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The saanen is a white or cream coloured breed of domestic goat kept for its milk. They originated in the
Saanen valley in Switzerland.
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Sabadilla (Schoenocaulon officinale) is a Mexican liliaceous plant. It bears linear, grass-like leaves and dense racemes of yellowish flowers. Its seeds, which contain the alkaloid veratrine, were formerly used in medicine as an emetic and purgative. Now the seeds are used to prepare insecticide.
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Sabal is a genus of palm trees including the cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto).
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Sabella are polychaeta.
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Sabiaceae is a family of trees and shrubs, mostly natives of the northern hemisphere. They usually bear panicles of flowers, each with four or five petals, and four or five stamens inserted at the base or on top of the disc.
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The sable (Martes zibellina) is a carnivorous type of marten, similar to the pine marten but with longer legs and larger ears. The sable has a luxurious, dense, soft, generally brownish black coat with a paler but indistinct throat bib. The colour of the fur varies greatly according to the locality and the season of the year. The sable has long been hunted for its fur, the darkest and most valuable furs being taken in autumn and winter in the colder parts of Siberia, Russia, and Canada. Sable are solitary animals that live in woodlands where they feed on birds, squirrels, and small rodents.
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The sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) is a large African antelope with long, sabre-like horns and in the male a black coat.
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The Sable Island Pony is a breed of small feral horse from Sable Island, Canada. They are no more than 14 hands high and occur in various dark colours with white markings. They are a hardy breed, short, stocky and with a muscular frame.
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Saccharomyces is a genus of budding fungi which have the capacity for splitting sugar into alcohol and carbonic acid. Species of the genus are used in the fermentation of beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks.
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Saccharum is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants belonging to the family Graminaceae. They have flat or narrow leaves and bear terminal panicles, some times bundle-flowered, sometimes densely spiked. Among the species is the sugar cane.
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The Saddleback pig is a breed of domestic swine characterised by a striking colour marking of a white belt on a black body. The Saddleback originated from the amalgamation of the Essex and Wessex breeds in England. The Wessex Saddleback came from Dorsetshire, England, while the Essex came from Essex. Prior to 1820, both had contributed to the swine of Hampshire which were apparently the ancestors of the American Hampshire breed. The breed was exported to the USA between 1825 and 1829.
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The Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is a composite plant native to India. It's large red flowers yield the dye carthamine used in the preparation of rouge.
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The Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus fritillarius) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae found in central Europe and east through to central Asia. It produces two generations that fly from May to August.
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Saffron (Crocus sativus) is a perennial herb of the family Iridaceae with a scaly underground corm and linear leaves with a pale midrib. The short scrape is terminated by a large pale-violet, six-lobed, funnel-shaped flower. The yellow style is tipped with three orange stigmas that extend beyond the perianth. The saffron used in cooking is the dried stigmas.
Saffron was first cultivated on a large scale in England at Saffron Walden by Thomas Smith, secretary of state to Edward VI.
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Sage (Salvia) is a genus of hardy, shrubby, evergreen perennial herbs of the family Labiatae. They bear mostly showy flowers, with a two-lipped calyx, the lower lip bifid, a gaping corolla, and two stamens. They are native to southern Europe, and are largely cultivated as a pot herb, having been used in cooking since at least the time of the Romans.
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The sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is an American grouse which inhabits the dry plains of the western states, and feeds upon the ' sage brush'. It has a long, pheasant-like tail; the upper surface of the body is mottled, the lower black apart from a white chest. At the sides of the neck in the male are inflatable air-sacs, which are distended during courtship.
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Sagitta is the arrow-worm genus of Phylum Chaetognatha. The largest species reaches a length of about ten centimetres, the commonest two and a half centimetres in length and has a transparent, glassy body.
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Sagittaria is a genus of marsh plants, belonging to the family Alismaceae. They usually have arrow-shaped leaves with long petioles, and bear white flowers with six-perianth segment, numerous stamens, and numerous one-seeded carpels, the stamens and pistils being borne on different flowers. The only British species is
Sagittaria sagittifolia, the common arrowhead which grows in streams and ditches.
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The Saiga (Saiga tartarica) is a clumsy antelope, about the size of a sheep, found on the steppes of Europe and Asia. It has a large inflated nose and yellow, lyre shaped horns. The Saiga was in prehistoric times native to Britain.
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The sailfish is a large tropical and sub-tropical marine fish of the family Istiophoridae distinguished by a long, high dorsal fin, long pelvic fins and a double keel on each side of the tail.
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Sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa) is a plant of the family Leguminosae with pink flowers used as fodder. It was introduced to Britain from France around the middle of the 17th century and used as a substitute for permanent pastures, producing very good hay.
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The Saki Monkeys (Pithecia) are a genus of American monkeys of the family Cebidae, with non-prehensile tails and projecting incisor teeth. They are found mainly in the Amazon valley.
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Salad-burnet (Poterium Sanguisorba) is the only British species of plant of the genus Poterium. It grows on dry and most frequently chalky pastures and is valuable as fodder and may also be eaten in salads. It has pinnate leaves and tall stems surmounted by dense heads of small flowers.
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The salamander is a small amphibian of the subclass urodela. They have a small rounded plump, usually spotted body without a dorsal crest.
Salamanders are widely distributed throughout Europe but are absent from Britain.
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The Salerno is an Italian breed of sports horse, riding horse and cavalry horse. The Salerno stands between 16 and 17 hands high and is mostly bay, black or chestnut in colour. They are among the world's finest jumping horses, winning the 1956 World Show Jumping Championships and a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic games, though now they are quite rare.
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The Salicaceae are a family of apetalous exogens distinguished by a two valved capsule, and numerous seeds tufted with long hairs.
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Salix is a genus of hardy trees and shrubs belonging to the family Salicinaceae. They are distinguished from the poplars by their flowers, the stamens numbering from one to five, and the stigmas two. The species include the weeping willow (Salix babylonica).
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Sallow is a popular name of trees of the willow family. Common Sallow or goat willow (Salix caprea) bears silky catkins in early spring before the leaves appear. It was formerly used in the manufacture of gun-powder charcoal.
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The Sallow Kitten (Furcula furcula) is a puss moth of the family Notodontidae with a wing span of between 27 and 35 mm found in non-polar Europe, Asia and North America flying from May to July.
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The Sallow Moth (Xanthia icteritia) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 27 and 35 mm found in the deciduous-forest belt of the Palaearctic sub region, favouring damp localities rich in Sallow. A single generation is produced each year flying from August until October.
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The salmon (Salmo salar) is a fish of the Salmonidae family.
Salmon are hatched in fresh water, and make for the sea, where most of their food is found, usually in their third year. When first hatched the infant salmon are known by the name of 'alevin'. They soon attain the 'parr' stage, being then olive-brown in colour with dark transverse bands and red spots. When two years old the silvery 'smelt' stage is attained.
Salmon generally re-enter the river to spawn for the first time when some three and a half years old during the autumn months, when they are known as ' Grilse'. On the way up-stream the fish feed scarcely at all, and so lose much in condition. Often the journey is arduous, necessitating the leaping of falls and other obstacles. At this time the fish lose their silvery tint, and the males are known as 'red fish', the females as 'black fish'. Savage fights may take place between the males, and their jaws undergo a strange modification, often assuming a hooked or beak-like form. Having reached the gravely shallows suitable for spawning, trough-shaped depressions known as 'redds' are excavated by the fish with their tails, and in these the hen- fish deposit their eggs, loosely covering them with silt. It is at this period that many eggs become fertilised by trout, which seize the opportunity to do so when the cock salmon is otherwise engaged repulsing rivals of his own species. It is doubtful if salmon spawn more than three or four times, as the procedure is very exhaustive, and an interval of some years may elapse between successive spawnings. In the River Tay in Scotland the salmon attains a weight of over eighty pounds.
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Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative bacteria that inhabit the intestine and cause disease (salmonellosis) in humans and animals. They are aerobic or facultatively anaerobic, and most are motile.
Salmonellae can exist for long periods outside their host, and may be found, for example, in sewage and surface water. Humans may become infected by consuming contaminated water or food, especially animal products, such as eggs, meat, and milk, or vegetables that have been fertilized with contaminated manure. The bacteria can also be transmitted from human or animal carriers by unhygienic food preparation. Various species of Salmonella cause gastroenteritis and septicaemia; typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever are caused by Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi, respectively.
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Salmonidae is the Salmon family of bony fish. The body is long and covered with scales, but the head is naked and has no barbel. Most characteristic is the second dorsal fin which is small, fleshy and without rays. The family includes the Salmon and the trout.
