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The cicada is a group of large four winged insects.
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Cicindela is the tiger beetle genus of the ground beetle family, Carabidae. The species are native chiefly of the warmer regions, with five British species occuring. All have a similarly shaped body, though colourings vary and are the only ground beetles to fly away instantly when disturbed. They are predacious, the larvae lying in wait for their prey at the mouth of their burrow.
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The Ciconiiformes are an order of birds including the storks, herons, ibises, flamingos and related species.
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Cidaris is a genus of sea-urchins, including fossil and living forms. They are regular urchins characterized by thick massive spines.
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Cidnopus is a genus of click beetle (Elateridae) characterised by the basal antennal segments being capable of being tucked into a groove on the underside of the prothorax. The larvae feed on grass roots, and the adults are generally found on grasses, but also on other plants.
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Cidnorhinus is a genus of tiny Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) that live on stinging nettles.
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Cilea is a genus of gregarious rove beetles, Staphylinidae found under decaying plants, in dung and in warm compost.
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Ciliata are a highly organised class of the Protozoa, characterised by the possession of cilia, which may be distributed all over the body, and act as swimming organs, as in the slipper animalcule, or may be restricted to certain parts of it, as in the stalked bell animalcule, in which their action serves to sweep food-particles into the gullet.
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Ciliata vera are a subclass of ciliophora. They are free swimming animals.
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Ciliophora are a class of Protozoa with relatively simple life-histories. The locomotor structures are cilia arranged in definite tracts. The cilia arise from grooves in the pellicle. Ciliophora have a unique nuclear structure, comprised of a meganucleus concerned with trophic activities, and a micronucleus concerned with reproduction.
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Cimbicidae is a sawfly family of insects of the super-family Tenthredinoidea, sub-order Symphyta, order Hymenoptera.
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The cinchona is a genus of trees native to South America with fragrant white or pink flowers. The bark contains quinine and other related alkaloids. The tree was named in honour of the countess of Chinchon, the vice-Queen of Peru after she was cured by cinchona bark in 1638.
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The Cinnabar Moth (Tyria jacobaeae) is a tiger moth of the Arctiidae family, found in localised pockets across Europe and Asia flying from May to July. The caterpillar of the Cinnabar Moth is about 15 mm long and marked by equal transverse bands of yellow and black, lives gregariously (perhaps twenty-four in a group) feeding upon the leaves of common kinds of field and meadow groundsels including dandelion and ragwort. From the leaves of the plants the caterpillars store poisonous alkaloids. Birds quickly learn that the Cinnabar Moth caterpillar is not good to eat, and having eaten one leave the others alone - there are a few exceptions, and Cuckoos are particulary fond of the caterpillars. The adult moths have a wing span of about 35 mm and are mainly red in colour with a brown or black body and brown forewings patterned with red areas.
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Cinnamon is a small evergreen tree of the family Laurinaceae.
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Cionus is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae).
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The cirl bunting (Emberiza cirlus) is a European and Asian bird very similar to the yellow hammer with the exception of its black chin and throat and its dislike of cold.
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Cirripedia is a subclass of crustacea. These are the barnacles and acorn shells. They are sedentary animals with a reduced head and abdomen. The most striking appendages are usually the six pairs of biramous thoracic feet, which are used in catching food, being swept through the water after the fashion of a fishing net.
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Cis is a genus of small beetles of the family Cisidae.
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Cisidae is a family of beetles of the order Coleoptera. They are brown or black, with a cylindrical body and live on tree fungi.
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Cistus, the rock-rose, is a genus of plants of the family Cistaceae native to Europe and the countries bordering the Mediterranean. They are called rock-roses because of the resemblance of their flowers to those of roses. The flowers are large, and delicately coloured and textured but last only a day.
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The citron is a tree related to the lemon, bearing large yellowish fruits shaped like a lemon, but with coarse, thick, furrowed skin which is preserved in sugar for confectionary and cakes. The citron is native to India but is cultivated through the Mediterranean and in California and Florida.
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Citrus is a genus of trees and shrubs of the rue family which includes the lemon, orange, lime and tangerine. They are widely cultivated for their edible fruit.
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The civet (Viverridae) are a family of carnivorous animals similar to the cats. They inhabit tropical Asia and Africa and are celebrated for producing a scented substance used in perfume.
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The clam is a marine Lamellibranch mollusc of the Pecten genus, akin to the cockle. The giant clam is the largest known bivalve mollusc with a shell as large as one meter across and weighing around 120 kg. Clams are found in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.
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Clambidae is a family of tiny beetles, characterised by a broad head and the ability to roll themselves into a ball.
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Clambus is a genus of beetles of the family Clambidae found living under rotting plants.
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Clamour is the collective noun for a group of rooks.
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Claosaurus was a duck-billed dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Remains of
Claosaurus were first found in 1872 in the USA. Claosaurus was a small dinosaur, about 3.7 meters long and standing about 1 meter tall.
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Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) is a medium-sized diving bird of the order Podicipediformes, family Podicipedidae with a long slender neck, slender pointed yellow bill. Grey back; black cap; white cheek, breast and neck; eye in white area of cheek. It is a common winter visitor along the California coast, in bays and the Salton Sea breeding on inland lakes.
