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The rabbit is a long eared burrowing mammal of the family Leporidae. The
rabbit was introduced to England by the Normans, the term rabbit being originally applied to the suckling young, the adults being called conies. The hindlegs are longer than the forelegs, and instead of pads on the soles protecting the feet, all Leporidae have a thick coating of hair which gives a firm grip either on hard rock or slippery snow. The tail is very short and turned up. The fur is of a triple formation; there is a dense, soft, woolly under fur, through which project the longer and stronger hairs which give the coat its colour, and a still longer but much less numerous set, scattered among the others.
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A rabbitry is a place where rabbits are kept. The term is especially applied to a collection of hutches used for housing tame rabbits.
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The raccoon (also spelled racoon) (Procyon) is a genus of American plantigrade carnivorous mammals. The common raccoon (Procyon lotor) has greyish-brown fur with two well-marked black patches on the face. The fur is long, thick and soft, and is used for making hats.
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In botany, a raceme is an inflorescence with an elongated axis in which the flowers are borne on pedicels of equal length.
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Racket-tail is a popular name for several species of humming birds of the genus Steganura, having two of the tail feathers very long and racket-shaped.
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Radiata is an extensive artificial group of invertebrates. The members are distinguished by having all the parts arranged radially round the vertical axis of the body, and the various organs repeated symmetrically in each ray or spheromere.
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The radio-flagellata are a group of Protozoa having both flagella and pseudopodia.
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The Radiolaria are an order of Rhizopoda. They are radially symmetrical and live in the surface layers of seas. They have stiff, radiating pseudopodia and a skeleton.
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Radish (Raphanus satvius) is an annual or biennial plant of the family Cruciferae with a round to spindle-shaped tuberous root, irregularly lobed, toothed leaves, and cross-shaped white to purplish flowers arranged in a longish terminal raceme. It has been used as a vegetable since ancient Egyptian times, being cultivated by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.
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The radish fly (Anthomyia raphani) is a small two-winged fly, resembling the onion fly, whose larvae burrow in radishes.
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Rafflesia is a genus of Malayan parasitic plants without stems or leaves, consisting of large, often enormous flowers, and a few surrounding bracts.
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Rafter is the collective noun for a group of turkeys.
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Rag is the collective noun for a group of colts.
Rag is the collective noun for a group of deer at rutting time.
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Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) is a British marsh plant with much divided, ragged, rose-coloured petals.
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The ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is a perennial or biennial plant of the family Compositae native to Europe and western Asia found on waste ground.
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A rail is any wading bird of the family Rallidae, including the rails proper (genus Rallus), coots, moorhens, and gallinules. Rails have dark plumage, a short neck and wings, and long legs. They are 10 to 45 centimetres long.
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Rainbird is a name given to several birds, especially the black-billed cuckoo and the yellow-billed cuckoo. They get their name from the belief that they call frequently before a rain storm.
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The Rainbow Leaf Beetle (Chrysolina cerealis) is a species of leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) with sixteen British species which feed on wild thyme and mints.
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Rallidae is the Rail family of birds of the order Grallae. They are characterized by a body compressed vertically; a short, stout bill; rather stout legs; four toes, the front three elongated.
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The Rambouillet is a breed of sheep developed from the Merino and named after the town of
Rambouillet in north France where the breed originated around 1905.
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Rambutan is a Malayan tree of the family Sapindaceae bearing a bright-red oval fruit covered with soft spines and having a subacid taste.
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Ramphotyphlops is a genus of blind snake of the family Typhlopidae.
Ramphotyphlops nigrescens is an insect and small invertebrate eating, oviparous snake, reaching about 40 centimetres in length.
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Rampion (Campanula Rapuneulus) is a genus of plants of the family Campanulaceae, indigenous to Britain and continental Europe. Its root may be eaten raw like radish and the leaves may be cut into a winter salad.
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Rangpur is a variety of mandarin orange bearing a tart fruit.
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The Rannoch Looper (Semiothisa brunneata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 20 and 27 mm found in central and northern Europe, and in the mountains of Asia to Japan. The moths fly during June and August.
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The Rannoch Sprawler (Brachionycha nubeculosa) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 45 and 48 mm found in Central and Northern Europe flying from March to April.
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Ranunculaceae is a family of exogenous polypetalous plants, in almost all cases herbaceous, inhabiting the colder parts of the world, and unknown in hot countries except at considerable elevations. They have radical or alternate leaves (opposite in Clematis), regular or irregular, often large and handsome flowers, and fruits consisting of one-seeded achenes or many seeded follicles.
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Ranunculus is a genus of herbaceous plants of the family Ranunculaceae. They have entire, lobed or compounded leaves, and usually panicled white or yellow flowers. The species are numerous, and almost exclusively inhabit the northern hemisphere. The British species include the buttercup and spearwort.
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Rape are two plant species of the mustard family cultivated for the edible oil.
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Raptorial describes an animal or bird that preys upon other animals or birds having claws or a beak designed for seizing prey. Typical raptorial birds are the eagles and owls.