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Salpa is a genus of tunicates, whose members are transparent, pelagic, and occur in great numbers in some seas. There is a well marked alternation of generations, an asexual nurse form giving rise to a chain of small asexual forms, which eventually break off and swim away. Each then produces a single egg, which develops into an embryo, this being temporarily attached to the mother by a placenta. Ultimately the embryo grows into the asexual nurse form, and the life-history commences again.
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Salpingus is a genus of beetle of the family Pythidae. They live under the bark of conifers and feed on bark beetles.
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Salsify is a purple-flowered composite plant whose root has an oyster-like flavour and is used as a culinary vegetable. It is also known as the oyster plant. vegetable oyster and purple goat's beard.
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Saltasaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Saltasaurus was a large, armoured sauropod, about twelve metres long with tiny bony plates closely packed in the skin covering the whole body and larger ridged bony plates. Remains of Saltasaurus were first discovered in the 1970's in South America.
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Saltcote Pippin is an English species of apple which was raised in Sussex and first recorded in 1918. The tree bears large, handsome fruits that have a rich aromatic taste and are firm and juicy. They store until March.
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The Saltern Ear (Amphipoea fucosa) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found throughout the Palaearctic flying from July to August.
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Saltopus was a dinosaur of the Triassic period. Saltopus was a small animal, about 60 centimetres long, that walked on its hind legs and thought to have been a carnivore feeding on small animals and lizards.
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The Saluki is a black and tan, white, gold or tricolour breed of dog resembling the greyhound and having fringes of long hair on the ears, legs and thighs. It originates from Egypt and south west Asia and is also known as the Gazelle Hound, being originally bred to hunt gazelle. When the breed was first shown in Britain they were described as Persian Greyhounds. They are a loyal breed but require considerable exercise and need to be supervised off the leash as they retain their hunting instincts.
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Salvinia is a genus of floating heterosporous ferns. The spores form on the underside of the leaves and drop to the pond bed when the old plants die, giving rise to fresh plants in the spring.
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A samara is a pericarp produced into a wing, for example in the case of the ash.
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The Sambur or Sambar (Cervus unicolor) is a species of deer found throughout India and Sri Lanka, and replaced by closely related forms in Burma and the Malay region. It is a large and powerful animal, standing about 1.5 metres high, characterised by its uniform dark brown colour and the three-pronged antlers, in which the brow tine forms an acute angle with the beam.
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The samoyed is a Siberian breed of dog.
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Samphire (Crithmum) is a genus of perennial plants of the family Umbelliferae. The common samphire (rock-plant) has umbels of yellow flowers and makes an excellent pickle.
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Samydaceae is a family of tropical trees and shrubs bearing racemes or panicles of regular, inconspicuous flowers.
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The San Bernardino Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata parvinrubra) is a species of King Snake growing to about 102 centimetres long and found in foothills and moist woodlands in southern California where it basks in the open encouraging attacks from nesting birds so as to follow them back to their nests to eat the nestlings.
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The San Diego Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata pulchra) is a subspecies of Mountain Kingsnake found in southern California where it feeds on rodents, small snakes and lizards.
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The San Fratello is an Italian breed of horse raised almost exclusively in wooded areas of Messina and on the northern slopes of the Ebrodi mountains where they live in a semi-wild state being left to forage for their own food. They stand between 15 and 16 hands high and are bay, black or dark brown in colour. The San Fratello is a tough and hardy breed with a good temperament, resistant to most equine diseases and economical to keep.
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The San Pedro Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata agalmae) is a subspecies of the Mountain Kingsnake found in California and parts of Mexico. The San Pedro Mountain Kingsnake has a stripy appearance of equal red, black and white coloured bands and grows to about 76 centimetres in length.
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The sand dollar is a flat, dish-like sea urchin that lives on the sandy bottoms of the sea off the coast of North America.
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The sand-eel or sand-launce (Ammodytidae) is a genus of small, long-bodied bony fish related to the cod family found burrowing in the sand on the coasts of the northern hemisphere. They are characterised by an elongated body which is covered with minute scales; the absence of pelvic fins; the posterior position of the anus; the great width of the gill openings; the elongated dorsal fin, which occupies almost the entire length of the back and is continuous; and the protrusion of the lower jaw, which is considerably longer than the upper.
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The Sandalwood Pony is a breed of Indonesian pony from the islands of Sumba and Sumbawa. They stand up to 13 hands high, are quiet and make excellent children's ponies, and occur in various colours. They have a short, muscular neck, deep chest, sloping shoulders, a long straight back and a sloping croup. They are quick and agile ponies, often used for racing.
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The Sandbox tree is an American tree of the genus Hura. It is a large branching tree with glossy leaves and large, furrowed, round fruits about the size of an orange. When the seed-vessels bursts they make a remarkably loud retort.
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Sandpiper is a popular name applied to a number of birds belonging to the family Charadriidae. The common sandpiper (Totanus hypoleucus), also known as the summer snipe, is about twenty centimeters long, and has olive-brown upper parts, a white chin, ash-coloured breast, and white under parts. The common sandpiper is to be found about streams in the wilder parts of Scotland where it nests in hollows beside streams.
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Sandwort (Arenaria) is a genus of plants of the family Caryophyllaceae, comprising low herbs with usually awl-shaped leaves and small white flowers.
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Sanguinaria is a genus of hardy plants belonging to the family Papaveraceae. There is only one species, the common blood-root.
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Sanguisorbidae is a group of plants forming a subdivision of the family Rosaceae. They have flowers without petals, and generally with few stamens. The genera Poterium, Sanguisorba and Alchernilla belong to this group.
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Sanicle (Sanicula europaea) is a perennial herb of the family Umbelliferae native to Britain and Europe, with a thick, brown, fibrous rhizome and a basal rosette of deeply palmately lobed, long-stalked, glossy and toothed leaves. The flowering stems are erect, branched at the top, with a few small, usually sessile leaves. The flowers are small, white or pale pink in colour and arranged in a terminal rounded umbel made up of several secondary, few-flowered umbels. The fruit is an avoid double achene covered with hooked bristles.
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The Santa Cruz Garter Snake (Thamnophis atratus) is a species of Garter snake found along the central coast of California, USA. The Santa Cruz Garter Snake is black or dark grey, with a pale green ventrolateral region and a yellow throat and vertebral stripe.
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The Santa Gertrudis is a deep red coloured, horned breed of domestic beef cattle.
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Santalaceae is a family of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. The members vary in their style of flowering and general habits.
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Saperda is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) represented by three British species found on shrubs and felled wood, the larvae developing in deciduous wood.
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Saphanus is a genus of rare longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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Sapindaceae is a family of mainly tropical trees and shrubs which includes the soapberry.
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Sapotaceae is a family of tropical trees and shrubs which includes the gutta- percha tree.
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Saprinus is a genus of beetles of the family Histeridae.
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Saprophytes are plants and microorganisms, mainly bacteria and fungi, that feed by absorbing dead organic matter.
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Sapygoidea is a super-family of insects of the sub-order Apocrita, order Hymenoptera. They are similar in appearance to wasps, and were formerly grouped with the wasps, but the members do not show longitudinal folding of the wings. The larvae are parasitic on solitary bees.
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The sarcomastigophora (Amoeboflagellates) are a group of Protozoans.
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The sardine are several small fish of the herring family.
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The sardinian, or Sardinian Anglo-Arab, is a Sardinian breed of sports horse developed during the 15th century. The Sardinian is a good riding and jumping horse, stands 15.2 hands high and is bay or brown in colour.
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The Sardinian Pony is an ancient breed of pony developed from early Barb and Arabian horses. The Sardinian Pony stands 12 to 13 hands high, occurs in brown, bay, black or liver chestnut colours and are used for riding, light draft and light farm work.
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Sassafras is a genus of hardy deciduous trees of the family Laurinaceae represented by the single species
Sassafras officinale, an American tree whose fruits yield oil.
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The Satellite Moth (Eupsilia transversa) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 32 and 42 mm found throughout almost all the Palaearctic sub region particularly in deciduous forests and forest-steppes and flies from September to May, hibernating through the winter.
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The Satin Beauty (Deileptenia ribeata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 30 and 40 mm found in Europe and Asia in spruce and mixed forests flying in July and August.
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The Satin Lutestring (Tetheella fluctuosa) is a moth of the family Thyatiridae with a wing pan of between 35 and 40 mm confined to temperate Europe where it flies from June to August.
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Saturniidae is the emperor moths family of insects of the order Lepidoptera. The members are large moths, often with a wingspan exceeding 50 mm, with broad wings, usually with an eye-spot in the centre. They are mainly night-fliers. The caterpillars are stout, varicoloured, and have a body invested with tubercles and coarse bristles. Of the 1200 species of hawmoth, most are topical with only about ten species occurring in Europe.