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Clary (Salvia sclarea) is a biennial herb of the Sage genus, family Labiatae, with a square, erect, little-branched stem, large almost sessile, opposite leaves which are broadly ovate, wrinkled and irregularly shallow lobed or toothed. The flowers are white, violet or pink in colour, two-lipped, and arranged in whorls in a terminal spike, interspersed with bracts of the same colour. The fruit consists of four nutlets.
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Claviger is a genus of beetles of the family Pselaphidae (formerly classified as belonging to the family Clavigeridae). They are devoid of eyes and have very short tarsi and antennae of six segments, the first of which is hidden. They live with ants of the genus Lasius.
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The Clay Moth (Mythimna ferrago) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 35 and 40 mm found through Europe eastwards to central Asia flying from July to August.
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The clear-wings are a family of moths, related to the clothes moth, but distinguished by the absence of the scales from the wings. Many of them mimic hymenoptera, notably the hornet clear-wing, which closely resembles the large wasp, after which it is named.
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Cleaver or Goose Grass (Galium aparine) is a British plant with rough stems and six to eight leaves in a whorl with distinctive curled prickles. The flowers are axillary and greenish white. The fruit is rough with hooked prickles and the seed vessels are globular and tenacious, clinging to the coat of any animal that touches them. The alternative name of Goose Grass comes from the fact that geese like to eat the entire plant.
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The cleg (clegg, breeze-fly, gad-fly) is a name applied to the members of the insect family Tabanidae, which are flies furnished with a lancet-like proboscis, of powerful flight, and a habit of sucking blood. It is only the female which sucks blood, and in some examples - such as the Hadrus lepidotus of Brazil - they may inflict wounds which bleed very freely. The common cleg (Tabanus bovinus) is a large insect resembling a bee which produces a deep hum which panics horses and cattle. It also attacks man, and its hard proboscis can penetrate even thick clothing.
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Cleonus is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae).
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The clepsine are hirudinea.
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Cleridae is the chequered beetles family of insects of the order Coleoptera, so named after their variegated patterning.
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The Cleveland Bay is an indigenous British breed of riding horse dating back to the Middle Ages when they originated in the Cleveland district of Yorkshire from the Chapman Horse. The Cleveland Bay stands 16.2 hands high and is bay with black points in colour. By the 1960s the breed had almost died out, but intervention by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who purchased a stallion for breeding has resulted in the breed's continuation.
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Clianthus is a small genus of tender shrubs belonging to the family Leguminosae, with pinnate leaves and uniquely showy flowers.
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The click beetles or Skip-Jacks are beetles of the Elateridae family, related to the fire-flies, which when lying on their back, have the power of regaining their feet by a rapid jerk accompanied by a clicking sound produced by the jumping mechanism in the thorax. The larvae, known as wire worms, live in the ground and some species feed on the roots of cereals damaging crops.
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The Clifden Nonpareil (Catocala fraxini) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 75 and 95 mm found in deciduous forests of the Palaearctic flying from July to October.
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The Climbing Perch (Anabas scandens) is a freshwater fish about 20 centimetres long, with a compressed body and a long spiny dorsal fin. It is found in India and countries to the east, and can travel long distances on land, breathing air by means of a bony labyrinth richly supplied with blood- vessels and situated in the upper part of the bronchial chamber.
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Climbing Plants are divided by Darwin into four classes. The first group twine spirally round a support, the second are aided by sensitive, modified leaves, branches or flower stems. These two grade into one another. The third ascend by the aid of hooks, and the fourth by rootlets.
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Cliona is a boring sponge, important in that it brings about the rapid disintegration of shells, especially oyster-shells.
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Clivina is a genus of small (five or six millimetres in length) beetles of the family Carabidae, subfamily Scaritinae.
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The Cloaked Carpet (Euphyia biangulata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 25 and 30 mm found in temperate Europe and Asia in natural beech woods flying from June to August in two generations.
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The Cloaked Pug (Eupithecia abietaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 20 and 25 mm found in central and northern Europe and western Asia flying from May to July.
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Clothes-moth is a general name for a great variety of small, so-called Tineine moths, the larvae of which feed mainly on dried animal substances, and are very destructive to woollen goods, furs etc.
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Cloud is the collective noun for a group of gnats.
Cloud is the name given to an area of dark colouration on the forehead between a horse's eyes.
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The Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne) is a very rare European butterfly of the Swallowtails family (Papilionidae). The Clouded Apollo lives in damp, grassy localities in hilly landscapes and on the outskirts of deciduous forests supplied with rich undergrowth.
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The Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 20 and 25 mm found in the forest zone of the Palaearctic flying from April to August.
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The Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 35 and 40 mm found in Europe, Asia and America and flying from March to May.
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The Clouded Leopard or Clouded Tiger (Neofelis nebulosa) is a large species of wild cat ranging from Nepal to eastern Borneo. It has a relatively large head, short legs and a long tail and its pattern consists of large, black-edged dark patches. It is about two meters in total length and weighs around 20 kg. It lives in the forest feeding on birds and small mammals, but is not closely related to either the leopard or the tiger.
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The Clouded Magpie (Abraxas sylvata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 30 and 38 mm found in the forest zone of the Palaearctic flying from May to August.
