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The gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica) is a large venomous viper that occurs in African rainforests. It has brown and purple markings and hornlike projections on its snout.
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Gabrius is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, formerly classified as a subgenus of Philonthus. There are 13 species in Britain where they live in decaying organic matter and in wet places.
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Gadid is a popular name for any marine teleost fish of the family Gadidae, which includes the cod, ling and haddock.
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Gadidae is a family of malacopterous fish including the cod, ling and haddock.
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The gadwall (Anas strepera) is a greyish-brown, freshwater species of duck. It is common in North America, and rare in Britain. It is not so large as a mallard and has long pointed wings and a vigorous and rapid flight.
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Gaertnera is a genus of tropical shrubs belonging to the family Loganiaceae.
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Gaggle is the collective noun for a group of geese on the ground, rather than in flight.
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Gaillardia is a genus of the North American plants of the family Compositae. They have ornamental flower heads with yellow or red rays and purple discs.
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Gala is a variety of apple that was crossed in New Zealand and released in 1960. Its parents are Kidd's Orange Red and Golden Delicious. It was taken to the USA in 1972 by Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Co. of Louisiana, Missouri. In recent years, buoyed by the success of Gala imports from New Zealand, American growers have become enthusiastic about the variety. It is a relatively early apple that has a snappy zest over a mellow sweetness. Its yellowish, juicy flesh is very firm. The original Galas retained the external colour from the Kidd's side, but some mutations found recently show a complete red colour. Galas are noted for their eating quality out of hand.
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Galago is the bushbaby genus of mammals. They are widely distributed throughout Africa and have large naked ears which can be folded so as to lie close to the sides of the head.
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The galah (Kakatoe roseicapilla) is an Australian cockatoo. It has grey wings, back, and crest and a pink body.
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Galathea is a genus of decapod crustacea containing several common British forms, often called squat lobsters. The body is lobster-like, but is broad and somewhat flattened, the tail being habitually carried in a strongly bent position.
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The Galbulinae are a family of tropical American Fissirostal birds allied to the trogons and kingfishers.
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Galeandra is a genus of deciduous, terrestrial, tropical American orchids.
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Galega is a genus of leguminous plants with white or blue papilionaceous flowers borne in racemes. The leaves are pinnate, and the leaflets entire.
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Galeidae is the tope family of small sharks.
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The Galemys are a genus of mammals of the family Talpidae, order Insectivora, allied to the shrews. They live in burrows at the sides of streams and feed on insects.
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Galeopsis is a genus of plants of the family Labiatae characterized by the equally five-toothed calyx. They are herbaceous plants with square stems usually clothed with sharp bristly hairs, nettle-like leaves on long stalks, and red, white or yellow Labiate flowers.
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Galerucella is a genus of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) that feed on tree leaves.
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The Galiceno is a Mexican breed of pony developed during the 16th century from horses brought to South America by Hernado Cortes. The Galiceno is thought to have been a cross of the Spanish Galician pony and the Portuguese Garrano pony. The Galiceno has a placid and good natured temperament, stands 14 hands high and occurs in many colours. They are quick and athletic ponies with good stamina and are used for farm work, riding and also as pack animals.
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The Galician is a now extinct ancient breed of Spanish pony.
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The Galician Blond is a breed of cattle.
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The galingale or galangal (Cyperus longus) is a European cyperaceous plant with rough-edged leaves, reddish spikelets of flowers, and aromatic roots.
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Galium is a genus of hardy annual and perennial plants belonging to the family Rubiaceae.
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A gall is a growth caused on plants of various kinds by parasitic mites (Phytoptidae).
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Gall-fly is a name for several hymenopterous insects of the family Cynipidae, which form galls, each species preferring a different plant. The gall is due to an irritating fluid which the insect deposits on the plant along with its egg.
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The gallant soldier or Joey Hooker (Galinsoga parviflora)is a South American plant of the family Compositae widely distributed as a weed, having small daisy-like flowers surrounded by silvery scales.
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Gallimimus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Gallimimus was about four meters long, walked on its hind legs and had hands that were incapable of grasping. Gallimimus had a long snout with a broad, flat end, large eyes and toothless jaws. It has been suggested that it may have fed on eggs.
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Gallinae is the Gallinaceous order of birds. They are characterized by a vaulted upper mandible, the nostrils pierced in a large membranous space at the base of the beak, and covered by a cartilaginous scale. They have three toes in front, and one behind, sometimes articulated high on the tarsus. The claws are stout, short and slightly curved.
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The galliwasp (Diploglossus), is a genus of lizard of the family Anguidae, about 30cm long and stout and plump. It is generally brown in colour and is native to the West Indies and was particularly common in Jamaica during the 19th century.
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The Galloway is a Scottish hornless, black, compact, low-set breed of beef cattle.
The Galloway was a former breed of small horse, less than fifteen hands high, originally from Galloway in Scotland.
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Galls (gall-nuts) are a vegetable excrescence produced by the deposit of the egg of an insect in the bark or leaves of a plant.
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gallsickness or anaplasmosis is a disease of cattle and sheep, caused by infection with rickettsiae of the genus Anaplasma. It results in anaemia and jaundice.