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Satyr's beard (Hydnum erinaceum) is an edible fungus occasionally found in the clefts of old oaks. It has tan-coloured prickles measuring roughly ten centimetres in length.
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Satyridae is the satyrs and wood nymphs family of butterflies.
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Sauria is the dragon lizards sub-order of the Squamata order of reptiles.
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Saurolophus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. It was a duck-billed dinosaur, about twelve metres long, that walked on its hind legs and had a pointed crest running backwards atop a large head. Saurolophus was a herbivore and devoid of front teeth.
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Sauropoda is an infraorder of dinosaurs of the suborder Sauropodomorpha that includes all of the large, long-necked herbivores - the sauropods.
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Saurornithoides was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Saurornithoides was a small, agile, carnivore about two metres in length that walked on its hind legs. The first remains of Saurornithoides were discovered in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia in 1923.
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The saury pike or skipper (Scombresox) is a genus of bony sea fishes closely allied to the gar-pike. They are known as skippers from their habit of leaping out of the water and skimming along its surface.
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A savannah is an extensive tropical grassland.
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The common savin (Juniperus Sabina) is a dwarf procumbent shrub of the Juniper genus. It emits a disagreeable odour when bruised, the tops of the twigs sometimes being used in pharmaceutical oils as diuretics.
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Savoy is a variety of cabbage in which the leaves are crimped or curled all over.
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Saw-fish are rays belonging to the genus Pristis. Pristis antiquorum is a species of the Atlantic and Mediterranean with a very long snout produced into a flat lamina with edges furnished with strong teeth, like a saw.
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Saw-fly is a name given to the Tenthredinidae family of hymenopterous Insects of the super-family Tenthredinoidea, sub-order Symphyta. The ovipostor is placed at the end of the abdomen, and consists of two flat horny plates, furnished on the inner side with very elaborate teeth, while the outer side is strengthened by a supporting plate. These plates slide backwards and forwards in sheaths, and literally saws whose function is to bore a hole in twigs or leaves, at the bottom of which the egg is deposited.
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The Saw-toothed Grain Beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis) is a beetle of the family Cucujidae, with a tooth-edged pronotum, often found in grain.
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The Saxifragaceae are a family of herbaceous plants with five sepals, five petals and ten stamens. They are generally mountain plants.
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Saxifrage (Saxifraga) is a genus of usually hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Saxifragaceae. They bear corymbs or panicles of usually white or yellow flowers, and most are compact plants. The species include Saxifraga umbrosa (London Pride).
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Scabious (Scabiosa) is a genus of hardy herbaceous plants belonging to the family Dipsaceae. They bear terminal heads of white, rosy, purple, or yellowish flowers. The primrose scabious (Sacabious succisa) is a common British plant, growing on heaths, pastures and hedge banks. It bears purplish- blue flowers.
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The Scallop Shell (Rheumaptera undulata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 25 and 30 mm found locally in the temperate zone of Europe, in Asia and the Far East flying from May to August.
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The Scalloped Hazel (Odontepera bidentata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 32 and 40 mm found in Europe and Asia in deciduous forests, peat-bogs, heaths and shrubby biotopes flying from May to June.
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The Scalloped Hook-tip (Falcari lacertinaria) is a moth of the family Drepanidae with a wing span of between 27 and 35 metres found in northern and central Europe and across Asia. Two generations are produced flying from April to August, the second generation being larger and paler in colour.
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The Scalloped Oak (Crocallis elinguaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 32 and 42 mm found throughout the Palaearctic except the polar regions, flying from May to August.
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Scandentia is the tree shrew order of Insectivora containing just one family, Tupaiidae. They are arboreal shrews found only in India and Malaysia. They resemble squirrels in external appearance, but have the typically long muzzle of the shrews and possess a complete auditory bullae and zygomatic arches. Their orbits are large, and behind the orbit is a well-developed and complete postorbital process. They feed on insects and fruit.
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Scansores is the Climbers order of birds. The members have various forms of bill, but all have short feet adapted for climbing, with four toes, two pointing forwards and two backwards or three pointing backwards and one pointing forwards.
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Scaphidema is a genus of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae), about five millimetres long. The larvae develop in tree fungi, the adults live on the branches of fungi infested trees.
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Scaphidiidae is the shining fungus family of beetles. The members have a boat-shaped body, an abbreviated elytra with the tip of the abdomen exposed, are fast runners and eat fungi, particularly tree fungi.
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Scaphidium is a genus of shining fungus beetles, Scaphidiidae.
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Scaphisoma is a genus of shining fungus beetles, Scaphidiidae, with three species occurring in Britain.
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Scaphium is a genus of shining fungus beetles, Scaphidiidae, about six millimetres long. A single black species, Scaphium immaculatum, occurs in Britain.
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Scaphopodais a class of Phylum mollusca. The foot is reduced and the shell is tubular.
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The scarab (Scarabeus) is a genus of dung beetle of the family Scarabaeidae. They were held as sacred by the ancient Egyptians, and reproduced by them as amulets which were worn as protection against the evil eye and placed on the breast of the dead.
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Scarabaeidae is the chafers and dung beetles family of insects of the order Coleoptera. The members have the three distal segments of the antennae widened on one side to form a characteristic lamellate club. The larvae - known as grubs - develop in soil where they live on roots or are found in dung and other decaying organic matter.
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The Scarborough lily (Vallota purpurea) is a South African plant that bears many flowered umbels of red, infundibuliform flowers in late spring.
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The Scarce Chocolate-tip (Clostera anachoreta) is a moth of the family Notodontidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in the deciduous forests of the Palaearctic. Two generations are produced.
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The Scarce Copper (Heodes virgaureae) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found in the Palaearctic region, except in the northern regions, in meadows and forest clearings.
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The Scarce Fritillary (Euphydryas maturna) is a rare species of brush-footed butterfly (Nymphalidae) found in scattered locations across Europe and Asia. It generally lives in damp forests in lowlands, where the caterpillars live on ash trees and poplars before hibernating and then moving to herbaceous plants such as plantain and speedwell. A single generation occurs in a year and flies from May to June.
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The Scarce Heath (Coenonympha hero) is a rare butterfly of the family Satyridae found in damp woodland clearings and grasslands flying from May to June.
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The Scarce Hook-tip (Sabre harpagula) is a moth of the family Drepanidae with a wing span of between 25 and 35 mm found in central and northern Europe and across Asia in deciduous forests and forest-steppes. Tow generations fly from May to June and during August.
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The Scarce Large Blue (Maculinea teleius) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. The caterpillars live first on wild burnet and then move into anthills when they are older.
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The Scarce Merveille du Jour (Moma alpium) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in non-polar Europe and western and central Asia in deciduous forests and heather-covered peat-bogs where it will be seen flying from May to August.
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The Scarce Prominent (Odontosia carmelita) is a moth of the family Notodontidae with a wing span of between 38 and 45 mm confined to scattered localities in northern and eastern Europe, particularly Scandinavia, north-east Russia, south-west Germany, northern Italy, inhabiting birch woods and peat-bogs flying from April to May.
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The Scarce Silver (Syngrapha interrogationis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in the northern Polar regions of the Palaearctic and further south in mountains and peat-bogs. It flies from June to August.
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The Scarce Silver-lines (Bena prasinana) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 40 and 45 mm found in Europe and Asia Minor in forests and forest-steppes. A single generation is produced flying from May to July.
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The Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalarius) is a European butterfly of the family Papilionidae, now very rare due to the destruction of the blackthorn and hawthorn bushes which are its natural habitat.
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The Scarce Umber (Agriopis aurantiaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 27 and 35 mm found in deciduous forests across Europe and in Asia Minor flying in October and November.
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The Scarce Wormwood (Cucullia artemisiae) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 37 and 42 mm found in sandy localities of the mild regions of Europe and Asia where they fly from June to July.
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Scarites is a genus of beetles of the family Carabidae, subfamily Scaritinae. The genus is represented in Europe by a single, rare species, Scarites terricola, which is found in the Mediterranean region on coasts and in salty inland locations and on the shores of lake Neusiedler in Austria. The species is large, between 14 and 22 mm long, spending the day resting in burrows dug in the sand and hunting by night.
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Scaritinae is a subfamily of the ground beetle family, Carabidae, in which the species have the broad tibiae of the forelegs adapted for digging, and a thin, wasp-like waist between the thorax and the abdomen.
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The Scarlet Kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides or Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides) is an American snake which may be a species of King snake or may be a species of Milk Snake, hence the alternative Latin names. The Scarlet Kingsnake grows to a length of about 45 centimetres and has a completely red snout and a slender body. The Scarlet Kingsnake eats mainly small lizards and small snakes, and are notoriously adverse to being handled.
