Biology & Ecology Flashcards by Daniel P

“Golden” or “Ring-necked” (South Dakota’s state bird)
Served “under glass”

PHEASANT

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“Ruffed” (Pennsylvania’s state bird)
Also called “prairie chicken”
Synonym for “complain”

GROUSE

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“Rock” or “White-tailed” or “Willow” (Alaska’s state bird)
A kind of GROUSE
Feathered feet
White feathers in winter

PTARMIGAN

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Migrate in Vs
Caused the “Miracle on the Hudson”
“National” bird

CANADA GOOSE
Branta canadensis

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1 of 2 cranes in North America
Tallest of North American birds
Endangered
Named for their call

WHOOPING CRANE

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1 of 2 cranes in North America
Common in Nebraska in their namesake habitat

SANDHILL CRANE

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“Tufted”, e.g.
Chickadee relative
“Not a rodent”

TITMOUSE

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Bird native to Americas
Nectar eaters, pollinators
Hoverers, small, “busy”

Species:
GIANT (largest, up to 8”/0.7oz)
ANNA’S
RIVOLI’S
BLUE-THROATED

HUMMINGBIRD

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World’s smallest bird
2” long
Native to Cuba

BEE HUMMINGBIRD

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America’s smallest bird
Named like an instrument and a muse

CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD

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Fastest wingbeats of any bird (up to 200bpm)
“Gem-necked”

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD

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Patch of colour on the throat of a bird, especially a hummingbird

GORGET

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Fig variety named for a sea

ADRIATIC

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Spotted dog breed
Also called “coach” or “carriage dog”, “firehouse dog”, “plum pudding dog”
Born all white
Likes horses

DALMATIAN

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A breed of dog, molly (fish), pelican, & dead language are all named this, after a Croatian “coast”

DALMATIAN

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One of the strongest insects, this Coleopteran is named for a pachyderm

RHINOCEROS BEETLE

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Odd-toed ungulate related to tapirs & horses
Greek for “nose horn”
Group is a “crash”
Black, White, & Sumatran have 2 horns
Indian & Javan have 1 horn

RHINOCEROS

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Greek for “thick skin”
Obsolete grouping
Refers to hippos, rhinos, elephants, & tapirs

PACHYDERM

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Wild mountain goat with back-curving horns
4-letter name (popular in crosswords)

IBEX

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Asian monkey
Macaca mulatta
Used in medical research
Namesake of the positive/negative factor in human blood

RHESUS MACAQUE
RHESUS MONKEY
(RHESUS or RH factor)

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“Winged”, “royal”, or “black-browed”
Name possibly comes from latin for “white”
Largest wingspan of any extant bird (10-12 feet)
Bad luck to kill, as in Coleridge’s “Rime”

ALBATROSS

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“Storm” is one variety of this bird
Possibly named for the Saint who tried to walk in water with Jesus

PETREL

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“Brahman” is the American variety
Also called “humped cattle”
Originate in India
Has a dewlap

ZEBU

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Horse breed from Vienna’s “Spanish Riding School”
Developed by the Hapsburgs
Named for Lipica, Slovenia
Rescued by George Patton in WWII

LIPIZZAN(ER)

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Apple variety that sounds like Charlemagne's son

PIPPIN

Greek olive Brown-purple, almond shaped Named for a Peloponnese region

KALAMATA

GENUS of horses, zebras, & donkeys Species include ____ caballus, the domestic horse

EQUUS

GENUS of swans Includes species "buccinator" (trumpeter) & "atratus" (black)

CYGNUS

Genus in the wren family Greek for "hole-diver" Sounds like cavemen

TROGLODYTES

Snake of the genus Bungarus Venomous Related to cobras Starts with K

KRAIT

Texas state flower An annual pea Also a margarine brand "colourful"

BLUE BONNET

Maned antelope, such as a gemsbok 4 letters

ORYX

Macaque that lives on & represents Gibraltar Also lives in Morocco & Algeria

BARBARY APE

Fleshy part above a turkey's neck 5 letters

SNOOD

Pear relative Pectin-rich, used in jam & jelly Named for Cydonia, Crete Last name of Peter in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Eaten by Lear's Owl & Pussycat

QUINCE

Maryland's state bird Orange & black Icterus galbula

BALTIMORE ORIOLE

"Yemen" or "Queen of Sheba's ____", extinct since 2003

GAZELLE

Animal behaviour also called "thanatosis"

PLAYING DEAD PLAYING POSSUM

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermenting fungus

(BREWER'S) YEAST

Root-eating rodent named for its cheek pouches Uses its bare tail to navigate tunnels One torments Bill Murray in "Caddyshack"

(POCKET) GOPHER

Burrowing rodent Nickname of Minnesota; mascot of U. of Minnesota Also gives its name to a kind of snake (that eats it) and a tortoise

(POCKET) GOPHER (GOPHER STATE) (GOLDEN GOPHERS) (GOPHER SNAKE) (GOPHER TORTOISE)

