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The paca (Coelogenys paca) is a large, nocturnal, burrowing rodent found in central America. It attains a length of some 60 cm, has a stout body, with short limbs and a broad head. The body is marked by rows of white spots along the sides.
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Pace is the collective noun for a group of asses.
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Pachnephorus is a genus of small, elongate leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) found living beside water.
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Pachybrachys is a genus of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) with black and yellow chequered elytra with a pattern varying from individual to individual.
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Pachycephalosaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Pachycephalosaurus was about eight meters long, walked on its hind legs and was furnished with a thick top to the skull.
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Pachydactyl describe a bird or animal having thick toes.
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Pachydermata was a classification for hoofed mammals distinguished by the thickness of their skins, and including the elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, tapir, horse, and hog. The classification is now no longer used, as the group is recognised as artificial.
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Pachyglossal is a zoological term for lizards having a thick tongue and is applied to a group of lizards which includes the iguanas and agamas.
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Pachyrhinosaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Little is known about
Pachyrhinosaurus, a skull has been discovered which was 140 centimetres long, suggesting a body of perhaps six meters length. The skull had a short neck frill at the back of the skull, like Triceratops, but was devoid of horns.
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Pachyta is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae). The larvae develop in spruce trees and other conifers.
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The Pacific American Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum oligozona) is a rare species of Milk snake, or perhaps not a separate species at all, being similar in appearance to other Milk Snakes which occur in the Pacific region of Mexico and Guatemala. The Pacific American Milk Snake is red in colour with white bands sandwiched by black bands, fairly closely spaced on the dorsum.
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The Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica) is an American wetland bird of the family Colymbidae. It swims low in the water has a greyish colour above, lighter below with a slender and straight bill which may be tilted up at a slight angle. It is a fairly common winter visitor along the California coast.
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Pack is the collective noun for a group of hounds.
Pack is the collective noun for a group of wolves.
Pack is the collective noun for a group of grouse.
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The pack moth (Anacampsis sarcitella) is a small moth which, in the larval state, is very destructive to wool and woollen fabrics.
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A packhorse is a horse used to carry goods. Even with the invention of the combustion engine and the development of trucks and lorries, packhorses remain a useful means of carrying loads through difficult terrain such as mountains, where wheeled transport cannot operate.
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The paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) or duck-billed cat, spoonbill sturgeon, is a large American ganoid fish found in the rivers of the Mississippi Valley. It has a long spatula-shaped snout.
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Paddlewood is the light elastic wood of the Guianan tree, Aspidosperma excelsum, that has a fluted trunk that readily splits into planks.
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Paddling is the collective noun for a group of ducks in water.
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Paederus is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae. They are conspicuous by their bright colouring; a red pronotum and metallic blue elytra.
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Paeony is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants and shrubs belonging to the family Ranunculaceae.
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The Painted Lady (Vanessa Cardui) is a butterfly of the brush-footed butterflies family (Nymphalidae) found throughout the world with the exception of parts of South America.
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The Paisley terrier (Clydesdale terrier) is a breed of dog introduced into England around 1880. It is a similar shape to the Skye Terrier, but the coat is silky in texture and the colouring a glossy blue on the back, with tan legs and face markings.
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The Palaeonisciformes is an order of Actinopterygii. They are carnivorous and have a single large dorsal fin.
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Palamedea is a genus of South American birds.
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The Pale Brindled Beauty (Apocheima pilosaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 35 and 40 mm found in temperate parts of Europe, Asia and the Far East, flying from February to April.
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The Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale) is a species of butterfly of the family Pieridae widespread throughout the warmer regions of Europe where it is to be found in steppes, meadows and fields. Two generations occur, between April and June and then between July and September.
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The Pale Eggar (Trichiura crataegia) is a moth of the family Lasiocampidae with a wing span of between 25 and 30 mm found in northern and central Europe and northern parts of Asia Minor mainly in woodland margins, areas with scattered copses, peaty meadows and heaths flying from August to October.
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The Pale Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum multistrata) is a whitish coloured Milk Snake with black-outlined red saddle markings.
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Pale persicaria (Polygonum lapathifolium) is an annual herb of the family Polygonaceae native to Britain and Europe where it grows on stream banks, in ditches, beside ponds and on wasteland and cultivated land. It has ascending or prostrate branched stems, which are swollen above the nodes. The leaves are alternate, broadly ovate to lanceolate and have undulate margins and usually a brown spot shaped like a half-moon with whitish dots on the upper surface. The flowers are small, pinkish or greenish-white in colour and are arranged in longish, dense, terminal, erect spikes. The fruit is a three-sided achene.
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The Pale Pinion (Lithopane socia) is a moth of the family Noctuidae, with a wing span of between 38 and 42 mm found in the Palaearctic and flying from August, hibernating over winter and then flying again until the end of May.
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The Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina) is a moth of the family Notodontidae with a wing span of between 35 and 55 mm distributed through Europe and the warmer parts of the Palaearctic. One or two generations are produced flying from April to August.
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The Pale Shining Brown (Polia bombycina) is a largish moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 40 and 50 mm found in the temperate zones of Europe, Asia and North America where it inhabits deciduous forests and forest-steppes and lives also on arable land. A single generation is produced which flies from June to July.
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The Pale Stigma (Mesogona acetosellae) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 35 and 40 mm found in the warmer regions of Europe and Asia in deciduous forests and forest-steppes where it flies from August to September.
