeders in wetlands, building large stick nests in trees. They feed on frogs, insects, young birds, lizards and rodents. They are frequent scavengers, and the naked head and neck are adaptations to this, as are those of the vultures with which they often feed. A feathered head would become rapidly clotted with blood and other substances when a scavenging bird's head was inside a large corpse, and the bare head is easier to keep clean.Most storks fly with neck outstretched, but the three "Leptoptilos" storks retract their necks in flight like a heron.