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The rasores are an order of birds. It includes the sub-orders of fowls, turkeys, partridges and grouse. They are characterised by their toes which end in strong claws used for scratching. Hence they are called the scratchers.
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Rasorial describes birds that scratch the ground for food, such as chickens.
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The raspberry (Rubus idaeus and others) is a prickly deciduous shrub of the family Rosaceae, native to Britain and other European countries. It is a perennial plant with erect, woody stems which are produced as suckers from the roots, and are armed with numerous weak prickles and densely covered with a white bloom. The leaves are pinnate and have five to seven leaflets, and are white and hairy beneath. The raspberry bears a fruit which is red or orange when ripe and is widely eaten.
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The raspberry beetle (Byturus tomentosus) is a beetle of the family Byturidae, so called on account of its larvae developing in the fruit of the raspberry and blackberry.
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The Raspberry Moth (Lampronia rubiella) is a moth of the family Incurvariidae with a wing span of between 11 and 14 mm found throughout Europe flying from June to July at night. The adult lay her eggs in raspberry plants, and the emerging caterpillars damage the receptacles of ripening fruit before hibernating and then working their way into the buds and young shoots.
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The rat is a rodent of the genus Rattus or Mus. There are a number of varieties, including the brown rat and the native British black rat that by the 1930's had become all but extinct, pushed out by the brown rat that arrived in Britain from Russia during the 18th century.
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The rat-snake is a snake domesticated in Sri Lanka for killing rats. It is an easily tamed snake.
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The rata (Metrosideros robusta) is a New Zealand tree with myrtle-like leaves and bright-red flowers. Its timber is used in ship building.
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The ratel or honey-badger is a carnivorous quadruped of the genus Mellivora, and of the badger family. It is found in south and east Africa and India. The South African or Cape ratel (Mellivora ratel) averages about one meter in length including an eight or nine inch tail.
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The ratitae are an order of neornithes. They are large running birds, unable to fly.
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The ratite is a flightless bird with a breastbone without the keel to which flight muscles are attached. Examples are the ostrich, rhea, emu, cassowary, and kiwi.
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The rattlesnake is a name of various American venomous snakes of the genus Crotalus, of the pit-vipers family Crotalidae. They are distinguished by having a tail which terminates in a number of horny pieces which the animal vibrates to make a rattling sound.
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The raven is a large bird of the crow family, genus Corvus. It feeds on carrion. It is completely black in colour, and can learn to imitate human speech.
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The ray is a name of many elasmobranchiate fishes, including the skate. They are recognised by a flattened body and by the extremely broad and fleshy pectoral fins which appear as continuations of the body.
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The razor-back is a large whale.
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The razor-shell or razor-fish (Solen) is a genus of lamellibranchiate mollusc common on British coasts. The shell is very long and is almost straight, and wide open at both ends. The blunt foot is used for burrowing.
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The razor-strop fungus (Polyporus betulinus) is a species of fungi found on birch trees. It has a hoof-shaped pileus which was formerly dried and made into razor-strops, whence it gets its name.
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The razorbill (Alca torda) is a North Atlantic sea bird of the auk family, Alcidae, which breeds on cliffs and migrates south in winter. It has a curved beak and is black above and white below. It uses its wings as paddles when diving. Razorbills are common off Newfoundland.
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The red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a butterfly of the brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae) family, native to North Africa and southern Europe and also North America, but which migrates across much of Europe.
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The red bellied turtle is a fresh water turtle of the genus Pseudemys found in east and south USA having red markings on the underside of the shell.
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The red bird or scarlet tanager (Pyranga rubra) is an American bird of the tanagers family. The male is bright scarlet with black wings and tail.
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Red Cedar (Juniperus virginica) is a handsome American species of Juniper tree. It has an erect trunk and red heart-wood.
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Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) is a perennial herb of the family Leguminosae native to Britain and Europe, with a branched rhizome and erect or ascending angled and branched stems. The leaves are alternate, trifoliate with ovate and entire leaflets patterned with a white crescentic band on the upper surface. The flowers are reddish-purple, or rarely white, and are arranged in dense, terminal, globose, sessile flowerheads.
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The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is Britain's largest native land mammal. The male is larger than the female, standing 120 centimetres at the shoulder, and has well developed, branching antlers which are shed each February, a new set growing in the spring, and becoming larger each season. In summer the coat appears reddish brown, but in the winter changes to grey-brown. Red deer live in single sex herds for much of the year, spending much of the day wrestling and wallowing in mud. Mating takes place during the autumn, and the annual rut is accompanied by roaring, bellowing sounds from the males.
Red deer are now restricted in the British Isles to wild terrain in southern Scotland and the Highlands, the Lake District, south-west England and Ireland.
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Red Delicious is a popular American eating apple with a mild sweet flavour, a deep ruby coloured skin and a heart shape. It is not good for cooking.