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The Pale Tussock Moth (Dasychira pudibunda) is a common and widespread moth of the family Lymantriidae found in temperate parts of Europe and Asia where it is characteristic of deciduous forests, parks and gardens flying from May to June.
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The Pale-Shouldered Brocade (Lacanobia thalassina) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 35 and 38 mm found in the forest belt of Europe and Asia flying from May to June.
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Paliurus is a genus of hardy deciduous shrubs which are natives to southern Europe and Asia Minor belonging to the family Rhamnaceae. They bear small, five-partite flowers followed by coriaceous fruit. One species, Paliurus aculeatus is believed to have been used to make Christ's crown of thorns in Christian belief.
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The pallah (Aepyceros melampus) is a species of South African antelope.
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The Pallas cat (Felis manul, manul, steppe cat) is an Asian wild cat living in rocky areas from the eastern border of the Caspian Sea to Tibet and Mongolia. It is about the size of domestic cat with soft, long, and thick fur which is whitish grey or light yellowish with black spots on the crown and black stripes on the rump. It eats small mammals and birds.
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A palm is a tree of the palmaceae family. They are found mainly in tropical countries. They usually have a an upright, unbranched stem and a head of large fan-shaped leaves.
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Palm-kale is a variety of cabbage which grows to around 3-4 meters tall.
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Palmar is a genus of jewel beetle (Buprestidae) ranging from six to twelve millimetres in length with a metallic back and symmetrically arranged dark spots.
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In botany, the term palmate is applied to compound leaves which comprise more than three leaflets arising from the same point.
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Palmelleae is a family of green-spored algae, amongst the lowest of plants and including the red snow and gory dew.
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Palmer Worm is a popular name for the hairy caterpillar of the tiger-moth.
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The Palmyra Palm (Borassus flabelliformis) is the common Indian palm, a tree found in the Middle East and India. When fully grown it reaches a height of 20 meters.
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Palomino is a horse colouring, but breeders in Britain and America are producing an American breed of horse known as the Palomino, which is bred for its colouring. The Palomino stands between 14 and 16 hands high and usually have a prolific mane and tail.
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Palorus is a genus of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) found in stored grain, flour and bran.
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Pampas grass (Gynerium argenteum) is a popular garden plant with tall flower- stalks, surmounted by beautiful silky panicles.
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Pamphillidae is the Web-spinning and Leaf-rolling sawflies family of insects of the super-family Megalodontoidea, order Hymenoptera.
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Panagaeus is a genus of beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae, found beside water or in damp meadows.
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Panax is a genus of trees and shrubs belonging to the family Araliaceae. They bear (usually) umbels of five-petalled flowers, and digitately or pinnately compound leaves.
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The panda is one of two carnivores of different families, native to north west China and Tibet. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) has black-and- white fur with black eye patches and feeds mainly on bamboo shoots, consuming about eight kg of bamboo per day. It can grow up to 1.5m long, and weigh up to 140kg. The lesser, common, or red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is of the raccoon family, and is about 50cm long and is coloured black and chestnut, with a long tail.
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Pandaneae is a family of trees and shrubs, characterised by bearing unisexual flowers in crowded spadices, the female being followed by berries or wooden drupes.
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Pandanus (the screw-pines) is a genus of tropical trees and shrubs of the family Pandaneae, mostly natives of the Malay Archipelago.
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The pangolin or scaly anteater is a large mammal of the genus Manis, order Pholidota found in tropical Asia and Africa. The body, with the exception of the underside and the inner sides of the limbs, is covered by overlapping horny scales, between which are a few scattered hairs. When alarmed the animals roll themselves up into a ball, so as to present only the scales to the foe. The head is small, long, and pointed, and lodges the worm-like tongue, which is capable of being protruded to a great distance. The external ear is minute, as are also the eyes. Teeth are absent. The short limbs bear five toes on each foot, armed with claws which are best developed on the fore feet. On these feet the third toe is the largest, and bears a very powerful claw, which is the main agent used in burrowing and opening ant-hills. They are nocturnal and feed chiefly on termites.
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In botany, the term panicle refers to a variety of inflorescence known as a compound raceme. This is an arrangement in which the equal pedicels or branches of the peduncle are themselves branched.
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Panicum is a genus of grasses, mostly natives of the tropics, but a few species are hardy including the native British species Panicum glabrum and
Panicum Crus-galli.
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Panoplosaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Panoplosaurus was a member of the Ankylosaurus family, about seven meters long, walked on all-fours and had a massive head, the top of the skull being arched and covered with large armour plates which lay over the normal skull bones forming a second protective layer.
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The pansy is the popular name of various perennial flowers.
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Papaveraceae is a family of plants which includes the poppy, with flowers containing usually two sepals, four free petals, and hypogynous stamens. The fruit is a one-celled, many-seeded capsule, the seeds being inserted on incomplete septa which do not meet in the centre of the capsule.
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Papiinae is the baboon family of animals. They are distinguished by a rounded head, with a moderately or strongly projecting muzzle, the eyes close together. The tail is absent and the breast, ears and buttocks are naked. They are sociable animals congregating in troops or packs and are omnivorous, the larger part of the diet being vegetarian, but occasionally local troops are found which are carnivorous.
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Papilio is the 'black' Swallowtail genus of butterflies of the family Papilionidae.
