"Armenian mouflon The Armenian mouflon (, ""haykakan muflon""; , ""Qutch-e armani""), also known as the Armenian sheep, Armenian wild sheep, Armenian red sheep, or trans-Caucasian sheep (""Ovis orientalis gmelini"") is an endangered subspecies of mouflon endemic to Iran, Armenia, and Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan). The Armenian mouflon was first described in 1840 by Edward Blyth, who equated it with the ""Orientalische Schaaf"" (Oriental sheep) described by Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin in 1774. ""O. o. gmelini"" is found in northwestern Iran. Armenian mouflons were transferred to Kabudan (Kaboodan) Island in Lake Urmia in 1895 and 1906 by one of the governors of Azerbaijan. A"
"European mouflon The European mouflon (""Ovis orientalis musimon"") is the westernmost and smallest sub-species of mouflon. It was originally found only on the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia, but has since been introduced into many other regions of Europe. Male mouflon are known as rams and the females as ewes or wild ewes. The young animals are known as lambs. European mouflon have a body length of up to 120 cm, a shoulder height of 90 cm, a weight of 25 to 40 kg for ewes, 35 to 55 kg for the ram. The European mouflon has a smooth"
"horned, while others are polled. The horns of mature rams are curved in almost one full revolution (up to 85 cm). Mouflon have shoulder heights around 0.9 m and body weights of 50 kg (males) and 35 kg (females). Today, mouflon inhabit the Caucasus, Anatolia, northern and eastern Iraq, and most parts of Iran and Armenia. The range originally stretched further to the Crimean peninsula and the Balkans, where they had already disappeared 3,000 years ago and came back to Bulgaria. Mouflon were introduced to the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, Rhodes, and Cyprus during the neolithic period, perhaps as feral"
"sludge which resembles refried beans. The eight shelly plates are brown or dark grey, and are a turquoise blue on the inner surfaces. Some are so fluorescent that they are known to glow in the dark and flash pink polka dots. Mopalia muscosa Mopalia muscosa (Gould, 1846) is a species of chiton, a polyplacophoran, an eight-plated marine mollusk. It is a northeastern Pacific species which occurs from British Columbia, Canada, to Baja California Mexico. This species is found in the middle and lower intertidal zone on exposed rocky shores. ""Mopalia muscosa"" can be in length. In life it is quite"
"Mayfly Mayflies (also known as Canadian soldiers in the United States, and as shadflies or fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern U.S.; also up-winged flies in the United Kingdom) are aquatic insects belonging to the order Ephemeroptera. This order is part of an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies. Over 3,000 species of mayfly are known worldwide, grouped into over 400 genera in 42 families. Mayflies exhibit a number of ancestral traits that were probably present in the first flying insects, such as long tails and wings that do not fold flat"
"domesticated animals, where they have naturalized in the mountainous interiors of these islands over the past few thousand years, giving rise to the subspecies known as European mouflon (""O. orientalis musimon""). On the island of Cyprus, the mouflon or ""agrino"" became a different and endemic subspecies known as the Cyprus mouflon (""O. o. ophion""). The Cyprus mouflon population contains only about 3,000 animals. They are now rare on the islands, but are classified as feral animals by the IUCN. They were later successfully introduced into continental Europe, including Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, central Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, the"
"Mucrospirifer Mucrospirifer is a genus of extinct brachiopods in the class Rhynchonellata (Articulata) and the order Spiriferida. They are sometimes known as ""butterfly shells"". Like other brachiopods, they were filter feeders. These fossils occur mainly in Middle Devonian strata. The biconvex shell was typically 2.5 cm long, but sometimes grew to 4 cm. The shell of ""Mucrospirifer"" has a fold, sulcus and costae. It is greatly elongated along the hinge line, which extends outward to form sharp points. This gives them a fin- or wing-like appearance. The apex area (umbo) of the pedicle valve contains a small fold for the"
