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A Maara shell is a large, pearly, spiral, marine shell found in the Pacific, of the animal Turbo margaritaceus. They are often used as ornaments.
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Maba is a genus of tropical evergreen trees and shrubs belonging to the family Ebenaceae. They usually bear dioecious flowers, more or less campanulate in form.
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The mabolo (Diospyros discolour) is a kind of persimmon tree originally from the Philippine Islands, and introduced into the East Indies and West Indies. It bears an edible fruit as large as a quince.
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Macacus is a genus of monkeys, found in Asia and the East Indies. They have short tails and prominent eyebrows.
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Macadamia is a genus of Australian evergreen trees of the family Proteaceae. Some of the species yield edible nuts known as Macadamia nuts.
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The Macavahu or collared teetee (Callithrix torquatus), is a small monkey found in Brazil.
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Macaw is the popular name for any parrot of the genus Sittace, or Macrocercus. There are about eighteen species known, all of them American. They are large birds with a very long tail, a strong hooked bill, and a naked space around the eyes. The voice is harsh, and they are brightly coloured in strongly contrasting colours.
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The Macaw tree or Gru-Gru (Acrocomiasclerocarpa) is a palm tree native to South America and The West Indies. It bears pinnate leaves, four metres or more in length, and its fruit yields an oil largely imported into Britain as palm oil, used in soap manufacture.
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Machaerodus ('sabre-toothed tiger') was a genus of now extinct mammals allied to the cats, having in the upper jaw canine teeth of remarkable size and strength.
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The mackerel is any of various pelagic fish of the genus Scomber, and of several related genera found in the north Atlantic and Mediterranean. Species of
mackerel include the common mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and the Spanish
mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus) which is found off the coast of American and is covered with bright yellow circular spots.
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Maclura is a genus of hardy deciduous trees belonging to the family Urticaceae.
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Macroscelidea is the elephant shrew order of mammals containing just one family, Macroscelididae. They are adapted for leaping, with hind limbs much longer than the forelimbs; elongated snouts and large eyes and ears.
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Mactra is a genus of bivalve molluscs, including a number of British species. All the species live in sand, and are capable of using the foot in leaping. The shell is roughly triangular, the two valves being equal.
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Madder (Rubia tinctorum) or dyer's madder, as it is also known, is a perennial herb of the family Rubiaceae native to the Mediterranean and Near East, with a long, reddish-brown, much-branched rhizome, red fibrous roots and rough, square, ascending, prickly stems which branch at the top. The stiff, lanceolate, sessile leaves have prickly margins and grow in whorls up the stem. The flowers are small, yellow in colour and are arranged in axillary and terminal dichasial cymes. The fruit is a globose, fleshy, purple, one-seeded berry. Madder was once widely grown for a source of a permanent red dye.
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The madoqua is a small Abyssinian antelope.
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Madrepora is a member of the order Zoantharia.
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Magdalis is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae).
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Magilus is a genus of gastropod molluscs, the members of which live among corals. The become gradually sunk in the coral, and would soon be entirely buried were it not that they possess the ability of producing the shell into a tube whose growth keeps pace with that of the coral. The process continues until the shell loses all trace of its original shape, its whorls being filled up with lime, while the animal occupies the tubular prolongation.
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Magnolia (named after the 17th century Pierre Magnol, professor medicine at Montpelier) is a genus of hardy or tropical shrubs and trees native to North America and Asia, and belonging to the family Magnoliaceae. They have large, entire leaves and conspicuous solitary flowers, usually of great beauty, and often very fragrant.
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The Magpie (Pica pica) is a common bird of the crow family, and almost omnivorous in diet, and highly opportunistic. Magpies earned a poor reputation with game keepers due to their fondness for the eggs and young of the larger birds and also grain, but they benefit farmers by eating mice, rats, voles, snails and slugs. The nest is made of thorny sticks, mingled with roots and turf, and lined with clay, typically built high in a tall tree. Both the male and female Magpie are black and white in colour, identical in appearance though sometimes the male may be slightly larger than the female. From six to nine eggs are laid at a time. Magpies are common in England and Wales. Formerly, magpies were also known as Margaret.
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The Magpie Moth (Abraxas grossulariata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 35 and 40 mm. Formerly an abundant species throughout the Palaearctic, by the end of the 20th century the Magpie moth had become rare. The moths fly from June to August.
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Mahurea is a genus of South American evergreen trees belonging to the family Ternstroemiaceae. They bear terminal panicles of pinkish or purplish flowers.
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Maiasaura was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Remains of Maiasaura were discovered in 1978. The remains found were of adults and babies in nests. The adult Maiasaura was about nine metres long and walked on all fours, the nests were mounds about three metres across with elongated eggs arranged in layers of circles in a regular pattern, each layer of eggs being covered with sand. The remains of young found in the nest reveal that Maiasaura looked after their young after they hatched.
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The Maiden's Blush (Cyclophora punctaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 18 and 25 mm found in the deciduous forests of Europe and Asia Minor flying from April to August.
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The Maine Anjou is a breed of cattle.
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The Maine coon is a hardy breed of long-haired cat known for its resemblance to a raccoon and for being the oldest known breed of cat in the USA. The coat is thick and shaggy and can be any variety of colours with lighter, wavy patterns mixed in. The ears are large, tufted, and tapering to a point, the tail is as long as the body, bushy, and wide, the eyes are round and complement the coat colour. The Maine Coon cat likes to curl up in odd positions while sleeping in any of a variety of favourite locations and enjoys retrieval games. Maine coon cats have an easy going nature and are good mousers and hunters of small game.
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Mairia is a genus of South African herbaceous plants belonging to the family Compositae and bearing large pink and yellow flower-heads.
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Maize or Indian Corn or Sweetcorn (Zea mays) is a true grass and is only known in the cultivated state. It is indigenous in tropical America and has been cultivated for ages in Asiatic islands under the equator, from whence it passed northward to China and westward toward to India and Turkey. It is monoecious, producing beautifully tasselled male flowers; and the female flowers, which develop the 'cobs' are found closely applied to the central axils of the leaves below.
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Majungatholus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Majungatholus was a small dinosaur, about 140 cm long and believed to walked on its hind legs as it was related to Stegoceras and Pachycephalosaurus. The only remains of Majungatholus discovered were a part of a domed skull found in Madagascar.
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Malachiidae is a family of beetles with a soft cuticle, usually brightly coloured and with pouches which can be inflated and then protrude from the sides of the thorax or abdomen. The larvae are predacious, the adults live mainly on pollen, though occasionally turn carnivorous.
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Malachius is a genus of beetle of the family Malachiidae represented by six British species.
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Malacology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of molluscs.
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In botany, the term malacophily refers to the pollination of plants by snails.
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Malacostraca is a sub-class of Crustacea (crustaceans). The eyes are usually stalked. Typically the carapace covers the thorax which consists of eight segments. The abdomen is made up of six appendage-bearing segments. The group includes crabs, lobsters and shrimps.
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In zoology, the term Malacostracan refers to any member of the crustacean sub-class Malacostraca.
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Maladera is a genus of dung beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.
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The Malamute (or Malemute) is an Alaskan Inuit dog of the spitz type. They have a dense usually greyish coloured coat and stand about 70 cm tall. The breed was developed by the Mahlemut tribe of Indians as sleigh dogs and are a hardy and good companion breed of dog.
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Malanders is a disease of horses characterised by an eczematous inflammation behind the knee.
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The Malapolski is a Polish breed of versatile horse widely bred across Poland with widely varying physical attributes. The Malapolski developed during the 19th century and is used for agricultural work, light draft and as a riding horse. With good athletic abilities the Malapolski has also been successfully steeplechased. They stand between 15.2 and 16.2 hands high and are usually brown, bay, chestnut, black or grey in colour.
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The Malay is a breed of chicken.
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The Malay bear (Helarctos malayensis) also known as the sun bear or bruang is a small bear, growing to about one metre long, found in the Malay peninsular, Sumatra and in Borneo. It is a black colour with a grey-tan coloured muzzle. The head is short and flat, the ears small and the teeth often reduced in numbers.
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Male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas) is a large herbaceous perennial fern with a scaly creeping rhizome, bearing stalked, bipinnate leaves (fronds). The young fronds are coiled in a spiral and are covered with brown scales. The fern reproduces by means of spores which are produced in late summer.
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The Malines is a breed of chicken.
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The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is a British wild duck of the family Anatidae.
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Mallee scrub is an Australian species of eucalyptus, which forms dense thickets about 2.5 metres in height. It will thrive in almost pure sand, and will tolerate both frost and scorching winds.
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Mallophaga is the biting lice order of insects of the subclass Pterygota, division Hemimetabola. They are very small or minute secondarily wingless ectoparasites growing to about six millimetres in length and living largely on birds. They have chewing mouth parts and reduced eyes and antennae. The young resemble the adults, and because of the absence of wings do not undergo a noticeable metamorphosis.
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Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris) is a biennial or perennial herb of the family Malvaceae with a spindle-shaped tap root and an erect, ascending or decumbent stem. The basal leaves are roundish, shallowly lobed and long- stalked. The stem leaves are alternate, shorter-stalked, deeply palmately lobed and toothed. The flowers are rose-purple in colour with prominent violet veins and grow in clusters in the leaf axils. The flowers have five notched petals.
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The Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae found in north Africa, across southern to central Europe and east into central Asia in dry sunny locations and the grassy banks between fields. Two or three overlapping generations are produced between April and September.
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Malope is a genus of annual hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Malvaceae. They bear showy violet or rose coloured flowers.
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Malpighia is a genus of tropical American evergreen trees and shrubs belonging to the family
Malpighiaceae. They bear pink or white flowers, followed by fleshy drupes. The species include the Barbados Cherry.