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Papilio demetrius is a Japanese butterfly of the Swallowtail family (Papilionidae) also found in China and northern India. The butterfly flies from April to October with two generations. The caterpillars are green with a dark saddle and white spots on the side of the body and live on various citrus plants.
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Papilio karna carnatus is a 'moss green' butterfly of the Swallowtail family (Papilionidae) found in northern Borneo. It is treasured by butterfly collectors on account of its beauty, the hind wings having a blue, flame- like pattern, a violet-brown eye and a green band.
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Papilionaceae is a division of plants of the family Leguminosae.
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Papilionidae is a family of more than 600 species of diurnal, heliophilous butterflies of medium to large size. The wings are large, compact and rounded, with the hind wings often concavely shaped on the inside and tapering to one or more spurs of varying width. The body is small compared to the wings, the head small and the eyes bare and ocelli are absent. The legs are long and thin, with the feet furnished with two claws. The front pair of legs is well developed in both sexes. The proboscis remains functional through adult life. The caterpillars vary from hairless to hairy and spiny, but all have a forked tubercle just behind the head, which is conspicuously coloured and has a pungent odour.
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The Papillon is a small companion dog believed to originate from Spain. They were very popular among the nobles of mainland Europe during the 17th century. They are an intelligent, tough and easy to train breed.
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In botany the pappus is the hairy crown which surmounts the fruit in most composite plants. It is really the metamorphosed calyx, and it serves the purpose of transporting the fruits through the air.
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Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) is a tall aquatic plant of the sedge family, family Cyperaceae native to the Nile valley in Egypt.
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Par excellence is a disease of potatoes, first observed in Britain in a serious form in 1845. Usually the first sign of the disease is the appearance of brown patches upon the haulms and leaves. these spots appear about the time the plants attain their full growth, and when examined carefully are found to be surrounded by a ring of a paler colour. the whole of this ring is infested with a fungus (Peronospora infestans).
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The Paradise fish is a domesticated variety of a species of the genus Polyacanthus, related to the climbing perch. They are of a bright golden colour with transverse red bands, have a long forked tail and elongated rays of the dorsal and anal fins. They have been kept as pets by the Chinese for a long time.
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The parakeet is any of numerous small, slender parrots, usually having a long, pointed graduated tail. They are noted for their ability to mimic speech.
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Paralister is a genus of small beetles of the family Histeridae. Four species of the genus occur in Britain. They live chiefly in dung.
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Paramecium is a member of the order Holotricha. It is a simple single cell animal common in fresh water where there are decaying vegetable remains.
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Parandra is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), mostly found in the Americas, but one species Parandra brunnea was introduced into Dresden, Germany in 1916 from North America.
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Paraniptus is a genus of Spider Beetle (Ptinidae).
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Parasaurolophus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. It was a duck-billed dinosaur that walked on its hind legs and was about ten meters long with a tail that was flattened from side to side and probably used for swimming. Its head was surmounted by a tubular crest that curved back from the head to a length of 180 cm, being longer in the male than the female. In side the crest breathing tubes ran from the nostrils at the end of the nose up the crest and back down to the mouth, and possibly the crest would have enabled sounds to be made to signal to other animals.
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A parasite is an organism that lives in or on another organism - known as the host. The host derives no benefit from the parasite, and is often manipulated and harmed by the parasite. Many parasites use intermediary hosts as stages on their journey to animals further up the food chain, and in doing so will manipulate he behaviour of the host. For example, the malaria parasite utilises mosquitos in its journey to large mammals. Before it is ready to pass to the mammal, the parasite suppresses the feeding instinct of the host mosquito, thereby reducing the chances of it being killed. However, once mature and ready to move on the parasite encourages the mosquito to feed more voraciously, inmproving the likelihood that the malaria parasite will be passed on. Some parasites cause their hosts to commit suicide by being eaten, or behave in a manner which makes them much more vulnerable to predators, so that the parasite can move up the food chain to a higher host.
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Pardosa is a genus of wolf spider. Pardosa lugubris is a common and widespread British species found among leaf litter on woodland and forest floors where they actively hunt their insect prey, rather than spinning a web.
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Pareinae is the 'Asian Snail-eating Snakes' subfamily of reptiles of the typical snakes family, Colubridae, suborder Serpentes (Snakes). The subfamily contains two genera and about 15 species found in South-East Asia within rain forests and montane forests. The members grow to 90 centimetres in length. The members have a head distinct from the laterally compressed body and have long anterior teeth in the lower jaw. As their popular name suggests, the members of the subfamily feed almost exclusively on snails.
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Paridae is the tit (titmice) family of minute perching birds. They are small, very active and have a short, sharp beak.
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Parides bolivar is a butterfly of the Swallowtail family (Papilionidae) found only in the virgin forests of South America, along the upper reaches of the Amazon and the Orinoco Rivers.
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Parinarium is a genus of tropical trees and shrubs of the family Rosaceae, bearing sometimes edible fruit.
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Paris is a genus of herbaceous plants belonging to the family Liliaceae. They have creeping rhizomes, and bear erect, solitary, greenish flowers.
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The Paris daisy (Chrysanthemum frutescens) is a half-hardy plant with white flower-heads with yellow centres. It was introduced into England in the 17th century.
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Parksosaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Little is known about
Parksosaurus, all that has been found was a partial skull discovered in 1913 and identified in 1937 as belonging to a new species of dinosaur. From the skull it seems likely that Parksosaurus was a small dinosaur that walked on its hind legs and was about two meters long.
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Parliament is the collective noun for a group of owls.