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The Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 22 and 26 mm found in the temperate parts of the Palaearctic flying from April to July.
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The Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) is a species of butterfly of the family Pieridae. It has two or three generations a year which fly from April to May and then from July until autumn.
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Clover or trefoil (Trifolium) as it is also known from the division of the leaf into three leaflets, is a small herb of the family Leguminosae characterised by the crowding of the numerous flowers into a rounded or oval cluster and by the flowers remaining in position after the formation of the pod.
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Clowder is the collective noun for a group of cats.
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The clown fish (Amphiprion percula) is a marine damselfish which lives in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean in close proximity with anemones. The clown fish is orange-brown in colour with black-bordered white stripes.
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The Club-Mosses (Lycopodium) are a group of epiphytic land plants, with dichotomous branching of root and stem, and numerous small, closely-placed leaves; with sporophylls resembling the vegative leaves, grouped as cones at the end of some shoots, bearing single sporongia on the upper side.
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The Clumber Spaniel (named after the Duke of Newcastle's estate - Clumber Park) is a French breed of gundog. A stocky animal, the Clumber is the heaviest of the Spaniels, weighing between 25 and 31 kg, and standing between 40 and 45 cm tall. Clumber spaniels were bred for their scenting skills, but are also good companions and retrievers as well.
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Clump is the collective noun for a group of trees.
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Clusia or Lecluse is a genus of evergreen shrubs and trees belonging to the family Guttiferae. They are natives of tropical countries and are popularly known as balsam trees.
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Cluster is the collective noun for a group of grapes.
Cluster is the collective noun for a group of spiders.
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Clustered dock (Rumex conglomeratus) is a short lived perennial plant of the family Polygonaceae found in most parts of Europe in damp places, especially near rivers, ponds and on waste ground. It has rectangular leaves which are wedge-shaped or nearly heart-shaped at the base. The flowers are borne in whorls in sparse, widely branched inflorescences.
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Clutch is the collective noun for a group of eggs.
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Clutter is the collective noun for a group of spiders.
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The Clydesdale Horse is a breed of Scottish heavy horse developed during the 18th century as a replacement to the Shire horse. The Clydesdale Horse stands 16 to 18 hands high, is mostly bay in colour, has an attractive head with a straight profile, large intelligent eyes, a broad forehead, and feathering. Formerly they were used in Lanarkshire for hauling coal.
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Clytra is a genus of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) whose larvae develop in ants' nests.
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Clytus is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae). The genus includes the 'Wasp Beetle' (Clytus arietis).
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The coal-fish or coalfish (Pollachius virens) also called the Saithe, Coley and Greencod, is a predaceous member of the cod family, distinguished by its dark, almost black back, white lateral line, and long lower jaw with a barbel. It extends from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. It feeds on other fish, particularly herring.
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The coal-tit (Parus ater) or coal-titmouse, is a British bird so named from its black colour. It has a glossy blue-black head with white spots.
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The Coastal Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata multifasciata) is a species of Milk snake found in wooded and shaded areas in and around canyons often close to streams in central California.
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The coati (Coati Mundi or Nasua) is a carnivorous mammal related to the racoon. Found in south America and Mexico. It has a long mobile snout, a long tail, and feet armed with strong claws for digging and climbing.
Coatis often hunt in companies, and feed on lizards, birds, insects and other animals and eggs.
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The Cob is a type of horse comprising two breeds: the Welsh Cob and the Norman Cob, both resulting from the Irish Draft either purebred or crossed. Cobs are renowned carriers of weight, able to carry a man hunting all day. Cobs are fairly small horses, calm and gentle.
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The cob nut is a domesticated variety of the hazel.
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The cobra is a venomous snake found in Africa and south Asia.
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A cobweb (corrupted from the Anglo-Saxon 'cop-web', meaning spider-web) is the fine network spun by many species of spider for catching their prey.
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Coccidia are a group of the Sporozoa exclusively parasitic on animals of various kinds, both vertebrate and invertebrate. They are mostly found in such organs as the liver or kidneys, but are not blood parasites. Their reproduction is both sexual and asexual, and they undergo a complicated series of changes in their life history, but each species is restricted to a particular host.
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The coccidia vera are a suborder of coccidiomorpha. They are parasites found chiefly in invertebrates, but also in vertebrates. The trophic phase is typically intracellular.
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The coccidiomorpha are an order of Sporozoa.
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Coccidula is a genus of small (about three millimetres in length) ladybird (Coccinellidae). They are relatively long, with almost parallel sides and live on marsh and aquatic plants where they feed on aphids.
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Coccinella is a genus of ladybird (Coccinellidae).
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The Cochin is a breed of chicken.
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Cochineal is a scaled insect (Dactylopius coccus or Coccus cacti) found on cacti in Mexico. The dried body of the female is used to prepare the red dye, cochineal.
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Cockatoo is the name of any of several crested parrots, especially of the genus Cacatua, family Psittacidae, of the order Psittaciformes. They usually have light-coloured plumage with tinges of red, yellow, or orange on the face, and an erectile crest on the head. They are native to Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands. There are about 17 species, one of the most familiar being the sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) of Australia and New Guinea, about 50 centimetres long, white with a yellow crest and dark beak.