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Galphimia is a genus of tropical American evergreen shrubs.
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Galtonia is a genus of South African hardy liliaceous plants. They have lanceolate leaves, drooping racemes of waxy white flowers, and a fragrant scent.
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Gam is the collective noun for a group of whales.
Gam is the collective noun for a group of porpoises.
Gam is the collective noun for a group of dolphins.
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Gama grass (Tripsacum dactyloides) is a tall perennial grass of south-east North America cultivated for fodder.
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In botany, a gametangium is an organ or cell in which gametes are produced. The term is especially applied to algae and fungi.
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A gamete is one of the two cells which fuse together to commence reproduction.
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A gametocyte is an animal or plant cell that develops into gametes by meiosis.
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The gametophore is the part of a plant that bears the reproductive organs.
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Gammarus is a genus of amphipod Crustacea.
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In botany, a gamone is a chemical substance secreted by a gamete that attracts another gamete during sexual reproduction.
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Gang is the collective noun for a group of elk.
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The gang-gang (Callocephalon fimbriatum) is a small black cockatoo of south- east Australia, the male of which has a scarlet head.
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The Gannet or Solan goose (Sula bassana) is a British sea bird of the family Pelecanidae. It is about one meter long with a wing span of 180 cm and the plumage is dirty white or grey. The bill is straight, and about 15 centimetres long.
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The ganoids are an order of fish characterized by angular, rhombic, polygonal or circular scales composed of horny or bony plates covered with a thick plate of a glossy enamel like substance.
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The gaper-shell is a lamellibranchiate mollusc common on British coasts. It has a rectangular shell and burrows in sand and mud.
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Gapes is a disease of young domestic fowl, characterized by gaping or gasping for breath and caused by gapeworms.
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The gapeworm (Syngamus trachea)is a parasitic nematode worm of the family Syngamidae, that lives in the trachea of birds and causes gapes in domestic fowl.
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The gar-fish (Lepidosteus, bony pike, sea-pike, gar-pike, sea-needle) is a long and slender sea fish of the genus Belone, about 90cm long. The head projects forward into a very long sharp snout. The sides and belly are of a bright silvery colour and the back is green. They are found in North American lakes and rivers.
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Garcinia is a genus of plants of the family Guttiferae.
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The Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 18 and 25 mm found chiefly in the lowlands across Europe, Asia and North America flying from April to October in two generations.
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The Garden Chafer (Phyllopertha horticola) is a species of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae. They adult beetles eat the leaves of fruit trees and rose bushes, the larvae feed on grass, cereal and clover roots.
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Garden cress (Lepidium sativum)is a pungent-tasting cruciferous plant with white or reddish flowers. It is cultivated for salads and as a garnish.
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The Garden Dart (Euxoa nigricans) is a moth of the family Noctuidae found throughout the temperate zone of Europe and Asia flying from July to September.
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The garden iris (Iris germanica) or common iris or flag as it is also known is a perennial herb of the family Iridaceae with a thickened rhizome bearing sword-shaped greyish coloured leaves, which sheaf at the base, and a tall, branched stem topped by large blue-violet, sometimes white, coloured fragrant flowers.
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The Garden Pebble (Evergestis forficalis) is a moth of the family Pyralidae with a wing span of between 25 and 28 mm found in temperate Europe, Asia and North America in habitats of lush vegetation. Two generations are produced flying from May to September.
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The Garden Rose Tortrix is a moth of the family Tortricidae with a wing span of between 14 and 18 mm found in northern Africa, Europe, Asia Minor and western and central Asia flying from August to November. The caterpillars live during spring and early summer, feeding on various trees and shrubs of the family Rosaceae.
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The Garden Spider (Araneus diadematius) is a familiar British spider, up to 12 mm long, with the females much larger than the males. The abdomen is patterned with a row of white dots down the centre and transverse white streaks forming a cross pattern.
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Garden or Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a perennial herb of the family Labiatae, native to the Mediterranean region, but widely cultivated for its medicinal properties and for use in cooking as a flavouring herb.
Garden Thyme has much-branched, square, ascending stems, which are woody below. The leaves are small, opposite, linear to elliptic, almost sessile, evergreen and have inrolled margins and are white-felted below. The flowers are small, white or pink in colour, two-lipped and are arranged in whorls in the upper leaf axils forming dense terminal spikes. Garden Thyme contains an essential oil which in turn contains the antiseptic substance Thymol.
Garden Thyme has a stronger flavour, and contains higher levels of Thymol than the related Breckland Thyme.
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The garden-warbler is a migratory song-bird which visits Britain from the end of April to September. It is about 15cm long, the head and upper surfaces are greenish brown and the underside is brownish white.
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Gardenia is a genus of trees and shrubs of the family Cinchonaceae. They are native to tropical Asia and Africa and have pretty white or yellowish flowers and a powerful fragrance.
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Gardoquia is a genus of South American evergreen Labiate plants characterised by their long tubular corolla.
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The garganey (Anas querquedula) is a small migrant duck closely related to the mallard, which visits Britain in the summer from Africa. The male has a reddish brown head with a broad white stripe over each eye. The breast plumage is brown, the remainder greyish.