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Paromalus is a genus of beetles of the family Histeridae. There are two species represented in Britain, they are glossy black beetles which live under tree bark, either deciduous trees as preferred by Paromalus flavicornis, or conifers.
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A parr is a young salmon with transverse bands living in a river and under two years old.
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Parrot refers to any bird of the order Psittaciformes, abundant in the tropics, especially in Australia and South America. They are mainly vegetarian, and range in size from the 8.5cm pygmy parrot to the 100cm Amazon parrot. The smaller species are commonly referred to as parakeets. The plumage is often very colourful, and the call is usually a harsh screech.
Parrots all have hooked bills and feet adapted for tree climbing.
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Parrot-fish is a popular name for a group of genera of the wrasse family, distinguished by the teeth soldered together so that the jaws form a sharp beak. Most of the species are tropical, but Scarus cretensis occurs in the Mediterranean feeding on seaweed.
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Parsley (Carum Petroselinum) is a biennial herb of the family Umbelliferae with a stout, white, vertical tap root. In the first year it produces a rosette of triangular, tripinnate leaves. In the second year it produces solid, branched stems with alternate, trifoliate, stalked leaves and terminal compound umbels of small, yellowish-green flowers. The fruit is an ovoid double achene which splits into sickle-shaped seeds.
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The parsnip (Peucedanum sativum) is a biennial plant of the family Umbelliferae, the tap root of which is eaten.
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The Parsnip moth (Depressaria pastinacella) is a moth of the family Oecophoridae with a wing span of between 23 and 28 mm common in meadows and beside running water in northern Europe and Asia where the caterpillar feeds on the umbels of parsnip and cow-parsnip. The adult moth flies from August to September.
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The partridge is any of various medium-sized ground-dwelling fowl of the family Phasianidae, which also includes pheasants, quail, and chickens.
Partridges are Old World birds, some of which have become naturalised in North America, especially the European grey partridge (Perdix perdix), with mottled brown back, grey speckled breast, and patches of chestnut on the sides.
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The Paso Fino is a Puerto Rican breed of horse developed during the 16th century from Spanish horses brought to South America by the conquistadors. The
Paso Fino was developed for its comfortable ride and endurance as at the time it was necessary to ride long distances. The Paso Fino displays three gaits: the
paso fino which is a slow-moving pace where the feet move up and down very quickly, which I used in the show ring. The paso orto which is equivalent to a trot, and is a comfortable gait for travelling long distances. The paso largo which is between a canter and a gallop. The Paso Fino stands between 14 and 15 hands high and occurs in any colour.
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The Passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) was a species of pigeon formerly found in North America. The Passenger Pigeon was notable for its long wings, long narrow tail and the mass migrations undertaken by huge flocks of the birds, with every tree for miles laden with nests of the birds. The Passenger Pigeon was excessively hunted for the table, in one year over 15 million birds were killed in Michigan and Pennsylvania and after almost becoming extinct in 1888 it finally became extinct in 1914 when the last known bird died in the Zoological Gardens at Cincinnati.
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The Passeres are the Passerine (perching birds) order of the Aves class of animals. They are characterised by the feet being adapted for perching on trees or on the ground, rather than for grasping, wading or swimming.
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Passerine describes perching birds, that is the Passeres.
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Passifloraceae is a family of mostly tropical trees, herbs and shrubs, with usually showy, regular flowers, followed by berries or capsules. Among the genera are Passiflora, Carica and Tacsonia. The edible fruit of several species is known as granadillas.
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The Passion flower (Passiflora) is a genus of chiefly American climbing vines or shrubs of the order Passifloraceae. They have variously lobed or undivided leaves, mostly alternate, and stout tendrils by which they climb. They often have large and showy flowers, often blue, purple, white, red or yellow in colour,. The cup-shaped recptavle bears four or five sepals, an equal number of petals, and a corona of very many spreading filaments. There are four or five spreading stamens with large anthers and a pulpy fruit which in some species is edible.
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Passion fruit is the name given to the edible fruit of the Passion flower.
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Patagosaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. Remains of Patagosaurus were found in Argentina during 1977 and the early 1980's and from these it appears it was a large, bulky herbivore that walked on all-fours and had a long neck and tail, being about 18 meters long and of the suborder Sauropoda, like Apatosaurus.
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Patchouli (Pogostemon Patchouli) is an Indian soft-wooded shrub growing to from 60 to 90 centimetres tall, and bearing dense spikes of purplish white flowers and broadly ovate leaves. From its wood is derived the Hindu perfume
Patchouli.
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Pathogen is a term for any disease-causing microorganism. Pathogens include viruses, rickettsiae, and many bacteria, fungi, and Protozoans.
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Patrobus is a genus of mostly wingless beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae. They are dark-bodied and are to be found in damp localities under stones.
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Paucituberculata is an order of Metatheria with just one family, Caenolestidae. The members are small, shrew-like animals with small eyes, and thick, grey or greyish-brown pelage. The margin of each upper lip is interrupted by a distinctive flap of skin. The tail is long but not prehensile, and the feet are not syndactylous. Females lack a pouch.
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Paullinia is a genus of evergreen tropical shrubs, mostly climbing plants, belonging to the family Sapindaceae. They bear axillary racemes of small flowers, followed by three-sided, somewhat pear-shaped fruits.
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The pea is a climbing plant of the family Leguminosae.