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The cockchafer (Melolontha vulgaris) is a common European beetle, about three centimetres long and destructive to the foliage of fruit and forest trees.
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The Cocker Spaniel or English Cocker Spaniel is an English-Welsh breed of gundog probably named ' cocker' after their use in hunting woodcocks.
Cocker Spaniels are easy to train, sociable animals but can be aggressive at times.
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The Cockle (Cardium) is a Lamellibranchia bivalve mollusc. It is recognised by its ribbed, heart-shaped shell. They are found on British shores.
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The cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is an insect of the order Orthoptera. In the common species the male is fully winged and the female wingless. The eggs are enclosed in horny purse-like cases attached to the abdomen of the female and carried about until the young are ready to hatch. The larvae resemble the adults, but are wingless. The American cockroach is larger than the British species, and both sexes are fully winged. The German species is very much smaller, and both sexes are winged and it also has the ability to climb smooth surfaces such as window panes.
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Cockscomb (Rhinanthus Crista-galli) is a tall, single stemmed British plant of the family Schrophulariaceae. It bears a loose spike of yellow flowers in June.
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Cocoa (Cacao) is a small tree (Theobroma cacao) of the family Sterculiaceae, native to tropical America. The powder derived from the fruit of the tree is also called cocoa, and is used to make chocolate. The best quality cocoa comes from Venezuela, Ecuador, the Caribbean (Jamaica, Trinidad and Greanada) and Madagascar. This accounts for about two percent of the cocoa produced, the remaining 98 per cent is low grade cocoa lacking aroma and quality, and which is used in 99.99 per cent of commercial chocolate.
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The Coconut Crab is a large land crustacean about 60 centimetres or more in length and massive in proportion. It is related to the hermit-crab and is found in many of the Indo-Pacific islands. It lives in holes at the roots of palm trees and feeds upon fallen coconuts, fruit, carrion and its injured companions. It uses its powerful claws to tear the husk off the coconut and hammers at the ' eyes' until a hole is made. It then either extracts the fruit directly or smashes the coconut against the ground to break the shell.
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Cocoon is the name given to the silken case enveloping the chrysalis of several Lepidoptera, especially the silk moths. The term is also applied to the silk sack in which spiders wrap their eggs.
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The Cod (Gadus morrhua) is a fish of the family Gadidae. They are found in the Atlantic and Baltic. The cod takes from three to four years to reach maturity and achieves an average length of around one meter.
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The Codlin moth is a pretty little moth which in its larval stage is very destructive to apples, devouring principally the pips and causing the condition known as 'worm eaten'. When full sized, the grub eats its way through the rind and pupates in a crevice of the tree.
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The Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella) is a moth of the family Tortricidae with a wing span of between 14 and 18 mm native to the western Palaearctic and introduced to all apple-growing areas of the world. The adults fly from May to August, the caterpillars develop within ripening apples.
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The Coelacanthini is a rare order of Crossopterygii which was thought to be extinct, until a specimen was caught off west Africa in 1939.
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Coelambus is a genus of predacious diving beetles of the family Dytiscidae, with four species occurring in Britain. Almost all the species have longitudinal stripes on a yellow to yellowish-red background.
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Coelentera (Coelenterata) are primitive phyla of water animals, including the jelly-fish, sea anemones, corals and others. The body is radially symmetrical, and in the simplest forms consists of an undivided sac, the alimentary canal with the mouth, which is provided with tentacles and serves both for taking in food and ejecting undigested particles.
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Coeliodes is a genus of tiny Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) that live on various deciduous trees, chiefly young oaks.
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Coelogyne is a genus of tropical Asiatic orchidaceous plants.
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Coelophysis was a cunning and agile carnivorous dinosaur from the Triassic era. It was 2.5 meters long and about 1m tall when standing on its back legs. Remains of Coelophysis were first found in 1889, and then in 1947 a mass of over 100 specimens were found in New Mexico, USA. Some of the specimens were found with small Coelophysis bones inside. These may have been unborn young, or may indicate that the dinosaur was cannibalistic.
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Coelostoma is a genus of water scavenger beetles of the family Hydrophilidae. They live in shallow, stagnant water and moss and detritus at the water's edge.
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Coelurus was a small dinosaur of the Jurassic period. Coelurus was a carnivore, about two meters long, with a long tail comprised of hollow bones. The bones of Coelurus were light, the hands had three fingers, a short thumb and the other two digits served with long, sharp, curved claws. The first remains of Coelurus were discovered in about 1879.
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Coffee is a genus of evergreen trees and shrubs of the family Rubiaceae.
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The coffer-fish (Ostracion) are members of the order Plectognathi, and are remarkable for the hard shield or carapace with which the body is covered, which is made up of six-sided scutes, joined together in a mosaic. They are found only in tropical and sub-tropical seas.
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The coffin bone is the foot bone of the horse and allied animals, enclosed within the hoof, and corresponding to the third phalanx of the middle finger, or toe, of most mammals.
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The coffin joint is the joint next above the coffin bone.
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Cola acuminata is a tropical African tree of the family Sternuliaceae. It produces the fruit known as the kola nut which forms the basis of Coca-Cola.