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Garlic (Allium sativum) is a perennial plant of the family Liliaceae with an edible bulb divided into segments known as cloves.
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The Garrano or Minho is a Portuguese breed of bay, brown or chestnut coloured pony standing between 10 and 14 hands high. They are good natured, though lively and quick. They were formerly widely used as pack animals, being strong and surefooted.
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Garrot is a popular name of ducks of the genus Clangula. They are oceanic ducks with a bill shorter than the head, and are widely distributed over the temperate regions of Europe and America.
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Garrulus is a genus of insessorial birds of the crow family.
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Garrya is a genus of evergreen shrubs of the family Garryacea (formerly the family Cornaceae) bearing long, drooping catkins in spring.
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Garter snake is a popular name for the non-venomous North American snakes of the genus Thamnophis of the family Colubridae. Typically they are marked with longitudinal stripes which resemble a garter, whence their name. Garter snakes eject a foul secretion from a gland near the anus when attacked or threatened, and are harmless to humans. Garter snakes are aquatic, living near to water and spending a good deal of time in it hunting by scent for insects, earthworms and amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders).
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The Gascon is a beef breed of cow found in the region of Gascony in south-west France and is related to the Blonde d' Aquitaine and the Piedmontese.
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Gasterosteus is a genus of fish which comprises the sticklebacks.
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Gastrallus is a genus of beetle of the family Anobiidae found on mistletoe.
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Gastrophysa is a genus of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae).
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The gastropods (Gastropoda) are a class of mollusc, consisting of animals generally inhabiting a univalve shell, although some of the group are wholly devoid of a shell. Generally the shell is cone-shaped and spiral. The distinguishing characteristic however, is the foot, which is broad, muscular, disc-like and attached to the ventral surface.
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The GateKeeper (Pyronia tithonus) is a butterfly of the family Satyridae found in Britain and Ireland and parts of Europe in thin deciduous forests and more open countryside.
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Gaudichaudia is a genus of tropical shrubs belonging to the family Malpighiaceae. They bear yellow flowers, many without petals and are mostly climbing or twining plants.
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The gaur, gour or seladang (Bos gaurus) is one of the largest of the ox tribe found in the mountain jungles of India and Malaya. It is renowned for its shoulder hide, which even when dried is often more than five centimetres thick, and was used to make shields.
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Gaurotes is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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In ecology, Gause's principle is the principle that similar species cannot co-exist for long in the same ecological niche.
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The gavial or gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is the Indian crocodile. It is characterized by narrow, almost cylindrical jaws which form a very long elongated muzzle. It has 120 teeth, of equal length, and the feet are webbed. The gavial eats fish. The name is also applied to the false gharial or Malayan gharial (Tomistoma schlegeli) found in south-east Asia.
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Gavialidae is the gharial family of the order Crocodilia.
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The gayal (Mithan) is a species of ox related to the gaur and domesticated in north-east India.
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The gazelle (Gazella dorcas) are various species of small, fast running antelope (the Gazellinae).
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The gean (Prunus Avium) is a wild cherry tree found in Britain. It has fruit which are red when unripe, and a deep purple or black when ripe. The timber can be used for making furniture.
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The gebang palm (Corypha gebanga) is a fan-leaved palm of south east Asia. Sago is extracted from its pith and its leaves are used for thatch, hats, baskets and bags. The root is used in medicine and the fibres of the leaf stalks are used for making ropes, nets and cloth.
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The Gecko are a family of nocturnal lizards (Gekotidae) characterized by the general flatness of their form, especially of the head, which is rather triangular. The body is covered on the upper part with numerous round prominences or warts and the feet are rather short with toes nearly equal in length and furnished with flattened suction pads which enable the gecko to run up perpendicular walls.
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Geissomeria is a genus of tropical evergreen shrubs belonging to the family Acanthaceae. They bear spikes of scarlet, velvety flowers.
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Geissorhiza is a genus of Cape bulbous plants belonging to the family Irisaceae. They occur in many colours, usually very bright.
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The gelada (Theropithecus) is a dark, shaggy-maned baboon found in Ethiopia of the family Cercopithedcidae.
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The Gelderland is a Dutch breed of versatile farm and riding horse developed around the end of the 19th century from a myriad of other breeds. The Gelderland stands between 15.2 and 16.2 hands high and is mostly chestnut in colour, but can also be bay, grey or black in colour with white markings.
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A gelding is a castrated male adult horse.
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The gelsemium is a woody vine found in Asia and southern America.
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The gemma is a small asexual reproductive structure in liverworts, mosses, etc., that becomes detached from the parent and develops into a new individual.
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The gemsbok (Oryx gazella) is a large powerful member of the antelope family inhabiting the plains of South Africa. Herds of ten or more gemsbok are still seen in south-western Africa, their sandy-grey flanks nearly invisible against the desert and brushland habitat. Both sexes have sharply pointed horns that extend up to about 1.2 m. The gemsbok stands more than 122 centimetres high and has a horse like posture and gallop. The horns are lowered parallel to the ground and the animals lunge with great accuracy when holding off lions and other predators. They are also swift runners that can outpace a horse or a pack of African hunting dogs.