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The Pea Crab (Pinnotheres) is a small crab of the order Decapoda that lives inside marine bivalve molluscs, such as mussels and oysters, usually in shallow waters. It is pale in colour and the last pair of legs are armed with hooks for holding onto its host. The carapace is very thin, that of the female being almost uncalcified.
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The Pea Moth (Vydia nigricana) is a moth of the family Tortricidae with a wing span of between 10 and 15 mm found throughout the Palaearctic region and North America flying from June to August. The caterpillars develop towards the end of summer on pea, vetch and vetchling pods.
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The peach is a tree of the family Rosaceae.
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The Peach Blossom (Thyatira batis) is a moth of the family Thyatiridae with a wing pan of between 32 and 38 mm found in temperate Europe and Asia in forests with dense undergrowth flying from May to August.
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The Peach Twig Borer (Anarsia lineatella) is a moth of the family Gelechiidae with a wing span of between 12 and 14 mm distributed in the Palaearctic region as far as central Asia and also since its introduction in North America. The moths fly from June to July.
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A peacock is technically the male of any of various large pheasants. The name is most often used for the common peacock (Pavo cristatus), a bird of the pheasant family, native to southern Asia. It is rather larger than a pheasant. The male has a large fan-shaped tail, brightly coloured with blue, green, and purple 'eyes' on a chestnut background. The female (peahen) is brown with a small tail.
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The Peacock Butterfly (Vanessa io or Inachis io) is a medium-sized British, European and Asian butterfly of the family brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae) family with a prominent eyespot on each reddish-brown wing. The caterpillars feed on stinging nettles.
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The peanut (ground-nut, Arachis hypogoea) is a leguminous annual plant with a hairy stem and abruptly pinnate leaflets. The nut is situated at the end of a stalk of some length, and is ripened under ground, this stalk having the peculiarity of flowering and then bending down and pushing the fruit into the earth. Peanuts are extensively cultivated in tropical countries.
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The Peanut Worm is an unsegmented marine worm of about 320 species that lives in burrows in sediment, in calcareous rock or in coral. The body is usually divided into a stout trunk and a slender, retractable proboscis, encircled by tentacles.
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The pear (Pyrus communis) is a deciduous, usually thorny tree of the family Rosaceae, genus Pyrus. It is native to Europe and Asia. The leaves are narrowly lance-shaped to broadly oval. The flowers are white or pinkish, in flat-topped clusters, appearing before or with the leaves. The fruit has a characteristic gritty texture caused by the presence of stone-cells in the flesh of the fruit.
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The Pearl Grey is a breed of guinea-fowl.
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The Pear Sawfly or Slugworm (Caliroa cerasi) is a unicolour insect of the family Tenthredinidae about 5 mm long, found in woods and gardens. Two generations are produced in a year, developing in burrows in the ground - the larvae having previously lived on the leaves of trees and bushes.
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The Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Clossiana euphrosyne) is a widely distributed butterfly of the brush-footed butterflies family (Nymphalidae) found throughout temperate Europe and Asia.
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The Pearlfish is an elongate and very slender fish of the family Carapidae, widespread in tropical and warm temperate seas where it lives inside sea cucumbers, sea urchins and other marine invertebrates. It grows to about 30 centimetres long and has a pointed tail and no pelvics.
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The Pearly Heath (Coenonympha arcania) is a butterfly of the family Satyridae found in open grass woodland during June and July.
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Peasgood Nonsuch is an English species of apple first produced by Mrs Peasgood of Lincolnshire who raised this apple around 1855 and in 1872 it was introduced to the market by Laxtons as 'one of the most handsome apples in cultivation.' The apples are very large fruit and are excellent for baking and crisp and juicy if eaten fresh.
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The Pebble Hook-tip (Drepana falcataria) is a moth of the family Drepanidae with a wing span of between 27 and 35 mm found in central and northern Europe flying in two generations from April to June and July to August.
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The Pebble Prominent (Eligmodonta ziczac) is a moth of the family Notodontidae with a wing span of between 40 and 45 mm found in Europe and Asia in damp deciduous forests, overgrown hillsides and in urban parks. Two generations are produced flying from April to August. In mountainous environments, a single generation is produced.
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The pecan (Carya olivoeformis) or Illinois nut hickory is an American tree, with large pinnate leaves and bearing light-brown nuts enclosed in wooden husks.
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The peccary is one of two species of the New World genus Tayassu of pig-like hoofed mammals. A peccary has a gland in the middle of the back which secretes a strong-smelling substance. Peccaries are blackish in colour, covered with bristles, and have tusks that point downward. Adults reach a height of 40 centimetres and a weight of 25 kg.
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Pecten is a genus of Lamellibranch molluscs known variously as the scallops and clams. All the scallops are remarkable for the beauty of their shells, which are generally brightly coloured, and have the surface ornamented with radiating ribs. The two valves of the shell are unequal, usually almost circular, and have the hinge line prolonged into two ears. The animals have a beautifully fringed mantle bearing numerous simple eyes. Some species, especially when young, have the ability to swim by rapidly opening and closing the shell.
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The pectoral fins are a pair of fins situated just behind the head in fishes that help to control the direction of movement during locomotion.
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Pediacus is a genus of comparatively large beetles (about 4 mm long) of the family Cucujidae.
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Pedicellina is an entoprocta.
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Pedicularis is a genus of hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Scrophulariaceae. They bear spikes or racemes of flowers, whose corollas have swollen tubes and bilabiate limbs. The species include the British red rattle (Pedicularis sylvatica) and lousewort (Pedicularis palustris).