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Malthinus is a genus of soldier beetle (Cantharidae), represented by four British species found at the edge of woods, on hedges, trees and shrubs.
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Malthodes is a genus of small (3 to 4 mm long) soldier beetle (Cantharidae) represented by twelve British species, the most common being Malthodes minimus.
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Malvaceae is a large family of exogenous plants (the mallows), having polypetalous flowers, monadelphous stamens, unilocular anthers, valvate estivation and often an external calyx.
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Malvastrum is a genus of American herbaceous plants, bearing spikes of yellow or scarlet flowers, belonging to the family Malvaceae.
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Mamenchisaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. Mamenchisaurus was a huge animal, 22 metres long with a very long neck and tail, and a herbivore related to Apatosaurus. Prior to 1972 Mamenchisaurus was known from partial skeletons, then in 1972 an almost complete specimen was discovered which revealed the true extent of the long neck which was 11 metres long with 19 vertebrae in it - the longest neck of any known animal, ever.
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Mammalia is the mammal class of Craniates. The young are nourished by milk. The skin is covered in two types of glands: sweat glands and sebaceous glands. The sweat glands secrete a watery fluid to assist body cooling. The sebaceous glands secrete an oily fluid to maintain water resistance in the hair. The heart has two auricles and two ventricles.
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Mammillaia is a genus of tropical succulent plants belonging to the family Cactaceae. They bear usually solitary flowers growing from the axil of the tubercle. The stems are cylindrical or globular and absolutely symmetrical in form, generally bearing spines in neat rosettes.
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The mammoth bronze is a breed of domestic turkey, reaching a weight in excess of thirty pounds.
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A manatee (round-tailed sea cow) is a herbivorous marine mammal of the family Manatidae of the order Sirenia inhabiting the warm shores and great river mouths of South America, Central America, Florida and west Africa.
Manatees live for between twenty and thirty years, and reach sexual maturity at around three to four. They breed all year round, producing one or sometimes two calves after a gestation period of about 170 days. The calf is then guarded by both parents and is suckled until it is about one and a half, and leaves the parents when it reaches the age of two.
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The Manchester Treble-bar (Carsia soroiata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 20 and 23 mm found mainly in scattered peat-bog localities in central Europe flying from June to August.
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Manda is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae. A single species, Manda mandibularis is found in Britain, but is rare and confined only to the southern counties.
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The Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is an east Asian duck now established in southern England, particularly at Virginia Water. The male has a striking mane of orange, white and brown feathers and orange 'sails' on its back. The female is grey-brown in colour with white 'spectacles' around the eyes and large pale spots on the under parts. Unusually for a duck the
Mandarin duck nests in holes in trees.
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The mandarin orange (Citrus nobilis) is a species of orange, with smaller fruit than most other species. It has long been prized in China and around 1900 became popular in Europe.
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Mandasuchus was a carnivorous reptile from the triassic era. It was the size of a car.
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Mandevilla is a genus of tropical climbing shrubs, belonging to the family Apocynaceae. They bear simple racemes of mostly red or yellow, funnel-shaped flowers.
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The Mandrill (Papio maimon) is a West African baboon. It has a bright red nose and blue striped cheeks. The buttocks exhibit red callosities and the fur is brown with a yellow beard.
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The Mangalarga Marchador is a Brazilian breed of horse popularly used for working with cattle. The Mangalarga Marchador was developed during the 1740's and has a peculiar four beat gait which allows the horse to cover a large amount of ground in a short space of time. The Mangalarga Marchador does not trot, but changes from a fast march to a smooth canter and is renowned for its comfortable ride. The stands between 14.2 and 15 hands high and occurs in any solid colour.
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The Mangel-Wurzel (Mangold) is a variety of beet derived from the sea beet and used chiefly as a feed for cattle and sheep.
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The mango (Mangifera indica) is a tree native to India but found in warm climates where it is cultivated for its oval fruits.
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The mangrove is a genus of tropical trees belonging to the family Rhizophoraceae. They grow in swampy ground, and gradually reclaim land from the sea's edge both by the advance of their own roots and by the habit of the seeds which germinate whilst still attached to the parent tree.
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Manihot is a genus of American shrubs and herbaceous plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. The species include cassava.
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The Manipuri is an old breed of Indian pony believed to be a descendant of the Mongolian Wild Horse crossed with oriental and Arab stock. The Manipuri stands 13 hands high, renowned for its speed and stamina, though not having the most gentle nature, and is used for racing and playing polo and by the military. The
Manipuri occurs in bay, chestnut, grey, brown and pinto colours.
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The manta ray or devilfish, is a genus of rays (Manta) of the family Mobulidae found in tropical seas.
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Mantodea is the praying mantis order of insects. They have three striking characteristics: a large triangular head with large eyes which can judge distance very accurately; a long prothorax to which the arms used for catching prey are attached; substantial spiky arms for catching prey. The animals are called praying mantis because when awaiting prey, they adopt a pose which resembles that of a person praying. Praying mantis vary in size with species (of which there are about 2500 distributed through over 400 genera) ranging from 15 mm to 250 mm long. Members of the order are to be found in warmer moderate climates, the sub-tropics and tropics and even in southern Europe. Most praying mantis lie in wait for their prey, and then strike at it with the enlarged front legs, then eating it alive. Desert dwelling species may actively hunt their prey, however. Often during mating the female rips the head off her partner, and eats it while still copulating with him, the thorax and abdomen continuing to be impelled by nerve endings. In this way the male
provides protein to his own offspring. However, a well-fed female will very often not eat her mate.
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The Manx is a breed of tailless shorthaired cat from the Isle Of Man that has a small, tufted hollow where a tail would normally grow. The coat has the texture of a rabbit's and can be any variety of colours or patterns. The ears are medium-sized with slightly rounded tips. The eyes are large and round and vary with the coat colour.
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The Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) is a migratory sea bird found in Iceland, the Faroes, Shetlands, Orkneys, the west coast of Britain and Ireland and Brittany and on smaller Mediterranean islands. The Manx Shearwater is mainly brown above with a paler chest and underside and about 36 cm long. During the breeding season pairs nest in burrows dug in the ground or in crevices and lay a single white egg which both parents take turns to incubate for shifts of three to five days, going without food or water during the period while the other parent searches for food often flying more than 1000 km away. The young hatches after about 60 days and leave the nest aged ten weeks. The Manx Shearwater feeds on small fish, crustaceans and molluscs.
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Manzano is a three-sided variety of banana with a strong apple flavour.
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The Map Butterfly (Araschnia levana) is a European butterfly of the brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae) family found in deciduous woods. Two and sometimes three generations are produced in a year, the spring generation being much paler in colouration than the summer generation and the occasional third generation in the autumn being mid-way between the other two in colour. The caterpillars develop on nettles in large groups.
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The Map-Winged Swift (Hepialus fusconebulosa) is a moth of the family Hepialidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in northern Europe and Asia in hills and mountains flying from May to June.
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The maple is a deciduous tree of the genus Acer comprising some 115 species. It has opposite, stalked, palmately lobed leaves and green flowers, followed by two-winged samaras.
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The Maple Prominent (Ptilodontella cucullina) is a moth of the family Notodontidae with a wing span of between 35 and 40 mm found in scattered localities in central and eastern Europe flying from May to June.
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The maqui (Aristotelia Maqui) is an evergreen Chilean shrub belonging to the family Tiliaceae.
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The mara is one of two species of rodents, genus Dolichotis of the guinea- pig family, occurring in Argentina, with long back limbs and a short tail. They can grow to 75 centimetres long and are sometimes known as ' Patagonian cavies' or 'hares'.
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The marabou or marabous stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus, is a tropical African stork distinguished by having an inflatable pendent pouch on the neck. The marabou feeds on carrion.
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The Marans is a breed of chicken.
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Maranta is a genus of tropical herbaceous plants belonging to the family Scitaminaceae. They have creeping rhizomes, and bear terminal inflorescences.
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Marasmius is a genus of mushroom, with very tough gills which are not incised.
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The Marble Gall Wasp (Andricus kollari) is a hymenopterous insect of the family Cynipidae common in central, southern and western Europe, and less common but found in the British Isles, North Africa and Asia Minor.
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The Marbled Beauty (Cryphia domestica) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 20 and 25 mm found in warmer parts of Europe. A single generation is produced, flying from July to August.
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The Marbled brown (Drymonia dodonaea) is a moth of the family Notodontidae with a wing span of between 33 and 38 mm found in deciduous and mixed forests across most of Europe flying from May to July.
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The Marbled Clover (Heliothis viriplaca) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 25 and 30 mm distributed across Europe and Asia. Two generations are produced flying from May to June and from July to August.
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The Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis daphne) is a rare species of brush-footed butterfly (Nymphalidae) found in warm, dry, grassy locations where the caterpillars live on violets and brambles.
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The Marbled Minor (Oligia strigilis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 22 and 25 mm found in northern and central Europe, Asia and North America flying from May to July.
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The Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana) is a moth of the family Tortricidae with a wing span of between 18 and 20 mm found in Europe and Asia Minor in forest-steppes and on shrubby slopes and in orchards where it does considerable damage. The adult moths fly from June to August, the caterpillar develops in spring and feeds on the buds and young shoots of deciduous trees.
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The Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus lavatherae) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae found in north Africa, across southern to central Europe and east into the Middle East on sunny hillsides. A single generation is produced flying from June to August.
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The Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) is a butterfly of the family Satyridae widespread in northern Africa and the temperate parts of Europe, living in hilly meadows and steppes, and the grassy clearings of open woods. It has one generation in a year, and they fly from June to August.
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The Marbled White Spot (Lithacodia pygarga) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 20 and 22 mm found in Europe and Asia flying from May to August.
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The March Moth (Alsophila aescularia) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 25 and 33 mm found in Europe and Asia flying from February to May, the females are wingless and don't fly.