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Scarlet pimpernell (Anagallis arvensis) is an almost hairless prostrate annual with slender, branching stems bearing opposite, ovate to lanceolate leaves. The flowers are red, blue or various paler shades, and close in early afternoon and during dull weather. The flowers are carried singly on wiry stalks arising from the leaf axils. The fruit is a globose capsule.
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Scarodytes is a genus of predacious diving beetles of the family Dytiscidae found living in stagnant water and occasionally slow running water, usually with a gravel and clay bottom.
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The Scaup (Aythya marila) is a migrant duck, visiting Britain in winter. They appear similar to the tufted duck, but the larger male lacks a crest on its head, has a dark breast, white belly and flanks, grey back and a black stern. The female is brown with a conspicuous white face patch.
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Scelidosaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. Scelidosaurus was an armoured herbivore, about four metres long, that walked on all fours. It had a small head with leaf-like ridged teeth and its body was armoured with bony knobs and spikes.
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Scented mayweed (Chamomilla recutia) also known as German Chamomile and Wild Chamomile, is an annual herb with an erect, much branched, glabrous stem with sparse, finely divided (two or three times pinnate) leaves. The solitary, terminal flowerheads have hollow, conical receptacles, white ligulate ray-florets which are spread at first and later bent downwards revealing the receptacle, and yellow tubular, five-lobed disc-florets. The fruit is an ovoid ribbed achene.
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Schinus is a genus of tropical American shrubs belonging to the family Anacardiaceae. They bear small, white, dioecious flowers, followed by oily, globose fruits.
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The Schipperke is a Belgian breed of tailless dog about 30 centimetres tall and usually black in colour. They are exceedingly vivacious, inquisitive and alert, and make excellent watch-dogs - formerly being used by Belgian barge owners for just this purpose.
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Schistoglossa is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae. The British species are black or dark brown in colour and live chiefly in swamps and on wet ground beside water overgrown by vegetation.
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Schistosoma is a member of the order Digenea.
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Schizanthus is a genus of annual, herbaceous Chilean plants belonging to the family Solanaceae.
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In biology, schizogony refers to a type of cell reproduction involving multiple fission; the nucleus divides many times and the nuclei are separated into daughter cells.
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Schizotus is a genus of Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroidae).
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The Schleswig Heavy Draft is a German breed of heavy horse developed in northern Germany during the 19th century. The Schleswig Heavy Draft stands 15 to 16 hands high and is mostly chestnut in colour with a flaxen mane and tail. The breed has fairly short legs with feathering, soft, flat feet and a rather long body.
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The Schnauzer is three breeds of German dog. The standard Schnauzer was bred as a cattle dog and for catching rats under the name 'Wire-haired Pinscher'. The Giant Schnauzer is about 63 centimetres tall, the standard Schnauzer 48 centimetres and the miniature Schnauzer (formed by crossing with the Affenpinscher) about 35 centimetres tall. All three are lively, playful animals but are wary of strangers.
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School is the collective noun for a group of porpoises.
School is the collective noun for a group of whales.
School is the collective noun for a group of dolphins.
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Sciaphilus is a genus of polyphagous Snout Beetles (Curculionidae).
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The scilla (two-leaved squill, autumn scilla, Cuban lily, Siberian squill, blue squill, Tubergen squill) is a bulbous herb of the family Liliaceae with long and slender leaves; six parted terminal blue purple or white bell- shaped, tubular, or spreading flowers.
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Sciodrepoides is a genus of beetles of the family Catopidae. They live on carrion, in mammals' burrows and in birds' nests.
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Scirpus is a genus of water and marsh plants belonging to the family Cyperaceae.
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Scirtes is a genus of beetle of the family Scirtidae.
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Scirtidae or Helodidae, is a family of small beetles of the order Coleoptera. The larvae develop in water and generally take to the land for the pupation.
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Scitaminaceae is a family of herbaceous plants with creeping rhizomes. The family includes ginger, arrowroot, cardamom and banana.
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Sclerostomum is a genus of nematode worms.
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Scolioidea is a super-family of insects of the sub-order Apocrita, order Hymenoptera. The members vary in size from tiny to large, reaching 40 mm in length and have biting-sucking mouthparts which enable them to reach into deep flowers. The male has straight antennae, the females spiral or heart-shaped antennae.
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Scolopacidae is a family of birds of the order Grallae. They are characterized by a long and slender bill; four toes, the hind one weak and elevated.
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Scolytidae (formerly Ipidae) is the bark and ambrosia beetles family of insects of the order Coleoptera. The majority develop in the twigs, branches and trunks of deciduous and coniferous trees, and the family contains some of the most serious forest pests. Many of the species damage the wood directly and also help to transmit plant diseases.
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Scopaeus is a genus of tiny (2.5 to 3 mm long) rove beetles, Staphylinidae.
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The Scorched Carpet (Ligdia adustata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 20 and 25 mm found in Europe, Asia and Japan.
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The Scorched Wing (Plagodis dolobraria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 28 and 32 mm found throughout the Palaearctic from Europe to Japan flying from April to August.
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Scorpion is a popular name for any of several species of arachnids of the order Scorpionidea most familiar for the sting in their curled tail and two large pincers.
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Scorpion fish is a popular name for any of the spiny fishes of the family Scorpaenidae - many of which are venomous - which includes the genera Scorpaena and Scorpaenodes.
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Scorpion-grass is another name for forget-me-not.
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Scorpionidea or Scorpiones is the scorpion order of Arachnida. They have four pairs of lung-books in the mesosoma and the post-anal telson forms a sting. Scorpions are amongst the most hardy of animals, able to survive frozen in ice for three weeks, temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius and withstand two hundred times the amount of radiation (such as the fallout from a nuclear explosion) that kills other animals. Scorpions are deaf and nearly blind, but are very sensitive to earth vibrations and air vibrations, detected through feelers.
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The Scotch Terrier or Scottish Terrier (originally known as the Aberdeen Terrier, and now affectionately known as the Scottie) is a hardy, persevering breed of dog with immense teeth, for the size of dog, erect ears and a hard coat. The breed has short legs and a long body. They were formerly used for catching vermin and fox hunting in hilly country where hounds couldn't run.
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The Scots Dumpy is a breed of chicken.
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The Scots Grey is a breed of chicken.
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The Scottish Fold is a breed of shorthaired cat distinguished by its folded ears which were the result of a spontaneous mutation first noticed in 1961. The Scottish Fold is a medium sized cat, rounded and cobby, broad across the shoulders and rump with a full, broad chest and a massive, round head set on a short thick neck. The Scottish Fold evolved from farm cats, and retains the hunting instinct, being an excellent mouser and needing to practise their hunting.
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Scraptia is a genus of small (roughly 2.5 mm long) beetle of the family Scraptiidae.
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Scraptiidae is a family of beetles of the order Coleoptera.
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Scrophulariaceae is a family of plants, mostly herbaceous, though some are shrubs and a few are trees. They bear usually irregular flowers with four or five persistent sepals, a gamopetalous corolla, frequently bi-Labiate, generally four stamens, didynamous, and a two-lobed stigma.
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Scuiro Morpha is the squirrel-like suborder of the order Rodentia.
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Scurvy grass (Cochlearia) is a genus of herbaceous plants belonging to the family Cruciferae. They are characterised by their fruit, which is a globose, two-valved pouch, the valves not flattened. The common scurvy grass (Cochlearia officinalis) is an abundant sea-shore plant with heart-shaped root leaves and rectangular stem leaves, bearing large corymbs of white flowers in May.
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Scutellaria is a genus of plants belonging to the family Labiate. They bear flowers with campanulate, bilabiate calyxes, the upper lip bulging out so as to form a sort of lid or cap over the fruit, and a bilabiate corolla, the lips being unequal. Among the British species are the greater skullcap (Scutellaria galericulta) and the lesser skullcap (Scutellaria minor).
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Scutellosaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. Scutellosaurus was a herbivore with a short skull and ridged teeth. A small animal, it was 134 centimetres long with hind legs that were longer than its front legs, but not by enough to rule out Scutellosaurus walking on all fours. It had a long tail and was armoured with hundreds of small bony knobs set in the skin of its back.
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Scydmaenidae is a family of minute beetles measuring between 0.7 and 2.3 mm in length, have an elongate body with fine, loose bristles on the back and the antennae have clavate tips. The members of the family live chiefly in moss and damp fallen leaves, in dung, in rotting wood, under bark or under stones, with a few species living in ants' or mammals' nests. Both the larvae and the adults feed on mites.
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Scydmaenus is a genus of beetles of the family Scydmaenidae distinguished by the antennae set very close together on the front of the head. Most species live in ants' nests, though Scydmaenus tarsatus lives in mouldy straw, decaying plants and compost.
