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crocodile

(Encyclopedia)crocodile, large, carnivorous reptile of the order Crocodilia, found in tropical and subtropical regions. Crocodiles live in swamps or on river banks and catch their prey in the water. They have flatt...

bat

(Encyclopedia)bat, winged mammal of the order Chiroptera, which includes 900–1,000 species classified in about 200 genera and 17 families. Bats range in size from a wingspread of over 5 ft (150 cm) to a wingsprea...

croton, in botany

(Encyclopedia)croton krōˈtən [key], any of several species of Codiaeum that are widely cultivated as ornamentals and houseplants. The most popular species is C. variegatum, which has many cultivated forms of hig...

Entoprocta

(Encyclopedia)CE5 A. Internal anatomy of a single animal in a Pedicellina colony B. Part of a colony of Pedicellina, representative of the phylum Entoprocta Entoprocta ĕnˌtəprŏkˈtə [key], animal phylum co...

angelica

(Encyclopedia)angelica ănjĕlˈĭkə [key], any species of the genus Angelica, plants of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the Northern Hemisphere and New Zealand, valued for their potency as a m...

lizard

(Encyclopedia)lizard, a reptile of the order Squamata, which also includes the snake. Lizards form the suborder Sauria, and there are over 3,000 lizard species distributed throughout the world (except for the polar...

sea nettle

(Encyclopedia)sea nettle, any one of several species of stinging jellyfish, common along coasts and much feared by swimmers. Most stings are painful but are not dangerous to man; however, certain jellyfish of the o...

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...

chevrotain

(Encyclopedia)chevrotain shĕvˈrətānˌ [key], name for several species of small, ruminant mammals of Africa and SE Asia. Although they are also called mouse-deer, chevrotains are not closely related to true deer...

chaparral

(Encyclopedia)chaparral chăpərălˈ [key], type of plant community in which shrubs are dominant. It occurs usually in regions having from 10 to 20 in. (25–50 cm) of rainfall annually and with a Mediterranean-ty...