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Pedinus is a genus of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae). Their eyes are divided into an upper and lower half.
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Pedipalp are each of the second pair of appendages attached to the cephalothorax of most arachnids. Pedipalp are variously specialized as pincers, such as in scorpions, sensory organs, as is the case with spiders, or locomotory organs, as is the case with horseshoe crabs.
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In botany, a peduncle is a stalk supporting a flower. If a peduncle is branched, its branches are known as pedicels.
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The pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) or common oak is a large deciduous tree of the family Fagaceae with a short trunk from which large branches arise to form a massive, round-topped crown. The brownish-grey bark is smooth at first, and later deeply fissured. The leaves are alternate, leathery, dark- green in colour, lobed and have auricles at the base.
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The pekingese is a breed of small long-haired dog first bred at the Chinese court as the 'imperial lion dog'. It has a flat skull and flat face, is typically less than 25 centimetres tall, and weighs less than 5 kg. The first specimens brought to the West were those taken during the Opium Wars when the Summer Palace in Beijing was looted in 1860. An affectionate breed they are also stubborn and pompous.
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Pel's fish owl (Scotopelia Peli) is a rare large African bird found in west Africa feeding on fish and small reptiles.
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Pelagic refers to animals that live in the open sea.
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Pelargonium is a genus of herbaceous and shrubby plants belonging to the family Geraniaceae, and mostly natives of South Africa. They bear irregular flowers, each with five imbricate sepals, and usually with five petals. The flowers are usually borne in few-flowered umbels, the peduncles being axillary.
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Pelecanidae is the Pelican family of birds of the order Natatores. They are characterized by a strong bill; the edges of the mandibles are minutely toothed; the wings are long; legs are short and have four toes all connected by a membrane.
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The pelican is any of a family (Pelecanidae) of large, heavy water birds remarkable for the pouch beneath the bill which is used as a fishing net and temporary store for catches of fish. Some species grow up to 1.8 meters and have wingspans of three meters.
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Pellaea is a genus of ferns known as cliff brake ferns, mostly natives of tropical countries. The sori are intramarginal, terminal on the veins, and the involucre is formed of the edge of the frond.
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Pellitory-of-the-wall or Lichwort (Parietaria officinalis) is a humble, inconspicuous plant of the family Urticaceae, belonging to the same group as the Stinging Nettle and the Hop. It is the only representative of its genus in Britain. The name of this genus, Parietaria, is derived from the Latin word panes (a wall), for it is very commonly found growing from crannies in dry walls, as its popular English name also tells us, and will frequently luxuriate in the midst of stony rubbish. It is a much-branched, bushy, herbaceous, perennial plant, one to two feet high, with reddish, brittle stems and narrow, stalked leaves one to two inches long. The stems and veins of the under surface of the leaves are furnished with short, soft hairs, the upper surface of the leaves is nearly smooth, with sunken veins. The small, green stalkless flowers grow in clusters in the axils of the leaves and are in bloom all the summer. The filaments of their stamens are curiously jointed and so elastic that if touched before the expansion of the flower,
they suddenly spring from their incurved position and scatter their pollen broadcast.
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Pelorosaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. Only partial remains have been discovered of Pelorosaurus, but from these it is believed there were about 20 species of the animal which was related to Brachiosaurus, and was about 24 meters long, with a long neck and tail and a bulky body supported by four thick legs. Between 1850 and 1900 various remains were found in the South of England and named Chondrosteosaurus, Dinodocus, Eucamerotus, Gigantosaurus, Hoplosaurus, Ischyrosaurus, Morinosaurus, Neosodon, Oplosaurus and Ornithopsis, but is probable they were all partial remains of Pelorosaurus.
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Peltodytes (formerly known as Cnemidotus) is a genus of crawling water beetles of the family Haliplidae.
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Pembroke cattle are a Welsh breed of cattle. They are black with glistening white horns tipped with black.
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The Peneia is a Greek breed of pony found in Eleia in the Peloponnese. The
Peneia stands 14 hands high, is placid and good natured, tough and hardy with good stamina and endurance.
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Penguins are any of the order Sphenisciformes of marine flightless birds, mostly black and white, found in the southern hemisphere. They range in size from 40 centimetres to 1.2 meters tall, and have thick feathers to protect them from the intense cold. They are awkward on land, but their wings have evolved into flippers, making them excellent swimmers. Penguins congregate to breed in 'rookeries', and often spend many months incubating their eggs while their mates are out at sea feeding.
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Penicillin (Penicillium) is a genus of ascomycetous fungi of the mildew group. Penicillium glaucum is a very common mould on bread and other articles of food. When grown in saccharine solutions it assumes a torula condition, giving rise to isolated cells, which, like those of yeast, excite alcoholic fermentation.
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Pennatula or sea-pen is a colony of polypes, belonging to the Alcyonaria, and related to such forms as the red coral and the organ pipe coral. The lower part of the colony corresponds to the quill of the feather, and is devoid of polypes, this portion being fixed in the sea-bottom, the top being somewhat dilated. The upper portion resembles the vane of a feather, the barbs being formed of polypes fused together. Each polype bears eight tentacles.
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Pennisetum is a genus of tropical and subtropical annual grasses.