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Marchantia is a genus of liverworts.
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A mare is a female adult horse.
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Mare's-tail or Hippuris, is a genus of aquatic herbaceous plants belonging to the family Haloragaceae. Hippuris vulgaris, the common mare's-tail is native to Britain where it is found in stagnant water. It has simple, erect jointed stems, with whorls of about ten linear strap-shaped leaves, with hard tips. In summer it bears conspicuous greenish flowers, which are sessile in the axils of the upper leaves.
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The Maremmana is an Italian breed of horse bred in semi-wild conditions in the
Maremmana region of Tuscanny. Originally bred for agricultural work, the
Maremmana is also used as a cavalry horse and by the police. The Maremmana stands between 15 and 15.3 hands high and occurs in any solid colour, often black. They are renowned for their athletic abilities and also their ability to work with cows.
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The margay (Felis tigrina) is a small wild cat with a spotted coat. It inhabits forest regions from Mexico to Paraguay.
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Margyricarpus is a genus of shrubs belonging to the family Rosaceae. They bear small, solitary, sessile flowers, followed by bright white fruits, whence they derive their popular name of pearl fruit.
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Marianthus is a genus of Australian twinning or procumbent shrubs belonging to the family Pittosporaceae, bearing panicles of blue, white or pink flowers, followed by capsular fruit.
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Marica is a genus of tropical herbaceous plants belonging to the family Iridaceae. They have short rhizomes, coriaceous leaves, and six-partite perianths.
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Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) also known as wild marjoram and oregano, is a perennial, often bushy herb of the family Labiatae native to Europe and with an erect, reddish, square stem, branched above. The leaves are oval, opposite and stalked. The flowers are two-lipped, purplish in colour and arranged in dense cymes, forming terminal panicles. Marjoram is used in cooking as a flavouring, where it has a stronger flavour than sweet marjoram.
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The markhor (Capra falconeri) is a large wild goat found in the Himalayas. It is readily distinguished from other species of goat by its massive, twisted horns. The markhor stands about one metre tall at the withers, and has a chin-beard often reaching to the knees. The colour varies from greyish-brown to nearly white.
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The marmot (Arctomys) is a rodent found in the northern parts of both hemispheres. They are heavily-built, rather clumsy-looking animals, living high up on mountains in the warmer part of their range, but coming down to sea-level in the extreme north. They feed on roots and leaves, and in many cases hibernate for the whole of the winter. They are social in their habits, they feed in companies and a number collect in the same burrow for the winter sleep. The ears and tail are short, as are the legs; cheek pouches are absent or rudimentary; on the fore limbs the first digit is rudimentary and bears a flat nail.
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The Marrow (Cucurbia Pepo ovifera) is an annual trailing plant of the gourd family grown for its fruits which are eaten as a vegetable.
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The Marsh Daisy is a breed of chicken.
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The marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) is a European wild flower of the family Ranunculaceae found in wet places. It is a creeping, hairless perennial with hollow stems, and heart-shaped, long-stalked dark green basal leaves; the stem leaves are smaller with shorter stalks. It bears large flowers in a loose inflorescence with five glossy yellow perianth segments. There are numerous stamens and between five and fifteen carpels.
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The Marsh Moth (Athetis pallustris) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 27 and 32 mm found in cooler parts of northern and central Europe in damp areas including swamps and peat-bogs. A single generation flies from May to July.
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Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) is a perennial herb of the family Malvaceae, with a yellow, branched root, tall, erect, leafy stems and large alternate, lobed and irregularly toothed leaves. The root can be boiled and eaten as a vegetable. The flowers are usually a pinkish lilac.
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The martens are carnivorous mammals of the genus Martes, family Mustelidae. They resembles a large weasel and have valuable fur.
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The martin (Chelidon) is a member of the swallow family, which always has the metatarsus and toes feathered, and bears white feathers over the rump; the tail is sometimes forked, and sometimes square. The best known form is the house-martin (Chelidon urbica) which breeds in Britain.
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Martinezia is a genus of tropical American palms, with cylindrical trunks and pinnate leaves, the segments being wedge-shaped.
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The Marwari is an ancient Indian breed of small horse formerly used as a war horse by the Rathores of Marwar, who said that a Marwari horse would not fall, even when injured, until it had carried its rider to safety, later by the Moghul cavalry of the 16th century and during the Great War. The Marwari stands up to 14.3 hands high and is bay, brown, chestnut or pinto in colour.
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Masdevallia is a genus of orchids of epiphytal habit, mostly natives of Central and South America. The flowers of the species are of great beauty, large and showy.
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The masked shrew or Laxmann's shrew (Sorex caecutiens) is a medium-sized shrew with white feet with silvery, shining hair and a sharp demarcation of the upper body and underside. The tail is tipped with a bushy tuft; and it has uni-cuspid teeth rather uniform size. Masked shrews live in coniferous forests, tundra and moorland, feeding mainly on insects, especially Coleoptera, a few spiders, myriapods and earthworms, larch seeds and may feed on other small mammals. The breeding season is from June to August, with up to four litters per year, which may be up to eleven young, but average seven or eight. In years of low spring density, young females of the first litters take part in reproduction greatly contributing to rapid population recovery.
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Massangea is a genus of tropical herbaceous plants belonging to the family Bromeliaceae.
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The Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) is a venomous North American species of rattle-snake of the pit viper family (Crotalidae). The Massasauga is found in generally central parts of the USA and also in Mexico in moist habitats such as swamps, marshes and bogs and also in plains in the drier locations. The
Massasauga is grey to light-brown in colour and grows to about 100 cm in length and has a row of between 21 and 50 dark brown to black dorsal blotches and three rows of small brown to black spots on each side of the body. The Massasauga seems to feed predominantly on voles and deer mice, but evidence has been found of other snakes being consumed on occasion.
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Massonia is a genus of small South African liliaceous plants which bear heads of comparatively insignificant, mostly white flowers.
Research Massonia
Massospondylus was a dinosaur of the Triassic period. One of the earliest dinosaurs it was a herbivore - indicated by the presence of small stones in the stomach, used for helping to grind tough vegetation for digestion - with a large bulky body and a tiny head. It grew to about six metres long. It had a strange thumb claw which could have been used for defence and also digging.
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Masterwort (Peucedanum ostruthium) is a perennial herb of the family Umbelliferae with a stout, knotted rhizome, a rosette of basal leaves, and a tall, furrowed, hollow stem terminated by large compound umbels of whitish or pinkish coloured flowers. The leaves are ternate or biternate, the segments broadly ovate and serrate. The fruit is a broadly winged ribbed achene.
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The mastiff is one of the oldest varieties of British dogs dating back to at least the 15th century, though the breed has changed through being crossed with the bulldog. The mastiff possesses remarkable courage and power, though by nature is gentle and docile. They have an acute sense of smell and discrimination, but are primarily used as watch-dogs.
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The mastigophora (Flagellata) are a class of Phylum Protozoa. They are small Protozoa which are motile in the adult stage, swimming by means of flagella. They reproduce by logitudinal fission.
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The Mastodon was a large extinct prehistoric mammal of the genus Mammut once plentiful in what is now Europe and Asia. Mastodon resembled the elephant but is distinguished by having nipple-shaped tubercles arranged in pairs on the crowns of the molar teeth. It is also thought that Mastodon had a different shape to the head and neck than an elephant.
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The matamata is a south American fresh water turtle.
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Mathiola is a genus of herbs and sub-shrubby plants belonging to the family Cruciferae. The flowers are usually purple or white and are for the most part fragrant.
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Matico (Artanthe elongata) is a Peruvian shrub belonging to the family Piperaceae. The leaves are aromatic and used in medicine.
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Maurandya is a genus of Mexican herbaceous plants belonging to the family Scrophulariaceae. They bear pretty bluish or rose-coloured flowers, the pedicles being usually axillary.
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Mauritia is a genus of large-growing palms. They bear large pendulous flower- spikes with numerous catkins.
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Mavis is an old popular name for the Song Thrush (Turdus musicus). Mavis had all but stopped being used as a name for the bird in England by 1900, but continued to be used in Scotland.
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Maxillaria is a genus of tropical American terrestrial orchids, with slender coriaceous leaves, and mostly small flowers borne on one-flowered peduncles.
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The May Beetle or Common Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) is a species of large beetle of the family Scarabaeidae, measuring between twenty and thirty millimetres in length.
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The Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae characteristic of sub-montane hillsides to an altitude of 2500 meters, found in north Africa and Europe and Asia, it was formerly also found in Britain but is extinct there now. generally there is one generation which flies from May to July, but in warmer climates a second generation may appear and fly from August to September.
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The Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) is a butterfly of the family Satyridae found in north Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
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Meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale) or autumn crocus, is a highly poisonous perennial herb of the family Liliaceae with an underground, brown, scaly corn which bears solitary, long violet and tubular crocus-like flowers in the autumn. The flowers differ from the crocuses in having six rather than three stamens.
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Meadow Sweet (Spiraea ulmaria or Filipendula ulmaria) is a British herbaceous plant of the natural order Rosaceae. It grows to about one metre in height and is common in moist meadow land, and alongside streams and ditches. It has pinnate leaves, and bears small densely crowded, yellow-white fragrant flowers in late summer.
Research Meadow Sweet
The meagre or maigre (Scioena aquila) is a fish of about 1.5 metres length greatly prized by the Roman epicures. It has a short first dorsal fin, elongated dorsal, a deep and oblique cleft of the mouth and a continuous lateral line which extends over the tail-fin.
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The Meal Moth (Pyralis farinalis) is a moth of the family Pyralidae with a wing span of between 18 and 30 mm native to central Europe and also found in mills and flour-stores flying from June to August.
