The zodiac was the name given by the ancient Greeks to the heavens. It was an imaginary belt in the celestial sphere, extending about 80 degrees on either side of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun among the stars. The width of the zodiac was determined originally so as to include the orbits of the Sun and Moon and of the five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) that were known to the people of ancient times.
The zodiac is divided into 12 sections of 300 degrees each, which are called the signs of the zodiac. Starting with the vernalequinox and then proceeding eastward along the ecliptic, each of the divisions is named for the constellation situated within its limits in the second century BC. The names of the zodiacal signs are Aries, the Ram; Taurus, the Bull; Gemini, the Twins; Cancer, the Crab; Leo, the Lion; Virgo, the Virgin; Libra, the Balance; Scorpio, the Scorpion; Sagittarius, the Archer; Capricorn, the Goat; Aquarius, the Water Bearer; and Pisces, the Fish. Because of the precession of the equinoxes about the ecliptic, a 26,000-year cycle, the first point of Aries retrogrades about 10 degrees in 70 years, so that the sign Aries today lies in the constellationPisces. In about 24,000 years, when the retrogression will have completed the entirecircuit of 3600, the zodiacal signs and constellations will again coincide.
It is believed that the zodiacal signs originated in Mesopotamia as early as 2000 BC . The Greeks adopted the symbols from the Babylonians and passed them on to the other ancient civilisations. The Egyptians assigned other names and symbols to the zodiacal divisions. The Chinese also adopted the 12-fold division, but called the signs rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, serpent, horse, sheep, monkey, hen, dog, and pig. Independently, the Aztec Indians devised a similar system. Research Zodiac
The Affenpinscher or Monkey Dog, is a breed of small dog originating in Germany sometime before the 18th century, but not recognised by the British KennelClub until 1980. It is sometimes known as the Monkey Dog on account of its facial features which somewhat resemble those of a primate. In France the breed is also known as 'the moustached little devil' on account of the bushy area of hair above the mouth. The breed is lively, loyal and affectionate, and stubborn. the coat is wiry in texture and relatively long. Research Affenpinscher
Araucaria is a genus of Coniferae with evergreen leaves, of a singularly geometric habit of growth, belonging to the southern hemisphere. The species are large trees with pretty large, stiff, flattened, and generally imbricated leaves, verticillate spreading branches, and bearing large cones, each scale having a single large seed. The species best known in Britain is Araucaria imbricdta (popularly known as the Chili pine or puzzle-monkey), which is quite hardy. It is a native of the mountains of southern Chili, where it forms vast forests and yields a hard durable wood. Its seeds are eaten when roasted. The MoretonBaypine of New South Wales (Araucaria Cunninghamii) supplies a valuable timber used in house and boat building, in making furniture, and in other carpenter work. A species, Araucaria excelsa, or Norfolk Island pine abounds in several of the South Sea Islands, where it attains a height of 67 metres with a circumference of 9 meters, and is described as one of the most beautiful of trees. Its foliage is light and graceful, and quite unlike that of Araucaria imbricata, having nothing of of its stiff formality. Its timber is of some value, being white, tough, and close-grained. Research Araucaria
The baboon is seven species of Old World monkey in the genus Papio that have evolved from tree-dwelling ancestors to become terrestrial, walking on all four limbs. Typical open-country monkeys, they are found all over the savannah, semi-desert, and lightly forested regions of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. (The species of baboons known as the mandrill and the drill, however, live in more forested habitats.) The face is elongated and rather dog-like, and the jaw carries a long row of grinding molar teeth.
Baboons feed on the ground, eating seeds, tubers, grass, insects, and small animals, and this makes them vulnerable to predators. Troops of baboons will often associate with a herd of ungulates such as impala, which are alert and will give warning of approaching predators. The association is of mutual benefit, as baboons are powerful animals and give protection to the impala from smaller predators. The hamadryas baboon, Papio hamadryas, is 76 centimetres tall with a tail 61 centimetres long; the females have brown hair and the males have grey hair with a long mane. They live in highly organized societies of twenty-five to thirty animals, and occasionally in groups of up to 200. The society is usually hierarchical, and the males defend females with young. A single offspring is born and it is carried by its mother for several months. Other species are the common, or savannah, baboon, Papio cynocephalus, and the gelada baboon, Theropithecus gelada. Research Baboon
The Ba'obab or monkey-bread tree (Adansoniadigitata),is a tree belonging to the natural order (or sub-order) Bombaceae, and the only known species of its genus, which was named after the naturalist Adanson. It is one of the largest of trees, its trunk sometimes attaining a diameter of ten meters; and as the profusion of leaves and drooping boughs sometimes almost hides the stem, the whole forms a hemispherical mass of verdure 42 to 45 metres in diameter and 18 to 21 metres high. It is a native of Western Africa, and is found also in Abyssinia; it is cultivated in many of the warmer parts of the world. The roots are of extraordinary length, a tree 23 metres in girth having a tap-root 33 metres in length. The leaves are deep green, divided into five unequal parts lanceolate in shape, and radiating from a common centre. The flowers resemble the white poppy, having snowy petals and violet-coloured stamens; and the fruit, which is large and of a rectangular shape, is said to taste like gingerbread, with a pleasant acid flavour. The wood is pale -coloured. light, and soft. The tree is liable to be attacked by a fungus which, vegetating in the woody part, renders it soft and pithlike. By the natives of the west coast these trunks are hollowed into chambers, and dead bodies are suspended in them. There they become perfectly dry and well preserved, without further preparation or embalming. The baobab is emollient and mucilaginous; the pulverized leaves constitute lalo, which the natives mix with their daily food to diminish excessive perspiration, and which was formerly used by Europeans in fevers and diarrhoeas. The expressed juice of the fruit is used as a cooling drink in putrid fevers, and also as a seasoning for various foods. Research Baobab
The Barbary Ape (Inuus ecaudatus or Macaca sylvanus) is a monkey (and not an ape) native to north Africa, and kept artificially on Gibraltar. They have greenish-brown hair, are about the size of a large cat, and are remarkable for their docility. The Barbary Ape is common in Barbary and other parts of Africa. They are social animals, cantering a large part of their social life around the young, most of whom are born in the summer. It has been the 'showman's ape' from time immemorial. Research Barbary Ape
The capuchin monkey (Cebus capuchinus) is a tropical American monkey of the family Cebidae, subfamily Cebinae. They are distinguished by the comparative shortness of their tail, and the absence of a naked area on the underside of the tail. The hair is not woolly, the limbs are of moderate length and slender. The monkeys live in troops, frequenting the tops of tall forest trees eating fruits, shoots, buds, insects, eggs and young birds. The ease with which they are trained, together with their gentle nature has made them popular as pets and performers. Research Capuchin Monkey
The Chile pine (Araucaria imbricata) or monkey puzzle is a conifer native to Chile which grows in England and was used for the masts of ships. In Chile the seeds are eaten. Research Chile pine
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Zodiac