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Scydmoraphes is a genus of beetles of the family Scydmaenidae similar to the genus Neuraphes, with one species, Scydmoraphes minutus, living in the nests of ants of the genera Formica and Lasius.
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Scymnus is a genus of ladybird (Coccinellidae). They are small, hairy beetles with short antennae.
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Scyphozoa is the class of marine animals known as jelly-fishes. The adult is always medusoid, and there is an extensive system of radial canals, sense organs and tentaculocysts.
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The Sea Bream (Pagellus centrodontus) is a marine fish of the Sparidea family found in the Mediterranean and around the British Isles. The Sea Bream has a deep, thick body and a high dorsal fin resembling the fresh-water perch in some respects. The upper parts are red in colour and the sides and under side silver with a conspicuous black spot above the gill-covers. The Sea Bream feeds mainly on sand-stars, brittle-stars and small crabs. The young Sea Bream is known as a chad. While recognised as good eating, dead Sea Bream do not travel well.
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Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a deciduous shrub or small tree of the family Elaegnaceae with much-branched, thorny, grey twigs and alternate, almost sessile, linear to lanceolate leaves which have inrolled margins and are dark-green above and silvery white below. The flowers are dioecious and greenish in colour. The fruit is an orange-coloured drupe-like ovoid. The fruits contain organic acids, tannins, provitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins and vitamin E, and are used prepared into syrups and preserves and used to prevent infection and improve eyesight.
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Sea Campion (Silene maritima) is a British wild flower similar to Bladder Campion but found on cliffs and near the sea.
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The sea gooseberry is a common name for the sub-Phylum ctenophora family.
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Sea kale (Crambe maritima) is a stout, hairless perennial of the family Cruciferae. It forms clumps of large, leathery, bluish leaves with lobed, wavy margins. It has repeatedly branching, ascending stems which are terminated in a mass of white flowers.
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The Sea Lion or Fur Seal (Otariidae) is a family of seals, natives of the temperate and Arctic regions of both hemispheres. They are distinguished from the true seals by having a more distinct neck, by the muzzle being more pointed with the nostrils at the extremity instead og on the upper surface, by having small external ears, and a close, wooly fur under the long, coarse hairs. In addition the Sea Lion has hind limbs which are free from the tail and can be turned formward so as to be used on land, enabling the Sea Lion to get over land quickly, if awkwardly.
Sea Lions spend less of their time in the water than true seals, spending more time on land where they associate in great numbers, especially during the breeding season, when each older male herds a harem of between fifteen and twenty females, fighting with other breeding males, while the juvenile males and females congregate in their thousands on separate hauling grounds apart from the breeding grounds (known as rookeries).
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Sea Milkwort (Glaux maritima) is a hardy perennial sea-shore plant of the family Primulaceae. It has glaucous leaves and bears pink flowers in the summer.
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Sea Parrot is an alternate name for the Puffin.
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Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima) is an ascending, hairless annual of the family Cruciferae, found on European coasts. It has often branching stems, and shiny, fleshy leaves, which vary from pinnately cut to unbroken at the margins. The flowers, which vary in colour from violet through pink to white, are carried towards the stem-tips.
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Sea swallow is a popular name for the Euoropean little tern (Sterna minuta).
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Sea trout is a popular name for any of several marine fishes that resemble the trout.
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The sea-otter (Latax lutris) is a carnivorous mammal confined to the coasts of the northern Pacific, and very rare on account of its prized fur. In appearance the sea-otter resembles an ared seal, the hind feet being long flippers. The incisor teeth are reduced in number, and the cheek teeth are furnished with blunt and rounded tubercles adapted for crushing the molluscs and crustaceans on which the animal feeds. The prized fur is very fine, dark-brown colour with a few long grey hairs scattered throughout.
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Seaforthia is a genus of tropical Australasian and Pacific palms, which are usually handsome plants with tall trunks, and terminal pinnatisect leaves.
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The seal (known is Scotland a s a selch) is various genii of marine mammals of the Phocidae family and Otariidae family. Seals are carnivorous, have an elongated body covered with thick fur and limbs developed into flippers which they use for swimming. Male seals are called bulls; females cows and the offspring are called pups, sometimes calves. The breeding ground of seals is called a rookery. A group of seal pups is called a pod, while a group of adults is known as a herd.
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Seaweed is a popular collective name for any plant which grows in the sea.
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The Sebastopol is a breed of goose.
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The Sebright is a breed of bantam.
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Secale is a genus of hardy annual grasses, bearing their flowers in a dense terminal spike. The principal species is Secale cereale, rye.
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Secernosaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Secernosaurus was a duck-billed dinosaur, about three metres long, with a flat, crestless head. The remains of Secernosaurus, which consisted of some hip parts, a shoulder blade, a lower leg bone, some tail bones and the back of the skull, were discovered in 1923 in Argentina but not identified until 1979.
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The Secretary Bird (Serpentarius sagittarius or secretarius) is a crane-like African bird, found mainly in South Africa but extending north to the Sudan, which feeds on insects and reptiles. It received its name on account of pen- like tufts of feathers stuck at the back of the head. The bird has very long legs, standing more than a metre tall; the bill is short, strong and very arched; the neck is long; the tail has two greatly elongated and drooping feathers in the centre. The colouration is generally grey and black.
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Sedge is the collective noun for a group of cranes.
Sedge is the collective noun for a group of bitterns.
Sedge is the collective noun for a group of herons.
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Sedum is a genus of hardy, fleshy, usually tufted, herbaceous plants belonging to the family Crassulaceae. They generally bear cymes of white or yellow flowers and are popular as rock garden flowers.
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A seed is the fertilised ovule in flowering plants. In addition to the embryo, the seed usually contains a certain amount of albumin for its early nourishment.
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Seed Beetles or bean weevils is the popular name for insects of the family Bruchidae (formerly Lariidae), order Coleoptera. They are mostly small, compact beetles measuring less than 5 mm in length and generally with the head produced into a short rostrum. The larvae develop in the fruits of leguminous plants, the adult female laying her eggs on pods ripening in the fields. The larvae hatch with well-developed legs, penetrate the pod, bore a hole into the seed and develop in that. The larvae first moult into a different legless larvae, before pupating and emerging from the harvested seeds as an adult beetle.
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Segisaurus was a dinosaur of the Triassic period. Only a few remains of
Segisaurus have been found, and from these it is likely that Segisaurus was about one metre long, walked on its hind legs and was a carnivore.
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Segnosauria is an infraorder of lightly built, carnivorous dinosaurs. The infraorder was formed in 1980 to distinguish specimens of dinosaur which did not have the same hip bone arrangement as other members of the order Saurischia.
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Segnosaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Remains of Segnosaurus have proved enigmatic. It is likely the animal was about five metres long, and that its hind legs were much longer than its fore arms, but the mouth has sharp meet-cutting teeth at the back and no front teeth, an arrangement currently unknown in carnivore, herbivore or omnivore. Segnosaurus was identified in 1979 and it was suggested that it ate fish, but with a lack of front teeth it is difficult to see how it might have retained them in its mouth.
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The Selachii (Selachians) are an order of Chondrichthyes. This order includes the sharks and the rays. They have numerous teeth which are replaced in rapid succession throughout life.
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Selatosomus is a genus of wide-bodied click beetle (Elateridae) represented by seven British species, the larvae of which are both predacious and eat roots.
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Selenidium is a member of the Gregarinida order.
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Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) also known as hook heal, all heal and woundwort, is a low perennial herb of the family Labiatae native to Britain and Europe where it grows in grasslands, woodland clearings, hedgerows and on waste ground. It has a creeping rhizome which bears erect or ascending, square, red-tinged stems, branched below. The leaves are opposite, stalked, ovate and entire or serrate. The flowers are purplish in colour, two-lipped and arranged in dense, terminal, rectangular, spike-like panicles. The corolla has a hooded upper lip. The fruit consists of four smooth brown nutlets, each with a ridge running from the apex to the base. The flowering stems are used medicinally as an anti-inflammatory and haemostatic.
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The Selle Francaise (French Saddle Horse) is a French breed of riding and sports horse developed during the 19th century around the Normandy region. The Selle Francaise stands between 15.2 and 16.2 hands high, is usually bay, chestnut or brown in colour and a classy looking horse. A naturally athletic horse, they are superb show jumping horses and are frequently used by the French show jumping team.
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Semanotus is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).
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Semecarpus is a genus of tropical, evergreen trees of the family Anacardiacea. They bear panicles of small flowers followed by nuts or drupes.
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Senecio is a genus of some nine hundred species of plants of the family Compositae, distinguished by five-cleft tubular, central florets, the outer florets being strap-shaped, forming a ray and furnished with pistils only. The involucre is imbricated, with a few smaller scales at the base and the receptacle is naked.
