A territory (plural: territories, from the word "terra", which means 'land') is an area which belongs to a person, organization, institution, animal, nation or state. In international law, a "territory" is an area of land which is outside the borders of a nation, but owned by that nation. Examples are: Puerto Rico as a U.S. territory, or Bermuda as a territory of the UK.
General examples of territories are states controlled by a federated government (such as Germany or the counties of a state within the States of the United States), a unitary state such as France, an occupied territory (land which has been invaded by the military of another country) or a disputed territory (such as Kashmir, which both India and Pakistan believe is theirs).
Sphingidae
Sphingidae is a family of moths (Lepidoptera), commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms. It includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region.
They can fly fast, and their wings can be linked by wing coupling. They can hover, and can move from side to side while hovering. This may be to deal with ambush predators that lie in wait in flowers.
There are around 1200 species of hawk moth, classified into around 200 genera. Some of the best known species are:
Acosmeryx socrates
Acosmeryx socrates is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It lives in southeast Asia.
Isognathus rimosus
The Rimosus Sphinx ("Isognathus rimosus") is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It lives in tropical climates from northern Brazil north through Central America, the West Indies and Mexico to southern Arizona.
The wingspan is 70-102 mm.
Scarlino
Scarlino is a "comune" (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany. It is about southwest of Florence and about northwest of Grosseto.
Scarlino borders the following municipalities: Castiglione della Pescaia, Follonica, Gavorrano, Massa Marittima.
Scarlino in the first time was under the control of the Aldobrandeschi family, later under the bishops of Roselle and then the Alberti family. In the 13th century it was bought again by the Aldobrandeschi, but later it passed to Pisa and then the Appiani of Piombino.
Until early 19th century, Scarlino was still a part of Principality of Piombino few time later when it became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
Takin
The Takin ("Budorcas taxicolor") is a goat-antelope found in the Eastern Himalayas, Sikkim, northern Assam, northern Burma, and central and southern China. The takin is the national animal of Bhutan.
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. It was started in 1985. It is based in Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport. Ryanair goes to 165 cities. These are mostly across Europe. Ryanair has a fleet of 293 Boeing 737 aircraft.
Ford Crown Victoria
The Ford Crown Victoria was a large, rear wheel powered car. It the last big, V-8, RWD sedan made by an American automobile company. In the 1980s, it was called the LTD Crown Victoria. Back then, it also came in a station wagon called the Country Squire. It has been widely used by both the general public as well as large businesses, government and law enforcement bodies. In 2008 Ford made the Crown Victoria "fleet-only", meaning they would no longer sell them one by one to the general public but could be obtained as used models. They are most commonly seen as police cars and taxis. The Crown Victoria also has the distinction of being the last car Ford sold with an analogue odometer when it was updated for the 2006 model year.
Mira
Mira is a binary star system with a white dwarf (Mira B, also known as VZ Ceti) star and a red giant (Mira A). Scientists think Mira is 200-400 light years away in the constellation Cetus. Mira is known to change size over time. Other red giant stars that do the same are called Mira variables.
Mira has a diameter 332 to 541 times that of our sun.
If Mira did not change size, its diameter would be only 240 times larger than the Sun.
Ferry Corsten
Ferry Corsten, also known as System F, (born 4 December 1973) is a Dutch musical artist. He creates music in the electronica and trance varieties. He lives in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Ferry hosts his own radio show, "Corsten's Countdown".
In 2009 Corsten ranked #7 on DJ Magazine's annual Top 100 DJ Poll.
Mimicry
In biology, mimicry is when a species evolves features similar to another. Either one or both are protected when a third species cannot tell them apart. Often, these features are visual; one species looks like another; but similarities of sound, smell and behaviour may also make the fraud seem more real.
Mimicry is related to camouflage, and to warning signals, in which species manipulate or deceive other species which might do them harm. Although mimicry is mainly a defence against predators, sometimes predators also use mimicry, and fool their prey into feeling safe.
Mimicry happens in both animal and plant species. The "mimic" is the species which looks like the "model". The model may be living, or not. Whole groups of animals go in for mimicry as a life style, such as mantids, leaf insects or stick insects. Camouflage, in which a species looks similar to its surroundings, is a form of visual mimicry.
There are far more insect mimics than any other class of animal, but then there are far more insects than other types of animals. Indeed, 75% of all animals which have been described and named, are insects. Many other kinds of animal mimics are known, including fish, plants and even fungi, though less research has been done on these.
Mimicry evolves because the species that are better at mimicking survive to produce more offspring than the species that are worse at mimicking. The genes of the better mimics become more common in the species. Over time, mimic species get closer to their models. This is the process of evolution by natural selection.
Since most higher animals have relatively good eyesight, they use it to find what they want. Both herbivores (animals which eat plants), and predators (animals which hunt and eat other animals), use sight to find their food. Prey need to avoid being eaten by predators. Their best chance is to avoid being seen. Usually, they need camouflage. With camouflage, an animal looks like its background, and so is more difficult to see. This is achieved in various ways:
Both camouflage and mimicry work best when a predator is searching from a distance. When the predator gets close to the prey, and they are sure to be found, some prey switch methods, and flee (run away) or fight back. This behaviour is almost always instinctive. In any event, whether cryptic (hidden) or not, the prey's behaviour must match its mimicry. If it looks like a leaf twisting in the wind, then it has to twist in the wind. Almost all forms of mimicry involve appropriate behaviour to reinforce the visual impression.
Not all animals use camouflage because there are situations where it is good to show themselves off. One case is the need to find and keep a mate. Many male animals have some bright colours during the mating season, or change their behaviour and come out into the open. Without this, they might not succeed in mating. Their females, on the other hand, are usually dowdy and camouflaged. This pattern occurs in almost all animals where the male displays and the female chooses. There is at least one good reason the female stays camouflaged. The moment she is fertilized she carries the precious cargo: the eggs that will form part of the next generation.
Animals that are dangerous, or foul to eat, usually advertise the fact. This is called warning or "aposematic colouration". It is the exact opposite of camouflage. Warning colours are vivid, often some of black, white, red, yellow.
Tests show that warning colours definitely do deter predators.