Zebra subspecies with less extensive striping Extinct since the late 1800s

QUAGGA

A horned rattlesnake of the American desert Named for its strange locomotion Also a heat-seeking air-to-air missile

SIDEWINDER

Cat breed named for a Caribbean capital Hybrid of Siamese and black

HAVANA BROWN

Only dog breed that comes from Cuba Toy breed

HAVANESE

Cat breed that can have leopard-like rosettes Also a kind of tiger

BENGAL

Hunting dog breed aka "Russian wolfhound" Name means "swift" in Russian Used in the logo of publisher Knopf

BORZOI

Hound smaller than foxhound and bigger than a beagle Also a kind of hawk and a jumpjet

HARRIER

Vine or shrub, some climbing, with fragrant white flowers Name from Persian, via Arabic Symbolic of Tunisia (& the Tunisian Revolution) Used in Chanel No. 5 Also a kind of fragrant rice and an Aladdin character

JASMINE

Also called "cape jasmine" Flower named for South Carolinian doctor Alexander

GARDENIA (Dr. Garden)

Hardy grass Varieties include Chewing's & Creeping Red

FESCUE

Austrian monk & botanist "Father of Genetics" Studied peas and their inherited traits around 1856 Coined "dominant/recessive" Established "law of segregation" & "law of independent assortment" Work went unappreciated for decades

GREGOR MENDEL

Daisy-like flower Maryland's state flower Draped on the Preakness Stakes winner

BLACK-EYED SUSAN

Scottish draft horse named for a river valley in Lanarkshire Leafy feathering on legs Strong & heavy Budweiser mascot

CLYDESDALE

Grain fungus Source of LSD Can cause poisoning

ERGOT

Indian subspecies of Panthera tigris tigris

BENGAL TIGER

Legume family plant that "mimics" animal motion Also the name of an unrelated type of tree

MIMOSA

British term for a German Shepherd

ALSATIAN

Scottish-American naturalist "Father of the National Parks" First president of the Sierra Club (1892-1914) Helped preserve Yosemite & Sequoia Namesake of a CA mountain, CA woods, & AK glacier

JOHN MUIR

Dog breed named for a river valley in Yorkshire, England Harding had one named Laddie Boy

AIREDALE TERRIER

Poa pratensis Actually native to Eurasia Named for a state

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS

Toy dog breed Name comes from a French insect, referring to its ears

PAPILLON

Yucca brevifolia Named for biblical prophet/guide Namesake of a National Park in California's Mojave desert & a U2 album

JOSHUA TREE

Also called "goat nut" or "wild hazel" Evergreen shrub of the Sonoran desert Oil used in cosmetics & hair products

JOJOBA

Danish horse breed named for a peninsula Mascot of Carlsberg beer

JUTLAND

Variety of sweet onion from Hawai'i Named for an island

MAUI

The San Marzano is an Italian variety of this vegetable

TOMATO

Daisy variety created by Luther Burbank Named for a California mountain

SHASTA

Ceratitis capitata Pest species that attacks crops, especially citrus Found in California in 1929 Hit California & Florida in the 1980s Named for a sea

MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY MEDFLY

Also called "Rose of Sharon" The yellow one is Hawai'i's state flower

HIBISCUS

Tropical five-petaled flower also called frangipani Often used for leis

PLUMERIA

Small spiny-finned fish 4 letters

GOBY

Also called coypu or "river rat" South American Introduced to US for its fur, though now it's invasive in southern wetlands

NUTRIA

South American plant from which a same-named sugar substitute is derived

STEVIA

State bird of Hawai'i Also called Hawai'ian Goose

NENE

Dog breed Deemed a Japanese "national monument" Named for a prefecture in Northern Honshu Has a plush curly tail Hachiko was one

AKITA

Purple member of the nightshade family Ingredient in baba ghanouj, moussaka, ratatouille, & (melanzane alla) parmigiana "Melanzana" in Italian

AUBERGINE EGGPLANT

Varieties include baby, savoy, & smooth-leaf Used in spanakopita, saag, eggs Sardou, V8, oysters Rockefeller, and "Florentine" style dishes Favourite of Popeye

SPINACH

Herb used for its "weed" and its seed Member of the parsley family Used in pickles, gravlax, & (in the past) for colic

DILL (WEED)

Actually in the rhubarb family, not a grass Sometimes called kasha (from Russian) Used in soba, blini, & groats Also the name of a "Little Rascal"

BUCKWHEAT

Flowering plant genus Also called jewelweed and touch-me-not Named for explosive dehiscence of seeds

IMPATIENS

Poisonous herb of parsley family Genus Conium Given to Socrates Shares name with evergreen tree

HEMLOCK

Common name for Tsuga genus due to its similar scent to a poisonous herb Evergreen conifer Washington's state tree is the "western" one

HEMLOCK

Genus of beets Sounds like a Greek letter

BETA