Gemsbok can survive dry seasons, eating melons and plant bulbs. Their long horns and striking facial markings have made them prized hunting trophies.
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Genecology is the study of the gene frequency of a species in relation to its population distribution within a particular environment.
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Genes are hereditary information material arranged in a single row along the length of each chromosome.
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The genet or genette (Genetta) is a small digitigrade carnivorous mammal, allied to the civet, of the family Viverridae. It differs from the civet in its smaller size, more elongated body, and shorter limbs, as well as in the absence of a pouch for storing the secretion. The tail is long, and the fur short and soft, and usually spotted. The teeth are compressed and sharply pointed. The common genette is found in France and Spain and Africa, other species are all African. Genets were once used in Constantinople (Istanbul) to catch rats.
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Genipap is the fruit of the Genipa americana tree, of the family Rubiaceae. It is about the size of an orange and has a pleasant vinous flavour.
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Genista is a genus of leguminous plants consisting of about 100 species.
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Gentiana is a genus of bitter herbaceous plants of the family Gentianaceae, which have opposite, often strongly ribbed leaves, and blue, yellow or red, often showy flowers. The calyx consists of four or five valvate segments, and the corolla is four or five parted. The fruit is a two-valved, one celled, many-seeded capsule.
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The Gentile di Puglia (Apulian Merino, Merino di Puglia, Improved Apulian, Italian Merino, Merino d' Italia, Merina Gentile) is a fine woolled breed of sheep from southern Italy. Development of this breed began in the 15th century but the primary improvement was from the 18th century onward. The breed was developed from Spanish Merino crossed with the local breeds. Saxony and Rambouillet breed was introduced during the 19th century.
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In scientific classification, a genus is an assemblage of species possessing certain characteristics in common by which they are distinguished from others.
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Geocarpy is the Botanical term for the ripening of fruits below ground, as occurs in the peanut.
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Geodromicus is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae of between five and six millimetres length.
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Geometridae is the inchworms and loopers family of moths.
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Geophilus is a genus of millipedes.
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A geophyte is a perennial plant that propagates by means of buds below the soil surface.
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Geostiba is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, with a single British species.
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geotaxis is the movement of an organism in response to the stimulus of gravity.
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Geotropic is a biological term describing plants whose roots grow downwards into the soil in response to gravity.
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In botany, the term geotropism refers to a disposition or tendency to turn towards the earth.
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Geotrupidae are a family of burrowing lamellicorn beetles.
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Geraniaceae is a family of exogenous plants the distinguishing character of which is to have a fruit composed of five capsules or cases, connected with as many flat styles, consolidated around a long conical beak.
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The Geranium (Crane's Bill) is an herbaceous plant of the family Geraniaceae, akin to the Wood Sorrel and Balsam. It takes its alternative name of Cranes Bill from the fancied resemblance of the fruit to the beak of a crane.
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Geranosaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. A few remains of
Geranosaurus were discovered at the start of the 20th century and from these limited finds it appears that Geranosaurus was a small dinosaur, about 120 cm long, that stood on its hind legs and had short arms. The jaws were equipped with sharp front teeth, behind them a pair of fangs and behind those ridged cheek teeth.
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The Gerenuk (Litocranius walleri) is a long-necked mammal of the antelope family related to the gazelles. Gerenuk are reddish-brown in colour with a dark band running along the back, have a long neck and live in east Africa where they feed upon leaves and soft young tree shoots.
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The German cockroach or Croton bug (Blattella germanica) is a small cockroach. It is a common household pest.
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There are various breeds of German Pointer: long-haired, short-haired and wire-haired but they are all German in origin and closely related gundogs. The German Pointers stand about 62 cm tall and are responsive to training.
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The German Yellow is a breed of cattle.
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Germander is a popular name for herbs of the genus Teucrium.
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Germination is the sprouting of seeds into plants. It takes place after the seeds have been shed, when ripening changes continue. The process begins with the uptake of water by the seed. The embryonic root, or radicle, is normally the first organ to emerge, followed by the embryonic shoot, or plumule. Food reserves, either within the endosperm or from the cotyledons, are broken down to nourish the rapidly growing seedling.
Germination is considered to have ended with the production of the first true leaves.
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Gervas (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) is a small shrub of the family Verbenaceae. It is native to the West Indies and warm parts of America. Its leaves were used to make Brazilian tea and to adulterate tea in Britain in the 19th century.
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Gestation is the period which elapses between the impregnation of any mammal and the birth of the offspring.
Gestation varies from 25 days in the case of the mouse to 620 days for an elephant, with the normal human gestation lasting 270 days (9 months).
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Geum is a genus of hardy herbaceous perennials, belonging to the family Rosaceae, chiefly natives of the northern hemisphere.
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The Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli) is a moth of the family Hepialidae with a wing span of between 40 and 70 mm found in temperate Europe, Asia Minor and western Asia in grassy meadows flying in June or July.
