Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Bryozoa

(Encyclopedia)Bryozoa brīˌəzōˈə [key], name of a phylum, in older systems of classification, that included the invertebrate animals now classified in the phyla Entoprocta and Ectoprocta. The term bryozoan (or...

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument

(Encyclopedia)Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, 330,780 acres (133,860 hectares), N Calif., est. 2015. Jointly managed by Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, the monument extends from near sea le...

zinc sulfate

(Encyclopedia)zinc sulfate, chemical compound ZnSO4, a very water soluble, transparent, colorless, crystalline compound. It is commonly used as the heptahydrate, ZnSO4·7H2O, and is commonly called white vitriol; i...

Torbay

(Encyclopedia)Torbay, borough and unitary authority (1991 pop. 54,430), SW England. The borough comprises the towns of Torquay, Paignton, and Brixham. On Tor Bay is a noted tourist resort area, known as the “Engl...

Sand to Snow National Monument

(Encyclopedia)Sand to Snow National Monument, 154,000 acres (62,000 hectares) in the San Bernadino Mountains, S Calif. It rises from the Sonoran Desert floor to Mount San Gorgonio (11,503 ft/3,506 m), the highest p...

Protozoa

(Encyclopedia)Protozoa, formerly, the name of an animal phylum comprising a large, diverse assortment of microscopic or near-microscopic one-celled heterotrophic organisms (protozoans). The term “protozoan” (or...

cheetah

(Encyclopedia)cheetah chēˈtə [key], carnivore of the cat family, Acinonyx jubatus, native to Africa and SW Asia as far east as India. Formerly numerous all over their range, they are extinct now in Asia except f...

eukaryote

(Encyclopedia)eukaryote yo͞okârˈē-ōtˌ [key], a cell or organism composed of cells that have a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles (mitochondria, chloroplasts; see cell, in biology) and genetic material orga...

Merovingian art and architecture

(Encyclopedia)Merovingian art and architecture mĕrˌəvĭnˈjēən [key]. This period is named for Merovech, the founder of the first Germanic-Frankish dynasty (c.a.d. 500–a.d. 751). The Merovingian period was m...

African swine fever

(Encyclopedia)African swine fever (ASF), highly contagious, deadly viral disease of swine. Its acute form, which is typically fatal, is characterized by high fever, loss of appetite, lethargy, and redness in the sk...