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Mecynotarsus is a genus of tiny beetle of the family Anthicidae.
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Medicago or Medick is a genus of hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Leguminosae. They bear trifoliate leaves and yellow or violet flowers.
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Medinilla is a genus of tropical evergreen shrubs belonging to the family Melastomacea. They bear panicles or cymes of white or rose-coloured flowers, followed by globose or ovoid berries.
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The Mediterranean Flour Moth (Ephestia kuehniella) is a moth of the family Pyralidae with a wing span of between 20 and 25 mm. Although rare in the wild, the moth is a pest of mills and food stores where the caterpillars cause immense damage. Between two and five generations are produced, depending upon local conditions which fly from spring to autumn.
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The medlar or Mespilus is a genus of trees belonging to the family Rosaceae. The flowers are large and white, have five-cleft calyxes and corollas, and these are followed by fleshy, yop-shaped fruits.
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The Meerkat (Suricata tetradactyla) is a mongoose peculiar to the Cape in South Africa. It is a small, slender animal, with elongated nose and very long claws. The long and soft fur is greyish with black markings, the ears are also black. The animals live in warrens. The Grey Meerkat or Suricate (Suricata suricatta) is sometimes kept as a pet.
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 More pictures of Meerkat
Megalodontoidea is a super-family of insects of the sub-order Symphyta, order Hymenoptera. They have multi-segmented antennae and wings that are yellowish or dark. The larvae feed on vegetable matter.
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Megalosaurus was a large carnivorous dinosaur from the Jurrasic period. Remains were first found in 1818 in slate mines in Oxfordshire, England. Megalosaurus was about nine metres long and walked on its hind legs, each of which had a foot furnished with four toes each with a strong claw. The arms were furnished with hands with three fingers. Twenty distinct species of Megalosaurus have been discovered in rocks spanning 100 million years.
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Megarthrus is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, represented by five species in Britain.
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Megasternum is a genus of water scavenger beetles of the family Hydrophilidae. They live in decaying organic matter.
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Megopis is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), ranging from three to five centimetres in length.
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Melaleuca is a genus of Australasian evergreen shrubs and trees belonging to the family Myrtaceae.
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Melandrya is a genus of false darkling beetles (Melandyridae).
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Melandyridae is the false darkling beetles family of insects of the order Coleoptera. Most species live behind loose bark on old trees, in tree fungi and in rotten wood.
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Malanimon is a genus of small darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) found in sandy localities.
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Melanophila is a genus of jewel beetle (Buprestidae).
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Melanophthalma is a genus of Mould Beetle (Lathridiidae).
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Melanorosaurus was a dinosaur of the Triassic period. Melanorosaurus a herbivore and was the largest early dinosaur known, about twelve metres long with a long neck and tail and a large bulky body probably walking on all-fours.
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Melanotus is a genus of large click beetle (Elateridae). The larvae develop in hardwood attacked by red rot.
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Melasis is a genus of false click beetle (Eucnemidae) found in deciduous woods.
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Melastoma is a genus of tropical evergreen shrubs belonging to the family
Melastomaceae. Many of the species bear showy flowers.
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Meleager's Blue (Meleageria daphnis) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found in warmer Europe and the Middle East in flowery wastelands where the single generation flies from June to August.
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Meleagris is the turkey genus of birds of the subfamily Meleagrididae of the family Phasianidae.
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Meleagris gallopavo silvestris is a sub species of the North American wild Turkey. It was the turkey fed on by the Pilgrims, and is the symbol of American Thanksgiving.
Research Meleagris gallopavo silvestris
Melia is a genus of tropical trees belonging to the family Meliaceae. They bear large axillary panicles of white or purple flowers, followed by small drupes.
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Melianthus is a genus of South African shrubs belonging to the family Sapindaceae. They bear racemes of often sweetly-scented flowers.
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Common or ribbed melilot (Melilotus officinalis) or yellow sweet clover as it is also known, is a poisonous biennial herb of the family Leguminosae with a tall, angled, branched stem. The leaves are alternate, stalked and trifoliate with rectangular, toothed leaflets and stipules joined to the stem. The flowers are yellow and arranged in long slender spikes in the upper leaf axils. The fruit is a hairless ovoid pod with transverse wrinkles and coloured brown when ripe.
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Melilotus is a genus of leguminous herbaceous plants with trifoliate leaves and loose racemes of yellow or white flowers, the petals of which soon fall off.
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Melittis is a genus of Labiate plants.
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Melocactus is a genus of tropical cacti, mostly natives of South America, with globular, unbranched, ribbed stems, the ribs of which are surmounted by clusters of spines. On the summit of the stem is a smaller cylindrical body, known as the cap, and on this the little red flowers are borne.
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Meloidae is the oil beetles and blister beetles family of insects of the order Coleoptera.
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Melolontha is a genus of large beetles of the family Scarabaeidae.
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The melon (Cucumis melo) is the most valuable of the fruits yielded by the tribe of gourds.
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Melyridae is a family of beetles. The members are generally covered with long hairs or scales and they have a soft cuticle. The larvae live in old wood, the adults on flowers.
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Menesia is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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Meniscium is a genus of tropical ferns with simple or once-pinnate fronds.
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Menispermaceae is a family of Diclinous Exogens. It consists of sarmentaceous shrubs, with alternate, generally entire leaves, reticulated and often palminerved. The wood develops only on one side of the pith. The flowers are small, in racemes, generally dioecious. The sepals are in a ternary series or in binary rows.
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Menispermum is a genus of climbing shrubs.
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Mentzelia is a genus of half-hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Losaceae. They are mostly natives of North America and bear coarsely dentate leaves, and generally large beautiful flowers.
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Menziesia is a genus of hardy North American and Japanese shrubs belonging to the family Ericaceae. They bear terminal corymbose fascicles of more or less globose flowers and are popular as decorative flowers for rock gardens.
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Meotica is a genus of tiny rove beetles, Staphylinidae less than two millimetres in length.
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The Mere Wainscot (Photedes fluxa) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 22 and 25 mm found in mild and northern parts of Europe and western Asia in grassy biotopes such as meadows. It flies from July to September.
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Merganinoe is a sub-family of birds of the family Anatidae.
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The merino (Ovis aries) is a breed of sheep, originating in Spain, with fine silky wool.
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Merle is an alternative name for the Blackbird.
Research Merle
The merlin (Falco aesalon) is the smallest of the British falcons, and is found as a breeding species in Wales and the northern parts of England, Scotland and Ireland. It preys chiefly on small song-birds. The total length is 27 cm. The male is coloured slatey blue, with the nape and under parts rufous, and the whole body streaked with brown. In the female the under surface is white, and the rest of the body dark brown, the tail being crossed by light bands.
Research Merlin
Merocystis is a member of the coccidia vera order.
Research Merocystis
Meropidae is the bee-eaters family of Fissirostal birds. They have a moderate length, slightly curved bill; three toes in front and one behind, the outer and middle toes being united. The wings are long and pointed, the first primary for the most part being nearly or quite as long as any other. They are birds of moderate size, confined to the eastern hemisphere, generally of a green colour varied with blue, and resembling Swallows in the flight, habits and food.
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Mertensia is a genus of hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae.
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The Merulidae are the thrushes family of Passerine birds. They have a bill as long as the head, compressed at the sides. The upper mandible is arched at the tip. The feet are long with curved claws.
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The Merveille du Jour (Dichonia aprilina) is a moth of the family Noctuidae, with a wing span of between 35 and 40 mm distributed in the temperate and warm regions of Europe and Asia Minor in deciduous forests and forest-steppes flying from August to October.
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Mesembryanthemum is a genus of fleshy, herbaceous plants belonging to the family Ficoidaceae. They bear conspicuous flowers and thick, fleshy leaves. Most of the species are native of South Africa.
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Mesocoelopus is a genus of beetle of the family Anobiidae that live on ivy.
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Mesosa is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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Mesostoma is a member of the order Rhabdocoelida.
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Mespilus is a genus of hardy deciduous trees belonging to the family Rosaceae. They bear large white flowers followed by turbinate pomes.
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Metabletus or Syntomus, is a genus of beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae. They are small (between two and three millimetres in length), flat-bodied and usually dark coloured beetles with large eyes and short temples. Their elytra are obliquely truncate at the tip. They live on tree roots, beneath bark and under stones in dry places. Three species occur in Britain, the most common being Metabletus foveatus.
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Metatheria is a subclass of mammal. These are the marsupials. The young are born in an immature state and migrate into a pouch on the mother's abdomen where they are nourished on milk.
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Metellina is a genus of spider.
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Metoecus is a genus of beetle of the family Rhipiphoridae which lives underground in wasps' nests.
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Metopsia is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae.
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The Meuse-Rhine-Ijssel is a breed of cattle.
Research Meuse-Rhine-Ijssel
The Mexican Garter Snake (Thamnophis eques) is a species of Garter snake growing to about 100 cm long and distinguished by pale green crescent-shaped spots at the corners of the mouth and black blotches behind the head on top of the body.
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The Mexican Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum annulata) is a species of Milk snake found in southern Texas and Mexico. The Mexican Milk Snake is distinguished by rings of yellow which encircle it and a black head and snout.
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Mezereon (Daphne mezereum) or spurge olive is a small deciduous shrub of the family Thymelaeaceae, with erect greyish twigs and bearing racemes of fragrant purple flowers in the axils of the previous years fallen leaves. The leaves are pale-green, lanceolate to rectangular and appear after flowering. The fruit is a highly poisonous, bright red drupe.
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Mezium is a genus of Spider Beetle (Ptinidae), native to southern Europe and Africa.
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Mezquite are two species of trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Prosopis, a subdivision of the family Leguminosae. The common mezquite (Prosopis glandulosa) is a spring shrub, common in Mexico and Texas. It yields a gum which resembles gum-arabic in qualities. The curly mezquite or screw bean (Prosopis pubescens) is a North American native.