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Pentaceratops was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Pentaceratops was a herbivore, about seven meters long, that walked on all fours and had five forward-facing spikes; one above each eye, one on the snout, and two on each cheek at the bottom of a bony neck frill, similar to triceratops but a little smaller and with a longer snout-spike and the spikes above each eye pointing more upwards than forwards.
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Pentacrinus is a genus of stalked crinoids, found as fossils from the Trias onwards, and containing numerous living species. The living species are most abundant in water of a few hundred fathoms in depth. The stem is covered with cirri which are arranged in whorls of five throughout the length.
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Pentodon is a genus of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.
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Pentstemon is a genus of mostly hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Scrophulariaceae. They are for the most part natives of North America and bear flowers of varied colours.
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Peony (Paeonia officinalis) is a poisonous perennial herb of the family Paeoniceae with tuberous fleshy roots and a stout, erect, branched, glabrous stem. The leaves are ternate or biternate and have ovate to lanceolate segments, dark-green above and a lighter colour below. The flowers are terminal, showy, and red or white in colour with eight petals and five petal- like sepals. The fruit is a capsule with shiny black seeds.
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Peperomia is a genus of herbaceous plants, mostly natives of the tropics, belonging to the family Piperaceae. They are usually fleshy plants, bearing small flowers, without sepals or petals, each with two stamens. They are for the most part small plants, with curiously marked foliage, and many are of trailing habit.
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Pepper or Piper is a genus of tropical shrubs belonging to the family Piperaceae.
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Pepper Root (Dentaria diphylla) is a North American cruciferous plant which bears racemes of small white flowers, and has a root with a pungent taste, not unlike that of mustard.
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The Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) is a polymorphic moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 35 and 60 mm found in the deciduous tree zone of Europe and Asia flying from May to July.
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Peppermint (Mentha Piperita) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Labiatae native to Britain, with a creeping root, a smooth, square, erect, reddish coloured stem, stalked, ovate, opposite dark-green or reddish coloured leaves, and lax spikes of small reddish-violet flowers. The whole plants yields a marked aromatic odour.
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Peramelemorphia is the bandicoot order of Metatheria.
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Peramelidae is a family of marsupials belonging to the order Peramelemorphia.
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The perch is any of the largest order of spiny-finned bony fishes, the Perciformes, with some 8,000 species. This order includes the sea basses, cichlids, damselfishes, mullets, barracudas, wrasses, and gobies. Perches of the freshwater genus Perca are found in Europe, Asia, and North America. They have varied shapes and are usually a greenish colour. They are very prolific, spawning when about three years old, and have voracious appetites.
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The Percheron is a breed of strong and swift heavy horse originally bred in the Le Perche district of north France. They stand between 15 and 17 hands high and are mostly black or grey in colour. They have been used as war horses, for draft work, for agricultural work and as riding horses.
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The Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a dignified bird of the sub-family Falconinoe. The upper plumage is dark bluish grey with darker bands. The head is coloured black as are the moustaches descending from the gape. The lower plumage is white, the breast transversely barred with brown. The beak is blue and darker at the point. The cere is yellow as are the feet with black claws. The length is around 40 centimetres, the female being larger than the male.
Traditionally Peregrine falcons live in the countryside, but at the start of the 21st century they started moving into British cities, including London, where there was an abundance of food - their staple diet being pigeons supplemented by other birds and occasional small mammals, and even the occasional barn owl.
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A perennial plant is one that lives for several years, as distinguished from annuals and biennials, whose life is only one or two years respectively.
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Perennial wall-rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) is an ascending, almost hairless perennial of the family Cruciferae with stems which are woody at the base. The lower leaves are pinnately divided and rather fleshy. The flowers have yellow petals. The fruits are slender siliquae carried erect on spreading stalks.
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In botany, the perianth is the outer floral envelope - calyx and corolla - which surrounds and to some extent protects the essential organs of generation in a flower. As a rule it consists of an outer layer of greenish parts called sepals, and an inner layer of brightly coloured parts called petals; but sometimes one or other of these layers is missing, and sometimes though they are both present, they are indistinguishable from each other. Many plants, especially trees, contain no trace of a perianth in their flowers, and these are usually wind propagated.
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The pericarp is the wall of the ripened ovary of a plant.
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A perigynous plant is one which has stamens situated around the pistil or ovary.
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Perileptus is a genus of small beetles of the ground beetle family, Carabidae. Perileptus areolatus is a species found in Britain and Europe living in the gravel on the banks of streams and rivers mostly in mountainous areas. It ranges from 2 to 3 mm long.
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Periophthalmus is a genus of bony fishes, allied to the gobies, whose members are sometimes called walking fish. The eyes can be protruded and retracted, and are furnished with eyelids. These fish haunt tidal estuaries, and use their muscular pectoral fins in skipping over the mud flats or in climbing about the roots of trees.
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Peripatus is a genus of arthropods which in external appearance resemble millipedes or caterpillars. The colouring is varied, but in life the skin has usually a velvety appearance. The head bears two long antennae, at the base of which the eyes are placed. The mouth is ventral, and contains two roofed jaws. At the sides of the mouth there are a pair of processes known as the oral papillae, from which slime oozes. The animals are equipped with between seventeen and forty-two walking legs, which are imperfectly jointed, and end in two small claws. There are numerous species found in South Africa, Australasia and the Malay Archipelago where they live among decaying wood and under stones feeding at night on insects and spiders caught in the slime they emit.
