A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi-arid. This includes much of the polar regions, where little precipitation occurs, and which are […]
An automaton is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a properations, or respond to predetermined instructions. Some automata, such as bellstrikers in mechanical clocks, are designed to give the illusion to the casual observer that they are operating under their own power. Since long ago, the term is commonly associated with automated puppets that
Land is the solid surface of Earth that is not permanently submerged in water. Most but not all land is situated at elevations above sea level (variable over geologic time frames) and consists mainly of crustal components such as rock, sand, soil, and sometimes ice. The vast majority of human activity throughout history has occurred in land areas that support agriculture, habitat, and various natural resources. Some life forms, including terrestrial plants and terrestrial animals,
A tool is an object that can extend an individual’s ability to modify features of the surrounding environment. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates back hundreds of millennia, have been observed using tools to make other tools. Early tools, made of such materials as stone, bone, and wood, were used for preparation
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is “nocturnal“, versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed senses of hearing, smell, and specially adapted eyesight. Some animals, such as cats and ferrets, have eyes that can adapt to both low-level and bright day levels of illumination (see metaturnal). Others, such as bushbabies and
Hamza is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae. There is at least one described species in Hamza, H. ciliaris. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Hemiptera Family: Cicadidae Genus: Hamza
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depends on the temperature and pressure of the system of interest. The same amount of water vapor results in higher humidity in cool air
Mallonia granulata is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by William Lucas Distant in 1892. It is known from South Africa. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Suborder: Polyphaga Family: Cerambycidae Genus: Mallonia Species: M. granulata
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Lepidochrysops erici is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in north-western Zambia. Adults have been recorded in October. Adults feed on flowers of the larval host plant. The larvae feed on Ocimum species. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Lycaenidae Genus: Lepidochrysops Species: L. erici Etymology The species named for Eric Gardiner, son of the author.
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Macrostomus divisus is a species of dance flies, in the fly family Empididae. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Diptera Superfamily: Empidoidea Family: Empididae Subfamily: Empidinae Genus: Macrostomus Species: M. divisus
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