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Miarus is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) that live in flowers.
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Miccotrogus is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae). The larvae mine the leaves of various clovers.
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Miconia is a genus of tropical shrubs and trees belonging to the family Melastomaceae. They bear corymbose panicles of red, white or yellow flowers.
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Microbiotheria is a family of Metatheria containing one family, Microbiotheriidae, with the species monito del monte (Dromiciops australis) found in the Andes of Chile and Argentina.
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Microcachrys is a genus of evergreen shrubs belonging to the family Coniferae. The only species is the Tasmanian strawberry-fruited cypress (Microcachrys tetragona).
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Microcara is a genus of beetle of the family Scirtidae.
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Microlestes is a genus of beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae with a single species,
Microlestes maurus, living in Britain.
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Micropeplus is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, characterized by nine- segmented and clubbed antennae, thick ribs down the elytra and pronotum and deep depressions in the abdominal tergites. They feed mainly on rotting and mouldy plant matter.
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Micropterigidae is the archaic moths family of insects of the order Lepidoptera.
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Microscydmus is a genus of beetles of the family Scydmaenidae which live in the top of forest humus and in rotten wood.
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Microstylis is a genus of tropical, terrestrial orchids with small greenish- yellow flowers.
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The Middlewhite is a British breed of pig that originated in Yorkshire. They are a white or pink coloured breed with a strangely upturned lower lip which makes them appear both comical and grotesque face on. A quiet breed, they are good mothers and mature fairly early, making them useful for quick production of pork.
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The Midwife Toad (Alytes obstetricans) is a common west-European toad of the family Discoglossidae measuring less than 50 mm in length with bulging eyes, and usually grey, olive or brown in colour with small dark markings. The
Midwife Toad is a nocturnal animal to be found under a stone, log, plank or rubbish in woodlands, mountainous areas or near houses. The Midwife Toad is so named on account that the female carries her eggs about with her, wrapped around her legs.
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Mignonette (Reseda odorata) is a perennial herb of the order Resedaceae with fragrant greyish-green blossoms borne in dense pyramidal racemes at the ends of the shoots. Mignonette was introduced to British gardens from Egypt in 1752.
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Mikania is a genus of tropical American evergreen climbing plants of the family Compositae.
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Mildew is a growth of minute white fungi. It occurs on plants and objects exposed to damp.
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Milfoil is another name for Yarrow.
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Milk snake is a common name for American snakes of the genus Lampropeltis.
Milk snakes occur in a wide range of habitats, and are about 50 cm to 170 cm in length when fully grown, with larger species occurring further south (in South and Central America). The tail is usually about 14% of the total snake's length, being slightly longer in the male than the female. Milk snakes are usually red, but sometimes orange, brown or grey in colour with black and yellow or white coloured rings or saddles. The belly is usually whitish in colour, sometimes Checkered with a black pattern or black in colour with a reddish orange coloured pattern.
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The Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) is an annual or biennial herb of the family Compositae native to southern Europe, with a tall, erect, furrowed and branched stem. The leaves are alternate, large, rectangular, prickly, wavy-lobed or pinnately divided and decorated with white spots. The lower leaves are sessile, the upper ones clasping. The stems are terminated by solitary, spiny, violet coloured flowerheads composed only of tubular florets. The fruit is a blackish coloured, speckled, obovoid achene with a long white pappus.
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Milkwort (Polygala) is a genus of plants forming a subdivision of the family Polygalaceae. The common milkwort (Polygala vulgaris) occurs on heaths and dry meadowland in Britain. It has simple stems and narrow leaves, and in late summer bears pinkish flowers, the lower petal of which is keeled or crested in a curiously stellate manner. The root yields a bitter milky juice.
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Millepora is a member of the order Milleporina.
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Milleporina is an order of marine hydrozoa with the hydroid colony on the surface of a massive calcareous corallum perforated by pores into which the polyps can be retracted.
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The Miller Moth (Acronicta leporina) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 35 and 42 mm found in the cooler and mild regions of Europe and western Asia flying from May to August.
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Miller's water shrew (Neomys anomalus) is very similar to the water shrew but is distinguished by a greatly reduced or absent keel on the tail, and a reduced fringe on the feet and a pale or white underside. Miller's water shrew is more terrestrial than the water shrew, living on lush grassland close to water and swamps and is less adapted and dependant upon water.
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Millet is the name of several grasses of the genus Sorghum. They have a jointed stem rising to height of three meters, and are extensively cultivated in warm countries as cereal and for feeding cattle and poultry. The branched panicles are made into carpet-brooms and brushes. Millet is also known as Broom-Corn and Broom-Grass.
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Milletia is a genus of climbing leguminous trees and shrubs, mostly natives of Africa and Asia.
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A millipede is a myriapod with numerous legs placed one each of the segments in double pairs. They differ from centipedes in being vegetarian in habit, and in being harmless being devoid of poison claws. Externally they have cylindrical rather than rounded bodies.
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Miltonia is a genus of Brazilian epiphytal orchids, mostly of great beauty, and producing flowers of considerable size.
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Miltotrogus is a genus of large dung beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.
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Miltwaste (Asplenium Ceterach) is a small European fern formerly used in medicine.
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The Milvinoe is a sub-family of the Falconidae family of birds including the Kite. They are characterised by a moderate length beak, slightly curved from the base, the upper mandible bearing a slight festoon. The nostrils are oval and oblique, the wings long and the long tail is forked.
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Milvus is a genus of raptorial birds, including the European kite.
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Mimela is a genus of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.
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Mimosa is a genus of tropical and subtropical, mostly herbaceous leguminous plants, belonging to the sub-division of Mimoseae. They bear bipinnate leaves, and heads or spikes of small sessile flowers.
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Mimoseae is a subfamily of plants of the Leguminosae family. They are native to tropical and warmer parts of the world and have small flowers in globular heads or cylindrical spikes and often sensitive leaves.
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Mimulus is a genus of hardy and half-hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Scrophulariaceae. They bear mostly showy flowers with bilabiate corollas, the lower lips being trilobate.
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Mimusops is a genus of large, milky-juiced tropical trees.
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The Indian Mina Brid is a deep velvet black bird with a white spot on the wing. A member of the genus Grakle, the Mina Bird can imitate the human voice and be taught tricks.
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The mink is two species of carnivorous mammal of the family Mustelidae; the American Mink (Mustela vison) and the Siberian Mink (Mustela siberica). It is semi-aquatic, burrowing on the banks of rivers and ponds and eating frogs and fish.
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The Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is the smallest of the baleen whales (Mysticeti) growing to between eight and ten metres in length. They have a rather triangular head, with a ridge from the snout to the blowhole, a pronounced and curved fin and a diagnostic white spot on the flippers.
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Minmi was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Minmi was a dinosaur of the Ankylosaurus family, and the only member of the family discovered in Australia, the first remains being discovered in 1964. Little is known about Minmi except that it was about two metres long and had a specially strengthened back which may have enabled it to run very fast on all-fours.
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The minnow (Leuciscus phoxinus) is a species of fish of the carp family. They rarely grow longer than 7 cm and are often used as bait for catching trout.
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The Minorca is a breed of chicken.
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Mint is the name given to several herbaceous aromatic plants of the genus Mentha, family Labiatae. They are nearly all perennial, having square stems which bear opposite and simple leaves.
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Mirabilis is a genus of American herbaceous plants of the family Nyctagineae.
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The Miranda is a breed of cattle.
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Mirbelia is a genus of Australian shrubs belonging to the family Leguminosae.
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Miscodera is a genus of beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae.
Miscodera arctica is a species with a large head (similar in appearance, though the head is not so broad, as Broscus cephalotes) and short feelers found in Britain and Europe on sandy ground moss where it hunts the larvae of the pill beetle. It ranges from 6 to 8 mm long.
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The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse is an American breed of horse developed during the 1820s in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas and Missouri. The
Missouri Fox Trotting Horse has a trotting gait in which the horse walks in the front and has a sliding trot action behind, resulting in a very comfortable ride and the ability to travel for long periods of time. The
Missouri Fox Trotting Horse stands between 14.2 and 16.2 hands high and is mostly chestnut in colour with white markings. They are a very quiet and amenable horse, well suited to being ridden by children.
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Mistletoe (Viscum album) is a European parasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae which grows on various trees, especially the apple. It was sacred to the Druids, especially when it was found growing on the oak tree. It is a small shrub with sessile, rectangular, leathery leaves and small yellowish-green flowers. In winter the bush is covered in white berries.
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Misumena is a genus of crab spider. Misumena vatia is a common and widespread British species, females often found sitting on flowers which match the spider's colour waiting to feed on insects that land on the flower to feed.
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Mitraria is a genus of half-hardy evergreen shrubs belonging to the family Gesneraceae.
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Mitre is a name given to many molluscs which inhabit a small and pretty turreted shell found in the seas around hot climates.
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The Miyako is a breed of horse that originated on the Japanese island of
Miyako. It is used for riding and light draft.
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The Moccasin Snake is a very venomous snake found in swamps in the warmer parts of America. It grows to around 60 centimetres in length, is dark brown above and grey underneath.
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The Mocha (Cyclophora annulata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 18 and 22 mm found in temperate Europe and Asia Minor flying between April and August.
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The mocking-bird (Mimus polyglottus) is an American bird of the thrush family Mimidae. It is renowned for being able to imitate the calls of most animals. The plumage and flight are thrush-like and the diet consists of insects and fruit. The range extends from the USA to Mexico and the Antilles.
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The Modern Game is a breed of chicken.
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The Modern Langshan is a breed of chicken.