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Perissodactyla is an order of Eutheria. They are odd toed ungulates. Horses, tapirs and rhinoceroses. They eat vegetables and have a large caecum. The Stomach is simple.
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Peristeria is a genus of tropical orchids native to South America. They have fleshy pseudo-bulbs and racemes of showy flowers. The column appears dove- like, and has given rise to their popular name of dove flowers.
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Peritelus is a genus of polyphagous Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) that live on shrubs and herbaceous plants.
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Peritricha is an order of ciliata vera. They have a cone-shaped cell-body on a highly contractile stalk and a spiral of cilia leading to the cytostome.
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In zoology, the periwinkle is any marine snail of the family Littorinidae, found on the shores of Europe and eastern North America. Periwinkles have a conical spiral shell, and feed on algae.
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Pernettya is a genus of hardy, or nearly hardy, shrubs belonging to the family Ericaceae. They bear nodding flowers, either solitary or in racemes, the calyx being permanent and five-partite, and the corolla globose or urceolate. The fruit is a small berry.
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Peronospora is a genus of algal fungi, containing a number of species which are all parasitic as moulds on plants. The branched single-celled mycelium infests the tissues of higher plants, frequently causing death.
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Peroryctidae is a family of marsupials belonging to the order Peramelemorphia.
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Perotis is a genus of jewel beetle (Buprestidae), the larvae of which live in the roots of fruit trees.
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The Persian Arab is an ancient breed of Iranian (Persian) horse known to have existed at around 2000 BC. The Persian Arab is a spirited, quick and agile breed with enormous stamina and spirit, not suitable for inexperienced riders. The
Persian Arab stands between 14.2 and 15.2 hands high, is grey, bay or chestnut in colour and holds its tail high and proud.
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The Persian cat is a breed of longhair cat, developed from Asian cats of nearly 4000 years ago that may or may not have originated in Persia. The large, round head supports small, rounded ears that sometimes appear almost lost in the thick fur; these forward-tilting ears are set wide apart and low on the head. The eyes, large, round, and widely spaced, are most often a brilliant colour, but in certain varieties may be hazel, green, or blue. The body is cobby - short, thickset, and muscular rather than flabby - and carried on short, sturdy legs that end in large, round paws. The tail is short. The dense, flowing coat, which forms a large ruff at the neck and frills between the front legs, may be of six different solid colours and a wide variety of patterns. Playful in a more subdued manner than many cats, the Persian has long been the most popular pet of the cat world.
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The Peruvian Stepping Horse or the Peruvian Paso, is a Peruvian breed of showy horse developed during the 16th century from Andalusian and Barb horses. They are a spirited, but quiet and good natured horse with great stamina and endurance, able to adapt to different climates with ease. The
Peruvian Stepping Horse stands between 14 and 15.2 hands high and is mostly chestnut or bay in colour, but can be any colour, with a showy mane and tail.
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Petasites is a genus of hardy herbaceous plants, generally with woolly leaves and stems, belonging to the family Compositae. They bear usually white or purple flower-heads.
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The Petrel is any of various families of seabirds, including the worldwide Storm Petrels (family Procellariidae), which include the smallest seabirds, and the Diving Petrels (family Pelecanoididae) of the southern hemisphere, which feed by diving underwater and are characterized by having nostril tubes. They include the Fulmars and Shearwaters.
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Peziza is a genus of ascomycetous fungi popularly called cup fungi from the shape of the fructification. Many of the species are brightly coloured.
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Phaedon is a genus of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) represented by four British species, all small metallic beetles with regular rows of punctures on their elytra.
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Phaenops is a genus of jewel beetle (Buprestidae).
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The Phaethontidae is a family of the Pelecaniformes. These are the tropic birds. They are the smallest member of the order. There are three species. They are about 60 centimetres long. They have two long central tail feathers.
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Phalacridae is a family of beetles of the order Coleoptera. The members of the family are small, have a shiny, convex body and are mostly found in flowers.
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Phalacrus is a genus of beetle of the family Phalacridae.
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Phalanger is a common name applied to marsupial mammals of the genus Trichosurus, family
Phalangeridae, found in Australia, Tasmania, the Solomon Islands, the Moluccas, and Celebes. Members of the family have been introduced into New Zealand. The head and body length ranges from 16 to 65 cm, the tail length from 17 to 61 centimetres. All the members of the family have five toes on each foot; each digit, except for the opposable innermost toe of the hind foot, has a large claw.
Phalangers are nocturnal, arboreal animals that feed chiefly on fruit and leaves. Some species also feed on nectar, insects, and, occasionally, small birds. The typical phalangers, or cuscuses, belong to the genus Phalanger. These animals have dense, woolly fur and long, prehensile tails. Most of them are large animals, about 60 centimetres long, not counting the tail.
They nest in hollow trees. The best-known species is the spotted cuscus, Phalanger maculatus, which is chiefly creamy white in colour, with spots of chestnut and black on the back, and with grey or reddish-brown legs.
The vulpine phalangers, also called brush-tailed possums, of the genus Trichosurus are characterized by fox like faces. Trichosurus vulpecula is grey above and yellowish below.
The ring-tailed phalangers, or ring-tailed possums, of the genus Pseudocheirus have curled tails that taper to a point. Unlike other phalangers, these animals, which are sometimes placed in a different family, do not nest in hollow trees but build shelters of twigs in the branches of trees or shrubs.
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Phalaris is a genus of grasses, mostly natives of southern Europe, bearing their inflorescences in spike-like panicles.
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