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The Red Grouse (Lagopus scoticus) is a bird of the Tetraonidae family. It has chestnut brown plumage, marked on the back with black spots and beneath with black lines; a fringe of small white feathers around the eyes, and a white spot at the base of the lower mandible; a crimson fringed band above the eyes; some of the feathers of the abdomen are tipped with white. The tail has sixteen feathers, the four middle feathers being a chestnut colour with black bars, the rest a dusky colour. They grow to about 40 centimetres long.
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Red Gurnard (Trigla cuculus) is a British coastal fish of the Gurnard genus.
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The Red Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum syspila) is a species of Milk snake found in wooded hillsides of Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma and the Dakotas in North America. It is distinguished by a black band on the posterior portion of the parietals and broken spots that occur ventrolaterally.
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The Red Panda, also known as the Lesser Panda or the Common Panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a tree-dwelling nocturnal - spending the day sleeping in tree branches - mammal of the Racoon family and closely related to the familiar Giant Panda, though it looks very different. The Red Panda is about 50cm long and is coloured black and chestnut, with white ears and a long bushy tail. The Red Panda is found in the mountainous forest regions of western China, northern Burma, and Nepal where it lives at higher altitudes where the temperature is cooler, and feeds mainly on bamboo shoots, grasses, roots, fruit and acorns supplemented by occasional eggs, insects, young birds and small rodents. Little is known of the habits of Red Pandas in the wild, though observation in captivity suggests they are gentle and perhaps live in family groups.
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The red poll is a medium sized, red coloured breed of domestic beef and dairy cattle.
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The Red Poplar Leaf Beetle (Chrysomela populi) is a species of leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) which releases a defensive scent like carbolic acid when threatened.
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The Red Ruby Devon is a breed of cattle.
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Red sage (yellow sage) is a showy, rank-smelling shrub of tropical America with yellow flowers that turn orange or red.
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Red Spur is a dwarf variety of apple tree bearing a firm, red fruit.
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The Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is a small, active mammal of the family Sciuridae, order Rodentia, characterized by a long bushy tail, large dark eyes, short snout with long whiskers, chestnut coloured fur and distinctive ear tufts. Essentially a forest dweller, Red Squirrels are to be found in forests of Scots pine, Norway spruce and Siberian pine trees, but also deciduous woodlands. For most of the year red squirrels are solitary, spending most of their life in the treetops, but foraging on the ground for food which is carried up into the trees. The Red Squirrel was once common in the British Isles, but is now restricted to Wales, the Isle of Wight, Brownsea Island and Scotland.
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The Red Sword-grass (Xylena vetusta) is a moth of the family Noctuidae, with a wing span of between 50 and 57 mm found in Europe, Asia and North America flying from April to June.
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The Red Underwing (Catocala nupta) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 65 and 75 mm widely distributed in non-polar Europe and Asia. It lives in damp deciduous forests and flies from July to October.
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The Red Underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae found in north Africa, across southern to central Europe and east into central Asia in dry, warm locations. two generations are produced the first from May to June and the second from July to August.
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The Red Wattle or Red Waddle is a breed of domestic pig which originated in New Caledonia, and were exported to New Orleans in the late 1700's by the French. The Red Wattle is one of the so called tasselled pig and looks something like a Duroc or perhaps a Tamworth/ Duroc cross, but with a pair of wattles (influenced by a single gene) hanging from the neck.
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The Red-and-White Friesian is a breed of cattle.
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The Red-belted Clearwing (Synanthedon myopaeformis) is a moth of the clearwing family (Sesiidae) with a wing span of between 16 and 20 mm found in Northern Africa, Europe and Asia Minor flying from May to August. The caterpillar lives under the bark of the apple tree, and to a lesser extent other fruit trees.
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Red-berried Elder (Sambucus racemosa) is a deciduous shrub of the family Caprifoliaceae, native to southern and central Europe. It has a brown bark and erect. much-branched stems. The leaves are stalked, opposite, odd pinnate with five or seven oval to lanceolate serrate leaflets, and pale green on both sides. The flowers are yellowish-green in colour and arranged in dense, ovoid, terminal panicles distinguishing the plant from the Elder (Sambucus nigra). The fruits are red, globose, drupes borne in drooping clusters.
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The red-necked Grebe (Podiceps griseigena) is a bird of the Grebes family, Podicipedidae, order Podicipediformes. They are usually salt-water birds, living at sea but sometimes on inland waters where they hunt fish, crustaceans, shellfish and freshwater insects. In its winter plumage the red- necked Grebe resembles the great crested grebe, but has a characteristic black-tipped yellow bill.
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The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a large, broad-winged (buteo) American hawk of the order Falconiformes, family Accipitridae, with a rusty tail. The typical adult has a dark brown back, light front and brown chest band. The young have a streaked front, light brown tail. It commonly soars on updrafts and dives for its prey, mainly small mammals, snakes and other vertebrates.