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The mole (Talpa) is a genus of burrowing mammal of the Talpidae family. The body is long and narrow, the tail short, the fore limbs placed far forward, while the hand is broad and powerful, and armed with five strong claws. They have no external ear, and the eyes are minute. Moles catch worms which they paralyse by damaging their nerve cord with a bite. These worms are then stored alive in the mole hills for future use when food is short. The typical and most widespread European mole is the common mole, but there are also the blind mole and Roman mole found in some parts of Europe.
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The mole-rat (Spalax typhlus) is a rodent of the genus Spalax, family Spalacidae. They are dumpish, stout-bodied rodents with short strong limbs and a very short tail. They resemble moles in their burrowing habits, but eat bulbs and roots in place of worms.
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Molluscoida is a group of animals comprising the Polyzoa, Tunicata and Brachiopoda. The nervous system consists of a single ganglion or a principal pair of ganglia and the heart is imperfect.
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The moloch lizard is a genus of ferocious looking, but harmless lizards of Australia. It has a horned head and spiny body.
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Molops is a genus of beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae with a distinctly heart-shaped pronotum. They have a glossy black back, brown antennae and legs and live under stones and moss in woodland.
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Molorchus is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) represented by two British species.
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Moluccella is a genus of annual plants belonging to the family Labiatae.
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Momordica is a genus of tropical climbing herbaceous plants belonging to the order Cucurbitaceae. They bear large white or yellow unisexual flowers, the female ones being followed by fleshy, baccate fruits which burst into valves when ripe.
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The Mona Lisa is a new variety of banana that has a nice fruity flavour and is grown in Costa Rica. The skin is thicker and softer than the Cavendish's and even when the fruit looks bruised and has dark patches, the fruit inside is still firm and undamaged. Mona Lisa ripens differently than the popular Cavendish dessert banana. The fruit is sweetest when completely ripe - that is, yellow from tip to tip with no green showing.
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The Monarch Butterfly, also known as the Milkweed Butterfly, the Wanderer Butterfly and the Black-veined Brown Butterfly, (Danaus plexippus) is a North American butterfly of the family Danaidae noted for its long migrations from north to south and back again. Through this migratory tendency, the Monarch Butterfly has also established itself in Australia and New Zealand and is sometimes seen in Europe.
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Monarda is a genus of hardy North American herbaceous plants, belonging to the family Labiatae.
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Money-wort or creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummulavia) is a perennial herb of the family Primulaceae found in damp, shady places such as river banks and woods. It has a prostrate, far-creeping, angled and branched stem. The leaves are opposite, roundish to broadly ovate and short-stalked. The flowers are large, yellow and bell-shaped and grow singly on short stalks in the leaf axils. The fruit is a five-valved globose capsule, only rarely produced, the plant spreading more often by its creeping stems that root at the nodes. Money-wort has also been known as twopenny grass and herb twopence.
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The Mongolian is a breed of cattle.
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The Mongolian Pony is an ancient and influential breed of pony descended from the Przewalaski's Horse, they stand between 12 and 14 hands high and are dun, black, bay, brown, chestnut or palomino in colour.
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The mongoose (Herpestes mungo) is a small carnivorous mammal, allied to the civets, that is often kept for its ability to kill snakes and rats. It was the mongoose ability to kill rats that led to its being introduced into the West Indies in 1872.
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The monitor is any of various lizards of the family Varanidae, found in Africa, South Asia, and Australasia.
Monitors are generally large and carnivorous, with well-developed legs and claws and a long powerful tail that can be swung in defence. Monitors include the Komodo dragon, the largest of all lizards, and also the slimmer Salvador's monitor (Varanus salvadorii), which may reach 2.5m. Several other monitors, such as the Lace monitor (Varanus varius), the perentie Varanus giganteus of Australia, and the Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) of Africa, are up to two metres long.
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A monkey is a small, usually tree dwelling, primate.
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The Monkey-pot tree (Lecythis Ollaria) is a large forest tree of Brazil.
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Monochaetum is a genus of tropical shrubs and sub-shrubs belonging to the family Melastomaceae. They bear panicles of red or purple flowers.
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Monochamus is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) with remarkably long antennae.
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Monoclonius was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Monoclonius was a medium-sized dinosaur about six metres long similar to Triceratops with a horn on its nose and a short frill at the back of the head protecting the neck.
Monoclonius was a herbivore and walked on all-fours.
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Monocystis is a member of the Gregarinida order.
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Monogenea is an order of Trematoda. They are ectoparasitic flukes with relatively simple life histories which do not involve an intermediate host. They feed on aquatic animals. Both hooks and suckers are present.
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Mononychus is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae).
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Monotoma is a genus of beetle of the family Cucujidae, found living in compost heaps and under rotting vegetation.
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The Monotremata is a subclass of mammals. They lay large eggs. There are no mammae, but the young are nourished by a secretion poured into a depression in the abdomen. They include the echidnas and the platypus.
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Monotreme refers to any member of the order Monotremata
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Monsonia is a genus of tropical shrubs and sub-shrubs belonging to the family Geraniaceae.
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Montanoa is a genus of North American shrubs belonging to the family Compositae. They bear white, yellow or pink flowers in corymbose panicles.
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The moon-eye or gold-eye (Hyodon tergisus) is a bony fish found in the lakes and rivers of North America. It grows to a length of about 45 cm.
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Moonwort (Botrychium lunaria) is a British fen with a curious, characteristic form and habit. It has two branches of its frond, one leafy and the other fertile, the pinnae of the former being fan-shaped or crescent-shaped. The vernation is straight. It is almost a stemless plant.
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The moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) is a British water bird of the family Rallidae.
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The Moorland Clouded Yellow (Colias palaeno) is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, typical of species surviving from the glacial epoch. It has one generation a year, which fly from June to July and live chiefly in mountainous regions and peat-bogs.
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The Morab is an American breed of easy going, calm and friendly riding horse first developed as a cross between the Morgan Horse and the Arabian Horse breeds during the 19th century. The Morab stands between 14.1 and 15.2 hands high and is any colour, but not spotted. The Morab is also suited to light draft and harness work, as well as trotting and riding.
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Moraceae is a family of mostly tropical and subtropical trees and shrubs, including the fig, mulberry, breadfruit, and hop, many of which have latex in the stems and the heads enclosed in a fleshy receptacle.
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Moray eel is a popular name applied to voracious, eel-like fish of the family Muraenidae. They live in warm-temperate and tropical coastal waters. The term moray eel is particularly applied to Muraena helena, a large eel found in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic Ocean and to the Giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus).
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Mordella is a genus of Tumbling Flower Beetles (Mordellidae).
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Mordellistena is a genus of Tumbling Flower Beetles (Mordellidae).
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The more-pork (Podargus Cuvieri) is a Tasmanian bird of the nightjar family, so called the more-pork from its peculiar cry.
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The morel (Morchella esculenta) is an edible mushroom of the order Ascomycetes native to the temperate regions of the world. Morel has a short, white, tapering stem and a swollen head whose surface is broken into a network of ribs enclosing deep polygonal pits, varying in colour from yellowish-brown through to olive. Both the stem and the head are hollow.
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Morello cherry (Prunus cerasus), also known as dwarf cherry and sour cherry, is a deciduous shrub or small tree of the family Rosaceae native to Asia. The leaves are alternate, ovate, dark green and glossy above and finely serrated. The flowers are small, white or pinkish in colour, with bud scales and leaf- like bracts at the base and grow in clusters on shortened twigs. The fruit is an edible, dark-red coloured, globose, bitter drupe. The bark is brownish- red in colour, smooth, and peels off in strips around the trunk and spreading or ascending branches.
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The Morgan horse is a breed of American riding and driving show horse developed in the 1780s from a single stallion named Justin Morgan after his owner. They are marked by high, curved necks and high stepping action. The breed is valued for its strength, endurance, and speed, and are used to breed with other breeds to improve them. The Morgan Horse stands between 14.2 and 15.2 hands high and occurs in any solid colour.
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Moricandia is a genus of hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Cruciferae. They bear large reddish flowers and amplexicaul leaves.
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Morimus is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), some of the species are wingless.
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Morina is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants belonging to the family Rubiaceae. Morinda citrifolia is a small Asiatic tree, with white flowers and ovate white fruits. Morinda jasminoides is an Australian shrub, with yellow flowers, followed by orange-coloured fruits.
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Moringa is a genus of tropical trees bearing irregular flowers in axillary panicles and constituting the sole genus of the family Moringaceae.
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Morphology is the branch of biology that deals with the form of living organisms, and with relationships between their structures.
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The morris fish is the young of the conger.
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Moschidae is the Musk deer family of animals of the order Artiodactyla.
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Mosquito is a term applied to any fly of the family Culicidae. The female mosquito has needle-like mouth-parts and sucks blood before laying eggs. Males feed on plant juices. Some mosquitoes carry diseases such as malaria. Human odour in general is attractive to mosquitoes, also lactic acid in sweat and heat at close range. Peoples' varying reactions to mosquito bites depend on the general allergic reaction and not on the degree of the bite; the allergic reaction is caused by the saliva injected from the mosquito's salivary glands to prevent coagulation of the host's blood. Natural mosquito repellents include lavender oil, citronella (from lemon grass), thyme, and eucalyptus oils.
Mosquitoes are remarkable for their quick genetic development, new species develop in around 100 years, as was discovered when mosquitoes became trapped in the London Underground system when it was built, and in 1998 were discovered to have become distinct species developing to feed first on rats and then on humans rather than their usual sheep hosts.
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Moss is a bryophyte plant of which there are about 15000 species, growing worldwide on moist soil, trees, rocks, etc. The moss plant has stems and leaves and produces sex cells, which give rise to a spore capsule that grows from the plant on a long stalk.
