Tag Caucasus

What are the similarities and differences between the Siberian Ibex and the West Caucasian Tur?

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What are the similarities and differences between the Siberian Ibex (Capra sibirica) and the West Caucasian Tur (Capra caucasica caucasica)?

The Siberian Ibex and the West Caucasian Tur are both mountain goats in the Bovidae family of bovines and Capra genus of goats. The West Caucasian Tur is also known as the Caucasian Ibex. 

The Siberian Ibex and the West Caucasian Tur are both large, wild, ungulate (hoofed) mammals. 

The Siberian Ibex and the West Caucasian Tur both have ridged or ringed horns – the male has large horns and the female has much shorter horns.

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Tadpole of the Caucasian Parsley Frog

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The Caucasian Parsley Frog (Pelodytes caucasicus) is a freshwater amphibian in the Pelodytidae family of frogs. 

The Caucasian Parsley Frog begins its life as an egg. The adult female frog is oviparous, laying eggs. The female lays 40-300 eggs near reeds in a still body of water. The eggs hatch after about 14 days. 

The eggs hatch into tadpoles. 

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Southern Damselfly

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The Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale) is a medium-sized insect in the Coenagrionidae family of damselflies which are similar to dragonflies. It is also known as the Mercury Bluet.

The Southern Damselfly has a long, cylindrical, slender abdomen with ten segments. The male is bright blue with black markings. The female is less colourful. It has a mark on the second segment of its abdomen that resembles the symbol for the planet Mercury. It has forewings and hindwings which are similar in appearance and are membranous. It has compound eyes (like the eyes of house flies) and three simple eyes (ocelli) on its forehead. It has small antennae. 

The joint between its head and prothorax is flexible, which enables the damselfly to swivel its head. 

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CREATURE FEATURE: Caucasus Marbled White Butterfly

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The Caucasus Marbled White Butterfly (Melanargia galathea donsa) is a medium-sized insect in the Nymphalidae family of butterflies. It is also known as Our Half-Mourner Butterfly and the Marmoris Butterfly.

The Caucasus Marbled White is white with grey-black markings on its upperside. The underside of its hindwings (back wings) has grey eye-spots. The male and female are similar, except that some females have a yellowish underside. Its body is greyish and fluffy. It has long, black, clubbed antennae and large eyes.

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Red Wood Ant

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The Red Wood Ant (Formica rufa) is an insect in the Formicidae family of ants. It is also known as the Southern Wood Ant and Horse Ant.

The Red Wood Ant has a head, thorax, and abdomen. It is reddish, except for its brownish-black abdomen and dark patch on the back of its head. Its 6 legs are reddish-black. Its antennae are long. It has large jaws called mandibles. It has smoky-brown wings during the mating season – only the fertile female and adult male have wings.

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Syrian Rock-Grayling Butterfly

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The Syrian Rock-Grayling Butterfly (Hipparchia syriaca) is an insect in the Nympalidae family of brush-footed butterflies. 

The Syrian Rock-Grayling is tan, brown, and white, and is well camouflaged on tree bark and rocks. Its upperside is tan with copper, and edged in white, with a few eyespots. Its underside is dark-brown with eyespots. Its body is brown. It is similar to other Graylings, but with a narrower band on its forewing.

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Ivory Featherleg Damselfly

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The Ivory Featherleg Damselfly (Platycnemis dealbata) is an insect in the Platycnemididae family of dragonflies and damselflies. It is also known as the Needles Swallows Damselfly.

The Ivory Featherleg Damselfly has an elongated, cylindrical ivory-coloured body, enlarged white legs, a large head with large eyes, and a bulbous tail. The male’s abdomen is almost all-white. It has black markings down its abdomen. Its head had broad, pale-brown double antehumeral stripes. Its wings are long and translucent.

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Puss Moth

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The Puss Moth (Cerura vinula) is an insect in the Notodontidae family of moths.

The Puss Moth is creamy-white to yellowish-grey with light-brown lines and markings. The female has blackish lines and markings. It has a wide whitish-grey head, thorax, and abdomen that are very fluffy, like a hairy cat. 

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Iberian Golden Eagle

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The Iberian Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos homeyeri) is a large bird of prey in the Accipitridae family of booted eagles because it has feathering over its legs. It is a sub-species of the Golden Eagle, which is one of the most common eagles in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a raptor and an accipiter. 

The Iberian Golden Eagle is dark-brown with red-golden-brown, or light rusty, feathers on the back of its neck (nape). The nape feathers are short, and not crested. Its forehead and crown are dark-brownish.

It has some white markings on its long, strong wings. It has a blue-grey beak with a dark, sharply down-turned tip. Its beak has a beige-coloured cere. It has light-yellowish legs and feet with long black claws, called talons. It has orange-amber eyes.

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Caucasian Agama Lizard

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The Caucasian Agama (Paralaudakia caucasia) is a small agamid reptile in the Agamidae family of rock lizards. 

The Caucasian Agama has an elongated, flat body. Its scales are light-brown to olive coloured with yellowish dark-edged markings on its back. It does not have a throat pouch or loose skin under its chin. It has a light coloured underbelly. It has a rounded tail with large scales arranged in rings. 

Its yellowish limbs are long and strong. Its fourth toe on its hind (back) leg is longer than the other toes. 

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Meleager’s Blue Butterfly

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The Meleager’s Blue Butterfly (Polyommatus daphnis versicolor) is an insect in the Lycaenidae family of blue butterflies.

The male and female Meleager’s Blue Butterfly look different. The wings of the male are iridescent bright sky-blue on the upperside and grey-bluish on the underside – with blue at the base. The wings of the female are blue bordered with dark-brown on the upperside and pale brown on the underside. The undersides of the wings are dotted with small black spots encircled by white. The hind (back) wings are scalloped, especially in the females. The body is buff-coloured and hairy. Its antennae are segmented and clubbed at the tip. 

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Pitch Ant

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The Pitch Ant (Camponotus piceus) is an insect in the Formicidae family of Carpenter Ants. Pitch means black.

The Pitch Ant is black with smoky-brown wings. It has a head, rounded thorax, and abdomen. It has six legs. It has a pinched-in waist. Its antennae are mid-length and bent. It has wings during the mating season – only the fertile female and adult male have wings.

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Grasshopper Saga

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The Grasshopper Saga (Saga ephippigera ephippigera) is a medium-sized insect. It is in the Saginae sub-family of bush crickets, from the family of the Katydids. 

The Grasshopper Saga has varied colours, from light-green and dark-green to dark-brown or light-brown. Its head is usually darker than its body. The male has short wings, but the female is wingless. It has large antennae. Its legs have thorns.

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