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The Red-throated Diver or Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) is a migratory sea bird found in Iceland, northern Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, Greenland, Murmansk and arctic North America, migrating as far south as the Mediterranean. It grows to a length of about 60 centimetres. The nest is built on the edge of a small but deep pool, coastal lagoon or lake and is made of sphagnum or other mosses and plant stems. Paired birds return to the same location each year to build a new nest, with two eggs being laid in May or June which both partners take turns to incubate for between 28 and 36 days. If a clutch of eggs is lost, the female will lay again. The Red-throated Diver feeds mainly on fish and also amphibians, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic insects and worms.
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The Redcap is a breed of chicken.
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Redcort is an American variety of apple that has many similarities to McIntosh, which is in its genes. McIntosh was crossed with Ben Davis in the early 1900s at the Geneva, New York, research station to produce a variety released in 1915 as Cortland. More recently a limb mutation of Cortland was discovered that offered redder and earlier colour than the parent varieties.
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The redshank (Tringa totanus) is a bird of the genus Totanus, so named because of the red colouring of its legs. It is found in Britain.
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The redstart (Phoenicura Ruticilla) is a bird of the Sylviadae family. It has a white forehead, black throat, bluish grey back and brown body with a red tail. It is found in Britain during the summer, feeding on worms and insects on garden lawns arriving at the end of April. It nests in holes in walls and hollow trees or garden pots!
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The redwing is a bird and a species of thrush. It is found in Britain during the winter, and in Europe and Asia during the summer.
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The reebok is a species of South African antelope. It has smooth, long, straight and slender horns. It stands about 75 centimetres at the shoulder and is a very fast runner.
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Reeds are perennial aquatic grasses.
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The Reed Leopard (Phragmataecia castaneae) is a moth of the family Cossidae with a wing span of between 27 and 50 mm found in warmer parts of Europe and Asia flying from May to September at night.
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Reeve is the name of the female ruff bird.
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A regma is a dry fruit characteristic of the geranium family. It is similar to the carcerulus but breaks up into one-seeded parts, each of which splits open to release a seed.
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Reichenbachia is a genus of gregarious beetles of the family Pselaphidae.
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Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are a species of deer found in north Europe and north Asia. It has branched, recurved, round antlers. The legs are quite short in proportion to the body. The Laplanders often use reindeer as a substitute for horses, sheep and cattle, using them for pulling sledges, food, and clothing.
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Reindeer moss is a lichen of the genus Cladonia of arctic and sub-arctic regions eaten by reindeer and caribou.
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Remijia is a genus of slender-growing Brazilian shrubs belonging to the family Cinchonaceae. They bear axillary racemes of woolly flowers.
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The Remora is a genus of fish included in the Goby family. They have on top of their head a peculiar sucking-disc which they use to attach themselves to the bottom of other fish or ships.
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In botany, the term repand refers to something, usually a leaf, having a wavy margin.
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Reproduction is the unique property possessed by all living organisms to produce new individuals resembling the original organism in all essential respects.
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Reptilia is a class of cold-blooded, lung breathing vertebrates which includes snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles and tortoises.
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Reseda is a genus of plants belonging to the family Resedaceae. They have many sepals, unequal petals, numerous stamens, three sessile stigmas, and a one-celled ovary opening at the summit.
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Respiration is the process of breathing. It is the liberation of energy from materials within the body of the organism.
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Rest-harrow or cammock (Ononis spinosa) is a common British deciduous, leguminous sub shrub akin to the brooms. It is plentiful in stiff clay land in some parts, and derives its name from its long and strong matted roots arresting the progress of the harrow. The stems are annual, erect or ascending, branched, spiny and often woody or shrubby, and hairy. The leaves are generally simple, entire and trifoliate towards the base and the flowers are mostly solitary, large and handsome of a brilliant rose colour.
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Restiaceae is a family of plants allied to the Cyperaceae or sedges, and confined to the southern hemisphere, being found chiefly in South Africa and Australia. They are herbs or under shrubs, with matted roots which bind shifting soil, hard wiry stems, simple narrow leaves, the sheaths of which are usually split, and inconspicuous brown rush-like panicles of flowers.
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The retrievers are several breeds of dog with a coarse, thick, oily coat bred originally to retrieve game. The true retrievers are a cross between the Labrador Retriever and either the English Setter or the Spaniel.
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In botany, retuse describes something, usually a leaf, having an obtuse or rounded apex with a shallow notch.
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In biology, revolute describes something, such as a leaf, rolled backwards or downwards at the tip or margin in the manner of a scroll.
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The Rhabdocoelida are an order of Turbellaria with a simple sac-like intestine or no intestine.
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Rhagium is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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Rhagonycha is a genus of soldier beetle (Cantharidae) represented by seven British species, with
Rhagonycha fulva being the most common soldier beetle and also known as the ' blood-sucker'.
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Rhamnaceae is a family of trees and shrubs represented by the genera Rhamnus and Zizyphus.
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Rhamnus is a genus of trees and shrubs belonging to the family Rhamnaceae. They bear cymes or racemes of flowers, followed by berry-like drupes.