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The Cola-nut Gall Wasp (Andricus lignicola) a hymenopterous insect of the family Cynipidae widespread through almost all Europe. The Cola-nut Gall Wasp produces very firm, woody, spherical galls which grow from axillary and sometimes terminal buds on the branches of various species of oak tree.
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Colchicum is a genus of autumnal-blooming plants of the family Liliaceae which includes the meadow saffron. Many of them are very handsome, the colours being mostly purple or white, and the flowers similar to crocuses. The colchicums are natives of southern Europe and western Asia.
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Coleoptera is the beetle and weevil order of insects, of the group Endopterygota, distinguished by the forewings modified to form shell-like protective covers (elytra) for the posterior pair of wings.
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Coleus is a genus of tropical Labiate shrubs and herbs, natives of Asia and Africa. Many varieties have wonderful foliage colouration.
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Collembola is the springtail sub-order of Apterygota. They are small, wingless insects which have a forked organ turned forwards under the abdomen. When this organ is suddenly released, it strikes the surface on which the insect is standing and throws the insect up into the air. Springtails are commonly found under stones, bark and flowerpots. Some of the species are aquatic, and one, the glacier flea, is found on the ice in the Alps.
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The Collie is various breeds of Scottish sheep dog which first attracted widespread attention when Queen Victoria brought some back to her kennels following a visit to Scotland in 1860. The Rough Collie, as featured in the Lassie films, is perhaps the more popular variety. All Collies are strong- willed and require a lot of exercise, but are easy to train and enjoy human company.
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Collinsia is a genus of annual flowering plants of the family Scrophulariaceae. The species have a wide variety of colours, but no yellow.
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Colobopterus is a genus of dung beetle of the family Scarabaeidae with four British species found in horse and cow dung.
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Colobus is a genus of endangered African monkeys whose members are remarkable for their silky hair and tufted tails. Colobus monkeys live in the rain forests of Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana in west Africa.
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Colon is a genus of beetles of the family Colonidae, with nine species found in Britain and a further eleven in Europe. They generally have an elongate oval body and short antennae with claviform tips.
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Colonidae is a family, or subfamily of the family Leiodidae, of beetles, containing a single genus, Colon.
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Colony is the collective noun for a group of gulls.
Colony is the collective noun for a group of frogs.
Colony is the collective noun for a group of penguins.
Colony is the collective noun for a group of ants.
Colony is the collective noun for a group of beavers.
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The Colorado Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is a North American leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) that attacks potatoes. It is a striped beetle resembling a ladybird in shape. It reached Europe in 1877 and were wiped out, but reappeared in 1922 and gained a footing in France. Since 1936 they regularly invaded Germany and since 1948 Germany has been plagued by them, but has so far been prevented from establishing itself in England. Originally the Colorado Beetle in its native environment fed upon nightshades, but with the cultivation of potatoes developed a preference for them.
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The Colorado Ranger (or Rangerbred Horse) is an American bred of riding and cow-work horse standing between 14.2 and 16 hands high and occurring in many colours, often spotted. The breed originates from two stallions presented to General U S Grant in 1878 and subsequently lent out for stud.
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The Colourpoint Longhair or Himalayan Cat is a man-made longhaired breed of cat, that occurred from crossing the Persian Cat with the Siamese. The Colourpoint Longhair has a round head, round eyes and long whiskers. The coat is similar to that of a Persian Cat but has markings like those of a Siamese, and ideally bright blue eyes. In temperament the Colourpoint Longhair is placid and adaptable like the Persian Cat.
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A colt is a male, young horse (foal).
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Coltsfoot (Tusilago farfara) is a perennial herb of the family Compositae, native to Britain and Europe, with a much-branched creeping rhizome and erect, purplish woolly and scaly stems, which bear solitary, terminal, yellow flowers in early spring. The basal leaves are long-stalked, roundish cordate with black edged teeth and white-felted below. The fruit is a smooth achene with a long white pappus. Coltsfoot contains mucilage, and is used in herbal teas for treating coughs, bronchitis, laryngitis, asthma and catarrh.
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Colubridae is the 'Typical Snakes' family of reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (Sakes). The family contains about 2000 species in 290 genera and about 14 subfamilies, the members being found in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones, and varying widely in habit and choice of habitat.
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Colubriformes is a sub-order of snakes, including forms without poisonous fangs.
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Colubrinae is a subfamily of reptiles of the family Colubridae (the Typical Snakes) of the sub-order Serpentes (Snakes). The subfamily comprises about fifty genera and 300 species found in Africa, Asia and the Americas, with a few species found in Europe and one in Australia. Many of the species are quite long, between 150 and 300 centimetres, they are slender and agile. None of the species are venomous, some are constrictors and others simply grab and swallow their prey.
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Columbidae is the pigeon family of birds of the order Gallinae. They are characterized by the hind toe being nearly on the same plane as the others. The bill is moderate and deflected at the tip, the upper mandible covered at the base with a soft membrane. The tarsi are devoid of spurs and the tail is comprised of twelve feathers. They have considerable powers of flight, and perch freely on trees and rocks. They feed principally on grain, seeds and the leaves of herbaceous plants. The young are fed on a milky fluid secreted in the crop of the older birds.