"also carry horns, but they are much smaller, usually measuring less than in total length. Currently, 9 subspecies of argali are recognized: Some sources classify mouflon as ""Ovis ammon musimon"", but DNA testing has not supported this. Several subspecies of argali have been genetically tested for mtDNA and one study found the subspecies ""O. a. ammon"", ""O. a. darwini"" and the urial subspecies, ""O. vignei bochariensis"" grouped closely, while the subspecies ""O. a. collium"" and ""O. a. nigrimontana"" grouped with the urial subspecies ""O. vignei arkal"". Argali range from central Kazakhstan in the west to the Shanxi Province in China"
"entering its mouth. Genus ""Otophryne"" has three species: Otophryne Otophryne is a small genus of microhylid frogs from northern South America. They are sometimes known as the pancake frogs. Adult ""Otophryne"" are diurnally active leaf mimics. They tend to walk rather than jump. Tadpoles burrow into the sandy bottom of shallow streams. They are extremely specialized with minute, dagger-like, keratinized teeth, and a long spiracular tube on the left hand side of its body. It is suggested that the tadpole is a suspension feeder, using the spiracular tube extending to the bottom surface to create a current through its oral"
"remained almost constant for over ten years. The relatively high cull compared to the overall population arises from the need to keep wildlife damage under control as well as to ensure a healthy population. In the 2015/16 hunting season, the total numbers culled in Austria came to 2,450 mouflon (in 2014/15 it was 2,640), of which 885 were shot in Lower Austria alone, corresponding to 36 per cent of the total cull. European mouflon The European mouflon (""Ovis orientalis musimon"") is the westernmost and smallest sub-species of mouflon. It was originally found only on the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and"
"can display two of them at the same time. Sheep carrying both badgerface and mouflon show as plain-coloured sheep with slightly darker markings where the two patterns meet. Also, a single allele recently appeared in a US flock (it was formerly known only in Iceland, and was rare there), which displays as gray-mouflon; it is separate from the normal mouflon pattern. This gray-mouflon allele is dominant to solid, recessive to white, and co-dominant with gray, badgerface, and mouflon. The least dominant pattern is solid, which is essentially no pattern at all. Solid-patterned animals simply show their base color all over."
"Gonfalon The gonfalon, gonfanon, gonfalone (from the early Italian ""confalone"") is a type of heraldic flag or banner, often pointed, swallow-tailed, or with several streamers, and suspended from a crossbar in an identical manner to the ancient Roman vexillum. It was first adopted by Italian medieval communes, and later, by local guilds, corporations and districts. The difference between a gonfanon with long tails and a standard is that a gonfanon displays the device on the non-tailed area, and the standard displays badges down the whole length of the flag. A gonfalon can include a badge or coat of arms, or"
"a caprine is a kind of bovid. Although most goat-antelopes are gregarious and have fairly stocky builds, they diverge in many other ways – the muskox (""Ovibos moschatus"") is adapted to the extreme cold of the tundra; the Rocky Mountain goat (""Oreamnos americanus"") of North America is specialised for very rugged terrain; the urial (""Ovis orientalis"") occupies a largely infertile area from Kashmir to Iran, including much desert country. The European mouflon (""Ovis musimon"") is thought to be the ancestor of the modern domestic sheep (""Ovis aries""). Many species have become extinct since the last ice age, probably largely because"
"Puffinus Puffinus is a genus of seabirds in the order Procellariiformes. It comprises about 20 small to medium-sized shearwaters. Two other shearwater genera are named: ""Calonectris"", which comprises three or four large shearwaters, and ""Ardenna"" with another seven species (formerly often included within ""Puffinus""). ""Puffinus"" is a New Latin loanword based on the English ""puffin"". The original Latin term for shearwaters was usually the catchall name for sea-birds, ""mergus"". ""Puffin"" and its variants, such as poffin, pophyn and puffing, referred to the cured carcass of the fat nestling of the shearwater, a former delicacy. The original usage dates from at"
"Musimon In European heraldry, the musimon (also known as the tityrus or tytron) is used to symbolize one in authority who leads with strength. Used in this sense, the musimon is a cross between a goat and a sheep; it has the feet and body of a goat, the head and beard of a ram, and two horns from each for a total of four—two curved and two straight. Musimon can also refer to the real animal known as the European mouflon (""Ovis aries musimon""), a wild short-fleeced mountain sheep found on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia and parts"