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Senega (Polygala senega) is a North American plant, introduced into Britain during the 18th century, growing to some twenty centimetres tall and bearing terminal spikes of small, dull-white coloured flowers. The woody root of the plant was used by American Indians as an antidote to the bite of the rattlesnake, and is used in medicine to treat bronchitis.
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The Senner pony was one of two native German breeds of pony, now extinct. The
Senner ponies formerly lived in the Teutoburg forest.
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Sensitivity is the ability of an animal to respond to stimuli from its surroundings.
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In botany, the term sepal refers to any of the separate parts of the calyx of a flower.
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Sepedophilus is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, distinguished by a tapering abdomen and the back covered in fine hairs.
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The September Thorn (Ennomos erosaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in temperate Europe living in deciduous forests and flying from June to September.
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The Sequoia is the genus of the world's largest trees, growing to over 80 metres tall. The two species are evergreen and belong to the family Coniferae, both are confined to the western part of North America.
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The Seraphim moth (Lobophora halterata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 20 and 25 mm found in central and northern Europe and in Asia flying from April to June.
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Serica is a genus of dung beetle of the family Scarabaeidae. The larvae, which feed on roots, take two years to develop.
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Sericoderus is a genus of beetles of the family Corylophidae which lives under rotting plant matter.
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Sericus is a genus of click beetle (Elateridae). The larvae live under moss and eat roots.
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Sermylassa is a genus of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae).
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The serotine is a large bat, about the size of the noctule, with a very limited distribution in Britain. The wing-span is about 38 cm, and the wings are considerably broader than are those of the noctule. The oval ears are longer than broad, spaced far apart, and the unnotched but sinuous hind margin ends between the base of the tragus and the angle of the mouth. The tragus is fairly long, bluntly rounded at its tip, and has a curved hind edge. The anterior premolar is absent from the upper jaw and small in the lower one. The fur is longer and less velvety than in the noctule; it does not extend far on to the upper surface of the wing nor on to the under surface of the interfemoral membrane both of which are, however, sparsely sprinkled with very fine hairs. A band of hair extends along the under side of the arm bone towards the wrist. The colour is dark brown above and a lighter shade of brown beneath.
Bats of this or closely allied species have a very wide distribution throughout temperate Europe and Asia, but the British Isles are on the extreme limit of the range. The species is locally abundant in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire including the Isle of Wight, and parts of Devon. Elsewhere it is either unknown or very rare, but it has been recorded from Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Easer and Suffolk. The serotine lives in small colonies of up to twenty individuals, frequently in the roofs of houses.
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The Serow (Sarau, Goat Antelope, Nemorhoedus) is a genus of shaggy goats found in mountain districts of east and south-east Asia in the Himalayas.
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Serpentes is the snake suborder of reptiles, containing some 2700 species found throughout the moderate and tropical climate zones in all manner of biotopes.
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Serropalpus is a genus of large (as much as 18 millimetres long) false darkling beetles (Melandyridae). The larvae tunnel vertical passages in diseased or freshly felled fir and spruce trees.
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Sertularia is a member of the order Calyptoblastea.
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The serval (Leptailurus serval or Felis serval) is a long-legged wildcat, of the family Felidae native to grasslands and brush country of sub-Saharan Africa. Buff-coloured with black spots in rows down its back and legs, the serval has a slender body up to one metre long and about 50 centimetres high at the shoulder and a small head with long, triangular ears; it weighs about 16 kg. The serval feeds mostly on small mammals, lizards, and birds, although it is powerful enough to kill young antelope. It hunts rodent dens with its long front legs and hides in long grass, using its acute hearing to detect approaching prey which it then pounces on. When captured young, servals can be tamed but they are difficult to raise.
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Sesame is an annual plant of the family Pedaliaceae.
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Sesiidae is the clearwings family of moths, insects of the order Lepidoptera.
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The sessile oak (Quercus petraea) or durmast oak is a large deciduous tree of the family Fagaceae with a long main trunk, fan-shaped crown and deeply furrowed, brownish-grey bark. The leaves are alternate, leathery, dark- green, short-stalked, lobed and wedge-shaped at the base. The sessile oak is the dominant native oak tree of woods on wetter soils in northern and western upland regions of Britain. Sessile oak differs from the pedunculate oak in that the leaves don't have auricles at the base, and the acorns are short-stalked or sessile.
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The Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum) is the most abundant moth of the family Noctuidae found in the northern hemisphere. It has a wing span ranging from 35 to 42 mm and is found in lowland habitats where it has adapted well to agricultural environments. It flies from May until October.
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The Seven Spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) is a common, large British and European ladybird (up to eight millimetres long) usually red with black spots.
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The Sexton beetle or burying beetle (Nicrophorus humator) is a beetle of the carrion beetle Silphidae family, noted for its ability to make a chirping sound with its abdomen. They live on carrion and bury small animals as a store for future consumption.
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The shad is a fish of the herring family.
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The shaddock is a variety of large orange, native to China and Japan it was introduced to the West Indies by, and subsequently named after, Captain Shaddock.
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The Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 25 and 30 mm found in grassy biotopes in Europe and Asia flying from July to September.
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The Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) is a British sea bird, superficially similar to the cormorant, but smaller and with a green, oily sheen visible at close range in good light. Shags are to be found on rocky coastlines and diving into the sea, no matter how rough it is.
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The Shag-bark (Carya alba) is a hickory tree from which the hickory-nut is obtained.
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The Shagya Arabian is a Hungarian breed of horse similar to the Arabian Horse in appearance and with similar speed and endurance, but heavier and more substantial. The Shagya Arabian stands 15 hands high and is mostly grey in colour. They are versatile horses, lively and energetic and capable of being used in the harness and also for riding and in competition.
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The shallot is a type of onion.
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The shamrock are several trifoliate plants of the family Leguminosae.
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The Shan or Burmese Pony is a placid, good natured, Burmese pony standing 13 hands high and occurring in bay, brown, chestnut or grey colour. The breed developed in the Shan state of eastern Burma, bred by the local hill tribes as a working pony.
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Shantungosaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Shantungosaurus was a flat-headed, duck-billed dinosaur about twelve metres long and seven metres tall with a long tail and long hind legs. Remains of Shantungosaurus were discovered in the 1970s in China.
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The Shar-Pei is an ancient Chinese breed of dog dating back over 2000 years and once kept as fighting dogs. The Shar-Pei stands 40 centimetres tall, and like the Chow-Chow also has a blue tongue. They are an exuberant and loving breed.
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The shark is a large group of marine fish with cartilaginous skeletons.
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The Shark Moth (Cucullia umbratica) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 42 and 52 mm found across Europe to Central Asia and flying from May to August.
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The sharp-angled Peacock (Semiothisa alternaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 22 and 27 mm found in Europe and western Asia flying from May to August in open deciduous woods.
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The Shears Moth (Hada nana) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 30 and 35 mm found in Europe and Asia, flying in one or two generations between May and September.
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Sheep (Ovis) are a ruminant hoofed mammal of the Caprinae family, a sub- family of the Bovidae.
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Sheep Louse is a fly which gets into the wool of sheep and sucks their blood. The parasite fixes its head in the skin and causes a tumour. The remedy for
Sheep Louse is the sheep-dip.
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Sheep's fescue is an abundant tufted grass on dry open spaces growing from 15 centimetres to 60 centimetres tall. The leaves are almost cylindrical and chiefly basal. The panicle is compact and slightly one-sided.
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A Sheep-Dog is any breed of dog trained for controlling sheep, but in England the term is usually restricted to the Old English Sheep Dog.
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The Sheldrake (Sheld-Drake, Bargander) is a British duck found in sandy coastal regions.
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The shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) is a large British coastal duck of the family Anatidae with a scarlet bill and pink legs.
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The Shelled Slug (Testacella scutulum) is a British slug, about ten centimetres long, with a fingernail-like shell covering the mantle at the rear end. The Shelled Slug is predatory on earthworms, and spends most of its life underground.
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Shepherd's Fritillary (Boloria pales) is a locally distributed butterfly of the brush-footed butterflies family (Nymphalidae) found at higher elevations in European mountains and through Asia to western China, including the Alps, Carpathians and on the Caucasus.
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Shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is an annual or biennial herb of the family Cruciferae with entire or pinnately lobed basal leaves arranged in a rosette. The stem leaves are small, lanceolate, clasping and sagittate at the base. The flowers are small, white and inconspicuous and arranged in terminal racemes. The fruit is a triangular-obcordate silicula resembling an old-fashioned purse, from whence the plant derives it's name. In some countries the leaves are eaten as a vegetable, and it was traditionally used as a medicine to check haemorrhaging in childbirth and to stop bleeding from open wounds. The active constituents of the plant include the amines chlorine and acetylcholine, bursine, diosmin, organic acids and tannins.