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Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) is a branched perennial of the Ranunculaceae family. The leaves are divided into three lobes, each lobe itself three- lobed, and usually hairy on the underside. The flowers are nodding, with five petal-like sepals and are purple, blue or white with five petals each ending in a spur.
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Colydiidae is a family of beetles of the order Coleoptera.
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Colymbetes is a genus of predacious diving beetles of the family Dytiscidae, represented by a single species, Colymbetes fuscus, in Britain.
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Colymbidae (or Gaviidae) is the Divers family of birds of the order Natatores. They are characterized by a slightly compressed bill, not covered with a membranous skin; the edges of the mandibles are unarmed or but slightly toothed; the wings are short; the legs are placed far behind; the tarsi are very much compressed. They feed on fish and other aquatic animals obtained by diving.
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The comeback is a type of sheep which was first developed by crossing a British long-wool cross back to the Merino. More recently Comebacks have been produced by crossing breeds such as the Corriedale and Polwarth with the Merino. Australia has approximately three million Comebacks which are mainly concentrated in cool wet areas. Although close to the Merino in type,
Comebacks are selected to maximize production of meat as well as wool.
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Comfrey is a large, handsome plant of the borage family. It is common in watery places and on the banks of rivers. The stems are branched and leafy, almost one meter high, winged in part with elliptical leaves. The flowers are white, pink or purple and droop in forked clusters.
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The Comisana (Lentinese, Red Head, Testa rossa, Faccia rossa) is a breed of sheep found in south-eastern Sicily. It is a diary breed with course to medium wool quality and a reddish-brown face. It originated from the Maltese and Sicilian breeds in the late 19th and early 20th century. The breed has semi-lop ears and is polled.
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The Comma (Polygonia c-album) is a European butterfly of the brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae) family.
Research Comma
Commensalism is the regular association of different species and genera of plants and animals living together, but independently. Either or both species may benefit by the association. For example, certain bacteria and fungi grow together on a substratum on which either will grow separately, but when the bacteria are present the fungi grow better and are more fruitful.
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The Common Blue (Ployommatus icarus) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found in the Palaearctic region in lowlands and highlands to an altitude of 2000 meters. Two or three overlapping generations occur during a year depending upon climatic conditions.
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Common Bryony (Bryonia dioica) is the only native British species of Bryony. It is a climbing plant found in hedges and has cordate palmate leaves and axillary bunches of flowers and red berries which are highly poisonous. The thick long fleshy root has acrid emetic and purgative properties and has been used medicinally.
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The Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 20 and 25 mm found in the deciduous forest belt of Europe and Asia flying in two generations from April to September.
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The Common Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella) is a moth of the family Tineidae with a wing span of between 10 and 16 mm found all over the world following introduction. The adult moths are on the wing from May to September. The caterpillars in nature feed on animal remains found in birds' nests and mammals dens, but they will also eat woollen clothes and fabrics.
Research Common Clothes Moth
The Common Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) is a venomous snake of the family Elapidae. The Common Death Adder is ovoviviparous, feeds on small mammals and reptiles and grows to a length of about 60 cm.
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The common dolphin or Fraser's dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is a widely distributed pelagic mammal of the family Delphinidae, order Cetacea, found in all waters of tropical and warm temperate seas. They often accompany ships and play around boats and ride the bow-waves of large whales such as the fin whale. They are distinguished by a V-shaped black or dark grey saddle with a downward-orientated apex on the sides directly below the dorsal fin and a conspicuous white thoracic patch. The common dolphin feeds on small fish including blue whiting, pilchards, whiting, pollack and lantern fish and can dive to depths of 280 meters and stay under for as long as eight minutes. They are social animals, congregating in mixed sex schools of between ten and a few thousand animals.
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The Common Emerald (Hemithea aestivaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 24 and 27 mm found in temperate Europe and Asia in deciduous forests and shrubby biotopes flying from May to August.
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Common Figwort (Scrophularia nodosa) or throatwort as it was once called, is a perennial herb of the family Scrophulariaceae native to Britain and Europe where it grows in damp and wet woods. It has a short, knotted rhizome, a tall, erect, square stem, and opposite, short-stalked, pointed ovate or cordate, coarsely serrate leaves. The flowers are small, two-lipped, flask- shaped, and brownish-red in colour arranged in loose terminal panicles. The fruit is an ovoid capsule containing pitted seeds. It was formerly used in medicine to treat scrofula, and more recently to treat skin complaints.
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Common fumitory (Fumaria officinalis) is an annual herb of the family Papaveraceae with a weak, low-branching, leafy stem and stalked, alternate, grey-green leaves which are several times pinnately divided into flattened lanceolate segments. The flowers are arranged in long racemes and have pink petals with red tips, the upper petal being spurred. The fruit is a rough achene.
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The Common Garden Slug (Arion distinctus) is a small British slug, about three centimetres in length, that damages crops.
Research Common Garden Slug
The Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) is an American species of Garter snake varying in colour from greenish, to brown, grey or black in colour with light or dark coloured stripes and occurring both with and without spotting.
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The Common Glider (Neptis sappho) is a species of butterfly of the brush- footed butterflies (Nymphalidae) family, found from central Europe east to Japan in lowland deciduous forests and slopes covered with forest-steppes where it flies from May to July.