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Rhamnusium is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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Rhamphorhynchus was a dinosaur of the family Rhamphorhynchidae, of the mid to late Jurassic period. Rhamphorhynchus was a pterosaur which hade evolved from earlier, similar dinosaurs over 70 million years. Rhamphorhynchus was a long-tailed flying dinosaur, various species have been identified with wing spans of between 40 cm and 175 cm, their remains having been found in Europe and East Africa. The skull of Rhamphorhynchus was large, elongated and with a pointed front end. The neck was short and compact, comprised of short vertebrae. The jaws were furnished with long, pointed teeth that curved forwards and outwards indicating they were used to catch moving prey. The arms were highly modified as wings, and an adaptation in the wrist supported a membrane which ran across to the neck and may have prevented the animal from stalling in low speed flight.
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Rhantus is a genus of predacious diving beetles of the family Dytiscidae represented by six species in Britain, all rather flat-bodied with distinctive colouring and measuring between nine and twelve millimetres in length.
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The rhea is a South American bird resembling a small ostrich. It is about 120 centimetres tall. It is incapable of flight, but has strong legs and can run very fast.
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Rhesus Monkey is a name for two species of monkeys, the brush, or pig-tailed monkey (Macacus nemestrinus) which inhabits the Malay Peninsular, and the islands of the Indian Archipelago, and is often domesticated; and the Macacus Rhesus (Bengal monkey), a species of monkey held sacred in India, where they swarm in large numbers about the temples.
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Rhinanthus is a genus of plants belonging to the family Schrophulariaceae. They bear flowers with an inflated four-toothed calyx, a gaping corolla, with the lower lip three-lobed, and a flattened capsule.
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The Rhineland Heavy Draft is a German breed of heavy-horse developed during the later part of the 19th century. The breed stands 16 to 17 hands high, and is chestnut, chestnut roam, red roam or bay in colour. They have comparatively short legs, with a little feathering, and a short but strong neck and a well-shaped head with a powerful jaw.
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Rhinobatidae is the shark-ray or beaked ray family of fishes.
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A Rhinoceros is an odd-toed hoofed mammal of the family Rhinocerotidae. The one-horned Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is up to two meters high at the shoulder, with a tubercled skin, folded into shield like pieces; the African rhinoceroses are smooth-skinned and two-horned. The African black
rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) is 1.5 meters high, with a prehensile upper lip for feeding on shrubs; the broad-lipped or 'white' rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is actually slate-grey in colour, with a squarish mouth for browsing grass. They are solitary and vegetarian, with poor eyesight but excellent hearing and smell.
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Rhinocyllus is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae).
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Rhinolophidae (the leaf-nosed bats) is a family of insectivorous bats, including the greater and lesser horseshoe bats of Great Britain. They are characterised by the presence of a nose-leaf and the absence of a tragus.
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Rhinomacer is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) found on pine trees.
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Rhinoncus is a genus of tiny Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) found in damp localities on knotgrass.
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Rhinosimus is a genus of beetle of the family Pythidae, notable for the long rostrum on the head of the adult.
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Rhinotyphlops is a genus of blind snake of the family Typhlopidae.
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Rhipiphoridae is a family of rare beetles of the order Coleoptera. The larvae live parasitically with various insects.
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Rhizobius is a genus of ladybird (Coccinellidae).
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The rhizocrinus is a type of crinoidea.
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The rhizomastigina are an order of Rhizopoda. They are small amoeboid forms with a flagellum. They live in fresh water.
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In botany, a rhizome is a sort of stem running along the surface of the ground, or partially subterranean, sending forth shoots at its upper end and decaying at the other.
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Rhizopertha is a genus of small False Powder-post Beetles (Bostrychidae) found in tropical countries and warm houses in Europe.
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Rhizophagidae is a family of beetles of the order Coleoptera.
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Rhizophagus is a genus of beetle of the family Rhizophagidae, with twelve species occurring in Britain where they live under bark and feed on bark beetles.
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Rhizopoda is a class of Phylum Protozoa which are usually free-living and move and ingest food by means of pseudopodia.
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Rhizotrogus is a genus of dung beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.
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The Rhode Island Red is a breed of chicken.
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The Rhodesian ridgeback is a breed of South African dog. It is a medium- sized, muscular dog with a short, glossy red or tan coat with a characteristic ridge of hair along the spine consisting of parallel crowns of hair growing in the opposite direction of the rest of the coat. They were originally bred for hunting lions, but are now primarily used as guard dogs.
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Rhododendron is a genus of ornamental evergreen shrubs of the family Ericaceae. The flowers are generally borne in racemose corymbs, the individual flowers being generally large and more or less campanulate in form.
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Rhoetosaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. Discovered remains of
Rhoetosaurus comprise a tail and hips found in 1924 and 1926 in Australia. From these parts it is thought that Rhoetosaurus was a large, long-necked and tailed dinosaur with a large bulky body supported on four thick legs, and about twelve meters long.
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Rhopalodontus is a genus of tiny beetles of the family Cisidae. They are remarkable for their tibias rounded, widened tips with comb-like teeth.
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Rhopalopus is a genus of rare longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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Rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum), properly garden rhubarb, is a perennial plant cultivated for its leaf-stalks, which are used in the making of tarts, jam and wine.