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The ghost-moth is a nocturnal lepidopterous insect (Hepialus humuli), so called from the male being of a white colour, and from its habit of hovering with a pendulum-like motion in the twilight over one spot where the female is concealed.
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The Giant Clam (Chama gigas) is a marine bivalve with the largest known shell (approximately one meter across). They are found in the Indian Ocean.
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The Giant Garter Snake (Thamnophis gigas) is a large species of Garter snake growing to 120 cm in length distinguished by a weak mid-dorsal striping which is usually pale yellow in colour and irregular, and very dark spotting arranged in a Checkered pattern.
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Gibberellins are a group of organic compounds that stimulate plant growth. First isolated from the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi, over 30 gibberellins are now known. They stimulate the growth of leaves, stems, flowers, and fruit and break the dormancy of seeds and tubers.
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Gibbium is a genus of Spider Beetle (Ptinidae).
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A gibbon is a type of small ape of the genus Hylobates, particularly the species Hylobates lar which inhabits the islands of the Indian Archipelago. It is noticeable by the extraordinary length of its arms and its slender form.
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The gibel (Cyprinus gibelio) is a fish of the carp genus. It is also called the Prussian Carp. The gibel rarely weighs more than 250 gm.
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The Gidran Arabian is a Hungarian breed of cavalry horse now used as a competition horse, though its difficult nature makes it unsuitable for inexperienced riders. The Gidran Arabian stands between 16 and 17 hands high and is mostly chestnut in colour with a distinctive Arabian appearance. The breed was extensively used and lost during the Great War.
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Gills are the respiratory organs of aquatic animals. They are specialized thin-walled regions of the body surface through which dissolved oxygen is taken into the blood and carbon dioxide released into the water. The gills of fish lie in gill slits on each side of the gullet. The gills of molluscs and fanworms have hair-like cilia that trap food particles in the water flowing over the gills. The external gills of amphibian larvae are feathery structures projecting from the body wall.
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The gilthead (Chrysophrys aurata) is an acanthopterygious fish of the Sparidae or sea-bream family common in the Mediterranean. It has strong grinding teeth which it uses to crush the shells of the molluscs on which it feeds. It has a yellow band which extends from eye to eye, and typically weighs nine kg.
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Ginger is various species of perennial plant of the genus Zingiber, family Zingiberaceae found in south east Asia, the West Indies, South America and Africa of which Jamaican ginger is the most prized.
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Ginger Gold is an American variety of apple. It apparently owes its life to Hurricane Camille, which roared through Virginia in 1969. It destroyed much of the orchard of Clyde and Ginger Harvey near Arrington, south of Charlottesville in the Virginia Piedmont. Several years later they found a tree that had grown from a seed that had apparently been washed into the orchard from elsewhere, perhaps during the hurricane, and was nothing like what had been planted there before. A nursery budded the first trees in the early 1980s, and horticulturists concluded the Harveys had a unique variety on their hands. They sold some of the apples locally and called the variety by Mrs. Harvey's first name. Its yellow appearance derives from its probable Golden Delicious parentage. Pippin is thought to be one of the other varieties in its genetics. Ginger Gold matures about six weeks before Golden Delicious and has a spicy sweet flavour. Its texture is firm and white, and it stores well under refrigeration.
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The gingerbread plum (Parinarium macrophyllum) is a small tree native to Guinea, bearing racemes of white flowers, followed by rather large grey fruits.
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The gingko are coniferous trees of the genus Salisburia belonging to the yew family and which are native to China and Japan.
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The ginkgo is a tree related to the conifers and native to China and Japan.
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Ginseng (Panax schinseng) is a plant of Northern Asia of the family Araliaceae. It is herbaceous and grows to about 30cm tall. Its root has long been regarded by the Chinese as a source of sexual potency.
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Gipsywort (Lycopus europaeus) is a perennial herb of the family Labiatae with a creeping rhizome and a stiffly erect, unbranched, square stem. The numerous leaves are opposite, lanceolate to elliptic, short-stalked and deeply toothed. The lower leaves are pinnately divided. The flowers are small, white and arranged in dense whorls in the axils of the upper pairs of leaves. Gipsywort resembles mint, but may be distinguished by its lack of smell, lobed lower leaves and tight whorls of whitish flowers.
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The giraffe (formerly known as the camelopard) is the tallest mammal, reaching a height of over four meters, and found only in Africa south of the Sahara. A member of the family Giraffidae, suborder Ruminantia of the order Artiodactyla, there are two distinct species of giraffe, the common or blotched giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and the reticulated or Somali giraffe (Giraffa reticulata). The giraffe has a short body, but very long neck and legs. The head is furnished with short horns covered with skin and short tufts of hair. There may be one pair of horns or two pairs, one shorter pair behind the longer front horns, and often between the front pair a central swelling on the forehead which may be as long as the horns. The markings of a giraffe varies from each animal, being unique with no two giraffes identical. A group of giraffes is known as a 'tower'.
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The Girdle of Venus is an animal of the Ctenophora found in the Mediterranean.
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The gizzard is the thick-walled part of a bird's stomach, in which hard food is broken up by muscular action and contact with grit and small stones.