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Moss Campion also known as cushion pink (Silene acaulis) is a rare British wild flower with purple flowers found on the higher parts of mountains in Britain, Europe and North America.
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Motacilla is the wagtail genus of insectivorous Passerine birds.
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Motacillidae is the wagtails family of Passerine birds. They have a slender bill, angular between the nostrils with the upper mandible notched. The wings have one of the scapulars as long as the closed wing, giving them a resemblance to the waders. The tail is long and constantly kept in a vertical motion. The legs are long and adapted for running into shallow water or mud in pursuit of insects which they feed on, being either caught on the wing or on the ground.
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Motella is a genus of fish belonging to the cod family, with three British species, distinguished by the number of barbells, which vary from three to five, and by the anterior dorsal fin being reduced to the condition of a narrow fringe, more or less concealed in a longitudinal groove.
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The moth is an insect family, being one of the order of Lepidoptera.
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The Mother of Pearl Moth (Pleuroptya ruralis) is a moth of the family Pyralidae with a wing span of between 25 and 40 mm distributed across the Palaearctic region in lowland forests, damp overgrown wastelands and in fields, flying from June to July.
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The Mother Shipton (Callistege mi) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 25 and 30 mm found in Europe and Asia. two generations are produced flying from April to June and July to August.
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Mother-in-law's-tongue (Sanseveria trifasciata) is a perennial plant of the family Agavaceae. It is native to western Africa and has stiff, erect, sword- shaped, fleshy dark green leaves with pale bands. It grows to a height of one metre and has greenish-white flowers and orange berries. It is widely grown in Britain as a house plant. It is also known as Sanseviera and snake plant.
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Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) is a herbaceous plant belonging to the family Labiate. It rarely occurs wild in Britain but is common in continental Europe and North America. It has whorls of pale reddish flowers, and its lower leaves are three-lobed. It was formerly used as an expectorant in medicine.
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The motmots (Momotus) are a genus of American bird related to the kingfishers. Together with the todies they form the family Monotidae. They are usually coloured with tints of blue, green, brown and black with loose plumage and a long tail. Motmots inhabit dense forests in Mexico and South America where they feed on insects, small reptiles and fruit. The eggs are laid in holes in trees or banks without a nest.
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The Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 30 and 45 mm found in Europe and Asia, but absent from southern Europe, flying from May to August.
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The Mottled Umber (Erannis defoliaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 30 and 40 mm found in deciduous forests and forest-steppes across Europe, the males flying in late Autumn, the females having stunted wings are flightless.
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The Mouflon or Argali is a very large mountain sheep (Ovis aries formerly Ovis musimon, Ovis ammon and others) found wild in Cyprus, Corsica, Sardinia and from Siberia to the Himalayas. It stands about 70 centimetres tall and has woolly under-fur in winter, but this is covered by heavy guard hairs. The coat is reddish brown with a white belly and rump. Males have enormous strong, curving horns reaching 120 cm in length which almost form a circle 55 cm in circumference.
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Mould Beetle is a common name for the Lathridiidae family of insects of the order Coleoptera. They live on mycelia and spores of all kinds of fungi, especially moulds.
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Mound Bird is a popular name for birds of the family megapodes so called from their habit of depositing their eggs in mounds of decaying vegetable matter where the heat of the decaying matter and the sun incubates them. There are about fifteen species found mainly in Australasia and the Pacific.
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The mountain hare or blue hare (Lepus timidus) is a British hare (the only native Irish hare) coloured blue-grey in the summer, the coat changing to white in the winter with the tips of the ears remaining black.
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The Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata) or California Mountain Kingsnake, is an American species of King snake found in Oregon and California and southern Washington. The Mountain Kingsnake has the common King snake colouration of red with black and white bands, and has a black snout sometimes speckled with red.
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Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is an evergreen shrub or small tree of the family Ericaceae, native to North America. It has elliptical, leathery leaves and saucer-shaped flowers which are five-lobed and white, pink or red in colour. It is also called the calico bush.
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The Mountain Ringlet (Erebia epiphron) is a butterfly of the family Satyridae found in alpine meadows at an elevation of 1000 to 2000 metres.
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Mountain tobacco (Arnica montana) is a perennial herb with a creeping rhizome bearing an erect, branched, slightly hairy, glandular stem. The basal leaves are ovate and arranged in a rosette, downy and crowded near the stem base. The smaller and fewer stem leaves are ovate to lanceolate, opposite and sessile. The plant bears one to three terminal flowerheads, bright-yellow and daisy-like.
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The mountain zebra (Hippotigris zebra) is a species of zebra found in small isolated areas of south west Africa. It has a large head, broad neck, small dewlap ears of medium length, a short erect mane and a tail with a well-developed tuft reaching below the hocks. It can be recognised from other species of zebra by the broader, and more narrowly spaced black rump stripes.
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The Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) is a dove of the family Columbidae, native to North America and the Caribbean. It has short legs, a thin bill and a long tail. It lives in woodland, semi-desert and the outskirts of towns where it nests in trees, buildings or on the ground and feeds on seeds and invertebrates.
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Mouse is a general term applied to small rodents, particularly those of the Muridae family, though the true mice are members of the genus Mus. Rats and mice are similar in possessing long scaly tails, long tears, a pointed and naked muzzle, and three longitudinal rows of tubercles on the molar teeth of the upper jaw.
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The Mouse moth (Amphipyra tragopogonis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 33 and 38 mm found in temperate Europe and Asia mainly in meadows and woodland margins. A single generation is produced flying from July to October.
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The mousebird is a bird of the order Coliiformes, including a single family (Coliidae) of small crested species peculiar to Africa. They have hair-like feathers, long tails, and mouse-like agility. The largest is the blue-naped
mousebird Colius macrourus, about 35cm long.
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The Mouthbrooder (Sarotherodon niloticus) is a freshwater fish of the family Cichlidae, widespread in central Africa and along the Nile. It grows to 50 centimetres long and has a deep, compressed body. The female broods the eggs in her mouth (hence the name). In some areas it is an important food fish.
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Mucilage is a gum-like substance frequently present in the cell walls of aquatic plants and in the seed coats of certain other species. Mucilages are hard when dry and slimy when wet. Like gums they probably have a general protective function or serve to anchor the plant. Some organisms including certain bacteria are completely covered with mucilage and in such cases it probably prevents water loss.
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Mudar is a genus of Asiatic plants belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae.
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The mudnester is any of an Australian group of birds that make their nests from mud, including the apostle bird (Struthidea cinerea), the white-winged chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos), and the magpie lark (Grallina cyanoleuca).
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The mudpuppy is a brownish salamander of the genus Necturus in the family Proteidae. There are five species, living in fresh water in North America. They all breathe in water using external gills. Necturus maculatus is about 20cm long. Mudpuppies eat fish, snails, and other invertebrates.
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The mudskipper is a fish of the goby family, genus Periophthalmus, found in brackish water and shores in the tropics, except for the Americas. It can walk or climb over mudflats, using its strong pectoral fins as legs, and has eyes set close together on top of the head. It grows up to 30cm long.
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Muehlenbeckia is a genus of shrubs and sub-shrubs belonging to the family Polygonaceae. The genus includes the hardy New Zealand climbing plant
Muehlenbeckia complexa which bears curiously fiddle-shaped leaves.
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Mugwort is a popular name for the British herbaceous plant Artemisia vulgaris, a tall, somewhat slender yet bushy plant with silky stems and pinnatifid leaves, downy on their under surface, but green above. It bears panicles of greenish-yellow flowers in autumn.
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The mulberry is a group of trees of the genus morus and family Moraceae. The Common Mulberry (Morus nigra) is a handsome tree, six to ten metres tall, of rugged, picturesque appearance forming a dense, spreading head of branches, usually wider than the height of the tree, springing from a rough, short trunk. It bears unisexual flowers.
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The mule is a sterile, hybrid animal, the result of a donkey (ass) and a horse mare breeding. Mules are often used as pack animals.
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Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus) is a biennial herb of the family Scrophulariaceae, native to Europe where it grows on sunny dry banks, in woodland clearings and on wasteland. The root is spindle-shaped and branched and bears, in the first year, a basal rosette of large, rectangular to elliptic, pointed, entire or crenate leaves and in the second year, a robust, tall, usually unbranched stem terminated by a dense spike of sessile yellow flowers. The stem leaves are smaller and alternate, sessile, ovate to elliptic and have bases that extend down the stem as a wing to the leaf below. Mullein flowers are dried and used in medicine for their expectorant, emollient, demulcent, antispasmodic, diaphoretic and mild diuretic properties.
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The Mullein Moth (Cucullia verbasci) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 45 and 50 mm found in a few localities of Europe, Armenia and Syria flying from April to May.
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The mullet is two groups of acanthopterygian fish, the grey mullets (Mugilidae) and the red mullets (Mullidae).
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Mungoose is an alternative 19th century spelling of Mongoose.
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The muntjac is a small deer found in India and south east Asia, and belonging to the genus Cervulus. The antlers of the male are short and simple, possessing only one process, which forms a short brow tine, but furnished with unusually long pedicles. In the male the upper canine teeth are large, and project visibly from the mouth as tusks, and are used as weapons. The body is long, the limbs and neck short, the gait rather clumsy and not rapid. Muntjacs are jungle animals, and are found especially in upland forests. The typical form is the Indian barking deer (Cervulus
muntjac). Following escapes from Woburn Park in Bedfordshire, the Muntjac is now established and fairly common in South and Central England.
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Muraena is a genus of adopal malacopterygious fish of the family Muraenidae. They resemble the eels in form - and were formerly thought to be eels - having no pectoral fins, and the dorsal and anal fins are very low and are united. Most species are predatory, and are armed with strong pointed teeth by means of which they seize the fish upon which they prey. The colouring is often vivid and beautiful.