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Rhus (popularly known as Sumac) is a genus of trees and shrubs belonging to the family Anacardiaceae native to temperate regions. They have alternate leaves, which may be undivided, divided into three leaflets, or intricately divided by numerous leaflets being again deeply cut. The flowers are small and usually form dense clusters. They are mostly poisonous plants, and in some individuals the action is so emphatic that even touching plants of certain species causes the whole body to swell, and great pain to be experienced.
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Rhynchaenus is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) represented by fourteen British species that live on shrubs and trees where they eat the leaves. The larvae mine the leaves and build a chamber in which they pupate.
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Rhynchites is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae).
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Rhynchonella is a genus of brachiopods with a few living and many fossil species.
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Rhyncolus is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) found on damaged parts of deciduous trees and conifers where they bore into the outer part of the wood, but not the bark.
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Rhyssemus is a genus of small dung beetle of the family Scarabaeidae, they are similar in appearance to the genus Psammodius, but have a more elongate body.
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The Rhytina are a genus of mammals, closely allied to the manatee and dugong. The Rhytina were discovered in 1741 on an island in the Berring Straits.
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The Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 23 and 30 mm found in non-polar Europe and Asia Minor mostly in deciduous forests. Two generations are produced.
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Ribston Pippin is an English species of apple raised from a pip planted about 1707 at Ribston Hall in Yorkshire and very popular in the 19th century. The tree bears very aromatic, rich fruit, with firm, juicy flesh, similar to a Cox.
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Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is a perennial herb of the family Plantaginaceae, native to Britain and Europe, with lanceolate, parallel- veined leaves arranged in a basal rosette and long, erect, five-angled, furrowed, leafless flowering stems. The flowers are inconspicuous, brownish and arranged in a dense cylindrical spike.
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Rice (Oryza sativa) is a cereal plant of the family Graminaceae or Grasses. It is an important food plant. The culm of the rice is from 30 centimetres to two meters high, annual, erect, simple, round and jointed; the leaves are large, firm and pointed, arising from very long, cylindrical, and finely striated sheaths; the flowers are disposed in a panicle somewhat resembling that of the oat; the seeds are white and rectangular, but vary in size and form in the numerous varieties. Cultivation requires a hot summer with plenty of water.
The production of rice in America was begun in 1695 in South Carolina, when the captain of a brigantine from Madagascar, which touched at Sullivan's Island, presented one of the colonists with a small bag of the vegetable. Cultivation spread rapidly through the South and quickly became one of the main sources of income.
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Rice blast is a disease of rice caused by the fungus Pyricularia oryae. It is characterised by the presence of elliptical spots with reddish-brown margins on the leaves, brownish lesions and neck rot of the fruiting panicles and general stunting of the affected plant.
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The Rice Weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) is a species of Snout Beetle (Curculionidae) related to the Granary Weevil, but distinguished by its fully developed wings (the Granary Weevil has rudimentary wings). Despite its name the Rice Weevil attacks any sort of grain, not just rice.
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Richardia is a genus of South African marsh plants belonging to the family Aroidaceae. They bear handsome, arrow-shaped leaves, and flowers with large white or yellowish spathes.
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Richesse is the collective noun for a group of martens.
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Ricinus is a genus of plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. They bear monoecious flowers in compound inflorescences, the male flowers being placed below and the female above. Castor oil, used in medicine and industry is expressed from the seeds of the castor oil plant (Ricinus) communis, a native of Africa where it grows to the size of a tree.
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The rifle-bird (Ptiloris paradisea) is a bird of the family Paradisaeidae, order Passeriformes. It occurs in Australia and New Guinea, and is purplish- black in colour with patches of green bronze. The nest is usually made in a tangle of creepers.
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Rinderpest (also called cattle plague) is an infectious disease affecting cattle, sheep, goats, camels, deer and similar animals. It was endemic in central and south Asia during the 1920s and occurred in Western Europe only rarely through the importation of infected cattle, a notable instance occurring in 1872 as a result of the importation of infected cattle from Germany.
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The Ringed Carpet (Cleora cinctaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 28 and 35 mm found in temperate and northern parts of the Palaearctic flying in early spring.
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The Ringed China-mark (Paraponyx stratiotata) is a moth of the family Pyralidae with a wing span of between 20 and 23 mm found in Europe near stagnant and slow-flowing water. A single generation flies from June to August at night. The caterpillar is equipped with tracheal gills and lives in water.
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The ringed or common seal (Phoca hispida) is the smallest of the pinnipeds. It is distinguished from the Harbour Seal by its smaller size, and prominent grey-white rings on a generally dark grey back in adults. The belly is usually silver coloured and lacking dark markings (though these may be present on pups); brown whiskers, weaker dentition. The inner surface of the mandible concave between the middle post-canine teeth. A short cat-like face. The ringed seal moults on sea ice in late March-July, peaking in June, immature animals moulting earlier than breeding adults. Ringed seals live on ice, on or near the coast, in fiords, lakes and inland seas around the Arctic and Baltic and also far off-shore in the Arctic on polar pack-ice.