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Glacier crowfoot (Ranunculus glacialis) is a nearly hairless perennial European plant, with prostrate or ascending, simple or branched stems. The basal leaves are fleshy, three-lobed, each lobe being stalked and further divided into rectangular or elliptical lobes. The stem leaves are similar but smaller and stalkless. The flowers have five sepals covered in red-brown hairs, and five white petals.
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Gladiolus are a genus of plants of the Iris family, having a bulbous root with a reticulated covering. They are natives of Europe and north Africa, but especially South Africa. The leaves are ensiform and the flowers brilliantly coloured.
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The Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) is a species of brush-footed butterfly (Nymphalidae) found in Morocco and across Europe. Two generations occur in a year, the first flying from May to July and the second from August to September.
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The Glass Snake is a lizard of the genus Ophiosaurus which resembles a snake in form and reaches a length of one meter. The joints of the tail are not connected by caudal muscles and so the tail is very brittle and joints break off when the animal is even slightly irritated.
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Glasswort are plants of the genus Salicornia, family Chenopodiaceae. They are succulent marine herbs growing abundantly on the coasts of southern Europe and north Africa. When burnt their ashes yield soda which was once used in making glass, hence the name glasswort.
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Glaucus is a genus of small nudibranch molluscs, the species of which are found floating at the surface of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The body bears three pairs of lateral lobes, which are fringed with papillae and is slender and elongated.
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Gleam is the collective noun for a group of herring.
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Gleditschia is a genus of plants of the family Leguminosae to which the honey-locust belongs.
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The Glen of Imaal Terrier is an Irish breed of dog that originates from County Wicklow where it was used to hunt badgers and as a fighting dog. The breed is a tough and hardy one with a brave nature that likes people but is less keen on other dogs.
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Gliridae is the dormice family of rodents belonging to the suborder Myomorpha. They are the only rodents without a caecum. They have four upper and lower cheek teeth which are low crowned with transverse ridges.
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Glischrochilus is a genus of sap-beetle (Nitidulidae).
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Globe-fish is a popular name applied to several fish of the genera Diodon and Tetraodon of the order Plectognathi, on account of their ability to assume a globular form by swallowing air or water which inflates a ventral sac and inflates the whole animal like a balloon.
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The globe-flower (Trollius europaeus) is a European plant of the family Ranunculaceae. It is found in mountainous regions and has five-lobed, deeply serrated leaves and round pale-yellow blossoms the sepals of which are large and conspicuous while the petals are very small.
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Globigerina is one of the Foraminifera, a microscopic animal having a many- celled shell found fossilised in the chalk and tertiary formations and alive in the seas where shells of the abundant dead animals form vast calcareous deposits of mud known as globigerina ooze.
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Globularia is a genus of south European plants of the family Selaginaceae. The flowers are mostly borne in heads and are usually blue or white.
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Gloriosa is a genus of tuberous-rooted climbing herbs of the family Liliaceae, so named from their splendid flowers. They have branched stems and flowers mostly of a pretty red and yellow colour, with six long lanceolate undulated segments, which are entirely reflexed.
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Glossodia is a genus of terrestrial orchids, native to Australia and bearing blue flowers on an erect scape.
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The Gloucester Old Spot is a hardy breed of pig, white with a few black markings, that originally lived off windfalls in orchards in the Severn valley.
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Glow-worm is a popular name for beetles of the family Lampyridae. The name
glow-worm is only really applicable to the female, which is without wings, resembling a caterpillar, and emits a shining green light from the extremity of the abdomen. The male is winged, and flies about in the evening when it is attracted by the light of the female.
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Gloxinia is a genus of plants of the family Gesneraceae, distinguished by the corolla approaching to bell-shaped, the upper lip shortest and two- lobed, the lower three-lobed, with the middle lobe largest, and also by the summit of the style being rounded and hollowed. The species are native to tropical America and were introduced into Britain in the 19th century.
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The glutton (Gulo arcticus) (Wolverene, Wolverine) is a carnivorous quadruped, about the size of a large badger, and intermediate between the bear family and the weasels. It inhabits northern Europe and America.
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Glycyrrhiza is a genus of hardy leguminous plants with pinnate leaves and flowers in racemes. Liquorice is derived from Glycyrrhiza glabra.
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Gmelina is a genus of plants of the family Verbenaceae found in Asia. All the species form either shrubs or trees, some providing valuable timber.
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Gnaphalium is a genus of widely-spread composite plants which have their foliage usually covered with a white woolly down, and their flower-heads of the everlasting kind.
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Gnat is a popular name for several species of insects of the genus Culex.
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Gnathoncus is a genus of small beetles of the family Histeridae. They live in birds' nests and poultry-sheds.
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Gnathostomata is a branch of the Sub-Phylum Craniata group of animals. The mouth is bounded by jaws which are formed from the mandibular visceral arch.
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Gnatocerus is a genus of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) about four millimetres long. Both the adult and larvae live on cereals and cereal products.
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Gnidia is a genus of small tropical African shrubs, with evergreen foliage, of the family Thymelaceae.
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Gnorimus is a genus of beetle the family Scarabaeidae.