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The Murakozi is a Hungarian breed of heavy horse from the area around the River Mura in southern Hungary, developed in the early 20th century. They stand 16 hands high and are liver chestnut in colour with a flaxen mane and tail. Typical of the heavy horse type they have a short and muscular neck, but very little feathering on the legs. They are used as agricultural horses.
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Murder is the collective noun for a group of crows.
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The Murex is a genus of gastropod molluscs resembling the whelk. They have a spiral shell, rough with three or more ranges of spines simple or branched. The animals are carnivorous and produce a purple dye, which in the case of a certain Mediterranean species was one of the sources of Tyrian purple.
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The Murghese is an old Italian breed of farm, riding and trekking horse from the Murge region of south-east Italy where they are bred in a semi-wild state, being left to fend for themselves, which has resulted in a tough breed resistant to many equine diseases. The Murghese stands between 15 and 16 hands high and is mostly black in colour. With a calm and forgiving nature the Murghese is well suited to being ridden by novices.
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Murices is the plural form of Murex.
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Muridae is the mice and rats family of rodents belonging to the suborder Myomorpha.
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Murmuration is the collective noun for a group of starlings.
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The Murray Grey is an Australian hornless, silver to grey coloured breed of domestic beef cattle.
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Murry (Muraena helena) is a Mediterranean fish of the genus Muraena. It grows to 150cm long and is considered good eating.
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Musaceae is a family of large, tropical, herbaceous plants generally without true stems, with large handsome leaves and flowers aggregated on spadices protected by spathes. The family includes the banana, plantain and abaca.
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The Muscicapidae are the flycatchers family of Passerine birds of the Dentirostres tribe. They have a broad bill, flattened horizontally which is slightly toothed and adapted for catching small flying insects.
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Muscidae is a family of two-winged flies which includes the common house-fly.
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The Muscovy (Cairina moschata) is a breed of tree-nesting duck native to Central and South America. Muscovy ducks live in forest swamps where they live almost exclusively on vegetation. The plumage is glossy purplish-green on the upper parts, the head is brownish black with a crest, the neck and underparts are also brownish. The male Muscovy duck is much larger than the female.
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Mushroom is the popular name for numerous cryptogamic plants of the family Fungi. Some are edible and others are toxic.
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Musk is a perennial plant Mimulus moschatus of the family Scrophulariaceae. It has small rectangular leaves which excrete a scent from which it takes its name.
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The Musk Beetle (Aromia moschata) is a longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae) so named on account of the pungent aroma they secrete.
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Musk-deer is a genus of deer forming the family Moschidae. They are not true deer, and are found primarily in Asia. The male Musk-deer yields musk, which is secreted from an abdominal gland.
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The Musk-duck (Cairina moschata) is a native American duck.
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Musk-mallow (Malva moschata) is a British erect, hairy-stemmed perennial plant. The upper leaves are palmately five to seven-lobed, each lobe being twice pinnately lobed. The flowers have at most three sparsely hairy epicalyx segments. The petals are bright pink and twice as long as the sepals. The fruit is circular, many segmented and covered with long white hairs.
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The musk-ox (Ovibos moschatus) is a ruminant animal of the sub-family Caprinae intermediate between an ox and a sheep. It resembles a large goat-like sheep, its body is covered with a coat of thick, tufted brown hair, the male has wide horns flattened on the forehead.. It is an active and agile animal found in mountainous regions of Arctic America.
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The Musk-thistle (Carduus nutans) is a species of thistle with large, drooping, musk-scented crimson flowers.
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The muskrat or musquash (Ondatra zibethicus) is an American rodent, allied to the beaver, of the family Cricetidae, about 30 cm long, living along streams, rivers, and lakes in North America. It has webbed hind feet, a side-to-side flattened tail, and shiny, light-brown fur. It builds up a store of food, plastering it over with mud, for winter consumption. It is hunted for its fur.
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Musophagidae is the turaco family of birds of the order Cuculiformes.
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Mussaenda is a genus of tropical herbs and shrubs belonging to the family Rubiaceae. They bear terminal corymbs of mostly yellow, funnel-shaped flowers.
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Mussaurus was a dinosaur of the Triassic period. The only remains discovered of
Mussaurus are a few small skeletons in a nest with the remains of two small eggs.
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Mussel is a term popularly given to several lamellibranchiate molluscs of the section Asiphonida.
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The Mustang is a breed of American feral horse, developed from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish during the 16th century. Mustags stand between 14 and 15 hands high and occur in any colour, and have a rebellious and intractable temperament which requires experienced handling, but can be tamed to make good riding horses.
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Mustard is the name of several annual plants of the Cruciferae family, including white mustard (Sinapis alba), black mustard (Brassica nigra), wild mustard or charlock (Sinapis arvensis) and brown mustard (Brassica juncea). The mustards are bristly branching plants ranging from 30 cm to one metre in height, with variously lobed leaves, yellow flowers and long rounded seed pods. In the black mustard the seed pods stand erect and close to the stem. In the other species the pods stand out from the stem, and the seeds which in charlock are brown are yellow in white mustard. The seeds of the black mustard and white mustard are ground and mixed and used commercially as a flavouring.
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Mustela is the weasel genus of carnivorous animals of the family Mustelidae.
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Mustelidae is the weasel family of carnivorous mammals including the polecats, mink, marten, otters, skunks and badgers.
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Muster is the collective noun for a group of peacocks.
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Mutation is the collective noun for a group of thrush.
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Mute is the collective noun for a group of hounds.
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The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is a large, distinctive water bird, and the commonest swan in Britain. The adult has pure white plumage, black legs and an orange-red bill. While swimming the birds hold their neck in a distinctive and elegant curve. It is called a mute swan because it doesn't make any noise, although when threatened it will hiss with its beak wide open and attack people fearlessly showing incredible arrogance as though aware of its Royal protective status in Britain.
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More pictures of Mute Swan
Mutilloidea is a super-family of insects of the sub-order Apocrita, order Hymenoptera. The members are medium-sized and smaller, often hairy and conspicuously coloured. The males are mostly winged, the females wingless. The larvae are parasitic on the larvae of other hymenopterous insects including bumblebees and digger wasps.
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Mutisia is a genus of South American shrubs belonging to the family Compositae.
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Muttaburrasaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Remains of
Muttaburrasaurus were discovered in the 1970's in Australia and show it to have been about seven metres long, possibly related to Iguanodon or to Camptosaurus and had a low, broad head.
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Mycelium is an interwoven mass of threadlike filaments which form the main body of most fungi.
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Mycetaea is a genus of tiny beetles of the family Enfomychidae.
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Mycetophagidae is a family of beetles of the order Coleoptera that live on or in fungi.
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Mycetophagus is a genus of beetle of the family Mycetophagidae. They range from five to eight millimetres in length and live in wood fungus.
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Mycetoporus is a genus of boat-shaped, slim and glossy rove beetles, Staphylinidae, represented by fifteen species in Britain.
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The mycetozoa (Myxomycophyta) are a family of Rhizopoda. They are slime fungi which form encrusting masses on rotten wood. Reproduction occurs by fission and the formation of spores out of which hatch amoebae.
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Mycology is the study of fungi, including the identification, description and classification of the great diversity of fungi.
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Mygale is a genus of spiders of the family Mygalidae. They are furnished with four pulmonary sacs and spiracles, four spinnerets, eight eyes, and hairy legs. Popularly known as 'bird-eating spiders' the Mygale spiders grow to about 18 cm across but never actually eat birds, prefering instead insects.
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Mylabris is a genus of coleopterous insects.
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Mylacus is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae).
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Myllaena is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, covered with dense hair and with a tapering abdomen.
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The mylodon is a genus of extinct edentate mammalia. Their remains have been found in South America. It was a herbivore terrestrial animal.
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Myomorpha is the mouse-like rodents suborder of Rodentia.
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Myoporum is a genus of tropical and sub-tropical shrubs of the family Myoporinaceae bearing white flowers.
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Myosotis is a genus of plants belonging to the Boraginaceae.
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Myoxus is the dormouse genus of animals.
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Myrcia is a genus of tropical American trees and shrubs belonging to the family Myrtaceae. They bear axillary peduncles of small flowers.
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Myriapoda is a class of arthropod with a clearly demarcated head region.
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Myrica is a genus of shrubs constituting the family Myricaceae. Most of the species are aromatic. The flowers are unisexual, and are borne in catkins. the fruit is a drupe, and the leaves are usually evergreen.
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Myristica is the genus of the family Myristicaceae.
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Myrmechixenus is a genus of tiny beetle of the family Colydiidae, often found in the nests of ants of the genus Formica.
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The Myrobalan Plum or bedda nut (Prunus cerasifera) is a hardy tree or shrub with unarmed branches, and with obovate leaves, glabrous beneath. It bears solitary or nearly solitary white flowers in spring, and these are followed by red, globose, yellow-fleshed fruits.
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Myrrha is a genus of ladybird (Coccinellidae).
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The myrtle (Myrtus communis) is an evergreen much branched shrub of the family Myrtaceae. It has leathery opposite leaves which are ovate-lanceolate, pointed and extremely aromatic when crushed. The fragrant flowers are white and borne on stalks.
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Mysidacea is an order of crustaceans of the sub-class Malacostraca in which the thorax is covered by the carapace and the exopodite of the antenna is scale-like. The abdomen terminates in a tail fan.
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Mysticeti is the baleen whale family of mammals of the order Cetacea. They are named after the baleen plates that are present. The family includes the Blue Whale and Minke Whale.
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The Myxomycetes are a division of the group of cryptogamic plants known as thallophytes. They represent the very lowest grades of vegetable life. They are chiefly saprophytes, living on dead organic matter, though some are parasites - for example Plasmodiophora brassicae, which causes club-foot in cabbage.
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