Anisomorpha buprestoides is a species of stick insect found in Florida, USA where they are active during the day among dry shrubs. They are between 40 and 70 mm long, the female being larger than the male, and are shiny brown-black in colour with yellow-brown stripes and wingless. When threatened, they eject a foul smelling irritant from a neckgland. This irritant which can cause temporary blindness can be sprayed as much as 50 cm away. Adults of the species are monogamous, remaining with the same mating partner all their lives. Research Anisomorpha Buprestoides
Byssus are the silky threads by means of which many bivalves attach themselves to a firm surface. The byssus threads are secreted in a gland in the foot which is the homologue of the mucusgland of the snail, and can be speedily renewed if severed. They are seen in very simple form in the common edible mussel (Mytilus), which is always attached to its surroundings by a tuft of golden threads. Research Byssus
Carabus is a genus of large and flightless beetles of the family Carabidae ranging from 30 to 40 mm in length, and found all over Europe where they live for between two and three years. In most species the membranous hindwings have regressed, and they have an abdominal gland from which they can release or squirt a malodorous defensive secretion. They are predominantly predators, but also eat fruit. Research Carabus
Cowberry or Red Whortleberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) is a low evergreen sub shrub of the family Ericaceae native to Europe, with a creeping rhizome and numerous erect, leafy, arched and rounded stems. The leaves are alternate, short-stalked, obovate, leathery, often notched, dark green and glossy above, gland dotted below with inrolled margins. The flowers are white or a pinkish colour, bell-shaped with short turned-back lobes and are arranged in short drooping terminal racemes. The fruit is a globose, red, edible berry. In Scotland it is frequently called the cranberry. Research Cowberry
The duck-billed platypus or duck-mole or duck-bill (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a curious mammal of the order Ornithorhynchidae, confined to south and east Australia and Tasmania. The animals are aquatic in their habits, forming their burrows in the banks of the creeks they inhabit. The burrows usually have two entrances, one above and one below the water level, and of great length, sometimes as much as 15 metres. They end in a small chamber in which the eggs are hatched and the young reared. The adult male reaches a length of about 45 cm, and is distinguished from the female by the presence of a horny spur on the hind foot, which is connected with a poison gland. In both sexes the body is oval and flattened, and covered with dense short fur. There is no visible external ear and the eyes are small. The muzzle is flat and broad and is covered by a dark-coloured beak, which is hairless and closely resembles the bill of a duck. The limbs are short and are webbed at the extremities, but the web can be folded back to reveal five powerful
claws used for burrowing. The tail is short, but flat and broad. Teeth are present in both jaws of the young, but soon disappear and are replaced by a series of horny plates which are used to masticate the food which is obtained by sifting through the mud with the bill. Research Duck-billed Platypus
The duiker or duyker (formerly known as the duykerbok) are a large group of African antelopes distinguished by the linear arrangement of the pores of the facial gland. The forehead is usually tufted between the horns, which are short and smooth. Many species are known, varying in size from a fox to a sheep, and the name is derived from their habit of diving under cover when alarmed. Research Duiker
Garter snake is a popular name for the non-venomous North American snakes of the genus Thamnophis of the family Colubridae. Typically they are marked with longitudinal stripes which resemble a garter, whence their name. Garter snakes eject a foul secretion from a gland near the anus when attacked or threatened, and are harmless to humans. Garter snakes are aquatic, living near to water and spending a good deal of time in it hunting by scent for insects, earthworms and amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders). Research Garter Snake
The Green Turtle is an amphibian of the order Reptilia, order Testudines. It is one of the largest of the seven species of sea turtle. Although once common in the worlds warmer seas, it is now threatened with extinction.
Green Turtles have a thick, heavy and bony shell covered in plate-like scales and a saltgland near the eye through which it gets rid of excess salt water. The feet are modified into powerful flippers that propel it through water, and are used for walking on land. Research Green Turtle
Hydrophiidae is the 'Sea Snakes' family of reptiles of the sub-order Serpentes (Snakes). The family is comprised of two sub-families, sixteen genera and about 56 species native to the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. Most of the members are highly adapted to a marine existence with laterally compressed bodies and rudder-like tails which help them swim. The eyes are relatively small and the nostrils are valved, being kept closed while swimming. Sea Snakes have adapted to living in salt water and have a gland which extracts excess salt from the blood system, and passes it to the tongue for expulsion when the tongue is extended. The members have short proteroglyphic venom fangs at the front of the upper jaw. Sea Snakes feed largely on fish, particularly eels. Research Hydrophiidae
Abbreviations
Research Anisomorpha Buprestoides