"mouflon, a wild type of sheep, is bigger and muscular than domestic sheep. The mouflons prefer the plains where they can graze the whole year. These agile rock climbers have long and muscular legs. Thanks to this feature they can run very fast. The Caucasian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor), one of the rarest animals in the world, inhabits the southern Caucasus Mountains, Zangezur Range and the Talish Mountains in Azerbaijan. Caucasian leopards are endangered because of illegally hunt, human disturbance, etc. The World Wildlife Fund has stated that these animals are one of the most critically endangered species in the"
"a finite lifetime. The telecommunication company Vodafone featured mayflies in a 2006 branding campaign, telling consumers to ""make the most of now"". Mayfly Mayflies (also known as Canadian soldiers in the United States, and as shadflies or fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern U.S.; also up-winged flies in the United Kingdom) are aquatic insects belonging to the order Ephemeroptera. This order is part of an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies. Over 3,000 species of mayfly are known worldwide, grouped into over 400 genera in 42 families. Mayflies exhibit a number of"
"ahead of its time in technical quality. It depicts a giant mosquito tormenting a sleeping man. The de Havilland Mosquito was a high-speed aircraft manufactured between 1940 and 1950, and used in many roles. Mosquito Mosquitoes (alternate spelling ""mosquitos"") are a group of about 3500 species of small insects that are a type of fly (order Diptera). Within that order they constitute the family Culicidae (from the Latin ""culex"" meaning ""gnat""). The word ""mosquito"" (formed by ""mosca"" and diminutive ""-ito"") is Spanish for ""little fly"". Mosquitoes have a slender segmented body, a pair of wings, three pairs of long hair-like"
"Balearic shearwater The Balearic shearwater (""Puffinus mauretanicus"") is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family ""Procellariidae"". ""Puffinus"" is a New Latin loanword based on the English ""puffin"" and its variants, such as poffin, pophyn and puffing, that referred to the cured carcass of the fat nestling of the Manx shearwater, a former delicacy. The specific ""mauretanicus"" refers to Mauretania, an old name for an area of North Africa roughly corresponding to Morocco and Algeria. It was long regarded a subspecies of the Manx shearwater (see there for more on the ""Puffinus puffinus"" superspecies); following an initial split it was held"
"""Pelophryne"" species coexist, one species is small (<) and the other one is larger, about in snout–vent length. This is suggestive of resource partitioning. The tadpoles are specialized for rapid development in very small rain water pools. The eggs are relatively large, and the tadpoles appear to subsist the larval period on yolk. The tadpoles have a degenerate oral disk and lack a spiracle. The genus has 12 recognized species: In addition, the AmphibiaWeb recognizes ""Pelophryne macrotis"" as distinct from ""Pelophryne guentheri"". Pelophryne Pelophryne (common name: flathead toads or dwarf toads) is a genus of true toads, family Bufonidae. The"
"Otophryne Otophryne is a small genus of microhylid frogs from northern South America. They are sometimes known as the pancake frogs. Adult ""Otophryne"" are diurnally active leaf mimics. They tend to walk rather than jump. Tadpoles burrow into the sandy bottom of shallow streams. They are extremely specialized with minute, dagger-like, keratinized teeth, and a long spiracular tube on the left hand side of its body. It is suggested that the tadpole is a suspension feeder, using the spiracular tube extending to the bottom surface to create a current through its oral cavity, using its teeth to prevent sand from"
"Hoverfly Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies, or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects. Aphids alone cause tens of millions of dollars of damage to crops worldwide"
"are two species in this genus: Xanthophryne Xanthophryne is a small genus of toads in the family Bufonidae. They are endemic to the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, India. Its sister taxon is ""Duttaphrynus"". The name ""Xanthophryne"" is derived from two Greek words, ""xanthos"" meaning yellow and ""phryne"" meaning toad. ""Xanthophryne"" are relatively small toads: adult males measure and females in snout–vent length. They have light brown dorsum with a suffusion of dull chrome-yellow; flanks and sides of the abdomen have chrome-yellow patches, sometimes a few continuous bands. The tympanum is indistinct. There is no webbing between the toes and fingers."