Ringed seals feed on small fish, especially Arctic cod and crustaceans and have an average life span of 15 to 20 years.
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The Ringed-snake is a harmless colubrine snake found in England.
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The Ringlet Butterfly (Aphantopus hyperantus) is a butterfly of the family Satyridae found in meadows and open forests between June and August.
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The ringneck snake is a small, non-venomous North American snake of the genus Diadophis usually having a conspicuous yellow or orange ring around the neck.
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Riodinidae is the metalmarks family of butterflies.
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Riojasaurus was a herbivore dinosaur of the Triassic period. Riojasaurus was about ten meters long, had a small head and long neck and tail and a massive body supported by four stout legs. The toes were armed with claws. Remains of Riojasaurus were found in Argentina.
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The roach (Leuciscus rutilus) is a common freshwater fish of north Europe, related to the dace. The body is silvery in colour, the lower fins of the adult being tinged with red.
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The roadrunner is a north American bird of the cuckoo family.
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The Robber fly is a swift flying large dipterous insect of the family Asilidae which eats other insects.
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The robber frog is a small tropical American frog of the genus Eleutherodactylus.
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The robin or redbreast is one of two songbirds of the thrush family. The North American thrush, the robin Turdus Migratorius is 25 centimetres long, grey brown with brick-red under parts. The Eurasian and African thrush (Erithacus Rubecula) is 13 centimetres long, olive brown above with a red breast and white abdomen. The Eurasian Robin is renowned for its liking for human company.
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Robinia is a genus of trees of the family Leguminosae. The genus is named after Jean and Vespasien Robin who were royal gardeners in Paris in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. They have pink or white flowers borne in pendulous racemes and pinnate leaves. The chief species is the American locust tree which yields a valuable hard wood. The false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) is often planted in Europe.
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Rocambole (Allium scorodoprasum) is a perennial plant of the family Liliaceae which was formerly cultivated for its bulbs, which, while similar to garlic, are milder in flavour.
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The Rocky Mountain goat is a long-haired, white, antelope-like goat with short black horns found in mountainous regions of west North America.
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The Rocky Mountain Horse is a new breed of American horse developed during the 20th century in Kentucky as a riding horse for all levels of rider. The
Rocky Mountain Horse has a very calm and kind temperament a smooth lateral gait. They stand between 14.2 and 16 hands high and occur in any solid colour.
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The rodent is any mammal of the family Rodentia. They have a single pair of incisor teeth in both the upper and lower jaws that continue to grow as they become worn.
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Rodentia (the gnawing mammals) is the rodent order of Eutheria. The incisors are chisel-like and used for gnawing. Canines are absent.
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The roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a small, agile deer. They have a sandy to red-brown coat with a white to buff rump patch which is more pronounced in the female than the male, a black nose and a black moustache-like marking, and white chin. The male has three-pointed antlers. Roe deer are found in woodlands, usually with open ground within, and access to the edges of fields. Occasionally they may be found on moorland with deep heather.
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A roller is any brightly coloured bird of the Old World family Coraciidae, resembling crows but in the same order as kingfishers and hornbills. Rollers grow up to 32cm long. The name is derived from the habit of some species of rolling over in flight.
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The Romagnola is a breed of cattle.
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The Roman is a breed of goose.
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The Roman nettle (Urtica pilulifera) is an annual or sometimes biannual nettle with opposite, toothed, ovate leaves, and the most vicious sting of any European nettle. The male and female flowers are borne in separate clusters on the same plant, the males branched, the females in spherical clusters.
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The Romanov sheep are from the Volga Valley, northwest of Moscow. Purebred
Romanovs are born black and lighten to a soft silver grey as they make their fleece.
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The Romney Marsh or Kentish is a breed of hardy English sheep good for fattening and immune from foot-rot and liver-rot.
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The rook (Corbus frugilegus) is a bird of the crow (Corvidae) family of the order Passeriformes. Rooks are social birds, frequently seen in farmland in large flocks. They have glossy black plumage, and the adult has a bare, white facial patch at the base of the long bill, which is absent in the young. The rook's nest is a large, made of sticks lined with grass, moss and leaves, and is built high in a tree. Rooks eat worms, beetle larvae, seeds, grain and roots, carrion and general human waste.
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A rookery is a colony of rooks, penguins or seals.
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Roost is the collective noun for a group of pigeons. A roost is a bird's perching or resting place.
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Rooster is the name for a male domestic fowl and certain game birds.
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The root is that part of a plant which is below or in the soil and serves to attach the plant to the soil, and conveys nourishment from the soil to the plant.
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Rope is the collective noun for a group of onions.
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Rosaceae is a large family of plants, including the apple, pear, plum, strawberry, raspberry, almond, and rose. They exhibit an exogenous mode of growth, have several petals, distinct, perigynous, separate carpels and numerous stamens.