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The Common Heath (Ematurga atomaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 22 and 30 mm found in Europe and Asia in heaths, peat-bogs, alpine meadows and clearings, flying from April to September in two generations.
Research Common Heath
The Common Loon (Gavia immer) is a water bird of the family Colymbidae. Like all loons, the common loon has a straight, pointed bill, swims low in the water and has feet placed at the posterior of the body, making it a poor walker. It is an expert fisher, diving from the surface. It is a common winter visitor in ocean waters along the California coast. Also found in estuaries and bays.
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The Common Lutestring (Ochropacha duplaris) is a moth of the family Thyatiridae with a wing pan of between 27 and 32 mm found from Central Europe east to Siberia flying from May to September.
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The Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 24 and 30 mm found in central and northern Europe and Asia flying from May to September in either one or two generations.
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The common mole or northern mole (Talpa europaea) is a short, black, velvety furred mammal with a broad cylindrical body and heavily clawed feet, a tail carried erect and a generally bright pink nose. The common mole is abundant in deciduous woodland, arable fields and permanent pasture, avoiding stony, sandy, waterlogged soil because it cannot construct a proper burrow system, and acid soil because of a lack of suitable earthworm species. The common mole builds semi-permanent burrows (ranging from shallow to more than 100 cm deep) plus one or more sleeping chamber which is lined with moss, grass and leaves, woven into a tight ball in which the animal climbs in and re-seals the entrance. The nest may form the hub from which burrows radiate - sometimes creating a large fortress built over the nest. The hills often contain a large supply of the mole's food - earthworms
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The common nettle (Urtica dioica) or stinging nettle, is a coarse perennial plant of the family Urticaceae covered with stinging hairs. It has tough yellow roots and often forms large patches. The four-angled stems have opposite, ovate, pointed and toothed leaves, the lower with blades longer than their stalks. The flowers are greenish, small, with four petals and borne in loose axillary spikes. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants.
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The common poppy (Papaver rhoeas) or red poppy or corn poppy is an annual herb of the family Papaveraceae with a slender, erect or ascending branched stem. The lower leaves are stalked and pinnately lobed with narrow toothed segments tipped with a bristle; the upper leaves are sessile, usually with only three toothed lobes. The flowers are a large, solitary red flower of four petals borne on a long stalk growing from the leaf axils. The fruit is an ovoid hairless capsule, rounded at the base and with a ring of pores near the top when ripe.
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The Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 15 and 18 mm found in Europe and Asia flying from May to July.
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Common Rue (Ruta graveolens) is a strong smelling yellowish-flowered British garden plant. The leaves are pinnately divided, lanceolate or narrowly rectangular. It was once used as a charm against witches and is mentioned in Shakespeare's works as the 'herb of grace'.
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The Common Rustic (Mesapamea secalis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 27 and 30 mm found in Europe, Asia and North America flying from July to September.
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The common scoter (Melanitta nigra) is a migrant duck that sometimes visits coastal waters in Britain in winter. The male is the only all-black British duck, with a yellow ridge on the bill. The female is dark brown with pale cheeks. The common scoter dives well and is to be seen out to sea diving for crustaceans and molluscs, especially mussels.
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The common seal (Phoca vitulina) is the smaller of the two native British species of seal, about two meters in length, with the females smaller than the males. They have a rather rounded, disc-like face with a short snout and very variable colourings, the coat usually being some shade of grey or white with darker spots. The females give birth to the pups on land, but the pups can swim straight away. The adults dive well for fish, staying submerged for up to ten minutes.
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The Common Sexton Beetle or Common Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus vespillo) is a beetle of the carrion beetle family Silphidae found throughout the Palaearctic region and North America.
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The Common Spangle Gall Wasp (Neuroterus quercusbaccarum formerly known as Neuroterus lenticularis) is a hymenopterous insect of the family Cynipidae found in Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa. The wasp develops on Oak trees, producing two different galls: a lens-shaped gall of about 5 mm diameter grown from July onwards on the underside of leaves, and a second generation of spherical juicy galls of about 7 mm diameter produced on the underside of the leaves and in male catkins during the spring.
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The Common Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae found across Europe - where it is now rare - North Africa, and North America. The caterpillars live on umbelliferous plants, primarily carrot, caraway and fennel.
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The Common Swift (Hepialus lupulinus) is a moth of the family Hepialidae with a wing span of between 22 and 35 mm found in the temperate regions of Europe and Asia flying from May to June before dusk.
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The Common Tortoise-shell (Vanessa Urticae) is a British butterfly whose caterpillar lives on nettles.
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The Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm and peculiar to meadow biotopes in the Palaearctic and also North America. In cooler regions a single generation is produced flying from July to August. In warmer regions two generations occur flying from May to October.
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The Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 24 and 28 mm found in temperate Europe and Asia flying from spring until autumn.
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Company is the collective noun for a group of wigeon.
Company is the collective noun for a group of parrots.
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Compositae is the largest known family of plants containing over 23,000 species of herbs or shrubs found all over the world. The flowers are numerous and sessile, forming a close head on the dilated top of the receptacle and surrounded by an involucre of whorled bracts. The flowers are monopetalous.