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The gnu (wildebeeste) is an antelope found in Africa. Both sexes have horns projecting slightly outwards and downwards, then forming an abrupt upward bend. They have bristly black hair about the face and muzzle, a white stiff mane, and horse-like tail. They reach a length of about 270cm and a height at the shoulder of about 120cm.
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Gnypeta is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, similar in appearance and habits to Tachyusa, but with shorter legs.
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The goat is a ruminant mammal of the genus Capra, sub-family Caprinae. They are slightly smaller than a sheep, but stronger, more agile and less timid.
In Massachusetts, USA, it is illegal for a goat to wear trousers.
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The Goat Moth (Cossus cossus) is a large moth of the family Cossidae with a wing span of between 65 and 80 mm found in northern Africa, Europe and temperate Asia flying from June to July at night in deciduous forests.
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Goat pox is an epidemic disease of goats caused by a virus infection and characterized by fever and a papulovesicular eruption of the skin and mucous membranes.
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Goat's-beard is a popular name of plants of the genus Tragopogon, family Compositae, which are herbaceous perennials, chiefly natives of Europe. The seeds have feathery appendages from which the plants get their name.
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Goat's-rue (Galega officinalis) of French lilac, is a leguminous bushy perennial herb indigenous to southern Europe. It has an erect, hairless angled stem and alternate, odd pinnate leaves with four to twelve pairs of rectangular leaflets. The flowers are white, pinkish or lilac and arranged in long erect racemes in the leaf axils. It is used as forage and was once used as a cordial to treat fever and convulsions.
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Goat's-thorn is the name given to two hard evergreen plants of the genus Astragalus.
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The goat-moth (Cossus ligniperda) is a large British moth. The larvae are about 7 cm long and hollow out galleries in trees and form cocoons from the sawdust in which the chrysalids are formed. The larval condition lasts for three years. The fully-developed insect is ash-coloured, with numerous small black lines on the first pair of wings.
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A gobbler (or tom) is a male or cock turkey (the female being a hen).
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Goby is the popular name of a family of acanthopterous fish (Gobiidae) characterized as having two dorsal fins nearly united into one, the anterior fin having flexible rays, not spinous. The ventral fins are thoracic and united more or less by their bases. the body is scaly and the head unarmed. there are about 400 species of goby.
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Godwinia is a genus of plants of the family Araceae.
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Godwit is a popular name for birds of the genus Limosa of the family Scolopacidae. They are large, long-billed wading birds which breed in northern latitudes and migrate south in the winter. Godwits are found in grassy plains, wet meadows and marshes where they eat insects and crustaceans. The nest is comprised of a shallow hollow in the ground lined with dry grass.
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Goethea is a genus of small evergreen Brazilian shrubs of the family Malvaceae.
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Gold of Pleasure (Camelina sativa) is a cruciferous annual of the family Brassicaceae, with stem-clasping leaves and terminal racemes of yellow flowers which produce pear-shaped pods containing numerous small seeds.
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The Gold Spangle (Autographa bractea) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 37 and 42 mm found in the northern parts of the Palaearctic flying from June to August.
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The Gold Spot (Plusia festucae) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm widespread throughout the non-polar Palaearctic as far as Japan in wet meadows, swamps and other watery habitats. One or two generations are produced flying from May to September.
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The Gold Swift (Hepialus hecta) is a moth of the family Hepialidae with a wing span of between 22 and 33 mm found in Europe and Asia flying from June to August in forests with an undergrowth of bilberry and oxeye daisies.
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The Golden Delicious apple was found as a seedling in West Virginia, USA, in the 1880's. The tree is in full bloom from early to mid-October and the fruit is harvested from late February to mid-March. It is a medium to large apple, green when harvested, ripening to a golden yellow colour. The skin has conspicuous lenticels. The flesh is green-white and crisp and the taste is sweet, fragrant and juicy. It is a superb eating apple. It is very good for baking, holding its shape, and excellent for use in salads. In certain areas and under specific climatic conditions the Golden Delicious has a delicate pink blush.
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Golden Gala is a specially selected variety of Royal Gala apple. It is in full bloom from early to middle October and fruit is harvested in mid- February. The fruit of the Golden Gala has a beautiful golden-yellow background skin colour with a slight red stripe. The flesh is cream and the texture is crisp. The apple has a unique, sweet, tangy flavour and a lovely aroma.
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The Golden Lion Tamarin or Golden Lion Marmoset (Leontopithecus rosalia) is a small monkey about 25 centimeters long excluding the tail, found in the coastal rain forests of Brazil. The golden lion tamarin is omnivorous, eating fruits, gum, nectar, insects, and small vertebrates and is diurnal and predominantly arboreal. They live in territorial family groups of one pair of sexually mature adults and their young, with the younger adults helping with rearing the very young. Destruction of the coastal forests during the 20th century and into the 21st century means the golden lion tamarin is now almost extinct, with perhaps less than 100 animals still in the wild in 2008.
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Golden Noble is a variety of Apple discovered in an old orchard in Downham, Norfolk. One of the best cooking apples which keeps little of its form when cooked. It is sharp, well flavoured with a creamy texture and is ideal for pies. Keeps until spring, when it becomes a rich eating apple.