"(in 2005 there were 90,000), the largest population being in the Czech Republic (17,500). The population in Germany was around 15,600 animals in 2010 (c. 20,600 in 2005) living in about 120 groups. In Hungary there are around 10,600 and in Austria about 7,500 mouflon (no herds in Vorarlberg). In the early 1980s, mouflon migrated from France to the Swiss canton of Valais, where there are now two colonies with a population of around 200 animals. The IUCN considers the European mouflon to be 'at risk'. Mouflon have a well-developed vision and can recognize a man at a range of"
"of mainland Europe. Musimon In European heraldry, the musimon (also known as the tityrus or tytron) is used to symbolize one in authority who leads with strength. Used in this sense, the musimon is a cross between a goat and a sheep; it has the feet and body of a goat, the head and beard of a ram, and two horns from each for a total of four—two curved and two straight. Musimon can also refer to the real animal known as the European mouflon (""Ovis aries musimon""), a wild short-fleeced mountain sheep found on the islands of Corsica and"
"polymorphism in females. Similarly, male mimicry has been observed in another insect, a damselfly ""Ischnura ramburii"" which also appears to have evolved camouflage to avoid sexual coercion by males. Papilio dardanus Papilio dardanus, the African swallowtail, mocker swallowtail or flying handkerchief, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae (the swallowtails). The species is broadly distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. The British entomologist E. B. Poulton described it as ""the most interesting butterfly in the world"". Molecular studies have provided evidence that this species' closest relative is ""Papilio phorcas"", with ""Papilio constantinus"" being the next closest (see images below). It"
"Bowfin Bowfin (""Amia calva"") are bony fishes related to gars in the infraclass Holostei. Common names include mudfish, mud pike, dogfish, griddle, grinnel, swamp trout and choupique. They are regarded as taxonomic relicts, being the sole surviving species of the order Amiiformes which dates from the Jurassic to the Eocene, persisting to the present. Although bowfin are highly evolved, they are often referred to as ""primitive fishes"" because they have retained some morphological characteristics of their early ancestors. Bowfin are demersal freshwater piscivores native to North America, and commonly found throughout much of the eastern United States, and in southern"
"discrepancy in its taxonomic understanding among collectors. Morpho menelaus The Menelaus blue morpho (""Morpho menelaus"") is one of thirty species of butterfly in the subfamily Morphinae. Its wingspan is approximately 12 cm, and its dorsal forewings and hindwings are a bright, iridescent blue edged with black, while the ventral surfaces are brown. Its iridescent wings are an area of interest in research because of its unique microstructure. Due to its characteristic blue color, ""Morpho menelaus"" is considered highly valuable among collectors and was widely hunted in the 20th century. However, deforestation remains the main threat to the survival of this"
"and birthing takes place in March/April. One or two lambs are born, the suckling time is about six months. The escape behaviour of European mouflon is adapted to their actual high mountain habitat: in case of danger, they flee to inaccessible rock faces. In the lowlands, they can only escape short distances and become easy prey for pursuers. It is unclear whether the European mouflon became largely extinct in Europe as a result of its habitats being cut off and through over-hunting between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago and survived only in Corsica and Sardinia, or whether it was only"
"dwarf breeds in Italy, others being the Mericanel della Brianza and the Pépoi. The Mugellese is a traditional chicken breed of Tuscany, of uncertain origins. It was once extensively kept not only in the Tuscan countryside, but also in the gardens or on the balconies of town houses, perhaps as a pet. It was traditional for grandparents to give a pair of Mugellesi to a child who had reached an age to care for them. Once very common, it became rare in the second half of the 20th century; it is now in a phase of recovery, selection and improvement."
"Microdon Hover flies (family Syrphidae) of the genus Microdon are unusual among the Diptera. Like other members of the subfamily, they are myrmecophiles, meaning they inhabit the nests of ants. There are 249 species known worldwide, with the greatest diversity being from the tropics; 30 species are known from North America, though it is expected that many of these species will be placed in other genera in time, as ""Microdon"" has been used as a catch-all for various unrelated species not placed in other genera. ""Microdon"" adults look more or less like typical flies. Like some other hoverflies, they are"
"They are olive-brown above, with may wrinkles and pores of various sizes. Parotoid glands are large. Duttaphrynus valhallae Duttaphrynus valhallae is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Weh Island, located northwest of Sumatra, Indonesia. Known only from the holotype (more correctly, syntypes), its ecology is unknown, but it is assumed to be a lowland forest species. Practically no forest habitat remains on Weh Island, and it is not known whether the species still persists there. Also its taxonomic validity is uncertain. The specific name ""valhallae"" refers to yacht ""Valhalla"" on which Geoffrey Meade-Waldo was"
"Abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish """", from Rumsen ""aulón"") is a common name for any of a group of small to very large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae. Other common names are ear shells, sea ears, and muttonfish or muttonshells in Australia, ormer in Great Britain, abalone in South Africa, and in New Zealand. Abalone are marine snails. Their taxonomy puts them in the family Haliotidae which contains only one genus, ""Haliotis"", which once contained six subgenera. These subgenera have become alternate representations of ""Haliotis"". The number of species recognized worldwide ranges between 30"