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Rosalia is a genus of rare longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) protected by law in Europe in an attempt to stop them becoming extinct.
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The rose are shrubs and climbing plants of the genus rosa and family Rosaceae.
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The Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata) is a beetle of the family Scarabaeidae. They occur in various colours with variable markings and grow to twenty millimetres in length. The larvae develop in rotten wood and humus.
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The rose of Jericho (Anastatica hierochuntina) is an annual plant of the family Cruciferae found principally in southern Europe and western Asia. It is noted for its hygroscopic properties, the leaves and stems becoming rigid when the plant flowers and withering when the seeds ripen. The dry plant is very light, and easily transported by the wind. Upon contact with water, it expands again and the seedpods open releasing their seeds.
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The rose-chafer or rose-beetle (Cetonia aurata) is a handsome lamellicorn beetle. The upper surface is golden-green, and the lower bright copper- coloured. In the adult state the beetle feeds on the tender parts of flowers, notably strawberries and roses, while the larvae feed on the roots of strawberries and decaying wood.
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Rosebay willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium) or fireweed is a perennial herb of the family Onagraceae with a creeping rhizome and a tall, erect, usually unbranched leafy stem. The leaves are alternate and lanceolate with entire or slightly toothed and undulate margins. The flowers are rose-coloured and arranged in a long terminal raceme. The fruit is a long, four-valved capsule with many plumed seeds.
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The Rosecomb is a breed of bantam.
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Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is an evergreen herb or the family Labiatae, native to the Mediterranean, but long cultivated in England. It has erect or ascending branches which are pale green and downy when young, later brown and woody. The leaves are opposite, simple, leathery, linear, dark green above and white-felted below. The flowers are two-lipped, bluish in colour and grow in short axillary or terminal racemes.
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Rosewood is a type of tree found in South America, the West Indies and in India. The timber of the rosewood tree is brown, red-brown or dark brown in colour with a striped grain reminiscent of marble, and is much used in veneering furniture.
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The Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 28 and 45 mm found throughout Europe and Asia flying from July to October.
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The Rosy Underwing (Catocala electa) is a very rare moth in danger of extinction of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 60 and 70 mm found in deciduous forests in Europe and Asia flying from July to September.
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Rottlera is a genus of tropical plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. They are mostly natives of Asia and Australasia. The Malayan species Rottlera tinctoria (also known as Mallotus philippinensis) provides a dye and treatment for tapeworm from the powdered hairs which cover its capsules.
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The Rottweiler is a breed of German guard dog bred at Rottweil in Germany to drive cattle to market and guard them, pull carts and protect travellers from highwaymen. The Rottweiler stands about 65 centimetres tall, and has a short coat black and tan in colour. The breed was unknown in America until 1935 and Britain until 1936. The Rottweiler is an energetic and intelligent breed, but requires firm training if tragedies are to be avoided, and the breed is certainly not suitable for families with young children.
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The Rouen is a breed of duck.
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The rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis) is a pelagic mammal of the family Delphinidae found in tropical and subtropical seas. The animals have a long conical beak that is continuous with the forehead. The colouration is dark grey tinged with purple on the back and flanks, with a white underside with pink or bluff blotches. The dorsal fin in the middle of the back is sickle-shaped. Rough-toothed dolphins are attracted to fast-moving vessels, and can swim at 19 mph.
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Round-leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga rotundifolia) is a perennial herb of the family Saxifragaceae found in damp and shady places in mountainous areas of mixed woods in central and southern Europe. It has a basal rosette of long- stalked, roundish, pale-green, deeply toothed and often hairy leaves. The stems are stoutish, sparsely leafy and hairy. The flowers are white with yellow spots at the base and characteristic red spots towards the apex of the petals, and are arranged in loose narrow panicles. The fruit is a many- seeded capsule.
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Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) also known as common sundew, is an insectivorous perennial herb of the natural order Droseraceae found in bogs, and native to Europe including Britain, west and north Asia and north America. It has long-stalked spoon-shaped, reddish leaves and captures its prey by means of tentacles which are coated with a glistening secretion. The flower spikes are about 12 cm long and bear two rows of small white flowers which open only in sunshine.
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Roundworm is a common name for Phylum nematoda.
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The Rowan, Mountain Ash, Quicken Tree or Witchen (Pyrus aucuparia) is a tree of the pear and apple genus of the family Rosaceae. It is native to the British isles, and is found chiefly in mountainous woods. It has compound pinnate leaves, smaller than those of the ash, and flowers in May or June, the flowers being about the size of those of the hawthorn, but the corymbs are larger. The fruit is a bitter, juicy scarlet berry about the size of the red currant and is used for flavouring apple jelly and making a condiment. The wood is tough and close grained, mostly heart-wood and is used for making furniture and tools. Formerly the tree was used as a charm against witchcraft - whence the name Witchen.
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Roxburghiaceae is a small family of tropical, semi-shrubby plants having regular hermaphrodite flowers, with a four-partite perianth and four stamens. The family includes the genera Stemona, Croomia and Stichoneuron.
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Abbreviations
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