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Compsognathus was a tiny carnivorous dinosaur of the family Coelurosaurs, from the late Jurassic period related to Coelurus, but remains have been found in Europe rather than the USA. It was 70cm tall, about the size of a hen, and about 140 cm long, half of the length being a long thin tail. It was probably a fast and agile creature, running on its hind legs. The first remains of Compsognathus were found around 1859 and later in Germany in 1861 a complete skeleton was found. In 1972 a new species, Compsognathus corallestris was described based upon the remains of a larger animal found in France, but it is probable that this is the same species as the remains found earlier, but a larger specimen.
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The Comtois is an ancient breed of French heavy horse originating from the Comte region during the 4th century. The Comtois stands 14 to 15 hands high and is usually a dark chestnut colour with a flaxen mane and tail. They have a large head, a straight profile, small, alert ears and short, strong legs. Today they are used in France for working in steep and rough areas and are bred for meat.
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The Conant's Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum conanti) is a Mexican species of Milk snake named after Roger Conant. The Conant's Milk Snake is distinguished by its dorsal pattern of small black rings, spaced far apart. The
Conant's Milk Snake occurs mainly in the Sierre Madre del Sur and parts of Oaxaca in Mexico.
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The condor (Sarcorhamphus gryphus) is the largest of the vultures. It is found in South America, principally in the Andes. It is mainly black in colour with some grey on the wings and a collar of white down on the neck. The wingspan is roughly three meters. Condors are carnivorous, feeding mostly on dead animals but may also attack old, young or weak goats, cattle and horses.
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Confervaceae are a family of marine algae which have green fronds which are composed of articulated filaments.
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The Conger eel is a genus of marine eel characterized by a long dorsal fin beginning near the nape of the neck, immediately above the origin of the pectoral fins, and by having the upper jaw longer than the lower. The common conger eel grows to about three meters long and weighs more than 100 pounds.
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The Congo clawless otter (Aonyx congica) is a species of African otter discovered in 1910 by Lonnberg in west Africa in the lower and mid-Congo basin and eastwards into the south Central African Republic. Little is known about the habits of the Congo clawless otter except that it lives along brooks and rivers, and is especially fond of swamps. It is more nocturnal than diurnal and eats fish, crabs, frogs, lizards, birds, eggs, small mammals and earthworms.
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Congregation is the collective noun for a group of plovers.
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Coniferae are the conifers; pines, firs and their allies. Many conifers are tall forest trees of pyramidal shape; the others are irregularly branched shrubs. The male flowers are either solitary or aggregated in clusters, and fall after shedding their pollen. The female flowers vary in the different genera. Because they tend to spread their roots laterally rather than send them downwards, conifers are often able to grow on the shallowest of soils, where deep-rooting trees would soon die.
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In the classification of birds, Conirostral refers to members of the Conirostres tribe.
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Conirostres are a tribe of hard-billed birds characterised by a thick and strong bill, more or less conical in form, and in general devoid of any notch at the tip. The feet are robust and formed more for perching than walking. They feed principally on seeds and grain and also birds and insects, the nestlings of nearly species being fed on insects.
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Conjugation is a form of sexual reproduction seen in some algae, some bacteria, and ciliate Protozoans. Two individuals are united by a tube formed by outgrowths from one or both of the cells. Genetic material from one cell (designated the male) then passes through the tube to unite with that in the other (female) cell.
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The Connemara is an old breed of Irish pony native to the Connaught region or Ireland and a descendant of the Celtic pony. The Connemara stands 14 hands high, is placid and good natured and usually grey, bay, brown or dun in colour though occasionally chestnut and roan colours occur. They are good jumping ponies, and with their gentle nature are used by novices for competitions.
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Conopalpus is a genus of false darkling beetles (Melandyridae).
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Conus is a genus of gastropod molluscs of the family Conidae. They are found in the southern and tropical seas.
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Convallaria is a genus of plants of the family Liliaceae, the only species being the lily-of-the-valley.
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Convocation is the collective noun for a group of eagles.
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Convoluta is a member of the family Rhabdocoelida.
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Convolvulaceae is a family of plants comprising about 700 species of climbers having large and very beautiful flowers. They are abundant in the tropics, and are important as medicines.
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Convolvulus is a genus of plants of the family Convolvulaceae consisting of slender twining herbs with milky juice., bell-shaped flowers and five free stamens.
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The Convolvulus Hawkmoth (Agrius convolvuli) is a moth of the family Sphingidae with a wing span of between 80 and 120 mm native to tropical Africa, Asia, Australia and North America but migrating north thousands of kilometres to the temperate parts of the world to produce a summer generation.
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Cony (or coney) is an old English name for the rabbit (properly the adult rabbit).
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Conyza is a genus of plants of the family Compositae. They are annual or perennial herbs found throughout warmer regions of the world.
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Coopworth are a breed of sheep imported to Australia in 1976, after being developed in New Zealand in the 1950s from a cross of Border Leicester and Romney. Coopworths have been selected on visual criteria, wool quality, frame and carcass attributes, and measured performance, including fertility and lamb survival, growth rate to weaning, growth rate to yearling stage, leanness, growth and fleece production of 30-35 micron wool. This selection program has produced an efficient, dual-purpose sheep ideally suited to most environments in Australia. It is easy to care for and produces high mil | 
Abbreviations
Nature
