There are a bewildering number of insect types in the world but they all basically go through one of two types of life cycles. The more primitive types are called the exopterygotes, a word that simply means their wings (pterygota)…
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The migratory patterns of the humpback whale (Megaptera noviaeangliae) span some of the greatest distances of any species, covering on average some 25,000 kilometres every year from the tropics to polar waters and back again. One population of humpback whales…
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Adult dragonfly life spans are short, usually only a few weeks. But the young dragonflies have lived in aquatic habitats for several years, so the total life span in fact is rather long for an insect: three or more years…
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Yes. When responding to the question, “Is sex necessary for reproduction?,” the answer while focusing only on mammals is a resounding “Yes.” Let’s leave the odd shark, plants, amoebas and other lower forms of life out of the discussion, as…
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“A Success Story, andLast of the Line” or “Tortoise Recovery, andLonesome George.” These were common headlines until recently, to be replaced by “Fabled Bachelor May Finally Be a Father.” But, first let’s focus on why the discussion about Galapagos Giant…
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Vertebrates (animals with backbones) are the largest and most obvious animals on the Earth but the most numerous animals are the Invertebrates. Vertebrates are members of a single Phylum, the Chordata, which contains all the animals with spinal chords. There…
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Australia has been isolated for millions of years, floating alone in the Great Southern Ocean since the breakup of Gondwanaland. It carried off with it some strange life forms that were protected here and so survived when they died off…
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The Coontie is a small, woody cycad. Cycads are seed plants that have a large crown of compound leaves and a stout trunk.This plant is native to the southeast United States specifically Georgia and Florida and in the Bahamas and…
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To some, the Fairy Slipper Orchid is one of the most magical forest flowers. The scientific name of this plant is Calypso bulbosa and is named for the sea nymph in Homer’s Odyssey. The ‘slipper’ part of the common name…
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Floating Bladderwort is a plant that stays on the surface of a body of water. Long, thin floats that are modified leaf stalks hold it up. Utricularia radiata is the scientific name for the little floating bladderwort. It is medium sized.This…
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