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The Shetland is a breed of cattle.
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The Shetland Pony is a small breed of pony native to the Scottish Shetland islands. They grow to 10 hands high, and are the strongest pony or horse in ratio to their size. They occur mainly in black, chestnut, brown grey or pinto colourations and have a waterproof winter coat. Formerly used for working in mines as pit ponies, they Shetland Pony was also used by crofters for carrying peat and today is popularly a children's riding pony or pet. They have a good nature and are gentle unless spoiled in which case they can become difficult.
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The Shetland Sheepdog is a Scottish breed of sheepdog from the Shetland Isles. They are similar to the Rough Collie in appearance, though are smaller standing 37 centimetres tall. They are an active breed which needs a lot of exercise, but are also trusting of other dogs.
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The Shih Tzu is a Tibetan breed of utility dog first introduced to the West in the 1930s from a number of dogs obtained from China. The Shih Tzu is a good companion dog, being naturally affectionate and friendly towards people of all ages. An intelligent breed, they quickly become bored if left on their own.
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The Shire horse is an English breed of large heavy horse developed during the 19th century. The Shire horse stands over 17 hands high and has a docile and friendly nature, and the greatest pulling power of any horse, leading to them becoming very popular as agricultural work horses prior to the Second World War. Today they are still popular for their attractive appearance and are used by breweries for demonstrations and shows. In colour they are bay, chestnut, grey or brown. The legs are heavily feathered, and the head is adorned with small, alert ears.
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Shoal is the collective noun for a group of fish.
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The Shoe-bill (or Whale-headed stork) is a large heron-like bird with a very large, broad bill the upper part of which ends in a prominent hook. It is a rare bird found only in the marshes of the White Nile and its tributaries.
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The Short-Tailed Blue (Everes argiades) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found in the warm parts of Europe and Asia and in North America. It lives in damp lowland meadows and deep mountain valleys where it produces two or more broods each year. The caterpillar lives on various leguminous plants including clover and medick.
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The Shorthead Garter Snake (Thamnophis brachystoma) is a species of American Garter snake so named on account that its head is rarely bigger than the width of the neck and body. The Shorthead Garter Snake is found mainly on the Allegheny High Plateau in the USA where it grows to about 46 centimetres long.
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The shorthorn (Durham) is a horned or hornless, red or roan coloured breed of domestic beef cattle.
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The Shoulder Stripe (Anticlea badiata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 25 and 30 mm found in temperate Europe and Asia flying from March to May.
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The Shoulder-Striped Clover (Heliothis maritima) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 28 and 35 mm found in western and southern Europe, and western Asia. One or two generations are produced flying between June and September.
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The Shoulder-striped Wainscot (Mythimna comma) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 32 and 37 mm distributed in non-polar temperate Europe and Asia where it prefers damp localities, especially meadows, slopes and open, grassy woods. Two generations occur flying from May to July and August to October.
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The shoveler (Anas clypeata) is the smallest British duck. It has a characteristic long, flattened bill. The male is black and white on the body, with chestnut flanks and a green head. The female is a mottled brown colour.
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Show is the collective noun for a group of dogs.
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The shrew are several insectivorous mammals of the family Soricidae. The common shrew (Sorex araneus) is about 75 mm long, excluding the tail which is about 35 mm long. The animal has a bilobed snout which extends far beyond the mouth, and is well furnished with whiskers. The coat is of a soft, silky fur, dark on the upper part, paling to a dirty yellowish grey beneath.
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Shrewdness is the collective noun for a group of apes.
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The Shrikes (Lanidae) are a Passerine family of small birds of the Dentirostres tribe, with varying characters, but often with compressed, hooked, serrated bills suitable for seizing and tearing the small birds and animals they feed on.
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The shrimp is a class of predatory marine Malacostraca.
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Shunosaurus was a dinosaur of the Jurassic period. Remains of Shunosaurus were first found in 1979 in China, and since then more than ten skeletons have been found. Shunosaurus was a sauropod dinosaur, about nine metres long with a long neck and tail, bulky body, and short but powerful legs. The head was quite large and the mouth furnished with spoon-shaped teeth.
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The siamang is a type of gibbon native to Malaysia and Sumatra.
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The Siamese is a breed of short-haired cat known for its colouration, intelligence and svelte elegance. The coat is thick and glossy, with points on the mask, ears, feet, and tail which can be seal, chocolate, blue, or lilac coloured. The ears are large and pointed, the tail is long and thin and the eyes are sapphire blue. The Siamese has the loudest meow of all cat breeds. The breed originates from Asia and first appeared in Britain in the 1870s when the King of Siam gave a gift of two Siamese cats to Owen Gould, the English consul general in Bangkok, to take back to London.
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The Siberian Husky (or Arctic Husky) is a Siberian breed of working dog developed by the Chukchi tribe of Siberia as sleigh dogs. A bold, lively, friendly breed with great stamina, the
Siberian Husky stands about 55 centimetres tall.
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Sibina is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae).
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Sibynophinae is the 'Many-toothed Snakes' subfamily of the family Colubridae, reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (Snakes). The members are characterised by numerous fragile teeth on each maxillary. There are about 17 species in three genera, native to south-east Asia, Madagascar and Central America, most eating hard-scaled lizards such as skinks.
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The Sicilian Buttercup is a breed of chicken.
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The sidewinder is a type of rattlesnake.
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Siege is the collective noun for a group of cranes.
Siege is the collective noun for a group of bitterns.
Siege is the collective noun for a group of herons.
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The Sierra Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata multicincta) is a species of King snake closely related to the Milk Snakes, more so than it is to the common King snakes, and found in south-west Oregon and California where it feeds on lizards, rodents and occasionally small birds.
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Silis is a genus of soldier beetle (Cantharidae) with a single British species, Silis ruficollis found in damp areas, beside water and in marshy places.
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The Silk-button Spangle Gall Wasp (Neuroterus numismalis) is a small hymenopterous insect of the family Cynipidae found in Europe and Asia Minor. The Silk-button Spangle Gall Wasp produces two distinct types of gall on the leaves of the oak tree. The most conspicuous gall is a red coloured, cup-shaped gall of about 3 mm diameter found on the underside of the leaves which over-winter on the ground attached to fallen leaves. The larvae inside these galls pupate and emerge in March, an entire generation of female wasps. These female wasps lay their eggs in the large oak buds, and these larvae pupate to emerge as a second generation of both male and female wasps in May or early June. The females of this second generation lay their eggs on the underside of leaves, causing the cup-shaped galls to form.
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The Silkie is a breed of chicken.
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The Silky Ringlet (Erebia gorge) is a butterfly of the family Satyridae, with a wingspan of about 35 mm, typical of mountain butterfly species. It flies only on sunny days.
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Silpha is a genus of beetles of the carrion beetle, Silphidae, family. Six species occur in Britain. They are slightly convex, black or brown in colour and range from 11 to 20 mm in length. They generally feed on carrion, but some are predacious. One species, Silpha atrata, known as the Black Carrion Beetle, eats snails, using its long head to break into their shells.
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Silphidae are the carrion beetles family of insects of the order Coleoptera. Twenty species of carrion beetles occur in Britain. Most of the species are fairly large, measuring over ten millimetres in length, some reaching thirty millimetres. They usually have a flattened body and their antennae either have a thickened, button-like tip, or grow gradually thicker from the base to the tip. Some species do not feed on carrion at all, but are predators while others feed on vegetable matter.
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The Silurian Moth (Eriopygodes imbecilla) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 22 and 28 mm found in wet meadows and peaty biotopes often close to streams and springs in Europe and Asia. A single generation flies from June to July.
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Silusa is a genus of rove beetles, Staphylinidae, often found in sap flows on tree trunks.
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Silvanus is a genus of beetle of the family Cucujidae, similar in appearance to the Saw-toothed Grain Beetle, but their pronotum is not toothed at the sides.
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The Silver Cloud (Egira conspicillaris) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 33 and 37 mm found in temperate and warm Europe and Asia. A single generation flies from April to May.
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Silver Fir is the popular name for trees of the genus Abies. These are evergreen conifers of the family Pinaceae with single needles and flowers of both sexes occurring on the same tree. The topmost branches bear long, solid, cylindrical cones which break up when ripe or are destroyed by squirrels seeking the seeds inside
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The Silver Hook (Eustrotia uncula) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 20 and 22 mm widespread throughout the cooler Palaearctic in wet meadows, swamps and peat-bogs. One or two generations are produced flying from May to August.
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The Silver Moth (Autographa gamma) is a moth of the family Noctuidae with a wing span of between 35 and 40 mm found throughout the Palaearctic where it migrates to from the sub-tropics to fly in one or two generations in the summer and autumn before migrating south again.