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The Golden Plusia (Polychrysia moneta) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 32 and 37 mm found in northern and central Europe mostly in the mountains. A single generation emerges in June and July.
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The Golden Retriever is a Scottish breed of dog developed on the Guisachan Estate during the second half of the 19th century from a yellow retriever of Flat-Coar Retriever ancestry with a Tweed Water Spaniel (now an extinct breed). Golden Retrievers are excellent family dogs with a good temperament for a gundog or family dog, but which need a daily run.
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Golden Spur is a dwarf variety of apple tree bearing a firm, golden green fruit.
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Golden-beetle is a popular name for several tetramerous beetles of the genus Chrysomela. There are some British species, but most are tropical. They are characterized by their brilliant colouring.
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The Golden-crested Wren (Golden-crested Regulus, Kinglet, Regulus cristatus) is a beautiful bird belonging to the family Sylviadae, distinguished by an orange crest. It is the smallest of British birds, being only 8cm long, very agile and almost continually in motion. The upper part of the body is yellowish olive green and the under parts are pale reddish white. It lives mostly in tall trees, particularly the oak, yew, pine and fir.
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Golden-rod (Solidago) is a genus of plants of the family Compositae. They are chiefly natives of North America, which hosts some sixty species where they occur in every habitat. Most of the species have erect, rod-like, scarcely branched stems, with alternate serrated leaves, and terminal spikes of small yellow flowers. The only British species is the European
golden-rod (Solidago virgaurea), which bears a long cluster of showy flower heads and is found in woods and thickets.
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Golden-saxifrage is a popular name for Chrysoplenium.
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The goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a migrant duck which visits Britain during winter. The male is black and white with a rounded green-glossed head and a conspicuous white patch at the base of the bill. The female has grey-brown plumage separated from a dark brown head by a pale neck.
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The Goldenrod Brindle (Lithomoia solidaginis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae, with a wing span of between 40 and 45 mm widely distributed through the northern and mild parts of the Palaearctic and also North America. The moths live in sparse pine forests with an undergrowth of heather, in peat- bogs and on the outskirts of woods and in clearings. The adult flies from August to Autumn.
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The Goldfinch (Fringilla carduelis or Carduelis Elegans) is a common British bird of the Finch family. It is about 13cm long and the plumage is a mixture of black, scarlet (around the forehead and throat), yellow and white colours. During the 19th century it was a popular caged bird, being easily tamed and able to be taught tricks and manoeuvres. Its favourite food is thistle seeds (hence its French name, Chardonneret - a frequenter of thistles).
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The goldfish (Cyprinus auratus) is a member of the carp family found in east Asia.
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The goliath-beetles are beetles of the genus Goliathus which are native to Africa and South America and are so named on account of their remarkable large size which can reach 10cm. They are eaten in South America.
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The Gomuti Palm (Saguerus saccharifer) is the sago-palm and yields a bristly fibre known as gomuti or ejoo which is manufactured into cordage, and used for thatching. The sweet juice of the palm is fermented into a toddy by natives. The Gomuti Palm is also one of the chief sago producing palms.
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The gonads are essential reproductive organs.
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Gongora is a genus of evergreen epiphytal orchids with long racemes of pendulous flowers and long lanceolate leaves.
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Gonidia are the secondary, green, spherical cells in the thallus of lichens which distinguish lichens from fungi.
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A gonidium is a special groove or furrow at one or both angles of the mouth of many Anthozoa.
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Gonodera is a genus of beetle of the family Alleculidae found on flowering bushes at the margin of woods.
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Gonolobus is a genus of American shrubs belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae. They bear greenish or purplish flowers.
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A gonophore is a sexual zooid produced as a medusoid bud upon a hydroid, sometimes becoming a free hydromedusa, and sometimes remaining attached. In botany, a gonophore is a lengthened receptacle, bearing the stamens and carpels in a conspicuous manner.
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Good-King-Henry (Chenopodium bonus-henricus) is an erect or ascending perennial plant of the natural family Chenopodiaceae found throughout western and northern Europe in nitrogen-rich areas. It grows to a height of 80 cm and bears triangular leaves with wavy margins and prominent lobes at the base. The flowers are very small, greenish, usually hermaphrodite and are borne together on a long tapering spike.
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Goodyera is a genus of orchids.
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The goosander (Mergus merganser) is a large, elegant, sawbill diving duck found in Scotland, northern England and Wales. The male has a red, serrated- edged bill, green-glossed head, white body and a black back. The female has an orange-red head with a shaggy crest, and the body plumage is greyish. The nest is built in a hole in a tree, usually beside a large river.
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Goose is a popular name for the Anscrinoe sub-family of water birds of the family Anatidae in which the beak is roughly conical in shape. Geese differ from ducks in the plumage of both sexes is generally similar, and they often form a strong and lasting pair bond. The male goose (a gander) assists in the nesting and the raring of the young, vigorously defending his mate and the nest. A group of geese on the ground is known as a gaggle, and a group in flight as a skein.
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Abbreviations
Nature