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The Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 24 and 28 mm found in the mountains of Europe and Asia flying from May to July.
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The Silver-Striped Hawkmoth (Hippotion celerio) is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae with a wing span of between 70 and 80 mm found in tropical and subtropical parts of Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe migrating northwards. Several generations are produced flying from May to September.
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The Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found in Europe and Asia in damp places and flying in two generations, the first from May to June and the second from July to August.
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The Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) is a large species of brush- footed butterfly (Nymphalidae) with a wing span of about 60 mm. The butterflies fly from July until September.
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Silverweed (Potentilla anserina) is a perennial herb of the family Rosaceae native to Britain and Europe, with a short rhizome and prostrate rooting stolons. The leaves are odd-pinnate with pairs of larger leaflets alternating with smaller ones. The leaflets are oval to rectangular, coarsely serrate and usually silvery on both sides, or sometimes only below. The flowers are bright-yellow, long-stalked and solitary and grow from the leaf axils. The fruit is an achene.
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Silvisaurus was a dinosaur of the Cretaceous period. Silvisaurus was an armoured dinosaur that walked on all fours and was about four metres long. It had a longish neck, a heavy head with a small horny beak and small pointed teeth at the front of the upper jaw. The body was covered with armoured plates and the body and tail had some rounded spikes sticking out of the sides.
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The Simmental is a breed of cattle.
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Simplocaria is a genus of Pill Beetles (Byrrhidae).
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The Sinaloan Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum sinaloae) is a hardy species of Milk snake with a calm temperament making it a favourite for keeping as a pet. The Sinaloan Milk Snake has the typical Milk snake red colouring with bands of brilliant white sandwiched between black bands along the dorsum.
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The single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidata) is a moth of the family Geometridae with a wing span of between 13 and 18 mm found in temperate Europe and Asia Minor flying from June to August.
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Sinodendron is a genus of small stag beetles (Lucanidae
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Sinoxylon is a genus of False Powder-post Beetles (Bostrychidae) with some fifty species in Africa and Asia.
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Siphonophora is an order of Hydrozoa. They are pelagic, colonial animals which show marked polymorphism.
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The Sirenia (sea-cow) is an order of Eutheria. They are large herbivorous animals adapted to life in shallow sea.
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Sirex is a genus of Horntail (Siricidea). Sirex juvencus is distributed throughout a large part of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia, and the British Isles and has been introduced into Australia. Sirex juvencus is found in coniferous woodlands, typically pine where the adults fly in clearings on sunny days between June and August and sometimes September. The female lays her eggs in damaged and dead trees on branches with thin bark, the eggs being laid in pairs. The eggs are covered in a mucous containing spores of a wood-attacking fungi which are kept in sacs on the females body. The fungi spreads with the burrowing larvae and provides food for them.
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Siricidae is the Horntails or Wood Wasps family of insects of the super-family Siricoidea, sub-order Symphyta, order Hymenoptera.
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Siricoidea is a super-family of insects of the sub-order Symphyta, order Hymenoptera. They are large insects with a cylindrical body and are noisy fliers. The larvae develop in the wood of coniferous and deciduous trees.
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The Siskin or Aberdevine (Carduelis Spinus) is a bird which visits England during the winter. It is 11 centimetres long with a black crown, variegated plumage of grey and yellow and a dusky tail. They are to be found in alder trees where they feed on the seeds.
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Sisyphus is a genus of dung beetle of the family Scarabaeidae, with long, slender middle and hind legs. The larvae are fed on balls of sheep dung.
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The sitatunga are a type of antelope found in swamp regions of central Africa.
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Sitona is a genus of Snout Beetles (Curculionidae) represented by twenty British species that feed on the leaves of leguminous plants, mainly at night.
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The Six-spot Burnet (Zygaena filipendulae) is a moth of the family Zygaenidae with a wing span of between 30 and 38 mm found in Europe and western and central Asia flying from June to September in grassy, damp biotopes.
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Skate are several species of flatfish belonging to the elasmobranchiate. The skeleton is cartilaginous and the body greatly flattened, with broad pectoral fins and a whil-like tail. The common skate (Raia batis) varies from 60 to 122 cm in length, and is greyish white in colour on the upper parts, with small black spots. There are nine British species of skate, all edible.
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Skein is the collective noun for a group of geese in flight.
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Skinks is the popular name for the Scincidae family of lizards, comprising about 50 genera with about 750 species. Skinks have a noticeably cylindrical, smooth, shiny body, with a pointed nose and tail. They are found in various biotopes in Africa, Asia, Australia, America and Europe, chiefly living on the ground.
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Skirret is a plant of the family Umbelliferae. It is a perennial plant native to China and Japan, sometimes cultivated for its edible roots.
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The Skua (Stercorariidae) are a family of seven species of swimming birds closely related to the gulls, with the upper mandible of the beak longer than the lower, and strongly hooked at the tip. They have strong crooked claws and completely webbed feet and brownish coloured plummage.
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Skulk is the collective noun for a group of foxes.
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The skunk (Mephitis) is a north and central American carnivorous mammal of the family Mustelidae. The skunk is slightly smaller than a domestic cat, and has a handsome black coat with two white stripes running along the back. The tail is long and bushy, measuring about 45 cm when the body is 60 cm long. The skunk's fur was formerly much valued in the fur trade, and at the start of the 20th century skunks were bred at a farm in Northumberland, England to supply the British fur trade. The skunk can emit an offensive odour, when annoyed, from the secretion of a pair of glands near the tail.
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Skunk-cabbage is a plant of the family Araceae so named for its smell. The root and seeds are antispasmodic and were at one time used to treat asthma.
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The Skye Terrier is a long-coated breed of terrier originating from the Isle of Skye and bred for hunting foxes and badgers. A remarkably loyal breed, a famous story concerning the devotion of one Skye Terrier called Greyfriars Bobby tells how after his master's death the dog visited the grave every day for ten years until his own death. A monument was subsequently erected commemorating the dog's loyalty. Skye Terriers are a hardy breed, but require a lot of exercise and with a long coat, grooming.
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The Skylark (Alauda arvensis) is a small Passerine bird found in the northern hemisphere and typically distinguishable by a long black claw toe. It is native to Britain and common throughout Europe and north and central Asia and is famous for its song and soaring flight. The Skylark is generally brown in colour streaked with black on the upper parts, and buffy white beneath. It measures about 18 cm in total length of which about 5 cm is the tail. Skylarks construct an open nest of dry grass placed in a slight depression scratched in the ground in which are laid three, four or five blotched grey and brown eggs. The food consists chiefly of seeds and insects.
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The Skyrian is an extremely rare breed of Greek pony from the island of Skyros. They stand 11 hands high, are brown bay or grey in colour. They have a good temperament and are tough and hardy, surefooted and with hard feet that rarely require shoeing.
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Slater was a popular name for woodlice around the start of the 20th century.
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Sleuth is the collective noun for a group of bears.
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Slippery Elm (Ulmus fuvula), also known as Red Elm, Moose Elm and Indian Elm, is a small North American tree of the family Urticaceae. The branches are very rough, the leaves long, unequally toothed, rough with hairs on both sides, the leaf-buds are covered with a dense yellow wool. The flowers are stalkless. The inner bark has important medicinal properties and is used as an emollient, expectorant, diuretic, nutritive and demulcent.
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Sloe (Prunus spinosa) or Blackthorn is a deciduous, much branched and very spiny shrub of the family Rosaceae with spinose branches and hard tough wood. The leaves are small, alternate, oval, stalked, finely serrate, dull above and hairy below. The fruit are black-coloured or deep- purple in colour berries about the size of a small damson, and are used for preserves, sloe gin and a fictious port wine.
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The sloth is two genera and three six species of South American and Central American, tree-dwelling, herbivorous mammals of the family Bradypodidae. They have rounded heads, inconspicuous ears and flattened faces, and the limbs are furnished with long, sharp, curved claws. The body is bulky and heavy, covered with brown or greyish coloured, long, shaggy hair which oftens developes a green tint from the presence of algae living in the hair. Sloths spend most of their time in the trees, moving very slowly - though capable of considerable speed in the trees - and eating leaves.
Sloth is the collective noun for a group of bears.
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The sloth bear or honey bear (Melursus labiatus) is a bear of the mountainous regions of India and Sri Lanka. The only species of the genus, Melursus, it has a shaggy black coat, and a long muzzle with very mobile lips. The sloth bear feeds mainly on honey, fruit and insects.
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Slugs are a group of gastropods, similar to snails, but in which the shell is absent or rudimentary. Because they lack a shell, slugs can only be active during damp weather, otherwise they would dry out and die. As a protection, slugs secrete a foul tasting mucous which they cover themselves with as a defence against being eaten by birds.
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